Fair Flame by L.E.P. Smith (best ereader for pdf and epub TXT) 📖

at me, finally catching my eye. Their colour is of the ocean; dark and stormy. They’re also hard, like he’s never trusted anyone in his life, and that trust isn’t going to occur any time soon either. I decide that I really need to keep out of his way; a little difficult working in such a small space all day, everyday.

‘I did not come here to vanish after a week, I need this job, and I am not one to give up easily. No way. And don’t even think you can drive me out either James’ My affront at such an accusation starts to show through my voice. ‘So you, you can stop before you even start. I’m going to be here until I decide to leave not you. And I don’t see it being any time soon, ok?’

I lean back against the bookcase behind me, crossing my arms, attempting to convey my seriousness of the matter to him. I’m not so sure my attempt at confident nonchalance works on him, but it certainly makes me feel better.
A hand suddenly claps me on my back. I leap forwards, right into the unwelcoming chest of my new colleague. Great. I push myself off him quickly, my face getting red. I look away, and into the gaze of Custerson; who bursts out laughing.

‘I can’t believe you two already. I think you’ll get along just fine!’ a grin spreads across his face as he speaks. ‘Elizab-Effie…’ He corrects himself quickly, so I give him a slight grin. ‘I’d better show you how we work then, if you’re gonna be staying, hadn’t I?’

By the time I get home that evening, I’m knackered. I’d been on my feet following Custerson –Mark- around, trying to get to grips with everything. No nice, slow amalgamation for me…straight into the deep end I go!

Ugh. I feel like I could drop down and sleep for days! I walk through my apartment door, throw the keys onto the stairs, and then collapse onto my cosy, comfy sofa.

I wake up to the sound of ringing. Bleary and sluggish from an awkward sleep, I stumble to my feet, trying to find the source of the annoyance. I manage to crash into the table, damn it, tripping over the rug on the floor. The noise is still going, and getting louder, too. I stand straight, calming myself, getting my bearings before setting off again.

I feel my way towards what I now realise is my phone ringing. I increase my efforts, wondering why someone was calling me so late at night. Wait, no, so early in the morning I notice as I catch sight of my wall clock. 2am…who needs to talk to me at this time?

I finally see my mobile flashing on the sofa. I dive for it as it stops ringing. Frustrated, I toss it back onto the cushions. I’ll see who it was in the morning. Crawling my way back to bed, it begins ringing again.

‘Gah!’ I exclaim out loud.

‘Why is it always after you walk away they bloody well ring again?!’ I literally growl. I snatch up the phone, ‘What?! What do you want? Do you not know

what time it is?!’

A polite, young-sounding male voice answers my question. ‘Umm….Is this Miss Effie L. Brooks? Miss Brooks, daughter of Daniel Brooks?’

My anger abates a little. The guy sounds contrite, and a little scared, if truth be told. Though why he’d be scared about talking to someone over the phone, I have no idea, what’d he think I could do?

Hesitantly, I answer. ‘Yes, this is Effie Brooks. What do you want? It’s 2am!’ I don’t bother to apologise for my short temper.

‘Ah, well, yes I apologise about that, but it really was quite urgent that I called you, and I didn’t have the time to check the hour in England before calling.’ The hour in England? Where’s he calling from then? I think.

‘I’m calling from America, Effie. But as you can probably tell, I’m a English native.’ I can almost see the smile on his face as he says it.

‘I guess that makes me a native too then, does it Mr…?’ I’m still a little hesitant to be talking to someone I don’t know, especially to one I don’t even know the name of.

‘Ah, yes. I haven’t introduced myself, have I? My name is Colin, Colin Smyth. I am an acquaintance of your father’s. In fact, I work with him closely. In fact, he's the one that's been training me for the last 5 years.' Why would he need training

to pack boxes?!

‘My father works for a local company, doing moves for people. You don’t sound much like a removals expert.’ I grin to myself slightly, how’s he going to get out of this one then?

I think. I start a quiet giggle, the hour making me feel a little giddy. No human should have to be this awake at 2am.

His answer makes me fall silent, it’s so unexpected.

Chapter 5

I can't hold it in. I burst out in a fit of hysterical giggling.

'You expect me to believe that?! Of all things, you think I'm gonna believe that my father is a witch

?!'

I try to calm myself down, but I find that it's a futile gesture; a fresh fit of laughter escapes from my throat.

'Please, Effie, calm down. Surely you know about this? You should have been told all of our world when you turned 21. That's when our powers awaken. Your father, he told you nothing? Nothing at all, Effie?' Colin sounds confused, as if I should be believing in this crap. But, he also sounds sincere. But, witches

? Hah, as if I'd believe something crazy like that.

'Sorry Colin, but no, my father has not said a word to me about this craziness that you're blurting out. Dad is a normal person, with a normal job, with a normal life. And, if you want to know, nothing strange happened on my birthday. I went out at the weekend and drank so much I slept like the dead for 4 days. I woke up ravenous, thirsty and a little hung-over, but perfectly normal.' I grin to myself, remembering a little of the night, my friends buying me drink after drink after drink...

'Four days, Effie? You were out for four days? Are you sure about that?' Colin begins to sound extremely worried, as if my four days has confirmed something. 'Think very carefully before answering my next question, Effie, think very carefully indeed.'

I can hear only his breathing for a minute or so. Composing himself to ask me this seemingly difficult question. I take a moment to glance at the clock. It's now 3:07am. This phone call seems to be taking forever, but also not long at all.

'Effie...What exactly do you remember that weekend? What exactly happened until you can't remember a thing?' He pauses, and takes a deep breath. 'Do you recollect a moment that seems strange?'

I slowly sit down onto my couch. I run my hand along the arm, feeling the ridges in the purple material.

'What do you mean by 'funny'? Funny as in...?'

'Funny as in blurry moments, dizziness, moments where you remember nothing. Funny as in people there that didn't look right; out of place.' Colin's voice takes on a monotonous tone, lulling me into a dazed mentality.


I lean back, trying to think hard, wading through the fog in my mind of that night. It felt like the swirling mist itself was fighting me, not wanting me to remember. I sift through the early parts of the evening; getting ready, chatting on the phone to my friends, running out the house for the taxi...the taxi? I thought I was getting a lift?

'Wait. The taxi...I, I think...No. Never mind.' The clouds seem to swirl faster, more confusingly. 'Just make it STOP! My head!' The swirling mists begin to press down, the pressure in my skull increasing, feeling on the verge of exploding.

I drop the phone, hear it smash against the wooden floor, my eyes roll, and then...nothing.

A hand on my shoulder, gently shaking. A voice in my ear, whispering, no, shouting.

'Effie! Wake up! Right now, or I'll.....umm...' The guy's voice sounds worried, or, well, just plain scared. 'C'mon Effie...say something, please?! Tell me to go away, or swear at me....grunt! Grunt for all I care!'

'Shut up and go away....I have no idea who you are' Well, that's what I would have said, but it came out more like:

'Shhhhhhdup ngowey....nodeer hooo y'arrr' an unintelligible, garbled mess.

'Well, I didn't think you'd take the grunting literally...I would prefer you to talk a little more coherent, it would make me feel so much better about your state of mind' Panic permeates Colin's voice, unsettling me. Definately sounding closer than it should be.

'.....Ughhhhhh...' I groan, then give a scoff, I sounded like a zombie out of a movie. I crack open my eyes, which feel like they've been nailed shut. Through the small and blurry gap, I glimpse a grin. Colin.

'Well Effie, if you can chuckle, you must be alright then!'

...Hold on...

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Publication Date: 10-11-2010

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