Page 5 of Capricorn Blessed

Izzy reaches out and squeezes my hand. “Awe, Sia, I’m so sorry, but you know you’ve been careful. No one knows but me and your parents, and they disappeared years ago. You don’t need to be afraid of the people you work with finding out. You know I’d take your secret to the grave with me.”

I give her hand a squeeze and force a shaky smile onto my face. “I know you would, Iz, but let’s hope it won’t come to that. I just feel like something big is coming. The magic seems to be fading faster than before. I’m not sure if it’s the city or if magic is truly vanishing faster, but we’re running out of time to fix it before magic is gone forever.”

Chapter 3

An Unexpected Friend

I walk up the stairs of the subway station, feeling less alone after our talk. But still, I can’t shake the feeling that time is running out.

My parents had told me a little about being blessed by Capricorn before I was born. She appeared in a dream to my parents before they knew they were expecting. She told them that each Zodiac had chosen a worthy baby. When the child was born, the Zodiacs would bless her with some of their own powers, and they had chosen their daughter to be their chosen one. At breakfast the next morning, they realized they had the same dream and maybe it meant something more.

They had taught me about my destiny when I was a child, but they’d also taught me to hide the extra powers. I used my fae powers and pretended everything was normal, hoping the day would never come when I had to out myself to everyone else.

A noise in the alley next to my building catches my attention. I pause and listen, hearing a faint sound almost like a baby laughing. I look around to see if I can find an adult who is hunting their child, but no one else is on this block.

“Hello?” I call out slowly, heading down the alley.

I hear the cry again. It’s not a child, but some kind of animal. I tsk my tongue to try to find it. Something tells me whatever is making these sounds is hurt or stuck.

I babble soothing nonsense, moving down the alley toward the sound, not wanting to scare whatever it is and cause it more pain. As I pass the dumpster, I realize the noise is coming from inside it.

I pick up my pace and rise on my tiptoes to peer over the edge, glad for being almost six feet and not needing to climb on it to see inside.

“Oh dear, how did you get in here?” I ask as my eyes land on a white baby goat with gray spots. It bleats back at me, making me smile. “Come on. You aren’t trash. Let’s get you out of there.”

I reach over the edge, and the kid climbs over the bags and walks up to me without fear. I lift it out and look closely at it. It’s small and skinny, like it could do with some food or milk. Its fur is mostly clean, so I guess it hasn’t been stuck for too long.

“You poor thing. You shouldn’t be out here all alone. Let’s get you inside and find you something to eat.” I pull it in close and head back up the alley toward the door.

The goat lays its head on my shoulder and lets out a huff of warm air against my ear.

“Awe, you’re just a sweetheart, aren’t you?”

I carry the goat inside and up to my apartment. The whole way, its head stays down, its eyes closed. Reaching my apartment, I open the door and slip inside, quietly closing the door and hoping no one noticed me breaking the “no pets” rule enforced by the landlord. Although, I doubt the lease said anything about not having a goat as a pet in the middle of New York City...

I lower the animal to the floor and move toward the kitchen.

“Let’s get you some water and clean you up,” I tell it.

I fill a bowl with cool water and set it on the tiles. Flipping the tap to warm, I stick my fingers under the stream and wait for it to warm up.

The little goat walks into the kitchen and lowers its head to the bowl, drinking most of it before lifting its head to look at me. The water warms, and I pull out a dish rag. I squirt out a spot of soap and wet the cloth. The goat looks up at me and bleats as I kneel on the floor.

“Come on, this should make you feel better,” I say, reaching out and gently washing the spots I can see that need the most tending. “How did you get into the dumpster? I would have to guess you didn’t get in there by accident. And I’m guessing whoever put you there won’t come looking for you...” I move toward the goat’s belly. “Hmmm... I guess if you’re going to be around while I figure out what to do with you, you’ll need a name. You’re a boy, so how about Billy?”

The goat looks at me and bleats.

“I’m going to guess that means you like it, so Billy, it is.”

Billy bleats again.

“You are going to have to stop that before you get us both in trouble,” I scold him, shaking my finger like I would if I were talking to a child. “Now let’s find you something to eat.”

I walk over and open the fridge, peering inside. “What do goats eat?”

I glance back to see Billy staring at me. I pull out some lettuce and pour it on the ground. Billy walks over and sniffs it before looking up at me. I add some carrots and cut up some apples to add to the pile.

“I know it’s not what you want, but it’s the best I have on short notice.” I shrug, hoping he can understand me.

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