Page 48 of The Nowhere Witch

I got to Zark’s a few minutes later. The place was empty. It was the same shift I always worked, but something was definitely different. Even if the place had been packed, I’d have known something was wrong with Zark as soon as I walked in. His smile, normally lit from the reflection off all the coin he was bringing in, was dimmed.

Gregor was smiling. He glanced at his father and smiled wider, as if he could balance out the vibe in the empty bar.

“Tippi, we need to talk,” Zark said.

I tucked my hands in my pockets and nodded. I couldn’t take the look on his face for too long. The flat eyes that didn’t sparkle with coins.

“I know. It’s the cloud.” There was no more denying it. I had a cloud.

“You know, sometimes it’s a fluke and they hang on to the wrong person for a little bit before they realize the mistake,” Gregor said.

Zark didn’t acknowledge him. “I saw it heading this way with you. Who knows how long it might last? I can’t afford to have it here.”

“I get it.” I kept nodding, not sure what else to do or say. I couldn’t blame him or even be mad. What else could you do with a person haunted by a black cloud? This place had never been so empty.

“I can pay you to leave if you want?”

I shook my head and took a step back. “No, that won’t be needed.”

I was fired. What did you say when you got fired?

Zark didn’t know what else to say either, as he started bobbing his head as well. Or he knew exactly what to say but didn’t have the nerve to tell me to get out because of who I was associated with. Looked like I was going to have to kick myself out.

I hooked a thumb toward the door. “I guess I’ll get going.”

“If it goes away, stop by. Maybe I can hire you back.” He lifted a shoulder and scratched his jaw, as if it weren’t beyond impossible.

I smiled, as if that made me feel so much better.

I waved toward Gregor, who wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me either.

I was only a couple steps outside of Zark’s when Gregor called my name and chased after me.

“Hey, I hope you know this doesn’t affect our friendship at all, right?”

Even as he spoke, people were crossing the street to get away from me. I hadn’t thought we were actually friends, but I couldn’t afford to lose any right now, especially with the list of fifty I needed for immigration. It was bad enough I’d just lost my job.

Another wave of people parted as they approached us. Still…

“You sure?”

Gregor waved toward the people giving us a wide berth. “Definitely. Black clouds happen to everyone at some point.”

They did? Then why was everyone acting so weird? “You’ve had a black cloud?”

He tucked his hands in his pockets, looking around the now-empty street. “Uhm, well, not really. I’m sure I will at some point.” He ducked his head, and then shrugged before looking at me. “Even if I don’t, I don’t care if you do.”

“Thanks.” With a sea of people running from me, it was nice to have someone not ebbing and flowing with the tide. He wasn’t a bad-looking guy, and he just got a little cuter.

“Can I come by and say hi sometime? We’re friends, right? I’d hate to think we’d never hang out again.”

“Definitely.” Black cloud or not, I felt a little less bleak.

“Maybe a cocoa tomorrow night?”

“Sure.” How could I turn down a guy that was so set on being loyal to me?

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