Page 4 of Monster's Delight

This was not one of those showers, despite it being quite warm.

Instead, I counted under my breath to keep track of the time, and was out, freshly scrubbed, in under ten minutes. I dried my auburn hair with a wave of my hand, and its natural curls popped into existence, no longer straightened by the weight of the water.

I used a similar wave of my hand on my pajamas, pulling the rose-colored flannel over my skin and feeling my muscles relax under their warmth. These were normally my winter pajamas, but I liked wearing them in Doyle Manor, as the house got a little drafty in the autumn.

Yanking my robe on as I stepped into house slippers, I made my way to the upstairs sitting room. Grandfather was already there, fixing himself a drink on a silver tray.

“Brandy?” he asked.

I felt rather grown up, but not in the mood for alcohol. “Hot chocolate?”

He stepped to the side, revealing a steaming mug piled high with marshmallows. “I thought you might say that.”

“Just the way I like it too!” I beamed at him, kissing his cheek as I reached for the mug. “What would you have done with it if I hadn’t asked for it?”

Grandfather scoffed. “As if you wouldn’t.”

“I might surprise you yet, Grandfather.”

“But that day is not this day.” He walked over to the couch and placed his brandy glass on the table beside it, patting the seat beside his. “Come. What story would you like to hear?”

“One where you got in trouble,” I teased, curling up on the couch.

His jaw dropped. “I never got in trouble! Who told you that?”

I giggled. “Must have been Grandmother.”

Sobering, Grandfather stroked his beard. “I didn’t meet Nessa until after I’d graduated. Our parents introduced us at a party, actually.”

“But she attended Blackthorn too, didn’t she?”

“Yes, a couple years younger than me, though. You know that the grades don’t intermingle much.” He smiled as he remembered. “No, I mostly ‘hung out’ with my roommate, Edwin. We were best friends and did everything together.”

“Was he your best man when you got married?” I asked. I had seen my grandparent’s wedding pictures, but I didn’t remember who had stood with them.

“No.” He shook his head sadly. “My parents didn’t approve of monsters. If they had met him, they would have known instantly who, or rather what, he was. Classist bastards,” he spat.

My eyes widened in shock and I took a sip of my hot chocolate to hide it. I’d never heard my grandfather swear before.

He continued, “They believed that witches were above monsters, that Blackthorn shouldn’t have allowed other magical people in at all, which is patently ridiculous. Edwin was my equal in all my classes, and sometimes even better. But my parents weren’t alone in their beliefs. Several other witch families were in agreement, and some of the monster families thought that they were better than us too. Tensions were high in the hallways, classrooms, and most especially, dorms.”

“Surely not anymore!” I gasped. “It’s been, what, fifty years since you went to Blackthorn. We’re all considered equal now, right?”

Grandfather shrugged. “One can only hope. The world has moved forward. Many of my yearmates were like Edwin and I, but there were still a few...” He coughed, clearing his throat. “But you wanted a story, not a history lesson. Let me think.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “One time, Edwin and I pranked the entire school by changing all the staircases into rubber.”

“No!” I exclaimed. “I thought you couldn’t modify the building!”

“Of course you can, or else there’d be no running water indoors. You have to consider your spell an improvement, instead of a modification. It took the teachers ages to figure out how to reverse it!”

I burst into laughter, and once Grandfather joined in, couldn’t stop.

CHAPTER2

When I woke up,the morning was gray and misty. I could barely see the ocean through my window.

I dressed quickly, having chosen my outfit before packing so that it would be easy to access, and trotted down the stairs. I could smell the bacon cooking by the time I got to the second floor and my mouth was watering when I finally reached the kitchen.

“I was just about to send someone up to get you,” Grandfather said, grinning wickedly at me over his cup of coffee.

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