Page 33 of Waste
She had to admit, as she caught sight of Mirry staring at them, they looked mighty fine together. Both were tall and handsome. Charlie was of a broader build than Drew, but both clearly had muscled frames, and Drew’s hair was longer than Charlie’s, which suited him. Even though Charlie was her brother, Shelley knew he was good-looking.
Shelley withdrew back into the shadows and watched as Mirry continued to stare after them. There was a calculating expression on her face that worried Shelley. Was Mirry going to be in trouble?
As soon as Drew and Charlie disappeared, Shelley headed over to the mirror and called on Bloody Mary three times.
“Look, I know you’re there. Please inform the ghoul that I need to meet with him. Someone hurt me, and I think the ghoulknows why. Please. I don’t want to harm or get him caught; I want to talk,” Shelley pleaded.
There was no answer, and Shelley sat back in her chair, disappointed. Logically, Shelley understood that if they’d hidden their existence all this time, they would continue to guard it zealously. And if there were Hunters after them, Shelley didn’t blame them. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of her. But she really wanted answers. The ghoul had left her hanging, although Shelley didn’t think he’d meant to.
Were the Hunters human or monsters, too? That was a big question. Sure, Shelley was nosy and wished to know more about the paranormal, something she’d long been fascinated by. She’d always believed in things like ghosts, but other creatures? No, but now that she realised some sort of paranormal culture existed, Shelley was growing hungry for knowledge.
An hour into her further research, a knock on the door disturbed Shelley. She heard voices and guessed the guards had intercepted whoever it was.
Shelley rose to her feet as the guard, Jon, knocked and announced his entry.
“What is it?” Shelley asked.
“A woman called Sandie Jones. Says she has an invitation to lunch for you,” he replied.
“Huh, I don’t know a Sandie Jones,” Shelley replied.
“She works for Mirry Moors,” Jon said.
“Oh no!” Shelley moaned softly, and Jon grinned. He’d also seen the scene yesterday with Mirry and hadn’t looked too amused.
“Drew has organised lunch already, so we’ll have to decline,” Shelley excused.
“I’ll tell Miss Jones you have plans,” Jon responded.
Jon left the chalet, and Shelley heard voices and stepped closer.
“Miss Moor won’t be happy,” Sandie said.
“Miss Moor is not my concern. My clients have made arrangements and are declining the invitation,” Jon replied.
“Oh dear,” Sandie muttered and wrung her hands together. For a moment, Shelley experienced sympathy for Sandie. Working with someone like Mirry and that temper couldn’t be fun at all. But Sandie chose to work with Mirry instead of finding another job.
Shelley saw irony in her thoughts. She worked with Jo, who was a bully in her own right. The difference was that Shelley enjoyed her job apart from Jo. Poor Sandie didn’t seem to get any satisfaction from hers. Shelley watched as Sandie trudged across the road, shoulder slumped, and clearly expecting a berating, which did indeed follow.
“Who does she think she is to refuse me!” Mirry’s voice shrieked. “No one denies me. Go back over and tell her I insist, and she should be honoured I invited her! She’s a nobody!”
Shelley sighed and rolled her eyes. “Jon,” she called.
Jon popped his head in.
“Should Sandie return, the answer is still no, and perhaps she ought to suggest to her employer to lower her voice!”
Jon smirked and disappeared. Mirry continued screeching about Shelley’s lack of gratitude and how she should be grateful to sit down to lunch with her. Shoving the temper tantrum-filled drama queen out of her head, Shelley returned to making notes. If someone were to get hold of her or her laptop, it would appear that Shelley was indeed writing a book.
Drew/Ghoul
As they walked back to the chalet after tackling some runs, Drew stiffened as he spotted Marie casually walking towardsthem in ski gear. His eyes widened, believing there was trouble, but Marie grinned.
“Drew! I didn’t expect to see you here!” Marie exclaimed and hugged him.
“Marie, what a pleasant surprise,” Drew responded. “This is Charlie Evans, a friend. He and his sister are holidaying with me.”
“Nice to meet you, Charlie. I’m Marie Jenson.”
