****Writer's Note--This story is a slow burn. I would love to hear feedback on the first piece I have written and published. Thank you!
Marigold awoke to the sound of her alarm clock. She turned it off and looked for Judas, who wasn't in his usual spot. She stretched as she got out of bed. Still, in her pajamas, she headed downstairs to make a cup of coffee and open the curtains. As she was pouring her coffee into a mug, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She finished pouring her cup and walked to her back door to find Judas perched outside on her balcony watching the ocean.
She closed the door a little louder than usual to let him know she was near.
'Good morning, I didn't expect you to be out here,' she communicated telepathically.
'I like to get some fresh air in the morning from time to time,' Judas rebutted.
'Do you want to come to the shop today? I'm closing again.' She took a seat on the white steps leading down to their private beach.
'Yes, I would. I'm hoping our new friend comes by again,' Judas snickered.
Marigold stopped mid-sip and looked at him with an annoyed glare. She wasn't going to be baited into further conversation about Callisto with Judas. Instead, she continued to look towards the ocean and closed her eyes.
It was cooler than yesterday, she noticed, as she wrapped her sweater closer to her body. After a few minutes, she stood up and began to walk down the remaining steps until her bare foot touched the cool, kneading sand. She felt her heartbeat increasing as she began walking closer to the shoreline. The waves were calm this morning, she inhaled deeply the crisp salty air, right before the water touched her feet. She took a sharp breath when the brisk water touched her skin. As she opened her eyes, she heard seagulls overhead and smiled at them. Her cell phone ringing took her out of the moment. It was Zora calling her which was out of the usual.
"Good morning Z, everything okay?" Marigold asked, as she drank the remainder of her coffee and headed back up the stairs to her back door. Judas was no longer on his perch, so she locked the door behind her.
"I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I need you to come in a bit early. It's been a crazy weird morning."
"Sure, I'll be there within the next twenty minutes. Do you need me to bring anything?"
"A large latte would be greatly appreciated!" Zora added, before she disconnected the call.
"Judas, we're leaving early. Come eat breakfast, while I finish getting dressed and packed up" she yelled through the house. Judas came trotting around the corner and was face-deep in his food.
Marigold jogged up the steps to pack up the rest of her items and get dressed for the day. She put on black jeans with a black-and-white-striped sweater and black boots. She walked to the bathroom and stared at the mirror thinking of ways to do her hair. She didn't have time to do much, so she sprayed water through it, fluffed it out, and decided to leave it as it was.
She turned off the light and walked downstairs to find Judas patiently waiting for her. She picked him up to put him in her bag and headed out the door. She put on her headphones and headed towards the shop.
---
Callisto was laying in his bed, reading an article from Business Insider and drinking a cup of tea. He had spent most of the remainder of the evening unpacking and getting things set up. The rest could wait--he mostly needed his office, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen set up. He placed the magazine on his nightstand and began to make his bed. Callisto was a very tidy person who liked to keep things presentable. Despite unpacking a few hours earlier, everything already had a place and was neatly organized.
After he made his bed, he got ready for his work day. He was a cyber security analyst in another vampire's start-up tech firm. He walked into his office to start up his computer and to check his schedule of meetings for the day. "A meeting in twenty minutes, perfect timing" he muttered to himself.
He walked out of the office and down the stairs to the kitchen. He raided the cabinets for sunflower seeds, dog food, and dried meat in a small bowl. He went outside to his back patio and placed the bowl on a small platform.
"Pepper, time for breakfast" he bellowed into the air. A raven swooped down from a nearby tree onto the platform and began to root through the bowl.
"Good morning, Pepper." I'll leave the door cracked if you wish to come in. I have a meeting coming up." Callisto turned around and into the kitchen to put away the remnants of Pepper's breakfast. Pepper was his companion who had been part of most of his adult life. Similar to a familiar, they were bonded and could communicate telepathically if needed.
Callisto walked back upstairs to change his clothes to get ready for his upcoming meeting. As he sat down, he wondered if Marigold was working as well, and considered visiting her later that evening.
--
"Wow, what is going on today?" Zora exasperatedly asked no one in particular.
Zora and Marigold had the busiest day they had had in weeks on top of the rest of the inventory showing up and needing to be cataloged. "Must be a full moon soon or something," Zora muttered, as she unpacked another box of dried herbs.
"No full moon yet, we still have another few days," Marigold informed her, as she walked a customer to the door. Marigold and Zora were exhausted; between inventory and the steady flow of customers, neither of them had a chance to have a moment of peace.
"I haven't even had a sip of my latte." Zora grabbed her coffee and headed to the back to put it in the microwave.
"I think we're going to close early tonight, so I can finish inventory.".
She placed a handwritten sign in the window stating that they would be closing early that evening.
"Are you sure you don't want me to help?"
