Jinxed: A Paranormal Why Choose Standalone
Jinxed: Chapter 11

It didn’t take long for my days to blur. It was hard to differentiate between one day and the next when you had an eternity spreading out before you. Eventually I stumbled into some semblance of a routine, and before I knew it a month had passed in the old Victorian house I now called home.

Mornings were spent with Luther in the library, scouring the books for anything that would help us escape. So far, we found absolutely nothing except for manuscripts on how to spot a witch, and what to do with said witch. Their methods usually included drowning them. The manuscripts were entirely unhelpful, since they said nothing about how to break a spell or lift a curse. Although, we did joke about how some days, drowning Felix wasn’t entirely out of the question. We’d break for tea, and talk some more. I still hadn’t mustered the courage to tell Luther his tea was weak to the point of drinking hot water. He seemed to really enjoy the time we spent together, and I didn’t want to sour his experience.

I was beginning to doubt Luther regarded me in any sort of romantic way. Whenever I made a move towards him, to sit closer, or to “accidentally” brush up against him, he seemed to retreat into himself. I figured that was just the way it was going to be. Luther was a fair bit older than I was, and probably wasn’t interested in me as anything other than a platonic acquaintance. And even if he saw me as more than a daughter, or a friend, would he be interested in someone who was building relationships with other people? It was an awkward, novel situation I was afraid to push too far. I didn’t want to fuck up my friendship with Luther, even if I did replace him crazy hot.

He would probably know exactly how to touch me…His mustache would tickle the sensitive skin of my thighs as he sprawled between them. I could grip his broad shoulders as he bent those lips to my throbbing clit and…

Fuck, Savannah. Straighten yourself out. I needed to get a hold of myself. Luther obviously thought of me as just a friend, and seeing how we were stuck together for eternity, I needed to respect his decision.

I wasn’t sure where Felix disappeared during the day. I had a feeling it had something to do with the locked room, but both Luther and Theo refused to share any information.

Luther stopped me from knocking on its door once. “Let it be, Savannah. Felix has his secrets. We don’t get many in here. You have to let it go,” he warned me.

Theo would pass me a drink, his crooked smile spelling out all kinds of trouble. “Don’t worry about it, sweet girl. What he does has no bearing on us.” These conversations usually ended with me taking my clothes off, and Theo stripping out of his jeans. The hooch probably helped.

Even though I couldn’t replace Felix in the daytime, nights were a different story altogether. Sometimes, Felix would drag me willingly into his room. And sometimes, Theo would join us. These nights always left me longing for more. Even though I had Felix at night, I wanted to see the real him. The person he became in the daylight.

Some nights I spent alone, in the last bedroom in the hall I had claimed as my own. The room was completely green when I first took up residence. Green walls, green bedding, and green curtains framed the window looking out over the green garden. Luckily, I had found piles of fabric while pillaging the storeroom–silky pinks and purples, whites in the lightest of muslin, blood red velvets that matched the chairs. Amongst the fabric was an old sewing kit, and after I opened it, I danced the entire way upstairs.

I wasn’t an expert seamstress by any means, but one wasn’t a pro thrifter if they didn’t know how to sew a fair bit. It took longer than I expected it to, but eventually I finished sewing new drapes to hang, lightening the windows with the whitest of whites. Pink bed sheets replaced the avocado green, along with matching pillowcases. I sat on the floor sewing the last pillowcase when the needle slipped, stabbing my finger in the process. Blood welled up, staining the edges of the pale fabric.

“Fucking hell,” I cursed.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Felix poked his head into the room.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, shoving the injured finger in my mouth before the blood could soak any more of the fabric. “Workplace hazard.”

I smiled, and asked him why he was in my room, but Felix only shook his head in response. Then he held up a finger. “One second.” He hurried out the door, and I waited on the floor, nursing my wound. Figures, Felix finally joined me in the middle of the day, only to run away the moment I said anything.

Outside in the hall, doors opened and slammed, and I was truly surprised when, a few minutes later, Felix rushed back into the room. He stuffed a massive ball of a rich black material into my arms. “Here. Maybe you can use this for some clothes for yourself.”

I unfolded what he had given me, realizing it was a stunning ball gown, trimmed with black lace. Mother of pearl buttons dotted the front, and a silk bow tied it all together at the waist. I knew a treasure when I saw one, and this dress was an absolute diamond, in impeccable condition. He must have had it made for Hannah, before the curse. “Felix…I can’t destroy this. It’s too beautiful. It should be cherished.”

“It’s been gathering dust in my closet for over a hundred years.” His face clouded over. “The only way it could be treasured now is for you to make good use of it. I didn’t realize you could sew, and you must be sick of wearing our clothes all the time.”

Seeing as I had come into the house with only the clothes on my back, and my box of useless, random kitchen utensils, I had been borrowing clothes from the guys to make my jeans and shirt last longer. Felix obviously had a whole wardrobe when he moved in, and Theo had a backpack filled with clothes. I wasn’t sure what Luther had arrived with, and he still hadn’t told me his story, but he always seemed put together, especially compared to the perpetually shirtless Theo. I sat on the floor currently wearing my jeans and an oversized band T-shirt from the 90s. There was a hole in the armpit I was 99% sure had been there before Theo entered the house.

“I don’t mind your clothes.” All the same, I clutched the gown to my chest. I wasn’t sure I could cut this piece of history. It belonged in a museum, not on my body as shirts and pants.

Felix shook his head. “Use the dress, Savannah. It hasn’t meant anything to me in a really long time.”

“Okay.” I sighed, pulling the dress apart to examine all the bits and pieces. “But I can’t promise they’re going to look good.”

For the first time, I heard Felix laugh–genuinely laugh. It was such a shock, my mouth hung open as I looked up at him. “I don’t give a shit what they look like, darling, as long as you don’t wear Theo’s godawful clothing anymore.”

I plucked at the offending shirt. “What’s wrong with Nirvana?”

“I don’t know what Nirvana is, but it smells like him.” He wrinkled his nose. “And then you come to my bed and smell like him.”

This time it was my turn to laugh. “You don’t like it when I smell like Theo?”

“Absolutely not,” he snapped. “I’ll share you with him, if I have to. But I’d rather you didn’t come to my bed smelling like drugs and booze. You’re not a heathen.”

I rolled my eyes. “Felix, you know I drink said booze with him.”

He crossed the room in two steps, kneeling down before me and taking my face into his hands. “What you do with him is none of my business. But when you’re with me, whether Theo is there or not, I have expectations I want to be met.”

I slapped his hands away from my face, and glared at him. “And I have certain expectations, too. Like, don’t tell me what to do. I’m sure you remember that conversation.”

“I remember it ending with you moaning my name as I held you up against the wall.” Felix smirked, leaning into my face. He smelled like pine, and the soap we all used, mixed with something I couldn’t put my finger on. I hated that I was looking forward to breathing it in for eternity.

“Funny, I’m recalling it differently.”

“Don’t push me, darling. If there’s one thing I have less of after a hundred years, it’s patience.”

I frowned. “Shouldn’t you have more of it? You know, after pining and waiting for all that time?” God, Felix was annoying. He thought so fucking highly of himself, it was honestly a wonder I slept with him at all. But the dick…oh, so good. I held my hand up to stop him from snapping back. “Look, thanks for the dress. I’m sure I can get some good use out of it. Let’s leave it at that.”

“Fine,” his dark eyes darted to mine, unspoken words hanging between us. I expected him to say more, instead he gripped my face in his hands again, bringing my lips to his in a bruising kiss.

I didn’t pretend I didn’t want him anymore when he came to me. Pretending was futile, and a waste of both our time–even though we had endless amounts of it. Instead I kissed him back, channeling every emotion I had into our embrace. Anger, annoyance, and hopelessness tangled with longing and need. A moan slipped out of my mouth when his tongue skated along the seam of my lips. Eventually he pulled away, his fingers leaving my body last as he turned away and left my room without another word.

I carefully folded the dress and laid it on my bed, before I left my room to replace Theo. Whenever I had a rough day, I sought Theo’s gentle nature, the soothing pattern of his voice. I needed it now. As I took the stairs, I worked through what I knew about my time in the house, and what I knew about Felix in particular.

Sometimes it felt like Felix and I just used each other to get it all out of our systems. Sometimes it felt like more. Usually the nights when it was just us two, when we lay in his bed, tangled in the sheets, moonlight would drift in through the window, unfiltered by the curtains he never seemed to close. Felix would run his fingers through my hair, letting them trail down my bare back. My body reacted to him in ways I never expected, ways I don’t think he anticipated. But these stolen moments in Felix’s moonlight-dappled bed always felt different. Like we weren’t ourselves, but someone else. People who weren’t trapped in a cursed house, at each other’s throats.

Felix would whisper secrets to me in these moments, and I would respond with stories of my own.

“My father taught me money was everything in this life,” he murmured to me one night. “Any problem in the world could be solved with enough money.” He picked his hand off my shoulder and gestured around us. “Now look where I am. I had more than enough money to do whatever I wanted. And I’m still here. Still trapped in these four walls. All the money in the world couldn’t, can’t, free me.”

I tiptoed my fingers along his toned arm, enjoying the way the muscles tensed beneath the skin as I traveled down his body. “I grew up with no money. Dirt poor. We used to scour the couch cushions for loose change to buy a loaf of bread. I thought having money would change everything. Fix all of my problems, and set me up for life. And somehow, once I was lucky enough to fall into some money, I chose to buy this place. I’m not sure money has anything to do with luck anymore.”

“Oh yeah?” Felix whispered, turning on his side. He watched me carefully, tracing my lips with a gentle touch.

“Yeah,” I sighed, leaning into his hand. “I think money is just a means to an end. And luck is something we create. The rest of it…it’s something we can choose to either embrace, or we can mourn. And maybe that’s something we all need to learn. To embrace the house, and everything that comes with it.”

He smirked. “I can think of something else I would rather embrace.” His lips replaced his fingers, and his hands found their way to my waist. I don’t think we spoke any more that night.

I was at the top of the basement stairs by now, knowing I’d replace Theo with his makeshift distillery in the cool cellar. It was funny, the way my relationship had developed differently with each of the guys. I was closest to Theo, but I wasn’t entirely convinced the alcohol didn’t play a massive part. He was always ready with a cheerful smile and a warm embrace. Even now as I joined him downstairs, he grinned and handed me a mason jar filled with the hooch I had come to enjoy. It had taken some time to get used to not being hungry. Eventually, like everything else, it had come to feel normal.

“Something on your mind, sweet girl?” He tugged on my hand, pulling me to his side to sit on the old carpet with him. His small setup of glass jars and basins lined the table in front of us.

I took a sip from my glass and nuzzled into his arm. “I was just thinking how different all my relationships with you are. And maybe I shouldn’t be sleeping with Felix anymore.”

In a different situation, I would never talk to my boyfriend about another man I was having sex with. But we had all gotten to know each other sexually, and Theo knew Felix for far longer than I had. I had to use the resources in front of me, and right now that was Theo.

Theo laughed, tossing his blond hair in his typical easy way. “Why do you say that? I’m never going to complain about sharing you, but I’ve seen your eyes when Felix is fucking you, Savannah. You love it. Those moans you make…goddamn.”

I covered my face to hide my embarrassment. I wasn’t sure I would ever get used to the fact one guy I was having sex with had seen me have sex with his roommate. But nothing was normal in this house, least of all the relationships. I took another swallow to hide my awkwardness. “I do love having sex with him. With both of you. But Felix and I don’t have a relationship like you and I do. With Felix, our relationship seems to be purely when the sun sets.”

“Is that a problem for you?”

This is why I loved Theo, alcoholic or not. There was never any judgment from him. I knew a lot of it came from his childhood, and the life he lived after his parents’ death, but he never blinked an eye at anything I told him. I shrugged. “I guess not. But, like, today for example. He just came to my room and offered me a dress so I could make myself new clothes. Super nice gesture. Then we ended up fighting because he made a comment about how I was wearing your shirts.” I sighed. “It would be nice to know where I stand with him.”

“Listen here, sweet girl. Felix plays his cards close to his chest.” Theo pulled me tighter. “He’s been like that since I arrived. To him, just because we’re sharing a house doesn’t mean we need to share a life.”

I nodded, burrowing into his chest harder but saying nothing.

“If you want to have sex with Felix, have sex with Felix. If you want me to be there, I’ll be there with bells on. If you’re upset you’re not getting more from him, let me be the first to tell you that you get more than anyone else. And if you want to have sex with just Felix…well, you’ll replace me drowning my sorrows down here in the basement.” Theo offered me a playful smirk. I swatted at his shoulder.

I studied him. “You joke, but there’s some truth in that statement.”

Before he could respond, the steps creaked above us. We both turned our heads to see who was coming down. For the second time today, I was surprised to see Felix in the doorway.

“Am I interrupting something or can we talk?” he asked. Felix looked horribly uncomfortable.

Theo gave me a quick kiss on my forehead and got to his feet. “Should I leave?”

Felix shook his head, and took the rest of the stairs down. “No, stay. What I have to say involves you, too.”

I looked at Theo, concern written all over his face which I was sure was reflected on mine. Felix never came down to the basement, so the first thing we thought was something’s wrong. Horribly, awfully, terribly wrong. And when you were stuck in a house with no escape, anything wrong was the last thing you wanted to hear.