Elliott made his first wish as he stepped out of the house: he wished for confidence. Though he had dabbled in magic here and there before, he had half-expected the wishing perfume he’d brewed for himself wouldn’t work, but the moment the words left his mouth he felt a thrill of energy roll through him and the nerves that had been nagging at him all day evaporated instantly. He held
Fantasy Resort’s communal lounge was sleek, comfortable and, presently, abuzz with hushed conversation. Ordinarily it was a space where the resort’s guests could relax together, chatting over drinks poured from the well-stocked bar set towards the back of the room. Tonight, however, the crowd was quiet, huddling together in little groups and whispering amongst themselves while casting furtive glances at the other people in the room, their suspicious gossip driven
Rolling over in her sleep, Sia turned into the sunlight shafting through the sheer curtains. Her dreams scattered by the sudden brightness she frowned briefly, made a murmur of sleepy discomfort, then let out a weary sigh as her eyelids fluttered open. For a moment or two she pondered trying to get back to sleep, but already her drowsiness had been chased away by the nagging doubt she had gone
‘There we go,’ said the barman, sliding the drinks over the counter, ‘one Twinkler and one Simply Seduction. That’ll be thirteen-fifty.’ Taking his drink while Cooper paid, Brad propped himself against the bar and took a sip, his back to the barman. If he was honest, the man unnerved him a little; his eye lingered in suggestive places and a smirk plucked at his lips when he looked at Brad,
Kenny did not recognise the woman who entered. She was small and slender – a waif of a thing really – with the grey of age showing in her temples. She wore a tweed jacket over a plain white blouse and plainer black trousers, her flat shoes some fifty years out of date – older than she was, he was certain of that – and though she cast him a
‘Hey, hot stuff, you looking for some action?’ Cole had heard iterations of the same question at least a dozen times as he wandered through the winding corridors, though unlike the others this particular man drew him in. He was slim yet toned – the kind of physique Cole craved in a lover – with a mischievous glimmer in his eye and a smile plucking at the corners of his
Carter stumbled backwards, cold dread flooding his system as the scantily clad intruder slowly advanced. ‘No, you can’t. You can’t be here. Sonny, you can’t. I… I don’t understand. How did you get in? No, what am I saying – you’re not here. I… I’m seeing things… I have to be…’ Even so, Carter continued to edge away, practically crouching with his hands held out in a defensive manner as
Bobby sensed something wrong the moment he entered the dormitory. The air was thick with a cloying mixture of sweat, leather and something else – a foreign aroma he could not quite place, as sharp as it was sickeningly sweet. The oppressive atmosphere prompted an immediate headache and as he made his way down the corridor he could feel it crawling down his throat, choking him. His suspicions piqued as
‘So how long have you guys been in the neighbourhood?’ Rich asked as he sipped on his coffee. Having spent the last few weeks subsisting on either instant sachets or watery gas station trash, he was grateful to finally have some proper caffeine. The drink was rich and flavourful, and though he detected a foreign undertone to it he assumed his new neighbours merely had a fondness for more exotic
Staring up at the bottle-lined shelves behind the bar, Carl wondered if any of them might contain the answers he was looking for. Having so far worked through about half of them he was beginning to suspect not, but with a swelling rock of misery throbbing in his chest he could not think of any other option besides testing out the rest. With doleful eyes, he glanced down at his
