Page 4 of Oracles Always Win

Iyanked the drapes closed.Theurge to hide was too compelling to ignore.Itwas only then, afterIconfirmed no one could see inside my room, thatIfumbled with the light switch on my lamp again.ThenIset theMasonjar down with a thud on my table.Watersloshed over the lip of the jar and hit my fingers.

Myeyes watered with the sudden brightness.Iblinked rapidly.AndthenIsaw it again.Thepainting with its still wet paint.TheoneI'dfinished in my sleep.Theone that matched whatI'djust seen outside my window.

Myearlier desperate need to preserve the painting was gone now, like it'd never existed.Iscooped the white paint off my palette with my fingers and smeared it over the tacky paint on the canvas.Igrabbed the tube of white and squeezed out more, directly onto the painting, and pushed it around.

Ascratching noise and an inquisitive mew came from the other side of my door.Aftereverything else that had happened tonight,Ididn’t have the energy to deal with the cat too.Mygrandfather’s cat always had a knowing look in his eyes, andIswore some of the regulars tried to have conversations with him.And, on really bad days,Ieven imagined he talked—as in made words that soundedEnglishand everything.

“Goaway,”Ishouted at the cat. “I’mbusy.”

Ihad to cover over this painting.NowthatIcould,Ihad to hide it.Thattook precedence over everything else.

Fatiguewore at me, butIpressed on.Ihad to do this.

“Justa little bit more, it’s almost done…”Imurmured.

Ididn't stop until the earlier painting was lost under a thick layer of white.

“Ha!There!”I’ddone it.Mypanting breath burst from my lips asIstudied the glistening wet paint.MyT-shirt, soaked through with sweat now, was plastered to my chest.

Myhands shook asIwashed the remnants of paint from my fingers a moment later.EvenasIstood there at the sink, a newfound clarity hit me.Thetruth was obvious and indisputable.Iwasgoing insane.Onehundred per cent.Itwas the only explanation.Imean,I’dbeen suspecting it for a while, but there came a point when you couldn’t deny the truth, right?

Thiswas that point.

Howlong would it be before anyone else noticed?

Istudied my reflection in the small, tarnished mirror above the sink.Whatdid crazy look like?Ididn’t thinkIhad any obvious signs.

Thatwas good.

BecauseIreally wanted to accomplish some stuff before it was too late.

Losingmy virginity was at the top of the list, despite my horrific previous attempts to do just that.Thatwas followed by getting the pub firmly into the black for the next owner, whoever that might be.Iowed it to my grandfather to not let his business fail.And, lastly,Iwanted to sell one of my nice paintings—none of that black-and-white shit—for more than a hundred bucks.

There.

Done.

Threethings to conquer beforeIwas tossed in a locked room that was noticeably devoid of any sharp objects.Outof all my new goals,Iexpected losing my virginity would be the most difficult, but if you didn’t try, you never knew, right?

Chapter Two

GAGE

“Ready?”IaskedIsaacandNelson.

Theyboth nodded.

Onthe way to the campground just outside of town where we’d set up last night, we’d driven past theWillowLakeInn, so it was easy enough to open a portal there this morning.Undernormal circumstances,I’dhave taken my motorhome, which my team had long ago dubbed thePinkLadywhen its red panels had faded to a dull pink.Ipreferred to have both it and my team close to me, but it’d been a challenge getting the beast into the campsite and my team was apprehensive about having me fight with it again so soon.Asif something like that would tip me over the edge.

Itprobably hadn’t helped that ever since we’d tracked down the goblinBabetteand dismantled her part in a supe trafficking ring, we’d been trapped in the city as we sifted through her belongings and hunted for clues.Beingin places like that made everyone anxious.Atleast our best lead had led us out here now, miles and miles away from the polluted air.Howsupes lived in those places permanently was a mystery to me.Although, if my magic chose a place like that as its anchor,I’dfigure out how to cope.Thenagain, after all this time,IdoubtedI’dfind a place—anyplace—to call my own.

ButIdidn’t feel like arguing with them about howIwas doing just fine.I’dnever convince them anyway.Sowe were using a portal.

IfI’dbeen with anyone other than my team,Iwouldn’t have been able to move them through the portal without striking a deal with at least one of them first, but these two were mine.I’dbound them to me in one of the most sacred deals a demon could make… at least that’s the way it’d felt when theEternalMagicguided me through the process the first time.Thesepeople were special to me.

Davina, my second, liked to call them my minions.TheSupernaturalCouncilidentified them as my team, which was the nameIusually adopted too.AlthoughIreally considered them my family.AfamilyI’dasked to destroy me if—orwhen—the time came.

Everyfamily had its problems.