Page 12 of Fairy Godmothers Aren't Cheap

I shivered and blinked at the door with the tiny, faded business sign. It wasn’t a nightclub, and this wasn’t a prank or fun puzzle for me from my roommates. I was alone in the city this weekend, and I was the victim of identity theft.

What had I expected? To find the offices of an actual fairy godmother, pressed up against the grit of a major rail line?

It would be located in a magical forest, obviously. A cute little building with magic sparkles flying out of its big, bright windows and wood nymphs flitting about, slipping inside through tiny, old-fashioned keyholes that were just their size.

I sighed, my entire spirit flagging. A teeny, grubby copy place that hadn’t even made it into a maps app was a perfect front for a scam artist stealing identities.

Not quite ready to face going home and calling the police about identity fraud, I reached out to try the door. Dealing with a fairy godmother would be much preferable to dealing with scammers, and I found myself saying out loud, “I was hoping you’d be the office of Your Fairy Godmother, you stupid door!”

I squeaked and jumped back as the metal door with the crooked Photocopies and Beyond sticker transformed into a wooden one with an intricately carved handle with lifelike leaves and flowers. Above it spanned a maroon sign that stated simply, ‘YFGM.’

I sucked in an unsteady breath, body trembling.

What. The.

Magical….

Okay. Get a grip. My mind was clearly playing tricks on me. Doors didn’t transform like that.

Hand outstretched, and nearly touching the wood handle that was darkened from use, I hoped I wasn’t about to do something incredibly dangerous. Because what if this was a trap and inside was a human trafficking ring?

I lost my nerve and dropped my hand, shaking my head at myself. Tamara’s mom’s constant worries about the city were starting to erode my confidence and sense of security.

Honestly, if I was going to believe in something dark and awful behind this door, I might as well believe there was a fairy godmother inside who thought I owed her money.

Right. And if she were real, and I went in there, she’d have me turned into a toad for having an overdue account. Smiling at the absurdity, I paused. Wait. Did fairy godmothers turn people into things, or was that the work of witches? I needed Josie’s mental spreadsheets of the magical world as gained from her passion for reading romantasy. She’d know.

Shaking off my thoughts and ready to figure things out, I touched the door handle, my fingers moving over the bumpy grain of wood. Carefully, I tested it. Locked.

Thank goodness.

“Not going to let me in YFGM?” I laughed, relaxing as a smile stretched wide. It looked as though I didn’t have to face this weird, slightly scary fiasco today. Thank you, Universe.

But as I turned to return home, I heard the telltale sound of a door’s lock clicking open.

CHAPTER3

~ Char ~

Open the door, or ignore it and run?

I’d never felt more like a vulnerable single woman, alone in the city at night in my entire life.

The door popped open a crack, and I jumped.

Was someone watching me? Waiting for me to make a move so they could grab me? Was it too late to scream and run? Had freezing for a few precious seconds removed the opportunity for flight, and now I was faced with fight? I pulled my fists up near my chin and widened my stance, ready to go like Tamara and I had learned in the self-defence class her mom had made us take before our high school graduation had released us out into the world.

I should walk away. No, run.

Instead, keeping my centre of balance low, I reached a toe toward the door, trying to pull it open without putting myself vulnerably close to the unknown. The door creaked open a few inches. Not enough to see what was inside or who might be waiting for me.

“Who’s there?” I called, my voice weak and croaky with fear.

My call was met with silence.

Repositioning myself, I stretched my leg, hooking half my foot on the door and knocking it wide. The whole entry seemed to be thick with plants.

I straightened, feeling my face scrunch in confusion. Plants?

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