Page 9 of Box of Frogs
His frame was large but there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. His hair was dark, almost black, with the faintest hint of a curl, and he had a shadow of stubble around his jaw. Eyes as green as my own glittered at me, not with malice or humour but with barely controlled fury.
‘You shouldn’t be here,’ he growled. ‘You shouldn’t be strong-arming my staff. And you certainly shouldn’t be manipulating time for your own ends. You know it’s forbidden.’
I licked my lips. His eyes tracked the movement. ‘Look,’ I said. ‘I don’t know who you are…’
He took a step towards me. All of a sudden I caught a whiff of his musky, male scent. His fists clenched and unclenched. ‘What game are you playing this time?’ He flung out an arm, motioning at my body. ‘And what in Fey are wearing? You didn’t really think we wouldn’t realise who you are with that mask on, did you? Or are you trying to be cute? Because there’s nothing about you that’s ever going to be cute or endearing.’ His voice dripped with disdain. ‘Just how stupid do you think I am?’
He really wasn’t very nice at all but he clearly knew me, just as the barmaid had. No doubt I was dealing with yet another bad guy here and he was obviously aware of my super powers as well as my identity.
Desperate to discover more about myself, I blocked out the insults; I wasn’t sure I had any choice. ‘The outfit is a long story,’ I muttered. ‘But I’m not playing any games.’ At his sceptical scoff, I widened my eyes. ‘I mean it. I…’ Gasbudlikins. I couldn’t think of any way to get the information I needed without telling the truth. ‘I can’t remember anything.’
His lip curled. ‘What the hell is that supposed to mean?’
I kept my tone as pleasant as possible but this arsebadger’s attitude was starting to irritate me. ‘Exactly that. I woke up last night on a golf course and—’
‘Your finger,’ he said suddenly, sniffing the air while his gaze dropped. ‘You’ve been poisoned.’ He let out a short laugh. ‘That’s why you’re here.’
I frowned down at the small plaster wrapped round my index finger. Poisoned? How could he tell?
My expression must have given me away because Dark and Despicable snorted. ‘Do you think I’m stupid, Madrona? You reek of rowan.’ He smirked. ‘You should get that seen to. I’m sure Rubus will be able to help you. I’m not wasting my supply of nux on the likes of you.’ He leaned his head closer to mine and my pulse rose. ‘Now scat. Don’t come here again. You’re lucky you’re walking away and I’m not laying you out. The truce benefits you more than it benefits me. Leave that poor human guy alone, as well. He doesn’t need you tainting him.’ His eyes glittered with warning. ‘Otherwise I won’t be so lenient next time.’ He moved away abruptly.
Realising he was leaving, I lurched forward. ‘Wait!’
I was too late. The door slammed shut, leaving me alone on the street and gaping. I shook my head slowly and tried to think through what he’d said. I was Madrona, then. What the hell kind of name was that? Who was Rubus? What was nux? And, more to the point, why on earth did that rude man with a serious attitude problem seem to hate me so much? Lay me out? How dare he!
I ground my teeth, stepped back to the door and tried to open it. It was stuck fast, however, and no matter how hard I tried it wouldn’t budge. Big deal. This wasn’t the only entrance. I marched to the front door. It was wide open and, with my shoulders squared, I walked through it. Or rather, I tried to walk through it but I didn’t get my foot past the threshold. The door might have looked open and the pub might have appeared welcoming but I couldn’t seem to get myself inside. And there was no earthly reason why.
‘Excuse me.’
I turned my head. A couple stood right behind me. The man, eyeing me curiously, gestured at the door. ‘Are you going in?’
Uh... I raised my hand in vague defeat. ‘After you.’
He shrugged and walked past me with his girlfriend in tow. The pair of them strolled inside, disappearing within seconds. I stared and then started after them. Once again an invisible barrier kept me out.
I looked up and realised there was yet another CCTV camera angled towards me. I glared up at it, giving it the finger. ‘Fuck you,’ I mouthed. Then I turned on my heel and strode away. That man with the sexy stubble, glittery green eyes and high desirability factor was clearly nothing more than a nasty piece of work.
Chapter Five
Wending my way back through the cold, dark streets, I decided to look on the bright side. I might not yet be doing a great deal to fulfil my superhero potential but Dark and Despicable – DD for short – had given me plenty of information.
My name was Madrona. It was a stupid name, and one had to wonder what on earth my parents had been thinking of, but it gave me a clue as to why the golf-course goons had called me the Madhatter. It wasn’t that I was crazy or that I had a peculiar fondness for large hats, it was because the first three letters of my real name matched my heroic pseudonym. I appreciated the symmetry. Clearly, I was a being of higher intelligence as well as super powers. I’d suspected as much.
DD was obviously fully aware of my time-bending super powers. In fact, he apparently had some powers of his own, daring to block me from re-entering his pub. Despite his unpleasantness, he was someone I needed to visit again in the near future.
So, although my night hadn’t been quite the success I’d hoped for when I’d ventured out, I could hardly dismiss it as a total failure.
I skipped over a few puddles. The worrying thing was my finger. If anything, it hurt even more – although that might have been a psychosomatic result of DD’s reference to poison. Regardless, the antiseptic cream I’d slathered over the wound wasn’t doing any good. I had to find some of this nux stuff, whatever it was.
With that thought in mind, I abandoned my plan to buy a greasy kebab to munch while I trudged back to the Travotel and veered off towards the bright white lights of a twenty-four-hour pharmacy. Perhaps nux was a generic name and whoever was inside could help me locate it. With any luck, I wouldn't need a prescription to buy the stuff.
After the gloom of the streets outside, the searing white walls and overhead strip lights were almost painful to my eyes. The only person in the shop was the pharmaceutical assistant. Rather than pointlessly perusing the shelves, I walked straight up to him and laid my palms flat on the counter. I meant business.
‘Good evening,’ the man said. ‘Cool costume. How can I help you?’
‘Technically,’ I told him, ‘it should be howmayI help you.’ The words were out of my mouth before I had the chance to think about them. As soon as I realised what I'd said, I winced. Gasbudlikins: I was some sort of grammar freak. Well, that was a horrid revelation; people who got irritated by split infinitives and verb usage did not strike me as the sort of people who had many friends. Maybe that was why everyone seemed to hate me, rather than the fact that I was the sole superhero in a sea of nasty villains.
‘Sorry,’ I hastily apologised. ‘I've just come from my late-night English class and my brain is still in teacher mode.’ I offered the man a rueful smile. ‘Old habits die hard.’ It may have been a white lie, at least as far as I was concerned, but I impressed myself with how glibly it tripped off my tongue.
