BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Oh shit, I forgot to set my alarm yesterday. Thankfully, the knocks on the door woke me up in time.
"GET OUT HERE! TALISMAN LOVER!"
That's the sleeping beauty, Jennifer.
"Thanks for waking me up." I answered the door, waving her in.
"You're welcome, bed hair." Jennifer crossed her arms while I headed to the bathroom to tidy up.
This morning felt weird. It felt like I barely made it here today. It felt like one misstep from yesterday would cost me this morning. Or maybe I just didn't wake up to my usual alarm sound; that's why the foam of the toothpaste wasn't sitting right on my lips.
"You're taking foreveeeeeer!" Jennifer's voice reached me in the shower. I didn't answer, because why would I?
My muscle memory forgot there was a woman in my apartment, and I walked out of the bathroom with only my lower half wrapped.
"Daaaaaaaamn."
And I immediately bolted into my bedroom, shutting the door, even locking it.
"You're quite built." Her voice still reached.
I changed into my work clothes, not for exorcism but for therapy. It was a humble checkered shirt with jeans, my hair combed back but undoubtedly would fall to the side given time.
"Why find me?" I asked on my way to the kitchen counter for coffee.
"Can't I just want to see you?" She smirked, already lying comfortably on my couch like it was hers.
"Flattered. But I don't think that's why you're here."
"No, it absolutely is. With another reason on it, though."
"What's that?" I poured a hot, steaming cup of black coffee.
"We're dismissed for Jumping Ghost. My brother's on it instead." All joy on her face faded.
"You want coffee?"
"No."
I walked over to her. She took the only couch in my apartment with her whole body, so I took a seat on the coffee table, sipping calmly. "A text would've sufficed."
"WHAT?!" She jolted up.
"Y-yeah?" I spilled a drop of coffee as I flinched.
"We're. Dismissed. For. Jumping. Ghost." She reiterated.
"Heard you the first time—"
"How are you not, like... salty or anything? We've barely even started and they've already dismissed us!" Her arms flailed everywhere as she ranted. This was the second most energetic she'd ever been, right under sensing Sophie.
"Sounds like less work to me." I raised my cup for another sip, but she stopped me with a firm grip on my wrist.
"Less glory, rookie." Her facial expression was way too exaggerated; I couldn't take it seriously.
"I don't... care much about that."
"That's why you're a rookie. You don't have pride in what you do." She poked my chest, hard, it stung a bit.
"Do you?"
"Don't listen to what Yuki said. Of course I do! I take exorcism very seriously. And I'm saying this right now: we can't be disbanded. That's an insult to me." She gestured at us.
"So... what do you want to do?"
"We do our independent investigation. Beat my brother in Jumping Ghost." She crossed her arms and raised her chin high.
"Your brother, the superstar exorcist?"
"Hey, screw you. He's no better than us."
"Why can't you just do this yourself? I'm more interested in less work—" I reached for my coffee but was stopped in the same manner again.
"Like I said, rookie. It's an insult to me. What would people think? 'The sleeping beauty can't handle working as a duo if she's not with her so sexy, so hot brother Jonathan', that's what they'd think." She spat in varying pitch and tone, mocking the 'people.'
"I doubt anyone would think that. If they do, just pin it on me." I really wanted my morning coffee, but she interrupted it yet again.
"Rookie, look at me." She leaned in close, very close. Our eyes met, and they were inches away. "How dare you suggest that? I will not allow either of our pride to go down."
"Okay, can I drink?" I shook the coffee cup with my wrist, which was still under her grip's control. I was slightly trembling, unable to look away from her mesmerizing emerald eyes so close.
"... Sure." She finally leaned back, sinking into my couch. "So we're doing this, right?"
"I don't think you're giving me a choice." I finally got a sip in.
"Yes, I'm not. Let's go." She gripped my wrist again; it's like it's her hobby.
"No, not now." I yanked back.
"Why not?"
"It's Monday. Back-to-work day." I said, then gulped down the remainder of my cup of coffee.
"Oh... right."
"Do you not have work?"
"Of course I do." She was very confident saying that, but I'm also very confident she's lying.
"Okay."
"Okay then." She nodded quickly. "See you tonight." Then turned to leave just as quickly.
"Tonight isn't negotiable, I would guess?"
She didn't answer. The front door was already slammed shut. Slammed, she was too lazy to worry about my door.
Then, as usual, I went through my notes for today's clients, preparing for another grueling week of work.
———
Matthew's eyes fluttered open to an empty bed, and the blanket was kicked down to the floor.
"If you two's boy's night will extend 'till midnight," Tracy was already up, checking her earrings in the mirror, "make sure tomorrow isn't a Monday."
"The day where it's the hardest to wake up." Matthew dragged a palm down his face, still shirtless on the bed.
"Yep. Rise and shine now."
"Hrrghh..." Matthew groaned hoarsely as he climbed out of bed. "Was that me?"
"That was you."
They were talking about the blanket, mercilessly kicked to the ground.
Matthew went straight to his wife, wrapping his arms around her, resting his groggy head on hers.
"What?" Tracy asked while chuckling lightly.
"I don't want to go to work."
"Okay, big baby." Tracy rolled her eyes, still smiling ear to ear. "What do you want then?"
"I want this. But, like, forever." Matthew kissed her on the cheek, and Tracy turned to kiss him on the lips.
A twenty-year marriage, yet things were still hot and exciting between them.
"Forever? We'd starve."
"It's fine. I'll call Mo over to feed us more steak and beer." He smirked, and she laughed brightly.
"Okay. Okay. But I do have to hit the road now," Tracy said, and Matthew moved himself away without her needing to do anything physically. "And you'll be late."
"Fuck... Sure, I'll be late. I don't want to be there right now. Kinda messed up yesterday."
"Hey." Tracy caressed Matthew's left cheek. "You're a good cop. You've always been. Whatever trouble you're in, you'll get out of it in no time."
Matthew held her hand, then gave her another kiss before saying, "Alright, I'll let you go now."
"Bye. Love you."
"Love you too." Matthew dropped back onto the bed after Tracy had left for work, defeated by Monday until aid came.
That aid being a phone call.
"Connors." Matthew answered, then quickly slapped the phone onto the bed, frustrated. "Dispatch..." he muttered.
With a grimace and a grunt, he got out of bed and got ready for work.
———
Sophie was also getting to work, albeit a bit differently from the living.
She had reached the address I'd given her—an average, uninteresting suburban house.
She didn't need to knock; she just phased right through to find Lila collapsed against the coffee table, pills spilled around her.
The TV was left on, a show Lila didn't choose was playing. Sophie sighed just looking at the pathetic state of her.
But the part where Sophie paid the most attention was Lila's appearance.
An average face with thinning curly hair. Then a body so outrageously thin that she was practically a skeleton. Flat chest, flat ass. It was a stark contrast to the voluptuous physique of the university girl that Sophie had now.
"Tch." Sophie pressed her lips in hesitance. The target I'd given her didn't meet her standards.
Sophie went up closer and picked up the spilled bottle of pills to inspect it. It would be her future addiction; might as well get to know it early.
Lila coughed herself awake at this moment, to discover her bottle of drugs levitating above her. She thought it was a hallucination and reached for it.
When her fingertips struck cold, she flinched.
"Uh... URGH... ARGH!" She crawled back as fast as she could. Then, the bottle suddenly dropped. It thudded and rolled on the ground until eventually touching Lila's toes.
Frightened, Lila dashed out the back door.