Shadows and Secrets

A week. Would y'all believe it? It's been a week since I first set foot in the real world again. A whole week! The time had just flown right by, like I never even left this place. A week since I first laid eyes on the luckiest break of my life. That little lady was something else. Too bad she didn't have the same respect for money that I had.

That dumb doll didn't know a good thing when she had it. Her family was swimming in cash and all she did was complain, whining about how it was taking over her life. Her mom's the one taking over her life, not her dough. Anybody could work that out if they watched her for a couple of days and saw the way she crumbles when somebody points out so much as one tiny flaw.

Eh, it wasn't my problem. So long as I got enough magic out of her by the time she was dragged off I didn't care. Speaking of which, if I was gonna be expecting a handsome reward by the time this game was over I had to make sure I was ready for it.

Even without that doll's magic I could still repair a few things by myself. Number one on my list was putting my old talisman back together. Glue alone wasn't gonna fix this thing, it still needed some kind of kickstart from that gift of her's but that could wait. I might as well have this bad boy up and ready along with anything else that might come in handy next time I tried to take over this city.

I sat in my throne and started tinkering away. The doll was there too, sitting alone on the floor with all her papers scattered all about the place. She was making my Emporium look like a trashcan! When will women learn to file things? She wasn't much help to me just sitting there reading her dusty old spellbook and minding her own business. But then again, neither was my shadow. He couldn't find one piece of merchandise worth repairing. He had a rummage around the dust and cobwebs and all he could find were pieces of junk I hadn't used in years, (and that's not counting the years I spent on the other side.) So I gave that lazy good for nothing the day off. This was one of these days where he'd just slow me down. I needed to work alone.

"No."

I heard that angelic voice of her's talking to my shadow, protesting against something he was doing.

"No! This does not belong to you. It's none of your business."

How's a shadowman supposed to get anything done around here with those two squabbling like little kids?

"No! Let go! No!"

Those guys were getting on my nerves! I looked up from my work and I saw Charlie doll hugging hold of that book with my shadow trying to tug it off of her.

"Help! Doctor Facilier!"

That's it. I snapped. "C'mon, stop teasing her for cryin' out loud!" I aimed my furry at my partner in crime. "Can't cha see I'm busy over here?"

My shadow held up his hands, claiming his innocence as he came drifting over to me. He jabbed a finger towards the doll who was still sitting on the floor defending what she held dear.

"What's your problem now?" I wanted to know what was so important he couldn't just let it drop. Something about seeing words in the back of that book. Something she'd written in there.

Suddenly I wasn't so steamed up anymore, now I knew why my shadow had been pestering her like that. Keeping secrets from the shadowman, huh? She couldn't keep secrets from me. I was too good for her.

I couldn't help myself when I let a sneaky smile creep onto my face. "He seems to think you're hiding something."

"As if it's any of his business!" My doll refused to tell me anything. She started acting all frantic, gathering up her papers in a hurry. Why was she rushing all of a sudden? She was hiding something, alright.

"You can't keep secrets for me, my doll." I made myself clear. "Not for long. I'd have thought you'd have figured that out by now."

"Regardless, what goes on in my book is for my eyes only." She crammed everything into that busted up book and clambered to her feet. "It's not like he'd be able to read anything in there anyway. He must be mistaken because all the information in my grimoire is written in dead tongues he couldn't possibly understand. He couldn't possibly have seen what he thought he saw."

By that time my sneaky smile had turned into quite a grin. "And what is it you think he saw, huh?"

"I don't know. It's got nothing to do with me." She waged her finger in his direction. "Ask him."

A little spark of blue zapped out of her finger. Some of the merchandise I was trying to fix few across the hall and ended up knocking my shadow on the head. Looks like she still hadn't tamed that magic of her's.

"I warned y'all about that finger!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Is it just me or is she in an odd mood today? I know Charlie when she's shy, but I've never known her this panicky before. She was even starting to stutter "Although it-it serves you right." She gave my shadow one last telling off while he rubbed his head. "Now, stay away from me. Like a very good shadow." Now she was talking to him like he was some kind of dog. "Stay. Stay back."

"He ain't gonna bite cha. He's not a darn mut."

"I know. I'm sorry." She finally started to sound a little calmer. "Look, I'm sidetracked. I can't concentrate with all these...distractions."

"Yeah, you and me both, girl."

"Then maybe I should be going. I should probably try working in a cosier environment, after all, I've got a lot of important work to do saving my soul."

I gotta tell ya, I was pretty damn curious as to what she was hiding away from me in that book. And I don't care what she said, she was hiding something for sure. I could tell. But I know how sensitive this doll was and I couldn't start pestering her about this little secret of her's right at that moment. It wasn't the time or place, she was freaking out and I had work to do. So what the heck, I let her go. This time.

"As you wish, but don't spend too much time slackin' off. I spent half of yesterday teachin' ya how to control your spells and I wanna see some progress."

"But he can get away with slacking off." So she noticed.

"Not as often as he'd like." I frowned at my sneaky sidekick who just gave me an innocent shrug.

"I'll be back later today, or tomorrow. I'm not sure." Was she really gonna be gone for so long? My shadow must have seen something pretty darn private to spook her like this.

"It's alright." I hid how I really felt about her leaving behind my gentleman charm. "I know where to find you if I need ya. Now go on, get practicing. I don't want anymore accidents."

And with that, she was gone. Out the door just like that without saying so much as a goodbye before leaving.

"Now look what you've gone and done!" I had a bone to pick with my shadowy friend. "What were you doin' scaring her off like that? In just shy of two months my friends are draggin' that doll to other side and I've got until then to make the most of that gift of her's. How can I make any kinda progress when you're messin' with my plans?"

I had my own shadow shivering before me. Hey, I was pretty darn mad. He managed to stop shaking like a baby and pointed to the door where that doll just left.

"Hidin' something, huh?" Maybe he could tell me just what that 'something' was.

He made a shape with his finger and thumb on each hand. A heart? "Is this some kinda joke?" What? Did he think she was attracted to me or something? No, this wasn't a joke.

"Are you serious? Her?" I couldn't contain my laughter! Ha! The idea! "Are you crazy? What makes you think a little doll like that would fall for a bad-guy like me?"

He saw something in her book, and no, it wasn't witchcraft. Even I can't decipher that kinda code. So what, was it something she'd written in there herself?

"She was drawing? Oh c'mon. What could a little doodle tell ya about a girl's feelings? I may be a shrewd son of a bitch but you're a different story, pal. You can't tell ya brunettes from ya blonds."

Alright, now it looked like he was getting a little mad this time. He seemed so goddamn sure, but I just didn't believe it. "Besides, if that doll knew what was good for her then she wouldn't have gotten involved with me in the first place." I let loose a little chuckle. "I'm lucky that girl's so innocent." I told him. "She sells her own soul to set free a man and she doesn't even know the kind of sinner I really am. She really is somethin' else."

My shadow certainly thought so when he thrusted his hips in the doll's direction. I just dropped my face into my palm. Now he was getting embarrassing, whatever idea he had about that doll he couldn't have been more wrong.

"Oh c'mon, you really think she'd fall for a gentleman like me? I'm a bad bad shadowman. And her? If she ain't the sweetest little angel I ever laid my eyes on. She ain't exactly my type. She's too...good."

Don't get me wrong, she's a cute little lady. But she's too timid, too shy for the likes of me. My kind of girl is one who could keep up with me and maybe even beat me at my own game. Somebody wild and fun and maybe a little bad on the inside.

Just thinking about romance again made me feel like I was missing out on something. I'd been on the other side for so long and there ain't no other folks like me in there. No romance, no sex, no fun. Now I was out maybe I oughta start looking for a little romance. There was bound to be somebody in this new age New Orleans who was my type.

But it wouldn't be her, that innocent little angel. She didn't know how to have fun and it's fun I was looking for.