There was a faint buzzing. No, a loud beeping. A siren? An alarm. I opened my eyes to see sunlight streaming into the bedroom. My phone was shouting and screaming at me to get up. I fumbled with the touch screen until my sleep clouded mind figured out how to deaden the noise. Sleep seemed so nice, and it was only 7:30 in the morning. Could I sleep a little longer?
No, I had things to do today. The thought of the house warming party aroused the easily panicked part of my mind. To force myself to wake up I rolled out of bed and landed with a soft thud on the carpet below me. The cold air began to rouse the sleepy bits of me and prodded my mind awake further. Soon I was shivering and clambering towards the closet. I peeled off what I had slept in and dug through the my closet until I found something to wear.
Once dressed, I wandered across the hall and down the stairs, making my way to the kitchen. When I arrived I was surprised to see some of the boys already awake and preparing breakfast. Mathew and Erik were frying some eggs and bacon while Damien leaned against the wall by the door sipping some tea. Hearing my footsteps I saw Erik turn and greet me, his violet eyes sparkling.
"Good morning darling. Sleep well?" he smiled seductively.
"Mmmm," I grunted. I strode over to the cabinet. Sure enough there were still some stale boxes of cereal. I reached for a bowl and began pouring myself some.
"You don't have to do that, we are making breakfast for everyone," said Mathew energetically.
"Murs fn," I replied.
"What?" Mathew asked. "Are you alright?"
I squinted at him through my glasses. How do I explain this? I breathed in. Sometimes when I first "wake up" words don't always come "out" when I tell them "to."
Mathew's brow furrowed. He looked more confused.
I walked over to the fridge and poured milk all over my cereal. Then I grabbed a spoon from the drawer in the island.
Damien chuckled. "She doesn't have a good grasp on speaking early in the morning."
As I walked past Damien to the dining hall I nodded and tapped his chest. He smiled over his mug at me and followed me to the table. I slumped into the chair at the head of the table. Shoveling a spoon of cereal into my mouth I chewed firmly on the stale clusters. Damien sat down gracefully next to me and sipped his tea.
"Were you up late last night? You look tired."
I nodded, stirring my cereal gently.
"Don't worry, we will help you get ready for tonight." He smiled reassuringly.
I continued eating. Just about the time I had finished my bowl, Erik came out of the kitchen with plates of eggs, bacon and toast, Mathew hard on his heels.
"I'll go find James and Sam," Damien said, setting down his cup of tea and walking out of the dining hall.
Erik smiled after his brother and began setting the table.
"Good morning," I said faintly.
"That was quite a delayed reply darling," Erik smirked. "Although, I must admit. You are quite cute when you are sleepy."
I yawned at him.
Erik chuckled and straightened the bacon plate.
"I'll fetch some plates," Mathew said, standing up and walking back into the kitchen.
Erik sat down in the vacated seat. Leaning over to me he smiled. "I never got an answer to my question."
"Oh, right. I slept." I dodged the question.
"You know, if you ever need someone to rock you into a gentle slumber I am just down the hall." He smiled tantalizingly.
"Why thank you. How generous of you to offer kind sir," I replied, mocking him a little bit.
"Ah, no problem beautiful. I really did enjoy holding your body in my arms yesterday," Erik winked.
"Haha," I laughed gently. "Well who wouldn't have enjoyed that?"
Erik, a smile crinkling around his eyes, licked his lips.
I laughed wholeheartedly.
At that moment James, Sam and Damien returned.
Sam looked irritated, his hair was flat on one side. All he was wearing was a white shirt and a pair of boxers.
James seemed wide awake, as if he had been awake for hours already. He had a book tucked under one arm.
As they seated themselves around the table, Mathew returned with a pile of plates and glasses. He set them around the table, giving each of his brothers one. When he offered me one I waved my hand.
"No thank you Mathew , I've already eaten."
"Stale cereal is hardly a good enough meal to prepare you for the day," Damien interjected.
"No, I'm fine. Really."
"If you insist," Mathew said hesitantly.
James cleared his throat. "Now that we are all here, we should discuss today's plans."
"Yeah, what all do you want us to do today?" Mathew asked, directing his question at me.
"Ok, we have until 18:00 tonight to-"
"When's that?" interrupted Sam, speaking around a mouth full of eggs.
"Six p.m., sorry, I forget some people aren't familiar with 24 hour time," I said. "Well, anyways," I continued, "the house is big but if we split up the rooms, cleaning might not take all day. After that I think it would be worthwhile to take a trip to the grocery store and pick up some things for around the house."
"Sounds like a reasonable plan," commented James.
"Great. So we need to conquer the entrance hall, obviously, and the dining room. In the east wing we should cover the library and the theater. The only room in the west wing we should clean is the gaming room. I'm planning on leaving the bedrooms, laundry room and office off limits."
"I didn't even know there was a theater," I heard Erik mutter, earning a shush from James.
"Grandma used to clean all the time, so there's probably still cleaning materials in a closet somewhere. All we need to do is look for it," I continued, ignoring Erik. "Let's divvy up the rooms first."
Erik decided to clean the dining room.
James preferred to tidy the library.
Damien offered to clean the entry hall.
Sam agreed to clean the theater.
Mathew took the gaming room.
"And I'll take care of compiling a list of things to get for the shopping trip and arranging a way for us to get there," I said.
"I've got a question," Mathew said timidly.
I nodded to him, looking at him expectantly.
"How are we going to explain to your family about us?" Mathew gestured around at his brothers.
"I thought about that last night. If my parents knew I was living with a bunch of incubi they would probably freak. Especially my mom. So I want to avoid bringing that up if at all possible. With your permission, I would like to introduce you as butlers, bequeathed to me along with the estate after grandpa's death."
"That sounds like a reasonable explanation," James said, folding his hands and placing his elbows on the table.
"I don't want you to feel insulted. You're not servants to me. I just don't know how else to explain you all."
"No darling," Erik cooed, "we don't take any offence."
"Yeah, we understand," smiled Mathew.
As reassuring as Erik and Mathew were trying to be, Sam seemed to disagree rather strongly.
"Alright, now that that's settled, I'm going to go look for the cleaning supplies," I said, jumping up and clapping my hands.
"But we aren't done eating," grumbled Sam.
"That's ok, I'll go. You all finish eating."
I trotted out of the room and began searching the estate for grandma's stash of supplies. The search didn't last long, I found a whole pile of cleaning agents, mops, brooms and dusters under the stairs in the entrance hall. In the laundry room was a pile of old rags perfect for cleaning. The vacuum was in a closet upstairs in the west wing, where most of the carpeting was lain. I gathered the cleaning supplies into the various rooms. In the entry hall I placed a broom, mop and duster. The library received several dusters and a rag with a bucket of water. I drug the vacuum to the gaming room. A mop and broom were also deposited in the theater. Finally I re-entered the dining hall with a broom, wood polish and a rag.
The boys had finished breakfast by the time I had returned, and Erik was already clearing the dishes.
"Ah, you're back," greeted James.
"Yes, I found cleaning stuff and left some out for all of you. I would like to have everything finished by noon," I said. Looking around I asked, "Where is Sam? I'm sure he doesn't know where the theater is."
"He went upstairs to become more presentable," James said, a note of disapproval in his voice.
I wonder how I missed him, I was just upstairs a moment ago.
"Oh drop it James," said a familiar cocky voice from behind me, "Mika didn't mind." Sam had returned, dressed in his ripped jeans and leather vest. "Right Mika," he prodded.
"No, I didn't mind. Clothing is always optional around my place," I said offhandedly and partially jokingly.
The boys all looked at me in surprise, especially James.
"Come on Sam, let me show you where the theater is." Not waiting long enough to make the boys more awkward I turned and beckoned Sam to follow me.
I exited the dining hall and walked down the passage leading to the east wing theater. The door to the theater was situated on the bottom floor, at the end of a long passageway that extended from where the dining hall and entry hall met. From behind me I could hear hurried footsteps on the hardwood. When we reached the door, I pulled the handle down and opened the door. As we stepped inside I heard a gasp escape Sam's lips.
"This is super cool!" he exclaimed, striding in and looking around in amazement.
I flicked on the dim lights. The ceiling here rose to the full height of the two story building. Sofas and bean bag chairs were scattered around the room below a raised platform. Grandpa always called that the stage, and we had several dance offs there. Behind the stage rose a 20 foot screen. Hanging from the walls were an assortment of speakers and sound dampening panels.
"Sam, over here. I wanna show you something," I called to him.
Sam had walked over to the middle of the room and was testing the comfort of some of the bean bag chairs. "Alright."
I walked to the back of the theater and climbed the ladder to the projector booth. Sam followed me up and let out a low whistle. Before us stood a desk covered in technology.
"Do you have music on your phone?" I asked him.
"My what?" Sam said scathingly.
"Oh… right. You wouldn't have one of those would you. Being from another dimension and all."
Sam looked at me as if what I had said was obvious.
"Well then… just hang on a second." I fiddled with the computer that was already plugged into the theater setup until I found some music that came with the computer. Hitting play on the 'default sounds' playlist. Suddenly music came from the speakers hanging on the wall. I could see Sam's eyes filled with wonder.
"I'll come back and check on you to make sure you have everything you need in a little bit," I said loudly over the music.
I walked away, leaving Sam behind to enjoy the theater. Quickly I returned to the dining hall where I found Erik alone polishing the table. As I entered he greeted me with a smile.
"Welcome back princess," he said.
"Thank you. I'm going to go through the kitchen and see what we need," I replied.
He nodded and I pushed through the parlor door and made my way to the kitchen. For the next half hour I tore through the kitchen, throwing out expired goods and writing a shopping list of all the food we would need. Not just for tonight's party, but for the entire week. I decided it would be best if we went to Costco for these things. The quantity of food needed to feed six people surly warranted the trip. Wrapping up my business in the kitchen I returned to the dining hall. Erik was just straitening the last chair when I entered.
"I'm finished darling."
"That's fantastic Erik! It's not even ten o'clock yet," I felt pleased by his progress. "Let's go see how the others are doing, they may need help."
We quit the dining hall and moved the entrance hall. While we walked I set a quick text to my dad.
Hey dad, can I borrow the truck?
We found Damien on his hands and knees, working the area rug over with a stiff brush and soapy water. Despite his best efforts, the blood stain had spread even larger than before.
"Damien, I appreciate your determination, but I have a feeling that rug is done for," I said, flashing him an apologetic look.
"But," Damien sniffed, "This is such a beautiful rug, and it's our fault it's ruined."
I knelt beside him. "That's fine Damien. This is only a rug. If you feel that badly you can help me pick out a new one," I said coaxingly.
"Ok," Damien mumbled.
"Here, how about you and Erik roll this up and stow it in the garage for now. We can dispose of it later," I suggested.
Damien nodded, not daring to meet my eyes.
I pet his head gingerly, not entirely sure why he was so upset over the rug, and then stood up. "I'm going to check on Mathew and James."
I walked up the left set of stairs, checking my phone. There was a message from dad.
What do you need the truck for?
Quickly I tapped out a response.
I have a lot of stuff to get at the store today. There isn't enough room in my car for everything. This house is out of literally everything.
Turning the corner to the gaming room I looked up. Mathew was unplugging the vacuum. Clearly he had just finished.
"Hey Mathew," I said. "Erik is done in the dining room, and Damien is almost done with the entry. How close are you to being done?"
Mathew turned around and smiled at me, his curly black hair swinging joyfully. "I think I'm just about done. You have a lot of games in here Mika, I haven't even heard of most of these."
"Impressive, I know. If you like I could teach you how to play them," I offered.
"Wow, really. That would be awesome!" Mathew seemed quite excited.
"Of course, but you will have to convince your brothers to join us. Most of these games require at least four people."
"That won't be an issue, I promise. Damien loves anything from the human realm, and James and Erik would join us naturally." Mathew seemed to brighten at the prospect.
"What about Sam?" I asked.
"He might need some convincing," Mathew said, a slight frown pressing into his lips.
"Well, that's alright. He doesn't have to play if he doesn't want to. Are you done with the vacuum? I want to check on James and see if he needs it."
"Oh yeah, I'm done. All yours!" Mathew smiled and waved as I left, dragging the vacuum behind me.
I check my phone again. Another message from dad.
Sure. When do you need the truck by?
Quickly I checked the time, almost ten. With one hand I sent him a reply.
I should be there by noon.
Reaching the library door I poked my head inside. James was standing next to a bookshelf, one hand holding a feather duster, the other holding open a book. I cleared my throat and he looked up.
"Hello Mika," James smiled guiltily at me. "I apologize. It appears I have become engrossed in one you books." He placed the book down on the shelf.
"That's fine, so long as you finish cleaning soon. Everyone is almost done with the rest of the house," I said reassuringly.
"Ah, I will pick up the pace then."
"Do you need the vacuum? Mathew is finished with it."
"That would be much appreciated. Thank you."
I stepped into the room pulling the machine behind me. Glancing over to the shelf I noticed the title of the discarded book. It read 'The Science of Human Love Making.'
"Oh, interesting choice of book James. I would think an incubus would already know about that kind of stuff."
"On the contrary. Sex in the abyss is much simpler. There are many daemons willing to give you their sexual energy. Some for a price, and some just for the pleasure. Whenever the hunger built up too much, finding sustenance was easy. However, my time here has shown me that humans are not so eager. We have a mind altering ability to… convince other creatures to join with us, but I don't like going to that extreme. Seems wrong somehow."
Strange, a sex driven daemon with morals equivalent to human society. "Are you hungry now?" I asked insensitively.
James clenched his jaw and looked away from me.
Oops. "I'm sorry, I should not have been so forward," I apologized. For a moment I paused, and then said, "Well, reading a book like that might not help you very much. That's only for truly lost causes." I sighed, remembering when I myself had read that same book. "How about this. When we go out shopping I'll find you some better literature to browse through. Deal?" I extended my hand to him.
He looked at me for a moment, studying my face. Then he reached out and took my hand. My fingertips tingled slightly at the contact.
"Deal," he said.
We shook hands and I left quickly. "I'm going to go check on Sam. Don't take too long," I called while retreating down the hall.
Reaching into my pocket I pulled out my phone to read dad's response.
Ok, we are going to be away from the house at that time. I'm going to leave the key under the bumper for you.
A sigh of relief escaped my mouth. I had been wondering how I was going to explain the boys to dad when I went to get the truck. Then I texted back.
Thnks
As I passed the gaming room I noticed Mathew was gone. In the entry hall the rug had been removed, but Erik and Damien were nowhere to be seen. Passing the dining hall I could hear their voices coming from within. I guess they were waiting on James and Sam. Jogging down the hall I finally reached the theater door. Quickly I went inside.
What I noticed first was the music. A calm piano melody was playing quietly over the speakers, accompanied by some orchestra. On the stage stood Sam, eyes closed. He was moving his body in slow, deliberate motions. For a moment I had no idea what he was doing. Then a thought crossed my mind. Tai Chi. Quietly I approached the stage.
"Sorry to interrupt," I said, "are you finished cleaning?"
Sam paused in his movement and opened his eyes. "Yes, I'm done," he replied in monotone.
I smiled. "Great, almost everyone else is done too. I want to take a moment and go over the shopping with everyone before we head out. Will you join us in the kitchen?"
Sam nodded. He jumped off the stage and walked over to the coffee table. From there he picked up the remote that controlled the sound system and shut off the music. I was admittedly impressed that he had learned how to use the remote on his own. I walked over to the door and waited in the entrance, holding the door open for him. While we walked to the dining hall I asked him about his dance.
"It's called Tai Chi. I find it relaxing," he said passively.
I knew it. "You looked quite impressive."
"Thanks," he murmured.
While we were talking I glanced at my phone. There was one more message from dad.
3
I smiled and re-pocketed my phone. When we walked into the dining room I saw the rest of the boys standing around the table eating sandwiches. I smiled.
"Good, I'm starving!" Sam said loudly.
"You're always hungry," Mathew stated.
"Am not," said Sam, pretending to be taken aback.
"Are too," interjected Erik.
I laughed and Damien handed me an egg and bacon sandwich.
"Leftovers?" Damien offered.
"Ok," I consented.
While we ate lunch I went over my shopping plan with the boys. First we would stop by dad's place and pick up the truck. His Dodge Ram had enough seats for everyone and plenty of room in the bed for our shopping. Then we would take the interstate to a mall in the city. There we could pick out clothing for the boys, something befitting of a butler. While they were fitted I would run by the book store for James and take Damien to the furniture store to look for area rugs. Finally we would head to the nearby supermarket and pick up groceries. We had a busy day ahead of us.