《Phenomena the Basic Witch and the Evil Book of Love》Chapter 26: Mena's First Job
Advertisement
“No-no-no,” Mena sobbed as she clutched her body in terror. “Please don’t let it be true.”
The unicornea skeleton rose from behind the garbage pile and drew closer to Mena. Its horse-teeth now sharp and its eye a black void ready to swallow Mena’s happiness and sanctity.
“You didn’t come in time…” it said, its voice a ghastly rasp. “The Mal-Essence devoured me-hee-hee and moved onto its next target…”
The remains of the quadruped prowled forward, drawing closer and closer to Mena. Mena let out a scream, but nothing would come out of her dry throat. Her foot locked with a pile of garbage and she fell backwards but the horse continued to converge. It lowered its head right into Mena’s face and the air grew cold and dry as it breathed out of its cold dead mouth, “It moved onto its next target…youuuuuuu.”
Mena’s scratchy throat finally let out a scream as she braced herself for the inevitable end. But much to her surprise, there was a mew of a kitten instead. She turned her head to see an adorable black kitten with a red ribbon wrapped around its neck.
“RRRRRR” it hissed, putting its front legs forward with a determined expression. “Row-meow-row-mew.”
The horse was about to take a bite out of Mena’s face, but right as its bone-dry lips hovered over Mena’s button nose, the unicornea skeleton was flung into the back wall, where it shattered into a pile of bones. The horse’s spirit, a rainbow maned unicornea twirled out of it whinnying, “I’m free-hee-hee” as it pirouetted into the sky.
Mena marveled at the cat’s abilities and was even more amazed when it wrote in the dirt. “That horse was surprisingly brittle, but then again, what do you expect from a pile of bones. How are you, my niece?”
Mena read the words out loud and did a triple take and a half. “Auntie Grizabella?”
The cat meowed proudly, nodding its cute black head with its emerald, green eyes. Mena slumped to the ground as she hugged the kitten. “Thank you sooooo much, Auntie. Because of you, the only casualty today was my miniskirt.”
The kitten looked up at Mena with wide eyes and she said, “I wet it.”
Her whiskers standing straight up in revulsion, the kitten carefully walked a short distance from her niece before writing, “Never mind that. So, what brings you to Wormwood?”
Advertisement
Mena was about to answer when suddenly the door opened. Nick, May and Janus all stood outside, all shocked at Mena being on the ground with a slightly damp miniskirt.
“Mena?” May exclaimed, her panicked eyes magnified in the frames of the glasses. “Are you ok? Why are you on the ground soaked?”
“So, that’s what she’s into,” Nick said with a dirty smile, and got elbowed by Janus’ boney arm.
Mena filled her friends in on what had happened, and everyone, even Nick, seemed to become aware of the severity of the situation. Mena at last asked, “How did you know I was out here?”
Janus gave a knowing smile and placed her arm around the basic witch. “We know how directionally challenged you are, Mena. So, we put two and two together and came out here.”
“Thank my lucky stars for you, guys.... and my auntie,” Mena sighed in relief and positioned to the nearby cat. “By the way, this kitten IS my auntie.”
Everyone stared wide-eyed at the kitten who licked her paws and purred. “You’re not that catty,” Nick remarked. “So, I don’t see the resemblance.”
Grizabella hissed at Nick and Mena rolled her eyes at his corny joke. May and Janus both smiled and said, “Hi Mena’s Aunt.”
Auntie Grizabella was a bit more receptive of them and gave them a friendly mew. They already knew that Anguish’s crones had turned her into a cat against her will.
Mena, for the first time since she arrived at Wormwood put on a serious face. She had finally realized the severity of the situation. “We might need to need to get a ‘To-Go box’ and head back to the hotel”—Mena pumped her fist in the air—"There’s two things I’m changing when I get back—My clothes and my attitude.”
As Mena and her friends headed back to the hotel, she reminded herself of the horse and how she deliberately blamed Mena for her death—something that greatly affected the young witch. Not only was she somewhat responsible for not arriving in time, but it was a promise she could no longer fulfill to her friend, Iris. As they bid goodbye to Nick at the front of the Newt T. hotel, she knew what she had to do to secure a place to sleep.
Advertisement
“Guys,” Mena said, placing her hands on her hips and closing her eyes. They had stepped inside the lobby, past the autonomous opening doors. “I’ve got something I need to tell you.”
May and Janus looked intently at her. Even Janus avoided her usual sarcasm for the time being.
“I know I’ve been a bit of brat…again,” Mena said, making sure to add the ‘again.’ “And that I wanted to see the sights because I was so star-struck. But now, it’s time to be mature. And I’m going to get us a place to sleep.”
May gave a round faced smile and held her hands together in approval. “What’s that Mena?”
“I’m going to get Janus and I jobs.”
Janus strolled over with an impressed look on her face. She patted Mena on the back. “Wow, Mena. You’re really going to work? You ARE taking this seriously.”
Mena shaded red and asked angrily, “What’s that supposed to me?”
Janus jumped and then smiled innocently. “Nothing. I’m proud of you, Mena.”
Mena returned with a brace-faced smile. “Bella told us this hotel was understaffed. So obviously, we can score some room and board here if we work for the establishment.”
Feeling very proud of herself, Mena marched right up to Bella Belson who was snoozing on the desk. “Bella,” Mena asked, awaking the bellhop from her evening slumber.
“Huh-wuh,” the sleepy bellhop responded, and then dinged the bell loudly, causing herself to wake up quicker. “What is it?”
“Umm, about that,” Mena said, putting her hands behind her back. “I was wondering, could we get a job here? Janus and I?”
Bella straightened her mustache and tried to look professional. “Hmm,” she said. “You better want it. We got a whole host of applications today. Seems its vacation season in West Wormwood.”
“Oh no,” Mena squeaked, before she puckered her lips and put on her brave face again. “Two jobs, please. Sign us up.”
“Oh really?” Bella mischievously raised an eyebrow and grinned from behind her mustache. “I really want you to tell me this: Please can I have a job?”
Mena looked helplessly at her friends but boldly puckered up her face again. “Please can I have a job?”
“Louder,” Bella said, putting her hand to her ear. “I can’t hear you.”
Mena tried to remain humble and restrained. “Please can I have a job?”
“I want to hear it even louder,” Bella said, making a motion towards her ear.
“PLEASE CAN I HAVE A JOB?” Mena screamed, causing Bella to remove a cone shaped megaphone from behind her desk.
“I really wanna hear it from you,” Bella exclaimed, screaming into the megaphone. “Scream at me like you want to dress up in an embarrassingly frilly maid outfit and lick food off the carpet: PLEASE CAN I HAVE A JOB PLEASE?”
Mena put both hands on the table and screamed forward into the hapless bell-hop’s face. “PLEASE CAN I HAVE A JOB PLEEEEEEASE?”
Bella continued to egg Mena on until the young witch, who was out of breath, was ready to flip the whole desk over with her twig like arms. She put both hands on the desk, turned bight red and roared so loud that people stamped the ceiling loudly, threatening to file noise complaints.
Bella, still with a mischievous glint in her eyes chuckled. She put her feet up on the desk. “Good job, but I’m kidding.”
“You’re what?” asked Mena panting like a dog out in the sun.
Bella raised both her arms. “Nobody wants to work at a massive hotel for minimum wage…”—She made a weeping sound—"except me. Luckily, you’re foolish enough to want to sleep over here. So, you know what? Your begging impressed me so much, I’ll let you stay in your friend’s room in exchange for your employment.”
It took both May and Janus to fully restrain Mena from throttling Bella, and the bellhop gave a playful wink. “Your suites at the fiftieth floor, right at the top, Miss Cumberson. I hope you enjoy your stay and remember, at the Newt T. Hotel, you can always check out,”—Bella frowned—"but due to my student debt, I can never leave.”
“Thank god for that,” Mena said, as they pushed her off towards the elevator.
Advertisement
Blut und Eisen: Blood and Iron
An old man haunted by a past filled with regret is thrust into Royal Road as his family tries to save his mind from the effects that comes with age. A grandson's search for his own identity and that of his family. What does it mean to be associated to an unspeakable era and can you truly escape from it in the virtual world…. Or in Gerhard's case, is there even any reason to? Now given a chance, will his soul once again awaken to a second life of Blut und Eisen: Blood and Iron
8 150A Lord of Death
Efrain Belacore, lich and erudite necromancer, was just trying to enjoy a cup of tea with a morning book. Then that over-excited paladin just had to kill herself, with his pendulum no less. Now Efrain has been drawn into a much larger story than he had wanted, caught between a powerful chruch, its young champions, and an mysterious curse. Join in a hilarious and fascinating journey as Efrain and his unexpected students explore from the holy capital of Anogrrah to the magical continent of Pasgrima, as shadowed conspiracies and ancient secrets rise to meet them.
8 176Beneath No Sky: Chronicles of the Atmospheric Sector
After bringing themselves back from the brink of annihilation, humanity's future seemed bleak. However, it's remnants, throwing aside the old order and donning a new mantle of progress aimed to rise above their ancient disputes and go forward as one. Once the Earth reached it's natural limit, and colonies around Terra and Luna had shown promising results, humanity finally decided to make the move to the stars. Believing this to be the start of a new age, they eagerly poured across the solar system and further beyond, greeting what space had to offer with hope and optimism. It was misplaced, however, for humanity's traditional quarrels soon resurfaced and engulfed a now interplanetary empire of many races.As the Earth Empire burned and an intense depression overtook the once optimistic people, some held out hope. They theorized that their problems were born of an inherent sense of home and, in order to rid humanity, now comprising of the Terrans as well as all the other known species of the galaxy, of this burden, decided to move far away from civilized space, into uncharted depths, to start anew. Some 200 years have passed since then, and those hopeful ones have finally found a place to settle on. Firmly planting their flag in paradise, they called this untouched land "Eden" and declared the beginning of a true new age, the age of After Eden.Trouble, however, seemed to still be hounding them, as barely three years after its founding, Eden finds itself at war with a seemingly uncommunicative and uncompromising enemy that far outclasses the odd pirates they were used to facing. A new era of peace, marked by an immediate conflict. Time will tell if Eden, the Grand Experiment, truly is as great as it's supposed to be. ---------------------------------------- This is a sci-fi, character driven, military space drama. Multiple POV protagonists and lots of unnecessary detail. Somewhat psychological. My first work on this website. Cover is AI-generated, cover font is Salvar Font by Salvar on fontspace (https://www.fontspace.com/salvar-font-f42807).
8 144World of Combat: A Dystopia Gamelit Series
In her world, single combat decides everything. It's her sixteenth birthday and Kiriai has a big decision to make. Will she fight for her dream to battle in the arena? Or buckle under her grandfather’s pressure to become a healer? Her best friend Eigo is an outcast from his scrounger family. On a recent expedition into the wastelands, he found a peculiar birthday gift for Kiriai—an AI trainer from a centuries-old, martial arts game. Could it give her the advantage she needs? Will Kiriai win the fight that decides her future? An impossible deadline, a persuasive mentor, and her own family all stand in Kiriai’s way. If she loses, she’ll be consigned to a mundane life, but more importantly, banned from the arena forever. Kiriai can't let that happen. Combat Origin is the first book in the World of Combat, young adult, dystopia series. If you like strong heroines, gamelit/litrpg and a good brawl, keep reading. Author note: I just discovered the Royal Road community and decided to jump in and participate. I posted Combat Origin, Book 1 during Nov and Dec of 2019 (before moving it to Amazon), followed by the short story prequel that gave backstory on two of the main characters. (non-Gamelit - because the gaming AI hasn't been found yet) Now, Book 5 has been finished and posted on Amazon, which allows me to leave a 10% sample here. The books are all free to read, If you have Kindle Unlimited. Please comment, ask questions, offer suggestions or just say hi. I'm hoping to connect with readers and improve my storytelling. -- Misty :) https://www.amazon.com/author/mistyzaugg https://mistyzaugg.com/
8 62RE: Choice
Misaka is a shy misunderstood 16-year-old boy in his first year of high school in Japan. His parents wanted him to be a girl, so they gave him a girl's name. He grew up being bullied and ostracized by his peers. In junior high, he developed a crush on a girl in another school who greeted him with a smile. Later, he found out the girl's name was Lucy and applied to the high school she was going to. One year later, he musters up the courage to confess his feelings for her only to find out that she was the wrong girl all along. Suddenly, a piano falls on top of him and he dies.He finds himself in front of one that calls himself God. He takes pity on Misaka and bestows him with the name Durrendal. He gives him another chance at life in another world and lets him pick a power of his choosing to take into the world. Story is going to be heavy reader interactive. Expect short frequent chapters. One chapter every few days. Two per week minimum. If I feel like it, more than that.Your choices WILL influence the story. It determines whether you get a game over (may discover new information), go around in circles never advancing the story, or advancing the story. Consequences of certain actions will shift Durrendal toward evil or good. The default personality of Durrendal may be ""pervy"" but depending on the actions that he takes it can be reversed. Think of the character as a game character. You are playing a game. It does not require that you make an account to vote. So screw around or advance the story? It's up to you.
8 94Gamemaster's Adventures in another world
It's your typical "I got transfer to another world by death or some virtual reality game," but this time it's the Gamemaster who gets transferred to another world. Fortunately, he gets to keep his powers. (Think of this like light novel, The New Gate.) - - - - - - Verden Kyler is a gamemaster of a Game Master in a virutal world called Avant-Garde’s Mirror Sky. For unknown reason, he's been transported to another world that appears to be Avant-Garde’s Mirror Sky, but thirty years have passed and the players who once roam the world are considered distance legends. Fortunately, Verden gets to keep his powers as a Game Master only unrestricted now. What shall he do?
8 81