The Modern Fae's Guide to Surviving Humanity Read Online Free
Author: Joshua Palmatier, Patricia Bray
call store security on you.â
Dan stood there, stunned, as Nimh turned away and stepped back through the private door, closing it behind herself with a decisive click.
He took the price gun with him when he left the Undermart. Technically, it was theft. He honestly didnât care.
The doors of the downtown Undermart officially opened at 7 AM , catering to those early risers and busy professionals who needed to get a leg up on the day. In order to make the opening seamless, delivery trucks and stockroom staff began arriving at 5:30. Dan showed up at 5:45, wearing the employee vest he was no longer strictly entitled to and clutching his purloined price gun like a sword.
âMorning, Dan,â said Molly, as he walked past her without clocking in.
âMorning, Molly,â he replied, and kept going, heading through the employee level to the management stairs.
Heâd thought long and hard after Nimh threw him out the night before, finally concluding that, having been fired, he could go looking for answers without fear of any further repercussions. Maybe a trespassing charge, but that was about it. He kept that thought firmly in mind as he slunk silently into the upstairs hall, heading for the doorway Nimh had retreated through after firing him. Whatever was behind that door, maybe it could give him some idea of what had been done to Kyle.
Dan tested the knob as he dug in his pocket for the nail file he intended to use as an impromptu lock pick.The door had always been locked before, and the test was more out of habit than anything else. That didnât stop the door from swinging promptly open, revealing the darkened room beyond. Dan stopped where he was, blinking.
âHuh,â he said, softly. âOK, then.â Pulling his hand from his pocket, he clutched the price gun a little tighter, and stepped over the threshold, into the dark.
The darkness lasted for three steps. Step one, normal dark, with the dim light of the hallway creeping in from behind him. Step two, absolute dark, like there was no light left in the world. Step three, a somehow even deeper dark, one that went on forever and ever, without end. Step four â¦
Step four and he was back in the light. Not the dim light of the early morning Undermart, but the bright daytime light of a glossy green meadow, dotted with garishly colored flowers that smelled like cinnamon and cotton candy. Dan froze, fingers clenching convulsively on the handle of his price gun. A $12.99 price tag popped out of the business end, looking like nothing so much as a ticket back to the real world. He grabbed the tag, affixing it to his vest, and waited.
Nothing changed.
âDan?â
Nimh sounded querulous, even terrified. Dan whirled to face her, raising his price gun so that it was held solidly between them, and stared. Her normally black hair was a rich shade of plum purple, like she was trying to look like one of the less popular dolls from the Strawberry Shortcake⢠toy collection. She had it pulled back, showing the distinctly pointed tips of her ears. Her eyes were a shade of violet only a little lighter than her hair.
Really, if she hadnât been wearing her Undermart uniform, she would have been entirely unbelievable. But no matter how good his imagination was, he could never have imagined anything that clashed as badly as plum hair and an official Undermart uniform vest.
âWhat theâwhere areâwhat are you?!â The questions came out so fast they tangled around one another, becoming a single long, half-coherent demand.
Nimh shook her head, newly violet eyes wide. âNo, no, I canât tell you, and you canât be here. Dan, why didnât you run? You were supposed to run.â She started to reach for him, despair washing over her features as he stepped back, out of her reach. âI have to get you out of here before itâs too late. I love you. Donât you see? I tried to get you away from the store
Dan stood there, stunned, as Nimh turned away and stepped back through the private door, closing it behind herself with a decisive click.
He took the price gun with him when he left the Undermart. Technically, it was theft. He honestly didnât care.
The doors of the downtown Undermart officially opened at 7 AM , catering to those early risers and busy professionals who needed to get a leg up on the day. In order to make the opening seamless, delivery trucks and stockroom staff began arriving at 5:30. Dan showed up at 5:45, wearing the employee vest he was no longer strictly entitled to and clutching his purloined price gun like a sword.
âMorning, Dan,â said Molly, as he walked past her without clocking in.
âMorning, Molly,â he replied, and kept going, heading through the employee level to the management stairs.
Heâd thought long and hard after Nimh threw him out the night before, finally concluding that, having been fired, he could go looking for answers without fear of any further repercussions. Maybe a trespassing charge, but that was about it. He kept that thought firmly in mind as he slunk silently into the upstairs hall, heading for the doorway Nimh had retreated through after firing him. Whatever was behind that door, maybe it could give him some idea of what had been done to Kyle.
Dan tested the knob as he dug in his pocket for the nail file he intended to use as an impromptu lock pick.The door had always been locked before, and the test was more out of habit than anything else. That didnât stop the door from swinging promptly open, revealing the darkened room beyond. Dan stopped where he was, blinking.
âHuh,â he said, softly. âOK, then.â Pulling his hand from his pocket, he clutched the price gun a little tighter, and stepped over the threshold, into the dark.
The darkness lasted for three steps. Step one, normal dark, with the dim light of the hallway creeping in from behind him. Step two, absolute dark, like there was no light left in the world. Step three, a somehow even deeper dark, one that went on forever and ever, without end. Step four â¦
Step four and he was back in the light. Not the dim light of the early morning Undermart, but the bright daytime light of a glossy green meadow, dotted with garishly colored flowers that smelled like cinnamon and cotton candy. Dan froze, fingers clenching convulsively on the handle of his price gun. A $12.99 price tag popped out of the business end, looking like nothing so much as a ticket back to the real world. He grabbed the tag, affixing it to his vest, and waited.
Nothing changed.
âDan?â
Nimh sounded querulous, even terrified. Dan whirled to face her, raising his price gun so that it was held solidly between them, and stared. Her normally black hair was a rich shade of plum purple, like she was trying to look like one of the less popular dolls from the Strawberry Shortcake⢠toy collection. She had it pulled back, showing the distinctly pointed tips of her ears. Her eyes were a shade of violet only a little lighter than her hair.
Really, if she hadnât been wearing her Undermart uniform, she would have been entirely unbelievable. But no matter how good his imagination was, he could never have imagined anything that clashed as badly as plum hair and an official Undermart uniform vest.
âWhat theâwhere areâwhat are you?!â The questions came out so fast they tangled around one another, becoming a single long, half-coherent demand.
Nimh shook her head, newly violet eyes wide. âNo, no, I canât tell you, and you canât be here. Dan, why didnât you run? You were supposed to run.â She started to reach for him, despair washing over her features as he stepped back, out of her reach. âI have to get you out of here before itâs too late. I love you. Donât you see? I tried to get you away from the store
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