Two weeks had passed since the bloody murder of Drew and Finely the electricians. Ella finally got all traces of blood out of the floor boards and found herself making a routine to cope with the madness that was her life.

7am, wake up, use the bathroom, make her breakfast and prepare a salad bowl for Leo. Open the front door and retrieve the empty plate from last night. Leo was sometimes in the house already, sometimes on the porch waiting for her. Either way, he hopped eagerly towards breakfast and onto the table to nibble away.

8am, showered, dressed, and elbow deep in flower. Baking cakes was much cheaper than buying them, but she did alternate the offerings she ha to leave her ‘host’ with a fruit bowl. She stuck to apples, oranges and grapes.

9am, freshen up and let Leo out of the house before heading into town to restock on supplies. She would return and work until 5pm, when she had to stop and prepare the offering for her landlord…

She threw herself into her renovating work, for several reasons. One, it was familiar and helped her cope with the nightmare she was now living. Being occupied with painting the walls and rearranging furniture took her mind off her current predicament. Two, she wasn’t going to be able to leave Deer-view house until it was complete and ready for Drake to sell. Three, what else was she going to do with herself?  

“Keep me happy Ella. If I am happy, your lucky will compound and you will thrive. Your fortune will become great. Cross me? And your bad luck will snowball to a fatal and bloody end. Do you understand the nature of the pact?”

I can’t run away. Putting aside that Carlton would fire me, I have no way of knowing if leaving this place without ‘permission’ would count as crossing the beast. The ‘Aos Sí’. If I run I might find out what my luck snowballing into a fatal and bloody end might look like… Ella gulped as she recalled the creature tearing with glee with it’s jaws at the neck of Drew. The bloody grin it flashed her as it relished in the violence. The way it laughed and sprang up effortlessly after her.

That opened up another problem for Ella. If I can’t leave, then what happens when I’ve finished Deer-view house? This is now a matter of self preservation. I can’t afford to not finish the house and get fired. I can’t afford to finish the house and having to move out.

Therefore, breaking from her established schedule to work on the house solidly until 5pm. Ella finished painting the bedroom walls a neutral magnolia colour around 11am, and took out her cell. She called the emergency contact number from her project file and decided to call Drake directly.

“Hello?” He sounded very confused, but Ella couldn’t afford to beat around the bush. Her life was literally at stake. She put on a calm persona as she walked down the stairs to sit on the new brown leather sofa in the living room. Leo hopped up to sit on her lap, which was more than welcome, as running her hands through his fluffy black mane was therapeutic. He started tooth purring and sprawled happily across her legs.

“Good morning Mr Drake. This is Ella Murphy. The project manager in charge of renovating Deer-view House?” Leo’s right ear turned to the side and his little head tilted to look up at her. Ella didn’t notice his attention, and continued regardless.

“…okay…Miss Murphy? Why are you calling me and not Carlton?”

“Because you are the owner of the house.” Ella cleared her throat and focused on sounding eager, but not too eager. “I have to say I’ve actually fallen in love with this little place.”

“…oh?” Drake sounded dubious and she heard him shuffling around with something, possibly paper work, before he cleared his throat and continued. “Well you’d be the first. Are the repairs coming along well?”

“Yes they are. The generator is up and running and all the electrics are working perfectly. I’m well on schedule.”

“Okay, good, but I don’t see why you’re telling me this and not Carlton? He’s your boss?”

“Well yes, but what I have to ask is something that only you can answer. Mr Drake? I would like to buy Deer-view house from you.” Her heart fluttered in her chest at finally speaking the words she knew would save her life. She couldn’t leave and risk being cursed with fatal bad luck. “In fact, if I could arrange to have it evaluated, I would like to put in an offer. I wanted to give you notice of my intentions.”

“…wait…you want to buy the place?! Why? You’re a city girl aren’t you? That shack is in the middle of nowhere.” He sounded perplexed. Understandably so. “I thought you were keen on moving up in Carlton’s business?”

“I-I was. But Gleann Caillte has a rustic charm I’ve fallen in love with.” Ella closed her eyes and took her hand off Leo to press to her chest. Her heart was now racing as she worried that Drake wouldn’t accept her offer. “In fact, there is a decorating business in town I’m thinking of freelancing for, for a while, whilst I get the funds together to start my own business here.”

Lies. All lies. But she couldn’t afford to let Drake know that. Leo and stopped purring and sat up to look at her. Not that Ella noticed in her panic. She rubbed at her chest and focused all her energy into sounding far more calm and excited than she was. “You’re right, this place is in the middle of no where and is idea for my creative needs. I understand from the locals that you have been trying to sell this place for a while? I’m prepared to put an offer in as soon as a relator has evaluated the property.”

“…are you serious?” Drake’s voice inclined at the end and she could hear the grin on his face. It sent relief flooding through her. At least he sounds interested. Leo lifted up on his hind legs and lifted their little face up to press their nose to her chin. She smiled and stroked down his long ears…and didn’t see the brief flash of yellow in his eyes.

“I am sir. I can start making enquiries at the local real estate agencies on your behalf tomorrow if you-”

“Screw that, I’ve been trying to shift that place for half my life. If you’ve got 50 grand or you can get a loan for as much, you can have the place.” Ella blinked and her jaw dropped Leo started to purr and nuzzle at her chin. Her heart soared with joy. Holy crap I might live after all.

“I will go to the bank tomorrow.” I’m sure I can get a loan for 50k. That is ridiculously cheap. Drake must be desperate to agree to sell it for so little and without getting the place evaluated. It’s worth at three times that. It would be worth even more, if it wasn’t so isolated. He will get more money back than he’s expecting since I haven’t had to use anywhere near as much of the budget as I thought I was going to have to…but still… “That’s brilliant news. I-I really love the place. I’m so pleased you’re willing to sell it to me.” Leo’s front paws rested on her chest and his nuzzling and purring became louder at her neck and chin. “As soon as I have confirmation from the bank I’ll send it to you and your solicitors. Once I have your confirmation of accepting my offer, I will give Carlton my notice. Thank you.” There is no way I can live out here in Gleann Caillte and still work for him. I really will have to quit and hope to find work here in town. My continued breathing depends on making my life here now. The words ‘fatal bad luck’ kept buzzing in her head.

“No, thank you. I’ll be glad to see the back of that place. N-not because there’s anything wrong with it, of course.” Drake added with a fluster, and Ella glowered ahead of her like she could see him squirming at his desk. Sure, it just comes with an unofficial homicidal Aos Sí maniac for a landlord…nothing wrong with that… “Well I look forward to hearing from you tomorrow and getting this deal legally sealed. Have a pleasant rest of the day Miss Murphy.”

“And you too Mr Drake.” Ella hung up and sagged back onto the sofa. She closed her eyes and let her heart beat steady. All the while Leo was purring and nuzzling at her neck. She chuckled and stroked his ears and back. “Wow. I wasn’t expecting that to work at all. Luckily he seemed desperate to get rid of the pl…place…” Ella snapped her eyes open and slowly sat up. “…luckily…”

Several things slammed into her mind in that moment.

Two weeks ago she was nearly raped and was ‘saved’ by the monster that declared she belonged to him. In the two weeks leading from that moment, she had been very efficient in her work in the house. There was always a sale on at any of the stores she went to get her supplies from, and always on the items she needed. She’d lived in terror of Officer Aiden O’Hara or one of his colleagues coming to look for the electricians and discover they were killed at the house. The creature took their bodies, sure, but their car and all their equipment had vanished without a trace too. No one came looking for them. Aiden text her nearly daily to apologise for being swamped at work and unable to come and see her or help her out. It was ‘unusual’ the number of drunkard and disorderly cases, and speeding fines he had to give out as of late, he’d said. Ella had so much to deal with already, she was happy to keep the officer at a distance. “…very lucky.”   

“If I am happy, your lucky will compound and you will thrive. Your fortune will become great.”

Ella chuckled once, despite herself. She resumed stroking Leo’s ears and back as he settled down once more across her legs. His hind legs and backside hung over her right leg and onto the sofa. “…this is his doing. I don’t know how he did this, but he did.” She exhaled deeply and shook her head. “Well? I better get the next call over with. Telling my parents I’m not coming back to Galway, I’m not going to become a hotel tycoon owner after all, and I want to live in the middle of a forest…yeesh.” Ella decided to get it over with and dialled her mother.