Jenny Plague-Bringer(39)

“It looked like you were suffering pretty badly. The way her boobs were in your face. Lots of pain involved there.”

Seth sighed and rubbed his eyes. “You know Ashleigh was trying to drive us apart. First possessing Darcy and pretending to be your friend, then making me hook up with some random hottie and making sure you caught us—”

“You did not just call her a ‘hottie.’”

“That’s not what I meant...What happened, Jenny? Why are you in a bad mood tonight?”

“Not a bad mood. Reflective, maybe. See you in fifteen minutes, if I don’t have to kill a mugger or anything.” Jenny walked out the front door and down the hall to the elevator. She hadn’t meant to bite Seth’s head off, it was more of a ruse to keep him from joining her. She was a little flushed and angry, though, thinking how she’d discovered Seth that night, his mouth open and eyes glazed as the other girl rode on top of him. Even if Ashleigh's wicked, loving touch had been involved, it still made Jenny angry sometimes.

In the plush lobby, filled with the sound of old jazz, Jenny waved at the security guard at the front desk. As usual, he wore his burgundy-and-brass uniform coat and gave only a very slight nod as she passed.

Then she was outside in the cold December night. A thick snow had fallen on Paris this year, blanketing the city in white and hanging icicles from trees and window ledges. Their apartment was located in Le Marais, a district full of centuries-old mansions that had mostly been converted into museums. There were also a number of cabarets and nightclubs, where Jenny had made Seth take her to a couple of drag shows.

Her favorite corner shop was already closed, so Jenny had to continue on several blocks to the big Monoprix supermarket. The streets were mostly empty as a fresh flurry of snow tumbled down among the beautiful old buildings. Music played from a couple of bars she passed, but nearly every shop was closed. Jenny smiled, feeling for a moment that she had all of Paris to herself.

Then she passed through glass doors into the Monoprix, where a crowd of last-minute shoppers were checking out before the store closed. Jenny automatically drew her arms close around herself, even though her gloves and coat ensured she wouldn’t touch anyone.

She found the prenatals in the pharmacy area, and then paused in an aisle full of baby supplies. Bottles, diapers, pacifiers, little toys and pajamas and tiny pairs of socks. Her baby wouldn’t be needing any of this, she thought. Then she barely managed to stop herself from crying in front of everyone. The pregnancy seemed to make her emotions spiral out of control fast, for the stupidest reasons.

She hurried to the check-out, then out the door.

Jenny was halfway home before she remembered that she was supposed to buy eggnog ingredients. She cursed under her breath, then doubled back to the store.

When she’d finished her second visit to the store, she walked down the narrow Rue Vieille du Temple alone, hearing her footsteps echo back from the masonry and closed windows above her. The walk back seemed somehow less pleasant. She was aware of being alone, of the sunken doorways and dark windows around her. She felt a twinge of childhood fear, the kind that fully believed monsters could be hiding in every shadow, waiting to snatch her with a clawed hand. She shivered.

Her sense of fright only grew worse as she approached her apartment building, as if something evil and twisted waited for her inside. There was danger in the air, even though she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

She waved to the security guy as she passed through the lobby, and he nodded once, very slightly, in return. Everything seemed normal.

Her sense of dread grew worse as the rattling elevator carried her up to her floor. She could feel her heart beat in her chest as she inserted the key into the lock.

Stop being paranoid, Jenny, she told herself. Then she opened the door.

Seth was on the couch, but he was no longer playing the Wii. He faced a girl with deep red hair, almost black, and a long leather jacket who now sat beside him. Her back was to Jenny, but Jenny could see that they were gripping each other’s hands, and Seth’s eyes were closed. His eyes opened as Jenny stepped in through the front door.

“Jenny!” Seth said, with a goofy smile on his face. Then he seemed to notice that he was holding hands with the other girl, and he disentangled himself and stood up. “This is Mariella.”

Mariella turned toward Jenny, and a look of shock crossed the Italian girl’s face.

“You!” Mariella said.

“Me,” Jenny replied.

“I’m confused.” She looked from Seth to Jenny. “You said you did not know him.”

“Wait, you know each other? Now I’m confused,” Seth added.