Unlikely Alliance: A Humble Hill Story Chapter 9

Photo by Jordan Arnold on Unsplash

Alec sat in one of his outdoor chairs, listening to the sounds of the construction worker working on the house. He could spend only so much time in the trailer before he got bored, and even with a few excursions into the town, he was limited in how he could spend the time. He’d be climbing the walls if he had any. There he was, in an old foldable chair, an umbrella keeping the sun off his face as he sipped his cup of tea with a notebook resting on his leg. He didn’t know whether it was due to the last few weeks’ stress or if he was just in a slump, but the ideas were not coming. It was only due to his years of being alive that he did not let his frustrations show.

The house had been completely demolished in the month since he first returned to Humble Hill. Whether due to his natural paranoia or his unease with the whole situation, he did not fully trust in keeping the array safe. Every night, he went down to the basement to check on it. So far, even with the house gone and the new frames in its place, the array remained unchanged. The protection it gave was still strong.

He had shifted from trying to work on his next book and doodling a new array of ideas in the margins to noticing the presence of someone new on the site. It was hard to miss Selene LaLune as she marched up the pathway towards his trailer. While not an unusual sight, she mainly came to visit Josh. After the second time, Alec had put his foot in his mouth when he asked the young man if she was his girlfriend.

Between the flushed cheeks, stutters, and the chuckles from the rest of the crew, he managed to put together some of the story. Josh was madly in love with Selene; Selene had no idea. How the woman could not notice was something Alec never understood. Most of the women he had been around had always been unnervingly astute in their observations.

Seeing the determined look in her eyes, Alec stood up to greet her. Old habits die hard.

“Ms. LaLune. What pleasure do I have to see you today?”

“Are you busy tonight?” Selene asked instead of a greeting. Alec tried not to let the lack of social niceties annoy him. For a while, they were always a little much. He still shuddered, thinking of the Victorian age. After the first decade, he left Britain for America because of the ornate greetings. Still, he knew he had to maintain his reputation in the town. The only way to do that was to slap a smile on his lips and respond.

“I am not,” Alec asked. “Why do you ask?” If she would jump into the heart of the conversation, so would he.

“Wonderful. You can come to dinner.”

“Excuse me, I feel like I am missing some context. What dinner are you referring to?” Alec asked. “You are a lovely young woman, but I am afraid I am not interested in anything beyond friendship right now.” He better stop that line of thought before it spreads. She was missing several necessary appendages before she could be someone he would be interested in. Plus, with Josh’s love for her, he did not want to get between them, especially while the other man was building his house.

“No, with me…well, kind of with me. I’m going to be there.” Selene started as she waved off his concerns. “Dad is hosting a dinner, and we wanted to ensure you could come. A way to greet our newest resident.”

“I’m not sure…”

“We do it with all the new residences.” Selene interrupted. “It’s a way for Dad to get an idea of who each person in the town is. We should have done this ages ago.” Alec sighed. There was no way out of this. If he fought it too hard, he would appear suspicious. Besides, he hadn’t had a good meal in several days. One can only live off instant noodles for so long, and he refused to return to that café. He did not have a death wish. The less contact he had with that demon, the better.

“All right. Is there anything I should bring?” Alec asked, his shoulders drooping.

“Nah. Dad knows that you are in the middle of moving. He doesn’t want to stress you out. Mama would never let you live it down if you did.”

“What time is dinner?” Alec asked.

“It’s at seven,” Selene said as she leaned over, picked up his pen, and jotted down her address on the top of the page. “If you get lost, just ask about the LaLune Manor. It’s not that far from the center of town.”

“Oh, course, Ms. LaLune.”

“Please, call me Selene. No need to be so formal with me.”

“Then call me Alec.”

“Already do,” Selene said as she turned. “I’ll see you at seven.” She made it several feet before her eyes widened. Her step had an extra bounce, and she spotted Josh looking over at them. Alec didn’t think her smile could get any bigger upon seeing him and knew instantly that his worries about undue attention from her were immediately gone. Selene LaLune was in love with Josh whether she knew it or not. “Josh! Dinner at my place. Seven! Don’t be late.” She didn’t even wait for a reply. Josh looked at her wide-eyed, and she bounced out of the construction yard. Selene was barely out of sight before the catcalls and hollers rose from the site. He didn’t need to be a psychic to know that Josh was bright red.

Hiding his chuckles, he sat back down and looked at his notebook. While working for the Agency always brought in good money, he had learned long ago to have a backup source of income. It had been a pure fluke in the early 1800s that had him turn towards writing. Every couple of years, he would shift his focus to a new genre of writing with a pseudonym to match. The passive income was enough that he did not have to worry about the cost of the rebuild, but that did not mean that boredom was far from his sight.

History had taught him never to keep too many eggs in one basket. His father had been a staunched protestant under the King’s new reforms. More than happy to push away from the Catholic ideology and the papist regime, he climbed the ranks under Henry VIII and his son, Edward. However, when Mary came to the throne and the Catholics were put back into power, it had taken everything their family had not to be put on the chopping block. Their new business opportunities were gone, and they were nearly destitute. Alec had been only a young boy, too young to start an apprenticeship but old enough to understand why it had all happened. His father had placed the family’s money and prestige on the King’s side. Whether through luck or intervention, Mary barely lasted five years. The family managed to keep their head down for that time. He remembered his parents’ hushed whisper when they thought he was asleep. Those frustrations stayed with him, and he learned the lesson. Understanding how to deal with the whimsical monarch’s desires served him well for the rest of his life.

He invested in every avenue he could. In the past, names were much easier to create and attend to. He could open bank accounts, and no one questioned why money was constantly being put in without anything being pulled out. Five hundred years of compound interest was a lot of money. However, he made sure never to spend too much. In five hundred years, there had been no cure for his immortality. There had been more than once when he had expected to stay dead, only to have his body regenerate after a few extra minutes. Wounds closed faster than an average human, and he didn’t age. His hair was still the same ashen brown as when he had been cursed. People would look at him and see a twenty-five-year-old man. Never realizing that he was closer to five hundred and fifty.

He tried for a few more minutes before giving up. The ideas weren’t coming towards him. He might have better luck later. Giving up, he headed inside his trailer to shower and change his clothes. This might have been an invite out of the goodness of their heart, but he knew the value of looking his best for the situation, especially if he was going to meet the elusive mayor. Ensuring he had just enough time to pick up two bouquets from the florist, he walked up the path to the LaLune Manor. He felt uneasily fill him as he looked up at the looming building. He had come to trust his instinct; however, he knew he could not turn away from this invitation. Steeling himself for this evening, he lifted his hand and rang the doorbell. It was time to begin.