Page 5 of Xarius (Shunned Mages #1)

Niam

It was my first official day working at the gas station.

Jerry had been a saint yesterday and gotten me a mattress and some pillows and a duvet.

I would need to insulate the van next, but right now the temperature outside was warm enough that I wasn’t freezing.

My only concern had been bears. I feared they could easily break open my new home and have me as a tasty snack.

Jerry had laughed at that, shaking his head as he helped me get the mattress in.

He wouldn’t have laughed if he found me dead this morning, but I didn’t say that. I wouldn’t want to jinx myself .

I’d started my morning with some coffee from a can.

It was lukewarm, but I needed the caffeine kick to get moving so early.

Jerry had knocked on the van when he arrived, bringing breakfast with him.

After we’d eaten, he told me he had an employee-only bathroom that was not available to customers.

To my delight it had a small shower inside, allowing me to shower before or after work as I pleased.

Working here was proving to be perfect for all my needs so far.

I stood behind the counter now and waited for customers to come in.

Jerry had said we got around five a day although sometimes none at all, so I knew it would be slow work, but I appreciated that.

The store had a layout that worked for easy access.

People could get in and immediately grab whatever they came for, bright lights overhead showing everything off.

We had a section for coffee that Jerry had a special fondness for.

Most of the customers needed a bathroom break and then they’d come in for coffee.

He said that was one of the most sold items we carried.

Other than gas and water, of course. It wasn’t the biggest store, but seeing how far out in the countryside we were, it didn’t seem to matter much.

We sold the most essential things and then some other fun stuff people didn’t know they needed until they entered the store.

Betty came in each morning with food for the counter. Some sandwiches, skewers of meat, and according to Jerry, sometimes she baked stuff, too, that they would sell.

Because I didn’t have a phone, Jerry had quickly shown me how his work phone worked, giving me both his and Betty’s numbers if anything were to happen while I was here on my own.

It was an older phone and was easy enough to use.

He’d told me he had it lying around the shop for emergencies and work-related calls.

Jerry came in from the back, wiping his hands on an oil-stained rag. “Did the shower work okay?” I knew he was fixing up another car for Betty, but from the curses and slamming of things from the garage just minutes ago, I didn’t think it was going too well for him.

“It was great,” I replied with a grateful smile.

“But why have a shower here?” It was something I’d thought about while showering.

It looked so clean that I thought he very rarely used it, if ever.

Not that I was complaining . Getting a shower this morning had been the ultimate luxury.

I hadn’t thought about how cleansing it could be for the soul.

With each drop of water that cascaded down my body, more of my old world disappeared.

I had now rinsed away the last remnants of my old home, and that was a huge comfort.

Jerry scratched his beard. “You know we have that restroom that’s accessible from outside?”

I nodded, “yes?”

He sighed, then said, “well, people are some nasty fuckers, okay, and after having dealt with their literal shit on the walls, I decided that I needed a place to shower if it ever happened again.” My face must’ve shown how truly disgusted and horrified I was.

“I know!” he exclaimed, his hands in the air.

“On the fucking walls, can you believe it?!” I shook my head, still horrified.

“I still think about it sometimes, like, were they aiming for them? Or did they fall and point by accident?” I hoped he wasn’t waiting for me to answer him.

I really didn’t want to talk about how people projectile shat on walls.

I was saved by the first customer of the day, a man coming inside to pay for his gas. I had Jerry help me with the customer and hoped the shit talk was over.

Around lunch time, Betty came by again. She had borrowed Jerry’s car and had driven him to work this morning, before he’d knocked on my van. When she came in with the food for the counter, she’d been in and out quickly, but now she seemed to have enough time to eat with us.

“What do you need the space for?” I asked, eating one of the chicken sandwiches she’d brought for Jerry and me. We were discussing the car Jerry was working on for her. She mentioned she’d been worried it wouldn’t have enough space.

“I own a flower shop in town,” she replied, taking a bite of her own food. “I need to drive them out for delivery and a van seems perfect for that.”

“Your new car will do just fine,” Jerry said kindly, clearly feeling somewhat guilty over not being able to fix the van he’d given her.

“Oh, it will, and the van has much more use now,” she replied easily, then looked at me. “Was it warm enough for you, hon?”

It warmed my heart how much she cared. They met me only yesterday and had already shown me more kindness than any other person had in over four years.

“It was perfect,” I replied. “But I will add some insulation before the season changes.” I thought about asking them about stores to buy it from, but I figured it would do me good to save up a little first. The currency here was different than in my world and it would take some time to get used to how much stuff was worth.

“I’ll help you out with that,” Jerry offered, swallowing the last of his sandwich, licking his fingers clean before wiping them on his jeans.

“Thank you,” I smiled, hoping I wouldn’t tear up. I had already cried once in this world and hoped I could at least last a few more days before leaking again. But it was hard not to. This had already been a perfect day, and it wasn’t even over yet.

We cleaned up after ourselves and waved Betty goodbye. She needed to return to her shop and would be back later to pick Jerry up. She’d told me not to worry about dinner tonight, stating firmly that she’d prepared something for me already. I’d smiled and thanked her before she left.

“Ready to tackle the next customer on your own?” Jerry asked, pointing to the approaching car. I nodded.

I was ready to be useful.