Medusa's Dagger (Aya Harris Collection 1)

I resisted the urge to cover my ears. It was surprising the glass display next to her didn’t shatter into a million pieces.

“I’m sorry little girl, but you can’t play with this,” I tried to yell over her shrieks, but it did no good.

Her mother came running over, snatching the little girl into her arms and burying

her head in her shoulder.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but this doll shouldn’t be played with.”

The girl’s screaming had been muffled by her mother’s patriotic t-shirt.

“I had to take it away.”

“Well, if it isn’t for playing with, you shouldn’t have left it lying around.” She patted her daughter’s head and shushed in her ear.

“I didn’t leave it lying around. She got out of her display.”

The woman raised her eyebrows at me, clearly assessing my mental capacity as incredibly low. The little girl amped up her crying, letting loose a new round of screams.

“I’d like to speak to your manager,” she said, rocking the girl violently back and forth. “No one makes my Sarah cry.”

I sighed. This wasn’t how I wanted to start my day.

“I’m afraid I am the manager, ma’am. I’m sorry for making your daughter cry, but this doll is very dangerous. She can’t play with it.”

The woman lifted her chin and peered down her nose at me. “Well, then, we’ll just have to get Sarah her own doll. Good day.” She marched away, finding her husband and exiting immediately.

If my luck held true that day, she’d be the kind of customer who would stalk the museum online and write nasty reviews about us, warning other customers to stay away from the crazy manager who abused kids and thought that dolls could move. It would bring the tourists flocking, that was for sure.

At least I’d learned something – I really wasn’t meant to have kids. All they did was scream when I was around. I wasn’t sure if they could sense my true nature or my lack of experience, but children hated me. They could tell I was terrified of them.

I threw Roni in the old safe in the administration hall. She glared at me as I closed the heavy door, the murderous intent clear in her eyes. I stuck my middle finger out at her and locked the door, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves.

She’d be safe there until Angel could try something new. Maybe this time she’d call in one of her witch buddies. There had to be something they could do.

The door to my office was slightly ajar. I peered inside and found a purple sticky note on my computer monitor, the curved handwriting clearly from Angel. She was always leaving inspirational quotes around for me. Sometimes they’d be in my office. Sometimes I would find them in my apartment. This week’s quote was from Diane Mariechild, whoever she was. It read: a woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform. Typical Angel. Always trying to boost me up.

I sat down at my desk. Beside my computer monitor was a copy of the photo we had at home on the bookshelf. Johnny, Steven, Angel, and I had just come back home from a night at the club. My hair had fallen out of its ponytail and was clinging to my sweaty face. Angel had a radiant glow that started with her smile and lit up her entire face. Johnny and Steven clutched each other tight, the love between them almost visible to the eye.

A heavy weight pulled at my insides, twisting them until it was hard to breathe. If things didn’t change or if Nicky wasn’t caught, I’d have to leave my friends, the museum, and everything I’d built here. It wasn’t fair to put them in harm’s way.

Johnny had already felt the terrible brunt of my secrets. And Angel was getting far too involved in the investigation. I couldn’t see any other way out of this mess but to leave. It wasn’t exactly brave, but there was no other way to keep my friends safe. I couldn’t risk the HQ’s wrath on them, or expose them to Nicky’s twisted sense of justice. I’d rather die first.

The sensor beeped next to my desk. It was an alarm that went off whenever someone came through the front doors. On days that I worked alone and needed to get office work done, it was especially handy.

I left my desk and rushed into the lobby to greet the new guest. A man stood at the front counter, his back to me. He wore a black wind jacket with light wash jeans and tan hiking boots. I rounded the counter to greet him and automatically, my creeper alarm went off in my head.

“Hello. One ticket?” I asked.

It wasn’t uncommon to get creepers in the museum. The occult tended to attract some weird people. I just wished Angel was here to help stave him off.

“Yes.” He held up his index finger. “Just one.”

I watched him from the corner of my eyes as I rang him up and took his cash. Thick wavy blond hair fell into startlingly blue eyes. He had well defined cheekbones, and a thick jaw with a cleft chin. By all accounts, he was probably very handsome. But something about him rubbed me the wrong way.

He smirked at the little plastic crosses for sale near the register. “What are those supposed to do?”

I gave him a closed mouth smile. “They’re to ward off vampires. Very popular with the little kids. Some are filled with bubbles.”