Deadly Chaos by Annette Brownlee

blackbird’s wings. A vibrant eagle tattoo consumed the span of his wide chest. Muscular, she thought, but not like a gym rat. This guy worked with his body. Touching her own hair, she met his eyes and found a scowl waiting for her.
    “You’re here,” he growled.
    He said it like he’d been expecting her and he wasn’t too happy about it. Her outstretched hand dropped to her side. “Yes, I’m…” The door slammed shut in her face. “What the hell?” Now what? Torn between wanting to ogle him again and wanting to give him a piece of her mind, Chaos knocked on the door again.
    “Fuck!”
    Chaos heard him bellowing inside the house. The expletive vibrated the windows. Confused, Chaos stepped back a few feet on the porch. She could see him through the large bay widow. He stood in the center of the room with his fists raised at the ceiling like he was cursing God. He swore again, quieter this time but she could still hear him. “Weirdo.”She had to have the wrong house and there was no sense wasting time just to get another good look at some man candy. Odd man candy, but damn good looking nonetheless. Taking a deep breath at the base of the porch steps, Chaos jumped when the front door opened behind her. She turned. A petite woman with short blonde hair, a cherubic round face, and rosy cheeks beamed at her.
    "Chaos, we've been waiting for you to come. Please, come on in.”
    “Waiting for me?” This place was just plain old weird, she thought. Why would they be waiting for her? Had Janet called them?
    “Janet didn’t call us.”
    “Excuse me?” Chaos knew she hadn’t vocalized that thought. How did she know about Janet?
    “I can hear your thoughts. Come inside. I can help you with your ghost.”
    “Um…” Chaos backed away. The woman, who was wearing a navy pantsuit that looked like it cost more than Chaos earned in a year, beamed at her as if reading her mind was a common everyday occurrence. And she didn’t even bother to apologize for it, she thought.
    “Why should I apologize? You’re shooting your thoughts around for anyone to listen. You don’t want folks to listen you should shield them better.”
    Chaos stood, dumbfounded. Her hands hung at her sides. A bitter cold wind blasted her cheeks yet she was too stunned to feel it. “You’re blaming me for thinking?”
    “No, just thinking noisily. Now come inside. It’s cold out here.”
    Should she go inside? It took her only a second to decide. She was here and it wasn’t like she had much to lose at this point. She might as well see what these people could do for her.
    The lady held the door open and gestured Chaos inside. “That bad huh?”
    She stepped across the threshold and into the woman’s home. Chaos couldn’t help but scan the room for the man who’d answered the door and then slammed it in her face. The angry man candy was gone. She turned her attention to the apparent owner of the home. Meeting her eyes, she noticed that they were the color of the Caribbean if it had been frozen solid - sparkly like turquoise ice.
    “Yeah, it’s that bad.”  A marijuana-like scent permeated the interior of the home. It hurt her throat and stung her eyes yet the air wasn’t smoky. Chaos looked around to see if anything was burning. The room looked like it had been designed by a professional. Each item appeared strategically placed and from what she could see there wasn’t a pillow out of place or a speck of dust to be found anywhere. A vanilla orchid grew on a table in front of the window. Chaos noted a lovely cluster of about fifteen flowers. Pretty impressive considering they were difficult to grow in a climate like Colorado. It looked like it was just about ready for some fertilizer, she thought.
    “I fertilize it every two weeks and it is the sage that you smell. Have a seat.” Linda extended her hand and gestured toward a tweed colored sofa. Chaos crossed the wood floor, the sound of her work boots the only sound in the quiet house.