Fairfax Books was a popular and successful bookstore in the heart of the San Francisco, from the front doors you could see the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. It was a wonderful two story store with big windows to let in the maximum sunlight to bathe the store with warmth even in the chilliest days of winter.
Nicole Fairfax walked into the back of the store and let off a loud sneeze. She shook her head and wiped her nose. She'd been battling the cold all week and it wasn't getting any better. Nicole was dressed in her uniform from the Kingston Academy; black blazer complete with the school's crest over the left breast pocket, black and red plaid tie, matching knee length skirt, white knee socks and black shoes. " Hello Nick" said her mother, Christine Fairfax, " sorry but I have to run."
Christine came to San Francisco twenty three years ago from London to attend college at the University of California Berkley to study for a semester. She instead fell in love with the city and dropped out of school. Now she was the owner and operator of her own bookstore and couldn't be happier.
" The dentist is going to have a fit if you're late again" said Nick, all of her friend's called her Nick, " I can keep an eye on the place by myself."
" Have fun" said Christine as she rushed out the door.
Nick tugged her tie off as she walked out of the back across the store to the front desk. The store was starting to get busy. Across the store a group of teens from the local high school where hanging out between the magazine racks and the manga shelves. The manga, translated Japanese comics, was Nick's idea, she loved those little books, and now she could get them cheap through the store. They were a big hit, not with just the high school nerds, but with all sorts of people and their large and diverse collection brought people in from all across California. But the guys there weren't here to look at the manga, new manga came out on Wednesday, it was Friday. They were here to see Nick.
Nick tossed her blazer over the chair behind the counter. She slipped on her black thin rectangular reading glasses and let off another powerful sneeze. " Damn it" she grumbled as she opened her school satchel.
She took out the latest volume of her favorite manga, The Kurimaya Mysteries. This was her all time favorite, each volume covered a different mystery, you followed high school student Rei Kurimaya as she solved it. The manga also challenged the reader to see if they could solve the mystery before Rei could, this was something that Nick excelled at. So far she had read all six volumes and so far had solved them all. Nick wanted to try her hand at writing mysteries as well but never could find the proper inspiration.
Nick took out her little notepad filled with her scribblings over the latest mystery and pink Hello Kitty pen. She sat down and continued to read the Case at Raven Hill.
She did her best to ignore the boys across the way, but she could still hear their hushed conversation. It was about her hair colour today. At least they've stopped obsessing over my chest, Nick thought, trying to bury more of her concentration in her manga.
Nick Fairfax was considered by many to be a truly striking beauty. Not that phony plastic Hollywood beauty but the classic next door beauty; silky red hair, deep sapphire blue eyes, and thanks to growth spurt was now 5'6" instead of the 5'4" which she was convinced she would stay at the rest of her life.

Charity Witherspoon walked into Fairfax Books and saw Nick's groupies standing by the manga. She smirked and decided to have a little fun. She strolled over to the magazines and pretended to browse. " No way it's real" whispered one of the guys, a heavy set guy with asthma. She didn't need to be Nick to hear somebody wheezing for breath after a sentence.
" It has to be real, who dyes their hair that colour?" asked the thinnest of the group, he would probably blow over in a strong wind.
" It's as fake as her boobs" commented a third, more interested in this month's Maxim than her.
" Her boobs aren't fake" said the asthmatic, " no way, I saw her in a tank top last summer. They bounced."
" No way a 17 year old has implants without blonde hair" said the thin one, " and if she did, she would get D cups not Cs."
" I know" said Charity, " go over and ask her, maybe she'll let you feel them."
All four guys blushed bright red and scurried away. Charity walked over and dropped the bag of muffins on the counter. " Quit scaring off our customers" said Nick, not looking up from her manga.
" You don't need to hear them wondering what is real on you" said Charity, " not when you sick. I brought muffins to cure you up."
Nick eagerly opened the bag, " Thanks Charity" she said.
" You're sure you're okay to come with me tomorrow?" she asked.
" I'll be fine" said Nick, " besides I can't let you go alone, not my best friend."
" So who do you think did it?" asked Charity looking over the counter.
" Hey!" said Nick, slapping her hand over her notepad, " you can't cheat."
Nick had gotten Charity into manga a few years before. Charity found she loved the stuff and soon had a collection in her dorm room to rival Nick's. The pair had started playing amateur detective when the Kurimaya Mysteries came out. Each would read the mystery and write down who they thought the killer was and then reveal it before reading the last chapter together. So far Charity was 0-6, she didn't have the natural talent Nick had. It was uncanny and often mystified Charity.
Charity walked behind the counter and leaned back against the counter as she began to eat her muffin. " You packed yet?" asked Nick.
" Yah, of course I am" said Charity.
Nick looked over at Charity with her one eyebrow cocked. " Okay, I haven't even pulled my suitcase out from under my bed" she admitted.
" Hm hmph" said Nick, " I assume you plan to spend the night at my place too, so how are you going to find the time?"
" I'll think of something" said Charity, " how bout we swing by school after work and let me pack."
" Sure" said Nick, " we can pick up Mexican from Rio Lobo."
Charity bobbed her head up and down in agreement, her mouth too full with muffin to speak.

The rest of the afternoon passed quietly enough, a few customers, mostly regulars come to spend their paychecks on books. Christine came back from the dentist around 5 so that Nick and Charity could escape to head back to Kingston Academy. Nick drove Charity's Mitsubishi Eclipse back, Nick never let Charity drive, she didn't like living that close on the edge.

Kingston Academy was an imposing collection of gothic buildings surrounded by huge oak and elm trees and a black wrought iron fence. It really belonged more in New England or Old England for that matter, not in sunny Northern California but it was the most prestigious private school on the west coast. They parked in the attached parking lot that was outside the wall, when the school was founded they hadn't invented cars yet let along envisioned their students having a need for them when most lived on campus.

They walked into the closet building to the parking lot, the dormitory. Nick didn't bother living on campus, she lived only a few blocks away and often on sunny days would walk or take the street car to school. She didn't see the sense in living some tiny box piled on top of everybody else when she could have her own bedroom, and more importantly didn't have to share a bathroom with anybody.
Charity unlocked the side door with her keycard and the pair started up the stairs to the fourth floor where Charity's dorm room was. Charity unlocked 4-10 and the pair went inside.
The dorm room was cleaner than usual, but it was still a complete mess. Charity walked over to her bed and pulled her big suitcase out from under the bed. She dropped it on the bed with a flop and flipped the top open. She walked over to her dresser and took the first drawer out. She up ended the drawer into the suitcase before replacing it and taking the second drawer. Like the first drawer she emptied the contents into her suitcase and replaced it. The third drawer was the same, " Got my clothes now" she said.
Charity dragged her blue fishnet bag which she carried into the dorm bathroom and tossed it on top. She flipped it closed and zipped it up. " See, wasn't that easy?" asked Charity.
Nick just sneezed and shook her head.

The pair were leaving the dorm room as the door across the hall opened. " Oh hey guys" said Alexander Ramsay, another of their friends, " I thought you were two were going to Boston?"
Alex had come to Kingston in 9th grade. His family ran some sort of media empire, publishing companies, production studios, a couple of TV affiliates. He was charming, his dark brown hair always left messy. He was a model example of a laid back California. " We leave tomorrow" said Charity, " where you off to for Spring Break?"
" Off to our cabin in the Rockies" he said, " which I should have left for about an hour ago. I gotta run or I'll never get through traffic."
Alex hurried down the hall and disappeared around the corner. " You could have said something" said Charity.
" Not now" said Nick.
" If not now when?" asked Charity, " come on you can't deny there is something there."
" Charity" groaned Nick.
" Am going to make you ask him out one day" said Charity, " you two are destined for each other."
" What about you then?" asked Nick, poking Charity in the ribs, " where is your Mr Destiny?"
" I don't know yet" said Charity, " at least I date."
" Date, singular" said Nick, " you get guys to take you out and then you find a something wrong with each of them."
" I'm picky" she replied, " come on, I'm too hungry to think about true love right now."
The pair quickly left the dorm building and stopped at Rio Lobo to pick up dinner before heading to Nick's house. Nick and Christine lived in a beautiful San Francisco style home on a very steep hill. It was painted a lovely sky blue with an impressive garden in front and back. Both Nick and Christine enjoyed gardening and the house showed it.
They went inside where Charity saw Nick's suitcase already neatly packed and sitting next to the door. Charity dropped hers next to it and they went up to Nick's room where Nick's cat Jinx was waiting. " Hey Jinxie" said Nick, gently stroking her cat as she rested in Nick's underwear drawer.
Jinx meowed back and lazily got up and stretched before leaping to the ground. The pair sat in the bedroom, Charity on the floor with back against the bed and Nick at her desk and ate dinner. They spent the evening watching movies from Nick's large collection before falling asleep.

The next morning Nick was up at dawn sniffling and coughing as she got dressed. Nick looked over at the clock, it was nearly 8:30 and Charity was still in bed. " Come on" said Nick rubbing Charity's shoulder, " wakie, wakie."
Charity grumbled and rolled over, Nick picked up Jinx, carefully lifted the comforter from Charity's feet and set her cat down. Jinx immediately began to rub her silky fur against Charity's feet. Charity leapt out of bed giggling like mad. " That is mean" said Charity.
" Had to get you up somehow" said Nick, " Jinxie come."
Jinx hopped into Nick's arms, " You're parents are cool with me bringing her, right?" asked Nick.
" No problem" said Charity, " if there is, blame it on me."
Nick opened her courier bag and Jinx happily climbed in. " We're going to be late" said Nick.
Charity stuck her tongue out at Nick and started dressing. She got dressed just in time for the taxi to arrive. They piled into the taxi and started for the airport. " So Denise is finally taking him to meet the folks huh" said Nick.
" Now Nick, I know you don't like him, or her but I have to go and I can't be in that house all alone for an entire week" said Charity.
" I know, that is why I'm here but you know what I think about him" said Nick, " I never trust a man I can smell before I can see him."
" Tell me about it" said Charity, " but Denise thinks he is just perfect so we all have to put on our best faces and pretend."
Nick smiled and batted her eyes, " Perfect" said Charity.

Denise Witherspoon was waiting for her eternally late sister and her nerdy British bookworm. Denise didn't dislike her sister, she just didn't like her either. She was too rebellious, she didn't act like a woman of status and that made Denise look bad. Denise watched the taxi pull up and the pair climbed out.

" Hello" said Denise, putting on her best fakest smile.
Nick smiled, the fake smile went well with her fake nose, fake cheeks, fake calves and fake breasts. If there ever two sisters that were polar opposites it was Charity and Denise. Charity was a brunette with soft green eyes while Denise dyed her hair blonde and wore contacts to make her eyes an eerie shade of ice blue. But under the window dressing Nick could see that they were sisters. They were both tall, and lean, both girls were more athletic than Nick. As much as the pair disliked the fact, they were sisters after all.
Charity occupied Denise so Nick could get their luggage out. Nick carried the two suitcases over to the curb where Denise's future husband stood. Robert Douglas Stamherst may have had a rich sounding name but Nick could plainly see he was nothing but window dressing. His clothes were all expensive designer labels but each was slightly out of shape for a person who pretended to wear tailored clothes, he probably knew somebody who ran a warehouse and got it cheap. He had a boyishly cute face and was in good shape, he was handsome enough to charm the edges off his appearance. Nick had only met him once before and again his cologne was just as nauseating. " Hello" he said, his voice suave and rich, " Nicole isn't it?"
" Yes" said Nick, forcing her best smile.
An airport attendant gathered up their bags and the four of them made their way through the airport. They went down a side staircase out to a private plane with two people standing next to it. One was an attractive red headed woman dressed in a chauffeur's outfit complete with black peaked cap who looked like she belong in fashion magazines rather than the black outfit, the other an athletic blonde man who looked like he used to play football for some Division 2 school. " Hello Gram, Krystal" said Denise, " is the plane ready to leave?"
" Yes Ms Witherspoon" said Krystal, " once your luggage is aboard we can leave."
" Thank you" said Denise.
" We're flying in a private plane?" asked Nick.
" You thought we were flying on a commercial jet?" asked Charity, her voice exaggerated for dramatic effect, " no Witherspoon would dare fly with commoners on some plane owned by someone else, oh what would the neighbors think?"
Denise shot Charity a venomous look that made Nick's skin crawl, behind her perfect façade there was a lot of pent up rage that was looking for an avenue of escape. They boarded the plane, Nick caught a slight smirk from both Gram and Krystal. " That was our chauffeur Krystal Norman, and one of our butlers Gram Krager" said Charity.
" You have two butlers?" asked Nick, " I don't even have one."
" We have a bigger house" said Charity, " and speaking of the house, climb in and let's go see it."
The pair sat in the back of the plane and Nick flipped the top of her satchel open to let Jinx poke her head out. Nick closed her eyes and felt the plane start to taxi. She hated flying, it terrified her almost as much as heights. It was probably all part of one general fear of not having a solid contact with earth. Nick gently stroked Jinx repeating to herself, I'm all right, I'm all right.

The private jet slowly lifted into the sky, Nick finally exhaled at least the bad part was half over, now she just had to survive the landing. She looked out the window at San Francisco below them, " Get you some tea?" asked Charity, sticking her head out of the curtain that separated the first compartment of the plane with the second.
" Please" said Nick.
" You're doing great" said Charity, " except for the whole looking like a sheet thing."
Nick looked at her reflection in her compact, Charity was right she was bleached white. The sight of it made Nick blush bringing some colour back into her face and promptly sneezed. Nick saw Denise wriggle in her seat and make a face, " Sorry" said Nick, " it just a little cold."
" Just don't get me sick" said Denise, " I have too much to do."
Charity came back and the pair drank their tea on the little table between their seats. The tea helped calm Nick down and let her relax. She slipped off into a light nap. Charity smiled, she didn't believe it when the box of tea said it would help put you to sleep but even she was starting to drift off.

Nick was jolted out of her seat as a great crackle of lightning lit up the plane. " What the hell was that?" asked Nick, her heart pounding as she was snapped out of her slumber.
" We've hit a storm" said Charity, holding Jinx in her arms, " don't worry we're about three minutes from landing."
Charity handed Jinx to Nick who immediately buried her face in Nick's chest. " She's been going nuts ever since we caught sight of the storm" said Denise, " I can't believe my parents allowed that thing in our house, it will get hair over everything."
" She hates lightning" said Charity, " why don't you pop a couple of diet pills and lay off."
Before Denise could express her angry at her sister the plane hit another bump, " We're about to land" said Krystal over the intercom, " please buckle up this will be a little bumpy."
" No shit" groaned Nick, gripping the arm rests with white knuckled hands.

The plane touched down at a rain soaked local airfield. The rain was lashing everything in sight with hard sheets of rain. The plane taxied into a hangar where a pair of Mercedes were parked waiting for them. " Has it been raining long?" asked Charity.
" For the past couple of days" said Krystal, " everybody is worrying about flooding."
Nick sneezed loudly, " She okay?" asked Krystal.
" Cheeky" said Nick.
" She has a cold" said Charity.
" Well she certainly has come to the right place" said Krystal, " it has been nothing but cold wet and miserable all month."
Denise and Robert climbed into the first Mercedes and Nick and Charity piled into the second. The drive through the rolling countryside would have beautiful if not for the purple black clouds and the driving rain that made it nearly impossible to see ten feet outside of the car. Nick spent most of the ride blowing her nose or sneezing. Finally Charity shook Nick's shoulder and pointed out her window, " There is my home" she said.
Nick looked out the window at the imposing gothic mansion sitting in a field. In the distance Nick could make out what appeared to be a guest house perched on the cliff side, in between the massive main house and the smaller but still impressive guest house was a gate cemetery with two large mausoleums. This entire scene looked like it belong on the wind swept English Moor not in Massachusetts. Nick felt the car travel over a bridge, she looked down at to her shock the water was barely under the lip of the bridge, it rains anymore and I'll need a boat to get home. The cars drove around the side of the gloomy grey stone gothic beast into a large garage hidden well out of sight so to keep the timeless image of the mansion. The two cars came to a stop and Nick climbed out to start her week at Witherspoon Manor.