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“I will come back when I have news,” I said. “Don’t show up at my house and draw attention to it. You knowing of other realms puts me in a difficult predicament anyway. If anyone finds out—”
“They won’t,” Mr. Bogart said from the porch. “Your secret is safe with me. It’s been safe with me for decades.”
The memories resurfacing began to strangle me, so I stalked toward my pickup, opened the door, and slid into the warm cab. Sweat clung to me as I started the engine and backed out of the driveway.
Josephine’s T-shirt sat beside me. It stared up at me in mock humor.
You will never find her.
The taunt slid down my spine like a dose of venom.
You can’t save her.
Knocking my fist against the steering wheel, I attempted to beat out my frustration. It didn’t work. No matter that I hit it repeatedly until blood smeared against my knuckles.
The lingering feeling of failure mixed with anger weighed me down. The drive to the cabin felt like hours, with each passing second another second Deidamia grew further away.
My truck tires slung gravel in my race into the driveway.
The low-hanging cypress trees swayed in the wind, blowing my dirty hair around my head and stirring the smells of home.
Unfortunately, I won’t be staying long.
George woke when I stomped up the steps and opened the front door. He scurried in behind me, only to plop down on the grungy rug in my living room.
I wasn’t a decorator by a long shot.
I kicked my bathroom door open, the small single bathroom sink was rusted but matched the rest of the house. My body ached and longed to take a long bath in the claw-foot tub.
But the images of Josephine being tossed around halted me from relaxing.
I tightened my fingers around the edge of the porcelain sink and hung my head low. Seconds ticked by while I tossed a handful of water onto my face and slicked it back over my head.
I grabbed my toothbrush from the holder and at least brushed my teeth. George began to snore from the living room. I envied the hell out of that dog. Then I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. My bedroom was small, the queen-sized bed the fanciest thing in my entire house.
Nothing beats a good night’s sleep.
Snatching T-shirts, jeans, and underwear, I shoved them into my small backpack with Josephine's T-shirt. My boots left a muddy trail from my driveway along my wooden floor, but I left it.
George didn’t mind a little mess.
He hardly stirred when I walked out and propped the screen door open for him to come and go as he pleased.
The silence of the cabin called to me once more before I shut the door behind me. The sun had lowered in the sky, leaving twilight and I to dance in the woods.
The dead leaves and debris clung to my pant legs and boots. I pushed through it knowing the further I walked, and the closer to the bayou, there was less of a chance of being caught.
Only hunters and wanderers came into the woods.
Unless by accident.
If the gators did not get you, then count yourself lucky.
I stopped in a familiar clearing, which was just a small circle that wasn’t bogged down in a swampy stew at my feet or overrun by brush.
Digging two small holes into the ground with the soles of my feet, I glanced up at the canopy of trees above me. The silence of the forest settled over me, warming me from the inside out and settling me into the presence.
Portal traveling hadn’t always been my mode of transportation.
