“It is too late, Mog. The varg is beyond my command now. You must trust me, this is for her own good. I would do nothing to harm her, she must be kept safe,” I can hear a deep voice originating from my own lips.
What is going on here, who am I?I think I see shock in the creature named Mog’s eyes, or is it recognition? She grabs onto my hands even harder and pulls me down to her level.
“Don’t let it take you, my child! You must fight back; it has orders not to harm you!” Mog quickly says and I feel she is talking directly to me before the body I am in pulls back and stumbles away, running into the dark, tangled forest. The next moment I am snapped back into my room.
I look down to see I am still holding my paint brush and have dripped bright red paint all over the hardwood floor and let out a groan.What was that?I think, shaking my head as I clean up the paint. I always felt removed from these episodes in the past, as if I am witnessing someone else’s life in a dream, but that thing spoke directly tomethis time. At least it sure felt as if she did. She told me to fight back.What am I meant to fight?I slide my headphones off and am accosted with a loud booming baseline and shouting, coming from downstairs. I look out the window to see it's already dark out and wonder at how long I must have just been standing there holding my paint brush, looking like an idiot.Good thing no one walked in.
I rip open my door and nearly run into Benji, who is standing there with one hand up, as if he was about to knock on the door and the other hand holding a pizza box.
“What are you doing here?” I bite out, a bit more harshly than I intended.
“Mar invited me to the party and told me to bring up your pizza. She also said to thank you for being so cool and not coming downstairs like you said you would,” he laughs, pushinghis way into my room and setting the pizza box down on my table.Did she send him up purely to annoy me?
“Woah cool, new piece?” he asks, leaning in to closely look at my recent painting. The smell of the pizza has my stomach grumbling, so I grab a piece and shove it into my mouth.
“Um… yes it is. Thanks for the food, now would you kindly leave. Thank you,” I say tersely through a full mouth as I shoo him out the door.
“Nuri, there is no need for the hostility, honestly. I’m not mad at you for breaking up with me,” he says, clearly wanting to talk about it.No thanks!I just roll my eyes at him as I grab my phone to check the time.
“It’s already eleven?!” I say, completely shocked, and I follow him out of my room, grabbing another slice of pizza on my way out. Downstairs, the vision I’m met with is pandemonium. The furniture has all been moved around to make room for a dance floor and I can see through the dining room door that a raucous game of beer pong is well under way. There are definitely more than ten people here and judging by the fact that Benji has come with his friends I’d guess that it’s not just juice in all the red cups floating around.
Delia and Hunt are going to kill me if they find out.I worry as I try and navigate my way through all the flailing teens, looking for Marissa. First I push my way over to the fire place where I can see one of the guys has dismantled my dad’s antique sword and is waving it around like some drunken pirate.
“Give me that you moron! Dad keeps it sharpened! You could kill someone!” I yell over the music as I rip the sword out of his hand and shove it behind the T.V. so no one else gets any crazy ideas of trying to sword fight in a mosh pit. I point my pointer finger and middle finger at my eyes then back at him,I’m watching you; what I hoped would be a menacing gesturejust ends with the guy and his friends laughing as I storm off in search of my sister.
I find her in the middle of a beer pong game, with a big Sasquatch of a man that I have never seen before as her partner. I grab her arm, pulling her into the kitchen, she squawks out in protest.
“Who are all of these people Mar? And I said no drinking! You’ve got to shut this down now or the police will surely come shut it down for you and then we will both be in a heap of shit!” I yell at a clearly inebriated Marissa.
“All right, all right, fair enough, it is getting a bit crazy out there. But you’ve got to admit it’s a pretty cool party, there are even university guys here!” she says, swaying a little bit, grabbing onto the kitchen counter to steady herself.
“Ok, you’ve had your fun. You’ll be a legend for the whole first semester,” I compliment her, hoping my request will take. “Now can youpleasehelp me shut it down and clean it up before Mom and Dad get back?”
“I’ll help!” Benji pipes up as he saunters into the kitchen, “I’ll go get Jimmy, he’ll get them all out,” he says as he heads toward the dining room. I catch Marissa’s longing stare as he walks away and I do nothing to stifle my gag reflex.
A few moments later I can hear, who I assume to be Jimmy, yell, “Everyone out! Party’s over!” The thumping music is immediately turned off and is replaced by a chorus of groans at the sudden stop. The Sasquatch man walks into the kitchen with a big smile on his face.
“I’ve always wanted to do that,” he laughs.
“Ah, Jimmy I presume. Thanks,” I reply, truly grateful at how easy that was.
“My pleasure. You must be Nuria? I’m Benji’s cousin, in town for the weekend,” he takes my hand in his massive grip and gives it a brisk shake. “Great party Mar, I’ll see ya around,” he says,shooting finger guns at Marissa before heading back out into the living room, herding a dozen teens out the door with his large arms as he goes.
Lucie, Taylor and Annie come stumbling in from the dining room with big pouts on their faces.
“Ugh, party poopers. It was just getting good!” Taylor complains.
“You four are menaces,” I say in my driest tone, “I expect you to clean this all up before Mom and Dad get back tomorrow morning. I’m going to bed,” I say, giving them all my best,I mean it,glare before heading back towards the stairs. I take one quick glance at the mess of the living room and I regret coming downstairs in the first place. Benji is at the front door ushering out the last of the stragglers and shuts the door with himself still inside the house.
“You can go too,” I say, stopping at the base of the stairs
“Nuri, I’m going to stay back to help clean up. It’s the least I can do,” Benji shrugs.
“You're right,it isthe least you can do,” I snap.
“What do you mean by that? Why would it beso badif Mar and I started dating? I’m not that bad,” he says as he leans against the door, propping one foot up behind him.
“You’re notbadBenji, but Marissa has a bright future ahead of her and I’m not sorry for protecting her from getting stuck in this town,” I explain, “and judging from past experiences, you’re pretty complicit in the view of settling down and never changing.”
