“There’s always a time for us, and mine has passed, for now.” Her voice is saccharine sweet, which is at total odds with her appearance.
“So, what—another monster is going to take your place?” I’m confused, I’ve had friends come and go, and sometimes I go months without seeing a particular person, but this is the first time any of them has come to me and told me they were leaving. “And what is a while?” I cross my arms over my chest.
“I’m not sure, Dami, but I’ll be back. I always come back.” She tilts her head to the side and examines me.
“Well, that’s bullshit!” I spit.
“It’s how it works,” she cajoles. “We can’t all be here at once. There are others that have been waiting their turn.”
I drop my arms, my curiosity piqued. “Where do you go when you’re waiting?”
Radmon glitches, her shape flickering in and out of focus. “I can’t tell you that.” She smiles at me ruefully.
“Why not?” I scoff, indignant that I’m being denied information for the second time in a week. First, it was Gunnar, saying there was something he couldn’t tell me, and now her.
“I really must go, Damiana. I just wanted to say goodbye for now, dear friend.” With those words, she disappears for the last time, her sweet voice still lingering in the air.
“Well, that fucking sucks.” I look around at my empty kitchen. A glow from the window catches my eye—it’s nearly dawn. With shuffling steps, I make my way over to the window, and close the heavy curtain, continuing through the rest of the house until I reach my bedroom upstairs. My thoughts are still lingering on Radmon. I hope she’s not too lonely wherever she’s going.
The sun is just cresting the horizon when I reach for the last set of drapes in my room. I gaze over my property as the shadows are chased away in the morning light. Movement near the dense tree line catches my eye.
An animal, much too large to be a dog or wolf, slinks between the trees. I shake my head, thinking the light is playing tricks on me. I couldn’t have just seen a lion walking into my woods. I press my hand to the glass and peer out, hoping for another glimpse. “What the hell was that?” I look around like someone else might have seen it, but I’m alone, as usual.
“I should probably go check it out,” I tell myself.
Hustling downstairs, I hop on one foot, jumping into my boots. Cracking the door, I shiver a little when the wind slices right through my sleep pants.
I tiptoe over the porch and down the steps, heading in the direction I noticed the animal. I click my tongue and make kissy noises. “Anyone out here?” I peer into the trees, waiting for any sign that I’m not losing my mind—a rustling tree, a twig snapping, anything.
After a good five minutes of making a fool of myself, calling the animal like it was a lost puppy, I make my way through the damp grass and back to the house.
“Well, that was a waste.” I close the door and lock it, slipping my boots off. “Yuk.” I slide my pants down when the wet hem from the morning dew touches my bare feet.
Using my toe, I kick the pants up and snatch them out of the air, tossing them on the laundry room floor as I pass by on my way back up to my room.
My drapes are still open when I enter. Heaving a sigh, I walk across the room to pull the curtain closed. “I’ll be damned. You shit!” There, just where I was standing outside only minutes ago, is a lion. Not just any lion: a huge fucking lion, with a mane that looks like it’s made from shimmering strands of gold swaying in the breeze.
I drag the fabric back and crank the window open. “What the hell?” I grate through my teeth. The lion—and it is a fucking lion—lifts his head and opens his maw in a lazy yawn. His tail curls up, and a small tuft of fur on the tip catches the light, making it look like a flame before it flips back down, disappearing out of sight. “I hope you catch your ass on fire,” I tell him, leaning against the window.
Even up here, I can hear the chuffing sound he makes before turning around to head back into the woods. I jerk upright. “Wait, I was just kidding. You don’t have to go.”
The lion looks up at me again for a long second, then slinks into the forest. I give him a few seconds before deciding he’s really gone for good this time and crank the window closed.
I pull back the covers, still amazed at the sight of the animal. His mane was almost unreal. He was more like a mythical beast than any monster I’ve ever met. Maybe I’ll ask Aeson or Uncle about him.
I wonder why he was here. The images of him near the tree line and thoughts of him prowling the forest leaves me with a contented feeling. Something about knowing he might be around makes me feel happy. Maybe it’s just the thought of knowing who and what he is, possibly having a new friend. That thought spurs me into thinking about another friend.
The memory of Radmon flickering out of existence in the kitchen fills my mind. I’m going to miss her, even if she’s only gone for a short time, but I have a feeling it won’t be. I have a lot I need to talk to Uncle about—like why she had to go, and if he knows when she’ll be back. Getting him to answer me might be an entirely different story, though.
It feels as if I lie in bed for hours trying to sleep when my racing thoughts finally slow enough to allow slumber to take me.
Chapter 5
He’s been here again. I can taste him in the air the moment I step out of the bathroom, and he’s rife with rage. I drag the towel over the ends of my hair and call out, “Hello.”
A robed figure steps into my room as if he’s coming from a portal. I blink at him several times, surprised he’s actually letting me see him. Well, part of him. I can’t really see anything but the long, billowy, black cloak.
Once he’s in the room, all the essence of rage and anger dies as if it were coming from the same place he did.
