“That’s when I’ll stop.”
“How sweet of you!” She forces out a laugh; it’s dry, bordering on malicious.
“I don’t understand why you’re here, talking to me, if everything I say annoys you,” I note. “You’re not sent by my mother, or at least I don’t think you are.”
“I am not, though if she asked, I might take her up on her offer.”
“Offer?” I frown.
She leans forward toward me. “To kill you.”
I gulp down uncomfortably. She merely laughs at my rigid stance. “But I won’t. For now. I like playing with you, especially as you are right now.Almostpure, but the mold is growing inside of you. I’ll have a bit more fun until the mold needs eradicating.”
“What…” I frown. “You first say you’re my friend, that you’re warning me, now you’re saying that you will eradicate me?”
She shrugs. “Depends on my mood. Good thing you canonlyremember what I want.”
The next time I blink, something’s missing.
“I’m your friend, Nykander, am I not?” The Scarlet Lady asks in an overly sweet voice. “I was the only person who visited you on your birthday, was I not?”
My brows furrow. Bits of forgotten memory flash in my mind.
Her, outside my door right before my three thousandth birthday. Her asking to come inside. Her… There’s something more, no? Something I’m forgetting.
“See, I’m always there for you.”
“But you still haven’t told me who you are or your purpose...”
“To watch and…”
Suddenly, she’s in front of me, her face inches away from mine though I can only see the opaque redness of her veil.
“Teach you. I’m here to give you a lesson,” she says in a slow, sensuous voice. Her hand comes to rest against my cheek, her thumb moving over my lips. “Manylessons.”
“What—” My body freezes. Her touch burns. Though there’s a material barrier between her gloved hand and my skin, there’s a searing pain everywhere she touches. I’m not sure if this is all in my mind or if it’s her intention to hurt me. Adrenaline rushes through me as a feeling of imminent danger fills me.
All throughout our interaction, there’s been a strange dichotomy: comfort underlying a sense of danger. At times theformer is all I can see, but in a split of a second it’s like I wake up and all I can feel is the latter.
I need to get out of here.
“I will help you. There’s so much you need to learn. Starting with this…” She moves closer; so close I can feel her breath on my lips even through her veil.
Before I can reply or push her off me, my arms are immobilized. Vines intertwine around my wrists, pulling my arms to the sides, perpendicular to my body.Next my legs, both tied tightly around the ankles. Levitating over the ground, I’m held captive by a mix of vines and branches.
“What the hell!” I call out.
The Scarlet Lady’s appearance has changed. Her veil is gone, replaced with a mask that obscures her eyes and nose but reveals her mouth and the twisted smile that pulls at her lips.
“I will help you,Nyk,” she repeats, this time using the nickname only Moe is allowed to.
“Stop this! What are you doing?”
She floats up to my level, sporting a smirk.
“Let’s see. What were you thinking when you were in that pool with Moe? You were afraid you were going to be an inadequate lover to her, weren’t you? That you wouldn’t even know how to kiss her.”
“W-what? How did you know that?” I ask, my eyes wide with shock.
