Page 19 of Venomous as a Snake

“I’m taking my life back,” I tell myself.

It’s a true statement, though it started as an affirmation a little over a year ago. There are only a few major steps left to complete before I’m free and can confidently say my life is mine.

Today, I opt to take a small step, something just for me, because I can.

I open the back door, moving to the left as Hooker races past me. He loves the enclosed yard… And I love the pool. The privacy fence is exactly what we needed in our lives, but we didn’t know it.

Now, it serves its function as I strip down to my birthday suit and launch myself into the deep end of the glistening water. Most of the neighbors can’t see me, but I do peek at the house behind me. I spy no one in the upstairs windows, so it’s safe to assume they’re busy or gone… or don’t care.

I don’t care.

And that is a freeing thought.

Somehow, being free causes me to circle around to Walker.

I can’t get the image of the man from yesterday out of my mind. The longer I think about him, the more his face becomes Walker’s. The more piercing those eerie amber eyes become, and the stronger his jawline is… I even dreamed about him.

Which him? I couldn’t tell you. But he was there, and he looked happier to see me than the real person in the window yesterday.

Ali’s words come to mind too. His voice was definite, leaving no wiggle room for doubt when he asked me if I’d found Walker. It’s suspicious, to say the least.

The most?

It makes me wonder what Drew and Ali aren’t telling me.

Because I already know Drew is hiding something. Surprises? He doesn’t do those. He gets way too excited when he buys anything for anyone and spoils it as soon as he’s out of the store.

Their secrets don’t change my goals, though.

They’ve been the same for the last year.

Get away from Clay.

Find Walker.

And Drew has been with me every step of the way. But now it almost feels like he’s standing in my way, and he’s dragging Ali with him.

Hooker barks at the door, wanting inside and away from the summer heat. I’m thankful for the mental distraction, even if it only lasts for a moment.

I tug on my t-shirt and let him in, but I’m not ready to follow. The beige, woven lounge chairs call my name, beckoning me to bask in the sun. My cobra sighs as we soak in the warmth, and I let my eyes fall shut.

Conversation from the other side of the fence piques my interest. That voice is unmistakable, though I can’t quite hear the actual words he speaks.

I tiptoe toward the fence, but the gaps between the planks aren’t enough for me to get a good look at who lives behind me.

Without thinking, I shift.

I can see better as my cobra than I can as a human. I’ll be less conspicuous this way, too.

The grass heats the scales of my belly, and the tips of the blades tickle along my sides as I glide near the edge of the fence. I peek through the gaps until I find a hole. The bottom corner of this plank is broken. The chip missing is big enough for me to slide through without the wood touching me.

I poke my head through, making sure the grass keeps me concealed. If they were looking for me, I wouldn’t be hard to spot.

There’s no camouflage to my pattern. I’m a solid white king cobra with the Leucistic trait, meaning I lack all pigment. My eyes are blue, and my colorless scales have a pink undertone in the right light.

When they don’t notice me, I move farther into their yard, seeking that unmistakable voice. But they grow quiet.

Then a mind-shattering shriek carries across the wind.