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Images were pulled to the surface of my mind, memories of my childhood, my mother, my meeting with Jordan. I tried to struggle when more recent imagery was weaved from my subconscious, memories of Jordan and the things that happened in her bed. Those memories were quickly rifled through and cast aside and I felt the bite of shame in my chest.
The image of Jordan hunched over me came next, her face contorting into a grotesque mask as she shifted into a sinewy, bat-like creature. Her screaming wail as she attacked the shifter. Her pale, bloodless face as she collapsed in my arms.
I was powerless to stop the dark force that plunged through my mind. It enshrouded me, a sinister static in my head.
“I see.” Sigrid’s tone changed, a touch of acquiescence in her words. “So that’s how it is.”
“Mom!?” Jordan’s shrill cry caught us both by surprise. “Get out of her head!”
Sigrid released me, the dark presence leaving my body like a receding thundercloud and I collapsed to the floor in a heap.
“What the hell did you do to her?” Jordan’s arms curled around me and she hauled me onto her knees, examining my lolling head. “You had no right to pry into her mind!”
I had never heard her so furious, not even when her favorite coffee shop had closed early without warning.
“She’ll be fine,” Sigrid said plainly, striding away from us down the hall. “I had to make sure she won’t put us in danger. Humans are such fickle creatures.”
Jordan looked like she wanted to follow her mother but paused when I tugged at her shirt sleeve. “Will you help me up?”
She turned her angry eyes on me, but her fierce expression wavered when she saw my face. “I’m so sorry. Sigrid is a paranoid old hag at the best of times. I should never have left you alone with her.”
Jordan helped me to my feet and I leaned heavily on her while my body remembered itself.
“What are you talking about?” I spoke through gritted teeth, unable to slacken my taunt jaw. “She seems lovely.”
Jordan ignored my sarcasm, still bristling at the situation. “Come on, I’ll show you to your room.” She slung my arm over her shoulders and walked me towards another long hallway. “I have unfinished business with my mother to attend to.”
“My room?” I croaked as she dragged me along, mildly hurt at the idea of her wanting separate bedrooms. “Where are you going to sleep?”
“I thought you might want some space after everything that happened at the party.” Jordan’s words were barely audible and she refused to meet my eyes. “I mean I understand, you know. If you want some space.”
“But what about keeping up appearances? We’re supposed to be ‘dating’ right? I’ve gotten quite comfortable sharing a bed with you.” I struggled to get my feet to follow my bidding, staggering alongside her. “Contrary to what you may think, Iwantto be close to you.”
A tentative smile played on her lips. “Even after what just happened?”
“I want to be aroundyou, not Sigrid. No offense, but your mother’s a bit of a bitch.”
After Jordan left me to recover in her bed, I could hear her raised voice echoing across the estate as she chewed her mother’s ear off. By the time the sun began to set, the headache in my temple was subsiding and Jordan had returned, red-faced and breathless but ultimately victorious after the argument.
She showed me around the rest of the estate, including the overgrown greenhouse out back. Jordan was particularly impressed that I managed to name nearly every plant in the vicinity, thanks to my brief stint as a gardener back in the day.
By the time we got back inside, the first few stars had blinked alight and a chilling night breeze blew through the windows. Jordan had one last thing to show me, something she seemed incredibly skittish about.
I followed behind her down the winding hallway, checking over my shoulder in case Sigrid was around to pick my brain again.
Finally, Jordan paused at a new door and gripped the handle. “Okay, so there’s one thing about me that I haven’t mentioned yet.”
I cocked my head to the side, curious at her obvious unease. “You have a secret crippling addition to My Little Pony merchandise?”
“If I did could you still stand to be around me?”
I shrugged. “I could get used to it.”
“Well it’s not that.” Jordan tried to smile. “Just, see for yourself.”
She opened the door gently and I followed her into the room. Inside, illuminated by a glowing pink night light were two cribs. Cautiously, I peeked into the closest one, and found a curly-haired sleeping child wrapped up in a baby blanket.
“Kids?” I whispered to Jordan, baffled at the revelation. “Two of them? When did you–”
