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Darian holds the door to the SUV open for me, yet another small gesture that fills me with warmth and makes my chest swell. The peaceful two-hour drive back to the apartment takes us through winding roads, and the fading daylight casts a serene glow upon the world.
Lost in the exhaustion of the recent events, I must have dozed off at some point, only to be gently awakened as we arrive in the dimly lit parking garage.
Stepping into the familiarity of the area, a deep sigh escapes my lips.
“I can’t wait to shower.” Val’s ears perk forward, and he huffs as his playful gaze fixates on me.
My eyes narrow at him.
“Are you saying that you also cannot wait for me to shower?”
His canine eyes glimmer with amusement, and his ears remain perked forward.
I toss my bottle of water at him, and with a quick dodge, he skillfully evades it as it clatters to the ground.
“I do not stink! Not all of us have canine noses. Besides, at least I don’t smell like a wet dog.”
Darian’s laughter echoes from behind me as we near the apartment door, and Val bristles with a canine shake before moving toward me, rubbing his fur on my legs.
Holding the door open, Darian shifts to let us inside.
“Oh, no. You did not just rub your dog smell all over me!” I feign exasperation and Val darts away, his nails clacking against the floor.
I haul my duffel bag to the master bedroom and plop it down next to the door, taking my phone out and turning it on.
Claire:Hi Lara. Just checking in, it’s been a couple of weeks and Candace says you’re still on vacation. How’s it going?
Lara:Hello Claire, thanks for asking. I’ll be on vacation for a while longer. Went to the west coast, and won’t be back for a bit. It’s going well, nightmares have subsided for now. I’ll let you know if that changes.
I flick over to the group chat with Candace and Henry.
Candace:Hey Lara. Wanted to let you know Claire’s gotten antsy about the radio silence from you and nothing I say is easing her mind. You’ll likely hear from her soon if you haven’t already.
That explains it.
With a soft chuckle, I continue to scroll through the missed messages.
Henry:There was a group of guys that were hanging around the parking lot, they seemed to be focused on your reserved spot. There were five of them with motorcycles. When Candace and I went out there to confront them for snooping around, they took off. Not sure what they wanted, but they didn’t seem like good news.
A shiver runs down my spine as I recall the people they were referring to. Thankfully, they are no longer a concern for us.
Candace:None of the samples are displaying meaningful results, and we’ve started seeing the flora from the lake wilting now that they’re removed. The samples transplanted to the lake are showing major positive impacts. We’re back to square one.
Henry:Sorry Lara, we will keep testing, but there’s nothing big to report yet.
I exhale deeply, knowing that the explanation I have to offer may not be easily accepted by those who rely solely on scientific evidence and I struggle to put my thoughts into words, typing and erasing my response multiple times.
Just send it Lara. Henry believes in Big Foot for goodness’ sake.
Lara:The tests are going to be inconclusive because it’s remnants of magic causing the anomalies. It is nothing we can test or recreate on our own.
I stare at the message for a brief moment, feeling my heart pounding in my throat.
They deserve to know.
My finger hits the send button and I watch the message bubble pop up and show delivered.
Candace types a response instantly.
