Her body reacted first, leaning away. “Kane, can we just watch the movie, please?” Her voice was smooth and clipped, coming off cold.
In the semi-darkness, she saw his brows furrow, but his voice was gentle. “Yeah, absolutely.” He settled back into his seat, and the tension in her chest uncoiled as she took in a shaky breath. Not a lot made her nervous or set her on edge. Yet, when it came to dating, it completely unraveled her. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested or that she didn’t want a companion. Her eyes flicked briefly over to Kane, who was immersed in the movie as the music climbed, building the perfect tension just before the chaos. She chewed her lower lip as she brought her attention back, her heart pounding against her chest. She just hadn’t found the person that she thought would be worth taking the chance on. That ignited her to want more.
The movie passed in a blur of blood and dark twists, and when the lights brought the theater back into life, she stretched happily. “Well, that was what I needed in my life.” Kane raised his dark brows in question and got up silently. Her heart sank as she followed, putting on her knee-length jacket, her ebony hair braided back, her leather boots buckled against her jeans. They left the theater and she caught glimpses of herself in the stainless-steel patches against the wall, her golden eyeshadow flaring her emerald green eyes to life, her blood-stained lips flawless against her pale skin. She internally swore at Moore and her makeup skills.
Kane spun around before they exited to the parking lot. “Look, Em.”
He nervously ran his hands through his hair, and she cut in before he could continue. “Thank you for tonight, Kane, really. I will text you later?” Before he could gather his thoughts, she quickly hugged him and then pulling away, started to walk toward her car. She pushed through the doors, the summer air licking against her face. She nearly always dressed like she lived in a constant state of fall even though during the day. Humidity clung heavy in the air, slicking everything with condensation. She sifted through her shoulder bag, found her jingling keys, and followed the light beep of her car sounding off to her left. Her mind was on auto pilot as she looked up to the clear night sky, searching for her answers. Any answers. As usual, the winking shimmering stars blinked down at her a million miles away, taunting her.
Hissing through her teeth, she opened the door and got comfortable. Throwing her bag onto the passenger seat, she had the inclination to pound her forehead against the steering wheel. She decided to start the car and make her way home, her mind throbbing painfully, knowing exactly what Moore would say. Her body went numb as she raced beneath the streetlights in the city that was a cage to her, but like most things in her life, she had grown accustomed to it.
“Oh, come on!” She growled, her keys stubbornly sticking in the lock. She wrenched them to the right, and the door eased underneath her grip and swung open. The low lighting from the lamp left on brightened her apartment with warm glow. She smiled, throwing her coat and bag on the well-loved couch, the grandfather clock ticking soothingly amongst her stuffed bookcases. Her phone buzzed distantly, but ignoring it, she walked down the hallway, kicking off her shoes and letting her hair down in one motion. As the night grew longer, thunder rumbled in the distance, the promise of summer storms lingering in the air.
Her phone buzzed again in the living room, and she knew Moore had been waiting up. Her friend would have to wait until the morning. She flopped on her bed, her blankets molding around her body. Groaning, she soaked it in. Having her freedom for the last three years has been pure bliss. This was all she ever wanted. No more pushing from Lourie, no more families looking to adopt her, no more of anyone shaping her into someone she didn’t want to be. No more disappointment. She had come from somewhere, where people knew her, her past, her family. And until she figured out what had happened, she would dictate her future. It was no one else’s decision. She rose from her bed, shimmied out of her jeans, and put on a worn baggy t-shirt as she flicked the lights off. Outside her window, lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating disjointed shadows and structures before plunging back into darkness. Flinging herself back onto her bed, she buried herself beneath the blankets just as the rain started to fall, lulling her into oblivion.
Like usual, she dreamt of the forest. The lush canopy of leaves, the world around her blooming with life, and of course, the alluring secrets hidden in its heart. Her face broke into a wolfish grin as she whispered into the air. “Are you here?”
The wind tousled her hair, the towering trees filtering a soft light, and she stepped forward, abandoning all rational thoughts, all aspects of reality, waiting to hear his voice. A voice that was the warm brush of calm, of reassurance, of home. At first, as a teenager, she thought of him as her guardian. A spirit amongst the living only meeting in her dreams. Delusion, yet a reality to
