Fang

A Gift and a Curse

Through the fog, Stovall's home slowly began to make shape. Warm, yellow light poured from the windows, illuminating the fog. The last remnants of the rain before still dripped from the slanted roof, getting soaked up by the greedy earth.

I was grateful to finally walk on something more solid; the stepping stones leading right to her door. The cold was beginning to get underneath my skin. The walk from the oracle's den to Stovall's had been slow, and chilly.

Half tempted to walk in without announcing myself, I instead knocked, listening to the echo on the other side of her door. A moment passed without a response. Impatient, I knocked again.

"Connoway I told you to leave me the fuck alone. If you knock one more time I'm bumping it from eighteen to twenty before you're even allowed to see my sister." Stovall's familiar grumpy voice finally responded.

Raising my hand again, I knocked once more. "Get your hormones off of my property!" She shouted, stomping over to the door. She unlocked the door, swinging it open, prepared to give Connoway an earful.

"Oh," her voice fell flat.

"Not Connoway, but even better," I grinned at her. She didn't smile back. "Since when did you lock your door?"

"Gamma Crossfield, I am truly relieved it's only you." Stovall took in a deep breath, blowing it out. "And I started since now I have at least three people constantly lurking at my doorstep. Four, including you."

"Are you going to let me in, or are you too busy sulking?" I raised my brow at her, wondering if she was going to leave me to freeze in the cold. "And I don't lurk at your door."

"True, you simply barge in whenever you feel. Yes, come in." She finally moved to the side, giving me space to enter.

With me inside, she quickly shut the door, sliding the lock back in place. It was still moderately cold in her home, her fireplace unlit. Stovall moved over to the window next to the door, giving a quick look out of it before moving the curtains to cover it.

"Why are you acting so suspicious? You may have people lurking outside your door, but they aren't trying to kill you. Quite the opposite, actually." I fought down the smirk.

"And you don't find that creepy at all, miss spy?" Stovall crossed her arms, still standing by the window.

"Not at all. You practically have three bodyguards." She scowled at me. "It's cold in here. Why don't you have a fire going?"

"Is this what you do to make friends Gamma? Come into their home and judge them?"

"You are already my friend, to be fair. Secondly, I don't have many friends. Short term ones, sure. But those friendships were never true and ended the moment I left their packs. Consider yourself special."

"I feel so special," she muttered and moved towards her kitchen.

"I suppose I'll make the fire myself." Entering her living room, I lowered myself to the floor in front of her fireplace with a wince. With one hand clutching my side I started moving logs into the empty fireplace.

"My goddess, stop it. You're going to rip those stitches open. I'll do it." Stovall rushed over, slapping my hand as it reached for another log. She gently shoved me out of the way, building the fire herself.

Satisfied that I got her to make the fire, I stood back up and appreciated the warmth that came from it. Stovall was scowling at me, but I had won.

"What's the deal with Connoway?" I asked, wanting to fill the silence. The fireplace crackled behind me.