Dream and Nightmare

Chapter 7 - Flirty Felidy

Laughter wasn't what Anah would've expected to hear when she woke up, but she could clearly hear Jack's genuine chortle muddled by a mischievous cackle. Nervously, she combed her hair with her fingers and wiped the guck from her eyes.  

Remembering the night before was like trying to recall a dream the day after, but normally after a dream, she don't wake up to a figment of her imagination sitting at the table.

Rendel was eating a grilled cheese with gusto; a large glass of milk sat next to him.  

"Good morning," Anah said without enthusiasm, plopping herself down in the chair across from Rendel. 

"Morning!" He said with a mouthful of grilled cheese before taking a swig of milk. 

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked, sliding a plate across the table toward her.  

"Sore." She looked down at the sandwich that was black in the middle. 

"I burned it." Jack passed her a glass of orange juice and got her some more aspirin before she finally worked up the courage to look at him. To her relief, she saw he hadn't changed. He was wearing a creaseless, blue t-shirt paired with his leather jacket, jeans, and now mud covered work boots. His hair was flawlessly styled and his face was the same as ever.  

Anah continued to stare; if he hadn't changed at all, why did she feel different around him? Rendel's voice pushed those thoughts from the front of her mind. "Jack was just telling me how you two met. Why'd you follow him? Ya gotta be a little crazy to follow a stranger into a rock. I'm not saying ya shouldn't have, but no sane person would." 

She looked between the two of them and could've laughed at the juxtaposition. Rendel was about as wild and dirty as Jack was clean and put together. Anah shrugged. "I figured anything that could've led to would be better than being here." 

Rendel leaned dangerously far on the back two legs of his chair, putting his dirty shoes up on the table. Jack frowned at his feet, but opted not to say anything about it. "Mary and Charles are good people," Rendel said. "This behavior isn't their own." 

"They're not good people," Anah argued as her blood rose to her face, spurred by her anger. "They're monsters, and I'm not going back." 

"You're just going to live here?" He gave her a condescending look as if she were just a child throwing a temper tantrum. Had he not seen her face? 

"So what if I do?! Jack doesn't care, do you Jack?" She continued on without waiting for Jack to respond. "And what business is it of yours anyway?!" 

"I'm looking out for you! Anah, your safety is my responsibility, and I know this is hard to believe, but you're safer with them." 

Anah pointed to her face. "Obviously not!" 

"Obviously you are! That dragon would've never gotten that close to you if you were at home! Jack's not a safe person to be around!" 

"Excuse me!" Jack glared at him indignantly. 

Rendel shot a quick scowl at Jack. "You have no idea how many Elvita want you dead. Anah I've been looking after you for years! I'm not about to let you risk your life to fool around with your boyfriend!' 

Her face was burning by that point. "Jack's not my boyfriend; quit saying that! And I'm not here because of Jack, I'm here because that woman's a lunatic! I never asked you to look after me-!" 

"No, but Charles did, and I'm not about to disobey him!" 

"He doesn't even know who the hell I am!" Anah had never considered herself a short tempered person, but Rendel could get under her skin like no other.