The Patron Saint of Monsters

Chapter Four Part Three

Oleander returned to her room just as Rebecca was standing to leave. Rebecca mumbled some phrase of departure and Oleander acknowledged it with a nod of her head, unable to remove her eyes from Trent. Seeing him justified her fears and unvalidated all of her doubts, had she been questioned about him two weeks ago she would have admitted to questioning her sanity and pleaded unreasonable due to hysteria. But now, seeing him as he had been before that fateful night, she couldn’t breath; he stole the breath right from her lungs, his beauty tearing the oxygen from the room. Her memories did not do him justice, how could she have forgotten how lovely his dimples were? How could she not have remembered the drowning bliss she felt when his voice washed over her? She was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of self-annoyance, she should not be mooning over the man/boy/ghost/monster who inadvertently tormented her for nearly thirteen years, she should be getting answers and finding a way to put his spirit to rest or whatever.

She sat down on the floor in front of him, pulling  her knees to her chest feeling awkward, he was the first boy to ever be in her room alone with her and she was slightly ashamed of that. It was very difficult to be friends with a girl who behaved like Rebecca and not be embarrassed to be a virgin. “As long as I lose it before Trina does it doesn't matter.” Oleander thought.  

“I hear you think we’re witches.” Oleander said trying to ignore the tension.

“I don’t.” He replied with a chuckle and a smirk.

“Rebecca said,” She drifted off, looking around her room trying and failing to not wonder what it had looked like when Trent was a live and it’s sole inhabitant, now it was inhabited by her and a restless soul. She bit her cheek to stop the smile that her musing was bringing to her face, her errant thought had made her feel witty.

“From what I’ve seen of Rebecca, I thought it best to just concede and pretend to agree.” He explained.

“Yeah,” She whispered, “Rebecca isn’t a girl to fight with.”

“I figured.” He responded, sighing lightly he was sad and frustrated that things felt so awkward between them even though it did not surprise him.

“Why didn’t you just say you weren’t a monster sooner?” She asked.

“At first I tried to explain but it was just frightening you more. I tried to give you time to calm down but then I thought that maybe you weren’t really hold enough to understand, by the time I thought you were capable of comprehension it had been so long that it just felt too late.”  He answered.

She shrugged her shoulders with a frown,  “Yeah.” was the only thing she could think to say.

“I’m sorry.” He sorry he said in a manner reserved only for men who were begging for their lives. He was begging for forgiveness.

She opened her mouth and began to say “yeah.” once more but she stopped herself, opting for a head nod instead. She was feeling emotionally drained, she had missed Trent he was still the best friend she had ever had, but she also feared him. She had for a long time felt as though she missed who she had believed Trent to be and not who he truly was, but now she was not so sure. She had no idea who Trent really was, she barely understood what he was.  

“I cleaned up Valerie’s puddle.” He mentioned offhandedly.

Oleander snorted, “I can’t believe you made her piss like that.”

“It wasn’t my intention.” He assured her, “I don’t want to frighten you, or anybody.”

“Why are you wearing clothes?” She changed the subject.

“Why are you?” He mischievously shot back.

She blushed and looked away again, Trent was beginning to think that he was quickly growing addicted to way her cheeks flushed; but only when he was the one boiling the blood in her body.

“I meant how.” She clarified sounding meek.

“I can choose the form I project to people.” He explained.

“Why could they see you when my parents couldn’t? Is it one of those things where you have to believe to be able to witness it?” She questioned.

“I’m not God,” he joked, “I can choose who can see me and who can’t.” he answered.

“Why didn’t you reveal yourself to my parents when they thought I was crazy?”

“Do you really think they would have cared to know that some random teenage guy was attending all of their daughter’s tea parties?” He asked with a raised eyebrow, expressing how obvious he thought it was.

“I threw a dope ass tea party back in the day.” She smiled.

“We backed a mean crumpet.” He confirmed.

“Why can you change form and what not?” She asked.

He shrugged “I can do lots of stuff.” and she followed up with another question.

“Why are you so powerful?”

“Because I choose to be. I decided I was powerful and now I am.” He answered darkly, causing a shiver to race down her spine cord.