Aliss regretted her decision the moment she got home and saw her Dad exhausted from work. "Dad, are you okay?" She ran to the couch. Jim jerked from his nap and gave his daughter a weary smile, "I'm fine. How was school?"
Aliss frowned at his change of topic. She dropped her school bag on the floor and sat beside him. "Did something bad happen at work?" She asked very calmly. "I told you I'm fine", he pecked her forehead and got up, "what would you like for dinner and you haven't answered me about school?"
"School was good. Turns out, I'm not gonna fail art class but Mrs. Rafferty is kinda disappointed that I'm not the Picasso she wished and I made amends with a very important person", Aliss sat on the stool in front of the counter, "there! I said mine...your turn".
Jim sighed heavily, "I know you're not comfortable with my partner choices but I was seeing a coworker of mine", he confessed, "we only went on three dates and I actually thought we were going somewhere". "What are you trying to say Dad?" Aliss was very confused in the moment. "He died in the elevator today".
Aliss was stunned to silence. Jim groaned and ran fingers through his hair. "I shouldn't have said anything. What do you want for dinner and we can talk about this important person that you made amends with". "Stop it Dad!" The shouting shocked Aliss more than her father.
"First of all, I don't care who you go out with. I haven't said this officially but I'm sorry if I made it seem like I was homophobic or I hated you for it", she began, "I want you to be happy and oh my goodness, you're not cooking tonight. I'll order pizza and you can tell me what happened".
Jim was not comfortable with the switched roles but his heart was too heavy for him to argue. Aliss made a call to the pizza hut a few blocks away. "It'll be here in ten to fifteen minutes", she held her father's hands and took him back to the couch, "now tell me what happened".
"I was in the office trying to collect my things since work was over for the day. Suddenly, I got an emergency call that the elevator was malfunctioning and the other engineers in the hotel were occupied. I was about to step inside when Dave pushed past me". Jim shook his head and took in a deep breath.
"I was very confused. He wasn't even supposed to be at work today. Before I could say anything the elevator doors slammed shut and all the buttons stopped working. We had to call the fire department before they got the door open. Dave had suffocated. It was too late". "Dad". Aliss hugged him lovingly. "I am so sorry for your loss".
Jim cleared his throat, "it was a very peculiar accident", he faced Aliss with a serious look, "the elevator was working perfectly before that moment and those in the control room denied placing a call to my office. Dave wasn't stuck for up to an hour yet there was zero oxygen in room. I'm not one to believe Kimmy's crazy theories but it was almost as if someone was targeting me".
The doorbell saved Aliss from revealing her panic. "It must be the pizza. I'll get it". She quickly went to the door. "Harvey's Pizzas!" The delivery guy said while handing her the boxes. "Thanks", she paid him, "and here's a tip". The guy replied with a nod of his baseball cap. Aliss noticed a paper attached to the top box. "Hey!" She called after the pizza guy but he was long gone. Aliss found it odd that she never heard the engine sound of the delivery bike. Shrugging, she closed the door and locked it.
"Here you go Dad", she placed the boxes on the center table, "should I get plates?" "No, I'm good kiddo", Jim smiled, "nothing beats nature's given spoons". He wiggled his fingers making the girl laugh. Jim felt lighter after sharing his burden and it brought them closer.
The two chatted and laughed while enjoying tasty pizzas. Aliss heard her phone ring. "That's Kimmy. She probably wants to say goodnight". Aliss easily lied. "Say Goodnight for me", Jim stood up, "I am beat. Thank you so much honey". "It's the least I could do for the best Dad in the world". "You really think so?" "I know so and who knows? Maybe this happened because your true soulmate is waiting to be with you". "Whatever you say honey. Goodnight".
Aliss gathered the boxes to the kitchen. She put the leftovers in the fridge. She was about to throw the empty box but the message attached to it troubled her. Aliss grabbed the note and read, "you cannot shake the Nether World and expect to be safe. Luckily for you, I wish to protect your life. While you explore, I will be watching your back and your father's. Think of me as your guardian angel. Best wishes, Alissandra Patterson".
What?! Aliss was nauseous. What does 'shake the Nether World' mean? And how did they know where I lived? Who could this guardian angel be? Aliss was left with more questions then she could tackle at the moment. She succeeded in taking her father's mind of the possibility of his assassination but this note was a confirmation that it was indeed a trap for him not the poor man who died.
Her phone rang again, distracting her. She went to her bag and whipped it out. "Finally!" Kimmy said as soon as she received the call, "I was starting to think you got attacked again". "Not yet", Aliss sighed, "Dad had a bad day at work and I think it's my fault. I'll explain later. You ready to leave?" "I got my Mom to make turkey and gravy. I am more than ready". "Good. I also ordered the thanksgiving special for my Dad. He would be out like a light". "I'll meet you at the pitch". "Sure thing".
Aliss hung up and went to change for their nightly escapade. She was worried about leaving her Dad alone but she also wanted to test this guardian angel's abilities. She swiped the garage door key from her Dad's bedstand. The bicycle her father gifted her on her fifteenth birthday laid there untouched. A few images of her on the bicycle hung on the wall of the garage so she had faith that riding would be natural for her.
Riding the bicycle was a second nature for her. The moment her feet touched the paddles, it began to ride and she felt weightless on the vehicle. She had told Kimmy about the birds fleeing the woods beside the pitch during the game so they agreed to begin their search from there.
"Did you stop to smell the roses?! What took you so long?" Kimmy crossed her arm and scolded her like a strict mother. "Sorry Mom but I had to make sure I didn't look suspicious", Aliss rolled her eyes, "unlike you, people know my face. No one would see the girl who was in a coma at night and not call the cops". "Good point".
The best friends shared a look before turning on their cellphone flashlights. The walked in silence into the dark woods.
Pine Ridge earned its name from having a large number of pine trees. The town was the main source of pine trees for the other parts of the state especially during the holidays. Squirrels and chipmunks climbing through the trees, owls hooting and crickets chirping filled Aliss's ears. She doubted that she spent time in the woods growing up but the sights and sounds were nostalgic.
"What do you plan to say to them if we do find them?" Kimmy broke the silence. "I'm going to ask about the marks on my arm and about the man who tried to kill me?" Aliss replied. Kimmy snapped her fingers to express her recalling of information, "I did some more research on what animal you saw", she said, "are you sure it was a tiger?"
Aliss stopped at walking, "I'm not sure", she shrugged, "it had many long spots on its body, its ears were filled with fur, its tail was not all that long and it didn't have hair at the tip. I know lions have nothing on their body so I assumed it was a tiger". "Tigers have strips, Aliss not spots that look like strips", Kimmy used her 'duh' tone, "I had a feeling you got the animal wrong. The only records I could find was a creature called Lynx but it said they were extinct". "Trust me, it was alive that evening".
A strong wind suddenly blew, knocking their phones out of their hands. Kimmy tried to remove her hair from her face while Aliss bent down to pick their phones. Her fingers barely grazed the back of her phone when she heard a growl. Slowly, Aliss raised her head.
Large blue shiny eyes stared at her intensely from the shadows. She saw more eyes as she turned a full 360 degrees. "Aliss? You okay?" Kimmy asked, moving closer. "They're here", Aliss whispered, "we're surrounded".
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Don't have anything to say but I just wanted y'all to know that the author read this. Make sure to points out errors so that I can edit it better. Love you💜
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YOU ARE READING
The Last Witch
Fantasy"What am I?" Echoes of loud screeches pierced her ears. Aliss screamed in anguish, dropping to her knees. "You are a vessel of pure magic; a wedge between good and evil", the voices increased the tempo, "you are a warden of the Nether World; a Watc...
