Sincerely, Vintage

Part 18

Gwyn

The night never sat still. It glowed, danced, moved to fill in the empty space left behind by the light. It cloaked everything in mystery and blurred the line between reality and imagination.

That's what I love about it, Gwyn thought. She and the night were similar in that way: you never could be sure about what you were dealing with. She admired her reflection in the dark window, then turned her focus back to her drink. She didn't do this often, but tomorrow was a special occasion, after all.

A movement in the dark glass caught her eye. Without turning around, she watched as Kol walked through the door and took a seat at the bar. She could barely hear his voice from across the room as he ordered, then sat staring down at the counter in front of his crossed arms.

There's my cue.

Gwyn sauntered across the room and slid into the empty seat next to Kol. She had to fight a smile when she saw him jump to attention.

"Oh! Hey Gwyn. Can I get you anything?"

"No," she said lazily, leaning forward and gazing into his eyes, "but I do have a favor to ask."

"Okay?" Kol took a sip of his drink in an attempt to keep his cool. Gwyn saw right through it and decided to reward him with a small smile.

"I have a small...errand to run. Care to join me?"

It was comical watching him trying to keep his emotions under control. She rested her cheek on her hand, waiting for him to assemble the words to respond.

"Yeah, sure." He slid out of his seat and followed her out the door and into the darkness.

Gwyn felt her small smile widen into a grin, her soul reveling in the beauty of tonight. She lived for the neon lights shining on the puddles in the street, the undercurrent of danger almost vibrating in the concrete beneath her boots. Truthfully, she didn't need Kol to come with her; she could take care of herself, but it was fun to watch him get excited. She snuck a glance at him, practically strutting next to her.

Poor thing. He has no idea.

The streets darkened as they left the neon lights behind and moved into the shadowy, less safe areas. Gwyn felt broken glass crunch underneath her boots. Several times, she saw eyes looking at her from empty doorways; if she turned to look back, there would be nothing there, but she couldn't be bothered with the nightmares in these streets. If they knew who she was, they'd realize it was them who should be afraid, not her.

A faint sound drifted through the night air, growing louder until the darkness gave way to the navy blue of the night sky. Gwyn drew in a deep breath and sighed, drinking in the stars glowing above the crashing waves. A breeze lifted her hair from her shoulders and shook her awake.

"C'mon, we're almost there." She turned to the right, following the sidewalk along the water until she reached a plain brick building. The glass in the windows was long gone, and vines had crawled up to swallow the walls. She sat down on the ground a few feet away from the doorway and brusquely patted the ground next to her.

"Sit."

Kol shot her a skeptical look, but did as Gwyn asked. She crossed her legs, then reached into a pocket inside her jacket. The cold silver of the whistle felt good against her fingers. She raised it to her lips and blew, but no sound came out.

Beside her, Kol waited, a small wrinkle marking the middle of his forehead.

"What-"

"Shh."

As she listened, she was rewarded with the sound of approaching footsteps. The shadows in the alleyway alongside the building shifted as something big moved in the darkness. Gwyn couldn't look away. A regal head emerged, then two paws and a hulking torso. 

The beast hardly walked. It flowed, melting seamlessly out of the shadows until it stood before them.

Kol's eyes widened in shock. Gwyn heard him trying to stand and grabbed his arm, holding him down. When she was sure he wouldn't run off, she slowly got to her feet and moved toward the creature, one hand outstretched. It watched her, eyes glowing, but didn't move until she stood before it. In an unmistakably affectionate gesture, it rubbed its gigantic head against her, almost knocking her over. Gwyn ran her fingers through its coat, a fierce smile growing on her face.

She'd come across this one when it was little, hiding in a cardboard box in the dirty corner of an alley. She brought it food and water, and ever so slowly, it learned to trust her. One night, she'd fallen asleep, the tiny monster in her lap, and woke up to a moist breeze puffing the hair away from her face. When she looked up, she stared into the eyes of another monster, only much larger. It stared back at her, weighing her, judging her, then blinked once and curled up against the opposite wall. Gwyn had sat and watched it for a while, wondering. These creatures were more intelligent than they looked.

One by one, her army had grown, and now they were finally ready. She turned around, one hand still resting on the beast's head, and looked down at Kol sitting terrified in the dirt.

"Here's our champion."

[Note: Gwen's song: Looking at Me by Sabrina Carpenter]