Glamour [Book 1] (Completed)

Chapter 21 | Last Bound

Chapter 21

I couldn't be sure, but in the distance I gazed groggily at an orb. It was small and stood glowing in place: staring at me expectantly. I stared back with my coat billowing around me. In the moment I felt safe, my mind and body were safe, but as I continued to stride down the terrain of forest and trees two orbs suddenly appeared. They stood in place, gazing elegantly toward me. Between the two floating orbs was a long snout and a rough grunt. In return to the noises my stomach growled and my mouth opened to let out a short burp. At least I had thought I was emitting a burp.

The orbs started to flicker, in periods of seven seconds, and slowly drifted forward. The orbs no-longer illuminated the front of a snout, but instead the moon thrust its heavenly glow on a large beast: a wolf, but a wolf with leather skin and large hand-like paws.

He was beautiful.

My mouth smiles at him, and he smiles at me.

I was just as beautiful.

*

My eyes open slowly: cautious. My hands slide upward and my arms pull me from my lying position. My head hurt, more so than it should have but something felt off besides that. I was angry: very angry. "The hell?" My fingers were numb and my wrists ached. "Ow!" I peer down to my body, noting that it looked much more atoned to, but much less healthy. Each of my veins could easily be seen through my sun-kissed complexion. What is going on?

The distant sounds of crunching contort the areal sounds around me. Birds? I open my eyes and peer through the darkness. Large masses of trees surround me, and I have to think to myself: get up. I didn't remember how I got there, but I felt that it was important I left. My feet stammered up, snapping twigs and balancing on uncharted ground. Taking rugged steps forward, any direction I thought would lead into the open world, my fingers lifted into the air. From the tips on my hand it began to illuminate with a soft orange glow.

Trudging my way through the darkness, my arms wrap themselves around my stomach. A hissing sound fights it's way to my ears and I pick up the pace. Soon the sound grows, and my feet fling my body into action. "Erissss...."

"Leave me alone!" I screech, reaching the edge of the forest and bounding out to the barren road. My breath hitched and my eyes waited for headlights to come up from either direction. Nothing was happening.

"Erisss..." It sing-songed, again, and I cringed as far away as I could possibly get inside my own shoes.

"Leave me be!" I shout toward the large trees. After sitting down my eyes began to sob as I watched the double-yellow line blur inside my vision drastically. I rocked myself, crying tears into my jeans and snot onto the back of my wrists.

"Please don't cry." He states, placing a hand on my shoulder. I shrink back, and hide my face.

"Leave. I don't need some Dead King following me around."

"Rey Muerto." He corrects me.

"Whatever." I state back at him.

He brushes my dirty-blonde hair from my face, and wraps two fingers around my neck. He seemed to be checking for a pulse. After the longest ten seconds of my life he pulled his hand away, and huffed. "Do you want me to take you home now?"

I don't answer him, not sure if it was correct to let him take me home. He was evil and...So was I. "Take me home."

Oliver doesn't speak, moving to lift me off my feet. After being swung around and into his arms, like a bride, he squeezes my side. I gasp, quickly squirming away.

"What was that for?!"

I watch as a smile crosses his features. "Just checking to see of you were ticklish." He states, and narrows his eyes at me- playfully. He presses a finger just below my ribs and I squirm again, letting out a long squeal and laugh.

"Sta-st-aha-stop!"

"No!" He grins even wider and starts to play the piano at my side. I could kick and scream all I wanted but it was no use. After the point I couldn't breathe, from my laughter, he sets me down on the ground beside the road. "Maybe- this time around- you are mine." While in a crouching state he brushes a piece of my hair from my face.

"Who knew a Dead King would be into laughter." I scrunch my nose at him. After giving a huff of air, smiling down at me, he shrugs.

"Not everyone is as they seem."

*

After walking through my front door and awkwardly waving goodbye to Oliver, my Noni comes wailing at me from down the hall.

"Eris! Eris! My baby girl! She's home! She's home!" Noni was weeping and as soon as she put her arms around me she wouldn't me go, "I thought my leader was gone for good."

'My leader', huh?

Noni straightens her elbows and her hands around my shoulders, "I need to call your mother and Ezra. They've been out looking for you ever since the incident at school." She rushes to the kitchen, me following behind, and finds our old home-phone (the kind attached to the wall by a long curled wire) and starts dialing in numbers. "I found her, yes...yes... She's fine. Yes. Come home and get Ezra too."

What had happened at school to make my parents worry about me? Now that I think about it... How did I even get into the forest in the first place? Was that the incident Noni was talking about? Did I get kidnapped and dragged into the forest only to be dropped and forgotten about? Highly unlikely. "Noni. What happened while I was at school?"

Noni slams the phone into its slot on the wall, "You don't know the damage you have caused but, don't worry, we won't let this get out into the human world. Or the witch world for that matter. You are a great asset to us." She slaps my butt, "now run along, go upstairs and get changed before you have to change when Loverboy gets home. Unless he's ready seen you naked... Then it's no big deal..?"

My eyes widen, "Grandma!" She laughs, and twirls her finger- disappearing: probably to our guest bedroom. I follow suit and flick my own finger around so I land before my bed. After putting pajamas on and claiming into bed I hear my mother all the way from down stairs whisper, "It's started."

-End of Part 1-