The Girl in the Woods

Chapter 21

It had to be another dream.

I laid absolutely still, waiting at least five minutes before taking a breath. No blinding sunlight, no dead Apollo. Nothing was happening, so either my nightmare was being extra cruel and waiting for me to relax, or this was real life.

I waited another ten minutes to be sure, though.

My old bedroom was unchanged and perfect, and it looked exactly how it did when I first woke up in the house. All the layered, light greens and mixtures of dark hardwoods was perfect and classy, and dust motes danced in the sunlight pouring in from the large window. Everything was so still and pristine. My bed was as soft as clouds, and the light sheets felt so smooth against my skin. My eyes roamed around carefully before I decided everything was real. My nightmares were never this vivid.

And they never took place in the house, my sanctuary.

After a few happy moments where I just looked around my room, I began to wonder what I was doing here, and where everyone was. Where was Apollo? What had happened at Tsingy de Bemahara? What of King Raea?

At the thought of the glowing and aging king, I sucked in my breath sharply. I fumbled with my twisted sheets and blankets before finding  my oversized tee shirt. Someone - probably Apollo - had changed me into it, knowing it was what I preferred to sleep in. This tee shirt was a graphic one I'd found in a trip to town a few months ago, and the picture depicted a zombie Hello Kitty. I was a geek at heart. When I'd first found it, I'd been so excited. Jannosh had accompanied me to the mall, and his light eyebrows were bunched into a frown; he didn't understand the irony of it.

Shaking away the unexpected memory, I roughly pulled the hem of my shirt up. I stared for a good few moments. The skin of my belly was smooth and pale and white, and there wasn't even a blemish let alone an ugly wound. My fingers trembled as they smoothed over the skin there. I wasn't imagining it. It was like I'd imagined that sword in my abdomen.

I flung myself awkwardly out of the bed, landing in a puddle on the warm hardwood. Hardly caring that my legs were bare - my shirt was long enough anyway - I ran out into the hall and looked down it. No one was there, and the house was as silent as usual. My bare feet didn't make any sound as I padded quickly down the long hallway. Where was everyone?

"Apollo?" I banged open the door of his bedroom, the room we usually shared. It was dark as usual, but empty. As  my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I saw that his bed was neatly made and clearly not slept in.

I headed back to the main hallway, somewhat uncertain and uneasy now. Was this a dream? It was starting to feel like one.

"Hello?" I called on the main floor. No answer. No Myrnah in the kitchen, no Jannosh hovering for a treat. Everything was neat and pretty and tidy, but decidedly empty. I turned in a small circle before it occurred to me that Jannosh was almost always outside during the summer. If anyone knew what was going on, it was Jannosh. He was just that dependable.

However, when I ran out into the sun filled and perfect lawn, it  wasn't Jannosh that I found. The same umbrella he'd used to shield me from the sun that first day I'd met everyone had been propped up in the middle of the lawn. In the wide circle of its shade sat Apollo.

He looked back calmly at my noisy entrance. I just stared at him for a bit. He was sitting gracefully, with his legs crossed and his hands back on the ground to support him. He was wearing a thin grey cotton tee shirt and a pair of dark, slouchy sweatpants that he made look outrageously trendy. He had a large glass pitcher of iced tea set up on a blanket in front of him, with two glasses. Some cheese and crackers had been set up as well.

"Who are you expecting?" Was the question that came out of my mouth. I started in surprise at the sound of my voice. It was usually raspy when I woke up, but my voice sounded strangely melodious.