Exquisite Poison (Original Draft)

Chapter 65 - Did You Forget About Me?

Netta stared at the door as though it might implode at any moment. She was not alone, however, as Erwinnia that sidled up to her and whispered in her ear.

"Were you followed?" Even in a whisper, Erwinnia's voice sounded terrified.

Netta closed her eyes and could feel Ash burning in her, ready. If she were to take a final stand, then it may as well be now.

She would die before she let them kill these two survivors.

She walked up to the door and drew it opened, again certain that she was ready for everything that could possibly be on the stoop.

When she saw the face of the human man that she had been certain that she had chased off, Netta thought that she was imagining it. Or she was going to be ill.

Wallace was wearing those very chic, nostalgic horned rimmed framed glasses of his and that brown, thick sweater that made him look like an exceptionally plush - and handsome - nerd.

"I finally found you." Those eyes of his found her, stayed on her face.

Netta found it impossible to swallow a thick lump that had appeared in her throat. She blinked rapidly, finding it hard to find anything to say.

Seeing him in the flesh was an odd experience. To her, he had almost become a rapidly fading voice, trapped in the speaker of her phone.

"H-hi."

Wallace's eyes were awake, soft brown things that dove and scurried around as they tried to connect dots that Netta was not stringing together for him.

He threw his hands out, then said, "Netta, what gives?"

Netta opened her mouth and felt her mouth hang open as she tried to discover what she should say to him.

Wallace sighed, shutting his eyes before opening them up to reveal those warm, almost honey-colored irises.

"It doesn't matter now. I've been worried sick about you - that message you left me? It scared me. You sounded disturbed. Can I come inside, please?"

Before Netta could say yes or no, he gently pushed past her and entered the house.

Wallace looked around the house before he turned his gaze immediatally on Netta. "What is this? Why did you leave the city?"

"Wallace -"

"Look, nevermind, doesn't matter. I came all this way because - because I need to tell you that I lo-"

"I'm married now."

Wallace looked at her as though she had split in two. "Care to run that by that me again?"

"I'm married now." Netta found that she could not longer continue to make eye contact with him. Rather, all that she could manage to do was to look at the wall behind Wallace.

As she did, she saw movement out of her eyes and knew, unerringly, that it was Ash.

Wallace sighed deeply shoving a hand through his hair. Gathering himself, he said, "Look, I know you think you've got a handle on whatever's going on, but I have a few things to tell you - things that'll change your perspective -"

When Ash walked into the room, Netta almost wanted to give a sigh of relief. He walked up and placed an arm around her shoulders, a smile that only looked pleasant at first on his lips.

"Care to introduce me to your friend here?"

Wallace paled, then looked rapidly from Netta to Ash and then back again. On his face was written the thing that Netta had long grown tired of.