I felt myself being lifted up and carried. After quite some minutes, I was set down and I could hear a soft murmur in my ear. I couldn't make out anything they were saying and it was all just a haze to me. My head throbbed and I let out an unruly groan. My eyes fluttered open and yet another groan escaped my lips. I was in some kind of room which I didn't recognize. I pushed myself up into a sitting position and looked around. The room was dim, with only a few lights to brighten the room. I looked down at myself to see I was still dressed in my dress.
"You've only been out for about fifteen minutes since I found you," a familiar voice told me. I turned to see Myron leaning against a dressing table with a glass clutched in his hands. He pushed himself off and walked over to me.
"You found me?" I asked.
"We'll talk later, when we get home," he said, the word slipping out his mouth so naturally. "I told everyone you passed out form the heat. They were worried about you and said we could slip in later so if we hurry we can make it just in time for the show to start."
"You waited with me?" I asked.
Myron nodded, "I couldn't just leave you unconscious by yourself, could I? What sort of gentleman would I be?"
I laughed, "Yeah, like you're such a gentleman anyway."
"Of course I am," he chuckled. "Now c'mon. Don't want to miss this special production, do we?"
"Wouldn't imagine so," I swung my legs over the edge of the little bed-like thing I had been lying on in one of the dressing rooms and pushed myself up onto my feet which were now bare. I spotted my heels to the side of the room and started making my way over to them. Myron was instantly by my side when I began to sway on my feet and stumble side to side.
"Just leave the heels for now," Myron muttered.
"And walk around barefoot?" I scoffed rhetorically.
"You can barely walk in heels as it is, let alone when you've just woken up after all that," Myron pointed out.
"I'll be fine," I said.
"If you say so," Myron gave in. He helped me across to my heels and I slipped them onto my feet. We left the room and walked down the hallway. As we did, I kept stumbling in my heels as my legs were weak and felt like jelly underneath me.
"Stupid heels," I muttered under my breath.
"I told you not to wear them," Myron smirked.
"Whatever," I said. "My mom always told me that you pay a price for beauty."
Myron chuckled, "and you're willing to pay this price?"
"Yes because others aren't and my mom also told me to be different from others," I said.
"Sounds like you look up to your mom a lot," Myron commented and I had to stop myself from laughing out loud.
"Look up to my mom?" I scoffed at the pathetic comment. "Not even close. My mom hates me."
"I'm sure she doesn't," Myron said.
"I'm sure she does," I said. "As do the rest of my family."
"I'm sure they don't," Myron repeats as if to by sympathetic.
"Please," I scoffed, stopping in my tracks and placing a hand on my hip, "the day my family tells me they love me will be the day when we see cats fly."
I expected Myron to pry into what I was saying but the next thing he said was completely unexpected, "I'm sure the expression isn't with cats, Avery."
A grin broke out on my face and I looked into his green eyes. I could read from them that he understood. He understood I didn't want to talk about it, to talk about my so called family.
"Shut up brochacho," I said, beginning to walk again.
"Did you just call me brochacho?" Myron laughed, walking beside me as I clutched onto his arm.
"So what if I did?" I replied back.
"Nothing," he shook his head. "Nothing."
I laughed, shaking my head at him and we continued to walk. We soon arrived at the main hall where the production was and the lights were just beginning to dim, telling us that it was just about to start. We rushed in and quickly made our way to our reserved seats on the front row. We sat down and a figure walked onto the stage, ready to open the show. It was Joe.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen," he began with the cliché begin, "to this wonderful night. So much time and effort has been put towards this night and we hope that it will be worth it and you enjoy the night. But before I let the show begin, I would like to call upon the stage the person who has helped so much in putting together this production."
Joe paused, his eyes scanning across the room until they landed on Myron and I.
I gulped.
"Macy Willows!" he called into the microphone. A woman walked onto the stage, a slight smile on her face. I recognized her immediately.
It was the lady from the coffee shop.
My head shot in Myron's direction and his expression mirrored mine. Shock plastered on his face, jaw wide opens and eyes wide. I knew what he was thinking. I knew he was too connecting up the dots, just as I was. This was the lady from the coffee shop and the lady Myron and I were both meant to stay with but we hadn't seen her at all – well, until the coffee shop. She gave us that note from the creature which meant she was connected with him and the monsters so —
A hand gripped my arm, tearing me away from my thoughts. I turned to see Myron gazing at me with his piercing green gems.
"Hey," he said, "we'll talk about this all when we get home, okay? Just forget it all for now and enjoy the night."
I nodded and turned back to face the stage where the production was beginning. The dancers appeared on the stage and began their performance.
My throat grew dry.
They were re-enacting it. They were re-enacting everything that the creature had shown me. Every last bit of it, and more.
I watched as the familiar story of the man walking through the fields and to the monsters. The kids danced around on the stage, dressed in their cute monster costumes, nothing like the real monsters we had seen. My heart thumped loudly in my chest.
Forget it.
Myron's voice echoed in my mind.
Just forget it all.
For now, anyway
