A Beast with a Smile {Book 1}

Chapter 22 (Scarlett): Ghosts of a Shadow

Hanzo's barn was filled to brink with animals that weren't supposed to be caged. Elephants the size of tennis balls stomped around an oasis that was within a cage fit for a class pet. Giraffes, lions, tigers, and bears of all types were also there. All of these massive creatures locked away in cages meant for their prey.

"How are they real?" I managed to choke out.

Hanzo stood in the corner holding the wolf pup like a handbag in his arms. He pet her ears, then held his hand on top on the pup's head. The pup began to gain a visible aura around her whole body.

It started at her head and worked it's way down, shrinking every part of her one size smaller, as if she shrunk in the wash. The pup shrunk to the size of a mouse and yapped in a newly high pitched howl.

Hanzo placed her in a frozen cage with ice and snow covering the landscape. The second jumped in excitement as it's head made contact with the miniature snow drifts. She jumped into a large pile of snow and rolled in it, making a wolf angel. More howls from the opposite end of the cage excited her back to her feet. She ran off towards the new noise.

I swear when I looked at Hanzo he had the beginning of a smile on his face. The man was around my age: he wore his black hair in a bun tightened to the back of his head. He wore a tight black robe, not the same kind that a dad would wear on a sunday morning, but a robe of honor and class.

"It's a kimono," he said, noticing my stare.

I quickly turned away and tried to look at something invisible within the room. Elly was fixated on a cage in the corner of the room. Her squeals of joy could have been heard from Jupiter as she danced like a wild monkey in front of the cage.

Hanzo walked into view and placed his hand on her shoulder, "You have to be more careful with him next time. He's not a pet, he's a weapon."

Elly opened the cage and snatched the little fur ball from his straw haven. She pressed her nose against his and gave him a kiss on the forehead. I'd never seen a bunny so happy to be held, but to be fair, I'd never seen a gigantic bunny until the other night.

I shouldn't be surprised at anything anymore.

"I'll never leave him again. I promise Hanzo. If I wasn't dead I would've rode him off into the sunset like always."

Hanzo glared at Elly with distrustful and irritable eyes. The bunny, on the other hand, attempted to jump with joy, leaping out of Elly's hand's, bouncing around her with his golden collar jingling with every bounce. I barely recognized Tiny in his miniature form; the last time we met he was big enough to tear down half of the city square with just his leaps.

"I'm sorry we left him behind. I didn't think he would've fit in the minivan," I admitted.

Elly spun around grinning and met my eyes.

"You brought me back from the dead. I owe you an apology for dying, but you seemed to handle yourself better than I ever could've imagined."

I smiled back and she attempted to catch her bugs bunny who was still prancing around her feet in excitement. She snapped to attention like a ghost had just smacked her back. I began to walk towards her when I saw Archy, who was still standing in the doorway do the same thing.

"What's going..."

"Hello, Scarlett," a sweet, loving voice of a child answered.

The voice came from no one in the room, but from my thoughts themselves.

"Who are you?" I demanded outloud.

"My name is OBSVR, but you can call me Observer. I'm this station's artificial intelligence."