Lonely

Chapter 21, Hanger

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Sadie watched the spider writhing and fuming on its own net. He had never been the smartest. He tried to get me the same way all the time in the castle. Sadie pursed her lips, and I envisioned myself smoothing them out with my own, and then quickly wiped it away. This was getting silly. I tried to convince myself that it wasn’t right, but deep down I knew it was. I liked her, and it was more than just friendship. It could never be, I chided myself. She didn’t like guys like me. Maybe I could give it a go…

Sadie broke into my sinful thoughts with a sigh. “I guess we should keep going. This spider isn’t going to stay there forever.” She said, glancing up at me. I nodded. Rex had run off soon after the spider had showed up, the little devil. We walked around the net, greatly upsetting the spider. I couldn’t help but wonder which one was going to find us next. I realized we hadn’t hit a town in a while, and I let my hearing and sense of smell stretch out. I could usual smell a town from a mile away, and they were fairly noisy. I didn’t hear anything, and I came back to what was right in front of which me,  was Sadie. I changed to what was above me. I realized that the moon had gone away, and was being blocked by very dark clouds, with black ones coming in the distance. I frowned, and Sadie noticed.

“What are you looking at?” she asked. She followed my gaze and scowled. “Great, I love the rain. If I get struck by lightning, I’m gonna be so pissed. Ugh, the rain is gonna make my hair so frizzy.” She stopped talking abruptly and laughed a little. “What?” I asked, wanting to know more about what went on in that head of hers. “I was just thinking, it’s funny that I still worry about my hair and what I look like, when I’ve been away from my cushy home for over a week.” She said, shaking her head and touching her hair self consciously. I doubted a little rain would make it any less beautiful. I felt like slapping myself in the forehead. It was thoughts like that, that would get us both in trouble. It got so dark that I doubted Sadie could see far ahead of herself, now that the moon was gone. She had her hands out next to her, feeling for things. It was pitch black, but still nothing compared to the castle.

Sadie stumbled over a root and swore under her breath. “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” I teased. “Shut up.” She grumbled. “Did I ever tell you that I was terrified of the dark? Still am, really.” She said, sounding a little sheepish. “Good thing you stumbled along my path in the castle.” I said. She smiled a little. “Yes, it was rather lucky.” She said, a hint of something else in her voice. She almost ran into a tree, and I had to bite my lip to keep from chuckling. I reached out and took her hand, just leading her along just like I had done in the castle. She blushed in the dark, and I was glad I could be useful again. There really wasn’t much I could help with in the day time, but I knew how to work in the dark.

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“Did I ever thank you?” Sadie asked me abruptly hours later. I laughed darkly. “For what, getting involved in my horror story of a life?” I asked sarcastically. “No, for helping me. For leading me around and not going all Michael Myers on me. For not leaving me.” She said the last part very quietly. I squeezed her hand.

“No reason to thank me. I should be thanking you. If it weren’t for you, I’d be totally lost with the whole outdoors thing. Besides, how am I ever gonna learn how to flirt if I’m by myself?”I teased her. She giggled. “I guess so.” She said, sighing and falling silent. The dark clouds still hadn’t come to rain on us yet, and I knew it was just a matter of time. The sky had lightened, but dawn was still a couple hours off. Sadie yawned. We hadn’t slept for a long time, and even I was getting tired. I stopped, and Sadie turned to me, a question on her lips.

“I think we’re safe to rest a while.” I said. “Oh, thank god. I was honestly half asleep while we walked. I’m sleeping in a tree.” She said. She grabbed the lowest branch of a nearby tree and swung her feet up, swinging from branch to branch like a monkey. She finally rested herself so she was straddling a branch, her back resting on the trunk of the tree. I followed her lead, and climbed up a different tree. It was somewhat harder for me. I grunted when I finally reached a suitable branch, and I heard Sadie snicker.

“I never took you to be a tree climber.” I said. “I used to climb them all the time when I was little. My dad was a little over bearing. Not even in the good way.” She said. I didn’t answer, and she fell silent. I closed my eyes, and within moments was asleep.

For the first time since I met Sadie, I had a dream that I was back in the castle. I was in the corridor, the one where I first saw Sadie. She was standing right in the middle of the hall way, just close enough that I could see her. I thought she was going to get lost. She wasn’t on the wall, and she wasn’t with me. I stepped forward to go get her, but as I did so, she turned on her heel and raced into the darkness.

“Sadie!” I cried, running after her. I skidded to s top and saw her at the turn of the corridor, standing there and staring right at me. I sighed and went forward again, but she ran off. With a lurching feeling in my stomach, I realized she was heading for the door. I ran after her, terrified. I was going to lose her. I screamed her name again and turned the corner, knowing it would mean my own demise, but maybe I could save Sadie first. Finally, I saw Sadie, but there was someone else, pulling her away, taking her from me. I recognized familiar blonde hair pulling her away. She tugged her into a door and I darted forward, slamming into the door just as it closed Sadie off from me. I pounded on it and screamed her name. Suddenly, I felt hot breath on the back of my neck. I turned around to see large black eyes, glowing green in the dark, with massive, slavering jaws and teeth as big as my finger. It growled and lunged, coming straight for me, again.

“Hanger! Hanger wake up!” I heard Sadie’s voice and thought I was still in the dream. My eyes snapped open to see Sadie’s face right next to my shoulder. She had climbed up the tree. My breathing was coming in quick little gasps as her soft brown eyes probed my face. “It was just a dream. C’mon, let’s get out of the tree before you fall out.” She said. She reached up and touched my face, sending little shivers down my spine, then grabbed my hand and tugged on it for me to follow. I began to relax as I watched her climb down the tree in front of me. She wasn’t gone, or taken away. We landed on the ground at about the same time.

“You were screaming something about the dog and a blonde haired lady with me. I thought something was wrong.” She said, looking up at me, and I knew she wouldn’t leave me. Not voluntarily, at least.