The Dead And The Risen

Chapter Thirteen: Rush Hour

I woke to the sound of grumbling and shuffled footsteps almost am hour after I went to sleep.
No lights were on and the sun wasn't even near coming up...Robert wasn't lying next to me anymore, which made me panic, but only momentarily.
I sat up in bed and noisily rustled the covers.
"Good morning babe, you sleep ok?" He whispered to me from the left side of the room, and as my eyes adjusted, I could see that he was packing clothes into a suitcase. He moved with a quick manner, considering it was so early and I doubted that he had had any coffee yet.
"Yeah...i slept fine but...whats going on?"
I rubbed my eyes and grabbed my glasses from the bedside table to see clearer.
"Well....i hate to break this news to you, but we have to leave the city...I realized that the harpie who turned you is most likely going to come after you to try and recruit you..."
"Recruit me?"
"Yes, the one who hunted me down when I was young wanted me to join him and the rest of the harpies, but I was terrified and ran off"
"Well then..."
"Yeah..."
"If we're leaving then did you at least pack my stuff, since you're already halfway done?"
I glared at his nearly-packed suitcase and started to doubt him.
"Of course I did babe. how could I forget?"
He walked over to his suitcase
"I packed your stuff earlier, don't worry about it"
"Okay...well I worry...I mean I only just met you the other day"
"Well who knows you could have known me your whole life"
"What?"
I sat up on the bed and massaged my wings as I tried to comprehend what he was saying.
"It was a joke babe... I guess it's a little to early for that though..."
"Yeah...so, where are we going anyways? And do you have some clothes for me? Since you already packed the other stuff and made plans in your sleep..."
"Well... I was planning for us to go to this big cabin I own in Colorado...it should take us about two days to get to... Oh, and I have one of my flannels, a pair of jeans from D&D and some lingerie for you to wear since I packed all your other stuff already"
"Okay yeah... I'll go get dressed"
I picked up the clothes and headed toward his bathroom which connects to his bedroom. I stop at the door before realizing his response to our destination.
"Wait a second...why Colorado? This is New York but...why so far?"
Robert turns to look at me
"Well... It's the only place where I own property, and don't worry the cabin is very large, and also very secluded, which will help since we are trying to get away from your creator."
"Well... I guess you have a point there...I'm gonna go shower and get dressed..."
"Okay, try not to take too long... I want to leave before dawn"
"Okay..." I responded softly.
I headed into the bathroom and set the clothes on the vanity countertop. I didn't wanna be too loud, so I turned on the water at a low pressure, and then step inside. The water is cold at first, but eventually warms up. It feels good to be able to wash my hair, which is apparently even longer than I had assumed, but obviously short. Now as I wash it, the longest layer touches my shoulders. I finish up my shower, knowing that Robert wants me to be quick. The flannel of his that he has given me is comfy, and the jeans are grey, complementing the red and black shirt. After getting dressed, I begin to search the cabinets under the vanity for a hairdryer. As soon as I open up the first set of cabinet doors, I see something strange. It's a tall black top hat. I pull it out from cabinet and examine it. It has a red ribbon around the middle with a purple feather as an accessory. Inside the hat are three photographs, all relatively the same shot, but each one was slightly different. The pictures were more intriguing than the hat, but the hat looked strangely familiar, which frustrated and worried me- considering that I hardly had any memories. I take out the pictures and examine them as well. Three sets of the same people are in each picture. A tall, pale man wearing the top hat, and a black suit that seemed to go with it. Another startling detail is that he has wings spread out behind him...and they look startlingly like Robert's. On either side of the man, there are two, almost identical looking girls, one is blonde, one is a redhead. They each wear small, glittery outfits barely covering anything. They too have large, dark colored wings spread out behind them. Confused by the similarities to Robert, I put down the pictures and look at the hat again, trying to "remember" why it looks so familiar. After about five minutes however, nothing comes to me. I don't want to keep Robert waiting, so I find the hairdryer and begin to dry my hair, trying to clear my head. I take about ten minutes on my hair, but still nothing. I bring the top hat up to eyelevel, inspecting from a different angle, when it hits me. The last memory I have of my old life.
The party.
The strange man.
The one who bit my neck and pushed me off the balcony.
Is Robert.
Robert is my creator.
And he's trying to recruit me.