Into the Woods

Chapter 7

"What!"

While Lance knew that this being before him was not quite human, this was a very human moment for the ethereal woman. She had squawked, disgruntled, taking a step back as her elegant fingers curled into two tight fists. "No."

It was apparent to the boy that she was struggling to find the right words to properly portray the effect that his proclamation had on her, mouth opening and closing, small sounds as words half formed halted before fully leaving her.

Lance was about to ask if she was okay, when her mouth snapped shut and her eyes narrowed in a decisive manner.

"You are gifted with one more attempt to guess at what I am mortal."

"Why only one! That's not fa—"

She held up her hand and he wasn't sure if her presence truly was enough to steal his voice from him or if perhaps she had cast a magical spell over him to silence.

"You've already used 2 of your bids." She stated as if this were the most obvious thing.

His gulp echoed in a suddenly empty head. "Or what?" He croaked out.

"I'm not sure yet.... But I know I can come up with something....creative for you."

Lance struggled to grasp at some sense of reality, eyes falling from her empyrean visage to land on the shrubbery surrounding him to try and ground himself.

A chilling thought floated to the surface of his mind as he sought the right answer.

What if she was a dream?

What if all of this was a dream?

Breath caught against the back of his throat and Lance shook his head to rid it.... Even if that was true, he wasn't yet ready to return to the nightmare of his reality.

So long as he kept playing along something would work out.... Right?

Pulling in a shaky breath, ready to be wrong as he delivered his shot in the dark answer, and with it, slipped into a persona that felt more natural for him, hanging onto any small aspect for normalcy as a ballast as he finally spoke.

"Girl it doesn't matter to me what you are, cuz you so fine—" Lance rearranged his features into the flirtatious smirk that Marco was famous for, which the young boy had mimicked time and time again in the bathroom mirror, trying to perfect and make it his own.

The woman's expression did not shift an inch but remained as smoothed out as satin, and as cool.... She looked almost....bored now. He ran a hand back through his hair in a way he'd seen Marco do many times, mussing it before held up both of his hands, fingers pointing at her as he tried again. "Whatever you are, must have some kinda magic nina, you are enchanting." To punctuate the end of this, and perhaps cover up the slight tremble of his voice, Lance wiggled his brows.

A number of silent seconds ticked by where all he could do was hold his breath, and his pose, mouth growing drier by the instant, tongue seeming to grow larger behind his teeth, flashing as the smile froze with nerves upon his features. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to talk again.

The woman continued to stare at him, through him, stone faced and as still as a sculpture. Lance's posture wilted a bit, his false bravado wavering and just about to fall when a sound like the tinkering of many small glass bells rang out through the forest, echoing back at them and creating a fanciful harmony that sent chills down Lance's spine.

It took him a moment to understand that she was laughing and the boy felt a tightness within his chest loosen, breath whooshing out of him in a relieved sigh. He even allowed a genuine, if tentative, smile to raise his lips.