Reverie [The Distortionist x reader]

Chapter 9

(Art by bwosanbi on Tumblr)

I'm a monster, monster, monster, monster

Now run away, run away, run away

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Your hand stops just short of knocking on the front door of Henry's home. You know how sensitive Francis, his mother, is. She might open the door with a ruddy face, contorted in aggression, and yell at you to leave. She might open the door slowly, pallid lips moving to quietly ask for your egress. There is no way to know.

But no, you have to do this. You have to save Henry, at least for one evening, especially during this period of his life. You raise your hand again and rap your knuckles on the door.

You shift your weight, waiting. Your hands unconsciously go to smooth your skirt so they don't have to stay clasped to each other, eventually getting red finger marks from holding onto each other so hard. And, no matter what, your eyes stay fixed to the eye-level height of the door, to not miss any movement as it opens.

Your dominant hand rises again to knock. Still, no answer. You turn your head and let your ear be close to the door, trying to listen for any signs of life. Faintly, you hear the sound of a phone ringing. Earlier, after your sister came home and forced you out of bed, was when Henry called to say Francis had not let him go, so you came over to Francis's house, where Henry said he'd be. Now, you hear the ringing again. Who's calling?

The grating noise goes on for a few more seconds before someone picks it up, but from the sound of it, they put the phone back down in its place right after. You'll never know. You strain your hearing more after you hear someone speaking to someone else, also inside the house. Francis's voice, complemented by Henry's. You can't hear what they're saying, but you now know without a shadow of a doubt that they're here. You knock again. The voices stop for a moment, but Francis's resumes a few seconds later, slightly harsher.

You tighten your lips. She's probably lecturing him. He's a grown adult! He doesn't need to be babysat all the time, especially not by her. You reach for the knob. It swings to show you a dimly-lit living room. Two almost-silhouetted heads turn towards you. "Good evening," you say. "It was unlocked. Pardon my entry."

Francis locks eyes with you. Though in the dark, you can see hers are wide and red around the edges. When you're interviewing people, their eyes are like windows into their thoughts. As you peer through the opening of her mind, you're struck by a feeling of discord... All her contemplations, notions, worries, everything that occupies her mind's eye, are scattered beyond recognition. That makes her wants and needs shed their nuances and details, leaving only the core.

You always forget the feeling you feel when you look into her eyes. Or, you forget how intense it truly is. You tear your gaze from her and focus on the whole. Messy hair, dishevelled clothes. But you can't focus on that for long. Her image wavers like the moon upon water, shimmering to show what lies underneath the surface.

Because of your surprise, you have to steady yourself on the knob of the front door, which you are still holding. Francis's hue changes. She's black and white... No, she's blue, green, yellow, red! Her form de-saturates until she's devoid of color, a black hole sucking all light into the abyss.

You almost jump out of your skin at someone touching your hand that's gripping the knob. Your head jerks away from Francis and toward Henry, who is now by your side.

"Are... Are you okay?" he asks in a whisper.

You look back to the living room. Francis is back to normal, albeit shaky and teary. Did Chris break his promise? No, you can't see any trace of him... And you don't want to call his name, not with Henry and Francis here.