Striding past them into the spotless kitchen, I ripped the lock off the refrigerator. There was another door that I thought might be a pantry. Of course it was locked. I pulled the door off its hinges and tossed it aside.
The boys had followed me at a distance, watching me with wide, wary eyes.
“Eat,” I said. “When you’re full, call someone. Tell them she never came home. Don’t tell them about me because they’ll never believe you.”
“I won’t,” the protective brother said. “Thank you.”
I thought about it for a moment. “I need you to memorize a number. Are you ready?”
Both boys nodded. It took about ten minutes, but the boys learned my phone number.
“Call me if anyone hurts you again,” I said.
“Will you make them disappear?” the scared brother asked.
“Probably,” I said.
The boys exchanged a look I couldn’t interpret but the scared one had stopped crying.
“Don’t forget that number,” I warned them, then turned back into mist and left. I hoped the boys had family that could take them in. Family that wouldn’t be as cruel as the woman who should’ve loved them the most or the useless father I saw in all the pictures on the wall but couldn’t smell in the house.
Their life would probably be rough, but at least they weren’t helpless. They had protection if they needed it.
Chapter 4
Willow
Three days. It’d been three days since the night my monster saved me and ate the bad guys.
Yes, he was my monster. Whenever I got scared, I would imagine him floating in the air around me, ready to appear and protect me from danger.
His hoodie was my new favorite item of clothing. Because I needed to show off the stuff I sold in the shop, I tried not to wear it while I was working. Sometimes I pulled it on anyway because I needed the comfort.
After dealing with that horrible woman, I was tempted. I eyed the spot behind the counter where I had it tucked away just before she walked in. Maybe I could put it on for a few minutes.
Before I could grab it, a familiar customer walked in with her daughter.
“Lisa! Robin!” I greeted them. “I got more of those blouses you liked in new colors.”
I couldn’t have asked for better customers than Lisa and Robin. They were both bright, cheerful people who loved finding unique items and, best of all, didn’t mind paying for them.
By the time they finished shopping, it was almost time to close. I decided shutting down ten minutes early wasn’t going to do any damage. I locked the door, turned the sign off, and shut off all the lights at the front of the shop.
I looked around the store I opened a year ago. It’d taken so much hard work and sacrifice, but the shop was doing well. I might even reach my five-year plan a year early!
Normally, thinking about that made it easy for me to clean and get the shop ready for opening the next day. Except right now, I couldn’t concentrate. I wandered around touching things. Over the last three days, I constantly saw movement out of the corner of my eyes. I’d turn my head expecting to see my monster, but there was never anything there.
Maybe I was developing schizophrenia. People who were going crazy didn’t realize it, did they? Their hallucinations seemed perfectly real to them.
Except I had the hoodie. It was real so my monster had to be real.
“Get to work or no dinner for you,” I grumbled to myself. I needed to do a little restocking, check the daily totals, and all the other stuff my small shop required. I’d forgotten to pack food, so except for the bagel I ate this morning and the stale pack of cookies I found in the back, I hadn’t had anything all day. I was starving and after such a busy day, I deserved a meal out!
I was only halfway finished when I felt a familiar warmth in the air around me. I turned in a slow circle but didn’t even see a shadow move.
“I don’t know if you’re here, but I won’t scream if you show yourself,” she said. “I promise.”
One moment there was nothing, then suddenly he appeared. I startled but managed to keep from making any noise. He was dressed in black cargo pants, black boots, and another black sweatshirt. The hood was up so I couldn’t see his face, but the slight glow of his ice-blue eyes pierced the darkness hiding his features.
