I run across the apartment and throw the door open. I run down the little hall, then down the short flight of stairs, and bust the exterior door open. “Go away!” I yell, chasing after the dog. His head lifts and sees me running at him like a lunatic, then darts away.
I slow to a stop and watch the little kitten walk out from between the trashcans meowing at me, like it's talking.
“I can’t understand you, little guy. Or girl. But if you’re saying thank you, then you’re welcome. I couldn’t let that mean dog get a hold of you.”
Everything goes quiet around me. Even the wind stops blowing. When talking to the kitten, I hadn’t noticed the other cats were slowly making their way closer to me. Oh shit.
“You aren’t a kitten, are you?” My heartbeat is nearly pounding a hole through my chest.
The kitten shifts before my eyes and standing in front of me is a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair. She’s just a touch shorter than me, and completely naked.
My hand fumbles behind me, searching for anything to grab on to.
“Where’re you going?”
“I… I.” How does this work? If I run back inside the apartment, do I still have the protections I did before? Will they be able to break down the door to get in? How did I not see this was a trap? I’d been watching them all day, and they have not acted suspiciously at all.
Seconds later, several other cats shift into a variety of men and women, standing behind the woman in front of me. Are they waiting on her?
A moment later, a scrawny-looking man with dark hair and a heart tattoo on his shoulder steps around the corner of the building. He was the large dog? Oh yeah. Definitely compensating.
“We did it Rich! We did it! We got her!” The woman with short blonde hair yells, running into his arms.
“Calm down Wendy. We still have to take her in.”
“She ain’t going anywhere.” She flaps her hand out like I’m nothing.
I need to figure a way out of this. If not, Lizzy is going to find me and kill me.Stay in the apartment. What’s so damn hard about that? I groan in frustration.
Think Everlee.
Think.
You can outwit these two jokers.
And the ten others in their little group.
“Let’s go fae,” Rich commands, stepping forward.
“I’d rather not.”
He laughs and does a sort of bow, looking at his friends, “She’d rather not gents. Let’s go. Sorry Wendy. Maybe whenshe’d ratherwe can try again.”
“What? We’re leaving?” she asks, exasperated.
“You heard the lady,” Rich says.
“But? What? We’ve been here all day because your damn friend saw her through the window. He broke his nose for you.”
The bird.
Rich grabs Wendy in his arms and tilts her back into a disgustingly long, wet kiss, then pops her back up. “I’m just kidding babe!” He unhooks his arm from her waist and walks over to me and grabs me by the throat and pushes me backwards. “Would you rather now?” His breath smells like dirt and rotten bananas.
“You’re a dick.” I thrust my knee right between his legs.
He drops my jaw and I push him away while he’s bent over, sucking wind. I tear off down the street and duck between two houses, back pressed against the wall. This entire area of town seems to be abandoned, which worked out well for me when I was trying to hide, but now, not so much. I need to find someone, anyone.
“Here, little freak fae,” Dick calls. I’m changing his name to Dick, because that’s what he is.
