Hearing voices in the hallway that don’t sound like JP and Dean Caldron, I look to see who’s heading our way when something hits the wall, making me jump a little.
Ouch! Feeling a pinch in my arm I whip my head around and the nurse blanches. “I’m sorry. That scared me. I didn’t mean to scratch you,” she apologizes.
Looking at my arm, I’m slightly annoyed by the already faded pain and faint red mark, but it’s not really a big deal. “That’s okay,” I murmur, and turn my attention back to the hallway.
A couple of supes walk in carrying another couch, and a few more creatures follow them with pillows and more decor. It looks like Ms. Teal was holding up her end of the bargain and our furniture was being replaced. If it was only that easy to replace the person I once was.
ChapterSix
HEEBIE-JEEBIE, ABUHUKU
Rez
After the nurse checks me over and documents what she needs, she quickly leaves, giving us a short wave. It’s a whirlwind for the next hour as I numbly sit with JP in front of the fireplace mantle while we watch the workers and movers transform our empty dorm into our once again serene sanctuary.
JP is so sweet in trying to get my mind to focus on the here and now, and I want to show him I appreciate his efforts. While they work, he explains what the creatures are that fill our dorm. The short, stocky green goblin guy is in fact a goblin from the Black Mountain region, with his long floppy ears and big gray nose. There are brownies that come in and clean up after the drywall and the counters are fixed. Watching them twirl and sing while cleaning, it brings a small smile to my face to see someone take pleasure in something so mundane.
Elves come in and hang up pictures, and a few go into the other rooms and replace items that were destroyed in the earthquake. “Is that normal? Having earthquakes here?” I ask, pulling my legs underneath me as a troll rolls out a rug in front of the fireplace.
“As far as I know, no! We’ve never had one, but it did coincide with your...episode.” JP gives me a knowing look that shocks me. “And it seemed to be localized to this building.”
“Wait. You think I was responsible for it?” A squeak escapes me as my eyes bug out of my head. There’s no way I could be responsible for something like that. It had to be a coincidence.Human here! Humans can’t do anything like what he’s suggesting. I don’t want to think too closely about that or else I will lose it all over again. I don’t think any of Dr. Fisk’s suggestions would help me deal with this on any level.
As the last worker heads out, JP gets up to see them to the door, but before he can, the guy stops him with a glare.
“Just remember your deal with her. She’s looking for any reason to come here,” he says ominously, and quickly walks out of the room leaving an uneasy feeling rolling through me.This Ms. Teal already sounds like bad news. Is that who he is talking about?For some reason while everyone was working, themankept shooting me glances and when he did, JP always gave him a look of his own.
“Is it just me, or does he make your skin crawl too?” I ask, rubbing my arms trying to chase away the icky sensation.
Looking back at me on the floor, JP tries to give me a smile but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“Unfortunately, it’s just you, ma chérie. You see, that’s an Abuhuku.” Seeing the confused look on my face, he continues to give me a horror story, “He’s a shapeshifter but not like the ones you would know. He’s part mosquito and beast. His skin turns into a sticky substance that if he were to get his hands on you…well, let’s just say his embrace is deadly.”
Gulping around the lump in my throat, I take a wild guess and say, “His skin is poisonous?”
JP chuckles. “No, if that was the case, they wouldn’t let him work around others.” There’s another knock at the door, so he continues the story as he slowly makes his way to the entrance. “They cut a hole in the skull of their prey, typically the opposite sex, and suck out their blood. You normally know when they are in the area because you can find the empty skins of their victims hanging from trees. So remember to always look up.”
What the fuck? Now the looks he was giving me finally clicks. They weren’t disgusted looks, they were looks of hunger. A shiver trails down my spine and I shudder as Dean Caldron comes in carrying a box.
“Hello, Nerezza. It’s nice to see you up.” He smiles, gently placing down a small box full of clinking glass vials on the coffee table. Standing up, I give him a watery smile but keep it short by looking into the container holding the light green, glowing mixture.
“Morning, Dean Caldron. What’s this?” I motion to the box.
“This, my dear, will hopefully give you some answers. The only person or creature that can give us answers is Knots. And as far as my research shows, the Door Knights can not be defeated, at least not in the amount of time that you were gone during Friday’s party.” He pushes the box closer to me and clears his throat. “So I brought you something to help in the meantime.”
“Thanks, Matt! This is awesome,” JP exclaims and dives for the box, pulling out one of the vials of swirling green liquid.
“Um…What is it and what does it do?” I ask warily, pushing a loose brunette curl behind my ear and glancing between the vial and the man who was behind the orders to spy on me. I’m not sure how I feel about him being here. And when JP freezes and his eyes widen, I know I did a shit job hiding my thoughts.
Dean Caldron’s brown eyes sparkle somewhat as a blush rises on his cheeks. “Well, this is a concoction I whipped up. It has a cleansing solution for any residual magic that might be blocking Knots, and it also allows you to lock your door. If you get low, let me know, okay?” Noticing JP’s stance as he turns, he stops and backs up to assess the room. “Is everything okay? I feel like I’m missing something.”
Biting my lip hard, I look around the room and wish my power was to disappear. JP comes over and grabs my hand, pulling me down next to him on the love seat. I was so out of it yesterday that when the Dean showed up, I only registered bits and pieces. Hell, JP had to tell me about what happened while we watched our furniture come in just to make sure I was caught up. I guess the best part is not having to try and attend class for two weeks. Then again, all it’s doing is prolonging my time here, and I’m not gaining the skills to pass. Not like they could drag me out of here right now anyways.
“I think since you’re here, we probably should clear some things up, if you’re willing.” JP sends a meaningful look toward the well-dressed dean sitting at the end of the sofa.
“Okay,” he says hesitantly with a look of confusion on his face as he crosses his hands and gets comfortable.
Not knowing where JP is going with this, I sit back and wait him out. “You asked Moni to help you, but it seems we overlooked Rez’s needs yesterday. Granted she wasn’t in the best frame of mind then, but I think we can settle up now,” he says, giving my hand a squeeze.
