Before he ran out, he made a snide comment about a brother with innocent ears who didn’t have enough bleach to hear our girl talk.
After that I spent the next hour listening to Moni gush about Chester and how sweet and funny he was. She went on and on about taking him to Sparks where he got to meet Gus and she treated him to her favorite blend of coffee. They spent the evening touring around Nova, much like what she did with me but with more personal details shared about how he’s an only child and some of the mischief he got into as a kid. He sounds perfect for her, and I bet she could have gone on and on about their date, but I was saved from that when she received a text from him. My win for the night is that I managed to stay excited for her. She deserved that much from me at least.
Standing in the middle of the open living room after cleaning up, dread fills me as I look down the hallway to my room. The memory of what took place there seems so far away, yet it just happened yesterday.Was it yesterday?No. It’s Monday night, and I’ve almost made it two full days without him, though it feels a lot longer. Closing my eyes, I feel the sting of unshed tears start behind my lids.
Lynx.
‘I miss you so much. Please give me a sign that you’re not really gone,’I plead to the empty space inside my heart.
Taking a shaky breath, I open my eyes to look down the hall towards my bedroom once again, and I swear there’s like a perpetual shadow hanging down that corridor. I know there’s nothing to be afraid of, but I can’t seem to move my feet in that direction.
A buzzing noise coming from my hoodie pocket pulls me from my foreboding thoughts. Extracting my phone, I see a text from JP.
Playboy:Will u b??if I??over here for the???
It’s amazing how such simple words can rocket you into a near panic attack.He’s gonna leave me alone?My eyes dart back down towards my room, and I struggle to swallow the lump that’s in my throat as I hold my phone with a death grip. I give Moni’s room at the end of the other hall a longing look and close my eyes for a brief moment.
Come on, Rez. You’re a grown adult. You can handle sleeping alone.Looking back down at my bedroom again, I shudder.Just maybe not in my room.
Spitfire:Of course. Do u mind if I still use ur bed?
Playboy:I’ll share my bed w u 4-eva ma chérie! C u in the AM.
Pocketing my phone with a sigh of relief, I head into JP’s room and get ready for bed.
Opening my eyes to darkness, it’s jarring. Instead of sleeping in a soft bed covered in JP’s signature scent, I’m standing in a cold, dark room. Allowing my eyes to adjust, I can barely make out shadows of anything. It’s like a film over my eyes that distorts everything.
Reaching out in front of me, my hands find a wall. The rough stone meets my tender palms as I feel around trying to distinguish where I’m at.Is this a dream? This doesn’t look or feel familiar.Letting out a hiss of pain, I pull my hand back and notice a cut along my palm before I cradle it against my chest. At least I can see somewhat up close.Never had a dream that felt this real before.
I slowly turn around, being careful to stay in my bubble of personal space. I have no idea how big this place is, and I don’t want to hurt myself further. From what my eyes can discern in this darkness, I’m in a solid room with no cracks for light to seep through to help determine where I’m at. Squinting, I can’t make out any furniture except something in the far corner where the shadows are denser. Maybe that’s the way out.
Deciding to check that area, I step lightly along the rough stone, being careful not to make too much noise, my hands in front of me guiding the way. It’s slow going since my vision keeps blurring as I move closer. The sensation is like an old television set that constantly needed antenna adjustments for reception. My grandma, Priestess Tanda, had one when I was little, and it’s an experience I won’t forget. Every time the image blinks in and out, I stop to rub and shake my head for it to clear once again.
Finally reaching the wall, what I thought was my way out is really a large cage. I can’t see the top of it, but that doesn’t mean much since I can barely see any details past my nose. Keeping my distance, I rely on my other senses. The smell of copper and piss is so strong I almost gag, but I manage to choke down the urge. There’s no way I’ll touch the bars or get any closer. Even in a dream, I'm not stupid enough to put my face right up against a cage. My hand is still suffering the effects of my wall exploration, and I don’t need more injuries, thank you very much.
Rustling brings my attention to my far left, and I try to see through the jumbled, hazy sight before me. Frustrated, an audible sigh slips between my lips, freezing me in place as my eyes bug out of their sockets.Shit!
Whatever is in the cage stirs, and I hold my breath. My heart starts pounding as my thoughts take off at a mile a minute wondering what is so horrible that it’s locked in a cage in the pits of Hell. Because only Hell could cause this much fear and despair in such a bleak room. A cold numbness climbs up my body as I stand waiting on something, anything to happen. Maybe if I don’t move, whatever is in there won’t see me and will go back to whatever it was doing.
A groan rings out in the empty room, and I step back from the cage.Someone’s here! Something is definitely in this cage. Oh God!
“H…Hello. Anyone there?” a raspy voice, barely above a whisper, calls out and my heart stops.
“Lynx?”
“Rezzi?” he chokes out, and a racking cough rings out inside the cage.
“LYNX!” I throw myself at the cage, but before I can connect I drop into darkness.
A voice filters into my consciousness, but I can’t make out the words as something presses against my shoulder. Startled, my eyes fly open, finding a shadow looming over me, without thinking, I throw a left hook before scrambling away across the bed once the pressure lets up.
“Oof. Damnit, Rez. You have got power behind your punch,” Knots’ voice says, freezing me in place.
Turning to look over my shoulder, the figure reaches over and turns on the lamp next to the bed, highlighting his gorgeous face. Standing there, rubbing his arm, is Knots wearing the same garment that I saw in the vision before.
“Knots?” I question, quickly rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I feel so disoriented from how I woke up, I know I’m seeing things.
“The one and only,” his rough voice confirms.
