“Whoa. Hold up.” Zane’s face was full of concern, and I suddenly wished I prevented him from seeing the weakness I had foolishly revealed by my pleading tone.
“Look, just drop it,” I groaned.
“Are you... oh, Christ! This is incredible. You’re in love with those ogres,” he stated confidently, shocked by the way I was acting.
But was it such a surprise? At one point, I could have loved Zane. And why the hell wouldn’t I be interested in something so clearly enamored with me? Okay, there were a million reasons a woman shouldn’t fall in love with a demon-alien-beast from the other side, but the deep sensations earlier were like nothing I had ever experienced before. So, really... why the fuck not?
Of course, I couldn’t quite admit that to my ex human-boyfriend. I had to remain clear-headed and intelligent. “I am not in love with them,” I said. “But they are living, breathing creatures just like us. You can’t mess with an entire ecosystem. You could end up killing them and us in the process.”
“Living, breathing predators who will gladly murder the fuck out of you. Fucking hell, Addie. This is why your mom asked me to take you back home. You’re not acting like your old self. You’re... different.”
“My mental health is perfectly sound,” I said, calming my frustration by pinching the center of my palm. “If anything, it’s you I need to worry about.”
“Me? I was the man who saved your life! How many times do I have to reiterate that point?”
I turned to look back at the path, mildly hoping I’d see a pair of eyes staring at me from the darkness, but nothing was there. Feeling a little let down, I said, “Fine. Whatever. You can celebrate the fact he didn’t get the chance to eat you for dinner. Next time, you might not be so lucky, but I have a feeling I will.”
Soon, we came across another clearing. The off-colored light we had been temporarily following brought us to a small cabin in the woods.
Zane dropped the argument and ran toward the porch. “Oh, thank God! Safe refuge,” he said.
But I knew what this place really was, even if Zane couldn’t recognize it. I felt claustrophobic and wrong being here at my father’s cabin.
Of course, the structure being here would have been impossible, but it’s what stood in front of us. The sight meant I was wrong about the hallucinations. They were still happening. The realm itself was playing a dangerous game with our mental compass.
We were already lost within the depth of the forest. I had no doubt about that. In addition, I was sure I had messed up the beasts’ plans. They needed me to follow them, but I wasn’t sure exactly why. Maybe they weren’t fully in control and were also playing against the time of this realm.
Unfortunately, that meant those beasts, the ones we so naively called aliens, weren’t giving us the hallucinations. This place was responsible for them. And that scared the ever-living crap out of me.
But Zane wasn’t at all fazed by what he had just witnessed. Instead of trying to comfort me or even himself, he ran to the door, somehow managing to jimmy the lock with a thin credit card. “Addie, darling Addie. Looks like we can rest easy tonight. Just wait until you get a look at this place. We are hooked up.”
I trudged up the wooden stairs and ran my hand across the clay Welcome Home sign hanging by the old rocking chair inside my parents’ room. Jesus. It nearly made me cry to see it all again. How long had it been since I had visited my father’s old cabin? Four years? Five?
There were so many memories in this house, so many sled rides, snowball fights, and, in the summer, the family barbecues. These were the times I missed and longed for.
I never wanted to admit I was getting homesick. And despite wanting to be near the creatures I had been studying for ages, I wanted the comfort of so long ago.
Stepping further inside, I felt the warm and hearty glow of the light reflecting off the glazed oak that made up nearly every section of the small cabin. I opened the door to my left and took a peek inside my room. There weren’t any of my things, but the foundation was there. It was enough to send me into a quiet fit of tears. It was impossible to hold back, but I kept it contained and quick enough for Zane not to hear it from the living room.
With a newly found energy Zane called out to me. “Hey! There’s a fireplace in here. It’s already going, too! Looks like me we made it, huh?”
I wiped my eyes clean, glad I had left my mascara at home, and stepped out of the room again. “For now, we have found a nice place,” I said with a gentle smile.
Sitting on the hearth in front of the flames, he stretched his arms and cocked his head to the side. “Come here. Feel the heat with me, Addie.”
I was exhausted. By him, but from the trip in general. I couldn’t tell him for the fifth time not to call me by his nickname for me, but I could keep my distance because I knew what he was trying to get. One night alone with his ex-girlfriend—wasn’t that every guy’s thing? I wondered what would happen if I was stupid enough to agree. I’d wake up, and his whole mood would be changed. I was so tired of the same old games.
“Sorry, Zane. I have to go to bed. I’m feeling kind of—”
“Homesick?” he asked.
“No.” I was lying. I was deeply homesick and saw no way of getting back. Worse, I didn’t know if I actually wanted to leave. Was I in the process of coming home or letting go? “Honestly, I’ve been traveling for a long time. Today has been the hardest day by far. I just need a few hours of shuteye before we continue. Is that okay with you?”
For once, Zane didn’t fight me on something important to me. He merely nodded and stood up, clapping his hands together before loudly yawning. “You’re right. We should get to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I gave a soft sigh of relief. Finally. Some peace and quiet. The one thing you weren’t supposed to do in this place was sleep, but it was something we both definitely needed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Zane.” I smiled and started toward my room.
“Oh,” Zane added, “one more thing before you pass out.”