Gods & Monsters

“Why?” I’m suspicious. “Do you think he’s lying? Ethan?”

She chuckles. “No. No. Ethan’s cool. I just… I wasn’t expecting to see you here and find Ethan gone. I was supposed to meet with him.”

I make a non-committal sound. I don’t like her. I feel like she’s hiding something. Is she here to steal from Ethan, after all? Because who the hell goes to meet someone in a bathrobe? I’m about to ask her that when her phone chimes and her focus shifts. I take the moment to study her made-up face, smoky hazel eyes, red lipstick and wavy dark hair. She’s pretty, I guess, and tall and athletic, like a model and unlike me. I think she’s a bit older than me too. Maybe in her mid-twenties.

At last, she looks up from her phone and gives me a calm smile. “It was Ethan. He forgot to tell me that our appointment was canceled.” She finishes off the last of her cookie. “Well, anyway. I’m gonna go now. It was nice to meet you. I hope you enjoy the city. It’s a great place to live.”

She gets up and grabs her bag from where it was sitting on the counter, telling me she needs to use the bathroom for a second. I can’t exactly stop her; it’s not my house. While she’s gone, I hunt for coffee and some toast. I’m trying to work the coffee machine, and wondering about the girl’s strange presence, when I hear footsteps and I find Blu in the living room, dressed in a maroon dress.

That’s when I get it. Blu is a model, someone Ethan met at his job. And she was here to have sex with him. That’s it. That’s the whole secret. That explains the bathrobe now. She was probably naked underneath, waiting for Ethan but instead, found me.

Now I feel bad for her. He should’ve told her that he wasn’t going to be here for their appointment. Who the hell calls it an appointment, by the way?

Something about all of this looks fishy to me.

“It was really nice to meet you,” she says again.

“Yeah, same here.”

“Listen, I know you’re new and I feel like we sort of started off on the wrong foot. But if you need help or anything, just let me know.”

“Yeah. Okay, thanks.” She smiles and with a final nod, gets ready to leave, when I think of something. “Actually, can you tell me where I can buy a camera?”

An hour later, equipped with directions from Blu, I venture outside on my own, carrying my backpack. There’s a store not far from here that will get me a nice, decent camera. I hope I find the one Abel likes and it fits in my budget because I only have a limited amount of money. It’s not my money, though. I took it from my mom’s purse the night I ran away.

Yes, I stole the money.

I was creeping down the stairs, trying not to make any noise, and then the lightning struck and spotlighted the purse sitting on the table in the foyer. I didn’t think, I simply acted. I reached out and took whatever money was in there.

Twice now, Abel has lost his camera because of me. He lost his mom’s camera because he needed to buy me a phone, which I still carry with me. I couldn’t let him lose his second one that he bought with his own hard-earned money.

Yeah, I stole. Burn me at the stake, if you want. It was my last fuck you to my parents and my very first attempt to care for my Abel.

I find the store easily. It’s located only a block away from where we live. Over the years, Abel has chatted a lot about the cameras and their inner workings and whatnot so I’m pretty familiar with things. I pick out the one I know he loves but had an older version of: Canon EOS Rebel T6.

After the purchase, I decide to explore the neighborhood a little. I know we’re not going to be living here long but still, this is my first day in a new city. Full disclosure, though: I’m not good with directions. At all. I get turned around easily and can’t figure out north and south and whatever. But I feel I’m going to be okay because look at the sheer amount of people in this place. I can easily ask someone if I get lost, right? Easy peasy. Besides, how am I supposed to find stories and adventure if I’m cooped up inside the apartment?

I start walking and observing. The streets and the sidewalks I take are all super busy. Stores are practically crawling over each other. Thick streams of people flow and it’s hard to maneuver myself without bumping into anyone. Some streets are lined with black garbage bags and the pavement is littered with trash.