Chapter 2
Vie
It didn’t take me long to hunt down the rest of the men that had threatened my human.
Yes, she was mine. I didn’t know how that was possible, but it was undeniable. I’d never heard of a wraith ever pairing off, but I couldn’t imagine going through another day without this woman in it.
Part of me wanted to search out one of my brothers to ask if they’d ever heard of something like this happening. The other part of me wanted to keep her a secret from them. She was mine, and I didn’t share.
After I ate the last of the men, I was so full I had a hard time shifting to mist. Even in my incorporeal form, I moved sluggishly, like a fat rain cloud in need of purging.
I made my way back to the shop. The woman wasn’t there. I materialized inside and looked around. Not only was she gone, but so was my sweatshirt. It made me happy to know she’d worn it home. In a way, she was covered in me.
I could smell her everywhere in this small space. Restless, I explored every inch of the shop, not even sure what I was looking for. Almost everything here had a trace of her scent. I hunted for something saturated in her smell.
I almost gave up when I found a button under a display stand that must’ve belonged to her. I brought it to my nose and pulled in a deep breath. It was heavily imbued with her scent. It must’ve popped off something she wore often.
I tucked it in my pocket and went back to searching.
There was a tiny back room filled with her unique smell.
By how fresh the scent was, I could tell she’d recently spent hours in here.
The small space was filled with boxes stacked almost to the ceiling.
A small utilitarian desk was pressed against the far wall.
The top of it was piled high with paperwork and a closed laptop.
I didn’t touch the laptop but riffled through the papers instead. Most of them were invoices, but one was a personal utility bill marked past due. The address was several miles away and had an apartment number.
This must be my human’s home address!
I also had a name, Willow Jones.
“Willow.”
It was a good name. A curvy name that fit her body. A soft name that felt right on my lips.
“Willow.”
There was no question whether I was going to visit her home. I didn’t need sleep, and I was so well fed I could easily maintain my mist form for days if I wanted to.
One thing was certain: Willow needed to be guarded.
I folded the bill and tucked it in my pocket.
I’d make sure it was paid. I had plenty of money and few expenses.
Before now, money was something I used to help blend in with the population that fed me.
Now I could see another use; providing Willow with all the comforts and shiny things humans liked.
First came finding her and watching over her. After all, nighttime was often the most dangerous. I should know.
Using my mist form, I rose above the city and followed familiar roads to Willow’s building.
I had an encyclopedic knowledge of San Diego.
I moved here with several of my brothers a hundred and fifty years ago.
I was present when most of the roads were built.
I watched the city grow into the thriving metropolis it was now.
One of my brothers and I had talked of moving to a different city. I’m thankful we didn’t, or I wouldn’t have found Willow.
Light evening traffic flowed under me as I floated over homes, parks, and businesses.
It didn’t take me long to arrive. Her building was run down and old, like many in the area.
It was three stories and open at the front like a motel.
I circled the building and found a window on the opposite wall from the front door.
I could go through solid walls, but glass was easier. I pushed through the window into a small galley kitchen. I was so excited to see her again that I almost re-formed. I’d already scared her enough today; I had to stay hidden.
For now, I would gather information and guard. I was desperate to know everything about Willow. What did she like to eat? What were her favorite colors? Did she like to read? I needed to know every detail. I was old enough to know knowledge was power, and I craved power over this human.
I flattened myself along the room’s ceiling, settling in to observe.
She was sitting at a miniscule table with a glass of water in one hand and a mixed drink in the other.
Her hair was tied up in a towel, wet strands dangling down and creating damp patches on the bulky robe she was wearing.
She must’ve showered the moment she got home.
Was that a normal behavior or had she felt the need to clean herself because I’d touched her?
Then I noticed something peeking out from under the robe. It was my sweatshirt! She’d showered, then put my sweatshirt back on!
I was elated. This had to be a good sign.
There was another woman in the room, fixing a second mixed drink and talking rapidly as she expertly poured from several bottles.
“I can’t believe you! You know that neighborhood isn’t great. How many times do I have to tell you to leave before seven? It’s eleven at night, what were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I had to get the quarterly taxes done,” Willow said, her tone grumpy. “Tonight has already been rough enough. I don’t need a lecture on top of it, Jina.”
I tensed. Was this Jina person being mean to Willow? Did I need to make her disappear? I could probably manage to eat one more time tonight, and she wasn’t a very big woman.
Although she didn’t smell of any kind of cruelty or violence, which meant she’d taste bland.
“Then you bring all the tax stuff home and do it here, where it’s safe,” Jina said, sitting down at the table and taking a sip of her drink. “Damn, I make a good margarita!”
“I wanted a beer,” Willow grumbled.
“We’re out of beer so you get a perfectly crafted cocktail,” Jina retorted. “And I’ll lecture you until you remember to either leave the shop at a reasonable hour or call one of us to hang out with you. Willow, you’re gambling with your safety, and that scares me.”
Okay, I wouldn’t be eating Jina. She was good for Willow.
“I’ve never had an issue before,” Willow said. She was trying to sound brave, but there was a quaver in her voice. She was still upset. I could smell it.
I wish I could’ve spared her.
“But tonight was different,” Jina said. “Now finish telling me what happened after the guys showed up while you were trying to lock the door.”
Willow took a long swallow of her water before putting it down. She didn’t drink the margarita, only fiddled with the hard, plastic straw.
“You won’t believe the next part,” she said. “I’m not sure I believe it happened.”
Jina sat forward and set an elbow on the table. It wobbled a little, but she ignored it as she rested her chin in her hand.
“We’ve been friends since second grade, Willow. Talk to me, I’ll believe you. ”
I was interested in finding out if Willow would tell Jina about me.
I wasn’t worried about being revealed. Other creatures, like vampires, needed to keep themselves a secret because they could be killed.
As far as I knew, nothing could kill a wraith.
They couldn’t even keep me contained. So far, none of us had found a material we couldn’t move through given enough time.
Willow set down her drink and rubbed both hands over her face. I didn’t like how her hands were shaking.
“Willow?”
“I can’t,” she said, dropping her hands to the table. “I need to think about it.”
Jina reached out to take one of Willow’s hands. “Tell me one thing, did any of them touch you? Did they…?”
Willow shook her head. “No, they didn’t get a chance to do anything.”
Jina let out a relieved sigh. “Good. That’s good. It still sucks that you got harassed and frightened. I want to find those boys and do something horrible to them.”
Willow sounded a shaky laugh. “Don’t worry, I think that already happened.”
Willow
Much later that night, after Jina’s drink helped stop the shaking, I laid in bed staring into the darkness. I’d wanted to tell Jina everything, but what if I’d imagined it all?
Jina wouldn’t call me insane to my face, but I could see her staging some kind of intervention. She would have all our friends show up and together, they’d convince me to check into a mental institution. I wouldn’t be able to hold out against that level of coercion.
The problem was that, even though I’d seen everything with my own eyes, I had doubts!
Except it had happened. I was wearing the truth to bed. I’d slipped on the giant black hoodie with the hole over my pjs. I didn’t even think about it. Only after I was snuggled into it did I feel better.
Not perfect, but better.
Turning on my side, I curled up in a tight ball, tucking my legs into the hoodie.
Our apartment was a two bedroom in name only. Jina had the room, and I had a closet pretending to be a room. With no window and barely enough space to fit my twin bed and dresser, my office at the shop was bigger!
Unlike Jina, I didn't mind the lack of windows. I felt better when I could sleep in pitch blackness. The dark felt comforting. It was usually enough to make me feel safe. Except tonight, it wasn’t working.
Images of the young men filled my mind, making me whimper.
Suddenly, the darkness seemed to get a little warmer, and I felt comforted. It reminded me of how it felt when the monster touched me.
No, that couldn’t be right.
“He’s not real,” I whispered into the darkness. “He can’t be real. I had to have imagined it. That’s the only explanation."
My words didn’t change anything. The perfect blackness around me was still warm and calming. A wild thought made me uncurl and sit up.
“Are you there?” I listened hard, scared to turn on any light and cause the warmth to vanish.
No voice. No touch. Nothing in response to my question.
Right, I was insane. But I needed to say one more thing, even if it was all in my head.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Nothing.
I flopped back down. I felt better for having spoken. If that creature was here, I wanted him to know I knew. Or maybe that was the double strong margarita speaking.
I closed my eyes and was able to drift off to sleep.