The Stroke of Midnight: A Supernatural New Year's Anthology
Page 22
"Excellent." I relaxed my wings and folded my arms across my chest. "I'd love to meet him."
She pressed her lips into a thin line with remorse written all over them. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"What do you mean?"
"Mortimer, I have really cherished our time together, but I seriously think if I start introducing my imaginary friend to my boyfriend he'll bolt out the door quicker than I can say 'schizo.'" She put her hands on my forearms in an effort to comfort me.
The room closed in on me, my vision reduced to tiny pin holes for the two most ominous things to slip through and shred my heart, "Boyfriend" and "Imaginary friend." I wasn't sure which upset me more--the fact that this ass was ready, willing and able to make Heidi the butt of the biggest joke of the year and she was calling him "boyfriend," or that she had relegated me to being an "imaginary friend."
My wings fell in defeat, along with my sagging shoulders. "Is that what you think of me? You think I'm an imaginary friend?"
"We can address the finer points of my failing psyche later, but please...right now you have to go. He'll be here soon." She turned me around and started pushing me toward the window.
"Heidi, I'm not—"
"Mortimer, please!" She clasped her hands together in front of her, hanging her head.
I flew out of the room as quickly as I could. There was no way I could stand there and listen to her tell me that I wasn't real. The thought of losing myself for good in the clouds crossed my mind. I flew above the house for awhile...until I saw him sneak in her window—our window.
I found a perch on the roof above the window, my temper raging almost beyond my control. I struggled with the urge to just let it take me over. I could hunt him down when he leaves...
Their muffled voices filtered through the night air. I hummed Mary Mack to drown them out. It was warm and balmy out--a man wearing only a bath robe walked his dog on the other side of the street. I'd seen him many times when Heidi slept and I went out to feed. Several times I'd thought of eating that yappy little dog of his, but for some reason the dog was not barking at me tonight. It stared up at me as though it could sense my heartache, the fact that my entire being had been shattered.
While listening to the hushed laughter my anger continued to build. Not angry with the boy, but infuriated with myself and the fact that I had let her go. Every rule had been broken to be with her and she had relegated me to the world of the nonexistent--nothing but a fairy tale she created to ease her loneliness.
Heidi's laughter had changed from happy to nervous. I knew every nuance of her voice, and I could feel her discomfort. I leaned toward the window so I could hear her better.
"Wes, please stop that."
He let out a quiet laugh. "Come on babe, don't be so uptight."
I swooped into the room, riding on instinct. Wes had Heidi laid out on the bed with one hand pinning her arms above her head.
"Mortimer!" Heidi belted out with a hint of relief.
"What?" Wes was confused until he turned around and saw me behind him. "What the hell…?"
I plucked him up by his shirt collar, extended my wings as wide as they would reach, and curled my lip to expose my sharp teeth. I growled low and threatening. "She said 'stop.'"
All color drained from his face and his jaw hung slack. He sucked in a breath to scream, so I put my claw over his lips and shook my head from side to side. "No screaming." I paused for effect, looking hard enough into him that he could see my eyes glowing yellow. "Until later."
Heidi was curled up in the corner on the bed and I took off out the window with the little shit in my grasp. He was unable to control himself at this point but we were high enough up that no one would really hear. There was also no moon, so we were virtually invisible in the sky. The harder I pumped my wings the more he screamed.
"Did you want me to stop?" I bellowed at him flapping higher and higher. My voice boomed through the air, "Answer me!"
"I did hear her; I just thought she'd be easy because she's…" He broke down whimpering as the tears froze on his cheeks.
"Because she's what, just a girl? Because you think you're good enough for her?" Mucous sprayed from my mouth every time I spoke, it was making his face shiny and wet. My anger was out of control and all I wanted to do was drop him from this height, knowing he would splatter across the pavement like a watermelon.
"No…no, I know I'm not. Please put me down." The terror that ran through his body was satisfying on a visceral level. With each of his cries I felt full of strength and life. Like I had eaten twenty meals and could take on the world.
"If I put you down, you are never again to speak to her, look at her or talk about her. Do you understand?" I was giving in, but I knew I had to. It's what she would have wanted. She wouldn't want me to hurt him.
He nodded frantically and I dove toward the earth as fast as my wings would take, pulling up at the last moment, depositing him unceremoniously on the ground in a weak-kneed, terrified heap. I leaned close into him, brushing my fangs against his ear as I whispered at barely a growl. "If you ever make her cry again, I'll hunt you down and kill you."
The earnestness in my voice shocked even me. But at that moment I knew I would kill to protect her. She was all I had ever known of love, and seeing her so broken and humiliated snapped something inside me. All I wanted to do is keep her safe.
Quietly I slipped through the window to find her in the same spot. The bed creaked as I pulled her to my chest and enveloped her in my wings. Sobs crashed against my chest--her whole body quivered with sadness.
"Shhh." I stroked the hair from her face. "It's okay, he's gone. I'm here and no one can hurt you."
She nuzzled in closer, stealing my warmth. I didn't mind. In fact, I rather liked it. We felt so close together, like we were a team again. At last, her crying had subsided.
"Mortimer?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you," she said simply, then nuzzled deeper into me and fell asleep in my arms. That was the first night I stayed in the bed with her, taking in her scent and trading warmth for her pain so she would not ever feel sadness again.
After that night we shared many more nights where I just held her and kept her safe from the world. I never had a real understanding why people were so cruel. They were far more sadistic than my kind could ever wish to be. It made me wonder who the real scary ones were.
***
One night when Heidi was particularly restless I could tell there was something bothering her. Perhaps it was time to make another visit to one of her would-be tormentors. "What's bothering you?"
"Nothing." She turned quietly away from me.
"Nothing, huh? I don't believe it." I gave one of her curls a gentle tug.
"I'm worried about something." She turned back toward me. "Well a couple of things..."
"Like what?"
She was silent for a long while, her expression told me she was putting a great deal of thought into her next words, and I allowed her the time she needed. At last she drew in a deep breath, having found her resolve.
"Mortimer, what are you?"
That set me back for a minute--I really wasn't sure exactly what she was asking. "What do you mean? I'm your friend." The word "friend" burned on its way out. I had long since accepted that I was in love with her, and proclaiming myself as her friend felt like a defeat of sorts. It didn't matter that a monster like me could never be with a beautiful girl like Heidi--it still hurt.
"I know you're my friend, but what I mean is what are you?" Her eyes widened as she spoke. "I mean, like up until that night with Wes I really thought you were a figment of my imagination and my childhood that I just hadn't let go. But now I know you're real. Other people can't see figments of my imagination." She paused for a moment and pushed one of her slender fingers into my chest. "And I know you did something to Megan. Don't try to deny it."
"I'm not denying anything," I was quick to say. "But as far as what I am, well, I am what you think I
am."
"My best friend?" She wiggled in closer to me and searing pain shot through me upon hear the "F" word again.
"Yes."
"But what else are you? You aren't like me, so what are you?"
"I'm a monster; the Boogeyman, the thing under the bed, every child's worst nightmare--that's what I am." I waited for her to recoil from me, but she didn't. Her laughter filled the room.
"Mortimer, really...a monster? I hardly think that's true. I know what real monsters are like and you're not one of them." Her hand flattened on my chest where a human heart would be. "You are the kindest person I've ever met. I just have been wondering where you came from and why you've been living in my room for so many years."
She propped herself up on one elbow. "We've grown together, we've matched each other year for year, and admittedly I know you're much bigger than I am now. When I first met you we were the same size. How old are you?"
"I'm almost eighteen. And I'm not kind--I'm cruel and scary."
"'Cruel? Scary? I think you're amazing. You've been the only real friend I've ever known and I love you." She yawned and rested her head back down on my chest.
"I love you too, Heidi." But the words hung in my head, knowing we meant them differently. I was in love with her. We'd grown up together. She made me feel things I didn't know were possible. Our kind doesn't usually experience love, or the desire to be kind. All we know is how to be menacing and scary.
Here I was experiencing what I knew to be an intense love. It was now to the point that every moment she was gone, there was nothing that would soothe me until she returned. I was insanely jealous of anyone who spent time with her. When she did go on dates, I followed along to make sure that there was no funny business. Luckily, she didn't date much. She didn't really go out much.
I wondered how many more years would pass before she was gone. We had discussed what would happen when she went off to college. Besides, I knew my days here were numbered. Even though I wanted to believe that the academy had forgotten about me, the reality was they would catch up. I just hoped it would be after she left for college.
Heidi and I agreed that we would leave the window closed and locked from now on. I explained to her the possibility of them sending someone for me. She wrapped her arms around me. "No. I won't let them take you! What will I do without you?"
"You'll be fine, but let's try to spend every moment we can together." I slid my claw under her chin and guided her gaze up. When I saw her tears, I realized that Heidi's feelings for me matched my own. We had talked about it, but I always worried she was just placating me, trying to make me feel better.
"Mortimer, I love you and I want to be with you forever. If that means I can't go to college, so be it." She tightened her grip on me.
"I want that too, but we can't count on it. You have to go to college." I avoided the obvious impossibility of a monster like me being with her. Not only would it not work socially, it wouldn't work physically. I could hold her until my wings were nothing but tattered gauze, but that would never be enough--she deserved to have a real relationship with someone like her.
We agreed to live every day together in happiness rather than in dread, but I could feel her apprehension every time she left the house and I'm sure she could feel mine. Every hug we shared had all of our love poured into it as though we feared it would be our last.
***
It was early August and unseasonably warm. Heidi was camping with her father--their last father/daughter campout before her senior year of high school began. Of course I spent a good part of the camping trip perched in the trees, watching over them at night. I knew what really lurked in the shadows. I flew home just before dawn.
When I arrived, Heidi's window was open. Why is her window open? Immediately I stiffened and fear shot through me like a spear. Cautiously I crept in and started for my place under the bed.
I froze in my tracks when I heard the sour growl. "Mortimer, is it?"
My eyes darted around the room to find the source. At the closet I could see the dark shadow, so I answered with as much bravado as I could muster. "I'm Mortimer. Who are you?" How long has the closet door been open? Ye gods!
"Oh I think you know exactly who I am."
"No name, huh?" I couldn't resist needling him, leaning nonchalantly on the bed post.
"So you know why I'm here?"
Of course I did. I knew from the smell seeping from the closet that he had been here for quite a while, in fact--nearly two months. Heidi never went in the closet after dark, and I wasn't actually concerned. That doesn't mean I was always sure the door was closed before we went to bed. You see, it was always better to be the thing under the bed, with more freedom to come and go as you pleased. Once you're in the closet, you're in there for good unless someone opens the door. Claws are no good with doorknobs.
"I don't much care why you're here, but you can move along. This one's taken." I was careful to not let my gaze waver.
"Yes, and she's nearly eighteen." He strutted stiffly across the room--probably just sore from being locked in the closet for as long as he had.
"Yes, I know." I folded my arms across my chest and spread my wings for effect. I was much bigger than he was.
"I know what's been going on here." He tilted his head and his snout twisted into a maniacal grin.
"I'm not sure what you think you know, but I'm sure you don't." I quickly closed the distance between us and dug my claws into his shoulders, pushing him back into the hangers. "Why don't you make the smart decision and go. Never mention a word of what you've seen and you can go on living."
"I won't be letting you off that easy, Mortimer." He grinned. "This is all coming down. If I can't have her, neither can you."
Something inside me snapped. My claws, no longer under my control, found his neck. The strangled sounds he emitted were horrendous, but only cheered me on. I squeezed harder until every bit of life left his body. He struggled for a brief moment until I heard, no felt, a snapping under my claws and he went limp.
His body collapsed to the floor in a heap and I stumbled back two steps in shock. What had I done? I took the life of another and this was proof that I truly am nothing but a monster. The dead creature on the floor turned to dust, whisked away by a breeze that came from nowhere. Just like that he was gone.
I paced the room trying to figure out what to tell Heidi until I decided that she didn't need to know. But that will be just like lying to her. That wouldn't be good either. I will have to tell her what happened, to come clean and pray that she will still love me.
***
Heidi and her father arrived home that evening when she came in, her scent was positively intoxicating. She smelled of her usual blend of flowers and honey but with a hint of earth. She showered and came in ready for bed, as I agonized over what to say. What worried me more was knowing, with ever-growing urgency, that our time was soon coming to an end.
It wouldn't be long before they came for me when "closet boy" didn't report in. I owed it to her to let her know what was going to happen, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to do it.
She felt my apprehension as we snuggled together that night. "Mortimer, what's bothering you?"
"I had an incident today, but it's fine now," I answered, hoping she'd drop it.
"Did it have something to do with the guy in the closet?"
What could I say to that? I was completely taken aback. "You knew about him?"
"Of course I did. His breathing is louder than the neighbor's souped-up Camaro."
"You knew he was in there and you didn't say anything?"
"I figured you knew." she answered with a sly smile and a knowing look in her eye.
Here was my girl revealing another side to her personality. We had grown up together. Matured together and now here we were no longer a boy and a girl, but a man and woman. My feelings for her had developed and changed from those of a child to those of an adult. Her scent had changed over the years and n
ow she incited feelings in me that I had finally come to terms with. The simple truth of it is that I wanted to be with her in every sense. But there was no way. Not only was it unsafe for her but how could she ever want me that way. I'm grotesque and monstrous, what must she think of my appearance? I've seen the boys she finds attractive, and I'm about as far from that as you can get and still be mostly biped.
"Heidi, we may have solved the problem for now, but in just four months you turn eighteen. Then you go to college. They will come for me, and to keep you safe I will have no choice but to go." My tone was heavy with the grief I felt in my heart. All I have ever known was how to love her.
"Let's not talk about that now." She curled deeper into me.
From that point on the subject was off the table. She would never allow the conversation to head in the direction of the future. Whenever I tried to talk about it she'd say. "Not a problem." I guess she had accepted our fate and was biding her time until we were apart.
Days ticked by like a time-lapse film, the orange and red stained leaves peppering the ground in homage to the power of the winter chill. Halloween was awesome as always--the one day I could be seen out with her. Thanksgiving came and went and Christmas flew by, leaving us standing hand in hand on New Years Eve waiting for the clock to strike twelve--for her to turn eighteen. It was conceivably the last night we had together and she played sick to do me the honor of sharing midnight with me alone.
Her eyes glistened with fear and excitement that only I could see in the dark of the room. I was laden with despair, not wanting to continue my existence without her. Surely I would shed a few tears before the night was out, and I was thankful for the darkness. I would hate to have her last memory of me be the tears running down my snout.
There was no way to interpret her expression, though she seemed joyful. She curled deeper into me and asked how much longer we had.
"Five minutes."
"Are you scared?" she asked in a quivering voice.