“I guess the brownies over imbibed too soon, they are going to have serious chocolate hangovers tomorrow. At least we know they won’t be messing with us while we sleep tonight.” Asald shrugged and kept walking.
A shimmer at the corner of Sarah’s vision had her head whipping around, Adam was standing next to a table talking to Silver. She thought it was funny Silver wore the Anubis costume Seraphine had been pushing at him, against his wishes too. Both men were gesturing towards a mummy nearby who looked angrily towards them.
Sarah didn’t want to make the first move, if he was trying to get rid of her she wasn’t going to look like an idiot begging for his attention.
She stood back from the gargoyle group, not really listening to their chatter, her attention focused on Adam and where he was. He was easy to spot, not only because his scars were brighter in the firelight but also because he wasn’t in costume. Not that Sarah was complaining, his jeans were hugging his ass and his black t-shirt accented his muscular shoulders and arms.
When Sarah thought she was going to burst with the need to go to him he finally patted Silver’s back and dragged him to their group. It took Adam a second to find her, being in the middle of five giant gargoyles she was hard to spot.
She was relieved he smiled and waved to her, she prayed that was a good sign. As he got closer he took in her costume, his facial expression getting gloomier by the second. She stayed quiet as the group greeted each other. Finally, his eyes met hers, a tingle ran down her spine.
“You’re not in costume, you don’t like these types of parties?” Sarah licked her suddenly dry lips, waiting for his response.
“I am my costume.” Sarah was taken back by the tenseness in his voice. She didn’t respond, she wasn’t great at riddles and had no idea what he meant. Penny must have sensed her uncomfortableness and came to her rescue.
“I don’t get it, what does that mean?”
“My name is Adam, I’m the monster that was created by Dr. Frankenstein. Brilliant at his work but his cosmetic surgery skills were lacking.” His voice still had an edge to it. “And what are you?” His eyes hadn’t left Sarah’s, she was afraid to respond.
She finally cleared her throat, “I’m a mad scientist, I guess that means I created you?” She chuckled at her attempt at a joke.
“Awkward,” Pascal whispered to the rest of the group.
“That was the worst time in my very long life and you decide to make fun of it?” Sarah could see the fire in his eyes.
Silver grabbed his shoulder, “You sound exactly like Cade did a few minutes ago, weren’t you just telling me that he was being ridiculous?”
“It’s not the same.” He shrugged Silver’s hand off of him, “I have to go.” He nodded goodbye to everyone except Sarah, he didn’t look at her again as he turned and left the room.
Confusion, Irritation, and embarrassment were coursing through Sarah, she didn’t know which emotion was worse. Penny’s arm wrapped around her shoulders and she pulled her close.
“Don’t worry about him, I saw how he looked at you when he first came over. There is something there, give it time. From what I heard he’s been a hermit for years, seeing him interact with you has been a shock to everyone.”
“She’s right, I’ve never seen him with a woman in all the time I’ve known him.” Aristide hoping his words were comforting.
For a minute she stared at Adam’s retreating back, she decided anger was going to win the battle. “You know what, this party is awesome, you guys are amazing. I’m going to forget about that drama for a while and have fun.” Sarah said with steely determination.
Penny squeezed her shoulders, “Good for you, you deserve to let loose. What should we do first, Sebastian said there is an Arachne challenging people to a weaving contest or we can check out the Phoenix.”
“I’m sorry to say I have no weaving skills, I’m not even talented at sewing buttons back on to clothes. Let’s go check out the bird.”
The group moved towards the area where cheers were erupting every few seconds. They got close to the table and found shot glasses were being lined up in front of the Phoenix, it was breathing fire across them, engulfing them in flames. “What can I serve you, we have Flaming B-52’s, Bailey’s Comets, and the crowd favorite Flaming Assholes but I doubt it’s for the flavors as much as the guest maturity level.” The Phoenix coughed, a small puff of smoke blew into their faces. “Excuse me, my throat’s a little dry.” It grabbed a lump of coal from a bag next to it and chewed on it while he waited for them to order.
Sarah had sidestepped till she was almost behind the bird and leaned in close to its back.
“What are you doing?” Penny asked in exasperation.
“How in the hell are they doing this? I can’t see any wires and it’s not a puppet.” Sarah was inches from the bird.
“If he farts you are going to lose an eyebrow, get over here and grab a Flaming Asshole.” Penny held a straw out towards her friend expectantly.
Sarah didn’t want to admit out loud that the idea of sticking her face inches from a glass on fire scared her but she wasn’t going to be the weakling either. She grabbed the straw and sucked as fast as she could. Her taste buds exploded, she recognized Creme de Menthe and a hint of Banana too.
“That’s actually really good, I’ll do another.”
Chapter Seventeen
Sarah couldn’t remember most of what had happened the night before but her throbbing head told her she had a good time. After her third shot, her memory was completely gone. A glance down at her body told her she had made it to her hotel room but that was it, her costume was still on.
A soft knock and her name being whispered were enough to send jabs of pain through her head. Penny came in with toast and a cup of coffee. “When I said to let loose last night, I did not expect the show you put on.” She set the cup and plate on the table next to the bed and sat on the edge, “you aren’t looking very hot, I assume you’re pretty hung over?”
A grunt was all Sarah could muster, her mind still searching for any clue as to what she did last night.
“Why don’t you go shower, I’ll pack your stuff. Asald wants to get on the road as soon as we say goodbye to the guys.” A sinking feeling landed in the pit of Sarah’s stomach. If they were leaving quickly and Adam wasn’t with the guys she wouldn’t get to see him ever again. Even if he was being irrational last night she still had feelings for him and wanted to talk.
She took a few bites of toast before attempting to sit up. The food helped stabilize her enough to be able to talk. “All I remember is something about burning buttholes or something like that. Please tell me you kept an eye on me and I didn’t do anything stupid?”
“First of all, it was flaming assholes not burning buttholes. Second, you had a whole group of gargoyles watching over you. You danced and had a good time, nothing to worry about. There was a vampire eyeing you but Sebastian got rid of him. I guess that’s a perk of having the town Sheriff as a friend. Of course, it was priceless to see Toussaint and Pascal dragging you away from the werewolves. You kept yelling at them, demanding to know which one of them ate granny. When one of the werebears tried to get rid of you-you said something inappropriate about Goldilocks.” Sarah was mortified, she didn’t remember any of this.
Penny grabbed Sarah’s hands and pulled her to a sitting position. “The hot water will do you good, now up you go before Asald starts his countdown.”
“I want to see him try to tell me I have two minutes or he’s leaving me,” Sarah grumbled on her way to the bathroom.
Sarah stood under the water letting it run down her head, she always felt like water had some kind of healing power with her. When she finally felt human again she washed up and got out.
As promised Penny had packed up everything except an outfit and her toiletries, she had to give her friend credit she was efficient.
“If you go any slower Asald may come in here and carry you out.” Penny smiled comfortingly,
“He may be out there, everyone knows we’re leaving.”
Sarah nodded her head then looked down to meticulously study her shoelaces. She didn’t want her best friend seeing the tears welling in her eyes. She knew Adam wasn’t going to be out there and the thought crushed her. When she couldn’t delay any longer she sighed and grabbed her suitcase.
“Okay, let’s do this.”
Chapter Eighteen
Asald stood next to his car, his head was thrown back laughing at something the twins were talking about. She couldn’t hear them but given how exuberantly they were gesturing it must have been a good story.
Sarah was surprised to see Sebastian wasn’t with the group, it was starting to bother her a bit. Aristide grabbed their suitcases and carried them to the trunk. She followed him, trying to get him alone. As she had hoped, Penny went straight to her husband's side.
“Aristide, I was wondering about Sebastian. He doesn’t seem to like us and goes out of his way to avoid us, do you know why?” She saw his shoulders tense.
He glanced around the trunk to make sure no one was listening, “It’s not all of you. He doesn’t like Asald.”
“That’s crazy, there is nothing to dislike about him.” She couldn’t keep the incredulous look off her face.
“Between you and me, it’s jealousy. He thinks Asald is too pretty to be one of us, he wasn’t born into our kind. I say he can shift like us and fly like us so that is good enough for me.”
“If you two are done Sarah needs to say goodbye to us too.” Pascal’s head popped around the trunk.
Sarah’s mind was reeling, Aristide’s words made no sense. This whole weekend made no sense. She was a sane, logical person but this town was getting to her. She was starting to think they had taken their lifestyle too far and they were starting to believe they really were the creatures they were pretending to be.
Aristide shut the trunk and rejoined the group. Sarah was engulfed in large arms, strong enough to crush her but gentle enough it made her want to melt into them. “I’m so glad you came along for the weekend, it was great meeting you. Asald and Penny have already promised to come back soon, you better be with them.” Pascall squeezed her shoulders before Toussaint grabbed her and hugged the air out of her. No matter how crazy this place was she really did like these loveable goofballs.
She tried not to make it obvious she was constantly looking past their group, she couldn’t give up hope that Adam was coming to say goodbye.
Once all the small talk was exhausted they couldn’t put off leaving any longer. She knew everyone was aware of who she was waiting for.
Penny came over and put her arms around her shoulders, “Time to go.” Sarah nodded, resigned she wasn’t going to see Adam again.
Toussaint closed Sarah’s door after she got in. “We can let everyone know it’s safe to come out again, trouble is leaving town.” Pascal doubled over at the look on Sarah’s face. She truly was mortified to not know how out of control she had been the night before.
With a last wave at the guys, they drove through town and back home to reality. Black Hollow was amazing, she couldn’t wait to tell everyone she knew about this amazing place but her heart broke a little knowing she was leaving a piece of herself behind.
Chapter Nineteen
Sarah had been home three days, Alex had run to her, jumping into her arms, a child’s innocent love was enough to soothe any heartache she was suffering. He hadn’t slept in her bed in a long time but she found herself letting him climb in so she wouldn’t be alone in the dark thinking about Adam.
After work on the fourth day, she picked Alex up from after-school care. He was animated and excited to be leaving, they were having dinner at Penny and Asald’s. “Do you think birdman will finally take me flying? Christian has gotten to go a bunch of times, I want to go.”
“I think it’s cute you still call Asald the birdman but we’ve talked about this, people can’t fly.” She smiled down at him as she brushed his hair out of his face.
“Yeah huh, I’ve seen him.” His little eyes grew huge at something behind her. “Mommy look, that man looks like a baseball.”
Sarah turned and found Adam standing a few feet away, she could see why Alex said he looked like a baseball, his scars did match the seams of a ball. She stood silent, in shock that he was actually here in the city. Other people had noticed him too, she was growing angry at their stares.
Adam ignored them, he only had eyes for her, she could see the uncertainty on his face. She wanted to let him keep guessing if she was mad for a few more seconds. He was wrong the night of the party, she hadn’t meant any harm and he had attacked her for no reason.
His eyes slid down to the little boy holding her hand before looking back up at her, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had a son. I should have called but the guys gave me Asald’s address and he told me where to find you.” He glanced down at Alex again, “I’ll go, I’m sorry.”
Her stomach dropped at the idea of him walking away, “Adam wait,” She reached out and grabbed his arm. “Please don’t leave.” Sarah kneeled down next to Alex. “Alex, this is my friend Adam.” The little boy held his hand out, waiting for Adam to shake it like Asald had taught him. Sarah’s chest swelled with pride that he wasn’t scared by Adam’s scars, he was her grown up little man.
Adam kneeled down so he was eye to eye with Alex, he grabbed his hand firmly and shook it, “It is very nice to meet you.”
“Mommy, can Adam come with us to Asald and Penny’s?” He glanced up at Sarah.
“If he would like to have dinner with us he is welcome to.”
Alex glanced back to Adam, “Aunt Penny makes the best macaroni and cheese, do you want to come with us?”
“Well if it’s the best how can I say no?” Adam stood up, “As long as you are okay with it?” He waited for Sarah to nod. “I have my car, I’ll follow you.”
Butterflies danced in her belly, she put Alex in his booster seat and left. This was not how she expected her day to go. She was still in shock he not only left the relative safety of his town but also had been standing in broad daylight in front of strangers all to see her.
“I like him, mommy.”
Sarah glanced at Alex in the rearview mirror, “I do to baby. I do too.”
Chapter Twenty
Sarah sent a quick text to Penny letting her know Adam was in tow and staying for dinner. She got a text back with a GIF of a woman holding her hand across her forehead and passing out. Clearly, Penny was excited.
They pulled in the driveway, Adam stood awkwardly waiting for Sarah to get Alex out of the car. Penny and Asald were on the porch smiling stupidly at them.
Alex ran ahead, leaping through the air into Asald’s arms. “Mommy brought a friend, come meet Adam,” he leaned close to Asald’s ear and whispered, “he is so cool, he looks like a baseball.”
Sarah was mortified.
“I’ve met him, he is pretty cool.” He set Alex down, “Christian is in his room playing, go inside and find him.”
Before Sarah and Adam made it to the porch Penny held up her hand to stop them. “Dinner isn’t ready yet, Sarah why don’t you show Adam the lake out back.”
She spun around and pulled Asald inside with her.
“Well, that was subtle.” Sarah blushed at Adam, “It is pretty out there if you want to see it?”
He nodded and followed her, both quiet for the short walk to the water's edge. At first, neither spoke, they stared into the water contemplating their next words.
Adam broke first, “It didn’t take me long to realize I had been an ass at the party. Every time I think I’m over what happened to me something brings it back up.” He pulled her over to the bench facing the water and sat down. “Asald told me you don’t know about us, I want to see where this is going with you but we can’t move forward until you know the truth.”
Sarah’s face was hot, she knew deep down what he was going to tell her but the logical side of her brain was still f
ighting it.
“I was born in 1790 in Brussels, Belgium. In 1818 there was an accident and I was trampled by my horse. My mother should have let me stay dead but in her grief, she searched for a way to bring me back. She heard about an alchemist in Darmstadt, Germany who had been experimenting with bringing people back from the dead. Against my father’s wishes, she took my body to his castle. He tried his best to put me back together but you can see his sewing skills aren’t the greatest. It took a couple of tries but his experiment worked, I came back to life.” Adam was staring at the water, oblivious to the look of confusion Sarah was giving him, “I don’t remember the first couple of years, I had to be retrained as if born again an infant. Dr. Frankenstein had started calling me Adam in reference to Adam in the Bible, we were both the first of our kind. After my mother died I stayed with the doctor until his death a few years later. It didn’t take long for me to see the biggest fault with what my mother did. I’m not able to age or die.” His voice had turned bitter. Sarah could hear the pain and longing in his voice. “I was so lonely until I found Black Hollow, almost everyone there is immortal like me and accepted me without question.”
Finally, his attention turned back to Sarah, she searched his eyes looking for the truth, “So you are trying to tell me everyone in Black Hollow is the creature they were pretending to be? It’s not all for show?”
Adam nodded, she felt like she was going insane, did he actually expect her to believe that story? Her throat was constricting, she needed space. She stood and started backing towards the house, she could see the hurt in his eyes.
A flapping noise behind her had her spinning around. A creature with giant wings was descending from above the trees. Asald landed in front of her, he didn’t say a word, his body shook as he morphed from a man into a stone gargoyle in front of her.
She wasn’t ashamed to admit doing it, she screamed and took off running for the house. Sarah was on the porch ready to catch her in her arms.
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