It set my heart thumping, my blood almost electric on its own. “I did it!” I squealed
“You did it,” Grault said behind me, the velvet awe in his voice such a contrast to his usual grit.
I'd been staring at the lights so hard, that when I twisted to look at him, his face was all blurry specks of white. But that was fine. Even if I couldn't see him in detail, there was no way he didn't see my proud grin.
“I did it,” I laughed, holding my cheeks, feeling my own flushed skin. “I really did it!”
Around us, the house moved.
The sensation stunned me, sent my guts to my throat. I didn't have time to properly worry, the guests were slinking into view. Among them was one little creature, his orange skin on fire as he zipped my way. “Farra! Farra! The lights are on!” Vibbs shouted, doing flips in front of my eyes.
I was still kneeling by the plug, it seemed as stable a spot as any. “They are,” I laughed, trying to follow him as he moved so fluidly.
“How? How did you do it?” he asked, then not waiting for an answer, he flew into the center of the room. “Farra did it! She fixed everything!”
“Wait,” I said nervously, eyeing the growing crowd, “not everything—”
“She's perfect! She's just like Tessa!”
“No, wait, I'm not—”
“Farra Farra Farra!”
It was no use. The cry had gone out, I'd amazed them all with what I had done.
Over the buzz of their voices, their cheers and delight, I looked across at Grault. What stunned me the most was that he, too, looked impressed. Someone who certainly had to grasp power and sockets and wires, he knew what I'd done wasn't magic.
And he was still proud.
That meant the most, to see that man who'd been so distant, so annoyed, actually smiling at me like I deserved all the praise.
Yes, I thought to myself, looking around at my guests, soaking in the vibe of their joy. Yes, I think I could get used to this.
Chapter Eleven.
There were a few lamps around the house, some coated in dust so thick I thought they were just naturally painted gray. It was still hard to believe things had deteriorated in such a short time frame.
When I was done, the entry room, the dining room, the kitchen, and even my own bedroom had actual sources of light. This was good, but it also made another problem more clear.
The house was truly filthy.
Between how dirty I was, how sore my body felt, I wanted to just sink into some hot water in peace. My guests, who'd been amazed by me earlier, proved a bit fair-weather when they learned I hadn't prepared anything for dinner.
Telling them all I could make easily was pancakes didn't improve their opinion. Luckily for them, I was feeling too satisfied to let their complaints get to me.
The stove had long burned out. With no wood, I wasn't sure what I could do. “Excuse me,” I said, interrupting the few guests who were still waiting in the dining room. “Where would all the logs be kept?”
A purple, frizzy lump (I would need to start learning everyone's names, I decided) turned my way. “Ah. That'd be out back, down by the lake.”
I nodded slowly. “Don't suppose any of you would like to show me?”
“Erm, that was Grault's job,” the creature said uncomfortably. “He always chopped the wood and carried it inside for Tessa. She never went out to do it, I don't think.”
Staring down at the grime under my nails, I noted how much I needed to wash them. A job that he did, that she didn't? How novel. “Any clue where he ran off to?”
They all shrugged. It would have been funny if I didn't need the information so bad.
“Fine, fine,” I groaned, “I'll go take a look. A warning, if you plan to sit here all night? You'll be waiting till morning for food.” They all managed to look disappointed, so I pointed back at the kitchen. “There's bagels and cookies in the pantry, I'm afraid those will have to do for now. Tomorrow I'll make something much better, to make up for it. Okay?”
The guests nodded begrudgingly. Wondering to myself what the heck I was going to make that could be considered 'much better' than cookies, I ran to find Tessa's lantern.
Part of me hoped I'd run into Grault along the way. It felt weird, thinking of asking him to go do something.
If it's his job, 'wood-cutter' or whatever, where is he? He forgot about doing it, didn't he?
Huffing, I gave up my search. It would have to be me to do it, but I wasn't daunted. I would have done it with him, even, instead of making him do it alone.
His intimidating figure would have been welcome company in the dark backyard. Instead, it ended up being just me, a jacket, and that orange source of light.
The air was cool, welcoming in its briskness. With the light bobbing in front of me, showing me the path, I walked towards where I knew the lake to be. I'd only seen it from a distance before. Being able to investigate it up close had me curious.
It was a long walk, made longer by how carefully I was treading. Looking around, surrounded by nothing but the black shapes of trees, it was easy to think of creepy things hidden away. The natural sounds of wildlife, creaking as if to declare they were alive, sent my hairs on end.
Staring wide-eyed at the things just on the edge of my vision, I missed the pile of wood. A log caught my foot, throwing me roughly to the ground. My shout was weak, the air exploding from my lungs instead.
The lantern clanked as it rolled away. That would have been enough to scare me, but the wet sound of a log tumbling into what could only be the lake turned my bones to jelly. Lifting my head quickly, I saw the ripple. The lantern illuminated the shore only slightly, enough to let me see the wood bobbing like a fishing lure.
Sitting up gingerly, I rubbed my ankle to check for injuries. It burned where I touched, scraped up and swollen. Dammit, did I really just do that?
It was the kind of mistake that, normally, I'd be glad had happened with no one to witness it. But when I tried to stand, I felt the jolt of pain.
“That's not good,” I said to myself. My voice felt out of place in the cold of night. Looking around, I let my eyes adjust to the dark. It was hard to see, but with the vague glow from the stars above, I could make out the glitter of the lake. Then, around me, the pieces of wood. Found the logs, at least.
Clenching my teeth, I tried again to stand. It was a failure, I ended up back on my ass with nothing accomplished. Sitting there on the chilly grass, I felt stupid. It wasn't a feeling I liked. And then she vanished, never to be seen again. It was a bitter thought, but born from humor. I wouldn't seriously consider myself in any danger. I knew I was just a short distance from the house, a window or two was still glowing.
It was all very comforting. It helped so much, that it took me a second to notice the wet splashing sounds by the shore.
But then I could hear nothing else.
With a tenseness in my neck, I turned to stare down at the water. I couldn't see much, but my ears were keen to warn me that I was hearing something. Noises that made my veins throb and my mouth taste like acid.
There was something in the lake. That isn't the log I kicked in. Whatever it was, it was moving around enough to warn me it was climbing free.
My body was locking up, adrenaline pumping but accomplishing very little. I'd thought that when people were in danger, when they knew they were in danger, they were supposed to find the strength to push through pain and flee.
I gave one attempt, but my muscles seemed to be made of milk. The rapid wheezing in my chest was loud enough, it came close to muffling the awful, moist noises.
Something is coming for me! Something is actually coming for me, what the hell is it!? Visions of alligators, as ridiculous as that would be, crept into my head. I couldn't pull my eyes from the shore.
The lantern wasn't too far, but in my state it felt like a mile. Gasping, I dragged myself across the grass towards the fluttering orange glow. It felt welcome in my fingers.
Lifting it
high, I brandished it like a weapon at the lake. A vague shape composed of blackness was crawling free. Crawling towards me.
It was definitely not an alligator. I would have preferred if it was.
It reminded me of soaked cardboard, heavy as it dragged across the sand. The scent of rotting fish hit me, making me gag. That was what finally got me to flee, ignoring the pain so I could pull myself backwards up the grass. I kicked logs as I went, my breathing turning into a panicked shout. “Get away! Get away from me!”
The thing didn't listen, I thought I heard it laugh. A sound like a dying balloon, the faintest of words I couldn't quite discern. It said something to me, a phrase that I felt burrow deep into my subconscious.
A multitude of clawed fingers stretched towards me, glistening in the lantern light.
The wind changed. It brushed my face, kicked my hair around. I would have looked up, but I was staring too hard at the thing that I knew, knew wanted to grab me.
It froze, then began scrambling back into the lake at such a speed. I saw legs, too many legs, reminding me of a centipede crawling away.
Then it was gone.
I was holding the lantern up in spite of the knots in my shoulder. It was the only weapon I had, and when I heard a footstep behind me, I came close to throwing it. “Get away from me! Just get away!”
Grault actually did step backwards, his form hard to recognize in the dark. His voice was a welcome reminder of his existence. “Miss Blooms? What in the hell are you doing?”
Gasping, I looked up at his confused face. With the sprinkle of stars behind his head, his eyes were pits. Quite the feat, but it only served to remind me of the shadowy monster that had come from the lake. “Grault! Oh god, thank you! You—there was a—it was going to...” I didn't finish, I reached out to grab him. I wanted to get off that grassy slope more than anything.
He sensed my fear, his long arms encircling me on the ground. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Speaking was too much. Shivering through my teeth, I buried my face into his skin, not even wondering why he was again bare chested. It didn't matter, the details were nothing. All I wanted, needed, was to feel safe.
He was the only road to that feeling.
“Miss Blooms,” he said anxiously, one palm clasping the back of my skull. “Talk to me, what happened?”
“Get me out of here,” I begged, refusing to open my eyes. I couldn't handle the concept of telling him what had happened until I was far, far away from that location.
All pretense of how cold and distant the two of us behaved together was erased. Grault hoisted me into his arms, cradling me like a child. That should have bothered me, but I didn't care one wit.
Impossibly, we were stepping through the back door of the house. Had I blacked out, gone numb? How could he have moved so fast?
The warmth of the kitchen and its lingering scent of smoke told me where we were. Gently, he set me on the floor. Hugging my knees tight, I watched him busy himself with filling a glass with water from the sink.
His mouth was a brittle line, I could tell he ached to know what had occurred. I appreciated that he waited until I took the water, drinking deeply, before he asked again. “Miss Blooms, what happened? And are you alright?”
Am I alright? I wondered, looking down at my ankle. I could see the dirt, the raw scrapes. It was strange how I'd forgotten about the fall entirely. “Oh. I twisted my ankle, actually.”
“You did?” he asked, bending low to check my leg. With agile fingers, he prodded the swollen, purple flesh. “Does it hurt badly?”
I gave a weak grimace. “Kind of? I feel... a little weird, it's like, I know it's painful but—”
“Shock,” he said more to himself than me. Letting go, he turned those intense black orbs onto my unfocused brown ones. “Miss Blooms, don't move. I need to get a hot cloth and some medicine for you. How did you get injured in the first place?”
How did I... Through a fog, I saw him start to stand. My hand moved, unbidden as it coiled onto his forearm. We were both surprised, but my pressing need was to tell him. Grault needed to know, I needed him to know. “There's something in that lake!”
“Excuse me?”
“In the lake,” I said quickly, eyeing the nearby window as if the creature would appear at any second. “I was getting wood, when I tripped and fell. The lantern went rolling and—oh, god! Tessa's lantern, I almost lost it in the lake!”
Crouching beside me on the floor, Grault didn't look capable of blinking. “You almost lost the lantern?” I covered my mouth tightly. “Miss Blooms, you shouldn't have taken it outside at all. Tessa's lantern is irreplaceable.”
“It's... I didn't know, I'm sorry. It was an accident.” The memory alone made my guts crawl. “It was awful. I couldn't see at first, then I grabbed the lantern. That thing was disgusting, evil! And I just know it was coming for me.” In my mind's eye, I couldn't see Grault. I was faced with that rotting, insidious thing with its multitude of limbs as it slithered my way. Slippery, hungry, whispering death.
“Miss Blooms!” He shook me, rattling my teeth. It brought me back, my attention focusing on him, the warmth of his skin and the concern in his throat. “What was after you, how do you even know it was after you?”
Licking my lips, I hated how they tasted like salt. The sweat of my fear made me ashamed, but it paled next to the roiling foreboding in my belly. How do I know it was after me? I didn't want to think about it anymore.
In my memory, that nightmare I'd lived, I recalled the sounds the creature made. It hadn't been just noise. It had been a single word.
A word that rolled off my tongue like a curse.
“Tessa. It was saying Tessa.” Blinking, I stared at Grault with mounting fear. “It thought I was her.” I was going to be sick. “It wanted me.”
He pulled away, too fast for me to catch him.
“Don't leave,” I begged, not caring how pathetic I sounded.
“I'm only getting you a warm compress for that ankle,” he said softly. Turning in place, he reached for the stove.
I slumped back against the wall. “No good. That's why I went down by the lake in the first place.”
He shut the grated door hard enough that it made me twitch. “Of course. Let me just—I'll need to go back there and get some wood.”
“No!” I snapped, ignoring the pain so I could reach for him again. He had no coat to snag, so I went for his trouser pocket. “You can't, Grault! That thing out there is dangerous!”
“Shh,” he sighed, pulling my clawed fingers off of him. He was too strong, he didn't even have to work to remove me. “Miss Blooms, I'm trying to help.”
“You can help by staying here,” I pleaded. “Please, Grault, you don't get it! That monster, whatever it is, was so frightening. It was going to kill me, I just know it was, and if you go, I...”
Perhaps my words had gotten through to him. He knelt down, taking up my fingers. I noticed how small they looked, like tiny birds he'd captured in one swoop. “Fine. I won't go, but you still need medicine for this injury. There's some in the pantry, I'll get it for you. Okay?”
My nod was tiny. “Okay. I'll be okay.” Even so, my heart skipped when he vanished out of sight. It was good that he wasn't gone long, I didn't think I could handle it.
He took my glass, refilling it before offering me two tiny pills. “Take these, they might make you sleepy.”
Laughing cynically, I downed them in a single gulp. “I don't know if I'll ever sleep again.”
Grault sat beside me, leaning on the wall. He blocked my vision of the window, making me wonder if it was on purpose. “That will help with the pain. Tomorrow, if it looks bad, we'll call on the doctor.”
“Dirk,” I said, looking down into my glass. “His name is Dirk. Two days on the job, and I already need a doctor.” I slid my eyes up towards my companion. “You should have warned me that this was a dangerous position.”
His frown made grooves beside his mouth. “It wa
s never supposed to be dangerous. My job is to keep this place, you, safe from anything remotely harmful.”
“Ah,” I sighed, “so that's your actual job. I was wondering what you did here, seeing as apparently Tessa used to do everything on her own.” He looked away, thick neck muscles flexing. It reminded me that he was shirtless, my eyes running up and down. “Here's a question, why were you outside like... like that?”
When he moved to watch me, I was the one to turn away. “Forgive me, I'd go get my coat but you don't want me to leave.”
“Right,” I agreed, “I don't. But you can still tell me what you were doing.”
“Ironically,” he mumbled, sourness seeping in fast, “I was patrolling the grounds to check for any trouble.”
Patrolling with no shirt, hunting for danger. Truly the bravest life guard. There was even water involved! My laugh was sharp as an iron nail. Grinning in disbelief, I twisted back to see his confusion. “Sorry, it's kind of funny.” I chose not to expand on my private imaginations.
Grault looked disgruntled, muting my amazement. Reaching out, I gave his smooth shoulder a light pat. “I wasn't trying to be mean. You did save me, you realize, right?” My smile didn't last, thinking about the lake was sobering. “It was coming for me, until you showed up. Then it just... ran back into the lake.” All those legs. The nape of my neck rippled. “Grault, do you know what it was? Did you know that it was even in there?”
The back of his head knocked on the wall, the tremor rolling through me. He'd closed his eyes, white lashes vanishing on his light skin. “I didn't. But...”
“But?”
Breathing through his nose, he cracked open one eye to watch me. “Tessa always seemed wary of the lake. She sent me to chop the wood, to carry it in. It was the only chore she ever asked of me.”
Despite the cryptic revelation, I muffled a yawn. “Sorry,” I said, blushing red hot. “I think the medicine is working. But, listen, if there was—is—something in that lake that wanted to harm Tessa, it makes sense she'd leave you to it. But why would she never tell you about it?”
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