“Suzette!”
The beast’s head turned to the voice.
“Suzette, I’m coming!”
With curiosity, the monster took a few staggering steps closer to the water, looking upriver toward the man’s voice. Abraham shrunk back, closer to the tree on which he leaned, but followed the creature with his weapon. The monster lost its interest and turned back toward the trees.
Suddenly, a small sound came up from the river—a sound only Abraham seemed to hear. A gasp—female.
Abraham’s eyes tugged away from the creature and trailed to the water upriver where a head bobbed up from the surface and fell back down again. An angst built up inside of him at the sight. He glanced over at the monster who stood at the edge of the river, then he looked to the water, and back again. He wanted to rush into the river and pull out the drowning woman. But If that thing hears me… He didn’t even want to finish the thought. It killed him to know he may lose the monster again. But it was either lose it or potentially let the woman succumb to the raging waters.
With a sigh, Abraham slung his crossbow over his shoulder and started over to the water, crouching low. He saw a fallen tree hovering just over the water’s surface and made his way to it.
A dainty hand popped out of the water and grabbed hold of one of the fallen log’s branches. The woman sputtered for a breath as her head found the surface. Her other hand came up and gripped onto the trunk, struggling to get a good grip.
Abraham stopped in his tracks and watched, surprised. Any normal person would be lucky if they could at least grab onto the branch. But to fight against such a strong current and start up the trunk? He crouched lower and took a step back, watching as the woman pulled herself all the way up until she straddled the tree, fighting to breathe against the veil of wet hair that plastered to her face. Then she shimmied across the rest of the way until she got to flat ground.
Abraham’s desire to help suffocated under the caution that began to nag at him. Who is this?
—
Suzette flattened herself out on the forest floor and took in a few deep breaths, enjoying the fresh oxygen that revived her aching lungs. Her skin prickled as her soaked body tried to fight off the iciness of the river, only to be met with a cold rain that wouldn’t cease. It was nothing in comparison, but it made it more difficult to relax. After a minute, her breath evened. She sat up in the dark, only able to make out the sky, the river slightly below her, and the general shape of the wooded area around her.
“Suzette!”
The sound of Dante’s voice in the distance demanded her attention, but she remained motionless. His words sounded so distraught—and rightfully so, but all she could think of was the look on his face before she fell in…
It made her shiver. His expression had said it all. How could he ever think I was actually trying to jump? She felt hurt by the assumption. Even angry. Did he really see her so desperately torn and so ignorantly reckless that she’d actually jump? How dare he. Did he even know me at all?
While the negative emotions toward Dante brewed inside of her, she couldn’t help but feel such happiness and relief that she made it out of that river alive. There was no way pre-chemical Suzette would have gotten out of those waters. It would’ve been a miracle if anyone could. The event left her almost in awe.
But even through her gratefulness, she sat there in agony. How can my life have changed so drastically in just a short period of time? How could it have gone down the drain so quickly? She always knew her life would change and there was a reason for it all, but that had been easy to say when it was just about her new abilities. It had even been an exciting thought. That was, until her instinct failed her on the bridge. But that couldn’t have been right; it had worked to pull her out of the surging current. Were her powers subjective, now? And to whom? Of course, Suzette immediately knew the answer. So, why did God take her power away in the moment? Perhaps I was supposed to fall in. The thought was harrowing. Her life had been permanently changed. Now, everything was topsy-turvy and she couldn’t even begin to imagine why. Why is this happening, God? Why this way? She waited for an answer, but only the chattering of her teeth echoed inside her ears.
With a whirlwind of different emotions swirling inside of her, she couldn’t bear to dwell on them. So, for the first time in her life, she took a lesson from Dante and cast them off, choosing instead to feel nothing. She sat there, staring out at the water, letting Dante’s faint shouts echo inside of her hollow form.
Well, here I am, God, she thought rancorously. What surprise do You have in store for me this time?
A horrid, rotting smell awakened Suzette’s from her bitter jabs toward Heaven. Something stirred behind her. Ragged breathing reached her ears, too loud to ignore. Her body tensed, but some inexplicable instinct within her kept her soothed and numb. Cautiously, she glanced back and froze.
Two glowing blue eyes stared down at her.
Suzette’s heart pounded like a jackhammer in her chest, but a still, small voice told her to remain at calm. The figure in front of her didn’t move for what felt like minutes. Finally, it began walking, crunching leaves and twigs under its feet as it made its way around and stood square in front of her, falling still again.
The longer Suzette stared, the more she wondered if it was real. She tried to place it as an animal, but what large beast did she know of with glowing blue eyes? She blinked against the rain and tried again, only to find them still hovering there.
A thud sounded off in front of her, followed by the two bright blue orbs lowering closer to her level. It took everything within her to suppress a flinch, managing a small shiver instead. The rancid smell of its breath made her want to gag and get away, but she didn’t dare move an inch.
A low rumble came out of the mystery creature in front of her, far too deep to be human. But the moan turned into a hiss. It paused for a moment and took a few deep breaths. “Sssssssuzeeeeeeeette.”
A tremor shot down her spine.
It’s okay—it’s okay. A sense of ease rushed within her far too easily to be of her own doing. She stared at the floating lights in front of her, not sure what to think.
Was she crazy?
Was it a human?
Did she mishear?
As if answering her thoughts, it tried again: “Sssssssssuuuuuu—…” It inhaled. “—zzzzeeeeeeette.”
She gulped, feeling her throat loosen. “Yes?” It came out much smoother than she had expected. Something must have been different here. Something safe, like when she spoke to the man in the trench coat the night Dante disappeared.
The monster made a grumbling sound, like it was trying to form another sentence.
Lightning illuminated the night for the briefest of moments. A huge, deformed, zombie-like being hunched over in front of Suzette, looking more like a horror movie creation than something of this world. As soon as it was there, it was gone again, concealed by the darkness, though its eerie eyes remained fixed on her.
She shuffled backward and scrambled up on her feet, turning and darting into the trees in one smooth motion. What was that?! she asked herself. Everything within her wanted to scream that it wasn’t real—that her mind had played a trick on her. But she wasn’t going to stay to find out.
—
Abraham watched the girl as she sat next to the river. As soon as she pressed back her hair, he recognized her in an instant, making him all the more suspicious of her impossible feat. The man in the distance called what must have been her name over and over again. Yet, she sat there so emotionless, so detached from reality. Abraham had seen that blank look before. He used to be surrounded by it. His thoughts turned to dark places.
No, stop. You don’t know why she’s sitting there like her life wasn’t just in danger a minute ago, he scolded himself. You don’t know why she’s blatantly ignoring the guy calling her name. He pressed closer as the monster stopped behind her. Quiet, he lifted his crossbow.
The girl glanced back at t
he creature. The two stared at each other, unmoving.
Abraham paused, lowering his weapon once more, his curiosity driving him. Can she see it?
As the words finished in his mind, the monster walked around the girl and stood in front of her. The girl’s eyes followed it, still void of any signs of life.
After another long pause, the beast crouched down on its haunches and leaned a little closer to her. “Sssssssuzeeeeeeeette.”
Abraham sneered as the girl barely moved at her name, almost as if it were nothing.
“Sssssssssuuuuuu-…-zzzzeeeeeeette.”
“Yes?”
The calmness in her voice sickened Abraham. She knows that thing? Abraham had seen creatures like the one in front of him too many times before. He knew the beast wasn’t human. He also knew only one type of person who had personal relations with monsters like that. Is she from the Order? The possibility made his skin crawl. If she was with the Order, how could she have slipped under his radar so easily? The more he thought about it, the more it all began to click. Emotional numbness, miraculous events, and association with other-worldly monsters all pointed back to the Order.
He questioned the coincidence of their multiple run-ins. Maybe the encounter in the woods hadn’t been him trying to protect an innocent woman walking into the monster’s path. Maybe it had been her keeping him away from the monster, distracting him so Dorian could step in and take Abraham by surprise. That’s the only way some inexperienced loser like Dorian Gray could ever get the jump on me…
A rage built up inside of Abraham. The monster could wait. A freshly-plucked agent from the Order would be of greater value than a grumbling beast. Easier to make squeal about future plans, too. He got up from his spot in the mud and started over toward her.
A crack of lightning set the whole world around him disappearing into a painful flash of white. He cringed and stumbled back, rubbing his eyes. When he opened them, the girl was gone and the creature stared out into the woods. He followed its gaze and found her small form bobbing and weaving through the trees.
Gritting his teeth, he sprinted after her.
—
Suzette slowed, unable to hear anything behind her. She could hardly see anything in front of her, but her ability seemed to know where her feet should step and what branches her hands should brush away. Her mind started to settle the more she slowed. It had to have been in my head. There’s no way. She felt relieved by the fact that she was okay once again. Now, it was just a matter of figuring out what to do next.
A large hand gripped onto her elbow from behind, jerking her to a stop. She grabbed her throbbing head with her free hand to steady herself, but the intruder spun her around and bore down with a hand on each arm.
She tried to make out her attacker but could hardly see anything but a shape in the dark. “Let go!” She fought against the iron grip, but they only gripped tighter. Her heartbeat picked back up.
“What do you know about the experiment?” a deep male voice demanded.
Her eyes tried to find where to focus. “Experiment?” she repeated, exasperated.
“Yes!”
“What experiment?”
A low growl escaped him. “Don’t play dumb with me.”
Her brows furrowed and she searched for some sort of answer he’d want. She thought of the morning newspaper: the only reference to an experiment that she knew of. “Y-you mean with Henry Jekyll and—”
“Yes—yes!” he barked, shaking her a bit. “And the creation! Tell me what you know!”
Suzette was all astonishment. “Creation?”
“Yes—the one you were just talking to!”
She gulped, wondering if he was referencing the thing she had seen as the lightning flashed. Was that real?
“Talk!”
“Wait.” She paused, his brusque voice lined with traces of something familiar—something even calming. “Are you the weirdo from the woods?”
He shook her slightly and she could feel his breath draw closer. “Tell me,” he ordered through his teeth.
She remained motionless for a moment, confused by his presence. Then she couldn’t help but let out a shaky breath, relieved. There he stood again, big, scary, and intimidating, even in the dark. But all Suzette could see was a man in some sort of pain; she sensed it all over again. And she couldn’t help but feel safe and secure around him, belying the image he tried so desperately to project. She knew it had to be just her who saw this duplicity in character; no one would look at the guy twice and think of him as “good.” She knew then and there that it had to be her power that somehow allowed her to see that.
As if sensing her calm, he released her. “You don’t want to disappoint me.” The annoyance was clear in his tone. “Talk, or I’ll make you.”
She grinned at the dark figure in front of her and crossed her arms. “I’m sure you know more than I do, Hercules.”
Suddenly, her body reeled back. She blinked, baffled, and tried to straighten again, but she reeled back twice more.
The man growled. “If you don’t hold still—!”
She jumped backward and darted away. Her body carried her through the woods like a machine on autopilot, but her mind still struggled to catch up. She could still hardly see but knew her powers would guide her. Every now and then, she ducked and bolted in another direction, and she knew deep within her that it wasn’t a branch she was avoiding. It seemed like she ran for forever.
Why is he trying to hurt me? she wondered. What did I do? She almost felt offended at the thought, just feeling moments before that the man was safe. Yet, while she could feel him trailing behind her, she still sensed that goodness, even while the rest of her screamed to run for her life.
After a while, a moving light shining through the trees up ahead caught her attention. She picked her legs up higher and booked it as fast as she could as the break in the woods came into view. She burst through, her feet meeting asphalt.
A horn blared and tires screeched, but Suzette slid across the hood of the stopping car and landed safely on the other side of the road before bounding forward again.
“Suzette!”
She came to a halt and glanced back, the voice much too sweet to belong to the man chasing her.
Lady Augustine had the backseat window rolled down and the interior light on, illuminating both her and her driver. She stared out at Suzette in bewilderment. “What on earth are you doing, child?”
Suzette bounced up on her tiptoes and surveyed the woods she’d just escaped from, finding it empty. But she would take no chances. Without a word, she hurried over to the car and tugged open the door. Lady Augustine let out a sound of surprise as Suzette scrambled across her into the empty seat. “Drive—quick!”
Callie peered back at her from the driver’s seat and hurriedly turned her attention back to the road, where she took off.
Suzette’s body shook with exhaustion and she kept quiet. Even as the car drove off on the dark back road, she could feel the man’s presence, like he still watched her somehow.
Lady Augustine’s frail hand fell on her leg. “Dear, what’s going on? Are you alright?”
Try as Suzette may, the words couldn’t form. Instead, she shook her head and looked in the elder’s soft eyes, hoping to form a coherent thought. Her poor family would be devastated if they thought she’d tried to killed herself. She couldn’t bear the thought of bringing them that kind of pain. And Dante would probably forever bear a guilty conscience. Yet, while the simple answer was to go to them and tell them the mistake, something within her felt the release of the potential of a greater tragedy. She didn’t know what to do, and it tore her up. As she opened her mouth to speak, a sob escaped instead. Tears forced their way up and over the brims of her eyes. She collapsed into Lady Augustine’s lap.
—
The warmth of the crackling fireplace couldn’t seem to soak into Suzette’s skin. She felt a coldness on the inside that nothing could fix. The blanket wrapped around her l
eft no comfort. Her legs tucked in close to her body made her feel less likely to crumble. She stared into the fire, hoping to absorb the heat and revive herself.
What do you want me to do, God?
Over and over, she asked herself the same question, staring into the flames as she waited for an answer. To her dismay, all seemed quiet. The only other sound was the low hum of the TV as Lady Augustine watched the news.
A small cough caught her attention.
The littlest, youngest maid stood in front of her, holding a cup with steam rolling off the top. Mel’s orangey hair was tucked into a neat little bun while her bangs fell just above her big, melancholy, doe eyes. She wasn’t much older than Suzette, but her somber demeanor made her seem ancient. Mel knelt down and offered the cup. “It’s been a few hours, Miss Suzette. You seemed cold still, so I made you some tea. Thought it may help.”
Suzette forced her arm up and took the cup but let it rest in her lap.
Mel watched Suzette steadily. “I’m so sorry. I know this is all a strange occurrence, but I’m glad you have a moment to sit and process it all.”
What could be said to that? Not even a “thank you” seemed doable. Suzette nodded and made herself take a sip of the drink before returning her attention to the fire, though Mel still remained.
“There you are, Suzette,” Callie said from the couch beside Lady Augustine. “Not much said, but you’re there all the same: ‘Girl falls. Not recovered. Expected dead. More to come later.’”
Suzette’s heart fell. She couldn’t imagine the torment her family felt, knowing they had wanted so badly for her to stay safe, detached from all things Stein-related. Now she was suspected dead due to the depravity of anything Stein-related. Had Dante spoken to them already? Did he even have the guts to? Did he tell them that she’d killed herself? They wouldn’t believe it. Not for a moment.
“What are you thinking?”
Blind World (The Onyx Fox Saga Book 1) Page 23