Monsters & Fairytales (13 page)

“I understand. How can I help?”

“You’ve done enough.”

I touched his arm gently to let him know I was appreciative of him. I honestly was but I also wanted to touch him again. When his eyes said he was still a bit upset, I let go of him. I felt awful.
             

Leaving him alone, I walked over to the packed boxes and started piling them up next to the garage door. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught him touching the spot on his arm where I had just touched him. What was he doing? He slowly put his arm back down then walked up next to me.
             

Were we going to kiss? Was he coming over to kiss me? I felt it. I could see him taking me and lifting me up to kiss him.

“What are we doing now?” He asked waving his hand in front of my face.

Now we are going to laugh at Mirabelle because she is so full of herself it’s ridiculous.

“Um, right.”
I said fidgeting.

“What are you staring at?” He asked, looking where I had been zoned out to.

“Nothing.
I was thinking. Now we are getting the boxes ready to be put in my car. We’ll move them tomorrow when the movers arrive.”

That worked. My brain was instantly swapped out of that awkward moment and into seriousness. I really hoped that’s how it was going to work. I was still unsure of what day today actually was. If he was making me relive my days, then it would be Monday night. Unless he made Tuesday pass already, then it would mean I was looking onto Wednesday. This was a mess. I needed my cell phone.

“Oh. Oh, Mira, I found this and it didn’t seem like something you wanted packed.”

Sebastian reached into his pocket. I was kind of intrigued they worked. I figured they’d be like a part of him.

“What is it?” I asked walking over.

He opened his hand to show the necklace I had thrown. My heart dropped. It was like someone had knocked the wind out of me.

“I’ll take it.” I whispered.

He placed the jewelry in my hand. T
he part of the charms that were connected, were now broken.
I had two separate necklaces in front of me. A tear fell into my open hand. Sebastian wasn’t saying anything. He was just standing there, watching me. Spike walked over and sat next to Sebastian. They both watched me cry, unsure of how to help.

“It’ll be okay.” He whispered finally.

He put his hand on my shoulder and I threw myself into him. I wished he was his normal self again. He should just stay that way. I was certain that in his natural form I would feel better. Not that his human form was that awkward, but I was tall, and he was only average this way. It really didn’t suit him.

He must have read my thoughts again because the next thing I knew I was completely engulfed in the black beast. I was right. Not only was his velvet skin perfect against my own skin, but I was right against his lower chest where his heart would be. I felt safe.
             

I doubted any part of me was not being touched by him. I felt completely at ease, given the pain in my heart. It was soothing. I couldn’t imagine anything else in my life. I wanted him here forever. I dug my nails into his back and he flinched.

“Sorry.” I said, retracting my claws.

“It’s alright.” He chuckled.

“Thank you.” I whispered.

I took a step back and looked up at him.

“It’s the least I can do.”

He brought his thumb to my chin. I felt my body get weak. He was definitely going to kiss me this time. I wanted him to kiss me this time. It felt right. Our eyes met again and then he changed back to his human self.

“Right, back to what I was doing.” I sighed.

I felt stupid. He was just being a good friend. I hadn’t had one in so long, I was reading too much into it. He’s just a friend. That’s it.
             

I looked at the necklaces in my hand. I knew that I’d wear the one for me, but I wasn’t sure about the one for her. Spike yawned; it was perfect. I clasped it around his neck then let it fall. It fit perfectly. I liked it that way. I smiled and kissed his head. The helicopter blade of a tail started winding up. Shifting my weight away from him, I was still happy to see him like this. Did he know?
             

Romping around, he stopped in front of the back door. He was excited. He wanted to be let outside to run his energy out. Some part of me wished he really did understand what I had just given him, but he was a dog and that was it. He understood emotions, but gifts were just items of the human world, unless they were slathered in bacon.
             

I shooed Sebastian back and slid open the sliding glass door. Spike instantly trotted out. I watched him disappear out of the view of the light. I wanted to call him back, but he would be fine. He’d come running back as soon as he heard his food bowl getting filled, anyway.

“Why, hello there!” I said to Wilson.

The sound of food must have made him come out from his hiding spot. I picked him up and placed him on my shoulder. He wrapped around my neck like a scarf. I wasn’t sure why he hadn’t found his way into his own cage yet. I left it open and full of food for him for a while now. Maybe he had just fallen asleep.
             

With Spike’s bowl down, the dog was there ready to indulge. I knew it. I couldn’t put Wilson back down like that, though, so I walked him over to his cage and placed him in. He scampered to his bowl and started eating, too. My stomach growled watching the two of them eat dinner. I was far too exhausted to make anything for myself. The weight of the day seemed to finally be taking its toll on me. I yawned again and felt myself get dizzy. Blinking, I steadied myself on the bar. What was happening to me?

“I must be getting sleepy.”

I yawned for the third time and stretched my arms up.

“You had a long day.” He agreed.

“Yes, speaking of, what day is today anyway?”

“I do not know your days.” He said.

“I remember going through Tuesday, but then I remember waking up and thinking it was Tuesday after having already gone through it.
Any idea why?”

“I have no idea.”

“Come on Sebastian! You have to remember! Am I the only one going back? Is time actually going back? Or are you just putting that thought into my head to erase yourself?”

“I wish I had the answers.”

He was very sympathetic at least.

“I wish you did, too.”

I fidgeted with my charm. Did I have it Tuesday after talking to Joe? I couldn’t remember that well. Was it blurry because I had relived it so much? No, I did have it. Or did I?

How is this possible that I am a day behind but I remember everything as if it already happened? Did he remember me? Today had to be Monday with just my brain on Tuesday for that to make sense. That was it. I’d find out tomorrow, anyway. If movers showed up, it’d be Wednesday. That was good enough for me.

“Well, I’m going to bed now. You can sleep in that other room, on the futon. It pulls out if you need more room.” I said to Sebastian.

He was an awfully patient person when it mattered. My mind had wandered off so many times and he always just stood there and let it. Maybe he was hoping I was filling in those gaps. Should I tell him what I had come up with? No.

“Thank you.” He said.

“Do you need me to show you how it works?” I asked.

“No. I can figure it out.” He smiled.

“Okay. See you in the morning. C’mon Spike.”

I patted my leg, it was my hurt one. I flinched.

“Are you okay?”

Sebastian reached his hand out.

“Yes, I’m fine.” I was embarrassed.
“Spike!”
I rushed him.

I turned around and saw him sitting next to Sebastian. What was going on?

“Spike?”

I looked at him with a perplexed look, he didn’t budge.

“He likes me, huh?”

Sebastian smiled patting Spike’s head. He had no idea how much it was bothering me.

“Yeah, so it seems.” I said with much disdain. Sebastian didn’t notice. “Well, goodnight.”

“Goodnight. I’ll see you in the morning. And thank you for letting me sleep here.”

He waved to me in a very dorky sort of way. I liked it.

“Anytime.”

I waved back and everything inside of me fell through my stomach. I felt empty. What was I trying to get out of this? I think I wanted a hug. The last time I was in his arms I felt something. I wanted to feel that again. It would help ease the pain. I knew it. He didn’t want me. He let the opportunity pass him by. And now if I did it, I’d just seem desperate. My head was a mess. This night was a nightmare. I just wanted to go to sleep and wake up with a new day.
             

After getting ready for bed, I walked in my room and closed the door. I stood there staring at the air mattress on the floor. It brought make my feelings of abandonment. I was still completely alone. Usually there was a Spike already curled up in the middle of it, but now he was in the other room with Sebastian. Should I sleep with them? Should I ask him to sleep here? Maybe I should just
check on him and he’ll bring it up? No, be strong, you can do this. You have a big day tomorrow. You’re just going to lie down and go to sleep and wake up and everything will be normal again.

Pulling the covers up to my chin, I closed my eyes. The darkness didn’t seem to settle my head much. I couldn’t stop thinking about Joe nor Sebastian. Sebastian had made me forget about him up until now. I was going crazy, I felt it. But there was something about Sebastian, a quality that made him cling to my mind like superglue. Joe was just a mere curiosity. He was something I wanted to overcome just to see if I could. I needed sleep. For all I knew, Joe didn’t even remember me.

I tossed and turned and tried to get comfortable. Maybe this bed was keeping me up? Ugh, who was I kidding? I didn’t want to admit my feelings for either guy. Both were trouble. Joe lived in my building. It would be so awkward to have something with him that didn’t last. We’d always run into each other and make excuses about why it had been so long. Or we’d try to be nice and hate every wasted second together. I couldn’t be that girl to him. I liked being just Mirabelle. And not to mention Sebastian was leaving tomorrow. He wasn’t even a creature from this planet. I laughed. This was all going to be normal tomorrow.
             

That seemed to calm me. The muscles in my cheeks felt funny. I was smiling, still. I reached for my charm and twirled it. I thought of Mom and smiled from my heart. Things were definitely better. I whispered a ‘thank you’ and ‘goodnight’ to her, and then I rolled on my side.
             

My thoughts rushed straight back to Sebastian. They weren’t of feelings this
time,
I only wondered if he had figured out the futon. I honestly hoped he was sleeping okay. Maybe checking in on him and offering more blankets would cure my thoughts? My head was settling with those thoughts alone. I could feel my body giving in to the impending sleep. What a day.
             
 

Okay, enou
g
h of

that
.

((
the
unforeseen is only seen when you need no proof
))

Morning.
I was awake and I wasn’t exactly sure why. My stomach growled. Someone was cooking. What happened last night? Was it all a dream? Was I going to walk out there and see my mom cooking? Spike wasn’t in my room; he had to have been let out already. I reached for my glasses and hit the side of my desk. Nope, still on an air mattress. I wasn’t dreaming at all. It had all been real. Sebastian must be cooking. This should be interesting.
             

I forced myself to stand up. Stretching and yawning, I shook the sleep out of my bones. I looked at the clock and was shocked that it read 8:00 A.M. The test of which day it was would be commencing in 45 minutes. That was when the movers had said they’d be showing up. I needed to hurry up to be able to eat and look presentable in time.
             

I stepped out of the room and the smell of bacon, blueberries, and something sweet swarmed my nostrils. My stomach
turned in a way that made me feel sick. I had been starving myself lately. I should have eaten something before going to bed to avoid feeling this nausea in the morning.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you just yet.” Sebastian said, very sympathetically.