Dancing With Monsters (4 page)

I should get out of here. Ben was
obviously mentally disturbed, but at the same time, he knew about
the darkness.

“
What do you know about
the darkness?” I was feeding his madness, but I felt a connection
to him that I’ve never felt with anyone before, almost like he was
a piece of me.

“
Monsters are not
uncivilized beings as humans are taught.” We faced each other.
“It’s the darkness that all fear, monsters just happen to be in
it.”

“
So what is the darkness,
and why does it follow me?” I finally felt I could talk to someone
about it rather than a phycologist trying to tell me it was all in
head.

“
Demons lurk there, and
sometimes they like to play. You my dear,
Beth
, you were bit by a demon. I
could sense it right away in the woods.”

“
Is that why you didn’t
kill me also in the woods?” I asked thinking of the man turned to
bits of floating tissue.

Ben tightened his lips. “I hated to do
that, but he had dipped into…something that humans shouldn’t take.
He would have turned into something worse than a demon—a rabid
demon—that’s one way to describe it. He would have been a killing
machine without feeling pain or remorse on his fellow humans.
Almost a perfect soldier…” Ben’s eyes drifted away from
me.

Suddenly, my arm tingled violently
bringing me to my knees. I pulled up my sleeve to see my tattoo had
new lines extending from it. I gazed down at it in awe.

Ben ran his long fingers over the
delicate, curling, black lines.

“
Your hexmark was designed
to be added on to. This is magnificent.” His chocolate colored eyes
glistened back at me. “Of course, you have no idea what this
means.” He shook his head and pulled me to my feet. “My dear Beth,”
He arched his left eyebrow. “The designer of your hexmark allowed
for it to be added on to. What that means is that you can gain
monster abilities.”

I sat on the sofa before my shaking
knees gave out. What was I doing here? I was in some crazy guy’s
house letting him tell me about crazy things, and I was being drawn
into believing it. My life had never been normal, but that doesn’t
mean I should believe everything Ben was telling me. And now my
tattoo had mysteriously gotten bigger and more intricate. I must be
hallucinating. What kind of oil did he use on my feet?

“
What—why did it do that?”
I asked still trying to believe what just happened.

“
The oil I used, being in
another monster’s presence, or maybe, it was just time for it to
change.” His eyes were gentle, and sincere.

“
This is crazy,” I
whispered, but loud enough Ben could hear it.

“
Your hexmark, if strong
enough,” he said, gently running his fingers over my mark, “can
eliminate the demon that haunts you in the darkness, stares down at
you with glowing eyes, and cools the air around you when in your
presence.” Ben gazed steadily into my eyes. “I know you know what I
say is true. There are too many things that are falling into place
for not only you, but me as well.”

I shook my head. I had to get away—to
reason everything out. “I have to go…have to get out of here,” I
said, standing up as the room spun.

Ben steadied me before I landed face
first into his solid wood end table. “No, the serpent’s oil is
making you dizzy. You aren’t going anywhere.”

I closed my eyes because I couldn’t
focus on anything. Everything twirled like I was on an amusement
ride. Ben placed a pillow under my head and covered me up with a
blanket. I should be freaked out, but I wasn’t. Call it instinct, a
sixth sense, or a gut feeling that I felt with Ben. I knew he
wasn’t going to hurt me and deep down, I felt a
connection.

I opened my eyes to see him staring
curiously back.

“
My name isn’t Beth, its
April, April Snow.”

Ben smiled and leaned forward. “It’s
nice to meet you April Snow.”

I woke to the smell of bacon. It
smelled delicious, and made my stomach ache with hunger. I pushed
myself up to see Ben working feverously in the kitchen. I pushed
the blanket away, and walked over to the bar and sat down. He
didn’t take notice, but instead, shoved a plateful of bacon, hash
browns, eggs, and toast in front of me.

“
I wasn’t sure what you
liked so I made the monster special.” He smiled at his pun on
words. “I’m sure you must be famished.”

“
You must like to cook.” I
took a bite of the scrambled eggs, and raised my eyebrows in
surprise of how good they tasted.

“
Yes, I do like to cook. I
find human cuisine diverse and inspiring.” Ben took one of my
slices of toast. “In fact, the jam I put on your toast, I made from
the raspberries I grow in my garden.” He acted like I should be
impressed.

I nodded my head and put my fork
down.

“
April,” Ben said my name
with a sincerity that I never heard before. “Are you
alright?”

“
What do you think?” I
asked slightly on the sarcastic side. “I ran away from the
institute I was staying at, witnessed a man getting the life sucked
out of him, let a,” I looked at Ben, I couldn’t wrap my mouth
around the word monster, “stranger,” I said instead. “I let him
take me to his house where he fixed my boo-boos, and now I’m eating
a five star breakfast with enough food to feed ten people. Of
course I’m not alright.”

I covered my eyes with my hands and
let out a sigh.

“
So,” he said, after a few
seconds passed. “You think this breakfast is worthy of five
stars?”

I removed my hands from my eyes as he
looked down at his plate.

“
Didn’t you hear me? What
you told me…what happened last night…my tattoo…”

“
I heard you perfectly
clear, and you need to suck it up a little bit.” My mouth dropped
open from shock. “Do you think you’re the only one who had a lot
dumped on them? You’re not the only human to get bit and become a
monster.”

“
Yeah, but,”

Suddenly, a knock pounded on the door
followed by the doorbell. I swung around and peered at the door and
then back at Ben. I looked at him as to what I should
do.

“
I’m sort of expecting
someone, and they won’t care if you’re here or not. Just stay where
you’re at.”

“
Wait,” I said, getting
off the stool. “What if it’s someone from the search
party?”

Ben smiled. “Then I will suck the life
out of them.” His tone had a playful tease to it, but I really
wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not.

I stepped back into the kitchen, half
hiding behind the bar as Ben opened the door.

“
It’s about time you
opened the damn door,” a woman with blonde hair said as she burst
inside. “I think someone, teenagers of all things, followed me from
Iethia. I outran them though.” She pulled from her grey leather
pouch a compact mirror, and flipped it open.

She messed with her shoulder-length
hair as she held the mirror from several different angles before
shutting it.

“
So, do you have it?” She
asked in her quick voice.

Ben smiled at her. “First, I’d like
you to meet a friend I just met last night.”

“
You mean you have someone
here and you didn’t say anything?” She scolded as she followed with
her eyes Ben’s hand that pointed towards me. She sniffed the air.
“She’s a half-baked. What are you doing with her? Are you taking a
pet with you when you go to sanctuary?”

“
No, she isn’t a pet.
She’s the piece that I believe completes my circle. The fates have
given me a present, and I would like you to meet her. Her name is
April Snow.”

She looked like a porcelain doll with
her perfectly wavy blonde hair that looked like it was combed about
a hundred times a day. Her pale skin was flawless and her eyes were
a bright shade of blue, almost like she was wearing
contacts.

“
And this is Yolanda,” Ben
said, motioning towards her.

From her leather purse, Yolanda pulled
out a cigarette and lit it up. “April Snow,” she said, through a
puff of smoke.

I wasn’t sure if she was going to say
anything else or if that was it for her hello. “Nice to meet you,
Yolanda,” I said, with a smile.

“
I bet you don’t even have
to train this one. She’s probably putty in your little monster
hands,” Yolanda chuckled.

I gave Ben a skeptical look, and even
thought of leaving, but I didn’t. Ben knew more about me than I did
myself.

“
So,” Yolanda slid her
eyes over to me and then back at Ben. “Do you have your muffin
recipe for me?” She crossed her arms as swirls of smoke filled the
air.

“
First, let me get you an
ashtray.” Ben tromped into the kitchen. “I did just purchase that
rug, and now it’s ruined,” he said under his breath as he passed
me.

Yolanda took the ashtray and smirked
at Ben. “What are you, Martha Stuart now?” She took a puff of her
cigarette.

Ben glared at her.

“
Look, I don’t have much
time, and I’m sure you don’t either…the muffin recipe.” She
prompted again.

Ben went over to a roll top desk, and
pulled out small metal box. It was about the size of a jewelry box,
but much thinner. Yolanda’s eyes sparkled as Ben handed it to
her.

“
I’m trusting you,
Yolanda, not only with my safety, but a human child as well.” Ben
gazed steadily at her.

“
She’s practically a
monster too, not human.” She put the box safely in her leather
pouch.

“
She’s in limbo, and under
your laws, still human.”

I had about a million questions
running through my head as I listened to their
conversation.

“
If you’re using her as
leverage, don’t. I uphold my word, unlike a lot of my kind that
don’t know the meaning of trust.” She placed her hand on the door
knob. “I’ll be back in a week to get you, and your April
Snow.”

Ben nodded. “Yolanda, I’m trusting
you,” he repeated.

“
I know, and I hold that
trust sacred.” She left with a nod and a quiet click of the
door.

Ben stood by the door for a few
moments letting his hands rest on the richly stained wood
panels.

“
Who—who exactly was that,
and where are we going in a week? And what did she mean by muffin
recipe?”

Ben didn’t answer right away as he
took in a deep breath and slowly released it.

“
It was a special muffin
recipe, that no one should have, and I’m trusting Yolanda for its
safe disposal.” He turned around with slightly glowing
eyes.

“
So, is she a monster, or
something like one?” I could hardly believe I was asking such a
question. If I was back at Sunrise Acres and asked that question,
my nightly pills would probably double.

Ben smiled. “No, she’s not a monster,
or anything like one. Yolanda is an angel.”

Seth

“
Did you smell more than
one angel?” Malachi asked as we made our way through the thick
forest littered with fallen limbs and rotting leaves.

“
Just one, and was a
female. She could have just been passing through and portaled her
way out of Iethia, especially since her scent ended abruptly.” I
looked down at the map. A thin line glowed on the map and showed
where we were at on the hidden trail. It was our only way of
knowing where we were going.

“
How much farther?” Nessa
asked behind me.

“
Not far.” I glanced back
at her not really knowing how far we had to go.

We traveled blindly through the
forest. My uncle made this map secretly a long time ago. It was
designed to only be used by blood relatives, and only the ones he
selected. I was honored when he asked me, and couldn’t decline his
offer.

The darkness was slowly being
dissolved by the sun breaking over the horizon. Beams of orange and
gold lights illuminated what foliage was left on the trees. As we
passed by the massive oaks, a few of their leaves fell around us as
if greeting us. This part of the forest was quiet, and hardly
anyone ever came here since it borders the Wildlands of
Iethia.

“
Those were good,” Malachi
said, eating the last of the bagels.

“
What are you doing?”
Nessa stopped and pointed at the crumpled sack that Malachi
discarded to the ground. “That’s littering.”

“
So,” Malachi said. “I
don’t think there is anyone to give me a ticket out here. And
besides, it’s biodegradable.”

“
That’s not the point.”
She picked up the sack and shoved it into Malachi’s chest. “Dispose
of it when we get to where we are going.”

He burrowed his eyebrows at her, and
then gave her a sly smile. “No, and I don’t have to, half-size,” he
walked past her, bumping into her shoulder.

Nessa turned into a small rabid animal
when you got her mad, that I’ve witnessed her do before.