When I awaken all I can see is the sky, and that beautiful sun. Turning my head side to side I see that I’m laying on the roof of the tallest building in the city. I have no idea where I am in relation to the tavern, and based on the sun I’ve been here for a few hours.
‘That’s the worst panic attack I’ve had in a long long time. Bit over dramatic there Lexi since it didn’t restrict you that much, I really can’t deal with… control. I can’t keep losing my cool like this. I need to get that book back…’
Touching my neck I find it fully healed, pulling my knife out to check the reflection I find the markings also fully intact. If only it were that easy.
Not wanting to let the moment in the sun go. I was content to simply let my mind wander, laying there curled into a ball hugging my bundled up cloak, basking in the warmth.
‘I wonder why there are humans here too?’
…
‘Are there humans everywhere? Or just here and Earth? Is it a common evolutionary end point? Parallel universe? No doubt somethings up.’
…
‘Those moons are so big that it makes it feel like this planet is a moon too, haven’t had the time to study the sky lately.’
‘I need to find a map’
‘Why do people here call me a fox?’
‘Not the good kind either… Ha.’
‘Can I have a friend now that I’m no longer under Fathers thumb?’
‘It’s your fault your mother’s dead.’ Unbidden, the sound of my Fathers cold voice enters my head, cutting off my revelry.
The sun no longer feels warm.
“Father isn’t here anymore? Ha! You’re so fucking naive you stupid little girl.”
With a half growl half groan I roll off my temporary sanctuary with my eyes still closed, letting instinct decide when I should catch myself, if at all.
After a what feels like long enough, I reach my hand out and grab a ledge I’m falling past. Hearing bone cracking and ligaments tearing as my descent is slowed enough for me to catch another ledge with my other hand. Just simply hanging there afterwards trying to heal the hurt.
Opening my eyes and looking down, I find myself about four feet from the ground.
“Closer to the bottom each time.”
Finally letting go, I drop the last few feet to the ground in a haze.
‘Might as well go find out what the note leaver wants to talk about. ‘
The streets are a blur. The people blending together. Occasionally I hear shocked gasps and screams, with the occasional exclamation about a fox as I meander here and there from dark alleys to wide open streets only vaguely aware of what direction I’m going. Intermittently doubling back and scaling walls to avoid people following me.
Eventually I find myself in front of a very wide two story building with a sign out front identifying it as the Carine Inn. Startled focus comes back to my vision.
‘Did I ask for directions? I don’t know… doesn’t matter, I’m here now.’
Walking in finds me in a lobby that is much smaller than the size of the building would suggest, room only for a few seats and the front desk with branching paths and stairs leading to other areas behind it. My observations are interrupted by several strangled gasping noises. Looking around I see a few people wearing modern items like wrist watches and cheap looking jewelry in the seats trying to make themselves smaller and avoiding eye contact. The receptionist is gawking at me.
Whats with this reaction? It’s almost as if… looking down I realize I left all my stuff besides the ring and money pouch on top of the building, even the cloak I’ve been using to cover my shredded clothing. I’ve been wandering through town exposing my tail and ears and… a lot more to anybody with eyes.
‘Damn, whatever… I… I don’t care. Deep breaths. Don’t lose it five times in one day Lexi.’
Closing my eyes and sighing in exasperation I point at one of the people in the lobby and tell him to give me his robe. He snaps to attention practically leaping off of his seat to hand it to me without a word, still avoiding looking at me.
Good.
“It would probably be a good idea for you to clear out and leave the area.” I mutter.
I just brought a lot of unwanted attention on myself. With that everybody but the receptionist sprints out of the lobby all trying to be first.
After they leave, I walk up to the receptionist flashing my winningest smile, which causes her to blanch.
‘Lady, they’re just teeth, sure some of them are… sharp. Maybe I should just go live with some monsters, they all think I am anyway.’
With my smile fading away I continue.
“I’m not going to hurt you” Shaking my head I say with a sigh “How many times have I had to say that?”
“Anyway, I was told to ask for ‘ice with beer’, and I would be led to a private room to meet with someone, so… if we could get on with it without you pissing yourself. Please?”
Mouth opening and closing like a fish, she eventually smacks her cheeks with both hands. With her hands near her face I notice an earing with that weird script on it that somewhat matches the ring I’m wearing.
‘So she’s somewhat important...’
“S- sure… um… if you would follow me. I- I’ll show you to the room.”
With that she starts to head left, twitches, then turns to the right hand staircase and takes me to the twelfth room down the hall towards the back of the building.
Opening the door reveals a plain open room without many appointments besides a table with two chairs to the right, both empty.
“Um, would you like something while you wait? Something to eat or drink?”
“Alcohol, lots of it, don’t care what it is other than strong.”
‘I don’t want to remember today. Sorry mom.’
Nodding her head she quickly leaves the room closing the door behind her.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
‘I wonder how long this will take. Won’t be too long before the cavalry arrives with all the noise I made today. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.’
Taking a seat I wrap my tail around my waist and start running my fingers through the fur, untangling a few knots that had developed from this morning.
‘Whose blood is this?’
Turning off my brain I sit there staring out the window, I don’t want anymore unnecessary thoughts finding their way forward.
---------
Jess steadied her heartbeat and breathing as she stood in the lobby worriedly chewing on her thumbnail. Having run over when she heard about EVE wandering through town causing an uproar about a ‘fox’ being loose in the city, and then receiving the message from the inns receptionist about her being at the meeting spot had left her frazzled and wracked with indecision.
‘She’s acting completely out of character from everything I’d heard about her. She’s apparently so careful. I don’t know if this is going to work.’
A few of the group got nervous enough when they heard about her behavior that they all accompanied me over, assembling near the building. Siraceal who had the most experience with her, having lived in the county her father ruled in, went pale and vehemently denied even coming along.
‘I hope he doesn’t do something stupid while we’re gone… he’s already tried to assassinate her once. Well I can use my armor if needed.’
Finally I make up my mind. We need her, this last refuge of humanity and therefore our last refuge can collapse at any moment. I only hope I can convince her.
Entering the room I’m greeted by the sight of a morose EVE sitting in a chair with a robe draped over the back of it. Slouching in her seat running her hands through a tail that is such an unnatural red it looks like blood would drip off of it at any moment. Ears flat against her head, eyes unfocused with a despondent look on her face as she stared out the window.
She looks slightly better than when we were first brought here, but she’s so thin.
Silently sitting down across from her eyeing the tail, I simply sat and watched her brush it until she acknowledged me.
“How many in your group outside have connections?” Sounding exhausted, and still not looking at me with one ear perking up and angling towards me to show she was listening.
“Seven.” Continuing on “I know saying it to you doesn’t mean much, but I want you to know that this isn’t a trap. They simply accompanied -”
“Because they don’t trust me?” Finally looking over at me with challenge in her eyes, daring me to look away, she asks “Do you trust me?”
Maintaining the stare for a few uncomfortable moments as my gaze finally breaks.
Suddenly laughing with a loud “Ha!!” she turns back to the window.
‘Has she finally lost it?’
“Of course you don’t, it would be stupid if you did, we’ve never met before! I’m not offended, so if you’re worried about that, you can relax. You’re making creaking sounds like a sheet of ice that’s about to crack.”
“Well you have built a bit of a reputation from our time on Earth, and I’m not about to crack.”
‘A little too much emotion in my voice. Dammit.’
“Yes yes, a reputation my Father earned me, you can be assured I’m in control here.” Her finger pointing straight down coming in contact with the table top.
As my eyes follow her finger I feel a light pressure on my throat, and I notice her other arm reaching across the table with one finger extended to gently poke me like she’s feeling for a pulse.
‘When the shit?!’
Propping her head up on her free hand with her eyes looking through me she continued on.
“You offered information. I’m just going to make sure your being honest, quick simple replies are best. Nod if you understand.”
After nodding my head she starts firing questions at me not giving any room to think.
“What color is my hair?”
“Red.”
“How old are you?”
“22.”
“What is your power?”
“… “
“Quickly!”
“Ice.”
“Creation or control?”
“… both.”
‘Doesn’t creation imply-’
“What country were you born in?”
“Former USA.”
“How do you know Polish?”
“Grandma.”
“How do you know I know Polish?”
“Didn’t, you had the ring.”
“Terrible lie. Answer the question.”
‘Shit shit shit, I have no time to think.’
“One of the people in our group knows you.”
“Personally?”
“No.”
“Lie. Lived in my country?”
“Yes.“
“How many books are in this room?”
“I don’t know.”
“Lie. Answer.”
“Three.”
“Why do people call me a fox?”
“Attractive.”
The smile disappears as quickly as it appeared.
“Thanks. Answer the question.”
‘That didn’t work.’
“The ears and tail match a species of beast humans known for mass killings.”
“Familiar. Not the eyes?”
“Don’t know.”
“Color of your hair?”
“Brown.”
“Virgin?”
“What?!”
Her lips quiver trying to hide a smile.
‘Payback I gue-’
“Why was the group brought to this world?”
“Incidental, not on purpose.”
“Do you chew your fingernails?”
“… Not… all the time.”
“How many are in your specific group?”
“15.”
“Why do you want me in your group?”
“Humans won’t last much longer.”
“Playing hero again?”
Instead of answering I glare at her, but it looks like that was the answer she wanted anyway, continuing on without skipping a beat.
“Why were you the go between?”
“… “
“Quickly! Give me the full answer.”
“Atlas thought you would respond better to a woman, and I volunteered.”
The sound of worry was starting to bleed into my words.
“A woman huh? You volunteered… how positively manipulative.” Sounding almost like she’s purring.
With that she ran her finger gently up my neck across the side of my jaw to my chin and with a light flick of her finger, removed her hand to support the other side of her head. Leaning forward on her hands like we were secretly gossiping.
Goosebumps
‘What the hell was… all of that. Did she just one-sidedly play twenty questions?’
“That was a lot of fun, and I think we can both relax now. You held up your side of the bargain, now what is my side… other than joining in your hero shenanigans? Because I’m afraid your group sent you here to fail, if that’s all you’re here for.” Eyes and ears pointed straight at me with incredible intensity.
“What do you mean they sent me here to fail?” More worry in my voice.
“Oh, come on Jessica, it’s criminal to be that naive.” With a loud snap of her finger she continued on with a smile and she starts rapidly counting off on her fingers listing my failures “You know nothing about me, if you did, you would know you’re chasing geese. You came in through the door slightly sweating like you sprinted here the moment you heard about me having an episode, likely without a plan, not even one your group provided. This isn’t me praising myself, but that is an incredibly dumb thing to do when I’m not in control. You didn’t ask the receptionist what I’d been doing since I got here, if you had you would have known I am currently drunk off my ass-”
“Wait wait, slow down, you know my name? You’re drunk? There’s no bottles-”
“You’re focusing on the wrong things, I’ve been throwing the bottles out the window onto the roof of that building.” Her finger pointing to the building across the street. “You can’t rely on things that are immediately obvious.”
“Also, who keeps track of how many books are in a room?”
‘She’s berating me worse than my parents ever did.’
“I like books okay?! I’m focusing on the wrong things, so- so what are the right things?”
The smile on her face gets bigger.
“At least you’re not too indignant to ask questions. I’m not going to start with myself because I did say we can both relax. I know your name because I asked the jumpy receptionist questions, like you should have. Indicator two that you’re just supposed to distract me is that nobody gathered near the window or in the hall. Where are they gathered?”
“… In a perimeter… across the street.”
‘They dumped me to the wolves?’
“What about Atlas? Is he even nearby?”
“No, he went-”
Suddenly her ear twitches towards the door while looking disappointed.
“Looks like our fun is over. Two last pieces of advice for the road. Nobody is going to look out for you better than you, so you better get in the habit of verifying everything. Additionally don’t be so trusting. You just told me, willingly I might add, a lot of information about how your group is situated.”
My brain grinds to a halt.
“What? That wasn’t willingly, you had your hand on my neck!”
“You’re focusing on the wrong things again.”
Sliding the table out of the way with ease, EVE quickly stands up closing the gap between us, making me jump backwards.
Knocking my chair out of the way and covering myself with as much ice armor as I can, I bring my hands up to defend myself. Seeing that, she halts in front of me with a smile.
“What are you doing?”
“Now you’re not so trusting. Good. I am genuinely sorry you were sent here under false pretenses, but you need to leave inconspicuously, and given that I want you to live, I hope you can catch yourself.”
“What does that even mean?!”
Bodily picking me up and dragging me towards the window while I thrash wildly and try to freeze her hands, she whispers in my ear. Her breath is hot against it and I can smell the alcohol.
“Remember to look out for yourself first, everything else can come afterwards, now run and hide.”
With that she threw me out the window, the ice on my legs shattering as I hit the ground rolling.
‘Shit shit shit. What do I do now?’
“Find me again, I’ll buy you dinner!” EVE says calling from the window, staring and waving in the wrong direction.
‘She really is drunk. Wants me to live? What does that even mean?’
