Dancing With Monsters (39 page)

The funeral home was a few blocks
away, but she made it in good time. It was crowded as expected. She
got in line to get in where it was standing room only.

Bright flowers blanketed the inside in
contrast to the black clothed sea of people. It was dimly lit, and
pictures of the girl slowly shifted on a large T.V. Pictures
shifted from family, friends, school events, her pets, to
vacations—all of them she was smiling. It appeared to Lyssa, she
had a full life that was cut short. She didn’t really know the girl
personally, but saw her at school and she always seemed happy. “I
would be happy to die if I had an ounce of her family life.” Lyssa
thought to herself, even though it was morbid.

Mournful gasps, along with soft
crying, mingled with the gentle music playing overhead. Lyssa
couldn’t cry for the girl even though she felt bad that she’d never
go to college, have a family of her own and grow old with someone
she loved. Lyssa opened the folded piece of paper she was given
when she came in. The girl’s picture was on the front and inside
told about how she enjoyed basketball, cheerleading, animals and
4-H. Her name was Lynsay Montgomery and she was too young to
die.

Lyssa stood in the back as she saw
people from her class. A quiet somber filled the air. Alone, and
quietly tilting her head down as prayers were spoken and stories
fondly remembering the girl said with sobs of sadness and poems
trying to give comfort to those who suffer her loss. Lyssa felt
bad, but couldn’t cry. She didn’t know the girl very well, and
really didn’t belong to any of the cliques at school. She was like
the weird, dark colored puzzle piece that you know didn’t belong to
the beach scene puzzle, but to some other puzzle. Lyssa had yet to
find that box, and she was beginning to think she never
would.

Suddenly, she felt eyes on her.
Lifting her head, she glanced to the right then left to find the
most magnificent green eyes looking at her. They held her for only
a moment and then like a summer cloud drifting across the sky, they
left her with a bag of mixed emotions.

Those mysterious pools of green eyes
belonged to Toby. Her face flushed and hormones raced. She had
liked him for a long time and before her emotions got away, she
remembered where she was at—a funeral of a girl her age.

Lyssa pulled her eyes away and glanced
at the ground. She then lifted her eyes to Toby one more time as
subtle as she could. He wasn’t looking at her so she let her eyes
rest on him for a moment longer.

His hair was the color of chocolate
and his eyes look like uncut gems that leave you mesmerized. Lyssa
never talked to him, but lately she had caught him looking at her
in not just a casual way, but something different.

She looked one more time at Toby
hoping to catch him in a glance. Instead, her eyes met with his
girlfriend, Megan. She was blonde, popular and beautiful. Lyssa
quickly looked away. She could never compete with her.

Lyssa discreetly moved closer to the
exit and left, but not before she said a small prayer for the girl
who she couldn’t cry for. She wasn’t sure if she felt wrong for not
crying, but she still felt the same sorrow for the girl and her
family. With a silent “amen” she left into the grey covered
sky.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Toby.
How their eyes met in the most sudden and enchanting way that could
lead to conversation, but never did. It’s just as well. Toby was
beautiful and perfect along with his beautiful and perfect
girlfriend. They are Barbie and Ken and she was the generic,
spinoff of a dime store Barbie with the dumb expression on her
face, not nice like the genuine one. She’s a Barbie wannabe. Lyssa
put her thoughts away. She had to think of something else to cool
her emotions. She still hadn’t planned anything for dinner yet—that
would take the edge off her feelings as well as doing the dishes
afterwards.

The clouds thickened letting a few
drops of rain fall to the ground. A large drop went splat right on
top of Lyssa’s head. It ran down the back of her neck making her
shiver. She pulled her coat tighter. The well-manicured lawns,
paved roads and security of people close by, gave way to fenced
pasture grounds and slightly brushy areas with tall grass and a
thicket of thorny hedge trees now lined the road.

Lyssa house was more than a block
away. Distant thunder rumbled threatening the promise of rain.
Lyssa feared her wool pea coat would be ruined if she got caught in
the rain. Quickening her pace, she thought she heard the patter of
feet behind her. She stopped, looked around and saw nothing. Again,
another raindrop plopped on her head. Again from behind, a warning
of something more than just thunder—something was in the tall,
swaying grass.

Growling erupted from the thick
timber. Lyssa couldn’t see what it was, but it was coming in her
direction. The strengthening wind broke a dead limb that was
quickly swallowed by the tall, delicate grass. More growls and what
she thought must be paws of an animal, thumped on the ground. Her
heart pounded in her chest. Whatever it was definitely was coming
after her, and all she could think was mountain lion.

Reports of Lynsay Montgomery’s death
ran through her head. Her body was practically mauled, only
identified through dental records, Lyssa’s dad who never paid any
attention to her, would he even know she was gone? Only if there
was no food in the house.

She ran as fast as she could in her
slightly heeled boots. Her run felt like she was in a nightmare
when you couldn’t run any faster than a walk no matter how hard you
tried. Rain began to come down in a steady pace.

She didn’t look behind her, only kept
her eyes fixed on the road and then her front door. The patter of
feet thumped like a heart behind her throwing gravel into the air
with each step. With her door in sight, she turned the knob
thankful she forgot to lock it, and slammed it shut.

Leaning against it, she caught her
breath. Everything was quiet except for the rain outside. Lyssa
felt stupid and shook her head laughing slightly at her own
imagination. Why would a mountain lion be in this area anyhow? They
like seclusion, to be sneaky and not seen by people. Her and her
stupid scaredy-cat imagination. Then, something thumped on the
door. Lyssa held her breath and whatever it was, began to scratch
desperately. The scratching stopped followed by a pitiful
meow.

“
Beyoncé,” Lyssa said
opening the door to her tabby cat.

She picked up Beyoncé scratching her
head as she purred. “Sorry kitty,” she said letting the cat
down.

The cat jolted as soon as Lyssa let go
of her. A cold wind gust funneled through the open door. Lyssa
turned to shut it when all she seen was fur, teeth and claws coming
at her. She fell to the hard wood floor with a thud. She would have
screamed, but the air had been knocked from her lungs.

Eli

“
The Body of Lynsay
Montgomery was found Sunday along the banks of the Mississippi
River. Her body brutally mutilated by what authorities believe was
an animal attack. The town of Briarwood mourns for such a young
life lost, and police are searching for the animal that had done
this. Police warn residents to take precautions especially with
small pets and children.” Eli read from an old discarded newspaper.
“Animal attack,” he said questioning the papers words.

“
Stop with the language of
Etherworldsers! It hurts our ears!” The Mog held his head in about
the spot his ears would be.

“
Please don’t torture us!”
The lighter mane Mog said.

Eli looked at them holding their heads
and slightly moaning. He let the paper go floating to the litter
covered ground. Looking around at the overgrown landscape of weeds
and twisted trees dotted with loose bits of paper, boxes and other
unidentifiable things, some fresh and some half rotting, Eli
thought Etherworlers were dirty beings with little regard to their
homes. How could they do such a thing to their very own home? He
had better hopes for them, but his first impression was that they
simply didn’t care. He didn’t either; he was here for only one
thing.

“
You idiots,” Eli said
bringing the Mogs superstition induced ailment to an end. “This is
the same language as the Fae. It won’t hurt you.” The Mogs slowly
removed their hands from their heads.

“
Do you still have her
scent?” Eli asked getting back to business.

“
It’s faint, but goes in
that direction.” They both pointed behind Eli.

Eli turned and went up the steep
incline to the crest of the hill. A forest sat in front of him all
thick and untamed. The littered ground seemed to only be contained
within the hole they stood in. At least Etherworlders keep their
rubbish in one place and didn’t live in it. For a moment he
wondered about them, did they have any Faeish qualities to them?
Were there any influences that they hung on to all of these years,
or were the Fae just a myth to them now? Eli wanted to ponder this,
but his business was with Lil and getting back what he had set out
to get.

“
Follow it.” Eli commanded
as the lighter mane Mog smiled, whisked him off his fee,t and onto
its back.

Eli clung to the thick haired Mog. The
Mogs darted around trees, and crisscrossed paths like they were
enjoying themselves. They were more likely trying to get rid of him
and hoped a low branch would come in contact with his head. He
would have to put a stop to their reckless travel.

The forest became less dense, and Eli
ordered them to stop. He got off and looked around wondering if he
was close to the Etherworlders village, city or whatever living
arrangements they had built themselves.

Suddenly, a single voice echoed in the
distance caught his attention. The voice was masculine in sound and
seemed to be addressing a large group of Ehterworlders from his
tone. Eli followed the voice until he barely came to the forests
edge. They were dressed in black and a group of them were carrying
a large wooden box. They embraced one another, crying and throwing
flowers on the box as it went by. Eli took a step back and looked
at the scene in front of him. The ground covered in rows of grey
stones with markings on them, the wooden box and
flowers.

“
The scent was strong here
master. It is gone now,” The lighter mane Mog said stepping
forward.

Eli motioned for them to step back as
he took one last look at the funeral procession. Faes did the same
thing, only they committed their dead to the ground in a different
way. Compassion must still exist between Etherworlders, Eli turned
away looking up at the Mogs.

“
Find another scent. I
want her,” Eli said determined to stop at nothing.

Toby

Toby looked around to see if Lyssa was
still there. Her petite stature was easily swallowed up by the
gauntly dressed people. He tried to be discreet so Megan wouldn’t
notice. After about a half an hour, he realized Lyssa must’ve
gone.

Looking down at Megan’s hand
interlocked with his, he wondered what was wrong with him. Lyssa
Cleverthorn was a quiet, short and plain Jane of a girl, that is
until he looked into her eyes.

It was English Lit, and for no reason
he looked back at her. Their eyes met on cue. Lyssa’s eyes were the
color of a summer blue sky, the kind of day so nice; you wish you
could bottle it up and open in the middle of winter. It was a
poetic thought and appropriate for Lit class, but it went deeper
than that. Toby felt a string, thin and delicate as a spiders silk
connected them.

He looked at her in a new light. Her
hair had a reddish cast of copper flecks, especially in the sun,
her delicate frame reminded Toby of his mother’s figurines of
fairies that she had in her curio cabinet.

Lyssa wasn’t like the girls he usually
dated with make-up always on and perfect, the clothes they wore
were skin tight and revealing, pushing the dress code to the limit.
Lyssa didn’t fit the mold, but something deeper got his attention
when he looked into her eyes.

Toby tried so many times to stop, but
couldn’t, something spark in him and he had no control over it. He
closed his eyes erasing her image and looked over at Megan to
replace it. She smiled at him as he looked her up and
down.

“
Let’s go,” Megan
whispered in his ear.

“
Go where?” Toby asked
whispering in her ear and smelling her sweet perfume.

“
If you have to ask…”
Megan playfully said running her finger down the front of his shirt
allowing it to fall short of the top button of his
pants.

Heron Lake’s blue water reflected the
oranges, reds and yellows of the trees framing it. The park was a
major attraction for people during the summer with fishing,
boating, and swimming. Now is sat vacant and quiet, perfect for
couples in love to make love without being disturbed.

Toby parked his truck overlooking Lake
Heron on one of the many lookout points. Megan slid her hand over
his arm and started to unbutton his shirt. Gently she kissed his
stomach making it tickle slightly under her touch. This usually
excited him, but his mind was a million different personalities
away from Megan.