Shay wasn’t sure what she was doing. Every ounce of her being dared her to run and try for the walls again. Each trembling step across the floor set her heart pounding in her ears, the rush enough to make her head swim in ways she had only felt once or twice before when she was much younger when her father took her belaying down the lines for the first time. That rush of free falling down a tethered line was close to the nerves currently seizing her body, but paled in comparison to what she was currently feeling.
While her breath hitched and made that horrible tight lump in her throat, her mind couldn’t stop jumping from thought to thought. How was she going to address the human? Should she try and be demanding? Tell him he needed to bring her home or else? Or else? Or else what? What could she do to a human? It was almost amusing – the thought of her shouting and demanding something of a human. It actually made her chuckle nervously to herself.
Should she try and be humble? Plead for her life? Beg him not to keep her trapped in a cage or perform horrendous experiments on her like the ones in the scary stories her brothers adored? She hadn’t been out on her own, but she had spent time watching the humans as part of her training. This human, for some reason, didn’t seem to be the kind to do something like what she heard in the stories. Then again, she had seen him build some intimidating contraptions which she didn’t know the function of.
“What the…”
Shay hadn’t realized she had already crossed the threshold of the door to the human’s bedroom and was standing in broad light when she heard the breathy exclamation of the human. Her heart leapt into her throat as she was forced to tilt her head back at the bed and even further to see the human sitting on top of it. Her family talked about what it was like to almost be seen by a human, which was a nightmare come to life already.
This was so much worse.
Even at a distance, she could see every detail of his face – eyelashes and eyebrows, lines by his brow. She could see his eyes that possessed a dangerous fascination and curiosity as they seemingly absorbed every detail of her frame. Shay felt her body step back involuntarily three hesitating steps. A trembling started at her core like a chill she couldn’t shake. It radiated through her body and racked her senses, making her shoulders shake like the leaves on the oak during a windstorm. There was something that resembled a scream cued in her throat, but it was waiting for something.
Both of them seemed to be holding their breath until the human made the first move. He was slow, like he was trying to creep up on her or prevent her from fleeing. He set some immense black slab off to the side as he slipped off of the bed and sat on the ground before advancing inch by inch while he sat; all the while staring into her eyes, capturing her soul and will to flee.
Shay steeled herself as best as she could while she shook and clenched her fists; an action she immediately regretted. Even though her nails were dulled and short, the tenderness in her palms from the rope burns and blisters made her wince. The subtle facial expression she made was enough to halt the human from advancing.
Shay felt herself pause. Was it possible? Was that a flash of concern? Shay held her breath as the spark of hope grew a little brighter. Maybe… just maybe… he was a good human.
~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~
Todd was beginning to feel rather comfortable and calm in his new place. The rush of everything that had happened between the move and the whirlwind that was his family left him mentally and physically exhausted. Sketching the apartment wasn’t an arduous project, but it was something to keep his mind occupied. He could use that right now.
It hadn’t completely sunk in that his family was leaving the next day after brunch and that he would be all alone. Well, not completely alone. He would have his classmates and his work. There was a part of him that wondered if it would be enough and if he would get terribly homesick, but he wouldn’t know until the time came.
There. He let his tunnel vision retract and stared at the digital sketch before him. He managed to sketch all of the exterior walls and the load-bearing walls. The kitchen was set in place and all of the doors were outlined where the swung open and latched. It was bare bones and rough, but it was still fine work.
Todd was about to start on the next layer where he planned to organize the furniture he planned to purchase when something caught the corner of his eye by the door. He had to double take just to understand what he was looking at. It looked like a doll. A three-inch-tall doll in the doorway. He blinked a few times and even shook his head to see if it was a trick of the light or if he had been staring at his tablet for too long.
No. That’s not what it was at all. It couldn’t be a doll because it was walking on its own. It was completely involuntary, the words that came out of his mouth; however, he instantly regretted it when he saw those tiny features contort with surprise and fear. He watched it – her – stumble backwards a few steps and begin to shake.
What should he say? What could he say? Given the circumstances, Todd suspected there was little he could actually do or say to win over the tiny girl, but perhaps he could make it a little less intimidating. Afterall, the mere size difference between the two of them was staggering and Todd could only imagine how terrifying he must seem to the girl.
With every ounce of caution and patience he possessed, he slowly set his tablet aside and slid off of the bed. He kept contact with her eyes, hoping she could see he meant no harm. Should he get closer? Did he dare get closer? It wasn’t the best solution, but at this distance he wasn’t sure if he could hear her. Todd took the risk and began slowly scooting his way across the carpeted floor.
He hadn’t made it very far when he noticed the girl wince and tears well up in her eyes. He stopped immediately. This was going to be more difficult than he thought. While his heart pounded in his chest, he attempted the faintest smile which barely turned the corners of his mouth and he kept his breath slow. There was something in her eyes – a flicker of something.
Just as he formulated something, anything, to say to her, she spoke first.
“I… can you… can you help me?”
Todd’s breath hitched. Her voice was so soft, so timid. The curiosity he once felt for her quickly vanished in a puff of imaginary smoke and was instantly replaced by a protective instinct he had never truly known before.
“Of course,” he breathed, voice barely a whisper as if anything louder would make the girl vanish. She sniffed a few times, eyes still wide and shoulders still shaking.
“Can… will… you take me home?”
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