worries.
“Come on, Cecily,” I yawned. “We both know that something is up. I’m tired. I want to go to bed. Just tell me and then get Godzilla here,” I pointed at Annabeth, “off my porch before my husband comes out. Speaking of which,” I turned to the skunk ape. “I do not appreciate you and Floyd using my backyard as a photo shoot in the middle of the day.” I stopped and revised my statement. “Or any time of day. We live in a subdivision, for Pete’s sake! Go take pictures in the swamp! What if someone had seen you?”
Annabeth huffed noisily, which sent a wave of stench up my nose and made me cough. “Glad we’ve got that cleared up,” I said.
I turned back to Cecily and waited. And waited. Finally, she cracked. “Okay,” she threw her hands up in the air. “It will be easier to keep you safe if you know what is going on.”
I didn’t think I liked the sound of that.
She made a face. “We’ve got a little situation.”
“A situation,” I said dryly. “Worse than aliens failing to meet us on the moon?”
“Yes.”
Now I was sure. I really did not like the sound of that.
Her eyes kept tracking around the backyard, looking for something. Or someone. Not good. Not good at all. Someone was coming to hurt my family and Cecily thought they were dangerous enough that I needed ‘round the clock protection.
I turned to go back in the house.
“Where are you going?” Cecily asked.
“To bed,” I announced. “I changed my mind. I don’t want to hear about it.”
She grabbed my elbow and dragged me back. “Too late, slurpee. I should have told you before, so now you’re going to have to listen.”
I sat down on one of the porch chairs. Harvey came back inside, gave a friendly sniff to Cecily’s shoes and settled down at my feet to sleep. I wished my life was that simple. Eat, sleep, pee on the carpet, well, maybe not the last one, but the ability to live completely in the present without fear or worry.
Cecily sat down next to me, if you could call it “sitting.” She was perched on the edge of the chair, a coiled spring, ready to jump at a second’s notice. I was right. I really didn’t want to hear the explanation for this.
“Do you remember Matthew?” she began.
“Matthew?” I searched my memory. “I don’t think so …” Memory struck. I jumped to my feet in terror. “Oh, no! No! No! No! You’re kidding right? Tell me you’re kidding!” Now I was the one searching the backyard for attackers.
Cecily pulled me back down on the chair. “I told you when you staked him that he wasn’t dead. He was only incapacitated for awhile, healing.”
“You said it would take a long time for him to heal!” I accused her.
She shrugged. “The witches decided to help out and sped up the process a bit.”
I pulled my feet up into the chair and hugged my knees. “It wasn’t my fault,” I whispered. “The Synod were the ones who caused him to get staked. You don’t think he’s mad at me? ”
She gave me a look.
“Yeah. Right. No such luck, huh?” With all the rest of my life’s drama to deal with, I had pushed the worry about an angry vampire, intent on revenge, to the end of the worry list. Now he had jumped himself to the top. Just peachy.
“You think he’s coming here,” I said, not really a question since she was obviously patrolling my backyard with Annabeth.
“Yes,” she confirmed, causing my heart to sink. I’d really been hoping that I was wrong.
“Isn’t there enough going on with the aliens and whatnot? Does he really have to do this now?” I whined.
Cecily just looked at me.
I wiggled on my chair. “Maybe he’s coming to, you know, thank me or something. I didn’t cut off his head! That would have been permanent. I just staked him. He should thank me!” I was working myself up into indignation at his rudeness and lack of gratitude.
Cecily kept staring at me.
“Fine,” I spit. “He’s probably not coming to thank me. He’s probably
“Come on, Cecily,” I yawned. “We both know that something is up. I’m tired. I want to go to bed. Just tell me and then get Godzilla here,” I pointed at Annabeth, “off my porch before my husband comes out. Speaking of which,” I turned to the skunk ape. “I do not appreciate you and Floyd using my backyard as a photo shoot in the middle of the day.” I stopped and revised my statement. “Or any time of day. We live in a subdivision, for Pete’s sake! Go take pictures in the swamp! What if someone had seen you?”
Annabeth huffed noisily, which sent a wave of stench up my nose and made me cough. “Glad we’ve got that cleared up,” I said.
I turned back to Cecily and waited. And waited. Finally, she cracked. “Okay,” she threw her hands up in the air. “It will be easier to keep you safe if you know what is going on.”
I didn’t think I liked the sound of that.
She made a face. “We’ve got a little situation.”
“A situation,” I said dryly. “Worse than aliens failing to meet us on the moon?”
“Yes.”
Now I was sure. I really did not like the sound of that.
Her eyes kept tracking around the backyard, looking for something. Or someone. Not good. Not good at all. Someone was coming to hurt my family and Cecily thought they were dangerous enough that I needed ‘round the clock protection.
I turned to go back in the house.
“Where are you going?” Cecily asked.
“To bed,” I announced. “I changed my mind. I don’t want to hear about it.”
She grabbed my elbow and dragged me back. “Too late, slurpee. I should have told you before, so now you’re going to have to listen.”
I sat down on one of the porch chairs. Harvey came back inside, gave a friendly sniff to Cecily’s shoes and settled down at my feet to sleep. I wished my life was that simple. Eat, sleep, pee on the carpet, well, maybe not the last one, but the ability to live completely in the present without fear or worry.
Cecily sat down next to me, if you could call it “sitting.” She was perched on the edge of the chair, a coiled spring, ready to jump at a second’s notice. I was right. I really didn’t want to hear the explanation for this.
“Do you remember Matthew?” she began.
“Matthew?” I searched my memory. “I don’t think so …” Memory struck. I jumped to my feet in terror. “Oh, no! No! No! No! You’re kidding right? Tell me you’re kidding!” Now I was the one searching the backyard for attackers.
Cecily pulled me back down on the chair. “I told you when you staked him that he wasn’t dead. He was only incapacitated for awhile, healing.”
“You said it would take a long time for him to heal!” I accused her.
She shrugged. “The witches decided to help out and sped up the process a bit.”
I pulled my feet up into the chair and hugged my knees. “It wasn’t my fault,” I whispered. “The Synod were the ones who caused him to get staked. You don’t think he’s mad at me? ”
She gave me a look.
“Yeah. Right. No such luck, huh?” With all the rest of my life’s drama to deal with, I had pushed the worry about an angry vampire, intent on revenge, to the end of the worry list. Now he had jumped himself to the top. Just peachy.
“You think he’s coming here,” I said, not really a question since she was obviously patrolling my backyard with Annabeth.
“Yes,” she confirmed, causing my heart to sink. I’d really been hoping that I was wrong.
“Isn’t there enough going on with the aliens and whatnot? Does he really have to do this now?” I whined.
Cecily just looked at me.
I wiggled on my chair. “Maybe he’s coming to, you know, thank me or something. I didn’t cut off his head! That would have been permanent. I just staked him. He should thank me!” I was working myself up into indignation at his rudeness and lack of gratitude.
Cecily kept staring at me.
“Fine,” I spit. “He’s probably not coming to thank me. He’s probably
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