Bite Me

Chapter 6: It's a Lake Life, but Worse

I spend the next two hours watching the skies, extremely nervous about that manticore coming back. I don't speak, sticking close to Devin's side, sweeping the forest floor every few seconds with wary eyes. He keeps looking at me, almost like he wants to say something to me. I catch him giving me a worried glance and he raises an eyebrow at me when our eyes meet. "It'll be okay Shanie. I promise." He finally states.

"You don't actually know that. We could die out here Devin." I mutter, and he chuckles, making me shoot a glare at him.

"I do know. I've done this a-" He breaks off when I give him an annoyed look, clearing his throat. "Look, I won't fail you, Shanie. Put some faith in your brother."

"Put faith into a stranger?" I shake my head, and he lets out an annoyed sigh, rolling his eyes.

"Shanie, I'm not a stranger. I'm family. I thought we went over this?" He looks frustrated, about done with my stranger danger bull shit, and folds his arms across his chest.

"I'm sorry. I do appreciate you being kind to me and working with me to understand this mess." I whisper, feeling guilt wash over me at the look in his eye. It's not fair of me to push my insecurities onto him, it isn't his fault that we are here, and that I am scared.

"It's not just kindness Shanie. We love you. I want to keep you safe, and I will at all costs. We are all excited to have you home, to have you join us." He smiles, making the guilt worsen. "Now, when we get to the lake, make sure you let me do the talking. Naiads are tricky creatures, and I'd hate for you to be put under their spell."

"What does that mean?" I ask, my anxiety spiking again at the thought of lake creatures. I have never been a fan of bodies of water, and the idea that there's inherently dangerous spell casting creatures in their depths doesn't exactly warm me up to the idea of going across it.

"It means they have a way of tricking people into drowning themselves. Don't worry, I can talk to them. You just stick close to my side and let me do my thing." He smiles, seemingly excited again, and pats my back again. I wince at the feeling, not really in pain but a little nauseous at the reminder of the gauze on my back. "You know, if something is bothering you, you can talk to me."

"Why would you think something is wrong? We're just going to a lake to talk to some spell casting water people. That's a totally normal thing for a person to do." I can't help the heavy sarcastic tone, nor the eye roll that comes with it.

"I'm serious Shanie. I can see you've been sitting here stewing in your thoughts. You're a very paranoid person, and I need you to know you can trust me." He gives me a hopeful look, and I bite back the irritated comeback that wants to escape my mind. "Come on, what's going on?"

"I just miss my mom." I state, and although it's really Taylor that I feel worse about, I still do miss my mom. Knowing I won't ever go back to her makes my chest ache, and I don't want to carry this feeling with me for the rest of my life.

"I'm sorry about that Shanie. Can I offer some advice?" He asks, smiling when I meet his eyes.

"About missing my mom?" I ask, genuinely confused as to how he's supposed to make that better for me.

"About how to deal with it." He rolls his eyes, and I nod, willing to at least hear it before judging his ability to give me advice. "The sooner you distance yourself from the humans, the easier it will be to stop feeling bad about the whole thing."

"Thanks." I reply, even more annoyed than before. I should've judged him harder, and told him no. Now I'm just frustrated with his flippant attitude about my human family and friends. As if it is so easy to forget the woman who raised me, the friends that loved me when no one else did, and the world that made me who I am in this moment. I watch his face, noting how he seems to understand he said the wrong thing. He looks away guiltily, stuffing his hands into his pockets.