Venom

25: Garden of Evil

There can be stages in life that feel like traveling. There are other stages in life that feel like traveling backward. Some say that standing still is how some take notice, or rather, take control of whichever direction it is they wish to head into. But standing still can be a dangerous moment in time because standing still can be the easiest choice between forward or back. If the floor beneath your feet vanishes, the option of falling is given to you. If you can find a way to sprout wings, then you are free to choose if you wish to remain in the darkness.

Not all have the courage to fly in the dark. Not all have the desire to fly into the light.

Our destination was half a week's trip if we wasted little time on rest and only used the teleportation centers sparingly. The frequent changes in our locations were more so to throw anyone off of our trails, but even if those moves were needed, they were still time-consuming. Avoiding check-in points and then tensing when we passed through gates were stressful, but contrary to Robert's warning, the documentation he forged for us held solid for longer than five days. I was still waiting to see if we would be ambushed at some point, but for now, he was a man of his word in my book. There were upsides to traveling around now. I was seeing what had changed and what had remained the same, the siblings were getting to know the oddities, or technically normalities, of this world. They were also being stranger than usual. One I understood, but the other made me nervous.

"You had a date, shouldn't things be spicing up by now?" Viper muttered from behind me, Venom at her side. We were the only bodies on the desolate trail and even though we came together I marched on in front of them as if we weren't. No matter how fast I went the distance between us never seemed to change. Damn their longer than normal legs.

"It was not a date," Venom replied in a small voice. The hairs on my nape stood as I felt eyes go over me. I stared ahead even if I could perfectly imagine the two of them behind me. I scanned the forest, almost wishing for a sign of civilization in this humid weather. Sweat trailed down my face, chilling when it got to my neck and disappeared down my shirt in an uncomfortable trail.

"We agreed to split up. Just because you two didn't come back holding hands doesn't mean I didn't smell her all over you." My eyes flickered to the side for a moment, my heart thundering before as I bit my tongue. A moment of weakness that's what it was. I waited for what he would say since he had not said anything in the matter ever since it happened or before. There hadn't been many chances to talk alone and when we were presented with one...I think we were both avoiding one another. His reasoning I understood, but Viper was the one making me nervous.

"We bumped into each other on the way to the meeting spot." I get a huff of air slip, there was a pause behind me.

Viper's tone took on a mocking tone, something ticklish filling the air as she nearly sang her words. "You're not a good liar when you don't know why your lying."

"You would be phenomenal if you pretended to not catch that." Even I knew that was a useless tact at trying to get her to play along to whatever it was that we had going on.

"I prefer being fabulous. Poor, you." She clicked her tongue at him, prompting a displeased grunt from him. There was a flurry of steps and then she was beside me. I watched her from the corner of my eye. Ever pristine and impervious to the heat she walked on as if the weather was anything but boiling. If my stare was closer to a glare I could say nothing in defense. I didn't want to confirm the same for Venom, it was unfair to be in such a fine state. In this weather. A fine state in this weather. Was that thought a little too defensive? "How are you doing?"

"Fine, thank you for asking," I answered on autopilot.

"Come now, there's no need to be so polite between sisters." The words caused me to kick up dust and dirt, dark eyes glanced at my feet before flickering back over to me with a knowing look. This was why she was making me nervous, that knowing look and eerily eager, nearly coxing soft expression she wore. It was almost nice. It was freaking me out and making me anxious. I was not an anxious person, I did not like to be.