Things that Go Bump in the Night

Chapter 39: For Now

A/N: So it is not as long as I hoped but I have not had much time to work on it. Happy Reading. :)

Chapter 39:

Chey didn’t argue as she got up from her seat and walked back toward the guest bedroom quickly. Her footsteps echoed down the hallway until she went inside the room, the door shutting with a barely audible click. It was silent after that as we both stood in the kitchen without looking at each other and without speaking. I was holding my breath in a subconscious attempt to not make a sound, to not even move until he did. I was petrified of what he had to say. What could he have to say?

What did he know?

That thought alone made my hands begin to shake slightly. What would I do if he knew? What if this prolonging was some sort of sick joke to make me think that I actually stood a chance against them. What if-

“I will be gone for a couple of days next week.” He finally stated from his stance in the kitchen doorway. I quietly let out the breath that I was holding and forced my hands to resume the task of washing the dishes. I refused to look at him. If I looked at him he might see something in my eyes that let him know I was lying. That I had lied.

The silence after that statement hung in the air like a dead fish. He was obviously waiting for me to say something, react in some way to what he said.

“To the Pack Tribunal right?” I finally forced myself to ask. It was silent for moment and I was afraid I might have said the wrong thing. He didn’t speak. I didn’t speak. The only noise was of dishes clinking and swishing water.

“Kyrie tell you?” he asked, seeming to work out how I became informed of the situation in his head. I could tell from the reflection in the window above the sink that he was still facing way from me. To answer his question I would have to vocalize instead of nod.

“Yes.” I confirmed, slowly pulling the drain stopper out of the sink to let the soapy water out. It swirled down the drain with an audible gurgling sound, making a tiny water vortex above the spot where the drain was.

“You are not to leave the apartment.”

I froze at that comment, stunned at its directness and force. Part of me was frightened by the command, wondering in a state of sheer panic if he knew of the plan that we had been forming. The larger saner part of me however kept my body calm, refusing to let anything slip or at least play stupid. How would I respond to this demand…how had I responded to everything he demanded of me?

Anger.

 Resentment.  

It was a good thing that these feelings were clearly a default setting for me and the transition into them was seamless and unforced.

“How is that any different than the last six weeks I’ve been here?” I growled out, ripping a towel from the drawer and roughly starting to dry the dishes. “House arrest, remember?”

“It is different because I will not be here.” The Monster replied, making it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the whole world.

I scoffed.

“Like you’ve really been here for the last two weeks.” I jeered at him, throwing whatever he had been doing over the last several weeks in his face.

“I have been here.” He argued, his tone defensive with an undertone of anger.

I opened my mouth to refute him and then thought better of it.

If he was delusional enough to believe that he has been normal over the last several weeks there would be no convincing him otherwise. The cumulative time that the Monster had spent in my presence over the last two weeks was less than half an hour. I was not about to get into an argument with him about it if I could help it.