She said it quietly, looking at me with her soft grey eyes and I didn’t believe her for a minute. Not until she moved her hand to cover mine. A chill passed through my hand at the same time her hand did… through my hand and through the table. I wanted to panic. Hyperventilate maybe. But all I managed was a single tear. She watched me sadly as I struggled with the truth. Death. If I choose a boy, he died. If I didn’t choose, I died. Did Morik know the consequence of the time limit he set?
“If choosing Morik keeps you safe and happy, and no one else interests you, then you go ahead and choose him,” Aunt Danielle said leaning close and kissing my cheek. I felt her cool lips, but they didn’t pass through me this time. Thinking back, I always did recall her touch as cool, cold even. Since we were in a cold house, I never thought it odd.
Choose Morik? No. There was a fourth option. Find someone else that Morik might be interested in who returns his interest. With a different companion, how could the original deal still stay intact?
Wiping the tear from my cheek, I turned toward mom. It hurt to look at her tear-stained face. She and Gran clasped hands tightly, silently supporting each other. Aunt Grace smiled at me weakly, on the verge of tears herself.
“Thank you for telling me,” I said to Aunt Danielle. To my mom I added, “The pressure you’ve been putting on me to pick makes more sense now. But I’m not choosing anyone. At least, not yet. I have a few more months and will take it more seriously now.”
Sighing, I scrubbed my hands over my face before looking at the clock. We only had ten more minutes before Morik showed up. My stomach flipped when I thought of how he’d popped in last time.
“So, about Morik coming to dinner. He’s different. Really different. Maybe even a little scary…” The more I thought about him popping in, the more I worried. “Just keep in mind that he hasn’t interacted with people much. In fact, he might not know to knock on the door before popping in.”
Gran gave mom’s hand a brief squeeze before letting it go. “Don’t worry. We’ll deal with this just fine. We always do.” She stood and briskly went about setting the table. Aunt Grace moved to help.
“Mom,” I said cautiously. “Since I have ten days, I was wondering if maybe I could leave the house at night. There’s this girl at school that invited me over tomorrow night…”
She leaned back, the old wooden chair creaking and groaning in protest, and considered me with a tear-streaked face. “As if I could say no. This might be your only chance at freedom.” She leaned across the table and kissed my forehead. “Just let me know who you’ll be with, where and when. I’ll worry if you don’t.” She briefly touched my cheek as a reminder. Good thing she didn’t know about Clavin’s latest mental break. I wondered whom he’d gone to today.
At exactly four thirty, a brisk knock sounded at the front door. Table set, chicken resting on the stove, Gran motioned for me to get the door. I looked back at them before I did to make sure they were ready. They stood close to each other, near the table, watching me. The table behind them looked nice, very homey.
Taking a breath, I tugged the door open. Morik waited on the stoop dressed as he’d been that morning. I took a moment to study him, his real self still new to me. His cap still hid his horns and ears, while the yellow sunglasses masked his eyes slightly. In the driveway sat his motorcycle. Snow still fell from the sky coating everything weighing the branches of the neighbor’s trees.
“There’s room in the garage, if you want to park in there,” I offered as I stood back to let him in.
“It’ll be fine,” he said quietly. He looked at my face closely. “Crying?”
Uncomfortable with our audience, I nodded and added softly for his benefit, “Not a bad thing.” He didn’t look like he believed me and shifted his attention to my family. Distracting him, I asked, “Can I take your jacket?”
After putting it to the side, I nervously started introductions hoping I wasn’t making a mistake bringing him here.
Aunt Danielle, sitting in the living room asked what no one else would. “Why are you still wearing your hat and glasses, young man?”
Grinning broadly, he answered honestly. “I didn’t want to frighten anyone with my looks.”
“What’s that hat hiding?”
Their conversation seemed a bit staged and I wondered if Aunt Danielle maybe already had a clue. Had she seen us leave the garage this morning?
“Horns, and pointy ears.”
“Show me,” she demanded.
With a flourish, he removed his hat. I stood beside him gauging everyone’s reactions. Without the hat, his eyes were pretty much visible, so he removed the glasses as well.
Aunt Danielle’s eyes twinkled with amusement. Being dead, I’m sure she didn’t have to worry about much… like being attacked by a monstrous looking creature, which is what it appeared everyone else in the room thought. Mom’s already pale face took on an ashen hue. Aunt Grace fearfully panted for air while Gran tightly gripped her hands together in front of her.
Morik eyed them and skillfully diffused the situation. “I truly thank you for inviting me into your home. I’ve never eaten dinner with anyone before and have been looking forward to it since Tessa made the offer. Is that chicken I smell?”