Birds called to one another outside while a soft breeze stirred the white curtains through the opened window. I rolled over and the bed squeaked as someone sat down at the end of it. I opened one eye and groaned. Zoey was seated at the end of my bed, staring at me as she pet Taz’s silky ears fondly.
“You awake?”
I nodded.
“Good. Here are your clothes.” She leaned down and sat a neatly folded stack of clothes on the floor.
“Thanks,” I muttered and rolled over.
Zoey poked me. “You know you should really think about getting up,” she nagged, pulling at my blankets.
“Knock it off will you!” I hissed, pulling myself out of the warm bed and across the room so fast Zoey looked quite shocked.
“Happy now!” I demanded, exiting the room quickly if for nothing more than the fact I would be escaping Zoey.
I hid in the bathroom, taking longer than usual to wash up using the cold water in the basin. Unfortunately Zoey was standing in the hallway when I exited. I realized she was staring at a picture painted on the wall and reluctantly joined her. The picture looked like an older version of Zoey.
“Who’s that?” I asked, my irritation dampening.
“Sandralee,” Zoey whispered almost reverently.
“Your sister?” I asked, guessing by the family resemblance.
Zoey nodded. “Yeah… she used to be anyways.” The remorse filling her voice caused me to wonder in silence; this wasn’t like her at all.
“What happened?” I finally asked.
“It happened when we still owned the Inn; I was only eight years old,” she explained slowly, staring intently at the painting.
“Sandralee was absolutely gorgeous and attracted suitors like you wouldn’t believe. She was ten years older than me and every young man’s dream.” Zoey paused to look at me, a distant horror shadowing her face. “We got a boarder in one day,” she continued, “and I knew that Sandy instantly liked him. He was good looking and had money but was sly like a fox. I didn’t like him a bit.” Zoey sighed in frustration.
“They ran away?” I guessed, seeing the pain in Zoey’s face.
“Yes,” she whispered. “All mother knows is that one week her daughter is chasing after this good for nothing boarder and a week later she disappears. I know differently-”Zoey sighed drearily before continuing.
“Sandy came to me late one night and told me never to tell another soul what she was going to tell me. She said that she was plenty old enough to get married and that she had fallen in love with Kadar- that was the filthy bastard’s name,” she growled lowly. “She told me she was leaving with him. I begged her not to, that he didn’t seem like a good person, that mother would never approve, and that she barely knew him. She threatened that I would be sorry if I told mother and that no one would ever understand her. And she left. Just like that, my snobby older sister that I idolized and adored just got up and left my life.” Zoey choked back a sob and I stared, unsure of how to comfort her when the feelings of pain were so old. I wasn’t good when it came to emotional situations, especially when it involved girls.
“It tore my mother apart,” Zoey continued in a hushed whisper. “Father left to hunt her down and never returned. I was eight so I can still remember his face, but that’s about all…” Zoey quieted.
“I’m really sorry, Zoey,” I offered weakly, gently placing an arm around her shoulders. I stiffened as she turned into me, hugging me tightly as sobs shook her small frame.
“Soon after Sandy left a creepy man came to our Inn and told us if we didn’t close it down within the next moon cycle that we’d pay the price.” Her voice was muffled as she spoke into my chest but I got the gist of it. “Mother was incredibly worn out from running the Inn by herself and raising Zack who had been born five moons after dad left. I wasn’t much help at that age and she sold the Inn within a week to a man who turned it into an art gallery.” She shuddered in horror. “Ever since then she’s never let me go back to school. She rarely lets me even speak to young men. I guess she’s afraid of a relapse. I’m pretty sure that’s why she’s so wary of you.” Zoey explained, rubbing at her puffy eyes.
“Probably,” I murmured quietly. Poor Donña. She must have been so heartbroken about Sandy. No wonder she was so overly cautious with me.
Zoey thankfully released me before following me back into the bedroom where she perched on the bed while I sat about looking for a clean tunic.
She scratched Taz’s ears; causing him to whine from happiness as he leaned into her.
“We’re probably better off without her anyhow.” She smiled as Taz rolled over on his back and stuck his feet in the air, begging Zoey to scratch his belly for him. I realized her somber mood had passed as she returned to her old self. I didn’t comment.
Zoey’s eyes seemed to light up as she sat up straighter and stared at me. “Oh yeah! I spent the whole night thinking about it but I finally decided who Taz is!” She was smiling brightly.
“What do you mean who?” I asked doubtfully.
She patted Taz’s belly and he groaned from pleasure.
“Can’t you see? Victor ran into a witch, they had a quarrel and... She turned him into Taz! Brilliant, isn’t it?”
My jaw hung open. Victor? Taz? How stupid was that? I coughed.
“Um...and why do you think that?”
She sighed in exasperation.
“Can’t you tell? He’s overly attached to you, and you can’t find Victor anywhere at all. Bingo, your answer’s right there.”
I still didn’t understand why she’d come to that conclusion but I nodded anyways. Her face brightened.
“No! Worse yet, Victor’s unicorn is Taz!”
I rolled my eyes.
“Where’s Victor in this picture?”I asked sarcastically patting Taz’s head. Zoey snorted.
“He’s controlling Taz, he’s like a flea or something.” She gasped and a hand flew to her mouth. “What if we washed him away!” I laughed softly in amusement.
“Alright, whatever. Can you leave now? I would kind of like to get dressed,” I chuckled softly. She looked slightly bummed but complied with my wishes.
“Oh, alright. You missed dinner last night so I made you breakfast!”She rose off the bed and raced into the hall and down the stairs, returning minutes later carrying a ceramic tray bearing a plate heaping with flap jacks covered in maple syrup and a pile of scrambled eggs with a glass of frothy blue milk.
“Wow, that’s a lot of food, Zoey. Thanks.”
She smiled again.
“No problem, Zavier. Enjoy!” She set the tray down on the bed stand and left the room. I hurriedly jumped out of bed and locked the door so she couldn’t come back in before realizing it was useless. She must have had the door key, because I’d locked it last night, hadn’t I?
I turned around and gasped. Taz was licking up the eggs off my plate and the milk glass was overturned, half of the contents splattered across the floor.
“Go away you great oaf!”I shoved him to the other side of the bed where he sat dejectedly, licking his jaws. I finished off the eggs and stuffed in a few flapjacks then pushed the plate over to Taz. I wasn’t really hungry anyhow. He attacked it with vigor and it was completely gone, the floor licked clean by the time I’d dressed. What to do with him...
“Zoey!”I stuck my head out from my door and yelled her name just loud enough for her to hear from across the hall.
“What?”She stuck her head out from her own door way. She looked slightly annoyed.
“Um, what am I supposed to do with Taz?”
She sighed and rubbed her forehead.
“Just show him to mom, she’ll get mad but whatever.”
I was shocked. Why had we tried so hard to keep him a secret yesterday and now it didn’t matter? I sighed but froze as I heard someone coming up the stairs. Donña appeared at the top of the stairs, red faced and fuming. I knew we were in trouble. Big trouble. She held up the broken spigot in one hand, a broken creeping rose in the other.
“You two...have some explaining to do!”She was maintaining her anger quite well but I knew the dam would break any second.
“Um...the answers are all rather easy...”I choked out, Donña’s fiery gaze turning on me. I closed the door and grabbed Taz by the woven collar I’d fashioned from the lead rope. I pulled him over to the door and dragged him outside the room to Donña’s horror.
“W-what is a dog doing up here, Zavier?!”She was turning redder by the second and I was sure she’d explode any minute now.
“Well, it’s my fault, Zavier wanted nothing to do with him. We gave him a bath and as you can see he broke our pump. I needed a leash and your stupid rose bush wasn’t worth it anyhow. Besides, it’ll grow back.”Zoey tried successfully to avert Donña’s anger.
“Do you know what I’ve done to keep that rose growing the way it has been? Do you know how much it will cost to fix the pump? Do you know how I feel about dogs? Do you know the cost of that Lavender Shampoo? Do you know just how much trouble you’re in, Zoey!?”She was screaming as she came to her last phrase and Zoey was looking thoroughly amused which I found quite disrespectful.
“Donña. It’s as much my fault it is hers. I will pay for the costs and I’ll take the dog to the Animal Keeper today. He’s a nice looking dog, someone’s probably looking for him.”Donña sighed and turned towards me, her anger subsiding.
“It’s not your fault, Zavier, Zoey’s always getting into trouble. Besides, the yard master just eats any animals that are taken to him. We found that out the hard way. You can keep him, but he will go with you-” She stiffened and froze the second I heard the small pattering of feet coming up the stairs. So did Taz.
The second Rufus appeared at the top of the stairs, purring and caressing Donña’s legs, Taz started barking and with a furious bound, he crossed the landing and knocked a screaming Donña to the floor.
I heard both dog and cat yowling as they rolled down the stairs. I raced after them with Zoey hard on my heels. Rufus was twice his normal size, his tail huge and fluffed up as he shot down the hall toward an opened window. Taz followed close behind, still howling at him.
Rufus leaped onto the window sill, let out a ferocious hiss then propelled himself out the open window into the morning air and he fell like a dead weight to the ground below and scampered off. Taz wasn’t through though. He reared onto his back legs and in a second, with the tinkling of shattered glass, he soared through the window after the tom cat.
“Oh no.”
I was speechless. If this dog was indeed Victor, he was dead meat.
“Oh! My window!”Donña gasped as she descended the stairs and stared at the now glass-less window.
“I... I’m so sorry, Donña-”
She put a hand up stopping me.
“Please! Don’t. Say. Anything. Just go get your things and leave. I can’t stand any more of this. I’m sorry-”She put her hand to her head and closed her eyes as she walked toward the kitchen.
“If you make, Zavier leave, I’m going with him!”Zoey cried out loudly.
I froze as Donña spun around and glared at me.
“No, Zoey. You are not coming with me,”I said as calmly as my racing heart would allow. Donña had been so nice to us and all I’d done was gone and ruin her things. Now her daughter wanted to abandon her, Victor was missing, Timmy was going nuts, I had a dog that wouldn’t leave me alone, and my world was crumbling down around me.
“I’ll go get my things and Timmy’s, and we’ll be gone in an hour. I’m sorry about your window. I’ll pay you for it.” I left before anyone could say anything more and stormed up the stairs. I could hear Donña yelling at Zoey as I came to the landing.
I ran into my room and grabbed Valsephony and my rucksack then pounded back down the stairs. There were definitely benefits to traveling light.
Timmy was wide awake when I entered. “Morning, bro? What’s up today?” He was smiling and I felt sick. Why Timmy? He already couldn’t walk well and was sick and now this?
“The sun, that’s what’s up, Timmy.” I stuffed his night clothes into my rucksack along with his boots then picked him up and snatched up his crutches.
“We’re leaving, come on.”
He looked worried.
“What about dad? We can’t leave without him. And where’s Mother? She’s coming too right?”
I sighed.
“Timmy, Zoey is not your mother and there is no possibility she’s my mother since I’m older than her. I’m sorry you never got to meet your dad, but he’s not coming here anytime soon.”
Timmy looked disappointed as I walked out to the stall and saddled Shika. I tied the tent on her back and hefted Timmy into the saddle lacing his legs on tight.
“I’ll be back in a second,” I told him before I grabbed a handful of silver and raced in the back door, glad to find the kitchen empty. I placed the money on the table then headed back outside and mounted Shika, ready to leave.
I was around to the front gate when Zoey came running down the walkway. I had a strong urge to kick Shika and leave Zoey as far behind as possible but pushed the feeling away. Instead I slipped from the saddle and stood before the younger girl.
“Now what do you want?”I spoke with a little more distaste in my voice than I’d meant and Zoey cringed, her feelings hurt.
“You really don’t like me do you?”Her voice shook.
Thinking back I could see it, the longing look in her eyes, the tone in her laughter, different ways she would move. Zoey really like me, for some odd reason she was attracted to me. It was something that had never happened to me before- a girl falling for me- but I knew the feelings weren’t mutual. I sighed.
“Zoey, I like you fine. You’re a spunky, nice young woman,” I offered, trying hard not to offend her.
She still refused to look at me.
“But you don’t like me do you? I’ve waited all my life, ever since my sister disappeared, to find the right man for me just the way Sandy did. I never felt anything...until I saw you-”
“Zoey, a few things,” I interrupted quickly, “You’re only fifteen, you should wait until you’re older before you start looking for a man. Also, you should really get to know the guy for a while before you make any big decisions. Find someone that will treat you well and won’t be on the road till who knows when.”
She sighed.
“I had a feeling you would say something like that... Goodbye, Zavier, I’ll never forget you. Ever.” She looked up at me and pulled a parcel from a wicker basket she’d been holding.
“Here, it’s a few provisions for the road.” I took the sack gratefully and smiled gently. I realized I was making this hard for her.
“Goodbye, Zoey. You’ve been a good friend. If Victor comes by here, tell him I’m back on the road toward the Badlands.”
She nodded and Timmy waved at her.
“Goodbye, Zoey. I won’t forget you either. Tell dad I’m with Zavier if he stops by here.”
I looked down at Timmy.
“So you don’t think she’s your mom anymore?”
He shook his head.
“I guess I made a mistake; she’s definitely not my mother.”
I sighed from relief; at least that was cleared up.
I waved at Zoey and turned the unicorn to leave. Taz was waiting for me at the gateway, tufts of dark brown fur stuck in his mouth. For a moment I thought he’d finished Rufus off, but then a pathetic mauled cat streaked across the street and I couldn’t help but laugh.
I urged Shika on and we walked slowly down the street until it joined one of the main roads. I kept an eye out for a black unicorn, but saw nothing. As we moved closer towards the entrance my gut clenched. How could I just abandon Victor? But really what was I supposed to do? Unlike him I couldn’t use magic to find him. He could be anywhere, and maybe he didn’t want to be found. It comforted me a little that if he wanted to find us later, he would be able to.
The streets were milling with packs of people; none of them familiar. We were almost to the gates when I saw a guard yelling at me and pushing through the throng of people to get to me. Was I in trouble?
I was deciding if I should run for it or not when I recognized the man to be the guard who’d I’d inquired about Victor yesterday.
“Hey, Mister!” The guard beckoned to me and I guided Shika to where he stood, panting on the sidewalk.
“Yes, Sir?”
He stood up from his hunched over position.
“I think I found your friend. He’s a mess, a real mess.”
I gasped as images of a bloody, torn body crossed my vision.
“What happened to him?” I asked, horrified.
The soldier laughed.
“Happens to even the best of us every once in a while. Anyhow, I’ll let you deal with him; I need to get back to my post. Do you have a map?”
I nodded and scrambled to pull it from my rucksack.
“Here, at Moonbeam Cathedral.” He placed a finger on a large building near the center of town. “It’s down, er… Graceton Corridor I believe. Third door down I believe can’t miss it!” he obliged happily.
“Thanks!” I offered distractedly, wondering what Victor was doing at a cathedral in the first place.
He nodded then merged into the crowd and vanished.
I remembered seeing the large white building earlier, so sped off toward the center of town, hoping with all my heart Victor hadn’t been murdered. I shuddered at the thought that we had been so close to abandoning him.
Minutes later, I rounded the corner and there it stood, four stories tall and magnificent.
“Timmy, wait here with Shika, if anyone bothers you, scream. Alright?”
He nodded before I leapt off and hit the ground running. I entered the large arched doorway and saw a map of the interior painted on the far wall. I approached it, my finger running over the names. Sweepers, Fazures, Lanners, Counterlys, Vuzgania. Graceton, there it was! I raced off and found myself lost down Counterlys Corridor and sighed as I raced down two more rows and found a sign reading Graceton Corridor and my heart leapt as I sped down it in a flurry.
3 doors down I stopped. The door was larger than the rest and a gold name plate adorned it.
The Secret Hideaway.
I shoved the door opened and gasped. People filled the large room. Some were at tables, a few on the floor. A loud obnoxious laugh was coming from the corner of the room. Two golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, glistening in the dim light. A burly man stood cleaning the wooden counter and looked up as I strode in. Where was I?
I glanced around and spotted him instantly and realized what the guard had meant. He was indeed a mess. He was sprawled out on a red and gold fabricated bench a girl on either side of him, one of them was laying across his lap. He was beyond drunk. A glass of frothy liquid dangled lazily from his fingers and I realized he was the one laughing his head off. I decide to approach the man behind the counter first.
“What’ll it be then?”He asked as he gave up his scrubbing and slumped back into a chair, wiping his sweating forehead with a filthy rag.
"Nothing, I don’t drink. I just wondered how long that fellow over there has been hanging around.”
The fat man let out a snort.
“Two full days, never even left! He’s just a drunk bastard, keeps asking for more and more. Luckily he has the gold to pay for it.” He smiled cockishly and my gut dropped. I felt a churning anger filling me gut and any gladness I’d felt upon finding my friend alive vanished. Obviously Victor had become addicted to alcohol in Wayd when I’d been out cold.
Now for the hard part. I strode over to Victor and the blonde girl in his lap looked up at me and smiled drunkenly. Who would ever let themselves get like this? I shoved her away as she stood and approached me and she fell to the floor in a fit of giggles and grabbed my leg. I wasn’t in a very compassionate mood right now so I shook her off and ended up kicking her in the jaw in the process, causing her lip to bleed. She touched the cut and stared dumbly at the blood on her fingers before she started laughing hysterically. I wished she’d shut up.
I strode up to Victor and slapped him hard across the face. He looked stunned as he wobbled to his feet.
“Now see here, Mister...oh...Zavier, glad you decided to come and join me.”
The slap was forgotten in his drunken mind as he pulled me down to the seat beside him.
“Let go, you idiot. You’re coming with me!”I demanded angrily, clambering quickly to my feet.
He looked a bit surprised but the drunken smile remained on his face as the girl next to him petted his cheek and giggled. This was so disgusting. I pulled him to his feet and shoved him across the floor. He let out a large belch to the laughs of the rooms occupants but I gagged at the unbearable stench.
As soon as he saw the door he started protesting. “But, Zavier, just one more...you’re such a spoil sport! A party pooper, that’s what you are!”He was whining like a little child and I groaned.
One of the two girls had risen to her feet and approached me, a glass ale mug in her hands.
“Please, let him stay a while longer. He’s been such...fun.”She smiled as she dangled from my arm and I shoved her off. She didn’t like my retaliation one bit and anger flashed in her drunken gaze.
“I say, let him go! You have no right to do this!”She yanked on my arm and I lashed out with my foot and kicked her to the floor. She quickly rose and flung the mug at me. It cracked against my head and shattered. Lights danced around my vision and I felt myself falling to the floor, everyone was laughing. I looked up to see Victor had punched the woman in the jaw and was screaming at her. The burly man from behind the counter was rushing over to break up the fight and I managed to rise to my feet.
I could feel a bump swelling on the side of my head. I grabbed Victor and pulled him out of the door and down the hallway to the back of the building. His hiccups were the only noise that accompanied us.
Xyle was tied next to a few other unicorns, his eyes sunk in from lack of water and I could see his gaunt and tight skin across his flesh.
“You evil, foolish idiot, Victor! You almost let this poor unicorn die!”I shuddered to think of what would have happened if I’d left Victor in the city. I helped Victor climb awkwardly onto Xyle’s saddle and saw a red welt where the cinch had rubbed against him for two days. Victor put a hand to his head and started to complain but I cut him off.
“You just shut up will you! I’ve had enough of you and your drinking habits for a lifetime. If I never saw you in another alehouse it would still be too soon. So just shut up or who knows? I might end up murdering you!”I was screaming in a rage as I felt blood trickle down my back. I led the poor unicorn around to the front of the building.
Timmy astride Shika, stood right where I’d left them, waiting patiently. I hurried over to the pair and Shika whinnied happily causing the black unicorn to raise his head and emit a raspy whinny in return.
I climbed up behind Timmy and looped Xyle’s reins through a leather loop and urged Shika forwards, my anger simmering. Timmy was staring at Victor but pulled his gaze away long enough to wave to the guard as we passed him.
I’d wanted to travel till nightfall but Victor made this hope impossible. He’d fallen of Xyle twice so I decided we’d make camp. I set up the tent by myself and laid out Victor’s bedroll which he’d occupied quickly. I gave Timmy my bedroll and ended up wrapping myself up in my cloak.
It was evening by now and I hadn’t the heart to try and fix anything for dinner so I passed Timmy a soft bun and stuffed one down my own dry throat. Victor had roused at the smell of food, but I glared at him and he curled back into a ball.
I’d finally gotten to sleep and all was dark when Victor started complaining about his aching head. I rose off the ground in a fury, ready to strangle him.
“You know what? I don’t give a dam about your freaking head! It’s your own stupid fault, you idiot!”I kicked a rock at him and he whimpered but for the most part shut up. I heard the canvas tent rustle as Taz squeezed in under the door flap. He let out a soft whine then snuggled up beside me. I was grateful for his company and half wished he had been Victor.
Again, I was almost asleep when Timmy’s quiet voice spoke. “I know you’re mad at him, bro, but I’m just happy Dad’s alright.”
qqq
You have a very interesting writing style that kind of examples some of your own personality, and I can tell you that that's good for me. I like seeing how the writer behind the piece is. 