Well hello there! I haven't touched this story in...I think years. Wow, sorry to anyone out there who read this and has been patiently waiting for an update. I'll be blunt, this story is not on my priority list. I have most of the story in my head but there's not a lot of motivation to write it. That said, I've been re-reading some of the Percy Jackson series and been reminded of this story. This isn't the most dramatic scene but I'm building up to something ;) To anyone who wants to keep reading this story, just know that it might be a while before I update again. Oh and I did change my writing style slightly. I was pretty young when I started writing this and have improved since (hopefully). Let me know what you think! Enjoy! :D
The lion was massive. I mean, obviously I haven't seen any lions but I could guess that this was larger than normal. Mikey backed up hastily towards me until we were standing next to each other, staring at the lion. The lion stared back. We stood at a standstill for several seconds, neither Mikey nor I breathing. The lion started growling, a deep rumbling in his throat that vibrated through my chest. Something told me this wasn't a normal lion but similar to the monsters that had been chasing me.
"It's not a normal lion, is it?" Mikey asked, voice quivering slightly.
"You can tell too?"
"Yeah. It's like a gut feeling. This is not a good situation. Like it's worse than if it was normal-" The lion roared again.
"Okay, shutting up now," Mikey squeaked. The lion prowled towards us, his great nose inching closer, sniffing. Something told me to stay still. I grabbed Mikey's shirt to keep him from backing up any more. The lion was inches from us and Mikey's panicked breathing wasn't helping me calm down. The rumble from the lion's growl grew louder as he bumped his nose against me. He snarled angrily, showing his bright white, man-eating teeth. I think I could hear my knees knocking together. And yet, I did something neither of us expected.
I bared my teeth and growled back.
It was a pathetic growl; I mean I'm human. I honestly don't know what I was thinking but it did the trick. The lion blinked in surprise and then backed away. It's nose started sniffing the air, turning away from us. It gave us one last look of disgust and walked away. Mikey and I stood in silence.
"You…um, you growled at a lion."
"Yeah, I – uh- guess I did."
"And it just left?"
"Yep." I could hear the confusion in his voice and felt it too. Why did the lion turn away? It didn't make sense. We were any easy dinner and my growl was pathetic. Something about the way we smelled must have driven him away. But what was it?
"Well, this just solidifies that you're freaking awesome," Mikey stated. He let out a groan and put his hands on his knees, breathing deeply. I felt uncomfortable with the compliment but I didn't know what to say. Did I say thank you or a witty come back? This was new territory for me. I didn't get compliments, like ever. Mikey took a deep breath and straightened up.
"You have no idea how much of an accomplishment it is that I didn't pee my pants. That was the most terrified I'd been in my life," Mikey said.
"How do you know you didn't?" I asked. Mikey looked down at his pants, panicked. I grinned at his relieved expression and he smiled back.
"You suck," Mikey teased, hitting my shoulder.
"I thought you just said I was awesome."
"Well, it ebbs and flows. Come on, we need to figure out what to do." I followed Mikey as he started walking away. I looked around my surroundings, reflecting on what had happened. Seeing the giant wall Mikey had jumped against, put a puzzle piece together.
"Is that where you go to school?" I asked, catching up to Mikey's side. Mikey nodded without looking back.
"Yeah, I hate it so seeing the chicken-lady explode into dust was kind of a plus for that wall. I'll remember it more fondly now. Speaking of which, why did she explode into dust?" Mikey asked. I shrugged.
"Some of them do that but I think it's only when you hit them really hard. I've been lucky enough to do it a couple of times but usually I just run until they lose my scent," I explained.
"Hmmf."
"You don't believe me."
"What? No, sorry I do, I'm just thinking," Mikey corrected himself. I tilted my head, looking in his direction. I had never met someone who had accepted or believed me so easily. Usually people dismissed me or got angry with me. I couldn't figure Mikey out. He was about my height, thin, with lots of hair. The shadows moved in and out of his hair and that usually meant there was a lot of it. If I focused a little harder I could try to make out what his face looked like. But that was a lot of effort and my energy was waning fast. As if in response, Mikey's stomach growled.
"Well, guess I'm hungry but the problem is I left my wallet at home so I can't pay for anything. Cookies it is then," Mikey said, taking a sharp left.
"Cookies?" I asked.
"Yep, Mrs. Parker usually has a plate of cookies. If we hurry, we can get them before Mr. O'Henry steals them." I followed Mikey in silence, getting the feeling he wasn't in a conversational mood. The gears turning in his head were almost loud enough to actually hear. I sighed quietly, thinking back to when I had first been attacked. It had been terrifying and extremely disorienting. Especially when I realized no one else could see what I was experiencing. But now I had found someone like me. Almost. That was completely new. And now I was disoriented and confused. What did it mean that someone else could see the monsters from my nightmares? I had thought it was just me. Maybe the lady at the orphanage had been right and I was possessed. But that didn't account for Mikey. So what were we? Why were we being chased?
"Here we are," Mikey announced. I looked up and sensed the shadows of the grocery store.
"Wait," I said, tugging Mikey into an alley. I got out my retractable walking stick, tapping it on the ground.
"You have one of those?"
"Yep. People kinda freak when they see my eyes and no walking stick."
"Oh, gotcha." I led the way out of the alley and let Mikey go in front.
"Alright, let's get some cookies."