The next morning, he descended the main stairs to the scent of sweet cakes and frying pork filling his nose. He followed them to the kitchen, where he saw Sara standing over the stove and cooking an elaborate breakfast. She had music playing and was singing along, and she was dancing around the room.
"And I'm so sad... Like a good book, I can't put this day back, a sorta..." Sara sang, screaming when she turned around and saw him standing in the door. She clamped her hands over her mouth, and stared at him. "You scared the piss out of me Spooky!"
"Wonderful to see that I am living up to my moniker then." He replied, and she pointed her spatula at her.
"See how wonderful it is when I throw some hot bacon grease on you, I think I really did pee myself." She groaned and rolled her eyes. He moved to the cabinet, and took a glass out, giving her a wide berth. He filled it with water, and she went back to cooking the meal for everyone in the house. Robert came in and had his nose in the air, dragging Mark with him and they opened the door.
"Holy shit! That smells like heaven!" Mark said, and she grinned at them. The two men started grabbing everything they needed and Sara rolled her eyes as Amy and Emily appeared.
"Men. Two things make them happy, food and pussy." Emily said, and Sara laughed as she turned to put the finished bacon on a plate. She was about to add a pancake to another plate on the counter when Mark took it off her spatula.
"Yoink!" He grinned and Sara slapped the back of his head with the spatula. "Not true! Some of us like other stuff, like boobies!"
"That is just proof that you men can focus on two things at once." Amy said, and Loki gave a choked laugh as she handed him a plate. Mark and Robert both claimed seats and Loki loaded his plate up and shook his head.
"Breasts to men, are like lazer pointers to cats." Emily said, rolling her eyes, and Mark crouched in his chair and pretended to be a cat. He shifted his hips, and then pounced, grabbing Emily's breasts and Sara laughed as the redhead bonked him in he head with a spoon. Loki gave a snort of amusement, not missing the fact that Sara was making it her business to focus on the cooking food. He felt a bit bad for her, and could sense her hopes for something more one day.
"Sara, your cooking is amazing as usual." Robert said, and she smiled and made herself a plate as she claimed a seat at the table. Loki dragged a chair over from the wall, and a second for Emily. He sat down, and ate some of the food, and Emily sat next to him.
"At least Spooky chews with his mouth shut. We don't want to see the victims of the train derailment Dobby!" Sara snapped, and he closed his mouth as he chewed his food. Emily laughed, and Mark laughed as he drank some orange juice. Loki watched the conversation flow, and laughed a few times. Mark put some whipped cream on his pancakes, and Robert grinned as he added syrup to his. Loki was pouring some of the maple syrup over his cakes, and was relaxed when he looked up to see something flying at him.
"Wack!" Robert said, and a spoonful of the cream hit him in the cheek. He jerked back, and said the first word that came to his mind.
"Fuck!" He exclaimed, mortified that he said something so crude and Mark started laughing around his mouthful of food. Loki wiped the cream off his face with his fingers, and glared at Robert and Sara shook her head.
"That was not fair. You didn't announce that you were going to play Wack Fuck." She said, and handed him a damp dish towel. He cleaned his face off, and he checked the Star Wars shirt he was wearing for any more of the food and found none.
"It was fair." Mark said, and Amy shook her head. She held up her fork, and pointed at Mark.
"You guys made the rules, you said that you have to announce the game of Wack Fuck before proceeding with the Wack part." Amy said, and she crossed her arms. "You both get dishes duty after we eat for breaking the rules. Besides, Sara cooked and we should really do the cleanup."
"Okay... Mom." Robert mumbled around a mouthful of food, and Loki smiled a bit as he watched them. Amy gave him a smile, and he felt a bit off about it.
"How is your shoulder today? Still hurting?" The Mother Hen of the group asked, and he shook his head. He was not used to anyone showing concern to him, and it took him back a moment.
"No, it has a bruise, but does not bother me very much." He replied, and Amy smiled wider. Mark finished his plate, and took it to the sink and began rinsing it off. He looked at the remaining food on his plate then, and he speared a sausage and took a bite of it.
"We should try paintball guys, one weekend. Danny at the Gym did it, and she had tons of fun." Mark said, and Robert took Amy and his plate over to the sink and they both started doing dishes.
"Dishwasher is clean, you gotta put them away first." Sara said, and Mark threw a dishtowel at her. She ducked, and threw it back. She poked his arm, as Emily and Amy left. "Are you really okay? I can get you some ibuprofen for the shoulder."
"It does not pain me that much anymore. Thank you for asking." He said back, and she nodded as he finished his food. He drank the last of his juice and water, and left her and gave her a polite tilt of his head. This group was confusing, and he was left waiting for the hurled ridicule to return.
He knew that sometime soon, they would.
--‐--
Sara brought the game into the den, Mark and Robert moving the table and Loki carrying two chairs. She had to get it out of the basement, and she almost had to climb a shelf to get it. She put on a pair of cutoff shorts that morning, and a loose baby doll tshirt with a picture of Han Solo on it. She smiled, and set the box on the table, watching as Amy set up the area in front of the big screen television, with the help of Emily.
"If we don't have six chairs here, we can use the ones from the kitchen table. We can eat dinner outside at the picnic table too, I had Benny sand it and clean it up for us." Sara said, and she almost bumped into Loki as she backed up. She turned, feeling embarrassed as the doorbell rang and Amy looked through the blinds at the GTO parked outside.
"Well, only one asshole in this town drives a classic GTO in black." She groaned, and Sara started wishing that she wore long pants and a baggier shirt as she realized it was Travis. She felt uncomfortable then, and she wanted to vanish, but still found the bravery to walk over and answer the door when he knocked. She opened it, and he was leaning against the frame, a Marlboro hanging from his lips.
"Hey Sara, it hot out here or is it you?" He asked, and she fought the urge to smack the smirk off his face. He made her skin crawl, and he wouldn't leave her alone, even after rejecting every advance he ever made toward her. She didn't want to be another notch on his headboard, and she didn't care if he saw her as a possible conquest either, he was not getting into her shorts.
"It is pretty hot outside, but I hear we are going to have a cooling trend soon. What do you want?" She asked him, throwing her arm out before he could try to walk into her house. "No smoking in my house, it fucks up the wallpaper." He stopped, and took the cigarette out from between his lips and flicked some ash onto her porch. She glared at him, and gave him every ounce of body language that told him she was uninterested.
"I wanted to ask you out on a date, maybe a little ride after. How does tonight sound?" He asked her, his dirty blonde hair cut into a mullet and pockmarked face making her cringe. He had a scar on his left cheek that almost met his frog lips, and he though it made him look tough, but everyone knew about how he fell off the bleachers drunk during the Homecoming Game in his second Senior Year.
"I have plans tonight, not interested anyways, or ever for that matter." She said, and moved to close the door. He stopped it, lowering his shit brown eves and holding it open. He licked his lips, and she saw a spider crawling on the door. She cupped it in her hand, giving him a smile as she held the arachnid in her palm.
"Ditch your friends, I will show you a better time anyways. I got a hard on with your name all over it." He said, and Sara rolled her eyes as he tried that tired line on her. Her friends in the other room snickered, and she knew she would never hear the end of that one. She laughed at him, and she held her cupped hand up before giving him the finger. The spider crawled out of her palm, and scurried over the back of her hand and he backed up at seeing it.
"My name has four letters, you only have enough space for two. Get off my fucking property Travis, I am warning you." She said and she caught the spider in her other hand and offered it to him. "Take her on a date instead, she may get bored and wander off though."
"Fuckin weird ass bitch! No wonder you are still a Virgin, you probably shove bugs up your snatch too!" He said, and she followed him out the door with the spider crawling over her hands. He tripped as he moved, catching himself and he ran to his car. He peeled out, leaving her driveway and she looked at the spider on her hand.
"Poor girl, but even you can do better than him." She said to the crawling spider, and took it to the bushes lining the property. She took it to a rosebush, and left it on a leaf and walked back inside. "Go live your life, and find a spider boyfriend."
"And I thought I was the Chaotic one." Emily laughed as she nudged Loki with her elbow, and Sara shrugged. She realized then, that Loki had heard him announce that she was still a Virgin and she cringed mentally at what he had to think about her. He clapped his hands at her display, and looked as if he approved of her attack. She felt a bit better because he was not making a big deal out of it, so she relaxed a bit at her small secret being revealed.
"Good job Bugs, you had him running." Mark laughed, and Sara chuckled as she smiled. She crossed her arms, and shook her head as he gave her a side hug.
"Spiders are the great equalizer at times." She shrugged, taking a bow and laughing. She walked over to the table, and Mark started setting up Munchkin. Sara got everyone a bottled water, and she picked up the bowl of chips so they could snack and play.
"The game is easy, you just have to follow what is on the cards. Every turn goes in stages though, you start by picking a Monster card, deciding if you want to run away from the monster, ally with another player to defeat the monster, or facing it by yourself. If you decide to fight it, and you have less strength than the monster, then you have to roll the dice. Four or better is a win, if you roll less than four, you start at level one of the game with no gear or class. If you beat the monster, you get to move on, and you get to loot the room." Mark explained to Loki as everyone started claiming seats. He picked up the blue character marker, and Sara smiled as she sat next to him. He nodded, and looked at the board and cards as Emily took a drink of water.
"Start with Irish, that way he can see how it should progress before it gets to his turn." Amy said, and Sara leaned over and looked at the cards in his hands. They all started laying out their equipment cards, and Sara pointed to his possibilities.
"You can use that sword, but it takes one hand. You can't carry more than two items, because you only have two hands. You also have a race and Class card, so you can use those now if you want. Remember, you want to be the first person to reach level ten to win." She said, and he nodded as he lay down a card for the boots of speed, and the sword. She nodded, and she showed him how to tally his strength. "It is not hard, you just follow what the cards say."
"No, it is quite simple to follow." Loki replied, and he lay the cards out to have a class as a Cleric, and a Elf. She laughed at the cards, and Emily was ready for her first turn. Sara laid her cards out neatly, and she smiled as he arranged his to match hers.
"Okay, I'm starting my turn." Emily said, and laughed as she turned over a Legal Suit card. Loki gave an amused snort, and she shook her head. "This damn games kills me, the puns alone. I'm going to fight it."
"Here sweetie, good luck." Mark said, and passed her the die. She rolled it, and groaned and flopped her head down on the table and laughed as she rolled a two.
"You had to wish her luck, didn't you T.D?" Amy said, and started chewing on a Red Vine as she sorted her cards. He shrugged, and Emily read the conquests.
"Yeah, because now, I have to loose one of my items. You owe me big time for that." Emily laughed, and he made like he was sorry with puppy dog eyes and a pout. She shoved against his face with the palm of her hand, and Sara grabbed some pretzels from the bowl and started eating them.
"Take your turn Mark." Sara laughed, and he laughed as he drew a level one monster. He discarded it, and took his loot. He grinned as he used one of his new weapons and moved his character marker forward one space.
She watched her friends take their turns, and enjoyed them laughing together. They had not done this in a long time, not since she got sick. It was a wonderful relief to see everyone having a good time, and a little bittersweet too. Even though she had Loki involved, he probably still would still make himself an outsider among them. She had to figure out ways to get him more active with the group, maybe show him that he could get along with them and get the rest to accept him.
He was a bit moody, but he wasn't that bad overall.
"Space Case!" Emily said, and threw a red vine at her. Loki laughed as it bounced off her forehead, and she picked it up and rolled her eyes as she took a bite.
"I could have lost an eye bitch!" She shot back, and waved the candy. Loki leaned forward, and bit it, making Mark laugh and throw his head back. He held it in his teeth, and kept it like it was a cigarette between his lips as he chewed. "Hey! That was mine!" She protested, and he shrugged as he opened his lips and offered it back to her. She waved her hand and rolled her eyes as he bit off the end that was in his mouth and she took it back.
"Yeah, well you vanished on us to orbit the sun. It is your turn." Emily said, and Sara picked up her card. She turned the monster over and saw it was stronger than her. The easiest thing to do would be to form an alliance, and she thought about who. She looked at Loki, and grinned.
"If we both defeat this monster together, I will share two of my treasures with you." She said, and he grinned at her and thought about it. He gave her a nod, and She grinned as together they defeated the monster, and she gave him two cards, and she took two cards from the treasure pile. Mark teased her with a red vine, and she grabbed it in her mouth and growled at him as she moved her marker up a space. He laughed, and it was nice to see him happy, and she started eating the candy.
"Your turn Spooky." Robert said, and Sara grinned as she watched him pick up his monster card and took his round.
--‐--
By the time they finished their fifth game, Loki had the hang of it and he laughed when he read the monster card he selected. One more space forward, and Sara would win, and she was waiting her turn impatiently. Mark and Robert were holding their cards, and this round was starting to get cutthroat as they all sat. He had more than enough hit points to kill the monster, so he went ahead with it, and the turn moved to her. She drew her card, and laughed as she picked up the Duck of Doom. She had to loose all her progress, and start from the beginning of the game and she laughed as she played fairly.
"I was so close!" She laughed, and Mark gave her a little shove as she rocked back in her seat. "Next time, we should play Cards Against Humanity, we really find out which of us is messed in the head."
"I love that game! It is delightfully twisted!" Robert said, and they watched Mark take his turn. He went through the motions, playing out his chance to win and passed the honors to Amy. She leaned against the table, and grabbed a chip from the bowl, grinning as she selected her Monster card.
"You would Dobby." Emily teased, and she twirled her finger next to her ear. "You are totally psycho, like Ted Bundy in a small town."
"He was a local Law Student." Sara chimed in, and Amy rolled her eyes as she lay her card down to play out her turn. Sara laughed as Mark looked though his cards, and smirked.
"I heard he was a shitty date though, couldn't keep a girl alive through it." Emily joked, and Sara laughed, and gave her a high five over the table.
"Dark humor is the first sign of Dementia." Amy said in a sing song voice, and Robert laughed and slapped the table.
"We are all totally fucked then." Robert laughed, and began to wheeze as Sara began laughing too. Loki shook his head, and he tied his hair back and watched Emily take her turn. She finished hers out, and sat back and laughed too.
"Two cannibals are sitting around a bonfire eating a clown, one turns to the other and says: Does this taste funny to you?" Robert said, and Sara threw her head back and laughed at his joke. Loki gave a snort, and had to cross his arms over his chest as he shook his head.
"Why didn't we start hanging out here more earlier?" Mark asked, and everyone looked at him and Sara rolled her eyes as Mark finished out his turn. Everyone stared at him, except for Loki, who was one step away from winning now as he started taking his turn.
"Her name was Darla, and she was a total bitch in high heels." Amy said, and Loki laid down his monster. Everyone went back to the game, and they clapped their hands as he won the round. He gave a smile, and he regarded everyone as he have a shrug.
"I need to get the barbecue started, I will come back and help put everything back." Mark said, and got out of the chair. He walked through to the kitchen, and Loki started gathering up the cards and putting them in neat piles. Sara laughed, putting all the pieces and folding the board so that she could clean everything up. Amy took a chair back to the kitchen, and she teased Sara over her shoulder.
"We gotta find you a boyfriend so Travis stops coming around. You know he is not going to give up, and he will be back and knocking on your door like a tomcat." Amy said, and Sara sighed to herself and she took a stack of cards from Loki and tucked them into the box.
"Well, if you find one that can put up with me, and is not with me for the money, let me know." She said, stretching as she stood up and her shirt rode up to show her midriff. Loki turned his head to say something, and turned it back to not stare at her bellybutton. Emily laughed, and she pointed at him.
"Chivalry is not dead." She teased, and she picked up the box and began taking the game back down to the basement. Sara gave him an apologetic shrug, and Robert started taking chairs back to where they belonged.
"It is just limping through the forest, being tracked for the kill by Mysonginists." Amy groaned, and Robert and Loki moved the table back to under the window. Sara walked to the kitchen, carrying empty bottles and tossed them into the recycle can. Robert took the bowl from their snacks into the kitchen, and picked up Amy and walked into the backyard.
"This wo-man mine!" He shouted and Loki gave a chuckle from the other room. Sara bent over, getting the marinating racks of ribs and the rest of the food out of the refrigerator. She struggled with the metal pan of beef ribs, and she looked like she was about to drop them. She tried to get them to the counter, and Loki walked over and took them from her.
"I can take these, they seem heavy." He said, being polite. His fingers brushed hers under the tray, and her heart skipped a beat at the tingle that shot up her spine as they stared at eachother. She put herself back together, and she gave him a nod.
"Oh! Yeah. Thanks, they are heavy." She said, and he carried them out the back door and into the yard. He walked down the steps, and Amy gave her a look as she walked back in. Sara grew self concous suddenly, and her friend crossed her arms at her.
"Wow, from that look on your face, he either said something really mean or really nice." She said, and grabbed a package of paper plates and the plastic forks. Sara shook her head, and she opened a new roll of paper towels so they could wipe their hands off. Amy walked over, putting an arm around her and giving her a half hug.
"He was being nice, and it sort of threw me for a loop. He normally ignores me, so I'm not used to it. It is like one of the ghosts deciding to have a conversation with you suddenly." She said, lying through her teeth about how her brain short cirtuited every time he touched her. She couldn't explain it, how he seemed to be so cold one minute, and then so nice the next. She had to definatetely separate herself from him and focus on what she had to do, just get through one day at a time.
"You think about what we talked about last week, we need to get you on some Birth Control. Especially if Travis is sniffing around, he is the kind of guy that does not take no for an answer. If he forces you into sex, I don't want you having to deal with an abortion too." She said, and Sara gave a nod, her eyes out the window.
"How soon can we do it? I want to get it done as soon as possible, especially with Travis coming around like that. It sort of freaks me out, that he thought I would cave if he showed up." She replied, and Amy grabbed her purse and opened it, showing her the birth control implant she brought over.
"Your period just ended, I know your cycle, because you get really moody before and after. We can do it now, and get you protected. I am a Nurse Practicioner after all, and it takes five minutes." Sara looked at the package, seeing it and she glanced back at her friends outside. Loki watched Mark, and they looked like they were all having a conversation with the beers they were holding. She gave a nod, and Amy began washing her hands.
"Okay." She said, staying quiet as she watched Amy fill a syringe with numbing agent. She relaxed her arm, and a tiny bump formed as her friend worked to make it easy on her.
"I will run the insurance that I have on file in the computer. That way we can get this paid for, I will call you for the copay later." She said, and let it take hold. Emily walked back in, and closed the door to give Sara privacy. "You may stop getting a period, that is normal don't panic when that happens. Otherwise, you can practically forget about this, you will be protected."
"Okay, Giggles. You know more about this stuff than me. No menstrual cramps sounds amazing too, I can probably save on pads too." Sara said, and she implanted the Birth Control into her arm. The guys came back in just as Amy was cleaning up, and Mark stopped. Loki saw the needle on the table, and he froze as she put a bandaid on Sara's arm.
"Birth Control Sara? Isn't that like putting A SubWoofer in a Ford Focus?" Mark asked, and Amy turned on him. Sara laughed, and she rubbed her arm. She felt the implant, and was glad it was in there. Embarassment crept up her spine at Loki seeing it though, and she tried not to blush.
"Travis is not exactly one to take the word "No" for an answer, and she may eventually meet someone she is interested in doing the Mattress Mombasa with. There is nothing wrong with her being prepared, she has a right to do that." Amy snapped at Mark, and he raised his tongs in surrender. Sara laughed, looking at Loki as he rubbed the back of his hand and she shrugged. They had another thing in common now, and that they both had implants of some sort in their bodies. One to keep other people safe from him, and one to keep her safe from other people.
"Are we going to devour that cow or what?" Sara blurted out as she got up, and gestured out the door, her smile widening. Robert turned his back to Sara, and let her get a piggyback ride out the door. She laughed, and never minded when her male friends picked her up. She was short, and they never did it to be mean, it was just the way they all were.
"We shall sear the flesh of the fallen beast! For we are men, and we desire to eat the flesh of a cow!" Mark shouted, and Robert set her down on the picnic table. Emily sat in front of her on the bench, and Loki sat next to her with his bottle of beer. He took a long drink, and Amy took a picture of the three of them. Sara smiled, and looked at her.
"Send me that, I'm replacing all the pictures in the frames in the house with my real family." Sara chirped, and Mark smiled at the idea. She let the sun warm her, and Robert turned the ribs on the grill so they would not burn.
"I like that idea Bugs, we will be sure to take lots of pictures for you." Mark said, and she smiled, and wondered what the next day would bring them.
--‐--
They all sat or lay around the television as the credits for the last movie played, Sara laughed as she streched her back on the hide a bed and laughed as Mark lumbered around the room like the monster in Cloverfield. He picked up Emily, and she swatted at him, her hands waving and they all laughed. She managed to get away, and she ran and ducked behind the couch.
"Run Irish!" Amy shouted, and she yawned as she streched. Loki remained in the Lazy Boy, away from the group and gave an amused smile at the playful couple. Sara noticed it, and she looked away before anyone caught her staring at him. She snuggled herself under the blanket she was using, and laughed as Emily ran by her.
"Come here little girl!" Mark shouted, and grabbed her before she got away, scooping her up to give her cheeks kisses. She squealed, and they started making out and Robert threw a foam ball at them.
"Get a room! There are virgins here!" He laughed, and Sara threw her pillow at him. Amy laughed, and Sara crossed her arms. She was a little jealous that she we didn't have what her girlfriends had, someone that made her laugh and gave her hugs. Someone that she could cuddle with and watch movies, or even just snuggle under a blanket and read books with.
"Shut up! Oh my God!" Sara exclaimed, and leaned against the back of the couch. Mark and Emily laughed, and grabbed her wrists. Robert yanked the blanket off her, and she screamed as she pulled against the hands holding her. They pulled her against the uncomfortable foam mattress, and she kicked her feet and laughed. Robert got up, pretending to hold a knife, and Amy turned her empty popcorn bucket over and slapped her hands on it like a Bongo.
"Virgin Sacrifice! Kali-Ma!" Robert said, and Sara laughed as he pretended to stab her in the heart. They all stopped, everyone looking at Loki who was laughing at them. Sara sat up, all if them shocked by what they were hearing.
"Did you know that Spooky made that noise?" Mark asked, and Sara started giggling with him as he laughed. She couldn't help it, it was infectious as he sat back in the chair and watched them goof off.
"First of... "Loki laughed again. "That is a terrible waste of a Virgin, and even more of a waste of an attractive woman." He gave them a grin. "And Rites such at that have much more power if the Virgin has a release instead of killing her or him."
"What the hell man! You saying that... yall got freaky and gave Virgins orgasams for religious purposes?" Robert laughed, and he pointed at Loki. "Now that is a damn party!"
"Thinking with your dick again Dobby?" Amy said, throwing a pillow at him and Sara laughed as she found the remote for the television and turned it off. Emily put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at Loki.
"You had to encourage them, jeez! And you better stay away from Sara with your devil penis magic." Amy said, waving her finger and Sara fell backwards on the bed at Loki's expression with laughter. He gave a snort, and shook his head as he punched the bridge of his nose.
"I think with my dick all the time! I'm a guy!" Robert said, and gestured at Loki. "He probably thinks with his too!"
"Only about fourty minutes out of each day." Loki said, and they all laughed and Sara lay back on the hide a bed and yawned as she put herself back together. She stared up at the ceiling, her hair loose and falling over the mattress and she laughed as Robert grabbed her foot and tickled it.
"Good one! Spoken like a true smart ass." Amy said, and clapped her hands. He gave her a salute with his hand, smiling as everyone laughed again.
"I gotta go Bugs, I gotta work tomorrow morning." Mark said, and she waved to him from her spot. He walked over, collecting his DVDs and gave her a big hug. "I can come back tomorrow afternoon. Maybe we can swim in the pond or something."
"Yay! Swimming!" Emily said, and Amy and Robert got up to leave. Sara waved bye to her friends, and got off the hide a bed and began folding it up. She struggled with a part of it, not quite strong enough to shove it back in, when two arms caged her in and gave the section a shove. She almost fell in her panic, when one of the arms held her around the waist to stop her sudden stumble.
"Apologies Sara, I did not like watching you struggle with the damned thing." He said, and she nodded as she backed away from him. She picked up the couch cushions, her body shivering from having someone actually care if she got hurt. She had to calm herself back down, and she hid her reaction by putting the couch back together and mumbling about having to start the dishwasher and running away.
She couldn't have what her friends did, but she wanted it desperately, but she also didn't want to become what Darla said she would be. She was terrified of sex, and she was even more terrified of letting anyone that close to her, to see her that vulnerable. The thought of anyone loving her was something that terrified her, and made her want to curl up into a ball and hide. She was too messed up for anyone, and she doubted any person would care for her that way anyways.
She tossed the tablet into the washer, and turned it on. Her ears picking up the sounds above her of Loki moving around, probably changing his clothes for bed. She turned out the lights, and walked through the den and turned off a light when she glanced at a window and saw someone in the driveway. It was a male figure, and she stared with a lump of fear in her throat. He had a hoodie on, and his face was in shadows. A hand raised up, and she saw the unmistakable flare of a cigarette cherry getting brighter, and then an exhale of smoke. She took tentative steps back, and almost screamed when she backed against a table.
She looked away a second, and then looked back out the window to see that he was gone. She picked up her phone from the end table, and ran up the stairs and knocked on Loki's door. She was almost in a panic when he opened it, and she pointed down the stairs.
"Someone was outside... I saw them from the window in the den." She said, trying to hide the shaky panic in her voice. He put his shoes back on, and walked down the stairs. He went into the den, and Sara followed as he grabbed the fireplace poker and held it in his hand.
"Lock the door when I go out. I will knock three times, then one. Don't open the door unless you hear that knock." He said, and she noticed that his eyes were fixed on the barn. One of the doors stood open, and the light was on inside it. She shook, and he looked at her.
"What are you going to do?" She asked him, and he walked to the front door. He undid the deadbolt, and held the knob in his hand.
"I am going to see if they are still out there, and then I am going to close up the outbuilding." He replied, and held the poker in his hand like a weapon. He opened the door, and stepped out onto the porch. "Lock the door."
"Okay." She said, and closed it. She stood behind it, her heart hammering off her chest and peered out the window toward the barn. She heard not a single sound, and she waited as she saw the lights in the barn go out. She left the window, returning to the door and waited, she held her breath when the three knocks came, and then a single knock. She opened the door, and Loki walked past her and returned the poker to the den. She shut and locked the door, her eyes on him.
"No one was out there, and the vehicles in the barn were as you left them. I closed the doors, and locked them to be sure." He replied, as she stood against the wall and chewed at her thumbnail. Her mind kept wondering who it was out there, and they both stood in the dark for a long time. She shook her head, and he shoved his hands in his pockets as he went still. His head inclined, his eyes focusing on the darkness around the house and something predatory took over him. She bit her lip, and she shifted on her feet, making the floorboard creak under her and he jerked his head to look at her.
"I'm going to go read for a while, I am too high on adrenaline to fall asleep right now." She groaned, and rubbed her face. She made her way up the stairs, and she walked down the hall to her room. Sara sat on the bed for a long time, hoping she was not just loosing her mind at what she saw out the windows.
Did she now have a Stalker? Did she imagine everything? Was it all in her head? She hid her face in her hands, crying as silently as she could as she curled into the smallest ball possible and sniffled. Eventually, she ran out of energy and curled on her side and fell asleep above the covers, curled in a tiny ball on the bed.