𝔹𝕖𝕥𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕍𝔼𝕀𝕃 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝟙
~ 30 ~

I wonder how long Valentine’s going to be here, I’m kind of nervous that if I talked to him any longer that he might just vanish in the middle of it. I thought as I finished up with the groceries.

With Valentine around it’s really helping me distract myself from those scary things that could be out there who knows how though find me and I don’t want to be alone when they do.

I walked towards the living room, Valentine still sitting on the couch as he looked at something.

“I’m not sure how long you’re going to be here, but I don’t want you to be bored while you’re here so do you want to watch something?” I asked. Thankfully the TV could distract him from asking so many questions that I could not answer.

“Watch something? Like birds?”

“Something like that, but maybe something a bit more interesting than birds,” I suggested as I grabbed the TV remote and waved it in his direction.

“Whoa! What—”

“Before you ask, it’s a TV remote used to turn on this,” I said as I used it to turn on the giant flat screen in front of us. I watched as Valentine practically gasped with surprise as he stared at the screen. “I can’t exactly explain what this is so we’ll just watch TV and just enjoy what you’re looking at,” I said as I opened Cyber stream.

“Do you think we can watch that?” Valentine asked pointing to a random episode in my continued watching list.

“Sure, I was watching it last night anyway and it would be nice to finish the episode, plus when you go back to your world, I won’t have to turn it on later.” I said as I turned on haunted Village.”

Valentine looked at it in fascination as I contemplated getting snacks.

Do I feel like cooking today? Wait am I going to die today? I really don’t want to die before having more of the pasta that I made last time it would be a terrible thing to go without.

“Would you like a snack while we watch TV?” I asked as I pointed towards the fridge. Valentine looked at me then glanced in the direction where my finger was pointing.

“A snack? Sure.” He spoke, “Thank you, you are very kind.”

I grinned as I moved towards the kitchen, trying to see if I had anything that he would be familiar with.

Wonder if he would like potato chips? Actually better yet wonder what his reaction would be to soda. I thought amused

“I wonder if this is how the girl felt in that anime where she went back in time and fell in love with that half-demon. But then when he learned about potato chips and Ramen it was priceless.”

I yanked a bag of chips and of the cupboard and grabbed a bowl checking the fridge for any cold soda.

“I would ask him if there was any flavored as he would want but… He’s not the real Blaine.” I said as I grabbed any random can and closed the fridge.

I made my way back to the couch plopping down beside him and handing him one of the sodas, before placing the bowl down on the table.

“I would have gotten you are flavored you might be familiar with but I don’t know what you would’ve liked so I got you orange soda.

Valentine looked at me then at the can before taking it.

“Soda? And what are those?” Valentine asked pointing to the bowl.

“Let’s just say it’s a fizzy drink, let’s just say his juice but with bubbles. And those are potato chips give it a try.” I said opening my can of soda.

Valentine watched me as I opened my soda, I could see from the corner of my eyes he tried to mimic what I did.

“Need help?” I offered my hand out to take soda.

Valentine looked at me hesitantly then glanced at my open can on the table before handing me his.

“Why don’t you try some of these chips,” I said as I grabbed the bowl and put it between us.

I fiddled with the can for a second when my phone vibrated. I could hear the sound of the fizzy as I opened the can, handing the soda back to Valentine I reach for my phone.

I too see a text message from Blaine.

Have you gone to get your groceries yet today?

- Blane.

I ignored the text message backing out of messenger when I could see Valentine looking at me.

“It is so weird to see my name like that and know that the person is not me,” Valentine said as he looked at my phone. “But why is he asking if you’ve gone to get your groceries yet.”

“Who knows and I don’t care,” I said placing my phone back on the table. “Do you want to see something really weird the?” I asked as I looked at him mischievously.

“Weirder than this TV show? Is that what you call it? I can’t tell if they’re acting or not it’s so confusing.”

I laughed as I reached for my phone unlocking it and scrolling through my photos.

“Yes, they are acting if they weren’t this would be a very terrifying world but take a look at this,” I said as I showed him a picture of Blaine.

Valentine looked at me speechless, his eyes wide as he stared at him himself. The same shape and color even their hairstyle similar but not as smooth and well-kept as Blaine.

“It is uncanny how similar we look,” he said fixated on staring at himself. “The only thing different about us would be the clothes that we where.”

“Well, that and your voices are slightly different, your voice is a bit rougher than his. Blaine has a very soft way of speaking including his voice but other than that you guys do look oddly similar if you put him in your close or you and his you wouldn’t bail to tell the difference.”

Well, that and maybe Valentine’s personality, since I don’t know him very well, I can’t say that their personality is the same from what I’ve seen it can be but seems more closed off kind of like he’s sad.

My phone vibrated startling Valentine and me from my thoughts of both of them. Valentine stared at my phone blankly as if looking at a bomb.

I grabbed the phone from his hand and opened my text messages to see who it was.

Zaphira, please get back to me I know that you’re mad at me but could you at least message me so that I know that you’re okay, I heard from a friend of mine that the nearby grocery stores by your house burnt down for no reason and I want to make sure you weren’t there.

- Blane.

Wait! The grocery stores burnt down? As in like in ashes? Oh my God was because I was there? The day no way when there and now the burnt the grocery store thinking that I would be there. Going to do can’t go anywhere now without the fear that they would burn the place down.

And what if I’m there next time they would freely burn down a building with God knows how many people just to kill one?

“What’s wrong?” Valentine asked.

Just before I could say anything Valentine’s body started to dissipate like melting paper.

Strange light and engulfing him before vanishing. I watched shocked as he went from sitting on my couch to gone completely not a single trace to prove he was even in the room other than the can of soda that sat open on the table.

“What the hell did I just watch?” I asked myself is a stared blankly at the spot.

I shook my head confused trying to understand what I watched, I turned my head to the can then back to the couch my mind by the thought when my phone vibrated again on the table.

I glanced at my phone Blaine’s name scrawled on the screen on the lock screen. I unlocked my phone to glance at the message.

Zaphira I’m getting worried, please get back to me you can continue being mad at me all you want after but at least let me know that you’re okay.

-Blane.

I stared at the message for a few minutes contemplating whether or not to get back to him. After a moment I sighed and typed Blane a message.

I’m fine, I never knew that the building burnt down until you messaged me so, please stop worrying about me and spamming me. I typed then closed my phone.

What am I going to do? If they keep burning places down to find me does not going to be much of the town and if I stay here there are going to eventually find me.

I can’t even go to grandfathers, if I go there they could hurt grandfather and Clarissa, and… Lexi. I thought venomously.

Despite how mean that Lexi is to me I would not want some sort of evil trying to murder her, she deserves bad things to happen to her but not death.

I rose to my feet pacing in the living room as I tried to think of something, somewhere that I can go. With school out, I don’t have to leave the house which makes me even more of a target and since Elizia won’t talk to me I can’t get solace from her.

And even if I go to Blaine it’s like telling him he won that I’ll always need his protection, even though mom’s not here he still sees me as something to take care of I want him to see that I can protect myself and protect myself even if that means not telling him about anything.

But I might be doing him a favor, in this case, it’s too dangerous for him to get involved, if those creatures are after me and they seem willing to burn buildings down even with people inside I don’t see them seeing mercy on Blaine, they might cut him down just to get to me.

I stopped in the middle of my living room my heart pounding as an ache formed in my chest making me feel nauseated and scared.

But how are they finding me? At the spot at the moment, they seem to know exactly where I’ve been. It’s like they’re sentencing me through smell but unless they're creatures with really good noses how are they even able to find me?

I glanced down at the burning heart that I connected to a chain, the house lights reflecting off it as I stared at it.

“I know this might be dangerous and probably a bad idea but what if I left the house, I could go to the park and see if they sense me at the house. If they burn my house down then I know what has to be what I think it is if they don’t then I have no idea how they could be sentencing me.

Grabbing everything I could and sticking it in one of my bags including all the money that I stored in mom’s safe under her bed.

I stuffed everything I could and one of my suitcases then walked towards mom’s room stopping just before the threshold.

“This might be the last time I ever stepped foot in mom’s room, one of the last places mom was before… But if they burn the whole house down then not only do I lose mom’s room and the only few things that she left behind but will also lose the house I live in where I grew up and gained a lot of memories.

I took a deep breath then exhaled slowly as I tried to think of mom and what she would want from me. I knew that if I left the house it would be the last and only thing, I had that connected me to mom and if it was gone I had nothing.

I glanced at the ring that I found in one of mom’s boxes, tears rimmed my eyes as I thought about everything in the host suddenly seeming more special than anything. Into my suitcase but I knew I couldn’t.

I clenched my fists before entering mom’s room the cool breeze whisked past my face as I could smell a familiar scent. I smell I hadn’t felt in a long time.