Chapter 38: Monster in the Fog.

Get out of my head. Get out of my head.

He refused to leave; the image of him created an even bigger fuss in my head by reminding me of his kisses on my neck. I should be put in an asylum. Maybe I was losing it for real. I can't possibly be thinking about him. Only a few minutes after he made it crystal clear what his feelings were, that is if we were to assume that he had feelings in the first place.

"Are you okay?" Erica asked me.

"Yes." I replied instantly. "I'm fine."

"Well, you seem a bit off. Are you sure everything is fine?"

"No, 'I'm fine' is just something I have rehearsed saying so much that it now lacks truth."

The concern in Erica's eyes was comforting to see though. I forced a smile so she wouldn't have to worry so much, but she didn't buy it. She placed her hands on her mind and rubbed it soothingly.

"Talk to me; what's bothering you?"

Everything. I still wanted to marry a certain man for no apparent reason; I felt too much for him, and he, in turn, felt nothing back. I felt like a fool heading for doom and heartbreak, but a small part of me still wanted to try, which is what I'm most ashamed of. My father might be at the Valerian Castle any minute now, and I feared it would be a gruesome sight. It angered me more because I know Adriel won't let me go back home—not that I would choose to on my own, but he should at least have the decency of sending me away since he doesn't care about me. Maybe then I could dive back into Hybrid Foundation and work hard till I forget he exists. But that was just a hopeless fantasy. Even the little I knew about Adriel told me he wouldn't do it.

Which makes it even more suspicious and sheds more light on Shadrach's theory about dangerous ulterior motives.

My whole life was a big mess, and I couldn't even fix it if I wanted to.

"It's Adriel, isn't it?" Erica asked.

"Hm?" I asked, snapping away from my thoughts."Uhm…no. I'm having a migraine."

"You could talk to me, you know." Erica said, assuredly.

On the contrary, The cautioned voice whispering warnings popped into my head; I could trust no one.

"Where exactly is this tea party?" I asked,changing the subject.

"There is this little beach down the shore of the beach where the girls and I meet. We will soon be there."

"Hm." I sighed, turning my face out the window. I noticed a concerning amount of fog outside. It stuck like a heavy mist between the tall grass, and looking closely at it made it appear orange .

"Is there always fog in these parts?"

"Fog? It's not an unusual phenomenon; it depends on the weather, I guess."

Erica had shrugged it off, but I felt a feeling in my gut that told me that there was something terribly wrong with this fog. I squinted at it, trying to make out a figure in the smoke.

"I think there is something in the fog." I murmured.

Erica laughed at me. "Perhaps, your made-up migraine is actually coming to reality."

I grabbed her arm and pulled her to my side of the the window.

"What do you see?"

"Just fog." Erica said, firmly yanking away from my grasp.

She gave me a worried look and scooted back to her seat. I almost thought I was crazy--Almost.

The hair at the back of my neck stood as I stared out there again; this time it wasn't gray fog; it was reddish with whiffs of black. It was beginning to scare me now.

"Erica, I want to go back home." I said.Sounding almost like a child half-way to the dentist office.

"If there was really something in the woods like you claim, don't you think it would be wiser to go to the beach house, which is closer?"

"Is there enough security there?"

"The hostess is a siren princess, Kiara; don't be paranoid."

"Paranoid?!" I screeched, almost taken aback.Only the paranoid survive.

Erica glanced back at me. "We live in a world with witches and wizards, and a bit of fog scares you."

The carriage abruptly stopped, as if it had hit something outside. A cold gush of wind grazed over our bodies, sending an ominous jolt through my veins.

She felt this too,this time, I saw the worry in Erica's eyes.

"Now, do you believe me?"

Erica rolled her eyes and got down from the carriage.

"Where do you think you are going?"I asked.

"To check on Alberta."

"Your coachman is a woman?"

"I do not carry men to the girl's beach house."

"So you mean there are no male guards?" I asked.

"There are no guards…"Erica corrected.

I gaped at her, blinking hard and hoping it was a joke. It wasn't. She took out a knife from her boots and left to investigate.

I should go do something too.

I will sit here and pray for her.

"Oh Moon Goddes, I'm still too young; I haven't even had sex yet..."

"Kiara!"

I analyzed the tone of Erica's voice before I replied. If it was in too much panic, I wouldn't go. There was the right amount of control over her voice,so I mustered courage and got out of the carriage.

"I'm coming."

My boots crunched against the mixture of black mud and other debris as I climbed down. The eerie-looking fog was still hovering persistently over it. I took a deep breath of courage and went to where Erica was standing.

Our coachman, or, should I say, coachwoman, was lying on the ground, burned from sun exposure, with her ring finger cut off. There seemed to be some burns on her mouth, like someone had put live coals on it so she couldn't scream. Whatever was in the fog went through great measures to make sure we wouldn't pass.

"Who could do this?"I whispered.

"No idea; all I know now is that we have to leave."

"Where are the horses?" I said looking around.

"I don't know." Erica answered, darting her eyes around us. The fog had gotten thicker; if we tarry here any longer, we may never be heard from again.

"Let's find the horses, and we can ride back to the Beach House."

"In the fog?" I cried as I approached her; perhaps the fog monster won't catch me if we are in a pair.

"It's either that or we die here." She swung her knife through some grass before her so she had a way to pass through the woods. "Just wait here."

It wasn't exactly an order, but I obeyed because I had no weapons, no confidence, and no courage to follow in search of horses. A few more violent swings later, I heard a loud, bone-chilling scream. A female's scream.

Erica's scream.

I cowered backwards as my eyes darted around me.

"Erica!?" I screamed at the air.

My eyes darted around me for signs of her. The place had gone quiet. Too damn silent. The only thing I could hear were my own heavy breaths echoing in my ear.

The fog began to ascend into the air, getting thicker by the second. I heard something to my left. I picked up a big rock from the ground and pointed it in the direction the sound came from.

More noises.

I raised my hands, ready to strike, unsure of what I would see.

A scared black Arabian horse that was hiding between the grass, leaped out, and staggered behind when it saw the rock in my hand.

"My goodness, thank God."

I dropped it instantly and showed my empty hands to show my harmlessness.

The horse cowered back and neighed.

"It's okay." I said, gesturing for it to come to me.

I had a thing with animals.It walked forward, sniffed my hand, and walked into my arms. His frightened eyes became trusting once again. Good, now if I could just ride this out of here.

I was about to climb on, but guilt stopped me. I couldn't leave Erica here.Especially not after that scream. I thought about it for a while, but my consciousness got the best of me. I throttled to where I last saw Erica go.

The horse cried to me, warning me not to go. I should have listened.

I walked into the swamp and instantly regretted my decision. I should have ridden away.

I heard it before I felt it. Something hit me hard and in my skull. My head spun in a trance as I wobbled,trying to maintain balance.

My knees gave way, and I fell to the ground. The smell of blood filled my lungs as I hit the dirt.

The fog compiled into one and began to take form.

I saw it grow a skinny, burnt-black body with limbs and fangs protruding out of it's jaws. A set of horns tore out of its skull and perched on its large head.I heard a distant squeal from the horse at the creature hovered over me.

My eyes watched it with wonder, not fear. The only thing I could say before passing out was.

"What are you?"

It answered with a creepy smile from it's deformed fang-like teeth.

"Zalem."