by R. L. Weeks
“Yeah well, a lot of good that did since you did it with breadcrumbs idiot!” The girls yelled at her brother.
“You didn’t do anything to help. You’re supposed to know how to track deer, and you can’t even track dad’s footprints!” Hansel jabbed back.
“Enough of that!” I snapped on the children who quieted right away. “Have you met anyone since you’ve been in the woods?”
The children didn’t answer or take another bite. Their stillness was rooted in fright, and I knew then that they had indeed encountered the demon that was trapesing my forest and changing these young children into feral beasts.
“We haven’t seen anyone,” Gretel finally answered.
Her tone was sure, and Hansel sat beside her without correcting her or saying anything to contradict his sister. A cuckoo clock on the wall broke the quiet and made everyone jump — eight o’clock. The sun was down, and if Crimson were correct, the feral ones would come out of hiding and possibly be back again tonight.
“Let's get you two children in bed. I’ll walk you to the nearest village tomorrow; it’s not far, should only take the day,” I assured them.
“I’m not tired,” Hansel complained. “I’m still hungry.”
“Me too. I’m starving. Can I have another muffin please?” The little girl begged.
“No, no, it’s time to rest,” I insisted.
“Perhaps we can sit a while by the fire first? I’m cold,” Gretel tried to make excuses for staying up like all little children.
I sensed a summer storm brewing a few miles away and decided that a little fire would be okay. The rain may cool the temperature quite a bit overnight.
“Sit here, and I’ll make a small one,” I told them.
I gathered a log from the stack next to the fireplace and a few pieces of kindling and arranged them in the hearth. I used a match to start the fire and flew the flames until the kindling was caught and burning well. When I turned around, I felt both children’s presence on either side of me.
“What are you doing?” I asked them.
“We must drink before we can live,” Gretel whispered.
The next thing I knew Hansel’s small hands had my shoulders pinned to the ground and sharp teeth pierced my neck. I heard his snorts and snarls and felt his teeth sink an inch or more into my throat, and he sucked the blood right out of my vein. Gretel joined her brother at my neck, and I tried to push away, but it was too late, the little boy had already drained away too much of my blood too quickly. I couldn’t speak or move. All I could do was drift into oblivion as the flames from the hearth caught my hair.
Natural Enemy
By Lorah Jaiyn
Blurb: In the wake of a hurricane, a beautiful young woman is found naked with no idea of who she is or where she came from. All the locals are drawn to her sweet, innocent ways. But when bodies start washing up on their peaceful seaside beach, will her true colors shine?
Found
The sleepy little town of Ladyfish sat in the backwaters off the Gulf of Mexico. Their most notable feature was their large fleet of shrimp boats that supplied food and bait for the entire west coast of Florida. The epitome of small-town living, doors were left unlocked, everyone knew everyone, and the entire community worked together.
When Hurricane Irma took aim at the gulf coast, residents evacuated ahead of the storm. As they slowly returned, some were relieved that their homes still stood, some not so lucky. In the inexplicable hurricane way, the diner had been spared, as had the two apartments overhead – one hers, the other occupied by Fred, the cook.
Sally sighed and flipped the sign on the door of the local diner, the first time it had opened in a week. Coffee and fried bacon filled the air, a welcome scent compared to the odors of dead fish and rotting seaweed outside.
A voice boomed from the kitchen. “You think anyone’s comin’ to eat?”
She checked the vacant street. “I hope so, Fred. I really hope so.”
The bait and tackle shop stood at the end of the road, at least what was left of it. Her heart flip-flopped. She hadn’t heard from the owner, Jesse Jacobs, since before the evacuation. She reached in her apron pocket and pulled out her phone to check for the zillionth time. Still no texts. She sighed again.
A hand clamped down on her shoulder. “Still nothing from Jess?”
Sally jumped, then giggled. “For such a big man, you move like a cat.” Right at five-foot herself, Fred Windsor towered over her at almost six and a half feet.
Fred chuckled. “Good military training.”
“No word from Jesse.” She leaned her head against Fred’s arm. “I hope he comes back.”
“His family is generations deep in Ladyfish, they’ll rebuild.” He squeezed. “No worries, he’ll be back.”
A pickup cruised down the street and parked in the lot. “Looks like someone’s hungry.”
Sally held her breath as the two occupants got out. Her shoulders drooped.
Fred headed toward the back. “Maybe this time you’ll tell him how you really feel.”
She spun around. “Fred!”
He stopped and turned. “You’ve been pining over that boy for as long as I can remember. It’s high time you did something about it. He’s obviously daft enough that he ain’t gonna, even though a person with two glass eyes could see he feels the same way about you.” He disappeared behind swinging doors while his laughter echoed.
Sally pushed the door open to the diners. “Hi, guys. Welcome back. Make yourself at home.”
One of the men inhaled deeply. “Smells mighty fine in here compared to that mess outside.”
Several more diners appeared, and Sally kept busy with the coffee and the grub. She started a new pot of coffee just as the door banged open.
“Guys! Come see!”
The son of one of the shrimp boat captains grabbed all the attention, his freckled face lit with excitement.
Sally frowned. “What is it, Archie?”
“Down at the harbor. A girl. Mr. Jesse found her.”
She straightened. “Jesse?”
He waved his arms and headed back out. “Come on.”
Breakfast forgotten, everyone hurried out of the diner after him. Fred caught up to her as they rushed down the street. “A girl?”
“Jesse.” She punched his arm as they jogged. “Priorities.”
He snorted. “Oh, a found girl after a hurricane or a boyfriend who didn’t text you back.”
She slapped his arm. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
He winked. “Yet.”
Boats were still haphazardly strewn across the marina, all in various levels of destruction, some smashed to pieces on dry land.
The devastation distracted her momentarily. I think it’s worse than the first time I saw it. Some of these poor people lost everything.
A small crowd gathered on the incline of the boat ramp. Archie waved his arms like some kind of navigational beacon.
Jesse’s dark head bent over a figure on the ground. Several men knelt near him, most she recognized from the local clinic.
Sally grabbed Fred’s arm. “Oh my God.”
A small blonde huddled against a piling, naked except for her long hair that swirled around her body. She rested her forehead on her drawn-up knees, her arms locked around her bend legs.
A flash of jealousy jolted through her as Sally watched Jesse gently touch the girl on the shoulder. She couldn’t hear what he said, but she knew the tone.
Like warm melted chocolate. I heard it right before we evacuated when he said everything would be okay. When he drops that tone, how can you not be reassured by the way he’s all concerned?
“Who do you think she is?”
She pushed against Fred. “How do I know?”
She ignored his raised eyebrows as she shrugged out of her long sweater. Still cool in the mornings, she kept it handy because it was lightweight. Luckily, she hadn’t taken it off yet.
She pushed through the bystanders. “J
esse.”
He glanced at her and she tossed her sweater. He nodded at her before he wrapped it around the shivering form.
The girl stirred. Her eyes met Sally’s, a beautiful shade of sea blue and emerald green. Their gaze held for a moment, before the girl reached for Jesse and tucked her arms around his neck. She laid her head against his shoulder as he lifted her.
The sweater fell open and gave everyone a good look at her perfect body. Silky smooth skin, voluptuous breasts, perfect flat stomach. Not a bruise or scratch in sight.
Someone close by hastily adjusted the material and tucked it around her.
A clinic worker guided Jesse to a nearby truck. “Get her buckled in, I’ll take her to the emergency room.”
Jesse carefully sat the girl in the front seat and hooked the seatbelt. He tapped on the door and the vehicle took off down the street.
Sally wandered over to him. “Any idea who she is?”
“No. He’s taking her to Seven Rivers Hospital.” Jesse watched the truck disappear, shook his head, and turned to her as if seeing her for the first time. “Oh, hey.”
She frowned. “You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just a weird morning.”
Fred came up from behind. “Little mermaid wash ashore?”
Jesse grinned. “No tail that I could see. I was just taking stock of the damage when I found her on the ramp.”
“I’m heading back to the diner. Looks like we may have more for lunch.”
Sally watched Fred head down the street, but hesitated. “When did you get back?”
“Early this morning. I was going to head to the diner, but got distracted.”
She waved her arm around to encompass the area. “Pretty bad, isn’t it?”
He put his arm around her shoulder and guided her toward the restaurant. “It’s fixable. Somehow. But first, food. I’m starving.”
She smiled up at him. “Some things never change.”
“You know, that girl obviously fell off a boat, or got caught in the storm somehow. She had no idea how she ended up here. A good whack on the head would explain that. What I can’t figure out is how she didn’t have a mark on her.” He took a mug Sally offered.
“Maybe she got lucky.”
“No broken bones or missing limbs is lucky. But to not even have so much as a scratch from an oyster shell on her feet? That’s not even possible, you know that. We’ve been through enough Band-aids over the years.”
“I have no idea, but I don’t think she’s a girl. When she looked at me, she’s older than you think. Perfect, mind you, and petite, but not young.”
He squeezed with his arm. “Jealous?”
She cocked a brow. “Like you said, she’s perfect. What would she want with some old fish mongrel like you?”
He put a hand to his heart. “I’m wounded. I’m not even thirty yet. I’m not old.”
“Old enough to know better, Mr. Jacobs.”
He opened the door to the diner for her. “Yeah, yeah. She’s such a fascinating subject though.”
She mock punched him in the stomach. “Just remember who’s in charge of your food.”
He sent her a cocky grin. “Fred! I’m here. Feed me!”
A familiar voice boomed from the kitchen. “On its way.”
He bent to whisper in her ear. “I know exactly who’s in charge of my food.”
She shook her head. “If it doesn’t end up on the floor.”
He gasped. “You wouldn’t.”
“Go sit down while I think about it.”
Fred caught her in the kitchen. “You need to watch that little blonde.”
Sally giggled. “I’m not that jealous, you big goof.”
He frowned. “I’m not talking about jealous. I’m talking about trouble.”
“What are you going on about?”
“I was in the Navy. We had stories about women like her.”
“Women like her?”
“Yeah. Just show up out of nowhere. Seduce men before they kill them.”
Her eyes widened. “Fred Windsor! I’m surprised at you. The poor woman has probably been through hell and back, and you’re accusing her of being a serial killer.”
“It’s her nature. Did you see a mark on that body?”
“No one saw a mark on her body. But she can’t remember how she got there. Jesse said maybe she got hit in the head.”
Fred leaned closer. “Did you see any blood in her hair? With hair so blonde it’s almost white, you couldn’t miss it.”
“No, I didn’t see any blood.”
“My point exactly. Do you know how much even a small head wound bleeds? The Gulf is loaded with debris and dangers, yet she’s got no injuries?”
She stared. “You’re actually serious, aren’t you?”
He met her gaze. “Deadly. You mark my words, Sal, she’s trouble. You watch that boy of yours.”
“I am flabbergasted at you. What do you think she is, a mermaid from the depths of the sea, here to dash ships into the rocks? I hate to tell you, Irma already took care of the destruction.”
“She ain’t no mermaid.”
“Then what? Witch? Fairy? Ohh, I know. She’s a vampire.”
He snorted. “She ain’t none of those things, but she ain’t human like me and you.” His jaw clenched. “She came out of the water.”
The disgust on his face made her pause. “But you said she wasn’t a mermaid.”
“Worse. She’s a siren.”
Lost
Sally stood propped against the counter, arms folded. Fred peeked out from the kitchen.
“They still talking?”
She nodded.
“I told you. Siren.”
Her voice came out a hiss. “Oh, come off it, Fred. I looked up a siren, which is a bird woman, not a fish woman.”
“Then you also know that sirens and mermaids are usually considered the same thing. I’m just tellin’ ya what us Navy guys thought. Look, I don’t care what that Google thing told you, the bitch is a siren.”
“I haven’t even heard the bitch sing and he’s already enchanted.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “I didn’t mean to say that.”
“Oh yeah, you did.” He let the door swing closed.
Jesse sat in the corner booth with the girl. Naia. The only clue as to her identity was from a bracelet she wore. The hospital had kept her overnight for observation, but with no injuries, they released her right away. Since she had no memory or knowledge of who she was or where she came from, Naia currently stayed with the family of a boat captain whose house had been spared.
A giggle came from the corner. Naia threw her head back and laughed. Her insanely long hair danced like liquid silver, her full lips curved in a sexy smile. No makeup, no airbrushing, and the woman still looked like perfection personified.
Sally shifted on the counter, her temper fueled mind on overdrive.
Naia had wanted to stay with Jesse.
As soon as she’d returned to town from the hospital, she had sought him out. Her disappointment had been plain for anyone to read when she learned Jesse’s house had been destroyed and he bunked with a friend.
The whole town loved her. Maybe it was the mystery, maybe her undeniable beauty, but everyone flocked to her. Except Fred and Sally.
Fred had explained. “It’s because we know what she is. Her enchantment doesn’t work on us.”
“Come off it. She’s just some chick in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Sally chewed her lip. What sucks is she is a sweet woman. Charming, funny. Drop dead gorgeous. She flinched as she bit too hard. Maybe her shit doesn’t work on me because I’m jealous.
The love fest continued day after day. Women brought her clothes and accessories. Men bought her lunch and dinner, a piece of pie here, a morning latte there. Everyone treated her the same way. It was Naia herself who sought out Jesse.
Lisette, the wife who had taken Naia in, popped her head in the door. “Hey, Naia. Can you help m
e with groceries?”
A small town of workers, everyone did their share. Even orphans of a hurricane.
Naia nodded at Sally as she left the diner. She hadn’t been overly chatty since her rescue, except to Jesse, but she contained a never-ending supply of smiles and hugs.
Sally placed a fresh mug of coffee in front of Jesse and took the girl’s empty seat.
“She’s quite taken with you.”
He glanced up at her, then took a sip of coffee. “She’s just scared.”
“It must be horrible to not have a clue who you are.”
“Lucky she was wearing that bracelet. If it’s even her name and not the name of a sister or daughter.”
“She doesn’t have the body of someone who has a kid.”
He rolled his eyes at her. “Body expert now? How many kids have you had?”
Sally unconsciously smoothed her apron over her fluffy belly, far from the toned abs of Naia.
“Why are you so grumpy? You never would have made that comment before the storm.”
His hand slapped the table. “We’ve lost everything. There’s a ton of work to do and very little money to do it with. We can’t wait out the insurance companies or we’ll lose all of our customers.”
“I’m sorry, Jesse. You just haven’t said much since the first day you were back.”
“Because I’ve spent so much time with her? Just say it.”
She bit her tongue and stayed quiet.
Jesse ran his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. There’s just so much going on. Having Naia hanging around just puts more pressure on the overall situation.”
Sally relented. “Still no idea where she came from?”
“Not a clue.”
She toyed with her own mug. “What happens if she doesn’t remember?”
“She’s beautiful. She has to be a supermodel somewhere. Sooner or later someone is going to come looking for her.”
Was that a pang of regret in his voice? Oh, he’s not, is he?
“Are you falling for her?” For the second time, she slapped her hand over her mouth. “Damn it.”
