by Dylan Keefer
Prudence opened her eyes. She was on the floor, and she smelled blood and overcooked lunch. Prudence looked down at her body. She had squeezed her hands, and her claws had extended, so her hands were covered in blood. She got up, checking all else. Her fangs retreated back in her gums. Her first thought was that she needed to turn off the stove. She got up and did that, staining the button.
The next thing she did was wash her hands. She almost dunked her head in the full sink. She wanted to erase the smell from her nostrils. She worked so hard at not blinking. She felt that if she closed her eyes, she would see the nightmare again. There was blood on her dress.
“Is the lunch ready?” Milo asked. He had gone to his room, probably because he was embarrassed.
Prudence jumped, startled. Milo didn’t sound worried. She was glad about that. She didn’t want her problems to haunt him too. This was the reason she didn’t even respond to him before. It wasn’t as if she still thought she deserved to die, but she did think she was too dangerous for anyone to let alone people she cared about. “Almost, I’ll call you when it is.” Prudence didn’t lead the conversation when they ate. Then she changed Milo’s bandages again and then she didn’t have the strength to go out. She wound up cleaning the bathroom. The smell of the cleaning supplies was as far away from the blood, the fire, the fried skin and dirty bodies stuck in her nose she could get.
CHAPTER FIVE
Charlotte was certain that Prudence would get the hint and turn off the video chat, so she didn’t bother doing it. She buried her hand in Philip’s hair and angled him.
He indicated that he wanted to be let go, so she did. “You’re hurt.” He breathed.
“So what, I’m not supposed to get laid because I have a broken arm?” Charlotte raised her eyebrow. “I know ya won’t hurt me or anything. Your over gentleness will be of use here.”
Philip chuckled and continued. He was always handling her like she was made out of glass. He even helped her when she struggled to unbutton his pants with one hand. Charlotte might have complained about his care all the time, but the truth was she liked that he was like that. No one was gentle with her, probably because of the way she acted.
She was on her back as he peppered kisses all over her body. She couldn’t move as readily as she could without the sling, so she settled with running her free hand down his body.
It felt like they were gliding across clouds while they were stating their desires. Later Philip wrapped his hands around her, careful not to touch her arm, and nuzzled the back of her neck. Charlotte dug herself into his arms and closed her eyes. This was the place where she felt safe and cared for.
CHAPTER SIX
Prudence barely slept. She might have dozed off on the couch a bit during that time when there was nothing on the television, but otherwise, she spent all night rereading her notes. She woke up and saw that she had a blanket draped over her. She could smell that it was from Milo’s room. It made her snuggle up in it even more. Then she also wrote down everything she saw in her nightmares. From the very first one, she had when she woke up to the last one she had yesterday.
She didn’t know why this one repeated. And why it didn’t repeat itself completely. It was always focused on a different part of the memory. Prudence described everything in as much detail as she could handle. It brought the uneasy feeling back, but she was convinced it would make her feel better. Maybe then she could gather up the courage to tell Milo about the nightmares. She did not want to worry him, but she also, though she hated to admit this, did not want him to think she was broken. It would change what they had, whatever it was. She really needed to figure that out, but thinking about that when all of this was happening was not the right move. She needed to get rid of the nightmares first.
She wondered if she could draw the boy. Maybe not in the way she saw him in her memory, maybe just his face. Could she draw? She didn’t know but made a note to try. On a piece of paper were the things she wanted to do. Find a job, find a place to research out of, and see if you can draw. She also decided that she needed to make more meals. If she started working Milo needed a way to feed himself. She needed to make sure he had everything he needed. It was easy with things like the fridge existing, so she just needed to cook something on her own. But most of the food she knew how to make was bland.
As soon as it was the appropriate time for her to do so, she decided to go downstairs and see if her landlady knew something about what she could cook for Milo that he could take out of the fridge and eat.
Mr. Chen was there, and he was more than happy to help Prudence with her questions. He kept talking about how Prudence was so nice taking care of the person she loved, and how that made her a good person. It made Prudence smile involuntary. She did not know why that description made her that happy. The food he was showing her didn’t jog anything in her head, but it was delicious, so Prudence didn’t mind. Maybe when she met her parents, she could cook them something, and they would be proud. She wondered if when her memories would come back, she would know this stuff. She was busy checking the cabbage when she decided to ask a question that had been nagging at the back of her head for a while. She wanted to know why people avoided the symbol that much.
“What is that symbol painted on a lot of buildings everyone avoids?” She looked up and saw Mr. Chen had gone as pale as a towel. He was grasping the end of the counter.
“It’s trouble. Stay away from those. Stay away from anyone painting that symbol on something, and don’t go out at night. You’re a sweet girl. Sweet girls get in trouble there.” He even walked up and grabbed Prudence by the shoulders.
Prudence smiled at the way Mr. Chen described her. If he knew what I was, he wouldn’t be calling me that, she thought. He would probably be screaming and running away. But she didn’t mind him thinking that if it helped Milo. So she promised to stay away.
A few hours later she was placing plastic containers full of food in the fridge and making the now awake Milo breakfast. He woke up all woozy and with his hair all messed up, his eyes bleary. She checked when she saw him, and then helped him to the chair.
“I am fine you know, the wound is starting to heal, you do not have to keep helping me.” He chuckled.
“I like helping you. And you are still not well enough for me to stop worrying about you. When you can walk well, then we can talk. Are you sure you don’t want to sleep in?” She asked for the third time. Prudence then proceeded to give Milo the food and get her own too. She liked watching him eat when she was the one that cooked. It was something that she could do, and it took her mind off the fact she had nightmares.
Milo looked up from his food. “If I sleep more I will feel worse, not better. Don’t worry, I’m not working myself to death.” He smiled at her and grabbed her hand.
When they finished their food, she cleaned the dishes as she discussed her plans for today. “Okay, well, I’ll go and try to find work and then food. I will get back later, and then we can have dinner?” She asked him.
“Of course. I will work on the couch till then.”
Prudence helped him move to the couch, where he said he’d be spending the day, and left. She needed to find a place where she could work and potentially think about her nightmares in peace.
When she walked by the butcher’s shop she visited yesterday, she found the butcher cleaning up a broken window. He noticed her, straightened up and glared at her so hard that she thought her fangs had gotten out. They hadn’t. She moved to the other side of the street. Maybe he’s just mad I asked for blood? She didn’t believe that, but it was the best she could think of.
Walking down a side street, she ran into a small bookshop. Prudence looked through the window. A bunch of history books were stacked on top of each other. They were propping up a large map of the world. Prudence walked in immediately.
“Oh, hello.” A small voice piped up. Prudence followed the source and looked at the register. A small dry man, even smaller than Mrs. Chen, even if Prudence t
hought that was impossible, walked up to her. “What brings you here dearie?”
“I just wanted to look around, if that’s okay.” Prudence took her hat off just so she could have something in her hand. She felt like if she shook this man’s hand, she’d break it.
“Oh, of course. My name is Mr. Worth. Call me if you need anything. But call loudly, I can’t hear that well anymore.” Mr. Worth chuckled and left for the counter.
Prudence smiled at him and then headed for the shelves. At first, she thought the store was just for maps, but she soon realized it had history books too. She was quick to find the ones about Asia. Charlotte had told her she was most likely from China so Prudence honed in on the country and read as much as she could.
Nothing really stood out to her. But she found herself fascinated by the strange world she was reading about. Dynasties and battles with motivations that fascinated her. It was so different from what she remembered in her head.
As she was sitting in the back cross-legged, a book on her knees, she felt someone coming next to her. She looked up. It was the boy that hadn’t noticed her. He was looking up at the shelves with a confused expression.
“Do you need help?” Prudence asked.
The boy jumped up in surprise, but then calmed down after he saw Prudence. “Yes, I need to find a book for my History class. The American Civil War.”
Prudence thought for a moment. She had seen that title. Then she got up and went to the shelf to the left, and took out a book from the bottom shelf.
“Here you go.” She handed the book to the boy.
“Thanks, miss.” The boy ran off to the counter.
Prudence returned to her reading, but something kept moving her away. Some customers left books scattered around. Some wandered around so long that she sought them out and helped them to return her peace of mind.
Mr. Worth spent his time hovering around the desk, and she talked to him while reading. He had asked her about her family, and she talked about Charlotte and Milo. She did not call them her cousins though. It felt odd enough that Philip and Mr. and Mrs. Chen thought of Milo as a cousin. She did not know why.
Mr. Worth talked to her about how he lived above the book store, and now that his wife had died and his daughter was not home, he lived alone. He spent most of the time in the bookstore, trying to run it, but he was losing money because he could not do it all on his own.
By the time she needed to leave, she had heard so many people refer to her as a salesperson that when Mr. Worth offered her a job. “It is not that hard to do, and you can read as much as you’d like that way. Plus, I really like the company. I spend all of my time here alone, and this was fun.”
Prudence couldn’t think of a better offer. She said yes immediately. They agreed on the amount of money she would get, and she greeted the old man goodbye. “Okay, well come tomorrow at nine in the morning, and I will show you everything you need to know. I live above this bookstore so I will be here either way.” Mr. Worth smiled.
“Okay, Mr. Worth.” Prudence shook his hand and walked out. She wanted to run down the street as fast as she could, so she could get home and tell Milo she got a job. It was the first person she wanted to tell this too. She felt so productive, and that made her feel like an adult. She settled on walking so that she was not winded when she entered home.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Prudence had immersed herself in her routine. Get up, help Milo, make breakfast, go to work, get back, eat and then do chores. It was wonderful living with Milo, they never argued. The numbness of the routine helped her stave off the looming feeling of dread she got every time she got the nightmare. She couldn’t even call it a nightmare because it appeared during the day too. She had even started to predict when the nightmare would show up. She could predict the pain. She could no longer hide the fact she was getting them from Milo, so she told him, though did not tell him what she dreamt about. She did not even show him the drawing she had been working on. Every time she tried to do it, her mouth would stop working, and she would not know how to proceed. She did not want him to see her differently. Maybe he would judge her for not interfering or wonder why the boy looked at her like that in the first place. Milo had a bottle of very powerful painkillers that he only took two of so far. He said it was dangerous for him to use them too much. Prudence figured she wasn’t in the same amount of danger, so the first time she thought she would get the nightmare at work, she took a pill with her. She managed to get to the bathroom and take it before the vision knocked her on the ground. It helped a lot. Milo was fine with her taking them, but he monitored her symptoms with as much care as she monitored his wound. He was doing much better.
She had also learned the street layout and how she could shave off a few minutes off her route, where she could get blood easily and even what store sold the best food. Even handling the stove became easier. She couldn’t believe they had only been here a little over a week. Milo joked about how they had become a genuine smooth machine since they could navigate their morning without a hitch.
The only thing she had learned nothing about was the symbol she saw on the walls. She had started avoiding it out of habit. People did not stare at her as much, and she could go on with her day faster. No matter in what way she asked the question, no one would answer her. She didn’t mention anything to Milo, even though she assumed that he could use the Internet to help her. Prudence did everything she could to keep the amount of stress at a minimum. And it didn’t take a genius to assume that symbol was trouble, considering the reactions of everyone. No, Milo would stay safe and continue to be her little piece of normalcy in a world that kept reminding her that she was different.
Right now it was the weekend, so Prudence was home. She was sitting with Milo outside of the restaurant in the pleasant afternoon. He was eating soup and smiling at the crowd. At the time he would look over at her, and his face would get this odd expression that made Prudence’s ears burn. He had started walking on his own now. Prudence knew he had to take it easy, but that he needed to move so that the blood could flow. She still didn’t let him do many things, but he moved around the house and here. Prudence was sitting across from him, trying to draw. She didn’t know if she could draw from that type of memory, but she was happy to try.
She kept the image she wanted to draw at the front of her mind. The boy being dragged by the guards. He was a slender boy. Not the normal kind of slender like Milo was either, but the type achieved by starvation and torture. The matted blond hair hung, framing his face in a way that made him look even more pathetic. But the boy’s eyes were still vivid, still full of defiance. She had to wait for Milo to stop talking, but it didn’t bother her since she liked to hear him talk.
“What did you find in the bookstore today?” Milo asked. He liked to hear her talk about history, saying that is the best part of his day. Prudence could talk about it for hours on end because she wound up reading and talking to Mr. Worth a lot more than helping customers. The bookstore was in a secluded location, and so not a lot of people came in.
Prudence put down her notebook. “Well, I finished the book on Chinese history. The Dynasties are interesting, and their progress is so different than what I know about the world that is really interesting. I am still at the Shang Dynasty. They had a lot of kings. One even died by being struck by lightning.” Prudence stopped talking and looked pointedly at Milo. He had an odd look on his face. It was a look he wore a lot more as he healed. Prudence had a feeling it was connected to what he told her about his feelings. He hadn’t mentioned them after that, but Prudence would think about it when she looked at him.
“You really like history don’t you?” Milo grinned. “Your face gets this funny glow, and you smile with your eyes.”
Prudence blushed. “I have to learn about this world anyway. Why not learn about where my mother is too?” She shrugged.
“And you seem to have found another hobby. What are you working on there?” Milo looked at the notebook.
“Will you show it to me when you are?” Milo raised his eyebrows. His voice turned incredibly gentle, and Prudence really wanted to hug him.
“I promise.” Prudence lied. She would wait until Milo was fully alright to tell him what she saw. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t want him to know anything yet. She kept defending her actions by saying he was worried enough as is, and that he needed to heal, but he did not seem stressed at all, and the wound has been healing well, so Prudence knew that was an excuse. She did not want him to know how bad the nightmares were. She had had four episodes in front of him, and he had to take care of her once. She was not letting him see that again, let alone see what she saw and have that color his opinion of her, but she was running out of options, and the reason she was hiding things from him was incredibly selfish. Also, she had a feeling her keeping secrets from him hurt him, but he didn’t show it. She looked at the face on the page. So far she had seen it enough times to have it be ingrained in her mind. She was surprised that she could draw decently from memory even. The man on the page looked incredibly similar to the man in her head. He was being dragged by two guards who were holding him by his upper arms. His face was half contorted by pain and half by rage. She wanted to capture him exactly right, and she felt like she could. The way she moved the small pencil over the paper was ingrained in her hand. She must have drawn before this.
Prudence looked up and saw Milo staring at her, so she picked up the pencil and started drawing. “I think I have done this before.” She said.
