His last clear memory from the previous night was explaining to Bandy why Green Day was better before Dookie, and then she and Mitzi had guided him to the sofa. He had, unfortunately, woke up that morning alive.
“You look TERRIBLE.” Rob said, popping into the cubicle. He was loud. Dan buried his face in his hands.
“Rob?” He asked. “Do you know what “whoop juice” is?”
He looked around and Rob had plopped himself down in the guest chair. He wore a devious grin.
“Is this the Everclear, vodka, Sprite, and fruit juice concoction?” Rob asked.
“Yes. Yes it is.”
“What in God’s name possessed you to drink whoop juice?”
Dan opened another bottle of water and chugged half of it. When he finished, he leveled a look at Rob that sent Rob into a fit of laughter.
“So last night I was inducted into Mitzi’s brood. Well, now it’s a tribe, actually. There was a celebration.”
“Hey! Congrats, man!” Rob seemed genuinely excited for him.
“So Bandy and Lenny pulled this giant-ass tub out and mixed up a mess of whoop juice. They threw sliced apples and oranges in, too.”
He met Rob’s eyes.
“I ate the oranges.”
“And how were they?” Rob asked, trying to school his features to seriousness.
“I pray for death.”
Rob couldn’t stop the fit of the giggles that came on.
“I’m going to guess you aren’t making it to gaming tonight?”
Dan opened his mouth to tell Rob that his gaming could fuck RIGHT off, then remembered Mitzi being so excited for HeroQuest.
“No, I’ll be there. I may be a zombie, but I’ll be there for Mitzi.” Dan said.
Rob looked at him.
“What if I canceled this week so you could recover?” He asked.
“No.” Dan said. “There’s no reason for her to kill both of us. I’ll be fine.”
Rob gave him a pat on the shoulder before rising.
“I’ve got some heads to hunt for late articles. Don’t know any freelancers, do you?” Rob asked, his mood finally dampening.
“No.” Dan said. “Wait, would you look over something from Mitzi if I got her to work on it?”
Rob looked surprised.
“Can she write?”
“I’ve been encouraging her to. She’s got a wonderful way with words.”
Rob sighed.
“I probably shouldn’t. But at this point I don’t care. I need something by Friday. I’ll email you specifications. I hope ya feel better, bud.”
With that, Rob left, and Dan went back to designing an ad for whatever the hell a kombucha was.
The game of HeroQuest that night went well for Mitzi. She’d chosen to play as the wizard. She had a wonderful head for strategy and kept finding ways to manipulate both Chris and William into charging ahead and setting off traps or triggering encounters. Dan played the Elf and barely paid attention. He just kept looking at the figurine and feeling upset. Mitzi would continually touch his leg and look at him. He took strength from her belief in him. He trusted her. If she saw something to be proud of, well, it must be there.
The small talk of the game was almost entirely about Dan’s misadventures the previous night and his joining the tribe. The boys peppered Mitzi with questions about what it meant and she told them the truth. It meant he had a family. Dan had to point out that it didn’t mean he got some kind of discount at the restaurant or anything.
In the end, Dan was glad he’d gone out. The figurine had done a number on his peace of mind though. The female elf sitting there staring back at him from the board. Mitzi didn’t try to tell him he was being irrational. They both knew that. All she did was rub his leg and remind him she was there.
Someone else cooked when they’d gotten home. Dan wasn’t in any condition to think about cooking and Mitzi knew it. She sat beside him and looked up at him.
“You can cook next week.” She said, patting his leg again.
He looked at her.
“Mitzi, can I try something real quick?”
She arched an eyebrow.
“Do we need privacy?” A slow grin spread on her face and he suddenly wished they did.
“No. But, I want to try something with the bond and I didn’t want you to freak out if it worked.”
“This isn’t like that thing you did that made me cry at work, is it?”
Dan’s eyes grew large.
“No! No no no. Well, maybe. Kinda. Sorta.”
“Ok,” she said, giving him a stern look, “but this better not mess up my make-up.”
He smiled and nodded. He touched their bond. He thought one thing at her through it.
Hi.
Mitzi’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
“Did you just do that?!”
It looks like it. He thought.
She stared at him.
Can you hear me? Or IS it hear? Holy shit. Dan, what the fuck?!
He nodded.
“I can. And I don’t know if it’s hear or not.”
“How long have you been able to do this?” She asked him excitedly.
“Yesterday maybe?” He colored. “I heard you think something on accident so I’ve specifically NOT been doing it. It kinda freaked me out.
She grabbed his hand suddenly and stared at him hard.
Boo. It wasn’t his thought, and he laughed out loud.
“Geraldine never mentioned this.” Mitzi said, shaking her head in bewilderment. “She’s at work today, which is kinda weird, but I’ll ask her when she gets back.”
After that, dinner was served. Dan ate, and while he was excited to share this new thing with Mitzi, he kept thinking of Bethella, which made him worry. He worried she’d done something to him. Something that could ruin his life. Like everything else she’d ever done.
After dinner, Dan still felt out of sorts. Mitzi let him take a walk on his own. Mitzi just smiled at him and told him to be careful. He hadn’t realized how suffocating most relationships in his life had been until that moment. Before leaving, he set her up on his laptop to write something for Rob with the email he’d sent pulled up.
“I’ll be back before too long. Good luck with the article.”
“Go walk, pink-boy. I’ll be fine.” She smiled at him and he gave her a small wave before he walked outside.
Dan stood in the street in front of the house and looked around for a time. It was an extremely quiet neighborhood.
Dan felt like something was wrong. Bethella was the first thing to come to mind, of course, but he didn’t really think that was it. It was just a feeling of dread. Anxiety. There were only a couple of houses besides Goblin House. The lot across the street was overgrown with weeds, trees, and kudzu. He studied the houses and tried to relax.
Abandoned. No one in there. No one SUPPOSED to be in there. He considered breaking in and checking.
Dan shook himself. He wasn’t going to commit a crime because he was paranoid. Instead, he turned to the only other occupied house on the street. There he was. The old African American man. Dan waved and the man waved back. That was a good sign. Dan stuck his hands in his pockets and walked that way.
“Hi!” Dan said when he got close enough to not shout. “Name’s Dan. Nice to meet you.”
The man must have been eighty. He was still sturdy looking, and seemed pretty healthy for his age. His white hair, of which he still had plenty, was cut fairly short and his beard was mostly stubble.
“Tirrell.” The man said with a nod. “Tirrell Clay. You livin’ with the goblins?”
“Yes, sir.” Dan said scratching his head.
“Shackin’ up with that pretty one?”
Dan stared.
“Is it that obvious?”
“I got nothin’ to do most days but watch the world.” He said. Dan nodded.
“Retired?”
“Mostly. I used to do a little volunteer work at the Museum of African American Culture, but not as much these days. I let the younguns handle it now.”
Dan nodded and smiled. He’d visited. The guys that ran the museum and tours were enthusiastic and Dan enjoyed the experience.
“How do you feel about having them as neighbors?” Dan asked, thumbing at Goblin House.
“They keep to themselves, stay mostly quiet, and a couple of them volunteered to mow my lawn this past summer.” He smiled. “Real polite when they want to be. Real little devils too. I like ‘em.”
“We weren’t too noisy for you last night, were we?” Dan asked. He hadn’t thought about how loud the festivities might have gotten.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“Nah. Y’all cut it out at a decent time. Only other time they got that loud was when that restaurant building of their’s got bought. What was the big to-do this time?”
“I was inducted into the tribe last night.” Dan felt pride at that.
“No shit? Congratulations, son. I saw all that work you’ve been doing. Not gonna lie, I usually get nervous when humans show up over there.”
Dan tilted his head.
“Do you?”
“Yeah. Last time it happened in daylight was a knight or something. Thought for sure the little guys were dead. Had to go inside. Couldn’t stand the idea of hearing all of them get got.”
Dan thought about that, and something in the old man set off a warning bell.
“You see other humans here?”
Tirrell nodded.
“Only sometimes. Mostly at night. They run off when they see me, or they’ll hear a goblin runnin’ around inside and vamoose. Worries me. I’ve been glad to see you around.”
That was it, Dan realized. That was what felt off and had him on edge. How had he known? Probably his finely tuned paranoia.
“You’re sure it was humans? Not elves? Or AN elf?”
“No elves in Natchez. Besides, no points on the ears. Can’t see ‘em well, but it’s a human. Just the one usually.”
Dan nodded.
“I’ll keep an eye out, sir. Thanks for the heads up.” He almost turned to go. “Need anything? Let me know if you need groceries picked up or something. I’ll be happy to help.”
Tirrell just gave him a grin. It would have been toothy if he’d had teeth.
“I appreciate it. I’ll let ya know. We need more people like you. Thank ya.”
Dan waved goodbye as he finally set out on his short walk.
The walk was actually productive for Dan on a personal level. There were a few times where he swore someone was watching him, and instead of just walking on, he stopped and looked in the alley or the bushes. He didn’t care how he might look to traffic. Natchez was known for eccentrics. He had the chance and the will to satisfy himself that no one was there. There was no Bethella. There was no crack squad of elves hiding to kidnap him and take him to Tir-Na-Nog. Sometimes paranoia was just paranoia.
He eventually made his way back to Goblin House feeling better about his own mind.
Mitzi felt excited and frustrated, and worried as he walked back by the old man’s house. Her emotions told him she was in full creative mode. He found it funny. It was the same feeling he got from painting or drawing when there was a client involved.
He walked in and there she was, still on the couch, brow furrowed. She had reading glasses on and a pencil in her mouth and he was almost positive she was doing it because it was cute. He walked over and sat beside her, putting an arm around her. Just being with her calmed him.
“So how’s it going?” He asked.
“Mmmm. It’s going.” She said. Nervous. He knew that feeling.
“What did you write about?”
She scratched her ear as she replied.
“Is writing about my life too dumb? Or too personal?”
“Absolutely not! I was hoping you would. Maybe if people read about your people they’ll start seeing them AS people.” Dan said, and leaned over to look at the screen.
Mitzi made to close the screen, but she stopped and opened again.
“Well, you showed me your art, so it’s only fair.” Mitzi said, leaning against him.
“Thank you, Mitzi-Doodle.” He said. Dan tilted his head for a better look and to read over a small passage.
I’d never seen the daylight before that morning. My entire life until that night had been cold, and darkness, and death. I had no idea what to expect as we slipped out of the dungeon under cover of darkness. The world outside was completely unknown to me. To any of us. As the sun rose, I saw flowers lining both sides of the road. Colors I’d not only never seen before, but never imagined. There, on a dirt road leading from the Eastern Reaches, I saw beauty for the very first time.
Dan turned to her. She was frightened at first, but when she realized what he felt, she smiled.
“You like it?!”
He kissed her on the forehead.
“I want you to finish it and then we’ll go over it again to give it some polish. I LOVE it.” He said. “Rob’s going to love it.”
She was practically bouncing in place.
That night, Runt came home with the crew and a surprisingly chipper Geraldine. Dan had set up his PC on the coffee table and sat on the floor working on something PG-13 for a client as Mitzi, Bandy, and Viv all watched him scribble away on his tablet. Viv sat in his lap.
“Geraldine!” Mitzi said, running up and grabbing her arms. “We have got a massive question about the bond!”
“What’s wrong?” Geraldine asked.
“Come sit down first.” Dan said from where he sat on the floor. Runt was already in his chair and massaging his now bare feet.
Geraldine walked around and sat on the couch on the side nearest Runt and Mitzi sat behind Dan with her legs crossed.
“Ok.” The matriarch said. “What’s the big deal here.”
“Should I go?” Runt asked cautiously.
“Keep your seat, dufus.” Geraldine said, but she actually patted his hand afterward. Dan had been noticing their relationship softening. He was glad to see it.
Mitzi placed her hands on top of Dan’s head. Viv was listening eagerly. So was Bandy.
“So, Dan can talk to me through the bond.” Mitzi said without preamble. “Like, in my head.” She added.
There was silence for a moment followed by Geraldine barking a single word.
“Bullshit.”
“No, it’s true.” Dan said. “I noticed yesterday that I could actually hear Mitzi’s thoughts if I. . .I don’t know how to describe this. If I stick a toe in deeper, I guess? Now I can talk to her and she can talk to me.”
“I can’t hear your thoughts though. Weird.” Mitzi added. He hadn’t know that.
“It’s like the bundle of emotions we can send each other sometimes.”
Geraldine just stared at the both of them. She pointed at a passing goblin.
“YOU.” She said loudly. “Beer me.”
Dan craned his neck and looked at Mitzi. She felt worried about the stares and Dan was concerned as well.
The goblin returned with her beer, which she cracked open and took a mighty swig.
“I have no idea what the fuck you two are talking about.” She said. “Neither this emotion thing or the talking.”
It was Dan’s turn to stare. Mitzi felt stunned. He reached up and patted her hands.
“You two know I was bonded. Well, this thing you’re doing wasn’t a part of it. I knew where Tragarth was, I knew what he was feeling. Tragarth had the same with me. It’s not supposed to be that open. You can’t hear thoughts. You can’t TALK. This is new.”
Dan sat there stunned. He thought for sure Geharadeen would have answers. She always seemed to have answers.
Viv looked up at him.
“Pr’bly ‘cause it’s Dan.” She said.
“I was going to say,” Runt added, “maybe it’s an interspecies thing. It’s only happened once before with a human, that I knew.”
Geraldine looked at him in shock.
“By the One, Runt, that was almost intelligent.” She said.
“And that was almost a compliment, ya old bat.” He said with a smile.
Dan shook his head. Geraldine really was like Shelly.
“So you have no idea about this?” Mitzi said. She sounded worried. She FELT worried. He tried to keep his emotions under control so they didn’t end up in a feedback loop.
Geraldine turned back to them.
“Runt and Viv are the only theory we’ve got right now, kids.” She said as she started nursing her beer again. “Whatever this is, it’s not like it’s a disease. It’s not catching. It’s just some kind of shifting in the bond. It’s nothing to be frightened of.”
The woman smiled at him.
“Mitzibah, can you think of anyone else who’d be more responsible with something like this?”
Mitzi calmed down and started smoothing his hair.
“No. I don’t think anyone else would appreciate it like him.”
Dan’s immediate thought was Because I’m broken, but he stopped himself. He had experience. Because of that, he knew how fragile the mind could be. He knew how important it was to feel safe in your own mind. He picked up Viv and sat on the couch, then sat her back in his lap. He turned to face Mitzi.
“Mitzi, I promise you that I’ll never violate your privacy, ok?”
Mitzi smiled at him.
“Thank you. The talking thing isn’t bad. I don’t have a cell phone so this actually solves some problems!”
Dan opened his mouth to tell her how amazing she was for adapting so quickly when Bandy shattered the moment.
“How in the FUCK can you two get weirder?!” Bandy shouted.
“WATCH YOUR DAMNED MOUTH IN FRONT OF THE CHILDREN!” Geraldine shouted.
Dan just shook his head.
That night, Dan dreamed of his mother. She sat on the couch in their old living room and looked sad. He’d brought Mitzi with him to meet her. As they talked, his mother apologized for everything. She began weeping, and Mitzi went to comfort her. Dan held his mother’s hand. Then the shadow came.
He stood and stared as it overtook all of them. It was like a massive cloud over him, and it was fear and anger manifest. It made him want to scream from its intensity. Then another force. Something opened behind him. He could feel warmth against his back. His mother stood suddenly with panic on her face. She grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed with all her might. She spoke as he fell backward but he couldn’t understand what she said. The dream ended abruptly.
Dan sat up on the couch and the smell of smoke was thick. He looked everywhere, and when he looked up there was thick, black smoke along the high ceiling of the house. He leaped from the couch and picked up Mitzi, who started awake.
“What. . .” She said groggily.
“FIRE!” He shouted, and set her down. “Get out! Go to the old man down the street! Call the fire department!”
Dan opened the door to the boy’s room and shouted “FIRE!” until everyone was up. Mat ran into the girl’s room to wake them. Dan ran further into the house. The smoke was starting to fill up the rooms. He burst into the back bedroom and instead of shouting, just scooped Runt and Geraldine up under each arm. They woke as he ran and were coughing. He got them out into the street.
He ran back in and double checked both bedrooms, trying to hold his breath. He got into the bathroom. No one. He made a circuit of the house and was satisfied the goblins had all made it. He got back out into the street just in time to start coughing.
Mitzi was suddenly there holding him and sitting him down across the street. Dan looked, and the roof was on fire. Someone had set Goblin House on fire. They could have tried to make it look like an accident, but instead they’d just gone for broke and set the damned roof on fire.
He looked around. There was Viv, and Bandy, and the broodlings, and Mat with Daga. His family was ok. Tirrell was already out there with his garden hose. Several of the goblins ran and climbed the fence into the backyard before anyone could stop them and he knew they were going to try the same.
His head dropped. Someone had tried to kill his family. Mitzi held him tightly, and smoothed his hair. She could feel his anger, he was sure. He looked and in the undeveloped property behind the vacant lot, he saw it. Or he thought he did.
“Mitzi?” He asked quietly and without moving. “You can see in the dark?”
“Yes.” She said, also not moving. She’d picked up on something in the way he was feeling.
“Is someone in the kudzu back there?” He nodded in the direction he’d seen them.
“Yes. I can see them. It’s one person. They’re crouched down. Hiding.”
“Let me up.” He said calmly. His insides were screaming.
“Don’t do something stupid. Please, Dan.”
He kissed her cheek.
“I doubt I could catch them in time.” He said. “But I’m going to try.”
She nodded. He felt her worry, and her anger. He could hear the sirens approaching. He walked back toward the house and watched the roof burn for a moment. Mitzi followed.
Dan finally let his frustration wash over him. The loss of his apartment, his art, his mother, his family, all of it. Now this. If he hadn’t woken up they’d be in there now. Maybe Tirrell would have gotten them up. More than likely they’d be asphyxiating. They’d tried to kill his family.
Dan burst into a sprint toward the kudzu, followed by Mitzi, and the figure sprang to their feet and ran. They were in all black with a ski mask. Of course. He ran as hard and as fast as he could, but they just kept ahead of him. Mitzi was gaining, but not fast enough. They were headed toward a wooded patch where Dan knew they’d lose both him and probably Mitzi easily.
“STOP!” Dan shouted as the figure started to leave him. He screamed in his own mind. The frustration and anger bubbling. His need for some kind of justice if there was a loving God somewhere in the universe. They just couldn’t get away. “GOD DAMN YOU, I SAID STOP!!”
Dan skidded to a stop as the assailant seemed to freeze and their momentum sent them tumbling. They didn’t move naturally. It was like a mannequin posed as a runner tumbled to the ground.
“The fuck?!” He said, and closed the gap. They still weren’t moving. He prayed they didn’t. He hoped they weren’t dead. He reached them just after Mitzi and he could already tell it was a woman. He knew who it was now and he had to restrain himself. Mitzi knelt and pulled the mask off of Candy. It was always going to be Candy.
“RUUUUUNT!” He screamed. A minute later, the little monarch was there with five more goblins.
“Holy crap, kid! What’d you do?”
“I don’t know what happened. Get rope. Quick.” Dan said.
“Is it legal to tie her up like that?” Runt asked.
“I’ll do it myself. You won’t be in trouble. Just bring me the rope. If the cops aren’t here, please have Tirrell call them.”
Runt nodded and sent two goblins off to get rope and make calls.
She was breathing. Her eyes darted around wildly in panic. As soon as she focused on him, a horrible moaning sound came from her throat. She was trying to scream and she couldn’t.
“I don’t know what’s happened here.” Dan said. “I don’t care. I’m tired of you taking everything from me. I’m tired of everyone taking things from me.”
A goblin brought him rope, and he tried to bind her hands and feet. They moved easily under his touch, but she couldn’t move them herself. He had no idea what was happening. He wasn’t a scout, but the knots he tied would do.
“I was in that house, Candy. Maybe killing mobs is just frowned on. Maybe it’s a misdemeanor. Maybe first degree arson is a serious crime. This was attempted manslaughter at the least. You nearly killed a human. How do you think that’s going to go?”
She was hyperventilating.
“Did you know I was living there? My car was out front.” He said. He felt far too calm, and sat down where she could see him. “I’m not built for hate, Candy. I’m not. But you? You make me want to. You make me want to be who I used to be so fucking badly. You make me want to be my mother’s son.”
He felt Mitzi’s hand on his shoulder.
“Dan?” she said. He realized he couldn’t feel the bond right then. He took deep breaths and opened himself again. She was terrified.
“Please don’t.” She said quietly.
Dan had allowed himself his anger. He had allowed himself his aggravation. Now he considered the woman. She’d been raised like this, in the traditions of the old South.
Everyone had a story behind them. Candy was no exception.
Dan had allowed himself to feel his emotions. He was justified in them. He deserved them. But he wouldn’t let himself be like her.
Not again.
So Dan did what he did best. He let his hate go.
Candy’s muscles loosened and she collapsed into a sobbing wreck on the ground. She tried to stand, but she collapsed again due to the rope. Tirrell came hobbling up followed by several police. Dan looked at them. Mitzi squeezed his shoulder.
“They got here just after the fire department.” Tirrell said. “We all told them you were in the house. They know.”
Two of the officers picked Candy up and read her the Miranda before dragging her off. One held a hand out to Dan.
“You ok?” The officer asked.
Dan let him help him to his feet.
“I think I am.” Dan said. “She tried to kill all of us.” Mitzi grabbed his hand and squeezed.
The officer looked at both of them.
“Well, we definitely have charges. Can we get a statement?”
Dan just nodded and walked back up as the fire department got the roof put out. They had to assess the house before anyone could go back in. He sat on the ground across the street again and Mitzi sat beside him.
“I’m proud of you.” She said. “I don’t know how you stopped her, but I’m proud of you for coming back to me.”
He put an arm around her as two officers came up to ask him questions.