"Hey, do you want to sleep together with me?"
My entire being froze upon hearing Elise say that. I was filled with absolute dread.
OH NO NO NO! DID I DO SOMETHING WORSE TO HER THAN BREAK HER WITH FEAR!?
HAVE I MADE HER COMPLETELY INSANE!?
HOW… HOW CAN SHE SUGGEST SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN THIS SITUATION!?
I looked at her all over. She's really beautiful.
My heart was racing in my chest, but I ignored it.
I looked for any signs of fidgeting, excitement or a flush coming from her, but there was nothing.
I couldn't understand. How could she be so calm while suggesting something like that!? She just asked me that like you would ask someone to borrow a few dollars!?
Elise gained a confused expression on her face.
Has she truly gone insane after discovering the truth about me!? Did her hippocampus explode!? Did some brain regions of her short-circuit!? Was that the reason her behavior changed so much that I can't comprehend it anymore!?
But… but she's acting so normal? So…calm? Wait!
Waitwaitwaitwaitwait…..
Is… is she now doing the same thing to me as I've done the entire time to her!? Is she… acting!?
A shock of realisation hit Elise.
Why! Is this some revenge play for her!? Is she doing this to give me my just desserts!?
Is that why she said that just now, to make me as uncomfortable as possible, for.., for revenge!?
That… that isn't like her at all. She's normally such a good and pure soul. I can't imagine taking revenge on someone is a thought that would form in that pretty head of hers.
Then… then… what are her intentions? Why is she acting like this?
…Is she doing the same thing I've been doing? Hiding her true feelings behind an act, because she's too scared to share them?
Elise started turning beet-red.
Why is she doing that? To put me at ease, because I've been in this stressful situation the whole day?
Was she… also stressed and scared, hiding it too? Is that why she suggested that?
Has all this danger kicked her survival instinct into overdrive, and now she wants to vent it on me, the man she loves.
I… I can't indulge her right now. We're still in great danger. How… how do I turn her…
"Jack…, I… I didn't mean it like that…"
…Huh!? I looked at her face. Her cute face was completely crimson, and she looked away shyly.
"O… Oh... Sorry, I….. misinterpreted."
"It… it's alright. I should have been clearer. …Sorry."
An awkward tension remained between us for a while. Elise grabbed a pillow and started hugging it. She was embarrassed. Well, I was too. But, I also felt something else.
Confused, because what had her intentions been then?
My heart was really racing. I… I felt hot?
I focused on my breathing until the heat on my face started receding, and then asked her.
"Wh… what did you mean by… sleeping together?"
"Y… yeah, so… I thought…," she started saying while looking me in the eyes again, though she was still a bit red.
"We don't know if your father will still show up here, and if you could stop him before he figures out he's in a trap. So, I think it's better if we just clean up the room and ignore him for now, and later think of something else we can do."
"I…, yes, I get where you're coming from. But, he's still dangerous. If he has figured out I've defied him, he could show up here anytime to attack us, take you hostage…"
"I know. But, you told me he has to likely become visible to attack us, right? Like with your mother. So…, if we take turns sleeping, you can protect me when you're awake, and I can quickly wake you up if I see him appear."
"…"
I stayed silent and contemplated what she said for a bit. We stared into each other's eyes. And what I saw in them… was trust, love, will, and confidence. I… could only draw one conclusion from that.
"You're right. That is a good idea. Let's go with that," I said with a smile on my face.
Elise also gave me a warm smile. But, there was still one doubt in my mind I needed to clear before going through with this.
"That being said, I first want to figure out if you can wake me up fast enough in case it's needed."
"Oh… yes. I thought we could… hold hands, and then I could pull you awake?"
"Th… that sounds fine. Shall we try?"
Elise nodded shyly. It was settled then, although the atmosphere between us was still a bit awkward. Nevertheless, we went through with it.
Elise moved to the inside of the bed, sitting upright, and I moved to the outside, lying down. I put the knife unsheathed beside me on the nightstand. I covered us with the blanket, and then we held each other's hand. She was… really warm.
"I think I can use my power to fall asleep instantly. So, wait a few seconds to confirm it, then pull my hand. Got that?"
"Yeah, let's try."
"Okay, here goes…"
I closed my eyes. I focused on Elise's warmth, and completely relaxed. Then…
I fell asleep. My hand got yanked. I shotawake, sat upright while grabbing the knife, and scanned the room. There were no threats.
"That felt fast, wasn't I?"
"Y… yeah, I almost couldn't follow you with my eyes," she said, looking astonished and smiling at the same time."
"It works then. I'm glad," I said, smiling back at her.
"I'm glad too. That you can finally get some rest. Today must have been so horrible for you."
"I…, yeah."
I stared into her blue eyes, and they compelled me to speak from my heart.
"Elise, thank you for everything. You're a godsend."
"..."
She didn't respond immediately, because a blush started to form on her face. But, she didn't look away. She kept looking straight into my eyes.
"I'm always here for you. Ken is too. I want you to know that."
"I… know. Thank you, really."
She nodded. We stared at each other in silence, enjoying the moment. But, I couldn't linger. I still needed to clean the room…
"I'll… uh… make this room somewhat orderly again. Give me a moment."
"…Ah, yes. You should."
I nodded, and got out of bed.
I quickly cleaned up the room, removing all the toilet paper and duct tape hanging from the ceiling and throwing the pile under the bed for now. I also moved the desk back to its previous spot under the window.
Once I was done with all that, maybe a minute or two later, I placed my phone on the nightstand beside me, and got back under the sheets with Elise. And just when I did…
"You know, whenever I see how fast you are with everything, I almost want to hire you as my personal butler or something," she suddenly quipped.
…Damn it, of course she would. Am I just a valuable appliance in her eyes!? Well, I'll show her that I'll set an extravagant price for the limited supply that is me!
"You can, but my price would be that I'll get to sleep together with you whenever I want," I said with a mischievous smile.
Elise's eyes went wide. She blinked a few times.
And then…
She smiled.
"Deal."
…? Wait what? She accepted immediately!? I looked deep into her eyes…, she's dead serious! And what's with that grin!? Did… did I unknowingly fall into her trap or something!?
What… what a scary opponent!
"F… fine then. I'll hold you to that. And, I'll be going to sleep now. When do you want to sleep?"
"Don't worry about me. I'll wake you up myself when I get too tired. You just go to sleep now," she said with a kind smile.
"…Okay. Well…, uh…, goodnight then," I said, whereafter I lay down and closed my eyes again.
"Goodnight, Jack," she said while also laying down.
…Ah…, I could finally recognise the emotion in her voice again when she said my name.
It was love.
And with love filling my heart, I slept.
***
I had a dream. I was maybe 8 years old, and was walking in a forest with my mother.
Beautiful greenery filled my sight everywhere I looked. Birds were singing all around me, filling my soul with peace. It was summer, but the shade made the temperature comfortable, relaxing my body completely.
We came to a clearing. A small stream flowed slowly in front of us. My mother said that this was a nice place to have lunch, and so we did.
We were eating sandwiches on a picnic blanket. We didn't talk, and instead just absorbed all the sights and sounds around us. Birds were gathering all around us at a slight distance, just singing, chirping, and doing their own thing.
Eventually, my mother was done eating before me, and then did something unexpected.
She held her left arm in front of her, and pointed two of her fingers to the right!
I was completely confused! I had no idea what she was doing! I just stared at her, for I don't know how long. Maybe a minute or two passed with me just watching in silence.
And then…
A beautiful bird with a red chest landed on my mother's fingers, and started chirping at her.
It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen! I asked her excitedly how she did that! And then she told me, with a calm, relaxed voice, and a warm, kind smile on her face.
"I didn't do anything. I just held my hand out, and this bird chose to come to me."
…I didn't really understand what she meant, and understood it at the same time. But, what I was sure of is that I wanted to do the same thing!
I held my hand out the same way my mother did. I controlled my breathing, completely relaxing myself, and my hand in front of me turned completely still.
Time passed without me being aware of how long it was, and eventually, a beautiful blue bird landed on my fingers.
I did it! I was so happy! I was staring in awe at the bird! I… I wanted to pet it!
I moved my right hand towards the bird.
Then my father's voice echoed through the world.
"Do it."
I snapped its neck.
The world was silent.
I looked at my mother.
She was still smiling.
***
I woke up and opened my eyes. It was still dark in the room.
I felt like I had a scary dream, my whole body was cold with fear. But, I didn't panic, because my left hand was still warm.
I moved my head and looked at Elise. She was lying on her right side, eyes closed and steadily breathing.
She wasn't asleep, just faking it. I noticed from her breathing rhythm and slight tension in her eyelids, letting her maintain a sliver of unnoticeable vision to keep watch without my father potentially noticing.
Right on cue, Elise opened her blue eyes fully, since she saw I was awake too. She was about to say something, but I squeezed her hand, interrupting her. I didn't know how late it was, and if my father's shadow could be here.
I shifted my body and grabbed my phone to look at the time. It was 5:30 AM. I had slept for maybe two hours, but I felt completely rested. Likely another boon from my powers.
Also, looking at the time, I knew my father wasn't here. He has a rigid sleep schedule he always maintained for work from 10 PM to 6 AM.
Elise and I could still communicate freely for now, but I still wanted to be able to do that later, even if the shadow was around. I might have an idea about that.
I shifted my body again and looked into Elise's eyes, then whispered.
"It's 5:30, my father's most likely asleep for at least half an hour more. I want to do some things before that."
"Okay, but aren't you still tired? You didn't sleep that long," she whispered back to me.
"I'm fine. I think my powers also accelerate my sleeping time."
"…You know. I'm getting kinda jealous of your powers. Isn't it unfair that you suddenly turned into the most productive man on the planet!"
"…Who says I wasn't already exactly that," I said with a mischievous smile.
"Ugh, Y… You! You know what, I'll just ignore that comment for now!" she said with a frown on her face. But, I also saw her hold back a cute grin.
Hah, got her!
"Hey, I'd like to talk with you more, but time is ticking. If there's any chance my father might be listening in later, we can't say anything that makes him suspicious. But, I just thought that we could still text each other covertly for such stuff. I wouldn't see a way that the shadow could notice something like that. What do you think?"
"I… yes, I think that's a good idea."
"Great! Only…, the one thing I'm still worried about is that my phone might be tapped by the police. I've avoided using it, but I wondered if you have a spare phone for me to text you."
"I have one. It's in my room. I'll grab it for you in a moment."
"Okay, good. I'll then take a quick shower before 6. And I also wanted to ask, how are you holding up? You haven't slept yet, not to mention all the danger we're in.
"…I'll… admit that I'm a bit tired. But, I've pulled all-nighters before. I'll be fine with some coffee, and I can always take a nap later. And, regarding the danger we're in. As long as we're together, I believe that we can pull through it."
…Ah, she's really strong. There isn't even a speck of fear or weakness on her face.
…I'm so glad she's here. Whenever I'm near her, I feel like I can pull through anything.
"That's good. I'll go and take that shower then. Shall we?" I asked with a smile on my face.
Elise smiled back and agreed, whereafter we both got up from the bed. I grabbed some fresh clothes, my toiletries, and all the toilet paper I hid under the bed.
I then walked out of the room with Elise, said a 'see you soon' to her before she entered her own bedroom, and then walked to the nearest bathroom.
Once inside, I flushed all the toilet paper down the toilet and threw away the pieces of duct tape I tore off in the trash can. I then put down the rest of the stuff I brought along, took my vegan supplements and undressed my upper body.
I wanted to shave first before showering. It has been 2 days already. I always found my stubble noticeable, since I was black haired. I didn't really want Elise to start thinking that I'm becoming a caveman…
I looked at myself in the mirror, and froze. I noticed something terribly wrong. Well, not noticing might be more accurate in this case, since there wasn't a hair on my chin.
What? I was confused. I inspected my entire face. Everything looked fine? I looked as good as I could be? That was impossible. Even my hair was still neatly combed to the side, which was never the case after I slept.
I looked at my upper body, and discovered another oddity. The bruise the shadow had inflicted on me was still there, but all my body hair was gone.
This was definitely weird. Was this a side effect of my power or something? I inspected my body even further, and my thoughts halted in shock when I saw my left hand.
The scar was gone in the place where the knife had gone through. And then, I was hit with a realization of what had happened to me.
My left hand was the one that Elise had held the entire night. She had used her powers on me.