The Pot III
Slipping down off the wall, I slowly walked up to the sliding glass door. My clawed hand slipped under the thick lining of fur at my chest and finally up to my cheek as I pinched one eye shut. "What?"
The night air felt like it was twisting, or maybe it was the mental check I was finally having that made everything look like it was going sideways as my maw opened and I gaped at myself. "What?" Disbelief flooded through me as tears welled up in my eyes and my nose started to hurt from the stuffed inhales I kept making that made the air whistle. "No! No. No. No. No!"
Dropping to my knees, I sank into the wet grass as I started to sob hysterically. I couldn't hear anything around me, but I could see the lights from the adjoining yards flick on. Lights from the house in front of me flicked on, though by the time that door slid open, I was already out of the yard and shakily running back the way I had come. I tripped while trying to clamor over the branches and onto the forest floor, stumbling and bumping awkwardly into trees and pinching my foot in between unseen roots as I tried to wriggle free of the forest that was trying to enact its vengeance for my earlier rampage.
I finally saw the red and white on the floor as I picked up the nearly torn shoe to stare at how tiny it was. My shoe! The ones I was wearing earlier. Finally, I dropped back to my knees, sobbing hotly into the night. I was a complete monster!
-
There was a sharp rustle of branches behind me and I jerked upright, turning to snarl instinctively at what was to come, only to see a familiar face.
"Denise, breathe! Breathe!" Alex's hands were wrapping around my wrist before I could yank back. I tried to shy away from him, but when I felt his hand catch my warm skin, I turned my head back in surprise to see a very much human arm.
"Breathe." Alex told me again.
And I took in a shuddered breath, nodding tightly to him. "W-What happened?"
"I don't know. We were talking and then you slipped off into the dark after you went to get a drink of water. I thought someone took off with you." I could see the worry in his eyes, and despite how much I adored those green eyes of his, I couldn't bring myself to look at them much longer. "Hey," he breathed.
I jerked my head away from him, not letting his face dip into my view as I pinched my eyes shut. My mouth tightened into a thin, sharp line. "No."
"No?"
"No." I breathed.
"I don't get it," Alex finally said. "You know, we were all just laughing a few days ago... Relaxed, like we didn't have a care in the world and then Conner went missing-"
"Don't." I told him.
"But he did. And you've been acting strange since."
Conner was the closest thing I had to a brother since my attachment with my sister had felt strangely... severed, and oddly restricted. He had been my reason, Alex had been my rock while Rachael had been my humor. Richard was another story, but the group was oddly the comfort I had needed in the absence of my family, especially since my aunt was so busy as of late. "I can't calm down," I told him finally, sucking in a sharp breath.
"Why?"
"Fucking Jacob is a piece of shit!" I screamed hotly into the air. "He keeps toying with me. My feelings and then he just... He runs away like a coward when he gets me riled up."
Alex stopped talking. Or at least, he didn't respond immediately, but I was too busy wiping my tears from my eyes to see why. I could only assume he didn't know what to say, but the frustrated sigh caught my attention and brought me to try to steal a look at him to see what face he was making.
"I fucking can't stand him. Honestly." Alex pushed his hand through his brown hair. "He fucking pisses me off so much, Denise. You have no idea. I don't know why you're even talking to him."
"Because he made me feel..." I hated the words that came to mind. Loved... Touched. Warm. God, all of it felt so fucking foul. I couldn't believe I even romantically had any interest in him at all. "Fuck him." I breathed hotly. "He can kick rocks for all I care anymore!"