Page 86 of Monsters of Desire and Nightmares of Passion

Lisa shrugs, but I notice her closing her eyes. Who knows? Maybe this will work.

I focus my attention on the wall covered with weapons. It’s not only the beauty and elegance of each of them, but also the power they hold, the power to end an existence in the blink of an eye. Draw kept telling me I had weapons training. My gaze moves over each weapon.

What was my thing? Did I have a favorite weapon?

I need to distract my attention from the dark pit of sadness I find myself in. All I can do is hang on with the tips of my fingers, hoping I’ll receive some help. I’m lost without my guys. It’s the first time they are truly gone. The dark, empty spot they left hurts and bleeds like an open wound with jagged raw edges.

“What are you thinking about?” Lisa asks, looking at the weapons herself. She has managed to change her clothes and looks now like the heroine from a boy’s wet fantasy.

“Look at you, girl. You’re lit.” I manage a cheerful voice as I talk to Lisa. She’s already dead and doesn’t need my depression on top of everything.

“Huh?”

“You changed. That’s awesome.”

“Fuck, I just did what you said. Penny for your thoughts.”

“I’m trying to figure out if any of these weapons, you know, speak to me.”

“Is one speaking?”

I shrug. “Nope. But I wish.”

“How about you close your eyes and pick a weapon, any weapon that feels good.”

“I can try that. I don’t have anything to lose.”

I close my eyes, count down from ten, and do my best to get my anxiety under control. All I can hear is the roar of my own blood as it fills my ears with the sound of breaking waves. I open my eyes and my gaze lands on a pair of daggers and a long sword. There’s something about it.

“If you like them, take them,” says Lisa. “And let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

“I have a feeling. You trust me, girl?”

I nod. I’m not sure I trust her ghost abilities, but we have no other choice.

“Follow me.” Lisa starts to run like crazy, down the stairs and out of the house.

We both stand in front of the house, watching the lake. A small rip in the air attracts my attention. It looks like a mouth colored green, yellow, and blue and rippling with power. As I get closer, my hair stands up. The air is charged from the electricity that fills it.

“Is that like a portal or something?” Lisa asks, looking down at her own legs.

“Ivy, I can’t move.”

“What do you mean, you can’t move?”

My mind refuses to acknowledge that Lisa is not subject to the laws of physics like me.

Lisa steps back inside the house. “I can walk inside the house. But as soon as I try to walk away from it, game over. Sorry. It looks as if I’m stuck here.”

“I’ll go check out that portal thingy. If I don’t return, will you look after Powder and Velvet, please?”

“Sure “

I lean over, wanting to hug her, but my arms only grab thin air.

“Ivy, are you sure this is what you should be doing? I mean, as far as I understand it, the guys are sacrificing themselves for you. They’ll be heartbroken if you follow.”

---