Page 7 of Monsters in Love: Lost in the Underworld

I nod wordlessly, and that pain in my chest is back again. “I see you all the time,” I say when I can bring myself to speak, whispering too.

I see her, but right now she’s fading.

“I think I’m going,” she says.

“Wait! Where —” I take a step forward, and my foot crashes through the rotting wood of the first step. “Fuck,” I grunt, looking down at the damage. My leg is scratched, but thankfully not bleeding. I need to be able to dance tomorrow.

When I look up, she’s gone.

“Rose?”

Rain begins to fall again, light mist quickly turning into heavy drops that soak my clothes through within a moment.

My ghost girl doesn’t reappear.

I seethe vampire author walk in the door, followed by her gaggle of spicy book girls, and immediately grin. “What are you all doing here? This isn’t your week!”

“A little birdie told us it was your first day! We had to come along!” I can’t actually remember her name, and I feel bad about it now, though I don’t let it show on my face.

“Well it’s good to see you ladies! You’ve got your tickets?”

I’m on door duty, just like Leigh had said.

“I knew you’d be great for this,” another woman from the group says — a human, this time. I scan the ticket on her phone, making note of the name above the barcode.

“Thanks, Stacey,” I smile, looking into her green eyes.

She giggles, blushing, and I hear one of her friends say “He remembered your name!” as they walk away.

“Iknow!”

Ididn’t, but that doesn’t matter. I’m a good actor, and I always take my roles seriously. My role here is to entertain these customers, and, if they’re vibing with the show, make them feelseen.

“Thank you.”I can still hear Rose’s voice from last night, thanking me for seeing her. I don’t want to think about how long she’s gone without anyone acknowledging her existence. I still don’t know what’s going on, but what I do know is that I want to see her again. I want her to be okay. There has to be a way I can help.

The front door opens, and another rush of cold air accompanies a group clearly out for a hen’s night. The Bride to Be — a tall rabbit woman — adjusts her tiara between her ears while her human friend steps forward, the bright pink font on hisMan of Honoursash matching hers. “I’ve got all the tickets on my phone.”

I put on my most charming smile. “Welcome to Auckland Men. I hope you’ll all have a great evening.”

I siton my too-small bed, staring out the window, waiting. Like clockwork, the sun dips below the horizon, the sky darkens, and a familiar green glow appears inside Rose’s house, barely visible through the layers of dirt and pollen on the side window — one of the few glass panes still intact.

It’s her.

I go through my usual routine; the one I’ve kept up every day that I’ve been home this week. Check that the coast is clear — I can’t be bothered explaining this situation to my flatmates, and I wouldn’t even know where to start — and then head outthe front of the house, slipping on my slides and going over to Rose’s place. She made a comment to me about wearing“inappropriate footwear for wet weather”the other night, exclaiming,“Your poor cold toes!”and now I’m just wearing them to rile her up. I’m half-tempted to turn up barefoot one of these days just to see what she’d say about that.

She’s already waiting on her porch, a smile lighting up her face as I wave to her. She really is beautiful. I suck in a cold breath of air, feeling the tightness in my chest that’s been there since last Thursday when she disappeared into thin air on me.

I’m falling for this girl, and she’s not even really here. I am the biggest idiot of all time, because there’s no way this can have a happy ending.

It doesn’t matter. I can’t stay away. “Hey!” I greet her with a grin.

“Hello Zak.” Her eyes dart down to my feet, and a small frown appears between her brows. “Are you not cold?”

“Nah,” I lie. It’s fucking freezing, to be honest — there’s snow down the line — but she doesn’t need to know that. I’m pretty sure she can’t tell. She’s not exactly dressed for the weather either.

“You’re shivering,” she says, folding her arms across her chest, unimpressed.

“Okay, I’m a little cold,” I admit.

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