Page 42 of Mochas and Minotaurs

“Nope, just wanted to mark you as thoroughly checked.” I wanted to mark her as so much more. As Mine. The need to own her, possess her, had grown by the hour.

We started at the door and moved, going clockwise around the basement, being careful where we stepped so we didn’t move any of the notes on the floor.

I noticed a section about two by two feet at the bottom of the wall that was not marked with anything.

“What about that?” I asked.

Gigi furrowed her brow. “What about it?”

“It’s not marked. “

“Yeah, it is. That whole wall is marked.”

“No. Right there.”

“Where?”

“At the bottom, along the floor.”

“The floor is marked too.”

“No. On the wall! Right fucking there!” I realized I was raising my voice, and I cleared my throat. “Right here, about two feet squared,” I said softer, this time squatting down to draw my finger around the empty area.

Gigi was breathing heavily now and shaking her head. “I don’t understand.” She grabbed my upper arm and pulled me back up, and suddenly I found her huddled against me, hiding her face in my chest.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m scared.” Her voice was so small. “I don’t know why, but it just hit me. I’m so scared.”

I wrapped my arms around her protectively, my eyes and ears scanning for possible danger. “I’m right here. I’ll protect you.”

She nodded and peered at the spot I’d indicated again. I didn’t feel what she felt, but the need to guard her and make sure she was safe was nearly unbearable. Something significant was happening.

“Tell me what you see,” I said.

“A narrow sliver of wall. Too small for sticky notes.”

“Not two feet worth.”

“No.”

“And what’s making you scared? The fact that you can’t see it?”

“I-I don’t know. But I’m scared to look at it.”

“And it just started when I pointed it out to you?”

“Yeah. I think it’s spelled. Don’t you feel it?”

“No.” I tapped on the wall outside of the area, right next to a sticky note with the mallet. It sounded solid. Then I tapped on the center empty area. It sounded hollow. “I think we found it.”

I squatted back down and reached for the wall again, this time with my hands.

“No! Don’t touch it.” Gigi pulled at me desperately. “Let me think first. Somewhere else. Not here.”

“Okay.” I took her hand, and we went back upstairs.

Instead of stopping in my apartment, she continued out through the roof and over to her own place. She looked traumatized, like she’d just experienced something horrible. She didn’t relax until she had Triscuit in her arms.

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