Page 29 of Of Mercury and Mist

“Aren’t you supposed to be some mysterious and possibly dangerous hot guy in the woods?” He had two of those parts down pat. How dangerous he was hadn’t yet been revealed though I suspected he could fill the role just fine since he’d chased and grabbed me.

Samuel raked a hand through his hair. “Look, I’ll walk you back. I’ll take you exploring next time, if you’d like. How does that sound?”

It sounded nice and an escort would be lovely. “I think I’d like that,” I said. While I was certainly a bit leery of him, I knew there was no way he could do me too much harm.

He held his arm out for me to clasp and I placed my hand on him as we began walking. Crows cawed in the distance again, and the slight breeze danced my curls around my head.

Thiswasnice. It wasn’t often, lately, that I got to spend much time outdoors in nature. Just then, I decided I’d have to convince my friends to go for a walk in Central Park as soon as possible. While the recreation area couldn’t be considered a model of the wilderness, it was convenient and close. I needed to do something other than work, sleep, and hang out at Vincent’s.

Samuel silently walked by my side, occasionally scanning the area as we closed the distance between the woods and the house. “What do you do? Do you work?” I asked.

He glanced at me. “I work for the government. I’m a tax collector, you could say,” he said.

“Oh. Rough job, right? Nobody likes you.” I laughed.

“I don’t need to be liked. I fulfill a role that helps maintain the balance. What do you do?”

Tucking a clump of hair behind my ear, I answered, “Currently between jobs, I guess you could say.” I wasn’t certain I’d be getting paid for being humiliated and verbally abused. “I need a new job as the one I’ve had has become pretty uncomfortable.”

He looked interested so I continued, “My boss sucks but it's hard to find good paying jobs these days.”

“I bet he sucks,” Samuel mused. “If you could do anything you wanted, what would you do?”

The question gave me pause. I’d never really thought about it all that deeply. When I was little, I’d wanted to be a ballerina, but lessons were expensive and frequent, and my parents hadn’t had the money or the time to invest. I’d also wanted to be a race car driver.

The two wishes were wildly divergent but driving fast cars became a reality after I’d met Andy and his friends. However, no racetracks were involved. More like flashing blue and red lights that chased you.

“The things I’ve wanted were always things I couldn’t have. Just stupid dreams.” I looked away from the man by my side. “What about you?” I tossed the question back.

“You can have what you want, Ashley, if you want it bad enough.” His tone made me think he wasn’t referring to speed or dance. Some crazy things I hadn’t thought of, maybe.

I laughed a little, brushing away my discomfort. “I’m a little old for childish wishes. I think now I just wish I could be a time traveler or wave a magic wand and reverse some of my actions. That’s immature, too, so I guess just to make smarter decisions in the future and not hurt people.”

He nodded. “That’s noble of you.”

“You never answered me—what did you want to do with your life?” We were approaching the tree line and running out of time for the man to satisfy my curiosity.

Samuel stopped just as we approached the edge of the grass lawn. “I was born and molded for what I do. I have a role to fulfill, I never had the luxury of a decision as you have. Many are predestined to certain stations, and we are expected to perform our duties upon pain of death. I do not miss what I haven’t known.”

I shuffled my feet. “I guess it could be said there’s some convenience to knowing exactly what one has to do,” I offered.

“It sounds like you, yourself, have a decision to make. There are many opportunities for a beautiful woman like you, I’m sure you’ll find something that makes use of all your best attributes.”

My cheeks warmed, and I rubbed them, casting a glance at the house several yards away. “Maybe,” I conceded, watching the sky lighten in the distance beyond the manor.

“If you’re not happy where you are and you have the power to change your circumstances—do it.”

He’d make a great life coach. “That’s good advice, thank you,” I said.

“It's my pleasure to be of help.” Samuel reached for me and grabbed my hand. “Until next time, beautiful,” he said.

Suddenly, I was back in my own bed, the change occurring so quickly I gasped for breath and sat up. I grabbed my phone and turned it on.

I’d only been asleep for about five minutes.

TEN

Ashley

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