Page 9 of Dryad, Try Again
“It sure does!” Seth says. We both look up to see him returning with Rachel, Shonda, and another dude in glasses. They all carry lawn chairs, and now we’re in a small sitting circle. We look like the diverse brochure of either a human or monster college. “The grass loves Kovi!”
Kovi smirks while Seth sips his drink. “Love is a strong word. I’m really more of a forestry guy.”
“So, you can tell us all about the monsters that live in the woods?” Shonda asks.
“That would be us,” Seth remarks, and everyone laughs.
I turn around at the trees a few yards away. In the darkness, I swear the branches sway back and forth.They don’t come to life, right?Fear creeps up my spine, and I turn back to the group.
“I can’t wait for the Intro to Monsterkind class,” the dude in glasses states.
“You really like monsters, huh, Owen?” Rachel asks with a snicker.
“I can’t help it! I find the study fascinating! Vampires, nøkks, basilisks…so many!” This dude, Owen, waves his hands around excitedly and nearly loses all of his drink.
I can’t concentrate on him, but instead, gaze at the nearby forest. Glimpses of my waking nightmares intrude on my thoughts; I see visions of sentient branches reaching down to grab my face.
“But tree monsters aren’t around here, are they?” I ask.
Kovi and Seth laugh into their cups, and the others murmur to themselves. “The dean told me tree spirits helped with the landscaping,” Shonda remarks.
My pulse pounds when I turn back to the woods. The dark branches sway, and I hear howling in the distance. Sweat breaks out on my face as flashbacks of branches flying at me resurface in my mind. Turning back around, I chug my drink and rapidly tap my foot. I’m not even listening to what Rachel is saying, I’m thinking of how I can escape back to my dorm.
“You okay, Tanner?” Shonda asks.
“Yeah, I’m fine, it’s just…” I look around, and the group’s eyes are all on me. “I have this like…phobia. Of specific monsters.”
“Really?” Owen asks.
“Yeah. I mean, during the day, it’s fine, but…” I wave my hand and look down. “Being near all these trees at night…” I shiver and gulp. “I have a phobia of forests. I had this thing happen to me, when I was younger.”
“What makes you fear the forest?” Kovi asks. “If you…don’t mind sharing.” He seems so sincere, and the group genuinely wants to hear my story. This is gonna sound so lame to cool monsters like Kovi and Seth, but the liquor is making my truth resurface.
“Basically, when I was a kid, I played with this other kid in a playground. We were friends and became close. I didn’t even know he was a monster. We didn’t care about differences;I was the poor kid and he was a lonely homeschooled boy.” I take a deep breath, inhaling the smoky scent of burnt firewood. “Anyway, I guess he didn’t have his shifting under control. We got so excited one afternoon, and he became this massive tree monster in front of me.”
“A…dryad?” Kovi whispers.
“Yeah, exactly, a dryad.” I nod at the others, listening intently. “His branches got to me. Stabbed me right here.” I scratch my eyebrow. “There was blood everywhere, which freaked me out as a kid. Fortunately, it didn’t take my eye out. Anyway, since then, I’ve been afraid of big trees.”
Kovi stares at me in horror. Crap, I need to turn this around so Kovi will want to flirt with me again. “But um, I’m fine now! And I have this scar on my face. Some dudes I’ve dated have said it’s sexy,” I joke. Hopefully he’s not too turned off by my shocking past.
I lean to tap Kovi’s shoulder but he darts up. “Was it…Independence Park? Here in Creelin?”
My eyebrows furrow. “Yeah. How’d you know?”
Kovi drops his empty cup and hyperventilates. “What…what was the name of the kid?”
“I don’t remember, why?”
“No fucking way,” Seth murmurs. He looks like I just insulted someone’s mother. “You’re…you’rethathuman? You’re Kovi’s red-headed human?!”
What’s Seth talking about? I turn to the others, but they seem as perplexed as me. When I look at Kovi, he all but bolts away.
Huh?
I follow him for a few feet and witness him keel over. “Kovi, what?”
“Stay back!”he shouts.
