CYOA Part Eight: The Truth of the Matter

You don’t even touch your phone when, from outside, Remi starts screaming. Mero rises at the alarming noise and chuckles.

“Remi made his way back again? He must really like you.” She says with a charming smile on her lips.

“I guess you can call it that.” You stand and search for your clothes. You feel Mero’s hand on your back and you turn to her. You go back, taking a kiss from her soft lips and sighing softly.

“Do you want to stay?” Mero offers then kisses you again.

You moan softly. “I would like to but-” Remi screams again. “That.”

Mero giggles. “Well, you know where to find me, lovely one.”

“Yeah, you too,” you say shyly. You put on your clothes, although you tucked your bra into your pants because it was too much a hassle to put back on.

You turn to Mero before you leave. “Thanks again for the tea and orgasms!”

“Always happy to share,” she waves.

As you step out on Mero’s porch you see Remi in the yard screaming and kicking. He runs towards you on the porch and he nudges you.

“What is it?” You scoff. “Remi! Stop it!” You try to argue with him, but he keeps nudging you closer and closer to the house.

“Remi! I was talking with Mero!” You snap.

“You were taking your damn sweet time!” Remi hisses under his breath. “And from the way your hair looks you were doing more than just talking to her!”

You reach up and smooth your hair down. “You aren’t my mom, stop sounding like it. Now what the hell is causing you to scream so much?”

“The thing under your bed!”

You finally manage to break free from Remi’s persistent nudging. He’s trapped with salt. What am I supposed to do? I’m not going to babysit him.”

Remi stomps his hoof. “This is serious!”

“Why? Because a goat says so?” You cross your arms against your chest. “I barely know either of you. How can I be sure I can trust you over him?”

His eyes widen and his jaw goes slack. “Are you seriously saying that right now?”

“Yeah, I am. I get here and I am bombarded by information about this Pan guy, my supposed father. I learn I am some sort of possible sex deity offspring and I could be used for dangerous purposes. How am I supposed to take that? Let alone trust someone who lives their life as a goat!”

His fur bristles and he shuffles in irritation. “I told you why I do! I am trying to be helpful here.”

“Yeah, by being irritating. You were screaming, I thought something was wrong. Who gives a shit if Mero and I were having a bit of spicy fun? You shouldn’t.”

“I don’t care,” Remi snaps back. “I was screaming because Ebal managed to get on top of the bed and is trying to get at a phone.”

You furrow your brow. “What phone?”

The goat’s expression went blank. “There’s a landline in that bedroom. Those still exist you know.”

You glare at him for a moment before bolting into the house. Sure enough, Ebal is upon the bed and using a coat hanger to try and reach the landline. You walk in and simply push the phone back.

“Oh come on!” Ebal whines.

“Stop it. You’re making this worse on yourself.”

Ebal then got a big smile on his face. He looks at you with a knowing glint in his eyes. “Well well, you certainly didn’t waste much time. I knew you and Evander would hit it off right away. But you and Mero? Good for her!”

You cross your arms against your chest, feeling as though he can see through your clothes to your bare skin. “That was your influence though, wasn’t it?”

“Not really. Unless you can store up my influence like a camel does water.” Ebal sits back up the bed and folds his arms behind his head. “Mero’s fun isn’t she? I bet she really had a good time with you.”

“Shut up. Because of you trying to escape, that goat started screaming. Mero seemed to talk real sweet about you, but I’m still not certain.”

“Because you and the stupid goat won’t let me fucking talk for two seconds. Just because I’m a demon doesn’t mean I’m a devil,” he says with a sniff.

You throw your arms up into the air. “Then talk.” You slap your hands back down onto your thighs. “What the hell do you want?”

“I don’t want to die,” Ebal sneers.

Your brows pinches as you look at him over. He has a sneering, sarcastic look upon his face, but there is a frightened glint to his red eyes. “Isn’t that just everybody all the time?”

Ebal scoffs. “This is different. Ever since I escaped my kind I’ve been living by a very different set of rules. My life is dependent on certain energies, onces I used to get freely back home. But now, I have to work towards it. Pan was able to supply me with my preferred food quite freely, that’s why I stayed with him. He also liked having me around, because it made certain things…easier for him.”

You grimace at the idea forming in your head. “What do you need to live?”

“To put it simply, sex.”

You rub your hands down your face. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“I’m serious. You know the stories of incubus and succubus? Well, they’re all descended from me,” Ebal murmurs. “They have it much easier than me. Their way of feeding is much simpler, more basic.” He shakes his head as a worried expression crosses his face. “I need it from more powerful sources. Pan was…not preferred, but he was easy when I left home.”

“So…things like demons and deities, they’re the…sex you need?”

“Their energies,” Ebal huffs. “I stayed with Pan because I felt I was out of options. He made me feel like I had no options.”

You look away then back at Ebal. “Are you saying I’m your only hope?”

“You're my Obi-Wan Kenobi in this situation, yes,” he grunts. “When you and Luke were together, that was the first strengthening meal I’ve had in a long time. I got a bit greedy with you and Evander, but I have been starving for a year now. I’ve been…lost.”

You took a seat and scrape your nails against your scalp. You took a deep breath and tried to sort through every piece of the puzzle you had been given since you learned that Pan was your father.

“Luke caved to the pressure,” Ebal murmurs.

You look up from your hands to see Ebal staring off out the window with tears in his eyes. “We had been searching for ages. He wanted to help me, but when he met you-” He shuts his mouth and closes his eyes.

You stand and approach the edge of the salt circle. “No, keep going.”

He breathes out through his nose then looks up at you. “We broke up because he found out you were already being tracked by others. He said he couldn’t put your life in danger. But when I told him he was putting mine at risk, it caused a huge fight between us.” Ebal’s eyes fill with tears again. “He said I could go back home anytime, I was just being selfish. I told him that no matter what, people would always be looking for you.”

You weren’t thinking as you sat down on the foot of your bed. Several things became clear then. How you and Luke met and why he was so secretive. You clasp your hands around your mouth as puzzle pieces slide together.

“Believe what you want to believe,” Ebal murmurs. “Maybe I should just go home. Better to face my punishment there than starve to death up here.”

You look back at him. “No offense, but can you be quiet for five minutes?”

He nods. “Sure, sure. Go ahead. Have your breakdown or epiphany.”

You scoff and hold your head in your hands. “I have been so upset and confused over my relationship with Luke. I thought some time apart would help, but it’s only made everything worse. This just…I don’t even know how to categorize this. My life was in danger as he never said a word.”

“Would you have wanted him to?” Ebal asks. “Weren’t you happy? Didn’t you have a pretty good life? I mean…as someone who dated Luke, I can say that I was happy with him.”

You glare back at him.

Ebal stares. “What? I was. He was a good boyfriend.” He sits up and places his hands upon his ankles. “I get that him being secretive fucked you up. Maybe him telling you the truth would have helped. Maybe not. And I don’t know why he fell for you. Like you said, we barely know each other. But I know why Luke was worth falling for. I know he’s a good guy.”

You turn and face Ebal. “What about you?”

His eyes widen.

“Are you a good guy?”

Ebal shakes his head. “I’m not the person to ask that question. I’m my own worst judge here.” he then shrugs. “Aside from the goat.”

You stand back up and reach for your phone. “If I call Luke and ask him, what do you think he will say?”

A sad smile crosses his face and he sighs. “I wish I knew.”

You step out of the room and walk down the hallway, dialing Luke’s phone. You take a seat in your makeshift office as you listen to the ringer going off once, twice, a third-

“Hello?” Lukes sounds terrified.

“Hi.” You lose your breath and nerve. Hearing his voice was like an arrow through your heart, but this time it actually hurt you.

“I’m a bit surprised,” he chuckles. “Is everything okay? How’s the house?”

“Yeah,” a small smile appears on your lips. “The house is great. I’m just having an issue in one of the rooms.”

“Oh really? What’s wrong?”

“I have you ex trapped in a salt ring in it.”

There was silence from all around you, but especially throug the phone.

“I uh…I…can you repeat that?”

“Yeah, Ebal? I trapped him in a salt ring on top of the bed, because he’s a demon. But you knew that right? Also, there’s a goat that’s talking to me. And then I met a minotaur and a naga. And, oh yeah, you’re a werewolf or something?”

There was more silence.

“It’s been a lot, Luke. That’s just the tip of the iceberg that’s been my Hearthway Hollow vacation. So what’s up with you?”

“Th-there’s a goat? Talking to you?” Luke says slowly.

“He’s a fairy,” you state.

Luke inhales but doens’t let it go. “Oh. Okay.”

“Ebal has been influencing me so he can feed. Did you know that?”

Luke coughs and sputters.

“I don’t mean to dump this on you like it was me. But do you think i could trust Ebal if I let him out of the salt circle?”

“Wait!” Luke blurts. “Don’t do anything…. Wait, okay, let me come back down there first. I can talk to Ebal and-”

Your jaw stiffens and you grind your teeth. “Just answer me, Luke. Tell me the truth.”

Luke goes quiet again.

“Will I be in danger?” You ask slowly. “That’s why you’ve been so secretive isn’t it? You've been trying to play my secret body guard because you knew people were looking for me. I’m the daughter of Pan or something?”

“Look, Babe,” Luke gasps.

“I’m done looking, Luke. I’m waiting to hear what you have to say. So say something, or I’m letting Ebal out.”

Luke was quiet for a long time. He breathes into the receiver. “I was trying to protect you. You are a commodity to certain people out there. After Pan died there was an unheavel. There are those who are searching for his replacement. You could be one of those who could fulfill that. I loved Ebal and wanted to help him. But when I met you it was…it was like fate.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to be afraid.”

“You knew I knew about these things,” you whisper. “I told you about Uncle Faire and the carnival. I told you about the other side like you didn’t know and you didn’t say a fucking word, Luke. How bad is it that I trust a demon and a goat more than you?”

“I don’t know about this goat but Ebal only wants you to sustain himself.”

“I know, he told me!”

Luke was quiet again.

“He told me right away once I let him talk. He also told me that you were already looking for me so he wouldn’t die. The goat told me who Pan was and what a piece of shit he was. Had you told me, we could have been looking over our shoulders together. But instead you just hid and hid and hid.” You hold in a whimper and cry.

You and Luke had been like an instant fit from the moment you met. Even if it had been what you were going to write off as a one night stand. The first morning was wonderful, he had gotten up and made you breakfast. He made you feel like the only girl in the world. He didn’t hesitate to call you, to check up and offer to hang out as friends. He was there for you always, he worked hard. But he just failed in keeping your trust. Still, you had been thinking about him and missing him. It ached to know that his secrets were also lies.

“He told you,” Luke murmurs.

“Yeah, Ebal told me. He seemed shock you didn’t let anything on,” you sniffle. “I should have known the truth Luke. I deserve to know what I possibly am. Because what if I was the dangerous one?”

“You’re not!” He says readily.

“But how could you know that? Don’t I deserve to know the truth even if it’s dangerous? I could have gone to the carnival if that was so worrisome! You knew that. But instead you wanted to play a knight in shining armor? Why? For what gain, Luke?”

“I just wanted you to be happy.”

“But I wasn’t!” You almost want to throw your phone across the room, but you don’t and hold it. You breathe in and swallow at the lump that is hanging in your throat.

“I’m letting him out,” you say decisively. “Good to know a sex demon is more honest than you.”

“Babe, wait-” You hung up on him before he could finish.

You walk back out into the hallway and see Remi standing there. His eyes narrow upon you and yours upon him.

“You’re letting him out?”

“He needs me to live. Or some weird bullshit reason I guess.” You rub your hands over your face. “Weird reasons. All of it is weird!”

Remi steps closer to you. “Think about this.”

Your phone chimes with a text. “I am sick and tired of thinking, Remi. Right now I really don’t care.” You look at your phone to see a message from Evander.

“Ollie called, he says he needs to speak with you. I’m just getting off work, so I can come pick you up and take you out after talking with them if you want.”

Your gaze softens and you sigh. “I forgot about the car!” You turn and bang your head on the wall.

A strong hand grips your shoulder and you turn around, seeing into Remi’s bright blue eyes. He pushes his hair away from his face. “Sorry I’m annoying,” he murmurs. “Hug?”

You take the offer, hugging Remi tight and sighing out your frustration. “This is weird. But thank you.”

Remi nods. “I get protective, so I’m sorry if I let it get the best of me.” He pulls back and smiles softly. “I have one request though if you don’t mind hearing me out.”

“Go ahead,” you give him a small nod.

“Have someone else be here when you release Ebal. If that’s what you want. Either Evander or Mero, I think if one of them is here he’ll be somewhat behaved. I think if it’s just me it’ll be a bloodbath.”

You look him up and down. “You’d do that to him?”

Remi grins. “I’ve done much worse to much less.”

You look down at your phone and think for a long while about what you should do. You would feel comfortable with Evander. Even if you had known hima  short while you already felt close with him. Plus he was huge and if a fight broke out it would be better to have both him and Remi around. You could also just leave with Evander, deal with your car, and think about everything else when that was taken care of.

Mero seemed to have a way with Ebal. She spoke sweetly about him before and her presence was calming. Having her and her charms around would be better than any fight breaking out.

Then if you waited for Luke you might be able ot gets direct answers. If both he and Ebal were together, you could figure out the truth and finally be Luke to talk openly and honestly with you. Plus he could fight and knew Ebal better than anyone.

Remi put his arm back around you and lets you lay your head upon his shoulder. He smells like earth and old leaves, a scent that comforts you deeply. It reminds you of the woods behind your old home where your mother would take you walking and you would find the carnival just behind it. The smells of earth reminds you of running to Uncle Faire and how he smells of popcorn and cotton candy. His arms were always so warm and inviting. You miss him so much then, but Remi’s arms do just as nice a job.

“I know it’s a hard choice to make. But I’ll be here and I will always protect you,” Remi says gently.

You close your eyes and take a deep, deep breath. “Okay, I think I know what I want to do.”

Remi smiles. “Good job. What have you got?”