Black Swan (complete)

    After working for a long while at a major music magazine, I got a bit burnt out with photography. Much like writer’s block, I found that I couldn’t take the photographs I wanted. Any time I tried, I found the pictures came out stunted, empty, and lackluster. I was in such a slump, I started working at a family photography studio. It was the sort of place that all I had to do was point and shoot. As long as the customer was happy, that was all that mattered.

    I supposed working at such a place caused my creative standstill to worsen. It became such a major roadblock that I could feel myself falling. It was the sort of feeling like Alice going down the rabbit hole. It was slow and floaty. I wasn’t in immediate danger, and yet I was. And even if I was floating, I was falling with no bottom in sight. 

    Before it got too bad, I quit my job, sold my house, and just picked up and left. Using the money from the sale of my home and a lot of my stuff, I traveled. One of the few things I took with me was my black cat, Pip. Eventually, the block started to budge. It moved, and I was able to get splashes of my craft out. The snapshots I took didn’t make me angry anymore. Soon, the dam broke and the flood of creativity returned.

    I was selling photographs to magazines left and right. I went from taking pictures of rock stars, to families, and now I was slowly becoming a noted name in nature photography. 

    I didn’t want to end this flow, so even if I’m being hired by companies for my work, I continued to travel, never resting somewhere too long. I felt if I stopped somewhere and put down roots, then everything I worked so hard to get back would go away. I wasn’t risking it.

    A new job had me travel to this little town mainly known for a nature reserve and this reconstruction of a colonial village where people act out the day to day life. It was nearing Halloween, so they were getting ready to do this week-long reenactment of the Salem Witch Trials. I was asked to photograph this event for a small historical society. 

    I was put up in a small cottage outside the village. It was close enough I could walk back and forth as I pleased. For the most part, it was pretty boring, and I felt I could get all the photos I needed on the first and last day. So, I spent a lot of my time roaming around.

    I found a small path at the back of the village that cut through the trees and led into the woods. I decided to take it and see where it led me. I found some pretty interesting trees, taking snapshots I thought looked spooky for the historical society. 

    The deeper I went into the woods, I noticed an obscene amount of poison ivy. But what was strange about it was that it grew in a line. It didn’t cross over a certain point, almost like it was the start of a wall.

    I don’t know why, but I decided to follow the poison ivy. I stepped over the invisible wall and went off the path. The ivy started to grow and crawl up trees. It created a curtain, hanging down from the tall branches and then connecting to the ground.

    I found a big stick, using it to knock the curtain aside, so I didn’t have to touch the poison ivy. I was actually pretty allergic to it. 

    As the ivy parted, I was shocked to find a tower in the middle of the woods. Yeah, just a tall, stone tower. I walk towards it and find a plaque that's overgrown with moss and filth. I brush it away.

    “The Witch’s Tower,” I whisper. I look up, realizing this was a jail cell they kept those being accused of witchcraft. 

    I walk towards the tower, seeing it is being taken over by poison ivy and thick briars. Circling the place, I can’t find a door at all. I do see a window a few feet above my head. I step back to take a picture, and something hits me.

    “Ow!” I gasp and look down, seeing what looks like a large pearl bead. I look up at the window, then huff and go to aim my camera again.

    Something hits me again, this time right on my forehead. I hiss, touching the sore spot. “What the fuck?” I growl. I kneel down, picking up the beads that have struck me. They’re heavy and made from what I assume is glass.

    I’m hit again, and I huff, standing up and looking at the window. That’s when I see it. The top of a head and a set of dark eyes glaring down at me.

    “What the fuck?” I gasp.

    A hand appears and chucks something else at me. I manage to step away in time, and I look back to the eyes glaring at me.

    “Fuck off!” The girl hisses at me.

    I furrow my brow, still not quite believing what I was seeing.

    She disappears for a moment, and then something big comes flying at me. I jump away as a book lands right where I was standing.

    “I said fuck off, red!” The girl snaps. She glares down at me, her fingers gripping onto the windowsill. 

    “I just want to take some photos,” I say and hold up my camera.

    “Well, I just want you to fucking die!” She chucks another book at me, and it grazes my elbow.

    “Hey!” I snap. “Where are you getting this stuff?”

    “Die!” She throws another book, and I scurry around to the opposite side of the tower.

    I hear her scoff. “I know you’re still there.”

    Taking a few steps back, I’m able to take a picture of her long, pale arm extending from the window, throwing a handful of glass beads. 

    “Who are you?” I ask.

    “Angry,” she hisses. 

    “Well, Angry,” I start, “what are you doing here?”

    She goes quiet.

    I cautiously walk around the tower, peering up at the window. I don’t see her in it, so I aim my camera again. I then realize I doomed myself. I see a bucket, and she dumps it out over me. The ice-cold water crashing over me and I yelp. She then dumps the bucket, and I barely avoid it.

    “Get the hell out of here,” the girl hisses. “You mortals don’t know when to take a hint.”

    “Mortals?” I look up at the window, but she’s gone back inside.

    Deciding not to toy with fate, I leave the tower, deciding to come back again tomorrow. I’m not sure what’s happening or who that girl is, but I feel like I need to find out.

    I come back the next day, this time wearing a hard hat, as well as bringing a weed whacker and industrial gloves borrowed from the shed behind the colonial village. 

    “You again?” The girl in the window balks. “Did you not learn your lesson before, jerk?” She still only peers over the edge of the windowsill.

    “I just came to talk,” I tell her. “My name is Arlen and I-”

    She hisses and stands up, glaring out the window. I’m stunned, she’s so beautiful. Her skin is extremely pale, and her hair is pitch black and long. Her eyes are dark, almost completely black. She sneers at me and raises a fist, clutching what looks like a glass apple.

    “Wait!” I gasp. “I don’t mean you any harm at all!”

    “I don’t give a fuck!” She hisses and raises her arm to chuck the apple at me.

    “Wait!” I cry out again, and I hold up the candy bar I brought with me. “Do you like sweets?” It’s a last-ditch effort.

    The girl lowers and arm and scowls. “What?”

    I aim and throw the candy bar into her window. She turns, disappearing for a moment. A second later, she’s standing in the window, munching down on the candy bar.

    “You’ve got two minutes,” she growls between bites.

    I swallow, staring up at this beautiful girl. “Are you trapped here?” I ask. “Do you want help getting out?”

    She scowls at me. 

    “I can help you,” I reply. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but-”

    She tosses down the wrapper and wipes her hands on her dress. “Why would you want to help me?” She growls. “Because I’m a damsel in distress? Because you have some hero fantasy in your head?” She lifts her hand and is clutching the glass apple again. “Because fuck you.”

    “No!” I yelp. “Really. If you’re trapped, I just want to help.”

    She glares at me from her perch. “If you help me, you’re just asking for your own demise. I don’t care what good intentions or gallant deeds you have in mind. They’re all wasted on me.”

    I gasp and step back. “But why?” I ask. “Who are you?”

    She looks away. “It doesn’t matter,” she grumbles as she sits down in the window. “I’ve been here long enough that I’m fine with it.”

    “That can’t be true,” I shake my head.

    She looks back down at me and smirks. “You honestly thought you could save me?”

    “Not save, just help,” I answer.

    She huffs and looks up towards the sky. “I don’t need to go anywhere, because there is nowhere for me. I belong here. Because it’s safer.”

    “Are you worried you’ll get hurt out there? You can stay with me and I’ll-”

    “You don’t get it, do you?” She sneers down at me. “I’m not worried about myself.” She then glances at the morning glory vine by her window. She clutches it, smashing a closed blossom with her fingers.

    Under her touch, the vine starts to wilt and rot. It turns black all the way down and trailing towards me where the roots end.

    “It’s the world that should be worried about me!” She tosses down the dead blossom at me. Her expression looks a touch sad. “This is where I belong, mortal. Just go home.” She turns back into the tower, disappearing.

    I leave, only to return the next day with the same batch of supplies as before.

    The girl glares down at me. “Why the fuck are you back?”

    “I still want to help you,” I tell her.

    She glares down at me, then as she looks away, her gaze softens. “You don’t get it, do you? You help me, and all I’ll do is hurt you.”

    I hold up my gloved hand. “As long as you don’t touch me.” I then place my hand to my chest. “I’m Arlen,” I say.

    She scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Sospirare,” she grumbles. “And fine. You can try to play the gallant knight if you wish.”

    “Not exactly a knight, just a concerned individual.” I turn on the weed whacker, taking it to a large chunk of poison ivy. It falls away, revealing the heavy wooden door for inside. 

    I knock on the door and, with a clunk and squeak, it opens. Sospirare peers out at me from the crack and she opens the door more. She steps outside, looking around then gazing up at me.

    “You’re an idiot,” she grumbles.

    I chuckle and smile at her. “Maybe so, but you’re not the first person to tell me that.”

    Sospirare huffs and brushes her long hair aside. She picks it up, so it doesn’t drag on the forest ground.

    I notice she’s barefoot and wearing a plain nightgown. “How long have you been trapped here?”

    “Not trapped,” she murmurs. “Imprisoned.”

    “Oh no,” I gasp. “You’re actually an evil witch, aren’t you?”

    She turns to glare at me, brandishing her black nails which have been chewed down to small stubs. Once she sees my smile, she recoils back and looks away from me.

    “I’m not,” she murmurs. “It’s just…” she frowns and stomps her foot. “It’s a curse.”

    I tilt my head to the side. “Really?”

    “You’re just some dumb mortal, you wouldn’t understand. You probably think I’m just lying about all this.” Sospirare turns and glares at me. “Well, I’m not!” She snaps. 

    “It’s ok,” I reply. “Go on. I want to know.”

    Sospirare grumbles something under her breath. “My father did it,” she starts. “I don’t remember much about it. I just know it was either my sister or me, so I took the hit. When I woke up, all my white feathers were black.”

    “Feathers?” I gasp.

    She turns and looks up at me. “I’m a Swan Maiden,” she says. “More than that, I’m a princess too.”

    “Like the fairy tale?” I ask.

    She smirks. “Perhaps,” Sospirare sighs. “But better.” She walks in circles around me, examining me from all angles. She then stops dead in front of me.

    “Do you still want to help me?” She asks.

    I hold out my gloved hand. “I’ve come this far. I can’t just leave you here.”

    Sospirare looks up at me then smirks. She takes my hand and squeezes it tight. After a few moments, her grip loosens, and she tugs at my hand, leading me out of the forest.

    We step out of the woods, and her eyes grow wide as she stares at the scenery before her. She rushes ahead of me, her hair falling onto the ground. I grab her before she steps onto the road, pulling her into my chest as a semi goes blaring by.

    “Be careful!” I snap.

    “Sorry, I was-” Sospirare sinks into my arms, resting her cheek against my sweater. “Oh,” she gasps. “I forgot how good it feels to be held.”

    She then lurches back, pushing me away. Sospirare looks terrified, watching me with fear in her eyes until she realizes I’m fine.

    I touch the rain slicker I wore to protect myself from the poison ivy. “It’s ok. If you want a hug, you can-”

    Sospirare rushes into my arms again, squeezing me tight. I hold her, letting her melt into my arms and relax. 

    “I forgot how nice this feels,” she murmurs. I notice black tears rolling down her cheeks and she wrenches away from me. She wipes them away, sniffling.

    “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

    I smile at her. “It’s ok.” I take her hand again. “Come on, my place is right over here.” I point to the cottage which can be seen just over the hill. 

    As we start to walk, Sospirare steps and trips on her hair. She snarls in frustration until I gather it up and hold it for her.

    “I can cut it when we-”

    “Yes!” She snaps. “Cut it and burn it! I hate it. I absolutely hate it!” She hisses, storming ahead of me.

    Once we reach the cottage and we get inside, Sospirare stares around. “You live here?”

    I go into the kitchen, finding a pair of scissors in the drawer. “Just staying for the time being,” I reply. “I don’t really have a home.”

    “That’s kind of sad,” Sospirare says as she sits stiffly. “Cut it wherever, I have no fondness attached to it.” She then screams loudly, and I rush into the room.

    Sospirare is perched in a chair while Pip rubs himself against the legs, purring and meowing. He looks up at Sospirare and meows loudly.

    “What is that?” Sospirare screams.

    “That’s my cat,” I go over and pick Pip up. “My pet.”

    Sospirare stares in disgust. “That weird thing is a pet?”

    I hold Pip out towards her. “He likes you.”

    Pip meows and purrs, closing his eyes as his tongue sticks out of his mouth. Sospirare glares at him then at me. “Put him down and cut my hair.”

    “Oh, yes ma’am,” I set Pip on the sofa, and he melts into it. 

    I gather Sospirare’s hair in my fist, and once I take the scissors to it, it turns to dust and settles on the hardwood floor. After a few touch ups, Sospirare examines the new sheared length. A soft smile spreads across her lips, and she jumps to her feet. She spins around posing, and she laughs.

    “I feel free again!” She rushes up and hugs me. “Thank you, dummy.”

    I smile down at her. “You’re very welcome, Sospirare,” I reply.

    She looks up at me and takes a small step back. “Actually,” she murmurs. “Do you mind calling me Sossy?” She asks.

    I tilt my head, and she glances away, making a snarl.

    “It’s what my sister used to call me,” she huffs. “And it sounds a lot less stuck up than Sospirare does.” She looks back up at me with those big, dark eyes.

    “Sossy,” I murmur and nod. “I think I can call you that.”

    That evening, I leave to go get dinner. I didn’t have anything in the cottage, so I went grocery shopping and picked up a quick meal from a small takeout place by the grocery store. When I get back to the cottage, I find Sossy sitting in the center of the kitchen with a box of plastic wrap spread out over her lap. Pip has parts of himself wrapped in the plastic, and he’s laying on the ground, staring dead into space like he’s been traumatized.

    “What are you doing?” I chuckle. I go and unwrap Pip, and he shoots out of the kitchen and into the bedroom.

    Sossy looks up at me and grabs the sheet of plastic wrap she’s holding. She lunges at me, wrapping the plastic around my head. At first, I think she’s trying to kill me, but then she pulls me down, pressing my lips against the plastic and kissing me.

    Sossy steps away, removing the plastic wrap from my face. “Now that’s all you get!” She huffs, her cheeks bright red and her lips look darker as well. 

    “I uhm-” I touch my lips and look at Sossy who has turned away from me. “What was that-” I clear my throat. “What was that for?”

    “Gallant knights get a reward, don’t they?” She turns her head, glancing over her shoulder at me. “Well, that was your reward, dummy.”

    “Oh,” I chuckle. “Well, thank you. That was...very rewarding.”

    Sossy turns around and cuts her eyes at me. “You bet it was! I doubt you’ll ever get something so nice again.” She then flinches, and she looks away from me, her cheeks still rosy and bright. “You’re lucky it didn’t kill you.”

    “Because of the curse?” I ask with a smile.

    Sossy narrows her eyes. “Yes,” she clears her throat. “The curse.” She then flutters her fingers toward the bags of food. “And what are those?”

    “Dinner,” I reply. “I wasn’t sure what you eat, so I got a few things too many.” I set the bags down on the table, opening up the boxes of takeout.

Sossy sniffs over them, her lashes fluttering for a moment before she stops over an order of spicy pad thai noodles which I had gotten for myself. She grabs the box and nearly shoves her face into it. When she lifts her head back up, she has sauce and green onion on the tip of her nose.

I start laughing, but it is cut off almost immediately. Sossy’s mouth opens, and it doesn’t stop. It opens wide, splitting back. A thick, long, black tongue slithers out and slams into the pad thai. It curls and coils pulling back, so nearly the entire box is pulled into her gaping maw of a mouth.

 “It’s hot,” Sossy shakes her head as she chews.

I haven’t even begun to remember that there is food still sitting out. I’m staring at Sossy, wondering what the heck she really is. 

Sossy turns and looks at me. “It’s good,” she says. “What’s that face for?” She grimaces. She takes a chopstick and pokes my face with it. “Hey dummy,” she grumbles. “Look smart.”

“Sorry uhm-’ I reach for a box. “Didn’t realize you could take such big bites.”

Sossy tilts her head then goes back to eating. I try not to stare, but her long tongue doesn’t seem to make sense with the rest of her body.

That evening, Sossy takes the bed, and I sleep on the trundle bed underneath it. I lay there, trying to fall asleep. Pip has crawled out and is laying beside me, purring quite loudly for someone who had been traumatized earlier. Above me, I can hear Sossy tossing and turning. She kicks her legs in the air, and part of the comforter falls on top of me. Pip jumps up and runs back into the closet.

“Can’t sleep?” I yawn.

    Sossy scoffs and sits up in bed. She looks to the windows and then she lays down, looking over the edge at me. “I can’t,” she sighs.

    I open my eyes and look up at her. “Why is that?”

    She shrugs. “Dunno. It’s my first night outside the tower in years. I guess I’m just not used to my new surroundings yet.”

    “Could be,” I murmur.

    Sossy lays her cheek on her arm, and it squishes up. “I want to go home,” she speaks quietly. Her voice is low and hushed. “But I can’t. If I do, they’ll all think-” she clams up, pressing her lips into a firm line.

    “What will they think?” I ask.

    Sossy sighs and looks into my eyes. “Black swans are considered bad luck,” she replies. “A curse. More so than the one I have.” She rolls onto her side. “I think my mom is scared of me,” she starts to chew on her fingernails. 

    I sit up and lean on the side of the bed. “I mean, if she’s been victim to your throwing arm, I don’t blame her.”

    Sossy looks at me and smirks. “No. She’s just afraid of me for the normal reasons.” She lays there, smiling and her eyes on me. 

    The way Sossy is laying reminds me of old Hollywood movies where the femme fatale was lying in wait to seduce someone. Only, it wasn’t that calculated. For Sossy, it was innocent. I don’t think she realized how sweet and lovely she was in that moment. For her, she was just lying there.

    Sossy drifts to sleep and I carefully tuck her into bed. As I do, I notice there are strange, dark markings on her back. They seem to stretch down from the nape of her neck and spread out in a wing-like pattern. Sossy rolls over, clutching the pillow as she does.

    I turn out the light and go to bed myself.

    When I wake up in the morning, I hear the shower running. Sossy is splashing about, giggling and sighing from the bathroom. 

    I start off the day by making coffee. I pick from one of the leftover takeout containers while I scroll through my phone, checking the news and what the weather would be like. Just as I turn the weather app on, I hear the grumble and growl of thunder overhead.

    A few moments later, Sossy comes out of the bathroom, naked and rubbing a towel to her hair. “Do you smell that?” She sighs. “It’s going to storm?” 

    “Sossy,” I cover my eyes and turn my head.

    “What?” she asks.

    I clear my throat. “You really shouldn’t- I mean…” I huff as I try to get my fumbling words out. “Clothes.”

    “But it was dirty,” she huffs. “Besides, walking about naked feels good.”

    I glance back at her, then turn away. “It’s not uhm-”

    “You can look,” Sossy murmurs. “I don’t mind.”

    I turn, seeing Sossy standing before me. The dark markings from her back travel down her sides and curl around her legs. Her skin looks bright white compared to them. She tilts her head and smiles up at me. 

    “What do you think?” She chuckles.

    “You’re beautiful,” I whisper.

    Sossy fidgets and clutches the towel to her chest. “No. Really.”

    “If you’d let me, I’d kiss you again,” I chuckle nervously. “But that sounds kind of weird now that I hear it aloud. I’m sorry.”

    Sossy takes a step closer. “If we had a lot of the plastic wrap, what would you do?”

    “A lot of it?” I shove some baby corn into my mouth out of nerves.

    “Enough to cover my body,” she says quietly. “So you could...uhm…” She takes one of the gloves from the table. “Touch me.” She slips on the glove and places her palm on my chest. “Your heart is beating really fast,” she whispers.

    The coffee pot burbles and pings once it’s ready. I turn to it then look down at Sossy as she’s wrapping the towel around herself.

    “You can have one of my shirts,” I tell her. “If you’d like.”

    Sossy pouts, shrugging her shoulders up. “Yeah. Ok.” She watches me as I go to my suitcase, taking out a clean tee shirt for her to wear.

    “If you could,” she hesitates and clears her throat. “Well, it’s no big deal, but if you could, would you want to touch me?”

    The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and prickle. I turn and hand Sossy the shirt. “Of course I would. I’m not that stupid.”

    Sossy grins. “Ok, good! I just wanted to make sure.” She puts on the shirt and then takes a seat at the table. She looks as pleased as can be, but the smile suits her. 

    That evening as the storm rages on, Sossy comes up to me, stretching out a sheet of plastic wrap again, she kisses me. I press to her lips, wanting to taste more than the awful plastic. Sossy moans, her kiss growing deeper and harder. She has to force herself back, and she tosses the plastic aside in frustration.

    “This is so stupid!” She throws herself down on the ground and pouts.

    “What is?” I kneel down beside her.

    Sossy frowns. “I want to kiss you and touch you and make you feel good. But I can’t!” She snaps. She holds her hands up in the air. “This curse won’t let me do anything fun.”

    I smile at her, taking the gloves and putting them on. I take hold of her hand and squeeze it. “And what do you consider fun?”

    “Sex and stuff,” she grumbles, her cheeks turning red again.

    I can’t help but laugh. “Oh! Sex and stuff,” I smirk. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

    Sossy frowns up at me. “I don’t know,” she huffs. “I mean. I look at you, and I don’t hate what I see. You’re kind of dumb, but you’re nice. So it’s not all that bad.” She sits up and tucks her hair behind her ear. “You smell nice,” she continues, and she draws with her fingertip in the rug. “And your eyes are pretty.”

    Sossy stops and frowns to herself. “It’s natural, right?”

    “Hm?” I lean in closer.

    “To like someone and to want them to feel how good it is,” she looks up at me through her lashes and her lips part. “To want their fingers on your skin and touching you where the need is strongest.” She bites her lip and tilts her chin down. 

    “Never mind, I sound stupid,” Sossy grunts.

    “Not at all,” I murmur. “You are exactly right, Sossy.”

    She peeks back up at me, her eyes trailing down and then she giggles. “I want to kiss you again. But not with the plastic wrap.”

    Outside, thunder roars loudly, and the power snaps off. Sossy gasps and jumps. In the darkness, I see the dark purple marks on her back and legs are glowing. Sossy sees this, and she tugs the shirt down over her legs.

    “Don’t look,” she murmurs.

    “Is that part of the curse?” I ask.

    Sossy huffs. “It is.”

    “What...what does it mean?”

    Sossy shakes her head. “I don’t know,” she mutters. “And I don’t really care.”

    Over the next few days, Sossy and I continue to experiment with the plastic wrap. We continue to kiss and hold hands. But Sossy seems afraid to go further, no matter how frustrated and angry she seems. 

    One day, when she wakes me up with a kiss, she starts to cry. She rips herself back before any of her tears fall.

    “Sossy, what's wrong?” I gasp, trying to get to her but she fends me back.

    “Nothing!” She snaps. “Nothing it’s just-” she whimpers and snivels. “I just love you.”

    I sigh, falling to my knees before her. “Sossy,” I whisper.

    “I know!” She scoffs. “It’s stupid.” She then rips off the shirt she’s wearing. “And this stupid thing is itchy!” She rubs her back to the wall and snarls in frustration. “What the hell?” She stands up and storms to the bathroom.

    “Sossy, what’s wrong?” I follow after her as she gets in the tub. That’s when I notice the usually dark purple marks on her body have turned pitch black. Sossy turns the shower on ice cold and stands there. She tries to scratch her back. Tears run down her face, and she looks terrified.

    “Sossy,” I whisper.

“It...it hurts,” she whimpers. She hugs her arms around herself. “Arlen, it hurts so bad!” She falls to her knees, and I jump into the shower with her. I grab her in my arms, and she tries to struggle against me.

“You can’t!” She cries. “You can’t, don’t!”

    “You’re hurting,” I cling to her. “What can I do?”

    Sossy looks up at me, tears spilling down her cheeks. She tries to speak, but her breath leaves her. She sits up, placing a weak palm on my cheek. She kisses me and slips back down into my arms.

    “No,” I whisper. “Sossy...please...this can’t-”

    “Too much poison,” she whispers. “I never let it out so-” she closes her eyes. “I lied,” she says weakly. “I knew what the markings were. I just...I just didn’t want to hurt anything-” she looks up at me. “I do love you.”

    I gasp and shudder. “I love you too.”

    Sossy smiles. “That’s nice,” she whispers. “But it’s dumb.” She rests her cheek against my arm, and her eyes close.

    The cold waterfalls over her as the markings disappear. I bend down, kissing her. I sob as the cold water continues to fall. I whimper and double over, holding Sossy’s small form in my arms.

    I get out of the shower, laying her down in bed. I touch her cool cheek and move her hair from her face. Her hair is turning white as the black fades.

    “I do love you,” I whisper. “More than anything.” My tears splash onto her face. “I would have done anything for you, Sossy.”

    I’m not sure what to do. She looks so peaceful lying there, is it wrong that I hold out hope? Pip jumps up onto the bed, and he sniffs at Sossy’s foot. Suddenly, she kicks, and Pip runs away hissing.

    I gasp, staring at her as she rolls over, grabbing the blanket and wrapping herself up. “Why is it so cold?”

    I gasp and grip at my hair.

    Sossy looks up at me and smiles. “You look surprised.” 

    I grin, feeling more hot tears coming forth.

    Sossy sits up. “Take off those wet clothes.” She stretches her hands out, her nails are pink and white. “Come here.”

    I strip away my shirt and throw myself into her arms. I kiss her eagerly, and I can taste her. She moans softly, pushing me away and she looks into my eyes. She studies me, and when she’s assured, she drags me down into bed, kissing me hungrily.

    “Is all the poison gone?” I gasp, elated out of my mind.

    “Must be,” she murmurs. “I always thought that true love kiss thing was bullcrap. Way to prove me wrong, dummy.” She kisses me again, and I fall into her, taking every kiss and touch she gives. I can’t keep my hands off her either, all I want to do is touch her and feel her breath shudder.

    That evening, Sossy sits up in bed.

    “What’s wrong?” I run my hand down her side, and she looks away from the window. 

    “I’m not sure, but-” she grins. “I think I heard my sister.”

    “Your sister?” I yawn.

    She lays back in bed beside me and kisses me. “I think she’s here looking for me.” She presses kisses to my neck and chest.

    “Then maybe, you should go look for her,” I chuckle.

    “Ah, you think that too?” She sticks her tongue out at me. “In the morning.”

    We leave early, I barely have enough time to get a cup of coffee before she runs out the door. I watch in stunned silence as she turns into a swan and takes off into the air. I follow behind her, trying to keep up as she flies through the sky and then through the trees.

    Once I catch up with her, I pull up outside an animal rescue hospital. Once there, I see Sossy is attacking a guy who doesn’t have a chance to fight back. He just lays there on the ground, letting Sossy brutally maim him.

    By the time I’m able to get out of the car, Sossy is back in her human form and is running towards someone inside.

    I help the guy off the ground and watch as Sossy has a tearful reunion with her sister. 

    Oliver and I then take the girls back toward the lake where their palace is hidden. 

    “I’ll be back soon,” Sossy whispers to me. “I promise.” She kisses me, and I hold on fast to her. I don’t want to let her go, but I know she has to go back.

    “I just don’t want to say goodbye so fast,” I murmur.

    Sossy giggles. “It won’t be goodbye. Just a little see you later.” She kisses me again. “Now don’t be stupid and cry or anything.” She rubs at her own eyes. “It won’t be long.” She turns to her sister, Ophelia, and takes her hand.

The two shift into swans, flying up into the air and disappearing. 

I sigh and turn to Oliver. “Wanna go get breakfast or something?” I ask him.

Oliver smiles at me. “I could eat,” he agrees. 

“Do you think they’ll be long?” I ask as we go to my car.

“Maybe, but they have a lot to do.” He glances back over his shoulder. “But they’ll be back.”

“Yeah,” I smile. “I guess that all we can do now is wait.”