CHAPTER#159

"Would you be able to help me with the centaurs? I need someone familiar with the area who can tell me about them and their culture." She had heard a bit from Zel, but figured it would be good to hear it from an outside perspective.

Daisy nodded, then took a sip of coffee, her wings fluttering in delight.

"Wonderful, I appreciate that." She held a finger out and the fairy gave it a shake, as if sealing a deal. With a grin on her face, she opened up a new document and started going through her templates. Daisy kept her company as she drafted out some ideas, speaking at length with the fairy. Her aches and pains eased up over the next couple of hours, and she looked over what she had, a broad smile on her face.

Taking her laptop and Jenny with her, she walked to the stairs, Daisy sitting on her shoulder. She paused by the stairs, looking through the open front door. Abella was holding part of the roof of the porch in place while Mike pushed a piece of wood beneath it. Tink sat on his shoulders, ready with a hammer to shore it up. She smiled at them, though they didn't see her. By this time tomorrow, the front porch would be usable once again.

Once in her room, she put her laptop on the bed and opened her closet, revealing her clothes. Daisy helped her dig through her outfits, picking the one that would look best. She settled on a low cut blouse with black lace around the edges, and then found a matching red skirt that went down to her knees. Stripping down, she tried the outfit on, then piled her hair up on top of her head.

"What do you think?" She stood in front of her mirror, turning back and forth.

You look great. Daisy sat on the edge of the bed, her legs dangling over the space below.

"I look better than I feel." She released her hair, letting it fall past her shoulders. For several moments, she was caught by her own reflection, her eyes darting around the corners of the room. Suspended in death, was it possible Oliver could still see her? What dark corners of her mind could he still be in?

"Are you in there, you bastard?" Leaning toward the mirror, she stopped just short of her nose touching it. She half expected to see his grinning face in the pupils of her eyes, but all she saw was how tired she was. Though she had escaped his wrath, she had still fallen prey to him, had nearly become the victim. Though her body hurt, her heart hurt even more as a result, her pride damaged. He had tried to take everything from her for no reason other than he could. She had been absolutely powerless, and had the implications not been so severe, she would have been thrilled at the idea.

"Rot in Hell, you fucker," she whispered to the mirror, on the off chance he could hear her. Stepping back, she pulled off her outfit and hung it up in the closet, ready to wear for the day she met with the centaur herd. PIcking out a couple of good outfits for the rest of the week, she closed the closet door and put on the clothes she had been wearing before, then stood there for several moments, deep in contemplation.

Everything okay? Daisy asked.

"Yeah. Everything is fine." She grabbed the knob of the closet and moved it through the proper sequence, revealing the cave behind it. "I'm gonna have a busy week is all, think I'm going to pay Asterion a visit, maybe blow off some steam."

A large grin crossed the fairy's face. Can I come too?

Beth laughed. "Sure, if you want." Picking up Jenny, she walked into the cave, letting the door close behind her. Daisy's glow lit the cavern well enough to see by, and Beth made the long trek to the Labyrinth. Oliver had tried to take her freedom from her, but he had failed. The experience had been awful, but she refused to let it define her. It was a lesson she had learned from Mike, to keep moving forward and live in the present. And while he had no control over her now, she refused to spend her time jumping at every shadow in the corner of her vision.

Squeezing Jenny tightly, she followed the path down to the Labyrinth, happy to see that Asterion was waiting for her at the gate.

"Hey there, friend. Wanna show a girl a good time?" She casually leaned against the stone wall nearest her. "Sounds like I'm being deployed soon. Might not make it back. What do you say?"

"Hmm. If it is dangerous, perhaps I should come with you." The minotaur's hand tightened on his axe.

"No, it's just a... never mind." She took him by the hand and led him into the Labyrinth, ready to live fully in the present. After all, who knew what tomorrow might bring?

--

Mike tossed himself in bed, letting out a grunt. Tink had already rolled to the side, snoring loudly with her arms dangling off the edge of the mattress. It had been a busy week of rebuilding, and he had been caught up in ordering supplies and dealing with the mess around his house. Beth was supposed to come home in the morning and let him know how things went with the centaurs they had freed. He was hoping she had more success dealing with them than he had.

The house beneath him was quieter than normal. So many of the others had gone with Beth to the tower world that it was almost like the first few days in the house. It was only him, Tink, and Naia, though Sofia was lurking somewhere in the Library. He didn't count the rats, because they kept largely to themselves, though Reggie did show up sporadically. The Rat King certainly liked to be involved, and Mike was grateful to have the little guy on his side.