MaeveI button up the mens shirt I found in the closet. It brushes my thighs as I turn to inspect my reflection in the foggy mirror, sighing heavily but immensely relieved to be totally clean. Soren’s friend keeps his upstairs bathroom, which isn’t fancy by any means, fully stocked with not only soap but shampoo and conditioner. I found a comb in one of the drawers and ran it through my hair, which is now starting to dry in soft, hydrated waves… not the frizz I’d experienced yesterday or the day before. I’m not sure how much time has passed, honestly, and the memory of waking up in the woods only a few hours ago is weighing heavily on me. I’m better than this. I’m more powerful than this. I understand I completely depleted my powers. I get it. But the last time this happened… I’d opened a portal, whisking me and two other people to an unknown land, using my powers to not only guide us into oblivion while keeping us alive, but through an impenetrable veil… whereas this time, chasing
Soren“What are you doing here? How did you find this place?” I sneer. Maeve blinks up at me, her expression relaxing into what I can only describe as relief. She gives me a rough shove, but I tighten my grip, arching a brow in challenge. “Don’t fuck with me right now, Maeve.”“I’m sure you’d love that,” she replies hoarsely, the corner of her wide mouth pulling into a smug smile bordering on… seductive. I’m seeing things, obviously. There’s nothing about her I even remotely desire. Especially her company. “Why are you spying on me?”“I’m not.”“Then why–”“My powers,” she grits out, shoving me again, but her hands hold on my chest. “They’re not coming back.”“You said all you needed was food and rest–”“It doesn’t work that way.”I ease my grip on her throat but keep my arm pinned over her breasts. She’s soaking wet, water droplets gliding down her collarbones and seeping into the bodice of the dress. I look into her eyes, scanning them for any threat, anything that would make me d
MaeveI’m not one to wear sun dresses and cardigans. I’ve never considered myself softly girly, by any means. I like clothing I can move in–athletic shorts, sneakers, a sweatshirt if it’s chilly… or the sweeping, ethereal fashions I grew up with in Veiled Valley–gowns and cloaks of satin and silk. I look in the rust-eaten mirror in the tiny bathroom, running my fingers through my frizzy dark hair. It’s the best I can do as it stands. I don’t have a comb. I don’t have pins or a scrunchy to keep my mane pulled back away from my face. I’m just… me in my rawest form, I suppose. I stare at my reflection. My eyes are bloodshot and glazed, and my fingertips prickle with adrenaline as I swipe toothpaste onto a shiny new plastic toothbrush Soren left on the counter for me. I spent most of the morning in bed, finding it hard to move. My body feels numb and stiff, and every breath is a struggle, but I manage to brush my teeth and limp back into the main room where a pair of brand new, rolled u
MaeveI like to try to learn something new every day. Today, in the dead hours of the night, I learn that ten dollars does, in fact, cover the cost of a hotel room in the shittiest little hotel in all of Eastonia… which includes a twin bed with what I believe might be a rather large blood stain, a blanket that has seen better days, and a single pillow that should probably be thrown into a fire. Soren chews his lip as he leans on the door to close it, sighing deeply as he scans our new surroundings. I refuse to look at him when his eyes graze my profile, however, and keep my focus on the disgusting, yellow-stained pillow and bed likely crawling with little bugs. “I can go ask if they have extra satin sheets,” he says sarcastically, which earns him an absolutely scalding glare. “I’m not sleeping on that bed.”“Yeah, you’re not. I bought the room, so the bed is mine anyway.” He strides past me, opening the only other door in the room, which leads to a bathroom I’m not sure he can even
MaeveThere is nothing I can do but fall. I stretch my arm, trying to summon any power I can siphon from the sliver of moon visible through the clouds. I’m empty and falling at what feels like the speed of light. I’m honestly thankful for the fear and adrenaline buzzing through my veins at the moment because it’s the only thing keeping me from being sucked in a full-blown power-depletion coma. Soren’s arm is ripped from my waist when we breach the trees. He shouts in pain, but his voice is drowned out by snapping branches and rustling leaves as I plummet to the forest floor. I land with a crunch in a thicket of thorn bushes. I’m wearing jeans and a light sweater, but it’s not enough to stop the thorns from shredding into my clothes, piercing my skin as I try to roll out of the bush. “Maeve?” Soren shouts, panting my name somewhere nearby, but I can’t see him. It’s the middle of the night, and without the moonlight to illuminate the forest, I can’t see a damn thing. “MAEVE!”“I’m ri
MaeveI’m vibrating. I’m lying on my back, but I’m moving… which is strange. I open my eyes to darkness and an unfamiliar room with gray plastic paneling and… handles fixed to the low ceiling. An incessant rattle makes my ears ring. I squeeze my eyes shut and open them again, expecting to be back in bed in Moonrise, in my room, but I’m…. Oh, shit.I sit up, whirling toward the man resting on a bench across from me, his arms tucked around his chest and head leaning on the wall by the tiny window overlooking a dark, never-ending forest. He slowly opens his eyes to slits. He’s holding a plastic butter knife, twisting it between his fingers as he looks at me through this thick, dark lashes. Adrenaline cuts through the power fog weighing me down, but not enough to drag me out of the haze, not yet. I need… I need rest. I need sleep. I need something, something he has, or had. I lick my lips, holding his gaze as I debate my next move, my next words. “I was really looking forward to sleepin