repressed as I’ve ever seen, and when people like that finally let go, let me tell you, they let go hard . He didn’t want you to have to deal with that.”
Cassie blinked. “So…he ‘let go’ with you instead?”
Miri grinned wider, this time showing off her fangs to good effect. “Ohhhhhhh, he did. Want all the gory details? I totally kiss and tell.”
“Oh my God, no!” Cassie said, putting her hands over her ears.
Actually, I kind of do, but I don’t want to hear it from Miri. I think if I had to listen to her explain it , I would literally die of embarrassment.
Miri’s smile faded and she tilted her head nervously. “So, you’ll talk to him? Let him know that you don’t really think he’s a monster? He’s really hurt right now, you know?”
“Okay, okay!” Cassie yelled. “I’ll do it if you promise never to talk about this again.”
“Oh, my innocent little Angelfood cake,” said Miri, putting an arm around Cassie’s shoulders. “Come to think of it, Sam is only the second-most repressed person I know.”
Chapter Fourteen
All Sam wanted to do was sleep, but he just kept waking up. He managed to successfully fall back to sleep once earlier in the morning, but by the time the sun was streaming through his bedroom window, he was wide awake for good. But he could think of absolutely nothing he wanted to do, so he stayed in bed, staring up at nothing.
In times past, he could have at least distracted himself by counting the cracks in the ceiling, but this apartment was too newly renovated, and there were no cracks to be found anywhere. Maybe I should move back to Bob’s Motel , he thought. They liked me there, right? I didn’t eat too much of their cereal.
He heard a whooshing noise, and sat up in bed just in time for Vladmira to fly into the room and make a beeline for his shoulder. He grimaced a bit when her tiny claws bit into his skin, but for the most part, he was used to it by now. He moved a finger up to her mouth, which she dutifully nibbled.
“Where have you been, anyway? You missed a chance to fly into Cassie’s pretty hair,” he said. He hadn’t noticed until now, but the little bat had been oddly scarce for the last 24 hours; usually, she swooped through the apartment at least a couple of times a day, and sometimes even slept hanging upside down from his reading lamp. Maybe even she could see the disaster with Cassie coming a mile away, and had given the place a wide berth.
Just then the phone rang, and the sound of it scared Vladmira off his shoulder. He grabbed the phone off the night table, fully expecting it to be Serenus calling to berate him about what a mess he’d made of everything. When he saw that the caller ID said E. Buckley , he raised an eyebrow.
“Eugene?”
“Samuel. I apologize for the disturbance. However, there’s something I need to discuss with you, and I’d prefer not to do it over the phone. Would it be acceptable for me to call on you now?”
“Uh….” Sam’s eyes searched the room. He had been in quite a state last night, and the apartment showed it; he wasn’t eager to show Eugene the mess he’d made of his thoughtfully-furnished new home. “Tell you what, how about I come to you instead? I could use an excuse to get some fresh air.”
Eugene paused before answering. “That is fine. I’m sure Ethan will be happy to see you.”
I don’ t understand that kid. If he’s so smart, shouldn’t he know better than to like me? “I’ll be over in about 45 minutes.”
“Excellent,” said Eugene, then hung up.
Sam quickly showered and dressed, glad to be needed for something. If Eugene hadn’t called, he might have just stayed in bed all day. When he brushed his teeth, Vladmira perched back on his shoulder briefly. It was a comical sight: him with a mouth full of toothpaste suds, while his animal familiar grinned at her own reflection in the mirror, flapping her wings to see her double do the same. He found himself
Cassie blinked. “So…he ‘let go’ with you instead?”
Miri grinned wider, this time showing off her fangs to good effect. “Ohhhhhhh, he did. Want all the gory details? I totally kiss and tell.”
“Oh my God, no!” Cassie said, putting her hands over her ears.
Actually, I kind of do, but I don’t want to hear it from Miri. I think if I had to listen to her explain it , I would literally die of embarrassment.
Miri’s smile faded and she tilted her head nervously. “So, you’ll talk to him? Let him know that you don’t really think he’s a monster? He’s really hurt right now, you know?”
“Okay, okay!” Cassie yelled. “I’ll do it if you promise never to talk about this again.”
“Oh, my innocent little Angelfood cake,” said Miri, putting an arm around Cassie’s shoulders. “Come to think of it, Sam is only the second-most repressed person I know.”
Chapter Fourteen
All Sam wanted to do was sleep, but he just kept waking up. He managed to successfully fall back to sleep once earlier in the morning, but by the time the sun was streaming through his bedroom window, he was wide awake for good. But he could think of absolutely nothing he wanted to do, so he stayed in bed, staring up at nothing.
In times past, he could have at least distracted himself by counting the cracks in the ceiling, but this apartment was too newly renovated, and there were no cracks to be found anywhere. Maybe I should move back to Bob’s Motel , he thought. They liked me there, right? I didn’t eat too much of their cereal.
He heard a whooshing noise, and sat up in bed just in time for Vladmira to fly into the room and make a beeline for his shoulder. He grimaced a bit when her tiny claws bit into his skin, but for the most part, he was used to it by now. He moved a finger up to her mouth, which she dutifully nibbled.
“Where have you been, anyway? You missed a chance to fly into Cassie’s pretty hair,” he said. He hadn’t noticed until now, but the little bat had been oddly scarce for the last 24 hours; usually, she swooped through the apartment at least a couple of times a day, and sometimes even slept hanging upside down from his reading lamp. Maybe even she could see the disaster with Cassie coming a mile away, and had given the place a wide berth.
Just then the phone rang, and the sound of it scared Vladmira off his shoulder. He grabbed the phone off the night table, fully expecting it to be Serenus calling to berate him about what a mess he’d made of everything. When he saw that the caller ID said E. Buckley , he raised an eyebrow.
“Eugene?”
“Samuel. I apologize for the disturbance. However, there’s something I need to discuss with you, and I’d prefer not to do it over the phone. Would it be acceptable for me to call on you now?”
“Uh….” Sam’s eyes searched the room. He had been in quite a state last night, and the apartment showed it; he wasn’t eager to show Eugene the mess he’d made of his thoughtfully-furnished new home. “Tell you what, how about I come to you instead? I could use an excuse to get some fresh air.”
Eugene paused before answering. “That is fine. I’m sure Ethan will be happy to see you.”
I don’ t understand that kid. If he’s so smart, shouldn’t he know better than to like me? “I’ll be over in about 45 minutes.”
“Excellent,” said Eugene, then hung up.
Sam quickly showered and dressed, glad to be needed for something. If Eugene hadn’t called, he might have just stayed in bed all day. When he brushed his teeth, Vladmira perched back on his shoulder briefly. It was a comical sight: him with a mouth full of toothpaste suds, while his animal familiar grinned at her own reflection in the mirror, flapping her wings to see her double do the same. He found himself
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