Chapter 83

Olivia

Time passed, the cold days of later winter slipping into the warmer, fragrant air of early spring. The buds on the trees burst open more and more with each passing day, slowly filling the sky with the color of pink and purple blossoms.

The biting ocean air turned into a gentle, comforting breeze, and soon the memories of my anger and hatred toward my ex were replaced by a profound love for the little life growing inside of my belly, which rooted itself there like the daffodils that sprang up from the ground.

Before I knew it, it had been almost two months since my last hospital visit. My life with Nathan fell into a steady routine, and our forbidden feelings for each other faded, although they lingered in my heart, dormant for now.

It was a bit of a relief, though, to be able to look at him without feeling like I would vomit from the fluttering of my nerves.

And it seemed as though we had finally slipped back into a comfortable friendship.

Although whether that was caused simply by the passage of time or the growing space between us, accented only by the occasional public outing in which we had to play the part of a real couple, was a mystery to me.

However, not everything was calm around town.

Word had spread around town about sightings of a supposed monster. Every rustling of leaves or sudden noise in the night set everyone on edge, whispers of fearful speculation clinging to the air like fog.

One afternoon, Angela, who was slowly but steadily becoming a cherished friend, confessed she’d seen the creature from her window the previous night. Her eyes were wide, face as pale as porcelain.

“I saw it, Olivia,” she whispered, her voice trembling, hands folded tightly in her lap. “The monster... it was right outside my window.”

“What did it look like?” I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat, my heart pounding.

“It was huge,” she explained, holding her arms apart to try to even come close to indicating the massive size. “And it had horrible glowing eyes, red as blood. That was all I could see, really. It was so dark out.”

“Was it a wolf?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.

Angela shook her head vigorously. “No, it couldn’t have been,” she replied. “I saw it as it ran away, and it didn’t have the gait of any wolf I’ve ever seen. It had to be something else, something… Horrible.”

As Angela spoke, we both shuddered.

“Well, I haven’t seen it,” I said, partially just to ease my own worries. “You’re sure you weren’t dreaming or something?”

“Olivia.” Angela reached out and gripped my hand tightly, her eyes shining with intensity. “I swear I saw it. I know that I was awake. Please believe me.”

I paused for a moment, biting my lip, before I finally nodded.

“Of course I believe you.”

I didn’t want to admit it, but Angela’s words, her fear… they chilled me to the bone. I had never been one to enjoy the darkness very much, and now the thought of some sort of monster lurking around out there filled me with even more terror.

That night, I found it nearly impossible to close my eyes without imagining a monstrous figure lurking in the shadows.

Every so often, the tree that was outside my window would scrape its scraggly branches against the glass, causing me to sit up abruptly and clutch at my chest, panting.

Even more often than that, the sound of the wind howling around the eaves of the house sounded to me like the horrible groans of some creature sneaking up, licking its hungry lips as it searched for its next meal.

Nathan was my next resort. I approached him the next day, my nerves bundled tightly within me from a restless night.

“Nathan,” I started, wringing my hands together, “About these monster sightings...”

He merely shrugged, his lips pulled into a thin line. “It's probably nothing, Liv,” he assured me, his voice steady. “A rogue, probably. Or even just a bear. The police are on it. They’ll handle it.”

Nathan’s steadfast confidence was a comfort to me, but I still couldn’t shake off the unease that had taken root within me.

Sleep became a fitful endeavor, nightmares of the monstrous figure punctuating the quiet nights. I woke up with a start, heart racing, cold sweat staining my sheets.

One night, a new noise outside my window startled me awake. It wasn’t the tree or the wind; I had become used to those sounds. This was something else.

It sounded like my name, being whispered in a raspy breath.

“Olivia…”

My heart pounded in my chest as I strained my ears, the chilling tales of the monster creeping into my thoughts.

“Oliviaaa…”

A brief glimpse of a shadow flickered across my window. I felt frozen to my spot, like a little kid who swore that there was a monster under the bed, as I pictured the monster right outside.

I imagined its horrible claws clinging to the side of the house, puncturing the plaster, as it scraped its way up to my window in search of me.

“Oooliviaaa….”

Fear, cold and crippling, squeezed my heart, and I bolted out of my room. My feet carried me down the quiet hallways to the one place I could think of — Nathan’s room.

I knocked lightly, my trembling hands barely making a sound against the sturdy wood.

Nathan opened the door, his tousled hair and sleepy eyes making my heart stutter for a wholly different reason. His sleepy confusion swiftly turned into concern as he took in my trembling form. “Olivia?” he queried, his voice hoarse from sleep.

“Can... Can I stay with you tonight?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “There was a noise...”

Without a word, he stepped aside, opening the door wider to let me in. His room was warm, a stark contrast to the cold fear that was consuming me. He climbed back into bed, patting the spot beside him.

“You’re like a little girl, scared of the monster under her bed,” he teased, his voice light.

I scowled at him but climbed into the bed regardless. The gentle warmth of his blanket, warmed by his body, radiated against me and instantly eased my fears.

“I am not a little girl,” I retorted, though my voice lacked any real heat. His chuckle vibrated through me, grounding me.

“Well, worry not, little princess,” he said, yawning as he rolled over onto his other side, facing away from me. “Your knight in shining armor is here.”

I smiled in the darkness, feeling comforted by his presence. Suddenly, the sounds that I heard earlier reached my ears again; although this time, now that my fear had evaporated, I came to the stunning realization that it was nothing but the sound of the wind after all.

With a sigh of relief, I nestled down deeper into the blankets. I made a point to keep a distance between us, but being in the same room was enough to ease my fears. Soon, I was being gently tugged into sleep.

My dreams that night were sweet for the first time in weeks, punctuated by Nathan’s handsome face smiling down at me from the back of a golden horse, my knight in shining armor.