The Soul

BEFORE: Chapter Six

     There was no immediate response from the strange man. In fact, he did not seem even slightly perturbed by her demand for an explanation. He looked around with keen eyes, scanning their surroundings for what she knew not.

     More monster lizards, perhaps?

     As his gaze was not on her at this moment and he did not seem ready to answer her, she took the time to get a closer look at him. She could see that he had a lean build, long legs, long torso, and long arms that were roped with muscles. Not the kind one would get from working out at the gym on a routinely basis, no, those were more protruding. His muscles seemed more subtle, like armor hidden by pale skin.

     Like muscles one would get from fighting giant monsters, her subconscious whispered.

     "First things first," his voice interrupted her mental perusal of what he could have done to obtain his build.

     Cara's gaze shot up, moving from his arms to his face. She had expected to find him looking at her in disapproval of her distracted state, but instead, he was still glaring out into the dark, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

     "No. First things first, who are you?" Cara interrupted before he could speak up again. She had had enough tonight, it seemed she was not capable of any more shocks. It was better to clear everything up at once.

     "Ivor."

     Silence.

     "Um..bless you?"

     Even in the dark, Cara could see the roll of his eyes, and felt the annoyance radiating off him in electric waves. If he wanted her to understand, maybe he should speak in full sentences, she thought.

     "Ivor is my name. That's who I am."

     Ivor.

     It was a name she had not encountered before, and she felt a sudden urge to speak it aloud to hear how it sounded in her voice. Shaking her head slightly to get rid of the confusing thought, she spoke aloud.

     "Cara." He had already known her sister's name, and apparently knew Michelle as well.

     "But something tells me you know that already," she murmured more to herself than for his sake.

     "You're right." It seemed he had heard her. 

     "I do know you. I know that your full name is Cara Engel, and that you are nineteen years of age. You moved out alone three months ago, and you still live alone, although your apartment no longer looks like it could house even just you anymore, not after tonight." He paused, waiting for her next comment, although he assumed he wouldn't be waiting for long.

     She proved him right not even a second later.

     "Will you also tell me how you know all that?" 

     Dear God, please tell me he hasn't been stalking me as well. Not after Michelle and-

     He spoke again. "You simply cannot be as dull-minded as you look. I'm sure your imagination can conjure up some form of understanding?" The words were harsh, but surprisingly, his tone was genuine.

     Cara felt the urge once again to speak his name aloud, this time to assure him of the intricacies of her thinking, just to receive his approval if she could.

     She felt that she needed his approval, for what reason she could not explain. Forcing herself past the urge, she looked away, once again becoming aware of her aching body. She would need to tend to that soon.

     Soon. But not now. There were more important matters at hand as of right now.

     "Did my - Did Michelle send you to follow me?" she asked quietly.

     Ivor looked over at her, but just as quickly as he looked at her, he looked away, only nodding his head minutely at her murmured question. Cara could feel the common stirring of anger deep within her belly, where it sat coiled like a snake, just waiting for a trigger to uncoil itself and lunge out of her grimacing mouth. It was this same anger that had urged her to move out months ago and find an apartment of her own. Even then, it was over the same exact fact; her stalking mother.

     A groan of frustration escaped her mouth, angry tears pooling in her pale blue eyes; anger at her mother's unforgiving ways, anger at her circumstances, anger at this - this stranger following her around.

     If he hadn't been following you around, then you'd surely be a lizard's meal right now, a little voice in her head reminded her.

     Yeah well if he hadn't been following me around, then there probably wouldn't be a lizard attacking me at all, she retorted.

     "Why-"

     "Cara, if you wish to understand anything of what has happened to you tonight, then you must allow me to explain."

     When Cara opened her mouth to comment on his rude bluntness, he finished "without interruption", while eyeing her strictly.

     Her mouth shut closed.

     "Alright then, I am Ivor, and yes, your mother, Michelle, employed me to keep tabs on you when you moved out three months ago. I have known her quite a long time now, for her and my father knew each other long before we were born. When you decided to leave in the dead of night over a minuscule argument-"

     He glared warningly at her when she opened her mouth to retort, continuing only after she grudgingly kept her complaint to herself and clamped her mouth shut.

     "-and asked for me to follow you around, see who you converse with, what you do during the day as well as the night, and if you seemed in any danger from anyone or anything, to take the necessary measures to get you out protected and then report to her right after."

     Cara tried her hardest to keep up, her mind speeding, heart racing.

     Her mom hired a man - no, a boy, to protect her? That made absolutely no sense. She needed protecting from her mom. At least, her privacy did, if any instances from her past as well as now, hinted at it.

     Did her mom know of these...these lizard monsters coming for her?

     It was all too much, the spinning, the racing, the aches and pains of her mind and body. Darkness pooled around her, swelling over her in bone-chilling waves. She tried to fight it momentarily, but knowing it was a fight clearly lost to her in the moment, she surrendered, although begrudgingly, to the powerful hands of Darkness himself.

A Note From the Narrator

     I might as well tell you now, Reader, that Cara never gave up easily. She would want you to know that she fought down to her teeth and bones, fought for a chance at survival, no matter how small that chance. I feel that it is my responsibility to tell you this before you proceed any further.