Through Your Teeth

Chapter 2

 ~6 Months later~

Winter came and went and it's finally almost Summer. Not that it matters, I teach all year round. The library only closes for holidays. It's been an uneventful 6 months. I've been adjusting well to the school and Iz has been great in keeping me company so I don't die of loneliness. I won't lie there have been a few moments when I really considered burning the note in that box just to see what would happen but always ended up changing my mind at the last minute. I'm snapped out of my thinking when a group of students starts laughing loudly from across the library. I head over, "guys, gonna need you to quiet down please." I just get a response of nods and mumbles. As I go back to organizing a shelf of textbooks, the president of the school walks in with a police officer and makes a beeline right toward me. "Hello, Ms. White." I cringe at the formality. Before I can respond she continues. "I'm sorry to inform you of this, but Ms. Graves was found dead in her apartment this morning." She keeps speaking and I can hear her saying suspected suicide and that nothing I could've done, but I feel like I'm underwater. My whole world is crashing down around me as I start open-mouthed at her and the officer. She asks me if I would like to take the day and I don't even respond I just make my way out of the building and head straight for my apartment. I slam the door and head into my room, grab the note from inside the box in my dresser, and without a second thought, I throw it into the fireplace and light it. I crawl into bed and cuddle up to Bo. the Iz I know would never kill herself. She was happy, at least I thought she was. I guess I was wrong about that. I don't even know why I burned that note. I'm just desperate at this point. I can't stay here. There is nothing for me here anymore. I don't want to be alone.

I blink into consciousness not realizing I even fell asleep and grab my phone seeing that it's 2 in the morning. I grab my glasses and head into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. I stand by the sink and drown two glasses. I feel numb. It feels like my life has just been trauma after trauma with little breaks where I almost think I can be happy. In a rage, I throw the glass into the fireplace in my living room adjacent to the kitchen. I crumble to my knees and realize I never heard the glass shatter. Something is off. I look up to see Lochlan holding the glass standing in my living room like he's perfectly at home in my apartment. I charge at him smacking him across the face. Ignoring the pain in my hand I keep raging, letting it all out at once, "Did you know this was going to happen?" "Did you know I was going to lose the only person who cared for me at all?" "Who the FUCK are you?!" "Fucking say something!" I bite out. He gently guides me to the couch and I let him for some reason. I think I'm just so tired. I still assume this is just some hallucination. He turns to look at me with a surprising amount of gentleness in his tone. "Yes, I knew this was going to happen. I could feel it when I first met you. You are always surrounded by pain and loss. I knew something would happen sooner or later. I am sorry you lost your friend." I stare at him blankly. "How do you know I'm always surrounded by pain and loss?." "What do you mean you could feel it?" "I will ask again, "Who are What the Fuck are you?" He sighs heavily and lays his head back onto the back of the couch. "I'm something not human. I feel like for now, that's all I can offer and all you can handle." "I came here originally to marry you and that hasn't changed." "We are meant to be together and I intend to show you." "If you come with me I can explain it all and show you exactly who I am and give you a life of happiness and opulence. You won't have to be in pain or lonely anymore." I sit silently and let all his words sink in. He is right. I am alone. I don't think I can bear another tragedy. "Fine, fuck it, I'll go with you. Even if you're some psycho trying to kill me, I don't care. I have nothing left." He stands and offers me his hand. I follow suit and grab Bo from where he is hissing in the corner. "I won't go without him." He sighs as he watches me put him in his carrier and grab my purse. I think about anything else I need to take with me and realize, I have nothing else. Even if he hadn't come to whisk me away, my life might as well have been over already. I turn back to him. "Is there like a wardrobe we go through or a rabbit hole?" His eyes twinkle as he swoops me into his arms bridal style against my objections and everything goes black.