Dancing With Monsters (11 page)

Like a kid at Christmas, I tore the
tape from the sides and flipped open the lid. Inside, glittering
back at me was a silver beaded dress. I lifted it up and it
sparkled like diamonds.

“
Ben, it’s…” I’ve never
had or been given anything so beautiful before.

“
Don’t like it?” He
asked.

I looked at him with wide eyes. “Don’t
like it? I love it!” I gently put it back in the box and wrapped my
arms tightly arm him and began to cry.

“
What’s the matter?” He
asked pushing me away as he held onto my hands.

“
No one has ever given me
anything so beautiful before.”

Ben laughed and then hugged me. “Oh my
April Snow, you surprise me all the time.”

It was noon when we arrived in the
city of Brumbriar. I still didn’t know what Ben had planned for us
and no matter how much I questioned, he still didn’t tell me. So
far, everything has been nothing but a wonderful dream I was caught
up in and didn’t want to wake up.

We went down several streets lined
with magnificent houses surrounded by manicured lawns and tall oak
trees that edged the street. Rich people must live here I thought
as I watched each house go by.

“
I can’t believe people
actually live in those humungous houses,” I said, turning to
Ben.

“
Some of them are very
old, and have been made into apartments, but some are still owned
by the original families. And here is the one we’ll be staying
in.”

The limo came to a gentle stop as my
door opened and Sam smiled at me.

“
We are here Miss,” he
said, stepping aside as I got out holding onto the box my dress
came in.

“
Oh, no, let me get that
for you.” Sam took the box from me that was nearly half his size
and managed to shut the car door as well.

I looked up at the house that was in
shambles and looked to have been abandoned many years
ago.

“
Come; let’s not linger
too long in the street.” Ben slipped his hand around my waist as we
followed Sam up to the rickety looking house.

“
We’re staying here?” I
asked. “Is it even safe?”

Ben smiled at me as we stood at the
end of the stone path that led up to I’m sure a once grand
porch.

“
You’re not seeing it as a
monster—you’re seeing it as a human.” He looked down at me with his
emerald eyes. “Look at it again, but this time, really look at
it.”

I shook my head wondering how a second
look would change anything. I gazed from top to bottom and nothing
changed. Broken windows, peeling paint, splintered spindles on the
railing of the sunken in porch led to a beautiful stained glass
window, untouched by time and neglect, glowed brilliantly from a
light that suddenly flicked on. I gasped at the transformation of
the house that blossomed before me. The old house was washed away,
and its once former glory stood before me.

I looked at Ben with surprise.
“How…”

“
It’s a glamour made by
our host. Not all are welcomed here, but we are. Let’s get in
before
our
glamour wears off.”

“
Glamour…you mean like a
spell?” I asked looking over my shoulder at the other houses with
cars parked outside in the driveways. A pickup truck drove by. “You
mean whoever just went by couldn’t see us?”

“
No, they can’t, but not
for long.” Ben tugged gently on my arm.

It felt weird knowing I was invisible,
like a ghost, walking up to a house that was really in shambles,
but in some magical way, beautiful.

Sam carried my box in along with a
large leather suitcase and sat it down.

“
Will that be all Mr.
Marsh?”

“
Yes, thank you Sam for
your services.” Ben handed him a large gold coin about the size of
a half dollar.

Sam nodded and flipped the coin in the
air before putting it in his pocket.

“
Anytime sir,” he said,
with a bow as the door shut behind him.

The foyer was magnificent with marbled
floors, glistening chandelier, high ceiling that was made of
stamped copper panels, and richly stained wood that was polished so
much it too even glistened in the soft light.

“
So if this house is
really falling down, how are we seeing this?” I asked gazing at
everything as Ben looked at his phone.

“
I thought she’d be here,”
he said, preoccupied with his phone. “She should have been here or
at least messaged me.”

“
It’s simple Mr. Marsh’s
companion,” said a female voice from the darkness beyond the
foyer.

Light footsteps clicked on the floor
as a woman with striking red hair cut into a bob and blue eyes,
emerged from the shadows.

“
I do apologize for my
absence to greet you right away, but I was stuck in traffic
downtown—accident.”

She turned on some more lights and sat
down a cloth bag that had groceries in it.

“
It’s off season so I
didn’t have the usual stuff I keep in the kitchen and without any
extra help…”

“
No need to explain. I
know you opened just for me and I appreciate you doing
so.”

“
No problem, we are happy
to serve frequent customers.” She smiled as her blue eyes glistened
and slick hair made tiny points at the ends that brushed against
her rosy cheeks. “Oh, and to answer your question,” she looked at
me. “This house is always under a glamour. Think of it like a
picture taken of it a long time ago, and then take that picture and
layer it over the present time. It is the same place, but two
different points of time are occupying the same space. Monsters,
angels and even demons can enter the time glamour that has
transformed this house. This one I created several years ago, and
it serves the enchanted community exclusively. That is the simplest
way I can explain it, but it’s much more complicated than that. Did
that kind of answer your question?”

I looked at Ben. “Yeah, I think so.
It’s amazing…I’ve never thought anything like this could exist.” I
gazed around the room still trying to fathom two points in time
occupied the same space, but only we can see it.

“
I’m glad you like it.
It’s nice to be appreciated for the glamours I create. Sometimes I
think it more of an art than just an ability one has.” She stepped
closer to me and gazed at me with her sapphire eyes. “We are doing
things backwards. My name is Eveie, and I’m the hostess and owner
of The Ivy Inn.” She smiled.

“
I’m April.”

Eveie nodded with a smile of her pink
lips. “Let me take your belongings, and I’ll show you to your
room.”

Eveie was tall and thin, and also very
quick to go up the stairs. She took us to a room encased in cherry
wood paneling, marbled fireplace and a large puffy bed with a lace
bedspread adorned with a matching canopy. The room was beautiful,
but I felt nervous about sharing a bed with Ben.

“
Do you like your room,
April?” She asked.

I turned around and felt my cheeks
flush. “Yes, it’s absolutely gorgeous.”

“
And I have your usual
room ready for you, Mr. Marsh.”

Good. Ben has his own room—no
pressure.

“
I’ll have a light lunch
ready in about an hour.” Evie stood at the doorway with a warm
smile.

“
No need,” Ben said.
“We’ll be going on a picnic.”

“
Alright, dinner will be
at seven. Don’t be late,” she said with a click of the
door.

“
Picnic—it’s like forty
degrees out.”

Ben smiled as he laid down on the bed.
“Not where we are going.”

“
Where are we going? The
Bahamas? Do you have a plane waiting to whisk us away?”

He sat up. “No, a portal that will
take us to another dimension where the weather is much nicer for
picnics.” Ben got up and grabbed me by the hand tightly. My skin
tingled under his touch. “Come on let’s go.”

“
Alright,” I said,
agreeably.

Other dimensions don’t exist, but I
didn’t think real monsters, angels and the demons that followed me
did either. I felt an overwhelming trust with Ben. I was like an
abandoned pet that he’d found in the forest, took me in, and cared
for me. No one has ever done that before, and I’d let Ben take me
to the edge of the world if he wanted to.

Among the hidden grandeur of the inn,
was a portal that went to several places Ben said. He told Eveie we
were taking it like we were going to borrow the bikes outside and
tour the town, not go to another world to have a picnic.

In an interior room in the house that
had no windows, was were Eveie kept the portal. I wasn’t sure what
to expect, and was surprised that it was a small platform made of
what looked like solid glass.

“
It isn’t going to break,”
Ben chuckled as he reached for my hand.

“
So how exactly does this
work?”

I stepped up as Ben wrapped his arm
around my waist. “Hang on and find out,” he said as he pulled out
what looked like a cell phone.

It lit up as he ran his thumb over it.
The air around us began to hum and I felt the platform vibrate
under my feet. Ben held me tighter and smiled.

“
You’re going to love
where we are going.” He whispered as my heart raced and I held onto
Ben.

The humming grew stronger as lights
flashed like lightning through the milky haze. As quickly as the
white and illuminated fog curled around us, it was cleared away by
a sudden breeze.

Blue skies, rolling green hills dotted
with lush trees, and the sweet scent of flowers surrounded us. A
warm wind gently blew as colorful birds flew overhead. Sunbeams
pierced through the puffy clouds to the emerald landscape
below.

“
Are you going to get down
or just stay on the platform?” Ben asked with a smile.

“
It’s beautiful,” I said
as he helped me get down.

The grass was thick, like plush
carpeting and cushioned each step. It was as if I had walked into a
painting with vivid colors, and perfectly spaced trees that were
all the same height.

“
Where are we?”

“
This is one of the
gardens of Avalon. We are bordering Sidhe Hills in the world of the
Faes. They have several gardens that many visit from all over. The
Fae created this world by magic and it’s been here for a long
time.”

“
Fae—you mean like
fairies?”

Ben wrapped his arm around me. “Not
the butterfly-winged, delicate, flower-hopping fairies you’re
thinking of. They are just as tall as us and have no sparkling
wings. They are actually producers high-grade weaponry used in many
different realms.” We stopped beside a tree on top of a small
knoll. “And this, April, is the city of Avalon.”

In the distance was a cityscape of
glistening buildings. They looked like diamonds in a necklace that
sat in a blue, velvet lined jewelry box. It sparkled, shimmered,
and shined so much, it didn’t look real. But it was real, and I was
here in another world with a man, or monster that saved me from who
knows what.

“
April.” Ben’s voice
questioned.

I turned around and looked at him. He
took his thumb and smeared a tear away. His soft, brown eyes seemed
to draw me closer and nearly matched the grass and trees
surrounding us.

“
This can’t be happening
to me. I escaped from an institution for runaway and crazy
kids…and,” I shook my head. “I’m here—with you, and everything in
my past makes insanely sense now.”

Ben took a deep breath and wrapped his
arm around me as we looked at the glistening city. “What’s insane
and sane depends on what realm you are in, and you, April Snow,
were in the wrong realm.” He turned me to face him. “But you’re
here with me. I saved you and brought you where you need to
be.”

Ben did save me, and I owed him a lot,
otherwise, where would I be? I felt a veil, dark and suffocating,
had covered me too long. I always thought it was me who was wrong,
flawed, and cursed by the darkness that made me different and
forced my mother to give me away. Like a curtain opening before an
audience, my life was filled with light and hope. I had been given
a chance.

Ben’s eyes gazed into mine as if he
was reading my thoughts. I brushed my fingertips across his cheek
and he closed his eyes as if savoring my touch. I closed my eyes
and gently kissed him.

He ran his hands over my
shoulders and down my back. I felt a connection with Ben that
rooted its way deep into me. I’ve never been with a boy, much less
a man before. Something was different, because I was
different
, and Ben
was
different
.
Human rules didn’t apply to us—we were monsters.

Like a delicate summer breeze, Ben
pushed me away and smiled. “Shall we,” he said, pointing to the
blanket and basket that waited for us under the tree.

“
So do the Fae just leave
a picnic basket under every tree here?” I asked sitting
down.