Clash of the Otherworlds: Book 1, After the Fall (16 page)

"See, Lellamental?  See me?"

"Yeah, I see you, Baby Bee.  I'm not sure exactly what the hell you're doing, but I see ya."

I got closer and held my hands out below him in case he fell.

"I'm doin' spider nakies.  See?"

I shook my head.  "Well, you're naked.  You got that part right at least."

He frowned.  "I'm a spider.  See?  I sit on a wall!  Just.  Like.  A.  Spiiiider!" he yelled, launching himself up off the tree, into the air again.  But his trajectory went narrow, and he didn't zoom around me like I think he'd planned.  Instead, he came directly at my face, his eyes going wide and his little hands out in front of him to grab for the nearest thing they could find.

I stumbled backwards, trying to avoid the inevitable, but my foot got hung up in the rug and I fell - but only after Willy had flown straight into my face, gripping onto my nose with his arms and legs for all he was worth.

I shouted as I went down, spitting raspberries upwards in an effort to get him off me, my arms flying out to the sides trying to break my fall.

The small table with the lamp on it didn't have a chance.  It crashed to the cold, hard floor right along with me, glass shattering into a million pieces.  My head snapped back with the downward force and slammed into the stone, making my vision fade blissfully to black.  The last thing I remembered thinking before my brain completely shut down was how difficult it was to breath through my nose when there was a naked pixie baby attached to it.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I WOKE IN MY BED to the sound of Tim giggling like a patient in an insane asylum.

"Shhh, Tim.  She doesn't want to wake up to the sounds of your hysteria," scolded Abby.

"But she ... but she ... but shhh ..."  Tim couldn't finish his sentence, he was laughing so hard.

"Come on, Baby Bee.  Let's go back to bed," said Abby.

I cracked an eye open in time to see her leading him away while he whined behind her, his naked ass blowing in the breeze.  "But she
likes
playing spider nakies!  I don't wanna go!  I'm not
tired!"

Tim caught me awake and zoomed over to float in front of my face.  He tried to school his features to look serious, but he just couldn't do it.  He bent in half, holding his stomach, laughing so hard he farted three times in rapid succession.

"Jesus, Tim, get a grip, would ya?  I have a friggin headache already.  And I'm pretty sure I'm scarred for life now, getting a baby pixie wiener to the nose.  Do you mind not polluting my breathing space with your butt stink?"

Tim flipped over onto his back and fell to my chest, his hysteria now having moved into the silent scream zone, where all he could do was turn purple and gasp for air.

"Yes, it was awesome.  Playing spider nakies with your little friggin hippy child.  Get some clothes on that kid, would ya?"  I turned my head to the side, hiding my own smile.  It
had
been pretty funny, seeing him clinging to that tree with his little butt hanging out.  I could only imagine what it must have looked like attached to my face.

I lifted Tim's limp body up off my chest.  "Hey!  Quit laughing," I ordered, dangling him over my face.  "I have massively major secrets to tell you, and I'm tired and I have a headache; so if you don't shut up, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to hear them."  I frowned, looking around me, thinking about secrets and other people hearing them.  "How did I get up on this bed, anyway?"  I leaned over and looked at the floor nearby.  There was no evidence of a mess in here, so I probably hadn't crawled in myself.  The accident had happened in the other room, and I could hear noises out there.

Ben stuck his head out my bedroom door, just as I was thinking about getting up to investigate.  "How are you feeling?  Better?"

"Yeah, she's better," coughed out Tim.  "Now that she doesn't have wee Willy's winkie in her face!"  And then he seized up into fits of laughter again.

I shook my head, throwing him over onto the other side of the bed where he landed in a
poof
of down comforter.

"I'm fine.  Thanks for putting me in here.  I assume you're the one who came to my rescue?"

"Yeah.  I heard a big crash and came over to see if you were okay.  I found you on the floor with ... uhhhh ... a baby pixie stuck to your face."

I smiled.  "Little fucker jumped me."

Ben moved his mouth around, looking like he was trying not to laugh.  "Yeah, so, anyway, I put you in bed, but I didn't get a witch or medical expert in here.  Do you want me to find a doctor?"

"No, I'm fine.  I just have a little headache.  I'm going to sleep.  You can see yourself out, if you don't mind."

"No, not at all.  I'll see you in the morning?"  He made as if to step into the room, but I quickly rolled over.

"Yeah.  Tomorrow.  At breakfast," I said, staring at the wall, stopping myself from announcing my intention to eat with my friends.  He'd been nice enough to save me not only from a cold night on the floor, but the embarrassment of a talking about the pixie penis-plant to the face, so I let it go.  There would be plenty of time to duke it out with him tomorrow.  I yawned loudly.  "G'night, Ben."

"Goodnight, Jayne," he said softly, closing the door behind him.

I laid there watching Tim struggle to sit up and then crawl on his hands and knees over to me, before falling onto his back again near my face.

"That was
the
most awesome thing I have
ever
seen in my entire life," said Tim, sighing loudly, still suffering an occasional spasm brought on by a snort or giggle.  "I wish I had a camera.  Or a freeze-frame spell.  Holy flaming pixie butts, that was classic."  He rolled over to look at me again.  "How much could I pay you to do that all over again?"

"You could never come up with enough money or power or promises to convince me to play spider nakies with your kid again.  Ever. 
Never
ever."  I reached back to touch the lump on the back of my head.  "What kind of a fucked up game is that, anyway?"  I sighed, rolling over to look up at the ceiling covered in tree branches and leaves, wincing at the pain from my head injury.

"It's something he made up himself," said Tim.  "Apparently he's not fond of wearing clothes, so any excuse he can find to take them off, he jumps on it."

"Great.   A nudist rebel pixie baby.  In my bedroom."

"You don't want us to move, do you?"  Tim had stopped laughing and sounded concerned.

I sighed.  "Yes and no.  But ultimately, no.  Just stay.  I'll wear a hockey mask or something to keep the pixie wieners at bay."

Tim giggled again.  "Good plan.  It'll look good on you."

I yawned again, loudly.  "Tim, I'd love to shoot the shit with you all night, but I'm beat.  I have to go to sleep now.  I'll tell you about the end of the world as we know it tomorrow, 'kay?"

"Yeah sure, Spider Girl.  Talk to you tomorrow," he said, flying up above me and then disappearing out the door Ben had left cracked open.

I fell asleep, rubbing at my nose, wondering if it were just my imagination, or if I were actually smelling pixie-privates talcum powder left over from my collision with Baby Bee.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

IT WAS DARK, AND I could hear the sound of my own breathing, loud to my ears.  Something was wrong, but I didn't know what.  I thought the space around me was black because my eyes were closed, so I blinked them a couple times.  Still ... there was nothing but blackness.  I'd never been in a place like this before, and it gave me a very bad feeling.  Goosebumps stood out on my skin.

"Tim?" I called out into the cool, damp air around me.  "Are you there?"  I waited but no response came.  "Baby Bee?"  I was pretty sure this was a place his parents wouldn't want him to go, but thinking if he were already here, he'd be better off with me than flying around and banging into things in the dark.  But no buzzing greeted my ears and no annoying little voice yelled out with plans to dig into my nose or fly around naked.  I couldn't believe it, but I was missing that baby pixie.  If I were going to die in some deep dark hole, it would have been nice to have a familiar face around when it happened.

I concentrated hard on finding a way out of this place, squeezing my eyes shut so the blackness would we a little less frightening. 
Somebody help me.  Somebody come and get me.

I heard a shuffling sound off to my right, so I turned quickly, opening my eyes and facing whatever was coming.  "Who's there?" I said, my voice echoing just a little.  It sounded like I was in a room, not much bigger than the bedroom I last remembered falling asleep in.

"Well, well," said a vaguely familiar voice.  "Look who dropped in for a little visit."  Whoever it was laughed, and it was then that I knew who the voice belonged to.

Oh, fuck and double fuck.  If he gets any closer I'm going to have to bust out every single karate move I ever dreamed of having, because I will
not
be sleeping with a demon tonight.  Over my dead body.

"What's the matter?  Buggane got your tongue?" he asked.

"Go to hell, Torrie.  Or should I call you Rick the Dick?"  I had no idea if my former, murdering step-father was still riding shotgun in Torrie's leathery hide, but I really wanted to know who I was dealing with.  If it were Rick, I would surely have extra kickass powers, because my hate for him gave me serious wings.

I tried to pull the Green up into me, but where it usually waited for me to connect, right now there was nothing, just an empty void.  It reminded me of how I felt as a human teenager - powerless and abandoned.  It pissed me off that I was going to have to face this beast as weak as I was right now.

"Where the hell am I?  And where are you?" I asked, putting my fists up in front of my chest, ready to do a couple quick jabs.

"I'm standing right in front of you," he said, and I knew from the volume of his voice that he was telling the truth and only a few feet away.  

Damn my vision.  Why can't I see him?

"You summoned me here, so forgive me if I find it hard to believe you don't know where we are."  He chuckled at that, and I hated him even more for knowing things I didn't.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked.  "Are you here to kill me?  Maim me?  Rape me?  Because I'm not on board with any of that.  I won't go down easy, either."  I reached down and felt along my thigh, wishing I had Blackie with me; but I'd taken it off and put it next to my bed when I'd gone to sleep.  My shoulders slumped as I realized I was facing a demon with nothing but my feminine wiles to save me.  I was definitely doomed.

"I wish," he said, sounding regretful.  "Unfortunately, you've made that quite impossible.  And since I cannot accomplish any of those rather intriguing activities you've mentioned, I would appreciate you sending me back."

I frowned.  "Send you back?  Back where?  To Florida?"  It was the last place I'd seen him before Ben and I had banished his soul from the Here and Now, and it was also one of the last places I'd send him to if I could.  I still had some friends there.

"It is really quite insulting how ignorant you are, dragging me from my realm only to end up playing twenty questions.  A girl like you should not be permitted to have this kind of power.  The universe has made another error - this one, however, not in my favor."

"I have power?  I did this?" I asked, recognition dawning.

"Why don't you turn on a light so we can enjoy the moment together, eh?"

"Where's the switch in this room?" I asked, putting my hands out the sides, hoping to find a wall there.  All they met was air.

"Don't be ridiculous.  Why would there be a switch when this is no
room
?"

"Where
are
we then?  Jesus, I've asked you like ten times now!"  I stomped my foot in frustration, not sure who I was more pissed at - him or me.

He growled something unintelligible before answering me and nearly giving me a heart attack in the process.

"We are in your mind.  Just let in the light, and we'll get down to business."

I swallowed hard, trying to understand, first, how I'd invited a demon into my brain while I slept, and second, how a person turns on a light in her mind.  My inner flashlight seemed to be broken, so I fell back on something as basic as I could imagine - picturing myself flicking on a light switch.  The space went from black to brightly lit as soon as my imagined finger finished its motion.  I snorted. 
Screw you, demon.  This is too a room with a light switch. 
And then I nearly gagged at the vision before me.

"What's the matter?  Not what you expected?" he asked.  He spoke with Torrie's voice, but he didn't look at all like the demon I had met at my mom's house.

"What are you doing here with Torrie's voice coming out of your mouth?" I asked, searching his face, my brain not able to make the connection. 
Why is Ben here, acting like a demon?  Why did his voice change?  Why was he acting so stupid and mysterious?

I tried to back up away from him, but an invisible wall behind me stopped me in my tracks.  

The Ben Monster smiled, stepping closer, apparently not suffering the same effects as I was.

"Don't go," he said silkily, "we've only just arrived.  Tell me ... who do you see standing in front of you right now?"  When no answer was forthcoming, he looked down at his hands.  "A young fae, or one who looks to have the hands of a boy not that much older than you in appearance."  He held out his right arm, flexing it, watching it the whole time with unabashed curiosity.    "Strong ... tall ... Who could this be, I wonder, who strikes so much fear and loathing into your heart that you would draw me into your dreams and yet see him in front of you?"  He dropped his arm back to his side.

"I'm
dreaming
this?" I asked, even more mystified than I was before.