Serrated Love's Deceit

Chapter 3: Appealing

Ms. Dean comes out of the office with her typical fitted pencil skirt and short business jacket restricting her movements. She pulls off her bifocal glasses and digs them into the bob on her head. Her fingers massage the bridge of her nose. "Okay everybody, me and Baran have come to an agreement. He'll be working with us here part-time until he pays his dues back for some of the items he hasn't returned yet." Ms. Dean said. Sam huffs and Tom grabs a fist full of the back of his hair then smoothes it out. "Be prepared for more missing items." Sam murmurs.

Baran walks out of Ms. Dean's office with his burgundy hood hanging low over his face. He slowly pushes the hood back and his dark brown eyes are looking right at me. "Ash, I think we should work together." Baran says. Tom chuckles. "Absolutely not." Sam says.

"I'm speaking to Ash."

"And as her mentor, I'm telling you no." Sam shifts his weight on his legs and fold his arms.

"What's wrong with me working closely with Ash? Ms. Dean already approved of it." Baran smirks.

"Ms. Dean you can't be serious. What about th- the ahem! The...situation of the d-deaths." He unfolds his arms and looks at me. Ms. Dean bursts into a fit of laughter. "Oh my gosh boys, how many times do I have to tell you. Those guys died of exhaustion. Stop spreading rumors. Ash pay no mind to this heresy. Sam let's talk about this outside." She says and rushes over to Sam.

They briskly walk out of the shop. Once they leave Baran casually walks over to me while I am counting white soybean candles. "Ash, have you been having weird dreams lately?" Baran asks. Tom huffs and clears his throat loudly. I look up at Tom and we narrow our eyes at each other. I turn my eyes to Baran.

"Why are you interested in my dreams?" I smirk at him.

"Well I have a friend that told me you can help me find what I seek?"
He rubs his chin and the hairs of his beard dance under his fingers touch.

"Who is your friend and why do you think that my dreams will help you find what you seek?"

"My friend is a witch and she's a seer. She foresaw you telling me your dream and it helping me find what I seek."

"Wow Baran! Just when I thought you were attracted to me and was flirting with me. Of course it's because you want something from me. Why should I help you or tell you anything?" I feign a gasp.

"Ash I really need help with this. I don't know if you're being sarcastic."

"You don't need to know anything about me." I walk away from him.

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Back at home, I settle underneath my covers after a warm bath and meal. My mother knocks on the open door. I look up at her. " How are you feeling? I know your father's death anniversary is coming up in a few weeks. Do you want to something special this year or are you going to mope alone in your room again?" She asks.

"I don't know if I'm ready for that just yet." My eyes avert her gaze.

"Ash, you're almost thirty. Fine. If that's what you want, fine but I'm ready to listen whenever you want to talk about it."

My father was a Marine. He was dishonorably discharged from the military and turned to liqour when all his aspirations did not pan out the way he hoped they would. I know he used to abuse my mother when I was a toddler. I do not want my mother to relive that part of her past to help me recover from the loss. He died when I was ten years old. He taught me how to walk and how to ride a bike. When I was younger, I could not imagine my life without my father. Then everything changed after his fatal car accident. It was so strange.

The one time he seemed to be getting everything together. He was sober and he promised me he will be a better father for me but... A drunk driver took his life away. He was my shield but I had to harden and create my own shield. It has been really hard with his abscence sitting like this invisible heavyweight in our home. I was daddy's baby girl and now... I am no longer sure if I am distancing myself from people all the time because I do not want to revisit the emotion that I thought I buried long ago. Am I numb and distant? Or just a good judge of character? That line blurs a lot.

Life is balance, patience, and a series of trials. Nobody loves you or cares what you have to say without a cost or expectation. Nothing happens without expending energy. Some things we want costs so much energy... Yet we still want them even if we do not have enough energy to expend to make it happen.

I am not trying to bring the dead back to life. Of course not but... I want a place that I can always come back to. A place I can fully release and be myself. I want a home of my own even though I am not lost. "Tick! Tick! Tick!" The clock on the nightstand ticks as I stare at the golden streetlight shining into my bedroom window. My slowing blinks makes the room blur. A shadow passes my bedroom window.

Black turns to a grassy plain during the day. A warm breeze brushes by me. I continue walking through the ankle high grass. A big hand shoots out of nowhere and grabs my wrist. "Hey let go!" I yell. The hand pulls me through an invisible portal and I stand face to face with the light blue plasma guy from before. He looks way taller when he's standing up. I yank my hand out of his light grip.

"You know what I want." He asks telepathically.

"A kiss?" I nervously chuckle and run in the opposite direction from him. Where am I going? Everything is black.
I don't know where the exit is.

"I don't need another kiss from you."
Two of his strides closed the distance between us. His huge hands gently cup my waist and lift me up to wear our eyes easily met. "I don't know. Just let me go." I say.

"You have a piece of my heart and I want it back."

" I can't give it back to you. I need it." I squirm.

" What do you need it for?" He narrows his eyes at me.

"Its light and energy supplies my safe place."

"You can't just steal things and not pay for it. You shouldn't take what doesn't belong to you."

"What do you want me to pay?"

"Just give it back."

"I can't." I squirm again in his hold.

"Ok. If it did have a price. I'd..." I reach to touch his lean cheek and my fingers lightly drag through the soft silvery white hair on his jaw. I look into his eyes and see myself staring back in amazement. He releases my waist and I crouch midair to land without a scratch. "What was that for?" I ask.

"Stop touching me like that. I- This is why you owe me for what you stole. Don't think I'll let those small nimble hands of yours get me twice." His silvery white brows furrow and he looks away. I shrug and twirl around him with my hands seeking the invisible exit.

I mistakenly bump into his lower chest on my second spin. Oops. He lifts me up again and leans me closer to his face. My hands instinctively shoot through the long, white; strands surrounding his face. My fingers lightly press his temple. Look into my eyes. He stares longingly into my eyes. You will accept the piece of your heart I took is now mine and in exchange you will yearn for my company until you steal me away and claim it for yourself just as I did with a piece of your heart.

"I will claim the energy and moments you spend with me forever as proper payment for the piece of my heart you stole." He chants back into my head.

"I wonder if I have the magic of persuasion." I smirk and admire my work. Look at him under my trance.

"Your trance has a light hold. I just like the deal you offered. I want to show you something."