Page 84 of Bewitched By the Sea Monster
“So?”
“Did you bring a tux with you?”
“No.”
“So why would I have brought a cocktaildress?”
Jackson sniffed. “I thought you’d want to dress up for dinner.”
“Idolike dressing up for dinner. That’s why I brought a whole stack of outfits,” I said. “They’re just not black-tie, dry-clean only dresses.”
Jackson gusted heavily.
As the wagon slowed, the family at the front, maybe catching some fizzling shocks from our brewing storm, preemptively moved to offload before we’d fully stopped. The mom flashed Jackson and me a strange look as she herded her daughters past.
I dropped my voice to a whisper when the family disembarked and the wagon lurched forward. “Are the clothes I brought that dreadful?”
“Youknowit’s not that,” Jackson huffed. “I like showing you off. And that black dress…Mmm…all the men would’ve been jealous. That I get to have you, when they don’t.”
I like showing you off.
Like I was one of the beasts on the island, all diapered up for an audience tooohandahhover.
I wondered if the creatures of Niverwick felt this kind of lousy every time they were paraded in front of spectators.
And if they did…which, if I was being honest, I was certain they did…
How horrific did that make us? Me. Jackson. Everyone on this island. People who looked at living, breathing creatures like they were inanimate displays. Art pieces slapped onto a wall to give us a few seconds of entertainment.
In his defense, this was nothing new for Jackson. Scheduling a dinner. Asking me to wear a certain outfit. Strolling to the event with me on his arm and proudly declaring to everyone that I was his. He’d done it all before back home.
It used to fill me with pride. I’d clutch his arm and smile until my cheeks hurt.
It’d gotten old though. Most things did.
The staleness turned to indifference.
And now the indifference was souring into resentment.
“Could we have dinner with Melany and Sarah tomorrow?” I asked him.
Jackson rolled his shoulder in a half shrug. But didn’t answer.
I scoffed. The wagon grinding to a stop by our cottage covered the noise, but Jackson must have seen the irritation on my face, because his puckered into a scowl.
I stood before he could say anything, suddenly very mindful of everyone around us, watching warily, not wanting to be caught in the whirlwind.
It was amazing, the way we all had an innate sense when something bad was about to go down.
“Babe!” Jackson’s voice was a husky growl.
I stepped off the wagon and walked around to the two alicorns—Eos and Valeria, they’d said during their introductions. “Thank you,” I whispered to them.
Eos, the taller and more finely built of the two, turned her head toward me, billowing worriedly. “Are you alright, miss?”
“Fine. I’m…” I touched a hand to Eos’ shoulder in what was meant to be a thank you pat, but the despair that flooded my heart at the contact had me ripping my hand away with a grunt.
“You don’t look well.” Valeria swished her tail and turned her nose to me. “We can take you to the health clinic if?—”
