Page 30 of Missiletoe
“I don’t suppose you know of a way to get us in there, do you?” I got on my knees and scratched behind Trixie’s ears. “Thanks for the save, by the way. I don’t relish the idea of getting turned into fried chicken.”
Trixie licked my face and gave me a littlewuff, and then I pretty much went insane.
Just wait a second and you’ll see what I mean.
:Now is not the time for thanks, Paris. It’s a time for action.:
Yep, I’d gotten so worked up over my bunny that I’d begun to hallucinate. See? Totally insane.
:Stop freaking out. There’s something wrong with our small human.:
Since I’d already gone around the bend, I decided to lean into it. It couldn’t have made things worse, right?
“You can talk? I knew you were special! In your face, Melanie—Wait, what’s wrong with Vix? Where is he?”
:And I knew you weren’t stupid, but that’s not the point right now. Our human is growing more heart shadows. He needs help.:
The wailing inside cut off abruptly, and my vision went red. I was about to storm back up the stairs, heedless of the crackling hum of electricity coming from the porch, but Trixie stopped me by grabbing my sweater with her teeth again and digging her back legs into the dirt.
She growled and said, :Stop getting lost, Paris. You’re better than this.:
Some part of me knew she was right, but I wasn’t in control of my actions. Why did Vix suddenly stop wailing? Did someone hurt him?
:He’s not hurt, Paris. He’s just asleep again. But we need to get you to him before tomorrow. All of this stress isn’t good for his mind, and only you can help him.:
The red began to lift from my vision, and I panted, trying to beat it back.
:He’s safe for the moment, I promise. But you need to get to him tonight if you don’t want him to grow new heart shadows. He already has enough of them, and the more he has, the more he will need to sleep. Come back to me, Paris. I will help you fix this.: Trixie dug her fangs into my side. It wasn’t enough to hurt me, but it was enough to break me out of the violent rage trying to take over my mind.
“Okay,” I gasped. “I’m okay.” I wasn’t okay, but I wasn’t about to fry myself to kingdom come on the electrified porch in a fit of blind rage.
:I advise we let our prey grow complacent while we plan.:
“Vix is okay?”
Trixie cocked her head toward the house, but she wasn’t looking at the door, she was looking a bit to the left of it. Someone must have moved Vix while Trixie was giving me her big reveal. Finally, she said, :For now.:
I allowed Trixie to herd me off the property and down the sidewalk until we were out of sight of the house. We set up camp in a relatively snow-free cluster of bushes in someone’s yard.
It was night, and no one was around. We’d probably be fine.
It took a while before I was able to calm down enough to think, but I got there eventually. Having the frosty air nipping at my face and the warm dog at my side helped a lot.
Eventually, I asked, “What are heart shadows?” If they were what I thought they were, I’d been seeing them my whole life, and I wanted to know more.
:I’m not sure if humans have any knowledge of them, but I’ll try to explain. When something terrible happens to a human, if it’s bad enough, or they don’t get help in time, their hearts grow shadows. Once a shadow develops, it becomes difficult to banish. Some humans will keep a shadow with them their entire life. Vix has far too many for someone like him, and most of them are quite old. His heart shadows are not the cause of his fits, but they have made his sleep problems far worse than they should be. He doesn’t have many shadows, but someone with his challenges should have as few as possible.:
I probably should have been more interested in what Trixie was saying about shadows in general, but I was more worried with how they concerned Vix specifically, so I asked, “Why does Vix have heart shadows?”
Trixie put her paws on my lap and gave me sad eyes. :I can’t say for certain, but I know his shadows are old. When bad things happen to children, their shadows cut deep. When untreated, these shadows can stay with them for their entire lives. Vix is lucky because his heart is lighter than most, so it takes a lot to make him form shadows, but because of this lightness and the way his mind works, shadows hurt him so much more than they do most people.:
I’d heard enough and was scrambling up so I could run right back to Vix’s home, but Trixie gave a sharp bark and climbed into my lap to pin me in place.
:Stop it, Paris. You are better than this.:
I had to waste precious minutes breathing hard to fight back my fear before I could find the sense in her words.
Trixie was right. I couldn't storm that castle of theirs without a plan, and if Trixie was correct about the shadows, Vix really needed me to succeed.
