Chapter 24 – Sealing the Tunnel

Weaver

Once I was a hundred years old
My mama told me
Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely
Once I was a hundred years old

They were back early. I had thought they'd be celebrating over dinner with Selene's family. I was trying not to beat myself up about it.

"I'm sure you overshot that by ninety-three years," I told Francis who kept singing as he rummaged the fridge.

"Well, I was a hundred years old when Mother encouraged me to mingle with the satyrs and the sirens," my youngest brother replied.

Encouraged. I scoffed at the word. Mother never encouraged me to do anything. She often restrained me. She even forbade me to continue any interaction with Arachne, the mother of all spiders. Arachne wove stories almost as well as she spun web. She was also more maternal to me than Nyx ever was. If this were a dream, I would've thought perhaps Mother was just jealous.

The idea was preposterous.

Francis sat at the table where I was drinking warm milk. I was getting ready to sleep. And dream.

"You missed it," he said. "It's not every day that a three thousand year old former god gets to graduate high school."

I grunted in response.

Francis scowled at me and said, "Selene was looking for you. Again."

I stood up and rinsed my glass. These mundane tasks had grown on me. In the old world, a goblet would materialize or vanish upon whim.

Francis followed me and tapped my shoulder. "You're being ridiculous, you know. Why are you hiding from her?"

I gritted my teeth and faced Francis. Why couldn't he understand?

"I am being ridiculous? Have you forgotten what happened? I almost killed Markus!" I snapped at him.

I was a weaver of night terrors, but I had been gripped by fear the past weeks. One time, I was reminded of Selene sitting on the curb with Markus beside her. In the next second, a giant snake with a triangular head on each end, each head with three emerald eyes and razor-sharp fangs, started slithering out of the sink's drain. It slid out of the house and almost ate the neighbor's cat had I not caught it.

I hadn't been dreaming and I had to find a way back to the tunnels and return the serpent where it came from.

Another time, I remembered Selene at the park, drinking her disappointments away. My shadows immediately appeared and started crawling at the walls, itching to strangle the person who had made her sad. Markus.

They had almost killed Markus once. I had almost killed him once.

"You merely ripped off my beautiful, imaginary wings," Markus replied. I was surprised he was here and hadn't headed back to the university. I was sure there was another dull girl waiting for him.

I glared at Markus. I remembered the agony I had seen in his eyes. Those wings were real. Just as real as the torture he'd endured in my hands. He may pretend to be indifferent, but I had inadvertently maimed him. I was unstable.

What if I unleashed that kind of nightmare on mortals? On Selene?

"I had hurt you, brother. I am truly sorry," I told Markus. I may create nightmares, but I never reveled in causing anyone pain.

"Oh, stop it," Markus said. "You're being overdramatic. You're not neurotic. You could control this."

"I almost incinerated our house and the two of you!" I cried. And my creations had started crossing over. There was something seriously wrong. With me.

"You're only being paranoid because I told you your emotions affect your creations," Francis stated.

How could he stay so calm?

How come my brothers weren't causing any disasters?

"Exactly. Selene draws out all these emotions I could not understand or control. I feel so unhinged," I lamented.

"Well, she doesn't know that," Francis said. "I told her you had measles, chicken pox and a yeast infection."

Markus laughed.

"What?!" I exploded.

"I guess you have to go to her now and explain I was just jesting," Francis told me smugly.

I couldn't risk it. I might accidentally summon Demeter's dragons and have them carry Selene to my cave.

Hmm. That wasn't a bad idea.

I shook my head. Back to the present debacle. Could men even get a yeast infection? I Googled it and was alarmed with what I read.

... by having unprotected sex...

... men who have not been circumcised have a greater risk...

Zeus!!! Why was my family torturing me?! I ran my hands through my hair, stopping myself from slamming a fist through the wall again. Francis had covered the one I created weeks ago with a clock. I was tempted to smash the clock with his head.

I dropped to the floor and took a deep breath. I needed to get a grip less I spawn another monstrosity. But what was more horrific than Selene thinking I had a yeast infection?!

Markus walked toward me and crouched before me.

He looked at me and frowned. Hades, I didn't need his pity.

"Good call on the watch. She loved it," he said. That cheered me up a bit. Just in time because I thought I saw my shadows creeping toward Francis as my anxiety rose.

What were all these perturbing sensations? They troubled me in sleep and wakefulness. I had never felt this ill before. Was I going mad?

I might need to set an appointment with Freud stat. Or Thanatos. But I doubted our estranged brother would be happy to see me. We had often favored the company of his twin, Hypnos. We had found Thanatos wearisome especially when he started discussing feelings and yammering about grief and peaceful deaths. He understood the human psyche however. I was struggling.

"You're not her favorite person though," Francis told me, unwittingly but fortuitously escaping my shadows. "Can't you at least send her a message? She's thinking she might've retched on you and messed you up that night."

Well, she did.

She messed my mind.

I didn't look at my brothers. I left them and went to my room. I lay on my bed and closed my eyes.

Once I was a thousand years old
My daddy told me
Go get yourself a wife or you'll be lonely

Damn song.

I was tempted to visit her.

It was a good thing I had sealed the tunnel to her dreams that day I'd wrenched off Markus' wings. I had blocked the passage to her visions with boards and thick barbed vines and a mountain of coffee beans. Those should be enough to deter me. It had felt sacrilegious to steal a look into her dreams. I didn't deserve to. I had also caused her pain because of my ignorance. My shadows shouldn't be privy to her fantasies.

Soon, she would leave. I couldn't be a voyeur from a distance.

It would be painful not to know where she went, what she doing, what she was dreaming. I could easily find out now that I had access to my tunnels. But no. Not yet. Not until I'd figured out what was happening. Not until I deserved to see her again.

I'd avoided Selene in wakefulness as well. Until I'd learned to control these unsettling sentiments, it was best I steered clear. I could only imagine the harrowing consequences.

I had stopped going to the café. I might see Selene with Francis and the cheerleaders would be there picking on their victim for the day. If I caught them tattling about Selene, I'd form gargoyles to tear their heads off. So yes, it was best to skip breakfast for now.

I had also dodged Selene in school. I might see one of the jocks asking her help with an assignment. Francis wasn't the only student taking advantage of Selene's intelligence and kindness. If I saw any boy look at her, I'd tie the youth's limbs to four beasts and have my pets pull him apart.

Styx! What were these appalling responses??

As much as I enjoyed walking Mr. Nguyen's dogs with Selene then treating Maya and Iris to some cake, I couldn't afford to visit the Fishers. I might see Francis sitting too closely to Selene and my shadows would swoop in and terrify Iris.

I couldn't live with that. It was best to stay away until I got better.

So here I was in bed. I needed to focus. It was alarming that the more human I felt—what with all these emotions—the more ghastly were my creations. Worse, some traverse from my cave to this room.

I took a long, calming breath. I kept my eyes closed. No monsters.

Instead, I saw Selene's face. I missed her.

Francis was right. Selene didn't warrant any more pain yet here I was contributing.

I sat up and grabbed my phone. I started typing.

I'm sorry...

For what? For being away because I was sick? I didn't have any infection yeast or otherwise, damn it!

How are you?

Okay, that was lame. Delete.

Congratulations, Selene. I wish you nothing but the best.

I pressed Send. There. It was a template I'd wager she'd heard multiple times today.

Maybe I could access her tunnel and take one last glimpse. She would be moving soon and I didn't know when I'd see her again. The past weeks had been torture. How I'd yearned for her. One glance would be enough to tide me over to... to whenever I would see her again.

Who was I fooling?

My phone quivered in my hand. My heart thudded.

I wasn't expecting her reply. Yet there it was.

Thanks. Good luck, too.

I read it again and again. In disbelief.

In joy.

This was enough. For now.

**

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! You are all truly wonderful and have motivated me to get this far.

@bombinating, @_snowafterfire, @dapsucksbigtime, @kjayne74, thank you for all the votes and comments--for giving this little world some of your time :-)

I'm afraid I have to seal this tunnel for a while and deal with some monstrosities called responsibilities. The brothers and Selene have some growing up to do as well ;-) We will be back soon.