As the weeks went by, I started spending more time with Apollo. There wasn’t any formal event or conversation that made it happen – we just found ourselves in the same room, or we’d wander into the kitchen at the same time to find something to eat. Every time this happened, he would slip me a soft smile that felt almost like a secret; something meant just for me.

Myrnah noticed nothing; too busy recounting her own thoughts to observe little things, but Jannosh’s light eyes seemed to see everything, something I had overlooked. I would look up in the middle of a conversation with Apollo to see him smiling at me – a secret smile like Apollo’s, just with different connotations. Both times the two smiled their secret smiles, I would react the same; with scarlet cheeks and avoiding eyes.

I began to suspect our run-ins were more than a coincidence when one day, sitting out on the lawn with Jannosh again, Apollo came out to join us. It was an exceptionally sunny day; there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, and the sun was beating down on the back of my neck like it was a drum. Of course, he was wearing his rich green cloak, but I still looked up at him curiously.

“Is everything alright?”

“Everything is quite fine, thank you.” He settled down on the grass next to me, a little closer than necessary.

Jannosh shifted minutely on my other side. “It’s an exceptionally fine day, isn’t it, Sir Apollo?”

I felt like it was a redundant thing to say, but then I caught a look passing between the two of them. Jannosh simply looked amused, leaning back on his hands, but Apollo’s face almost looked sour, as if he was on the receiving end of some joke. I looked between them in confusion.

“It’s a fantastic day, Jannosh.” There was a hidden meaning I couldn’t decipher behind the words.

I decided to let it go. “Jannosh was just telling me that I could go hunting with him next time he went.”

He’d started off by just talking about what he liked to do when all the household chores were done – I didn’t find myself surprised to find out that he loved shooting game. It fit his image perfectly. Jannosh told me that Myrnah detested it, but it was something I felt like I would enjoy.

“That should be exciting.” Beneath his hood, Apollo’s mouth was set in an ironic smile. “Not much really happens around here, I can’t believe you haven’t gone crazy from the boredom yet.”

Did he ever not say something different behind the words? I turned to look at him, and his gorgeous eyes were watching my reaction. He was testing me again, clearly, probably wondering why I still hadn’t run for the hills.

I met his gaze evenly. “Maybe I’m already crazy and I like the boredom.”

Apollo laughed loudly, and I joined in after a minute. From the grin on his face, I’d passed again.

“Or maybe the outside world is way more boring than this place,” I went on, “and you just don’t know cause you never leave – “

I stopped midsentence when Jannosh suddenly jumped up. His stance was poised and alert; his feet were spread again like he was about to make a run for it. On my other side, Apollo had tensed as well, but unlike Jannosh he stayed where he was. The only thing that gave him away was his narrowed eyes and the hard line his mouth had become.

“What’s wrong?” I looked around worriedly; the forest stared back innocently. Nothing had changed, but something had the two of them on alert.

Jannosh ignored me. “Can you hear that, Sir?”

Apollo nodded fractionally, standing up slowly. “I do.”

I stood up as well; they were getting on my nerves. “Hear what??”

Apollo looked at me finally. “Someone’s coming. “He said gently.

“What?” I was thoroughly confused. “I thought no one knew about this place.”

“Almost no one.” Apollo looked away to peer into the forest. I couldn’t see passed the first line of trees, but I had a feeling that both him and Jannosh could see much further than I could.

Apollo looked at Jannosh. “I think we need to go inside.”

Jannosh nodded in agreement; he took my hand and led me urgently into the house. I looked back worriedly at Apollo. He was following at a languid pace, looking back at the forest as he walked. He caught my gaze and smiled one of his secret smiles. It did nothing to calm my nerves.

“What’s so wrong about someone coming?” I asked Jannosh as he led me to the stairs. I already knew the answer, but I needed to hear him say it.

“Everyone who comes here is a risk.” Jannosh’s voice was gentle, but his beautiful eyes were worried. “Myrnah!”

“My dear?” Her voice called down the staircase.

Jannosh started talking rapidly in their language, and I pulled out of his grasp to look back again at Apollo. He was removing his cloak calmly, but the air was thick with tension. He caught me looking again and walked over.

“I need you to stay upstairs with Jannosh and Myrnah.” He told me softly but sternly. “Don’t make any noise till they leave.”

“Who’s coming? Why do we have to hide?” I was getting increasingly nervous.

His hand came up and travelled the length of my face in one movement; so fast I wasn’t sure if it really happened, but it left a trail of fire. “We don’t know what their intentions are, and everyone outside the house is under the impression I live completely on my own. It’s best if it stays that way.”

“How come they can’t know about Jannosh and Myrnah?”

Apollo smiled ruefully. “Unlike me, it’s harder for them to hide who they are. Their eyes give them away.”

I looked back at Jannosh, and to confirm what Apollo just said, his violet eyes looked steadily back at me. He held a hand out. “Miss Lilah, if you please.”

“If you want, you can eavesdrop from the top of the stairs.” Apollo said. He jerked his head towards the door as the doorbell rang. The sound made me jump. “Sound carries magnificently up the staircase. Just be very quiet; it carries down just as well.”

With that, he turned and walked calmly to the door, and Jannosh pulled me gently up the stairs with him.

“There’s really nothing to worry about,” Jannosh whispered, “We get many lost hikers, and men who are interested in buying land off Sir Apollo.”

We reached the top, but Myrnah contradicted his soothing words by her worried face and fidgeting hands. For the first time, I realized how important it was to keep Apollo a secret; if he was found out, they were as well. In today’s society, they would be labeled as freaks, and I had a feeling they wouldn’t be able to handle modern cruelty.

Jannosh walked to her and gathered her in his arms; I looked away when he kissed her. “It’s alright, my dove.”

I sat down on the top step and listened as Apollo opened the door.

“Ah,” I could hear the smile in his voice, “how nice to see you again! Please come in, Mister Roscoe.”

My blood ran cold.

Did I hear that correctly? Roscoe? Ted Roscoe? How did Apollo even know him? A flurry of questions was tumbling around my head like a hurricane. Every fiber of my body was on high alert; my conscious was telling me to run, and to run like hell.

My dread solidified when I heard his voice. “Apollo, please. Call me Ted. You’re making me feel like some villain from a nineteenth century novel.”

The resulting laughter from the two of them sounded jarringly wrong; it was like the musical notes of Apollo’s harp played with rattling prison chains in the background. Apollo was right though; the sound carried up the stairs perfectly.

I could hear their steps as they moved into the front room. Apollo’s steps were light and even, but it sounded like Roscoe was trying to stomp holes into the hardwood with his feet. I could feel a light sweat from on the nape of my neck; how could this be happening? I felt slightly sick at the thought of being near him.

“Would you like a drink, M– Ted? Should I pour some for your usual companions, or are they not joining us?”

“A drink would be great! Have you got some wine, or chardonnay? And no, this is just a friendly visit; there was no need for my… business partners to accompany me.”

I don’t know what made me frown more, the fact he was requesting alcohol at two in the afternoon, or that he called his goons his business partners. Did he really expect Apollo to believe that?

“Ah, I see.” There was a pause, and the sound of liquid hitting a glass. “So to what do I owe this pleasure, Ted? I’m sure you didn’t trek all the way through the woods just to call on me.”

Roscoe’s responding laugh was harsh, sounding almost forced. “Right you are, Apollo! That road of yours is absolutely treacherous – it took me more than one try to find it. You really must find someone to fix it up for you.”

“I’ll be sure to take care of it. “ Apollo replied politely, but Jannosh chuckled quietly from behind me. We all knew Apollo would make no such effort to maintain the hidden road; if anything, he would try to make it worst.

There was the sound of a glass hitting the table. “But yes, you are right. I am absolutely delighted to see you again, but I’m here on a personal matter.”

“Oh?” Apollo sounded quizzical.

“Yes.” Roscoe almost sounded like he was lamenting, but I could see right through it. “A friend of mine – a very good friend, we grew up together and all – has passed away, and to top everything off, his daughter has gone missing.”

“Oh my. “Apollo’s voice was nothing but sincere. “My deepest condolences, Ted.”

“Yes, yes, it’s a horrible tragedy.” Roscoe cleared his throat roughly. “But I’m here for his daughter, you see. Lilah was like a second daughter to me, and I need to know desperately that she is okay.”

The resulting silence seemed to weigh down like stone. I was internally raging at the lie he was telling Apollo; my father was no friend of his, he was without question the one who killed him!

Jannosh’s hand found my shoulder, and I turned to look at him. He was crouched beside me, and his violet eyes were wide. Behind him, Myrnah was looking at me like it was the first time she’d seen me in her life.

“You?” He mouthed.

I shook my head at him and mouthed back, “I’ll explain later.” It was about time I told them the full story, anyways.

Below us, Apollo was still silent. I knew beyond a doubt that he was connecting dots in that brilliant head of his, and I hoped like hell he could read my mind. I was screaming silently at him to lie, and to lie like he was born to do it.

“So you are looking for her?” Apollo’s voice sounded curious. It gave away nothing.

“Yes.” Roscoe replied simply. “It’s my strong belief that she’s just run off, and knowing her, she wouldn’t go far. I think she’s around somewhere, and that someone has seen her.”

“You believe she is here?” There was just the right amount of surprise in Apollo’s voice. He laughed lightly. “I assure you Ted, if any young women appeared here, I would be completely aghast. Not many people know about my home, and she must know the woods like the back of her hand to be able to find it, even accidentally.”

“So you have seen nothing?” Roscoe sounded deeply disappointed. I shivered.

“Not at all.” I could imagine Apollo shaking his head. I breathed a sigh of relief; apparently all the dots in his head were connected correctly. He was lying for me.

“Not even her car? It’s a red Ford truck, a much older model.” Roscoe was insistent.

“I’m afraid I haven’t. “Apollo replied smoothly. “My… condition, won’t allow me to leave my home very often, you see.”

“Oh yes, I forgot about that.” Roscoe sounded dismissive. “What is it again? You’re allergic to the sun, or something?”

“Something like that.” Apollo replied vaguely.

Roscoe laughed loudly again, but it sounded slightly cruel. “What a shame. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were a vampire.”

The two laughed, but Apollo’s perfect demeanor cracked slightly; I could hear the apprehension in his voice.

“If that was the case, you would be in a lot of danger Ted.” Apollo collected himself. “We are in fact alone right now.”

Roscoe laughed uncomfortably at the subtle edge in Apollo’s voice. “That’s true. Anyways, I better be going; I’m a man with places to go and places to be!”

I wanted to gag at how lame he was.

“Of course.” Apollo never swerved from his polite attitude. “It was a pleasure seeing you again, Ted.”

“No, no – the pleasure’s all mine, Apollo! You’ll call if you even catch a glimpse of Lilah, will you? It would mean so much to me.”

“Absolutely! But do pray tell – what does she look like? I don’t want to call for any girl that wanders through my lawn.”

Roscoe laughed. “Well, by all means, don’t hesitate to call if a bunch walks through – if they’re good looking and you’re not interested, I’ll take them.”

His hinting joke fell flat. I was disgusted, but a smile lit my face at the blank look Apollo was probably giving him.

He cleared his throat at the silence. “But yes, she’s petite, red haired and has blue eyes. Looks like she’s always thinking too hard.”

I cocked my head in disbelief. I look like I think too hard? What kind of description was that?

Apollo laughed softly. “Sounds like a beauty.”

I knew he knew I was listening, so that line was just for me. A silly smile spread across my face, and I raised my arms to hug myself – and my elbow knocked loudly into the wall beside me.

Everyone froze. Not just me, Myrnah and Jannosh, but the two men below.

“What was that?” Roscoe asked sharply.

My heart was beating a mile minute, and I wanted to curse at how dumb I was.

“Oh,” Apollo sounded vague, but I knew the wheels in his mind were racing. He didn’t just have me to protect; there was Jannosh and Myrnah, too. “That must have been my cat.”

“You have a cat?” Roscoe sounded skeptical, and to my horror, his voice was closer to the stairs than before. “You didn’t have one last time I was here.”

Apollo chuckled airily. “Well, the loneliness was getting to me, so I bought one a couple weeks ago. I think I’m doomed to be a bachelor forever.”

Something slinked by me, and I looked over in surprise to see a grey cat trotting lightly down the stairs. I looked quickly behind me, and Jannosh raised a finger to his lips.

“Ah, there she is!” Apollo’s voice was affectionate. “My one true love, Myrnah.”

In the back of my head, I wondered how he knew it was her and not Jannosh, but there were more pressing matters at hand. Myrnah meowed sweetly, and I heard Roscoe’s reluctant steps heading away from the staircase.

“Alright,” His voice was as casual as before, but I thought I heard a note of suspicion in it. “I’ll be on my way now, Apollo. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

“I’ll do my best.” I heard the door opening, and breathed a sigh of relief as Roscoe’s heavy footfalls crossed the threshold.

“Careful on the road there!” Apollo called out. I could imagine him standing in the doorway, watching Roscoe’s retreat.

After a minute, I heard the door close and Apollo’s light tread as he walked to the base of the staircase.

“That was close.” He stated ruefully, his voice carrying up to my ears. “But Lilah, I think you owe us all an explanation. I already do enough lying in my life as it is; if I have to lengthen my red list for someone else, I have to know the reasons why.”

I was silent. I’d already decided on telling them, so this wasn’t news to me. I’d decided a long time ago that the three of them could be trusted.

Jannosh came to sit next to me, all traces gone from his face. His expression was back to his usual docile smile. “Sir Apollo.”

“Yes, Jannosh?”

“Just so you know, she’s my one true love, not yours.” His voice was teasingly threatening.

I joined in with their laughter, my mood immediately lightening now that Roscoe was gone.

At least for now.

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