Strays: A Romantic Fantasy Adventure

The sun’s first rays waltzed along the floorboards, keeping impeccable timing with the flowing of the sheer, white curtains in the breeze of the open window. Violet eyes followed the dance, attempting to predict the next position. Coming and going, here and there, light and dark. Shadows scampering as brightness encroached, just to retreat from the place it had just conquered.

Five days.

Ivy rolled onto her back, covering her face with her arms.

Five days.

After the first few days at Marisol’s, Zero began leaving the home to venture back to the forest, but he had never stayed overnight. At some point in the evening, he would return and the girl would bound eagerly up to him, embracing the boy as he’d do the same before relaying the day’s happenings. The warmth that had begun seeping at his departure returning, filling the void that had grown throughout the time spent apart.

He’d then go to the room and sit on the floor next to Ren, quietly talking and gathering every bit of information he could pry from the man. When there was nothing more, he’d do whatever Marisol asked of him; play with the children, or help with supper, or tinker with whatever odd or end she had that needed attention. As the night set in, Ivy and Zero would lay together, their whispers only loud enough for the other’s ears, muffled confessions of their pasts and hopes and concerns and fears, until they diminished into the soothing breathing that comes with dreams.

But it wasn’t like that now.

The silence so loud.

The space around her cold.

The girl let her arms fall to her sides, her head following as she stared at the bed across from her.

Sakura had thrown a fit the night before when Ren had eagerly laid down beside her. She complained and nagged and tried to shove him to the floor all while he passively hushed her until he fell asleep, or at least pretended to, and became dead weight. The woman snarled and huffed and puffed while she pressed herself against the wall, putting as much space possible between her and the angel.

Now he lay on his back, one leg and arm over the edge and touching the floor, while she lay on her belly diagonally, embracing the man and drooling on his chest. It looked so natural, like it was exactly where the two were supposed to be. As if they had been in this awkward positioning before, time and time again, maneuvering themselves around each other and melding together in a jumble of tangled limbs and tousled hair.

A sparse smile pulled at the girl’s lips as she regarded the two across from her and the conflicting notions in her own mind. It was an unnerving mix of emotions that picked at her. To be so happy. To be so miserable. Wanting only one but being unable to avoid the other.

Ivy slipped from bed, taking care not to wake the pair, and crept from the room. She tiptoed down the stairs, the only movement in the stillness of a sleeping home, as she snuck out of the house and into the cool morning. Walking through the grass, her bare feet damp and chilled from the dew, she watched the horizon as the sun rose, waiting.

But no one came.

Ren had said that today was going to be the day.

She would wait. She wanted him to be right.

Making her way to the garden, the girl regarded the bell peppers with due care, checking their shiny, colorful skins, and gathering the ones ready for harvest. She marched down the rows, pulling the intruding weeds that threatened to encroach on the tenderly cared for crops before returning to the house to begin preparing breakfast, peeking out of the window every so often.

One by one, the house came to life, the silence of the early morning scattering away from their footsteps and voices. Ivy sent away the ache on the inside and embraced a smile on the outside. She kept herself busy, and maintained her cheerful disposition even though she didn’t feel it at all.

She looked at the distance, unable to control her eyes from wandering.

Ren had said.

But still, there was no one.

The sun crawled to the middle of the sky, bright and beautiful.

There was still time.

She prepared a bath for Sakura in the large basin in the side yard, and shooed Ren away. She helped wash the fox’s hair, and shooed Ren away again. A muddy Jose was plunked into the tub after the demon finished, the man showing very little interest in helping then.

The girl helped Marisol gather herbs and flowers and listened intently as the woman explained what they could be used for and how to process them. She sketched them in a journal the jaguar had given her and wrote down the important information. Sitting among the flowers in the front of the house with Luna in her lap, Ivy pointed to the pictures and words she had jotted, sounding out each letter to the small child.

She waited.

She watched the path.

No one came.

The sun began to lose its shine as it slipped further away, the moon’s glow rising.

Ivy helped prepare dinner and ate what was served. Each empty plate was gathered and washed and put away. She chased after the children, caught and cuddled and tweaked their little ears and tails. Made them shriek and giggle and she did the same before Marisol gathered them for bed.

Darkness came.

The quiet returned.

But no one else.

She swallowed her disappointment.

Her worry.

Sakura hugged the girl, promising to head to the forest at first light despite Ren insisting that she stay out of it, mind her own business, let the boy be a man.

Ivy managed a small nod.

Maybe tomorrow.

She changed to her nightgown and lay in her bed, feeling the chill engulf her. She listened to Ren and Sakura bicker over the demon’s old, raggedy sleep shirt; the man claiming ownership while the woman clung protectively to it. She won the fight, but he was smug the entire time. The fox demanded he leave. The angel refused. They both feel asleep the same as the night before.

Ivy stared at the blank ceiling, the darkness and silence deepening. It picked insistently at her, plucked at every iota of her being and made her restless. Still, she attempted to ignore it and will herself to sleep.

But like him, it didn’t come.

She looked at the man who had curled himself around the oblivious woman, satisfied in his successful attempt once again.

Ren had been wrong.

The girl abandoned her bed and the house and went to find comfort under the stars. Each one was like her, surrounded by others but still all on her own.

All alone.

Wandering slowly towards the garden, she watched her feet drive the blades of grass to the soil beneath and spring back up with every step. There was no point, nothing had changed, but the girl couldn’t help but glance towards the road.

She froze.

A cart sat just off of the path, one that hadn’t been there earlier when last she checked before ascending the stairs to bed. A dark form sat; their back leaning up against the wheel, one leg out straight as the other was tucked, white hair gleaming under the moonlight.

Ivy tiptoed up to the boy and crouched down before him, watching him with care. He seemed so peaceful and childlike, his features soft and innocent under the tranquility of slumber. The boy was completely unaware of the girl’s presence, a vast contrast to his normal vigilant nature. How exhausted he must be. Ivy didn’t want to wake him, but this was no place for anyone to sleep.

“Zero,” she whispered, fingers just brushing his shoulder.

Crimson eyes snapped open to meet hers, the deep red almost glowing in the darkness. Without warning, his arms wrapped around her and pulled her body against his, crushing them together. “I’m sorry I was gone for so long.” His voice was faint as his cheek rested heavily on the top of her head.

“You’re back now.” She savored his warmth, feeling it seep through her skin and fill the emptiness that had grown with every passing day; like slipping into a hot bath in the dead of winter to chase the chill away. “I can’t believe you got it.”

“It took longer than I thought.”

“But still, you did it.”

Zero nodded. “Did Sakura wake up yet?”

The girl smiled as she listened to the steady rhythm of his heart beating in his chest. “She did. Yesterday.”

“Is she okay?”

“She was okay enough to fight with Ren all day,” she sighed. “I don’t really blame her though. He’s like a little boy who has a crush and is just being as annoying as possible in order to get her attention.”

A small groan rumbled in the devil’s throat. “Sounds about right.”

Ivy pulled back, taking his face in her hands, her thumbs rubbing against the bits of muck on his cheeks. “You’re dirty. You look so tired. That couldn’t have been easy.”

Zero shrugged. “I can sleep here tonight, and I’ll wash up in the morning.”

The girl took his hand and stood up, pulling him with her. “You’re not sleeping out here. You’ve been doing that for days now. Let’s go in.”

Zero kicked off his muddy boots before entering the house, and the two quietly made their way up the stairs and into the room. Ivy rummaged for a change of clothes, finding a clean pair of pants that she handed to the devil. She slid into bed, burying herself under the blankets as he changed. There was a rustling of the clothes and katanas before Ivy felt him leaning over her.

“I’m dirty,” he said quietly next to her ear, trying not to wake the already sleeping couple. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

The girl reached up and pinched his nose, her eyes narrowing. “I don’t care. Lay down,” she demanded. He wasn’t getting away that easy.

Zero didn’t bother to argue, nor did he want to. It took only a moment for him to collapse behind her, arms wrapping around and pulling the girl back against him snugly. He was out almost instantly, the rise and fall of his chest a comforting motion that had been missed. Ivy tangled her arms through his in order to keep him there as she closed her eyes, a smile on her lips.

Ren had been right.