Miss Nobody Ch 05

Chapter 5

HEAVEN SENT

Later Evening Day 1

The steam rose from my bath water as I scrubbed my skin raw, half hoping it would turn back time or wash away my sins or...something. Chef 's dead. One second we were sitting there talking about his past birthdays and the next he's calling me a Demon and trying to attack me.

I looked in the long mirror hanging on the back of the bathroom door. My hair was a tangle of knots. Dirt smeared across my cheek. My lips dry and cracked. Not my best. But a Demon? That was harsh, Old Man. Fuck. I'm going to miss you.

I slipped my body down and dunked my head under the water, scrubbing my face and scalp. Loosening the dirt and leaves. I sat up out of the water and leaned back against the old cast iron tub, getting myself comfortable again.

I twirled the small glass vial between my fingers. The mysterious man that gave it to me, Chef's death, someone trying to kill me, all faded away with the warmth radiating from it. My mind went comfortably numb as I stared at my toes wiggling across the water. A rush of pleasure like I had never experienced rose between my thighs.

A loud knock broke me from my trance and the heat quickly dissipated, taking the warmth of the water with it. It must be Jonny. "Be right there," I shouted while drying myself off and putting on a white cotton bathrobe. Is this the one I wore in the hospital? I thought I threw it away when I left. In only a few steps I crossed to my front door, pulling it open.

Chef.

"Chef? You're back. You're okay." I moved forward to hug him.

He stepped away from me and slowly moved his head back and forth. He brought his forefinger up to his mouth. "Shhh. I have something I want to show you," he whispered.

I looked down at my dress. Today's choice was a simple black one. My feet were covered in leather boots with a pointed toe. They looked vintage. Maybe from the forties? They seemed sturdy and fit comfortably so I didn't question it further.

I followed Chef down the staircase and across the paved road into the forest. We didn't normally go this way when we foraged. We stayed close to the Lodge and the well-worn trails. This path had branches that I needed to duck under and hold out of the way to navigate. They scratched at my bare legs. Tasting my blood.

"Whe-"

Chef turned to face me abruptly. "We're here." He stepped to the side so I could see past him. The pond. I hadn't been this far out but I studied the maps on the Lodge's pamphlets and was aware of the pond on the property. There was also a river, perfect for rafting, and lakes that required four-wheelers to get to. The pond was good for fishing and was home to a few turtles.

The water gently lapped at the pointed tips of my shoes.

"I have a special dish I want to make you." Chef turned to look over the water. His shoulder brushing up against mine. Chills pricked down my arm. "The special ingredient grows under the water."

I nodded. That makes sense.

"I'm getting too old to harvest it myself."

My head bobbed up and down. Yeah. I can see that.

"But heaven sent you to me."

Before I could turn to look at him, his strong hand was on my back, pushing me into the pond.

"Jane!" Jonny had his arms around me, holding me back from the edge of the pond water. "What are you doing?"

I jumped back as a wetness slithered across my bare foot. My robe, the soft black one, gifted to me by Jess, untied and slipped open. I suspected the robe was from the Lodge's lost and found but it was a beautiful velvet and didn't drag on the ground. I grabbed the edges and retightened the belt while catching my breath. What am I doing out here? Naked. In the dark. By the pond.

Ormus grunted, his wet snout sniffed my muddy barefeet.

Jonny looked at me patiently waiting for a reasonable answer.

I sighed. "I...I don't know." My feet crunched on the fallen leaves and dirt as I bent to pet Ormus between his ears and rub his snout. His grunts were short and loud. Like he was chastising me. "Why are you and Ormus out here?"

Jonny's confusion was visible in the pinks and oranges of the coming sunrise. "Pork Chop broke into my cabin and woke me up. He wouldn't stop until I followed him. He led me here, just in time to see you try to dive into the pond." He crouched and looked Ormus in the eye. "I almost shot you." He said quietly.

The pig grunted and ran off into the woods.

"I can carry you." Jonny stood up and held his arms out.

I laughed before I could stop myself. "That's okay. I can manage. I'm used to this." I shrugged it off and stepped toward the Lodge. No freaking way will he be carrying me. I'd rather walk across hot coals.

"You're used to walking barefoot in the woods? Part of Chef's teaching?" Jonny asked in disbelief as he walked next to me. He pointed the way to a path we could follow.

I nodded and tried not to wince at every little stone or oak leaf that poked the bottom of my foot. Ouch. Fuck.

Jonny touched my arm lightly, stopping me from my walk of pain. "It's none of my business but when you're ready to talk, I'm here." He kicked off his slippers and turned them to face me.

Tears welled up in my eyes. The last person who was nice to me was Jonny's sister. Kindness must run in the family.

"Or maybe the little Bacon Bit, if you want to talk to him?" Jonny grinned.

A tear slid down my cheek, from his thoughtfulness or the tiny stones that poked my feet I couldn't tell. I slid my feet into his slippers, grateful.

Jonny wiped my tear away gently with his thumb. He lifted my chin and held my gaze.

I'm still dreaming.

"Tio." Two young men jogged down the path toward us. They were both shirtless and wearing running shorts. They slowed down but one of them ran in place and checked his pulse. The other looked me up and down in my men's bathrobe and Jonny's slippers, then turned to Jonny. "Que putas esta pasando?"

Jonny hesitated. An alarm beeped on his phone, he pulled it out of the back pocket of his black pajama pants. "Almost time for the morning meeting."

The man groaned. "Do I really have to be there, Tio?"

Jonny said something to him in Spanish too fast for me to even guess. It didn't sound nice though.

Jonny's nephew jogged to his friend and they both ran back the way they came.

"I'll walk you back." Jonny held onto my elbow and guided me to the smooth asphalt road.

"Thanks." I smiled.

"That's Ben and Roman. They're around here if you ever need anything, just let them know." He smiled as we walked next to each other.

I walked up my staircase but turned after a couple of steps, bringing me eye to eye with Jonny. "Thanks again." You're a woman of many words. I raised my foot to find the next step before I made more of a fool out of myself.

"I'm going to wait right here for you."

I almost tripped on the step but recovered quickly. "Um...are you sure? I'll be okay. I won't fall asleep or anything." The chances of me sleepwalking into the pond in the daylight were...slim...hopefully. I kicked off the slippers and handed them to him.

He was already on the phone speaking Spanish and pacing back and forth barefoot and unbothered at the bottom of my stairs.

(Authors note: I am a new writer and I'm absolutely falling in love with the story I'm writing and the world I'm building. This is draft 14 and while it still needs a lot of work, it has come a long way since the first draft. I would like to have three books in this series written and I am open to constructive criticism to flesh it out more. I look forward to your helpful comments.)