Chapter 3

The Red Thing was just standing against the wall, trembling.

It is hard, very hard, to stay furious and defensive at something weak and terrified. Menolly wanted to. The gods knew that. She wanted to hate this thing. Hate it with every fiber of her being, drive it back into whatever reality it was from. Death should be invisible. You should never have to see it coming for you.

It was Canth that decided it for her. As the seconds passed, the red skinned girl just standing there, unmoving, his tail slowly lowered. The growling stopped. Taking a tentative step forward, Canth lowered his head, a slight whine coming from him. Almost as if apologizing.

Menolly had to do something. She did NOT want the creature to touch Canth. There was too much risk in that. She called him over, the dog whirling to bound over to her, relieved. Even as he began to jump up onto her, she was pushing him back down with her left hand. Reaching over, she held her pizza cutter out towards Jeff.

"Here. Take this."

He took it, fingers touching hers momentarily. He frowned, eyes confused.

"How can she be Death?"

"Later."

"No. Now." His gaze went between her and the thing. "Tell me what the fuck is going on."

"Let me find out myself, OK?" Moving around Canth, she slowly walked towards the Red Thing. Menolly could practically hear Jeff fold his arms across his chest.

"You seem to know a lot about her already."

Yes. Yes she did. More than should be known, especially by...

Menolly sighed. She was being a bitch.

"Just ... give me a moment."

The unreal girl was watching her closely as she approached. Those white eyes were disconcerting, but, again, no different than Ai. That's what she had to focus on. This was another Ai. Yet, she couldn't let that lead her down a garden path. Ai was sexual. For all orgasm has been called a "little death", that was not the case here.

Menolly stopped before her. The creature was shorter than her, perhaps five feet compared to her five foot, nine inch frame. Her yellow hair, a pure, organic yellow, fell down her back like it would on any human. The white tunic was rough, primitive. Menolly had never seen the one Ai had entered this world in, but this seemed similar to what had been described to her. Sewing obviously was not an advanced skill in the other reality. Bracing herself, Menolly slowly squatted. A slight wave of dizziness came over her. She had exerted herself too much today. She needed food, her medicine. Sleep. Ignoring the whining of Canth, and the questions of Jeff, she looked the creature in the eye.

"Hello."

There were no eyebrows, or even a ridge for them. Just those large eyes set in a human head. The thing looked back. Menolly took another breath.

"It's OK. We won't hurt you. You're safe." Yeah. Right. Because it was this creature who was in danger here. "My name is Menolly. Menolly. Do you have a name?"

The head cocked. A reaction. Good. Menolly forced a smile.

"Tell me your name."

There was a shift in those white eyes. She could see it. Describe it, no, but it was definitely there. Lips, almost a pink against the red of its skin, moved. The creature whispered.

"Ve..."

Menolly heard the sound of the pizza cutter hitting the wooden floor of the cabin. Her opinion of the guy went down a bit more. You don't drop a weapon when startled. His voice came, unsteady.

"She..."

"She talks, yes. Your name is Ve?" Menolly smiled again. The Red Thing nodded slowly. "That's a good name. A very good..."

"What the HELL is she? Tell me!"

Ve's eyes shifted over Menolly's head. They seemed to change again. Soften, maybe. Menolly closed her own eyes, tired. Was there a connection between these two? Yes. Of course. Damn it. Why wasn't Violet here...

"Jeff ... you died."

Eyes opening, she turned to him, trusting the creature enough to ignore her for now. She saw Jeff, shirtless, her poor bandaging job starting to come undone around his chest, staring at Ve. Their eyes were probably locked, souls talking, yadda yadda yadda. Strangely, having only part of his attention made it easier for her. His gaze flicked to her for a moment, disoriented.

"Died?"

"Died."

"And she killed me?"

"No." Menolly shook her head. "You died because of your injuries. These things are ... they appear at the moment of death. They touch you the moment your life ends. Not a cause, but ... a companion. That's the only way I can describe it. Your heart stopping and a Red Thing touching you happens at the exact same moment, both needed for death to happen."

"But, she didn't touch me! Not out there! Not until just now!"

"Yes." Menolly sighed. "You died, but Canth didn't let her touch you."

His eyes focused completely on the girl again.

"Yes ... that's right. I remember. I ... I saw her. Canth barked at her..."

"Yes." Weakness momentarily flowed over Menolly. She pushed herself to her feet. "I'll leave you two to get better acquainted." Without waiting for a reply, she made her way into the kitchen.

Jeff was smart. He was. Three years at R.I.T. had proved that, his Engineering degree a foregone conclusion at this point. He should understand this. Should comprehend what this woman, no older than he was, was saying.

Unless it was some kind of New Age, Pagan crap. He knew girls who were into that, witch wannabe lesbians, wearing black and such. Jeff had given it a chance once, after a buxom blond he liked had dyed her hair and asked if he wanted to take part in some "sky clad" ritual. Sadly, he decided she wasn't worth that much stupidity.

Plus, you know, Jesus and such. And the music sucked.

Menolly was in the kitchen, the dog having followed. Jeff half heard the sound of a glass on the counter, liquid pouring. Given how much this girl seemed to scare her, Menolly's actions were confusing the hell out of him. First she's swearing and brandishing weapons, then she's all nice. He was willing to cut her some slack, as she was obviously ill, but still...

The girl, Ve, was looking at him. Unable to help himself, Jeff slowly walked towards her. He wet his lips.

"Hello. I'm Jeff. Jeff."

He said his name twice because Menolly had done it. Maybe it was the kind of thing you were supposed to do with people like this. She said nothing, even as her eyes seemed to say everything. He swallowed.

She was Death. Why, then, did he feel so alive as he approached her?

He stopped, looking down at her upturned face. So ... so beautiful. Her skin was smooth. Perfect. No pores. No hairs. Just ... red, stretched over unseen bone and muscle. Only that stupid outfit marred her beauty. What did she look like, under it? Was she ... human, under there? Jeff's hand began moving before he was aware of it. She had touched his face, fire flowing through him. Now, he returned the favor, fingers of his right hand approaching her cheek. They touched...

Glass.

She was glass. Soft, smooth, burning hot glass. He slid his fingertips over her skin, the girl's eyes never leaving his. There was no friction. Fire burned his nerves, yet it was not pain. Neither was it pleasure. After a moment, he pulled his hand back.

"What are you, Ve? Who are you?"

"Ve," she said. He smiled. Her voice was low, yet female. There was a slight echo to it, odd, otherworldly. Jeff's fingers flexed. They were undamaged from their adventure.

"Yes. Who am I?'

"Mine."

His smile faded. That ... did not sound good.

Menolly closed her eyes, the pills making their way into her stomach. So many. So many drugs. Even with the chemo over, so many drugs. To thin her blood, to thicken her blood, to resist this and counteract that. To do horrible things to her body, in the hope the greater horror could be defeated.

Was this life?

She couldn't have survived. Menolly knew that. A final round of chemo, of horrible treatments, would have killed her. Even if the cancer was vanquished, what would be left of the young woman who had entered that doctor's office a year ago?

No. She had stopped it. Eighty percent chance the cancer was gone. A reasonable chance it wouldn't come back. Good enough.

Not that her family had agreed. She looked down at Canth, sitting on the floor by his half empty dish. Menolly still wasn't sure why Violet had relented. Her oldest sibling had led the charge to keep her on the treatments. Had yelled. Unfair to the family, she had said. Think of her mothers, she had pleaded. Then ... she had stepped back.

Accepted.

Why?

"Do you know, Canth?" she asked. "Did she tell you, when she dog sat you that last time?"

Her mothers still cried every time she went over to the house. Nadia and Elly were gone, now, out of school and on with their lives. The closest of her ten siblings no longer at her side. Only Freddy, wonderful Freddy, had supported her. Supported her, as she knew Dad would have...

So what changed Violet's mind?

Her eyes went to the plain round plastic clock hanging on the wall. Almost 7 PM. She wasn't hungry, now, but she had to get some of the pizza now sitting on the counter into her. Feed her body something more healthy than the drugs. Then ... wait up for the cop to come back. Hope the Red Thing didn't kill all of them. Then go to bed.

Maybe it was all a dream.

Maybe she'd die in her sleep.

There's a happy thought. At least she wouldn't see it coming...

Ve watched her companion kneel down before her. Ve was not sure what a companion was. He was one, though. She knew that. He was hers. Forever. So, too, she was his, but that was meaningless.

She knew what she had to do. Somehow, that knowledge was in her. Even as those such as she had no place in this world, this aspect of reality, deep inside what was now her mind lay all that was needed to survive.

Ve wanted to survive.

The other known as Jeff looked up at her. Ve trembled. He spoke to her. Not with words, although he used them, asking things she had no concept of yet. No. He spoke with his being. His body throbbed with hurt. With need. With desire. Desire for her. Desire for what only she could provide, for the only way both of them could survive.