Some Thing Called Myself (Complete)

XLIX: Something Returns

Ch. 49: Something Returns

"I know, right? Did you miss me?" Numa said.

"Miss you?" Mara snapped. "You...drugged me and then disappeared without saying a word after telling me you knew about my...eating habits!" Numa laughed at that, and Mara growled, her words hardening when she continued, "You think that's funny? It's not. I felt something all right, but I don't know if I'd say I missed you." Carefully, she stepped toward the edge of the center wall. "I'm furious with you; that's more appropriate."

"Aw. That doesn't sound good at all, honey." Numa's eyes glimmered in the half-light.

"Yeah, it doesn't. Now you're spot on. And maybe you'll discover just how much."

Mara ran. She rounded the central wall, jumped over a bench, and reached for the bundle of clothes in front of her locker. Her blade was wrapped in her favorite hoodie, and if she managed to get it and thrust it in Numa's chest hard enough....

Something jumped over her clothes and hissed, front legs raised in a warning. Mara locked a scream in her throat and reeled back, but more and more gleaming-red, spider-like monsters crowded around her.

Cockroaches, dozens of them, hissed and growled, snapping their tiny jaws and lashing their sharp legs. They jumped toward Mara, never hitting her, but instead, shepherding her back to the warmth of the candlelight. Balled hands trembling, Mara cursed under her breath, her chest heaving as she looked from Numa to the growing number of shadows around them.

Numa stood a mere meter away, wearing high-waisted dress pants, a tight silk vest, and nothing underneath it. With a wide smile, Numa tapped the small pin on the left side of his chest, which sported a small, detailed top hat with an intricate H in the middle.

"It's too soon to leave, baby girl. I want to talk to you a little," Numa cooed. He could barely hide the amusement in his voice.

Mara's eyebrows arched on her forehead; she scoffed and shook her head. "I can't believe you called me that." Mara didn't move for a good moment, studying the man in front of her. It wasn't too much to think that Numa could try to attack her. After all, Mara had no idea of what to expect from him.

"Hey, cool your jets." Numa raised his hands in surrender. "I'm not here to fight—not after I saw what you did to that poor mermaid. That was brutal."

A particularly large cockroach lashed out, and Mara flinched back with a gasp.

"You too, darlings; calm down," Numa added. "Remember, we're here to talk as a favor for a...friend. We don't want anyone getting hurt."

Mara took a deep breath. Between sarcasm and violence, she chose to peel her back from the wall and stand a little taller, her arms crossed over her chest. Then, she took a deep breath; she didn't want to lose her head again.

"Okay." Mara tightened the towel around her, making sure it was firm. "You wanna talk? Let's talk. What do you have to say to me?"

Numa chuckled. "First, you should say you missed me. We're building a relationship here, Mara. I want to make sure you're on the right path—and I think that's worthy of being missed. Being missed is the first step, she said."

She sneered; Mara's lips opened and closed, a fish out of water. "Eh. All right. No, Manubak, I didn't miss you."

Numa frowned, a little pout tugging his lips outward.

"But I did try to find you. Desperately," Mara continued. "Did you have fun hiding around the HQ with my secret?"

"Yes, it was exhilarating. I thought you'd be fun to watch, but my world! You're even more entertaining than Carmen and her rebel birds of a love triangle." He winked and leaned forward. "I'd wonder if you'd have the same end as the belle Carmen, but—you are already dead!" He let out a loud laugh, his head tilting backward. Something shifted in his expression. Numa stepped forward, the candlelight clipping sharp shadows on his face, and at that very moment, Mara felt a strong wave of familiarity washing over her.