Little Fox in Big Trouble

Five

We fell asleep like that, watching an old family sitcom that I couldn’t have named. By the time I woke up the news was playing and once again talking about the missing girls and the efforts to find them. Today, they were kind enough to tell the public how unlikely it was that the women would be found alive, because they had been missing for so long. I snatched the remote from the other side of the couch and turned it off, not wanting to hear anymore. I accidentally jostled Troy awake while I did so.

“Briseis?” He asked as he stretched his arms over his head. The motion caused his shirt to rise up and I was momentarily distracted by the strip of tawny skin exposed and the dark curls that trailed from his navel to disappear under his jeans. I wanted, more than anything, to soak in his warmth again.

“Hm?” I shook my head and responded with astounding wit.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“Yea. I’m fine. Um, I’ll be right back.” I stammered and lurched, gracefully off the couch. When I reached the bathroom and shut the door behind me, I leaned my back against it and squeezed my eyes shut. Nausea was rolling through me like a series of tidal waves. Jess was still missing, and I still had no idea how to find her. Yet here I was cozying up to some guy I barely knew instead of finding her. what was wrong with me? I stayed in the position for several long moments, fighting to regain my composure. Afterwards, I tended to my needs, brushed my teeth, and washed my face. When I believed I would be able to keep myself together and keep my hands to myself, I headed back to the living room. It was empty.

Refusing to acknowledge my disappointment, I wandered into the kitchen to grab a cola from the fridge and discovered two things. One, I didn't have any cola left. Two, there was a note on the refrigerator door from Troy.

Went to my place to shower and change my clothes. I'll be back soon and I'll bring food.

P.S. I’ll get more cola, too.

With that sorted out, I decided a shower might not be a terrible idea for me either. I cranked up the hot water and burned away some of the tension in my muscles while I bathed. Then, I took a few extra minutes to find a cute but casual outfit. Finally, I ran a brush through my unruly waves, reapplied my mascara and lip balm, and made my way back to the couch. After a few restless moments of absently flipping through the channels on the tv another idea started to take root. What if that stuff my mom said was true? Most of it sounded crazy, of course, but what if even a little of it was true? Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed my laptop and looked for a way to induce a vision. The first dozen results were ridiculous, but I did see one process that popped up on multiple sites.

Laying on my back, I closed my eyes and focused on Jess. I was picturing her smiling face and hearing her laughter. I held that image firmly in my mind while I willed my body to relax. For several minutes I was swimming in my own frustration before I gave up and crawled back onto the couch to melt into the cushions and sulk.

When I opened my eyes I found myself sitting in the dark. The ground beneath me was wet and soft, and I could hear crickets loudly chirping all around me. My heart was pounding in my chest, my shoulders and arms were aching and stiff, and my wrists burned like they were set on fire. I felt something furry brush across my leg and flinched away from the touch, wishing I could see something. Anything.

As I sat there, focusing on my surroundings and trying to distinguish any details, other sensations started to break through. I couldn’t see because something was over my eyes. My arms and wrists hurt because my hands were tied behind my back. I could feel two hearts beating in my chest. As the heartbeats separated, I realized that while my heart was racing inside my chest, the slower, weaker heartbeat alongside it belonged to Jess. I felt her again.

“Briseis!”

I slammed back into my own body and snapped my eyes open to find Troy hovering anxiously over my face. “I did it,” I told him.

“Are you- you did what?” His eyebrows smoothed and his shoulders relaxed as he lowered himself to sit on the edge of the couch.

“I…, Jess... I don’t know what I did, but I was there.” I sat up to face him properly and tried to explain what happened. “I was there with Jess. It was dark and damp and,” tears welled in my eyes as I choked on my words. I stopped to take a breath and gather my thoughts.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Troy said as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him.

I closed my eyes for a moment, and breathed in his scent to steady myself, relishing the feeling of being in his arms. “I don’t know where she is, but I know that she’s scared.”

“Okay. Scared is good. Scared is alive.” He told me as he pulled back and looked into my face. “Did you notice anything else? Is there anyone else there with her?” He asked,

“Oh, Troy. I’m so sorry, I don’t know.” I slumped against him, feeling terrible for not being able to tell him his sister was alive, too.

“Don’t be,” he whispered, as he enveloped me in his arms again. I wrapped mine around his shoulders and rested my head against his chest.

We stayed just like that, quiet and wrapped in each other’s arms for a long moment before Troy cleared is throat and gently disentangled himself from me.

He pulled away from me and reached into a bag that had been dropped on the floor.

“Ooh, is that bacon?” I asked, perking up considerably.

“It is. Eggs and sausage, too.” He answered as he handed me a plate. “It’s from a diner a couple of blocks from my place.”

“mmph, iss good,” I mumbled, covering my mouth with my free hand.

“I see.” Troy chuckled, “Here, I got you a cola, too.”

"Ank oo.” I said.

He smiled and leaned back beside me to eat his own breakfast. We ate in a companionable silence and then he carried our plates to the kitchen.

“I think I can do it again,” I told him as soon as he returned to his seat.

“Do what again?” He asked.

“I think I can find Jess again. Maybe I can actually find something that will help.” I said, animated hand gestures illustrating my excitement.

“Maybe.” He frowned, “Are there any risks in doing this?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure, but I don’t think so. It’s just like dreaming, right?” I shrugged, “Besides, even if there are risks, I’m going to do it anyway. Jess is my best friend. Not only that, but your sister could be out there, too. Obviously, I am going to help you find her if I can.”

“I know you are.” He conceded. “That doesn’t mean I want you to do something that’s going to hurt you, though.” He said as he met my eyes. He was making it clear that he meant what he was saying. He did want to find his sister, but he didn’t want to put me in danger to do it. It may have only been a couple of days, but Troy was quickly coming to mean a lot to me and it sent butterflies through my stomach that he was so worried about me.

Unfortunately, every thought in my head was turning in a different direction as his gaze dropped to where I was biting my lip and his eyes blazed with intensity. My breath hitched as my own gaze swept over his face from the plush bottom lip I so wanted to kiss to his perfect emerald eyes.

When our eyes met, he held my gaze for several heartbeats before he whispered, "Your eyes really are beautiful. They aren't just an unusual color. You have fox eyes."