Chase threw open the balcony door and my hand flew to my throat, grasping lightly at the neck of my hoodie. There was nothing but my plants, now overturned. Dirt on the wood showed footprints, definitely not human. Broken pottery littered the surfaces but barely obstructed the demonic looking footprints. Triangular in shape, with huge claws. They had scraped into the wood. It was one of the scariest things I'd ever seen. My heart almost stopped. Chase leaned over the balcony, scanning the area. What did it want with me? Something that large could have easily made off with me. Gray came back over and put an arm around me, shielding me. Chase slammed his fist on the railing, making the metal shake and creak. I leaned my head into Gray's chest, attempting to process what this all meant.
"It could have taken me. Why didn't it? I was sitting right there, practically on a serving plate. So what's the point of stalking me?", I asked, my voice shaking. Both boys looked at me and then at each other, having not had that realization. I pulled away from Gray and sat on the couch, leaning my head back and staring at the ceiling. There were foot prints up there too. It sent a chill down my spine.
"Well, maybe whatever it is, it's trying to find a weak spot in our defenses?", Chase probed the question.
"No. I was all alone this morning probably for upwards of an hour, remember? I was even sleeping. What better opportunity did that thing have?", I asked, throwing my hands up in the air and slapping them down on the couch in exasperation. I searched and searched for some explanation. The boys looked at each other again, exchanging looks of worry and confusion while standing on opposite sides of the room.
"Do you think that maybe it means to take her to the dream realm? As a prize? As a mate?", Gray rubbed his chin.
"As a mate?", I asked, dumbfounded. I lifted my head to look at Gray, raising and eyebrow. He wouldn't meet my eyes. Neither would Chase.
"Every few thousand years or so, they bring a human female to... well, make more nightmares. Time doesn't work the same way there as it does here. Neither does reproduction. Weeks here is almost half a century there", Chase said awkwardly.
"With your unusual abilities, you'd make absolutely unparalleled offspring, even with our kind. It's true. Nightmares of your production and lineage would be absolutely lethal if they could slip past the barrier of consciousness in normal humans", Gray said, contemplating the thought.
"But then why didn't it take her when it had the chance?", Chase said, wringing his hands nervously. Something was missing. We were missing a key piece to this puzzle. And where does this thief come in to play? What's the next move? Something in my brain clicked. It hit me like a runaway train.
"Did it ever occur to you that my phone has all my personal information?", I asked both of them. I looked back and forth between them, watching them connect the dots.
"My birthday, who my parents were, everywhere I've ever been pinged with check ins, my close connections, my friends, all of my social media, pictures of me, my astrological signs, where I worked, my current address, every speck of information about me", I trailed off. They were gathering intel for something bigger. I was going to be the queen of this chess set. They wanted to use me to acquire something. Now just wasnt the time to pluck me up. They planted the seed of something here, within me. Was that the reason for my powers, or were my powers just a plus to them in whatever they were planning? The only sure thing; they'd be back to reap what they sewed. The boys looked absolutely mortified.
"There was never a burglar that was human. It was a distraction, or something to differ my attention so they could slowly make sure I was exactly what they wanted for whatever they're plotting. I was never mundane or boring, it was a farce to cover something up", I whispered. It sounded so surreal to say it out loud. How is this real? Why me? My head felt light, like I was going to faint. The boys sat on either side of the couch with me. They each took one of my hands.
"We will never let anything happen to you, you know that, right? We'll be here as long as there's a threat. We'll stay after if you're not comfortable being alone after this is all said and done", Chase said, squeezing my hand. Gray nodded in agreement.
"She can not ever be alone. One of us has to attend her, every second of every day. One of us should take turns sleeping while the other watches over her. And we should take her to see my elder and your elder and the different mountain witches. We should also seek the council. They may have answers we need to better protect her. To maybe even stop this plan the nightmares concocted", Gray said. Chase searched my face while nodding in agreement. I felt nauseous. I stared straight ahead, unsure of how to feel, if I could even distinguish feelings anymore. He laid the back of his hand against my forehead. His skin felt cold.
"Lay down. Sleep. Gray and I will come up with a solid plan", Chase said, genuinely concerned. He and Gray stood up, helping me to my feet, keeping my hands tightly in theirs. I got into bed and wrapped the blankets up around me. Gray walked back out of the bedroom, but stayed near the doorway. He pulled the beads into their holder, then folded his arms and leaned on the wall. Chase sat on the edge of my bed, wiping my hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear. I met his eyes and my face must have given me away. He gave me a weak smile. His hand stopped by my ear.
"Can I get a little help with sleep...?", I asked, not sure if he would comply given the current situation. He closed his eyes slightly, leaning in towards my face. His white eyelashes barely concealed the bright green of his eyes. His breath smelled of pine trees. His whole aura screamed forest. He exhaled deeply into my face and I was surrounded in glitter. My mind went black in a matter of seconds. I felt almost instant emotional relief.