‡ Promise 5: My Curiosity ‡

-As told by Lily-

y parents decided it was a good idea, now that we've moved, to have dinner together every night. So here I were, sitting at the table for dinner, something we haven't done since I was twelve. "So, chubby-bear," mom smiled, "I see you're making new friends now." "I guess." I said. "New friends, huh?" smiles my dad, "Who are they?" "A nice girl named Jody." answers my mom, "And a boy. His name was Tommy, wasn't it? They stopped by today, after school." "I see." says my father, "So, tell me about your new friends. What are they about?" "I don't know." I frown, "Jody is a happy-peppy kid and Tommy is her best friend. End of story."
Disappointed with my lack of excitement and willingness to give details about my new friends, my parents went on amongst themselves, about their happy day. My father is thrilled with his new patients and about "getting back to the basics". My mother claims that her creativity has increased, since we moved here. My parents are happy. But I am a little worried. Tommy had came rushing into my house, this afternoon, with printouts from the net. His theory was that our neighbor, Keith Rolmir, was something inhuman. That every great horror writer, with the name Keith, was in fact the very same guy. That would make Keith an immortal.
Of course, Jody dismissed it as foolishness, but I'm not so sure. The first time I've noticed Rolmir, heading into his house, I felt something dark grip me. A feeling mixed with danger, coldness, and panic. And also... curiosity. And every time I've spied him in the yard, I've felt the same thing. And it doesn't stop, until he goes back into his home. There is something definitely wrong with Keith Rolmir, something dark. I generally like dark things, but there's something disturbing about this, something inhuman.
After brushing my teeth, I head up to my room, in the attic. Since chosing this room, I've covered my slanted walls with gothic pictures and symbols, a purple a black comforter covers my bed, under it lies purple silk sheets. My gothic dolls, pale with dark curls and wearing their dark Victorian style dresses, seem to sneer at me as I turn off my lamp. I lay there for a while, in my bed, my mind racing with unanswered questions. It was then that I felt it, that twisted feeling, that darkness. It was him! I raced to my window, in the dark, desperate to see what's going on.
In the pale moonlight, a man carrying a flashlight, heads into the woods. From what I could make out, the shape of his body and the few stray stands of hair, I knew it was Rolmir! But why was he going into the woods? My curiosity took over my better judgment. I decide to go out there and find out! Throwing on a black pullover and black jeans, I put on my black fuzzy slippers and quietly grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen drawer. I sneak out of backdoor and hopped the low chain-link fence, separating the yard from the woods.
Turning on my flashlight, I went in, not sure where I was heading or even if he was still nearby. I walked ten minutes into the woods, when a caw from a raven caused my heart to stop for second. "This is stupid." I grunted, "What am I doing?" "An excellent question." said a voice behind me, causing me to shriek. I turned around swinging my fist, ready to fight off my attacker, but Keith caught it calmly and effortlessly. "You're so jumpy, even for a little sneak." he said. I could feel my face growing red. "Yeah, well." I said, "You're the one sneaking up on me!"
"Perhaps." he nods, "But, I don't think arguing over who's sneaking up on whom is necessary. The question here would be, why are you alone in the woods, this late at night?" It was a question I didn't want to answer, besides I have a feeling that he already knows why. So, I throw the question right back, "I know why I'm here, but why are you here?" "Very good," he sighs, "Answer a question with a question. I'm sure that will get you far in life." This guy was smug and I didn't like it. I was pissed off now.
"Dammit!" I yell, "Just because you're some freakin' writer doesn't give you the right to talk to me, like that! You're not even that good of a writer! I can tell, you're holding crap back in your books!" "How very astute of you." he said, a little surprised and a little amused. I continued my rant, "I have every right to be in this woods as much as you do! You don't own these woods! Besides, a teen playing in the woods at night isn't so strange, compared to a grown man wondering the woods at night! What are you, some kind of weirdo, doing some type of crime?"
"Well," he said, folding his arms, "If I were, for example, burying a body, do you really think I'd tell you? And if I had an inkling that you knew anything about my crime, do you really think I'd let you leave these woods alive?" A cold chill went up my spine, as I saw the seriousness on his face. What have I gotten myself into? A smile spreads across his face, "I'm kidding, of course." "Y-you're a j-jerk!" I said, shaken. "Maybe." he shrugs, "Then perhaps you will stop spying on the jerk, hmm? That's why you're here, because you spotted me going into the woods, from your attic window?" My mouth drops open, with no words left to say for my defense.
"Surprised?" he continues, "Oh, yes, I have noticed. You've been watching me there, for a while, even invited friends over to watch. I am flattered. I'm truly am. But a man does need his privacy. So, I'll kindly ask you to stop. But, most likely, you won't listen. You seem like the stubborn type." "Wait." I said, feeling caught in a nightmare, "You've only caught Jody and me peeking, once. What do you mean, you've known for a while?" "The same way you can sense me," he says, without feeling, "I can sense you. It's just that simple." "What..." I swallowed, "What are you?" He looks me straight in the eye for a moment, a blank yet sinister expression, "It's best that you don't know. Go home."
My heart sinks into my slippers. A sudden shriek from a raven, coming in the direction behind me, causes me to turn around in a panic. I had then realized I had turned my back on the creepy writer and turned to face him again. But he was gone! There was no sign or evidence he ever stood there. Freaking out a bit, I ran back the way I came, making it back to the fence in five minutes. I rushed into my house, ran upstairs, and ran another short flight to my room. Once there, I curled up by the side of my bed and cried. I was so afraid and so overwhelmed.
The next day, at lunch, I decided to tell Jody and Tommy about my terrifying night. "Y-you!" choked Jody, "You t-talked to K-Keith...?" "Focus, Jody." I frowned, "I also said he threatened me, twice!" "Yeah," nods Tommy, "I knew that guy was strange. He doesn't want you know he's immortal." "Huh?" frowns Jody, confused. "Seriously." I agree with Tommy, "I'm not sure if he's an immortal, but he's definitely something not human." "What?" frowns Jody, still confused. "Well," says Tommy, in deep thought, "What time did he go into the woods? Maybe I can look it up on the net, maybe find some type of creature that roams the woods in that time frame?" "Good idea." I agreed, "It was a little after ten."
"Oh, come on!" shouts Jody, shocking us both, "That's a bunch of crap! Look, there are no such things as monster fetuses, immortal writers, or night-dwelling woodland monsters! And, Lily, he threaten you because you were spying on him! Famous or not, most people don't like it when you spy on them! He was just scaring you, just so you'll leave him alone. And now that I know just how much Mr. Rolmir wants his privacy, I won't come over to spy anymore. Besides, I respect the man very much! I'll only stop by to study, do homework, or just to hangout. Okay?"
"Fine." I said, flatly. "So," she nods, "Are we all cool? Are we all back to our senses now?" "Yes, ma'am." grumbles Tommy. "Good!" she says, satisfied, "Now, I'm going to get another soda. I'll be back. No more crazy talk, okay?" I waited until she was out of earshot and said, "I know what I felt and saw, last night." "Yeah," shrugs Tommy, "And I still plan to look up the time frame on the net." I leaned in closer to Tommy, "Is she always this..." "What?", he grins, "Close-minded? Yep. She's a girl of hard science and reason. You can't fault her much." "Hmm." I sigh, sitting back in my chair. At least Tommy believes me.
After school, Jody drove me home, but she didn't come in. She said she had to work at the bookstore this afternoon, but made a point to ask me to not spy on Rolmir. I noticed that his car wasn't in the driveway. "Can't." I reply, while leaning in the car window, "Even if I wanted to spy, Keith isn't here. His car is gone." "Well," she said, "That's good. I'll call you later, okay?" "Fine." I shrug and headed for my house. As I approached my porch, I noticed that Rolmir's door was open a crack.
He must have left and forgotten to lock his door. I was about to go inside my house, when my curiosity started again. "Are you mad?" I said to myself, "You can snoop inside the guy's house? What if he comes back?" But my legs weren't listening, as I was mindlessly walking across Rolmir's lawn. "Okay," I said to myself, "Just one peak inside and then I'm going home." I slowly opened his door, my heart pounding, peeking cautiously into the home. "Hello?" I call, knowing that no one was there. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. I was now inside Keith Rolmir's house!
Something white flew out of nowhere, causing me to shriek. It was a white cat. "Wow!" I gasp, "You scared me, little kitty. That's odd... I never would have guessed that Rolmir was a cat-lover." The cat just blinked at me. I walked further in, the cat following me, not seeing anything weird or odd. Normal furniture, normal knickknacks, normal paint and wallpaper. It looked like a normal guy lives here. I went into the kitchen, only to find it clean, except for a glass of wine on the counter. "Okay." I sigh, "Where are you hiding the freaky stuff?"
I opened the fridge and there were no human heads or any other human remains inside. "This blows!" I frown, "Maybe Jody was right, he was just pissed about the spying." My eye rested on the drink on the counter. There were a few times that I stole a sip or two from my parents' drinks, when they weren't looking. Wouldn't it be cool if I stole a sip from Keith Rolmir's drink? I picked up the drink and the cat growls. "Calm down, furry." I smirk, "Your owner will never know." I then took a sip.
This didn't taste like the drinks my parents ever had, in fact it burned a little too much. I couldn't swallow it so I immediately spit it out, along with a wad of blood, onto the clean white counter. My mouth felt like it was on fire, I covered it with my hand, backing away in panic. The kitty growls turns into roars, as it's face slid away, revealing this evil thing! I fall on my butt, trying to back away, the thing with sharp metal teeth closing in. I crawl backwards, pinned against the floor cabinets...