Willow by Donna Lynn Hope

Turning to me, she sought my input. “What do you think?”
    I looked from Amber’s face to Ben’s. “I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the concept of mythical beasts since the consensus seems to be that they are fiction rather than fact. I mean, if they really existed, I think they would have been proven to be so by now, don’t you?”
    “But Willow, isn’t some lore based on truth, no matter how small?” Ben was politely challenging me. “Wouldn’t you say that some unexplained violence is the result of otherworldly beings?”
    I shook my head softly. “Not really. I think that’s just something people tell themselves because they can’t bear to think humanity can be so monstrous.”
    “Remember though,” Amber cautioned. “Ben experienced something firsthand and he might have more experience with this than we do.”
    Conceding to them I rose from my seat, brushed the crumbs from the table onto my plate, and thanked Ben as he took our plates into the kitchen. When he came back out we exchanged polite goodbyes and turned to open the door. Ben called out from behind the counter, “Keep your eyes open girls, even in a place like this there could be things that go bump in the night.” 
    Amber and I exchanged knowing glances, bid him goodbye and headed back to Anne’s house. While we were walking Amber’s phone rang and she nudged me while silently mouthing Reece’s name.
    From what I could hear it seemed as though they were making plans.
    “Yes, she’s here,” Amber said. There was a brief pause as she listened.
    “I don’t know. I’ll ask her.” Amber glanced at me while still holding the phone to her ear. “Reece wants to know if you want to go out with us next weekend. There’s a bonfire...”
    “I’d like to check with Anne first but I don’t think we have any plans.”
    Amber returned her focus to Reece. “I think she’ll be able to come.”
    After a long pause she exclaimed out loud. “Oh really? I’ll pass along that bit of info.” She closed her phone and lifted her laughing eyes to meet mine.
    “Dare I ask?” I prompted.
    An amused grin danced around the edges of Amber’s mouth. “Reece’s dad was quite taken with your aunt.”
    I clasped my hands together and smiled inside.  I hoped it was true.

Chapter 13
    The week passed by monotonously. I hadn’t heard from Haven but I wasn’t about to call him inquiring about it either. As much as I liked him I didn’t want to give him the power to affect my emotions. I couldn’t afford that kind of uncertainty.  Even with Anne, who was family, I was unsure where my roots were; I felt weak and insignificant in a large, lonely and threatening world.
    While I ruminated over life I looked down and noticed I was plucking lint from the throw pillow, enough that colored pieces of fabric had fallen like snow and collected on Anne’s cream-colored flokati rug. I knelt down to pick up the pieces and saw that dark was descending earlier than usual. I had to get ready.
    I felt indecision creep into my thoughts. I wondered if there was something wrong with me. Instead of going out with Amber and Reece, I wanted to stay home with Anne and enjoy our weekly tradition of making baked ziti and individual pumpkin cheesecakes. In the last several weeks we established a routine of cooking and baking together, amicably at that. She would make the cheesecake and while it was cooling she would combine sugar, water and whipping cream in a large pot until the taffy colored mixture bubbled into a thick caramel sauce. I would boil the pasta, fry the ground beef and assemble the salad. Sometimes we would talk, other times we would listen to music, which ranged from classical to pop.  
    After dinner we would watch a movie or play a card game. The ritual had become commonplace in the last month and I began to look forward to the normality of it.
    Tonight however, Amber and Reece had talked me into going out and meeting up with some acquaintances