Timed

He resembled a monster; by the looks on his face, I could tell when he was going to snap. My bed cushioned beneath me, sinking into an almost dreary sleep. I hadn't gone too far, I could feel his presence remaining in my mind. He was watching from afar-I could tell that by the way the door was closed. He was interested.

After I had lied down in the bed for a while, I got up, my head feeling fuzzy from the tea now being absorbed within my body. My had feet lightly padded against the wooden, and stained with grease, floor. I tiptoed, nearly missing a collision with a nail that bulged out from the floorboards. It squeaked, causing the noise to reverberate around the room. I listened for any remaining noise as my feet came to a halt near the door.

I opened it; the door had yawned as it padded the wall that had met with the doorknob. Stepping out, I could feel a force had already commenced me. There was a cold rush of air swinging back and forth. Lightly, the pads of my feet began to walk across the bronze floor that was smeared with a fresh coat of durastain-a clear liquid to clean floors with- it shined against the crisp, and spookiness of the full moon. The rims of the moon shined on in from a window-it exposed riveting metal that had twirled on the outside of the oval shape. I continued down the hall, and halted once I spotted a darkened figure that stood near an arch doorway. The person didn't seem to want to move.

"What are you doing?" My legs galloped high into the air, causing my face to drain to a pale white.

"Nothing," I quickly said, arching my body towards him. "I was looking for the bathroom."

"I told you, it was in your room... Did I not inform that? My apologies if I didn't." He took a step forward, now blocking both of us in. The air was turning warmer-a hint of hot scents came from the unknown force between us.

My neck was tousled back, and his head rested lightly to the side of his shoulder, he looked suspiciously at me. He had a lit candle in his left hand; the wax danced along the inside of his palm, causing it to stain and burn the core of his skin open. He didn't flinch; he was left with a fixed look. He didn't look away from the menacing tease that was hidden beneath my eyes.

"I'll go back, but please let me just go and do what I had to do in the first place," I snuck around, his arm clutching the side of me, fingers digging deep into the center core of my side.

"And that is what?" He slipped his hand away, this time he wouldn't lose.

"Leaving," I spat out; my face was now sullen.

His face grew with much more anger this time; he released, and I ran out; reachingn for the steps that were hidden beneath the dark mist that crawled around in circles. The room begun spinning. The room changed to a bright yellow-I was in a living room. The walls were beige. With white that outlined the border where it met with the rest of the wall. A fifty-style TV blared with static. The sound absorbed a sharp buzz through my ear. It ran through like a fly zipping around my head.

I jumped; a cold like texture was placed on my shoulder. A muscle seeming to rub up against me. A fire somehow started in a fireplace that wasn't there before. The ember sparked with a roar, splashing at the wood as it began to devour the inside of the chimney and cover it with thick, black ashes.

"You really want to leave at this hour?" He questioned my hostility, I was sure of leaving and never returning. However, it would be too stubborn of me to just get up and leave.

"No... I mean, I want to... But, I don't know." I fell short of a response.

"You can go," He whispered, his voice falling with each word he said.

I turned, my body now facing him. He seemed to be okay with it. I couldn't back down with the choice he made; he seemed to want to let me go for a short while, until we met again.

"Go," he urged with a mobile voice and body. "Now, before I go after you again." He wryly smiled.

He could not have said in any other tone. I could tell by the way that his eyes gawked at me. He wanted me to stay; I couldn't since I knew what would happen. "Unless," I croaked, my voice now beginning to climb up. "I stay, but I will stay down here." I pressured myself. I knew he wouldn't allow it, however I persisted on staying.

"You really want to?" He questioned once again.

I nodded, making sure my answer did go across.

Midnight struck, I was haunted by the presence of a man. He stood; gawked with enormous blue eyes. He yearned to get out, I imagined Ace laughing, caging him like a wild animal. I wondered who this lonely, yet sickly looking old man was. He cries out in constant pain, I can feel his emotion building up hysterically. "You are no man," he whispered to the man. The man continued to gawk. Nevertheless, this time he was a statue. He was miraculous looking. Goat-like horns spiraled out from the roof of his head and grew to the height of his face, where it stopped and seemed to dig into his pores, causing a stinging sensation to go through my own body. The sound of a faint groan triggered flashing lights in my mind; splashes of grey blocked my vision.

"Welcome back," a distant voice came from the rear of the room. Sitting up, I felt a sudden vibration move through my skin after a static shock of cold ran straight through me.

"Yeah, welcome back to my own self," I muttered; only my voice was getting colder by the minute. He was impossible to get away from; he seemed to roam like a virus that was incurable for a denounced time.

"Hungry? I have got breakfast ready for you." He got up on two legs, his steps were not missed nor did they stumble on the wooden floor.

I didn't let anything out, all I did was flash him cold eyes.

"You know, it would be more polite to just say no," he sharply pointed out. I stood on one leg, the other resting on the top of the couch.

"Give me a second... You don't have to be so cold." I answered back, my other leg softly patting the ground. An aloof scent hung in the air; I was tiresome to think of what the smell was that came forth towards the dry nostrils on my face. I slowly walked over, the scent now roaming closer to the narrow archway of the room.

My feet were now planted firmly, the moisture thickening the soles, and nearly making them stuck to the ground. Inside the corridor, there nestled softly a woman of about forty-four, her locks of sheer burgundy hair danced within the sun's rays, making her fragile skin glow around her. Her face was covered by frizzy curls that dangled from the bottom of her hairline.

"My oh my," she gawked up; her eyes were filled with wary suspicions. "I believe I have not seen you before." Her accent was thick, she sounded as if she was from Northern Ireland. Her arms quickly rose from the pottery clay that covered her fingers, her hands pressed against my bare cheeks. She studied me from top to bottom with the gorgeous red that had shot out from beneath the iris' of her eyes.

I shot my eyes into hers, trying to make a connection with her, she didn't seem to be able to by the way her eyes continuously gazed.

I looked down at the table. Freshly cooked bacon began to dance, and taunt the smell around my face. Lemon juice gleamed through, and began to shimmer on top of the cake that sat furthest away from the bacon. Both scents moving around, racing to see which could make me want it the most.

My eyes moved to the stack of buttery pancakes that glistened from the butter, my mouth became watery from the blueberries that delicately sat atop the pancake that was placed upon my plate.

"So, darlin' what brings you here?" Her brood amused me in a way. A memory ticked through my mind, my father's delicate voice.

"She had car trouble earlier, Marie." Ace spoke before I had the possible chance to.

"Oh, what was it? Flat tire or somethin' that needed serious work." She made the last few words sound like a question.

"No," I finally spat out before Ace could shoot me a second glance. "It was actually my engine, and my oil had sprung a leak."

"So, she was grateful enough to find me there." He looked towards me; his face began to grow darkly.

"I see," she spoke again, this time absentmindedly sticking a knife through a glazed piece of bacon, sliding it through maple syrup and propped it into her mouth. Her hand softly placed on a napkin, carelessly bringing it up towards her light pink lips, and began to pat the sides.

"I think I ought to be going now," my arms were lightly placed on the side of the table, my legs beginning to reach my direct height. His arm tightly held on to me as I began to walk away from the pushed in chair.

"You haven't eaten yet," his eyes began to plead, guilt began to swim through my body, and a cushioned feeling began to narrow my side, causing me to fall over.

"I assure you, I'm not hungry." My mouth grew dry; a lie had slipped from my lips, though he was uncertain of what it was that appeared out of my mouth.

"Here Ms. Ivory," her delicate, child-like hands pushed a wrapped plate into my hands, "just for the ride home."

I smiled up at her, the thickness of the crimson that shined within her eyes danced with joy. I felt as if she had a story to tell, yet I couldn't figure out what it was.

My eyes were set on Ace as he opened the door from behind. "I really don't want you to leave, and I'm not imploring, however, it is just a suggestion." His face drew itself down to the ground; a mistakable grimace covered his face.

"I have to, not that I don't get your lifestyle or you in general; I just have to get home." My eyes dropped to his feet, he staggered for a moment, and then stood up straight.

"Just tell me that you will be safe." His voice drew a doleful sigh, his face now etched with devastation.

"What do you mean?" My eyebrows arched up, my eyes now turning from sullen to a puzzled feeling.

He spoke of nothing; a straightforward look was all he could express.

"Wait until you get on the road, you will know what I mean."