Meeting

She’d taken a detour today; there was construction in the direction she normally went. Mary had made it about halfway through her detour when she walked into a startling scene. A man who was in the midst of trying to fight…something. His opponent was a monster, that was the only word that could be used to describe it. It was colored in dark greens, each color layered over each other like leaves. Beneath it all was a color so dark, it seemed almost like it was a void. Perhaps it was. Dangling from the monster’s head, arms, and legs were something resembling vines, though covered with jagged and sharp-looking thorns. Had she been less terrified of the sight before her, she would have screamed. That would have been the sensible thing to do.

With a stab from his glowing, almost magic like daggers, the monster disappeared in a burst of smoke. It was unclear whether that meant the monster was gone or had simply left. When he noticed her, the man examined Mary for a moment, before introducing himself. He said his name was Zane and then was about to say something about the monster, but in a panic, Mary took off, sprinting away from him.

Once she got home, she didn’t leave, but she could see some of her neighbor’s flowers from her window. It was almost calming to see the flowers there as they always were, though her mind was preoccupied with watching every shadow and slight movement, fearing another monster. Monsters were not normal. A monster should not appear like that, should not exist at all. In a haze, Mary did note that the flowers in her neighbor’s yard were an odd mix of azaleas, hyacinths, and daisies.

Events

Unfortunately for Mary, she ran into Zane again a few days later. Though before that, she’d run into one of the monsters he fought. It was like a wolf, covered in grey-colored fur, that seemed to be matted. It snarled with sharp teeth, drool falling out of its mouth, brandishing equally sharp looking claws. 

Zane came running in, just in time to stop the monster from attacking her with its vicious-looking claws. This time, after he fought the monster, she shakily introduced herself. After that, Zane made it his job to follow her around and make sure that the monsters didn’t attack her again. He thought it was on purpose that she’d been attacked, Mary thought quite different. She was, as far as she was concerned, an average person, who got average grades, with average friends, and was, in no way, anything remotely similar to special. Certainly nothing that would attract monsters like the two she’d seen this week.

Yet Zane turned out to be more correct than she’d care to admit. The monsters kept showing up and trying to attack her, but neither of them knew why. Thankful as Mary was that Zane was there to stop the monsters, it was nerve wracking how often they would appear. Every time a monster tried to attack her, she got this funny feeling, but she wasn’t sure how to describe it, nor what it was.

Zane

If Mary was average looking, Zane was on the opposite side of the spectrum. He hasd messy black hair that stood up in some spots, though one might be more likely to notice his almost yellow eyes. Though his eyes were far from the strangest part of him. He dressed oddly, wearing a black shirt stitched with silver thread, with a strange brown vest over it. Tied around his waist was a silver and black scarf, and his pant were similar in appearance to his shirt. Then there were the strange daggers he could summon from seemingly nowhere.

He spoke oddly, when he spoke—though he was more of a quiet person. He was familiar with technology, but not to the point he could actually use much of it well. He claimed that he had little use for it, but Mary thought that maybe he just was bad with it and couldn’t be bothered to learn how to use it. The man didn’t even have a cell phone, let alone know how to use a computer beyond simple internet searching.

Mary knew little about Zane—he didn’t answer a lot of her questions—but she knew he was odd.

Leaving

Zane had to leave; he was searching for where the leader of the monsters was and was certain that it would be best if he searched outside the city. After months of the monsters appearing and trying to attack Mary, he no longer seemed concerned about what might happen to her if he wasn’t around.

Mary tried not to seem too bothered by his seeming change of heart. Certainly, he had his reasons, even if she didn’t understand them. He probably wasn’t telling her all the details either. He’d learned that a lot of things had a tendency to worry her. Still, she was worried by this not knowing, by the ease that he exhibited when leaving her be. If something happened now, if another monster showed up, she was on her own.

Her neighbor’s flowers were rather pink today, with both pink carnations and camellias, though it also had yellow carnations and cyclamen. They looked pretty.

Normal

With Zane’s departure, not much had happened. If anything, Mary’s life was far more normal than it had been since they’d met. She didn’t mind it, not at all. Good riddance, as far as she was concerned.

Yet there was still this slight feeling that something was off. This nagging in the back of her head that declared something was wrong. Perhaps it was foolish of her, but she chose to ignore it.

Off

Something had to be wrong, it had to be. Mary just wasn’t sure how to explain it. She’d began to go through her days in this strange sort of haze, like she was just reading someone’s recount of their day.

Sometimes, she saw something in the shadows, with glowing red eyes trained on her. She tried to ignore it, to pretend it wasn’t there. Instead of watching the shadows, she instead chose to look at her neighbor’s flowers.

Orange, she noted, orange lilies and mock oranges, with oleander and monkshood. A strange arrangement, some part of her mind told her. She thought she saw a weed sprouting up in one of the pots.

Something was very wrong.

Shadows

There was something in the shadows, she couldn’t ignore it any longer. But Mary wasn’t sure what else to do, if it were a monster, there was nothing she could do. Should she try to investigate, hope that she was just being paranoid? Zane was the one who could fight the monsters, not her.

As she sped walked home, the thing following her in the shadows made its move.

Return

Within moments of Mary hearing the monster lunge out of the shadows at her, she also heard something collide with it. She spun around and was immediately greeted with the sight of Zane, once more fighting the monster, like he’d done many times before.

The monster was by far the scariest looking one she’d seen. Upon the monster’s head was a flower, but in the center, there were rows and rows of menacing teeth. Black vines snaked around its black body, crawling over its arms and legs, almost as though the vines were alive. Bright white flowers blossomed across its back, the petals of each sizzling in a mind-boggling manner. It had claws like thorns and horns that had flower petals dangling from them.

All Mary could do is stand there and watch.

Oddly, she found herself recalling her neighbor’s flowers. So much white: white zinnias, heather, and chrysanthemums.

Explanation

Though Zane had fought off the monster, he explained that it had been their leader. It seemed that it had been following her while he was gone. There was a sorrow in his voice, a regret or perhaps fear. Maybe it was because of how he’d only just arrived in time. Mary couldn’t find it in herself to be mad at him.

But the monster would come back, he said. He wasn’t sure how to stop the monster either.

Mary was certain they’d figure something out.

Ending

When the leader of the monsters returned again a few days later, it would be a lie to say Mary or Zane were prepared. As Zane fought the monster, Mary couldn’t help but wish she could help him. There was nothing she wanted more in that moment.

There was something deep within her that began to stir, rising and growing until finally it broke free. She gasped as a light came from the sky and struck the monster. In moments, the monster was gone, a barely visible wisp and a single Bleeding-Heart sprouting from the concrete were the only signs it was ever there at all.

Mary wasn’t sure what occurred, not sure if that strange feeling had anything to do with. It felt like it should, but she’d spent so much of her life deciding that she is totally normal, though much of that had already been challenged by the monsters so often appearing. Yet while she was standing there in confusion and awe, Zane was examining her once more, not unlike he had when they’d first met. Finally, he spoke,“You’re one of us.”

Startled, Mary squeaked out a, “What?” sounding thoroughly confused. Zane took a step closer to her, a small frown on his face.

“You have the same powers as those of us who fight the monsters. I’d suspected as much for a while.” He continued, “They’re untrained and shakily controlled, but the power is there.”

“That’s crazy,” was all Mary could say.

“Perhaps.” Zane shrugged. “Have you ever wished for something so deeply before now?”

“Uh, no, I don’t think so.”

“Then there may be the answer for why such powers have gone undetected so long. Our powers come from our wishes, regardless of what they are.” The way Zane explained everything with such confidence made Mary feel like it had to be true, though the rational part of her brain said otherwise. “With such strength in your powers, it would explain why the monsters were after you. As we saw just now, when you had an actual wish, you are a danger to them, should you choose to use your powers against them.”

As she went home that day, Mary thought it was funny that he never asked what her wish had been.

Goodbye

Zane left the next day, certain that the monsters would leave Mary be without their leader. As Mary said goodbye, she couldn’t find it in herself to be too sad. Everything was good now, with no more monsters to worry about. Zane may have been leaving, but he’d left with a promise to visit.

“If you ever want to learn to use your powers…” Zane began, before he left.

Mary shook her head, “I don’t think I will,” she said. “As strong as they may be, I quite like being as normal as I can be.”

With a shrug, Zane turned to leave, “I’ll see you later, then. Let me know when I visit if you ever change your mind.”

“You could just get a phone,” Mary responded. “But yeah, see you later.”

The flowers her neighbor had out that day were yellow poppies and zinnias, with magenta zinnias as well. In the middle was a Lily of the Valley. Not a weed in sight. The plants, all pristine and pretty, thrived outside of the pots, rooted firmly in the ground. It was nice.