Ivy

Deny him? He'd clearly written that he wasn't going to enter my bedroom again unless necessary. That was an obvious lie. As much as he set my alarm bells off, I now knew I would have to go back to Mac. I would need to get a second ivy vine to place over the basement door.

I would put my current one there but I wasn't sure where I'd be locking Thaylin in. At least I knew that I was safe in my room. His display of anger frightened me. He had been nothing but welcoming so far but the moment I secure my bedroom he pulls this? No, I was not going to play that game.

When Star began to adventure out of the bedroom I felt safe to follow. The flowers were gone. The empty vase looked out of place. I put it away, not sure when the next time I was going to use it would be.

A meow sounded from behind me and I smiled. Star rubbed against my leg as I moved around the kitchen, nearly causing me to trip over her. I laughed, glad to have her company.

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A week passed in silence. Nothing more had happened since Thaylins outburst. I was relieved but wary. It felt a great deal like the calm before the storm. Star seemed to sense it also because she barely left my side whenever I was home. Though it was possible that was her normal personality.

I decided to take a chance and buy the second string of ivy. Mac seemed to be have been waiting for me once again because it was already at the counter with my name on it. I wouldn't have come back if it hadn't been necessary. Everything about the guy set me on edge.

It wasn't until Mom asked how I was adjusting to my new place that I forced myself to put into words what I thought might be going on. I told her that weirdness had been happening and she'd joked that it might be a ghost. I didn't correct her but I knew that she was wrong.

From everything I had read, ghosts were repelled by sage, or at the very least angered by it. They didn't make jokes about it. I knew iron was effectively keeping Thaylin out but that didn't really narrow down what exactly he was.

Part of me suspected the truth but I had always written that idea off as folklore. After all, the faire folk weren't real. And even if they were, why would one be haunting my house? And most important of all; how did I get him out?

My thoughts were interrupted by a ruckus in the basement. It sounded like someone was knocking several boxes over. I made my way cautiously down the stairs, afraid of what I might find.

A stack of boxes had fallen over, spilling my winter wardrobe onto the floor. I groaned allowed at the absolute mess I now had to clean up. From the top of the stairs, Star began to hiss in fear. I tensed, unsure of what she saw.

Suddenly a faint voice called out a warning; "Run!"

I didn't hesitate. I turned and ran for the stairs. Something tugged at the end of my waist length hair. My head jerked back slightly before I broke free of the grip. I booked it up the steps and threw myself across the threshold. Star stood by me with her back arched. Every strand of fur was standing on end as she hissed and spat at the doorway.

The sound of a fist pounding on a door resounded through the house. Light pulsed as Thaylin tried to follow after me. A distant roar of anger caused my already racing heart to pound in fear. I got to my feet and slammed the door hoping it was enough to block me from his view.

The pounding stopped. A moment later the sound of another slamming door rose up from beneath me as the house shuddered. I picked up Star and held her to my chest. It took several minutes for us both to calm down. It wasn't until she licked my cheek that I realized I was crying.

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It had been a month since I moved in and I was exhausted. Not just physically but mentally. I was playing chicken with Thaylin every time I went into the basement to do my laundry. I checked all around but nothing explained the sound I had heard during our last encounter.

His presence had become stronger. I didn't know why that was but everything in me screamed that I was in danger. There were times when I would open the basement door and as soon as I turned on the light I would see a blurred figure waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. Everyday the image would become clearer, as if a haze was being lifted.

Thaylin acted remorseful for his actions by leaving me new flowers on the top step. The first time I had found purple hyacinths waiting for me I knew he was trying to apologize. I just wasn't willing to accept. I mean the guy seemed completely bi-polar.

The day I came home to find the ivy over the basement door frame had fallen was terrifying. Star was a curled up, hissing, ball of fear under my bed when I found her. I placed the fallen strand over my bedroom door in hopes that it would double the strength and keep him out.

It took a long while for me to fall asleep that night. I didn't dare take a sleep aid for fear that it would limit my ability to respond or even wake up if something were to happen. Star lay curled on the pillow next to my head, as she did every night, comforted by my presence.

The feeling of her pawing my face as she meowed in the middle of the night woke me. I was instantly alert since that was something she had never done before. I heard the sound of heavy hooves clomping up the squeaking stairs from the basement. Two distinct voices, both obviously male, were arguing, as the sound reached the kitchen and drew closer to my room.

"Don't do this!" one urged in an almost pleading, whisper.

"Don't be a coward. She is a single, fertile female who has entered our territory. You know the laws," the other replied in a gruff tone. He wasn't even bothering to be quiet.

"Ancient laws that no longer apply. You risk our treaty!" the first said.

The second tsk'd in annoyance as they stopped outside my bedroom. My heart raced in fear as the door knob turned slowly. Star jumped off the bed and hid. I wished I could follow her but I wasn't small enough. My breath caught in my throat as the door opened.