Caché
The remainder of her scent clung to my clothes as I heard her car drive out of the driveway. I went by the window to see the back tail-lights disappear into the trees. I knew the one place she needed to go, to find answers to Olivia’s sudden leave, Olivia’s own house, leaving me to encounter my own thoughts.
I searched around the living room to see if there were any traces of tidying I could do. Nothing… Absolutely spotless from when Olivia cleaned. I walked over to the fridge to check the supply, noticing there was one last glass. Might as well go restock.
I felt the weightlessness of my sprinting throughout my body as I let me instinct take over. I was headed east, what seemed like my sense of direction when finally a scent caught my mind, a lonely doe sitting in the middle of a patch. Speeding, I caught up, setting the glasses down on a heavy root. I peered from behind a tree to see that it had not noticed the slight clang of sound from the glasses, or my body.
The doe sat, nibbling at a tall weed as I set up my position points, the neck being the main one, while I felt the other arteries beating to the rhythm of its pacing heart. I made my stance behind the tree, still memorizing the doe’s frantic escape routes when the scent hit my senses, making me drown out the sense of the fatal animal. The smell of burning and sweet drowned everything in my mind, making it caress everything and turn around to notice the deer was on the ground, with death already creeping and a young woman staring at me, smiling.
“Hello.” She still continued to smile. Her voice sharp, sweet, with an Italian accent that I noticed off the bat.
“Can I help you?” I asked. Her voice boomed as she laughed. I just continued to stare, noticing her clothing, handmade. Her hair was up in a tight bun while her feet bare nothing.
“I usually do not have another’s ask if I could help them.” She continued to laugh. I find nothing funny in my practically rhetorical question. “I am Venetia. I am sure we have met before? Well may not have met since all I did was draw in your scent. I am the leader of the Souterraines naturalles. Have you heard?” I questioned myself, only remembering the name once.
“I believe I have. That was a long time ago though, back when I was in France…” I looked up at her unchanged expression as she turned her head to peer at me. A split moment, she was directly in front of me.
“I can imagine that you may be able to help me.” She placed her hand on my shoulder. “It depends on which way.” She smiled. I twisted to find myself about 10 feet from her. She lowered her arm but stands in the same place. “I see you already have a mate.” She laughed again. “But that’s not what I was looking for, young…?”
“Chancellor…” I corrected her blank.
“Chancellor. Well I am looking for a certain someone. I am not sure what she goes by now-a-days. But I smell her scent upon your clothing.” I felt a sudden draw. Zoe…”
“Are you talking about Zoe Albridge?” I ask, she laughs and shakes her head.
“No Chancellor. I would not call upon a Albridge. Maybe you know a last name of Hurst?” The relief strikes again, 10 fold.
“Olivia…” I whisper.
“Olivia? Is that what she goes by now. Well then, yes. Do you know where I could find her?” She asks, leaning up against the tree. I feel my mind shouting don’t tell her.
“I am not sure. She randomly comes around Zoe’s house…” I quickly say, not wanting to say the wrong sentence.
“Zoe, meaning your mate, the Albridge. Well if don’t particularly know, you come in no further use. Thank you, Chancellor. Maybe we will meet again someday…” She ran into the forest. I still stare ahead, feeling the burning and sweet sense leave my mind, then back at the dead doe, laying out in the patch. Forgetting about it, I run back to Zoe’s house, feeling the emotion of startlement right away…
