An hour after my dad left for the public park in the morning, I left to visit 103 Relic Road. It had been a week since the fox incident. My guilt bubbled over that night, so I wanted to make amends, but procrastination got the best of me and I waited and waited till now.

Even though I'd consider myself good with directions, I pulled up the street on my phone. I pulled the bike out of the rack outside Court Hall and journeyed through the town.

The blue sky was clearer than it has ever been. I still had my Salvatore’s cap to keep the beaming sun out of my eyes.

After fifteen minutes, I reached the house. With the sunlight, I could see it clearly this time. It was made of sandy, marbled brick, with a perfectly trimmed lawn and barely any decorations. It looked like it was built just yesterday.

"Over here!" someone called behind me.

I turned around to see Drexel. He wore a long, black band shirt and red cargo shorts. Sitting in a lawn chair by the forest, he sucked on some orange slices and threw the dry flesh into the grass for a raccoon to eat. It chewed for a few seconds, spit it out, and clapped its tiny paws together for real food.

“You picky fiends,” he sneered. “Didn’t anyone tell you all the healthy bits are in the peel?”

“What about the other fruits?” I said, walking up to him.

He looked at his lap, where he had a big, glass bowl of fruit salad.

“They probably throw away the crust too,” he joked. “Here.”

He grabbed a scoop of his salad and set it in the grass.

“Why didn't you peel the orange slices?” I asked.

“Challenge,” he said. “And speaking of peels, or crust I guess, the pizza was delicious.”

“Aww, thank you. I didn't think you recognized me.”

“Of course I did. Did you leave something here?”

“Uh… no. I just wanted to let you know about something. About your pet fox.”

He leaned forward. “Something happen? Did you see her?”

“I did. Last week. But I was scared, so…”

I kept my voice from shattering. “I chased them through the woods behind you, and they fell in a pond.”

He squinted in confusion, still popping grapes into his mouth.

“She drowned?” he asked, like he was taking my order for fried or scrambled eggs.

I nodded. “Sorry. I should've helped… I wanted to apologize to your parents, too.”

“So that's where she is… Surely she's fine now.”

“N-no. I said she drowned.”

“And you wanted to apologize?”

“Yes!”

“Hmm… Sure, but you have to promise me something.”

I perked up. He waved for me to come closer.

“I don’t really live here,” he whispered.

“You don’t?” I asked. “Is this a vacation house?”

“Not exactly. Just follow me.”

* ・○・●・○・●

I followed him through a natural pathway through the thick forest. Maybe I took the rain for granted. I preferred it over the blazing sun.

We went up a slight hill, where the roots ended and a vast, green meadow began. The grass and pollen-ridden flowers reached up to my knees. Leaving the sea of leaves was like walking through a lush curtain into paradise. The scent of pine and dew filled the air around me. Butterflies danced and a faint light sprinkled the ground.

In the distance, tucked into a forest like an abandoned chest in an attic was a black castle made of shadow. Branches seemed to grow all over it. I didn't know what the towers-like structures on the top of it were called, but they resembled needles. The windows reflected nothing but black, even with a bit of sunlight falling through. They must’ve been tinted. A sparkling pond sat in the middle of the yard.

“Don’t you get worried about the pond overflowing?” I asked.

“No, but it does sometimes,” he said. “I don’t care at all. Ponds keep you cool in the summer. So do the trees.”

“And this is a real castle?”

“What's a fake castle?”

“It's just that I never heard of one being here.”

He shrugged. “Think of it as an abnormally large, castle-shaped manor, hidden by an abnormally large forest.”

Our shoes met solid rock. Cobblestone. It stretched down a long, wide path that disappeared in the grass. I looked back and saw how isolated we were. I started to wonder if time really passed at all. I swung my arms back and forth at my sides. We approached the door. Just a regular-sized door.

“It’s certainly a house,” I muttered.

Drexel opened the door. The front room was less extravagant than I expected. Just a large indoor porch, with bare wooden walls and floor, and naked windows lining the room—no curtains or blinds. Not what I would expect from a castle.

I turned to him, puzzled, and he shrugged like he knew I was thinking.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

There were a few cushioned chairs sitting around, an art easel, and several framed pictures on the wall. I wanted to study the faces in the pictures, but it felt like an invasion of privacy.

Tall, double doors up ahead led to another room—another room that I couldn’t even see. My footprints echoed on marble and faded in the soft carpet. Darkness shrouded every wall, every piece of furniture.

“Is this the living room?” I asked.

"You two can sit wherever you like,” he said. “Just don't leave the room. I'll be back.”

“I can't see very well.”

Without responding to me, he disappeared in a distant hallway. Was it a living room or not?

After a few seconds of silence, I heard the echo of a wooden door closing. Then, clacking against the tile floor. An orange glow fell onto a glass dinner table. A wax, cinnamon candle. And a woven, ruby and black carpet below. I took a seat, only to realize it wasn’t a coffee table, but a field-long polished wood table, harboring bowls of fruits and vegetables.

Then, golden flames sparked on the torches around the room, though most of the decorations and furniture were difficult to see. I heaved a deep sigh and dug my face into my hands.

Don’t leave the room? Why?

Two more torches lit the ornate walls. I could feel my eyes sparkling.

"He should be down in a few," Drexel said, standing right next to me.

I flinched! “Weren’t you just—where did you—”

“Want a snack? I have everything! Chips, cookies, I made brownies yesterday…”

“It’s okay. I had a big breakfast.”

“Important question: why in the world do you want to apologize in person? I’ll tell him myself.”

“Because I did it. Did none of you notice that your pet was missing?”

Clacking of heels echoed yards away. Breathing. A heartbeat. I flinched at a low, distinct...

"Good afternoon.”

Though it was deep, its melody bled through it all. It cut through the silence like a dagger. He had a mixed accent—somewhat Eastern European and maybe British.

Emerging from the curtain of shadow was a man. Just under the height of a door. Tall, ink hair combed back and fell down to his shoulders. A black gown draped over his entire body. The shy candlelight left a lot to wonder.

My heart went frantic. My voice tripped. "Good morning—I mean evening. I mean, afternoon.”

"I don't think I know you," he said. "One moment…"

He cleared his throat and called to the door. "Lady! Come here my Lady!"

Silence.

"Strange." He looked to Drexel. “Have you seen Lady? Is she still on her playdate?”

“Why don’t you ask our guest?” he said.

The man walked closer, eyes searching for an answer, which fell on me. Beautiful. Striking. And strangely, red.

"T-There are foxes in Delaware?" I asked.

"There are lots!" He sounded more passionate explaining the fox population. "I actually had five, but four of them passed. I have one left: Lady. I let her out the door last week to play. She's six. You know foxes have great noses. If you met her, she’d recognize your scent in an instant.”

"Oh. Well, in fact, I did see a fox running outside last week. I helped deliver the pizza from Salvatore’s.”

“I might order another one tomorrow.”

I chuckled. “Before we did, our bikes got stuck in the mud by your other house, and a fox started nuzzling me. I got scared and chased her… into a pond. She drowned. Sorry.”

I could’ve been more delicate. Silence rose in the room. I wished I could see the man’s eyes; whether they were smoking in anger, or in despair. Flashes of cold went through me. My heart raced so much, I had no breath to speak. I avoided Drexel's gaze, if that was his actual name. It didn't sound like a real name, to be honest.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. A call from my dad. I looked back up to the man.

"I should head home,” I said. “My dad's calling."

"I understand. Get home safely.” He seemed unaffected by what I just admitted.

“I’m so sorry! I’ll make it up to you. I can get you a free pizza if you want. Or do you want something else?”

“That sounds nice, but I don't wish for anything. And don’t ferment in your guilt. It’ll only make it worse.”

"Thank you for listening, sir.”

"You too. Have a great day.”

* ・○・●・○・●

My frantic heart slowed. Drexel led me outside. They didn't take a second glance at me.

Dark storm clouds rolled into the sky. Drops of rain showered the yard. Another Drexel stood by in the doorway, staring into the sky and letting the rain wet the wooden porch.

"Were you telling the truth about Lady?" he whispered, closing the door. "Is she really dead?"

I sighed. “She drowned right in front of me.”

“Oh… I’m sure she’s fine.”

“But—”

“Please. Don’t worry about it, okay?”

He was dour, but seemed more intent on me not worrying about it than his pet dying.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll see you around. I’m still really sorry.”

“Don’t be. You didn’t mean it.”

He gave me a dull grin and waved goodbye as I walked back down the path.

The forest floor quickly became a swamp.

A streak of red fur slithered through the distant trees. Then, a big red fox sprouted from the darkness, sprinting past me and right out of the forest. She eeked and chittered, running to the castle. She leaped into Drexel’s arms and danced circles around him.

That’s what I expected, at least.

She just sat down, picked up a stick with her mouth, and dropped it in front of him. Drexel petted her and tossed the stick across the yard like he was resuming a game of fetch after a bathroom break. Sure, Lady’s tail wagged in delight and Drexel smiled… slightly.

Nevermind that. It warmed my heart, nonetheless. It wasn’t my movie to watch. Maybe Drexel just wasn’t expressive in that way. And Lady is a wild animal—not a gerbil, but not exactly an elephant, either. She probably blacked out in the pond and was just happy to be out of the water later, not recalling the terrifying event that had just happened.

Lady pranced back with the stick in her teeth for another go.

Drexel gently grabbed it and shot the stick right through the woods. It whipped and spun in the air like a boomerang before a brutal, echoing gash! deep in the forest. Drexel didn’t even seem to hear it as Lady dashed to retrieve it like she hadn’t been missing for seven days.

My relief grew somber when I knew the warm smile I wore was just another tensed muscle.

It wasn’t because Lady was alive.

It was because Drexel was, too.