Fog clung to the ground as I stepped out of the gate, and stumbled forward. I make my way back to my home, and push through the front door; clacking against the sidewalk using my spear as a walking cane. I push through the doors and head into my bedroom; careful not to click the spear against the tile floor to not stir my sleeping father. I push the door open. Clio pushes herself out of her bundle of blankets and wags her stubbed tail as I flick on the lights. Shadow looked up at me from her favorite spot: right in the middle of my computer chair.

I lean my spear against the corner behind the door, and toss my bag to the ground; its contents jingling on the ground as I rush to hug Clio. I hold her for a good five minutes; petting and scratching all of her favorite places, before she loses interest and buries herself within the blankets once again. I spent a few minutes loving on Shadow as well, who rolled over onto her back so I could scratch her stomach, and began to get ready to go to sleep.

I pull out the Shard place it on my bookshelf, and begin peeling off the layers of clothes that I had been wearing. My muscles screamed with every movement I made. As soon as my clothes are off I collapse onto my bed; without throwing the covers on; despite the chill wintry air bleeding in.

Four loud knocks jolt me awake.

“Huh?” I manage to stammer out as I look around the room.

Four more loud knocks; hurried and more agitated.

“Hold up,” I groan as I push myself from the bed. I shamble over to the door; nearly falling over my own feet.

“Hurry up.” My mother’s voice called.

I pull open the door and peek my head through.

“What happened?”

“Where’s the ibuprofen?”

She didn’t even comment on the scar tissues that I could feel pulling at my face. Her eyes were still glazed over from her last bender.

“...did you check the medicine cabinet?”

“No.”

“It’s probably there.”

“Go look for me.”

I sigh.

“Let me get a shirt on.”

I dig around in my drawer pull out a large polo and pull it over. I walk past her a couple of steps and to the restroom right behind her and pull open the medicine cabinet. The bottle of chalky white pills sits right in the open, so I grab it and hand it to her. Everything still hurts.

“Thank you.”

“I’m going back to sleep.”

“Wait, can you open it for me?” She shoves the bottle at me.

I sigh and grumble as I twist the cap open. I take a couple for myself to swallow, hand the rest to her, and slam the door. Once again I collapse onto my bed. Thirty minutes pass before the next four knocks. She asked me to show her how to use the microwave. I try to fall back asleep. An hour passed, and the sun was now fully awake. She wakes me up to get her a fork. Thirty minutes, and she tells me how she’s feeling sick, so she needs me to put her plate in the sink for her. I lay back down and barely have enough time to close my eyes before my doors are thrown open and my mother comes in holding a marker.

“Can you open this for me?”

“Christ, can’t you just let me sleep?”

I pull open the cap and hand it back to her.

“Jeez, calm down. It’s nothing to get upset about, you don’t do anything anyway.”

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She slams the door on the way out. Whenever she comes back down from a high, she is like this for a couple of days. I roll out of bed. Clio shakes beneath the cover, and I calm her down with a pat. I need to get out of here, I think for a moment before getting up and grabbing my phone from the bookshelf. Didn’t my father tell me to give him the money by the time he gets home, or get out? Well, fine. I’ll make that decision for myself.

Besides spite: there were other reasons; I would never be able to rest fully here, primarily among them, and I would never be able to do some of the things I plan on doing to help me better win the war, as I would never get the time, or space for it. I wanted to try to experiment with alchemy, now that I knew that was real. I wanted to try my hand at enchantment, and charm-making. I wanted to try my hand at a dozen different things that I would never be able to do here, in such a limited space, surrounded by people, I’m sure, who absolutely hate me.

I scroll through my contacts until I find my father’s landlord; an old family friend by the name of Frank, and call. For some reason, the anxiety I normally feel when calling people no longer bothered me.

It rings once. Twice. Three times, and he picks up.

“Ay, Lawrence? Everything going good there my guy?”

“Yeah, hey I know this is sudden, but do you got anything available?”

“What, to live in? You thinking of moving out?”

“I am.”

“Hold on, my guy, let me check.”

Paper crinkles over the phone. Keys tip-tap before he speaks again.

“Hey, so have you seen the news?”

“The news?”

“Yeah...ah, when you’re done here just open up Facebook. You’ll see. Strangest fuckin’ thing.”

“What happened?”

“You know how there was fog this morning? Well, there was fog all over the valley. And from all over the valley came reports of phantom-like doors in the middle of the road, in people’s yards and shit. Scary stuff.”

“Really?”

Were these reports by people chosen, or…I’ll ask the Shard after the phone call, I suppose.

“Here we go.”

“Found something?”

Yeah, I have a one-bedroom townhouse out on Roche.”

“Does it have a backyard?”

“A very small one.”

I look to Clio. She wasn’t the most active dog anyway; always preferring to nap.

“How much a month?”

“Normally, 1100, but for you? 900.”

“Would I be able to move in today?”

“Today? Sheesh. Uh, with a deposit you’ll need 1500 all together.”

“I can give 500 today, and the rest tomorrow. Is that alright?”

“I suppose. What’s the rush?”

“Just...want to get out of here.”

“Gotcha. Yeah, I know your family, Lawrence. Just for you. End of the week, have your deposit ready and we’re golden.”

“Thank you.”

“Want to meet me there?”

“Sure. What’s the address?”

“I’ll text you it. See you there in thirty?”

“Yeah, see you in thirty.”

“Wait. Do you still drive that old Honda?”

“Yeah.”

“Let me come over with my truck. Help you take your stuff. Proud of you for making this step, man.”

“Thank you, Frank.”

“Then I’ll see you in ten.”

“I’ll be here.”

I put the phone down, and got dressed hurriedly: finding some clothes to put on was the hardest part. Once ready, I unplug my computer and carry it toward the door to put it on the front stoop.

While taking things out, I slide the Shard into my pocket.

“So other people can see the doors?”

Did we ever specify that they couldn’t?

“No, you didn’t.”

It seems to be only when it’s foggy though.

“Why is that?”

Fog has long since been connected to the idea of the thinning of the veil between worlds.

Frank pulls up just as I’m stepping out. He steps out of his car and hurries over the yard to me.

Frank is a larger guy, like me, and I always found him easy to talk to. AT one point in their lives, my Father and Frank both served in Desert Storm and ever since then, they’ve been a part of each other’s life. His beard was as full as his belly, and his head of hair was much more robust than mine.

“Jesus Christ, Lawrence.” He muttered when he saw me. “What the hell happened to your cheek?”

I absentmindedly touched it.

“I don’t think you’ll believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.”

“When we get to the townhouse? I want to get this over with as soon as possible.”

“So is this all you’re taking?”

I shake my head.

“No. This, my bed and bedding, and my books. That’s all I really care about.”

“What about your clothes?”

“I’ll get some more.”

I said.

Truth be told, I only had like two sets that fit me. These that I was wearing, and some lounge-around clothes.

“Alright, need help with anything?”

“My mattress.”

“Let’s go get it, then.”

I set my computer to the side and led Frank through the house. His eyes dart to the bottles of vodka lining the coffee table in the living room.

“Father start drinking again?”

“Yeah,” I answered.

“Sorry to hear that. The rest of the place looks clean, though.”

“Thanks, I cleaned it yesterday.”

When we step into the room, he eyes the spear leaning against the wall and picks it up.

“What’s this?”

“It’s related to this.” I tapped my cheek.

“Oh, now I’m more excited to hear that story.”

I pulled my blankets and sheets off the mattress and set them to the side. Frank bends down and lifts it, and I get on the other side and do the same. It’s only a full-sized mattress, so it wasn’t that heavy. We navigate our way back out and to the truck, and set it down.

“Your computer next?”

I nodded.

“I’ll put that in my car,” I said as I glanced at the sky. Though it wasn’t raining right that moment, those clouds were very threatening.

“Then your books?”

I nodded.

“I’ll wrap them in the sheets and blankets.” I said, “Move them all at once like that.”

“Smart.”

I head back into the room and lay the sheet down. Clio has taken up residence in the living room, and Shadow was still slumbering on the chair.

I pull all of the books down from the single shelf and set them inside the middle of the sheet, and do the same for all of my drawing books, and all of the notebooks from inside the computer desk’s drawers. The desk had belonged to my father in the past, so I’m sure he’d be glad to get it back. I’m sure he’ll be glad that I’m gone.

I folded up the sheet and carried it out to the truck; setting it right on top of the mattress.

“I’ll take the rest in my car. Meet you there?”

I say as I approach his window.

“Meet you there.”

He takes off, and I go back inside. I pick up my pillow and blanket, and stuff it in the back seat; over the various items I had grabbed from Efra, and then set my computer and all of its accessories on top of that. Then I grab the spear, and my wand from on top of the shelf. I put the wand in my pocket, and Last, but certainly not least, I go back in, pull all the money out of my Shard that I had, set it on the counter, and write a note:

“This is for the last two weeks. Bye. - Lawrence”

I set both right under his bottle of vodka, and scoop up Clio, and Shadow to place them in my car; shutting the door behind me with my foot.

“I’m sorry, girls. We’re leaving here.”

Clio twisted her head from side to side, and Shadow meowed loudly. I closed the door to my car and set off.