I gasp, sitting up with a start, and when I get my bearings, I realize that I’m in bed. My room. My bed. By reflex, my hands move to my neck. It’s still attached. “A… dream?” I mumble silently, trying to recall the blurry images. Then hearing a voice, I look up. It’s my mother.

“Good morning, Sammy,” she says. She’s sitting in a chair pulled beside the bed, and when she spots me wake, she lifts her hand, placing it on my head, and begins to smooth out my mop of bed hair.

“Mommy,” I begin softly, “Why are you-?” Suddenly, my words taper off, caught in my throat, for I spot something that causes all the muscles in my body to tense. Sitting behind my mother, in the corner of the room, is another woman, legs crossed, arms folded, cold blue eyes fixed in my direction.

Lila Cedars.

I throw off the covers, leaping to the ground. My left hand points accusingly while my right arm extends to the side, as if to shield my mother. “What are you doing here?!” I exclaim.

Lila stands, a patronizing smirk on her lips. “‘What’, you ask. Why, I was invited, of course,” she replies with a shrug. Her tone is genial and light like we first met, but I’ve already seen the ugly underbelly, and only the fool stumbles on the same rock twice.

“Stay back!” I shout when I see her approach.

“Sammy, is something the matter? You appear in distress,” my mother says.

“Mommy, this woman is dangerous. She-!”

Lila gives a disarming laugh. “Mrs. Becker, I believe your son is confused. I’m no more dangerous than a newborn pup rolling in the mud.” She takes another step forward, her hand dropping casually onto the hilt of her sword which hangs on her hip.

My eyes narrow. “I’m warning you, come any closer and I’ll-!”

“You’ll what?” Lila asks mockingly, a fake smile on her face, “Blow up again? Metaphorically, of course, Mrs. Becker. Did you know, your son has quite the temper-”

“You-!” I snap, and I shift my weight forward, about to throw a punch, but before I can take a single step in Lila’s direction, the door to my bedroom suddenly swings open. Through it walks my father, scratching his head, sleep still in his eyes.

He lets out a yawn, then asks, “What’s with all the ruckus this early in the morning?” He turns to me, waiting for a response, but I’m too busy looking past him, for I see Lila, hand still on her sword, approaching us, a wicked smile on her face.

“Daddy! Behind you-!” I exclaim.

My father pivots, just as Lila is upon us, his eyes suddenly open wide with surprise, his hand raising before his chest, and for a moment, I fear my warning has come too late, and a dread overtakes my stomach. But then, it is replaced by confusion, for rather than using his upraised hand to defend himself against an impending assault, my father begins swinging it slowly back and forth instead. He waves. “Oh, Lila,” he greets genially, “I didn’t hear you come in. When did you get back?”

Huh?! My father knows her?!

Lila smiles kindly. “About an hour ago. I hope you don’t mind that I let myself in. I would have announced my arrival, but I heard you sleeping and didn’t want to wake you. Though I guess my considerations in the end were for naught, unfortunately-” Her words trail off as she looks in my direction, giving me a disapproving glance, as if suggesting I were somehow to blame.

I point my finger right back. “You’re the one who-!” I begin to protest, but my father cuts me off.

“Samuel, mind your manners,” he says, “It’s not polite to point, and had you bothered to introduce yourself properly, you’d know it’s not ‘you’. It’s Miss Cedars.”

“Thomas, it’s quite alright. I don’t mind,” Lila says, gently placing a hand on my father’s shoulder.

“Well, I do, Lila,” my father replies, “A father’s duty is to instill a sense of propriety into his child. What would it say about the Becker family name if I allowed my son to disrespect you so after you so graciously protected his life.”

Hold on. Protected my life? Lila? “Daddy, what are you talking about?”

“One of Miss Cedars’ animal companions happened to spot you unconscious in the mountains. Miss Cedars here then found you, patched you up and carried you safely all the back to town. You might not remember it because you were unconscious, but she saved your life, Samuel. You could have froze to death in those mountains. I owe Lila a debt of gratitude, and so do you. Honestly, how many times have I told you not to play out in those woods. It’s dangerous-”

“That’s not what happened, Daddy!” I protest, “She’s, she’s a bad person!”

“Samuel! Enough. Miss Cedars is an old friend of mine, a good friend. I’ll attribute your current discourtesy to having just awoken, perhaps you’re still a bit disoriented from your ordeal, but I will not tolerate you badmouthing Miss Cedars any further, understand? Samuel, do you understand?”

“I, I have proof, Daddy. In the mountains, in a cabin. There’s a body!”

“Body?”

“A man with dark brown and disheveled hair. Thin and in his early twenties. She, she killed him!”