Chapter 2: That’s A Big A** Bat

Ophelia woke to pounding at her front door. Disoriented, she rubbed her eyes and squinted at her phone to check the time. It was 5 p.m., she’d slept later than usual. Shaking the dreams from her brain, she stood up and stretched as the knocking continued.

Ophelia knew exactly who was at the door and was in no rush to relent to their barbaric wake-up call. She chuckled to herself, slipping on a pair of sweatpants and yawning as she leisurely walked to her front door.

Swinging it open, she stared at her guest with an eyebrow raised. She was met with a bright smile, teeth nearly as white as the face they were attached to. She held back a laugh as she took in the orange frizzy mess of curls that were being held back with a strained green headband that matched the floral sundress her best friend was wearing. She must’ve driven here with the windows down, thought Ophelia.

At the sight of her, Antoinette let out a breath. “I’ve been knocking for AGES! I thought you DIED! You’re normally up by now.”

Ophelia rolled her eyes. “I had a long day. And why didn’t you just call me? Or use the key I gave you when I moved in?”

The redhead’s mouth dropped open as her eyes looked anywhere but Ophelia’s. She shrugged and smiled, in the cute way that she knew would make anyone’s frustration with her dissipate. “Wellllll… I may have misplaced them. Both.”

Seeing the annoyance flash across Ophelia’s face, Antoinette quickly held up her hands in surrender, her olive eyes wide as she spoke again, “They’re at my house I SWEAR. You know how I have my system of organization, right?”

Ophelia fought the urge to roll her eyes again. “I’d say that’s a generous description, but yes.”

Antoinette shot her a look, dismissing the comment with a wave of her hand. “Oh poo on you. Well, my mom showed up earlier to ‘help out’ and completely rearranged everything. So now I don’t know where anything is.”

With a groan, Ophelia started to speak, “Nettie, you-”

“I know, I know. But they are safe at my place. I just have to find everything again.” She smiled sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes in an attempt to win back the favor of her best friend. “Anyway! You’re up now so none of that matters. What matters is I got the part I was hoping for in our next production so you, my dearest companion, are accompanying me to the bar tonight.”

Sighing, Ophelia shook her head with a small smile. “I suppose I don’t have much choice in this?”

Antoinette feigned as though she was mulling it over in her head before smirking at Ophelia. “Hmmm… I’m going to go with: No.” Her expression twisted into an exaggerated pout. “Are you not going to congratulate me? Alas, betrayal doth not occur from those you are not fond, always from those you hold most dear.”

She threw her arm over her forehead, playing up the dramatics as her bubbly tone shifted to one befitting of a Shakespearian tragedy. She opened her mouth to continue but her impromptu monologue was cut short as Ophelia grabbed her by the arm and pulled her inside, rolling her eyes as she spoke, “Oh hush.” She let a genuine smile spill out onto her face. “I’m really happy for you, Nettie. You deserve it and you’re going to be amazing.”

Antoinette grinned. “Of course I am, I’m a star!” She spun around as she said this, arms splayed out and face pointed to the heavens.

This joyous display got a chuckle out of Ophelia, until the redhead smacked into her bookshelf, sending one of her favorite decorations flying to the ground. She gasped as the small wooden figure of a cat hit the floor, its head snapping from its body. Antoinette’s eyes widened again and she rushed to the figurine, gently picking it up and turning to Ophelia, guilt plastered on her face.

“I-I-I’m so sorry. I’ll fix it, I promise.” She was shaking and looked almost as if she was about to cry.

Ophelia took a moment to process the situation before shaking her head and smiling at her friend. “Hey, it’s okay. Accidents happen. I’ll get my dad to put it back together, don’t worry, okay?”

She helped her friend up from the floor and set the pieces of her most cherished possession on her counter. She was upset, yes, but it wasn’t like the sculpture was unsalvageable. Plus, Antoinette was clearly remorseful and didn’t do it on purpose. She glanced back at her friend, who was quietly staring at the beheaded cat with a sorrowful look on her face.

Ophelia chuckled and nudged the woman with her shoulder. “I said it was okay, you goof. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You’ve always been a bit of a klutz anyway. If I had a problem with it I wouldn’t have stuck around this long.”

Antoinette let out a sniffle and a breathy laugh. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m not known for my poise and grace. At least, not off the stage that is. I am really sorry though.” She looked up at Ophelia, eyes wide, watery, and full of apologies.

Ophelia gave her a light shove. “I know you are. It’s okay. Promise.” She held out her pinky with a raised eyebrow. Antoinette giggled and did the same, intertwining their pinkies in the most solemn of bonds.

Ophelia steeled her face and spoke, this time in as deep and formal a tone as she could manage, “Now we must seal the promise.” They both tilted their hands so their thumbs touched while keeping their pinkies interlocked. “And lock it.” They twisted their hands to the side, fingers still touching, both imitating the clicking of a lock. “Voila! Now, no more tears. We’ve got to get to celebrating!”

They dropped their hands and Ophelia glanced down at the pajamas she was wearing. “I’m going to get changed, give me a minute, and then we can head out.”

Antoinette nodded and busied herself snooping around Ophelia’s kitchen drawers.

While Antoinette explored her house, as if she hadn’t been there countless times before, Ophelia went through her closet, humming thoughtfully as she looked for something to wear. She landed on a nice pair of jeans and a black button-up blouse. Simple.

She put on some light makeup, a little black eyeliner, and mascara to accentuate her deep brown eyes and a light tap of lipstick on her bottom lip and cheekbones. Satisfied, she smiled at her reflection and gathered her things before rejoining Antoinette, who had migrated to the living room and was messing with a rubix cube that was clearly getting the best of her.

Ophelia laughed, getting her friend’s attention. A sheepish smile spread across Antoinette’s face and she dropped the toy, bouncing up from the couch and pulling Ophelia out the door without pause.

They walked to the nearest bar as dusk turned to evening and Ophelia felt herself becoming aware of that sensation again, that she was being watched. She dismissed the feeling and focused on Antoinette, who was regaling her with stories from the theater. Soon enough they arrived at a relatively popular local spot called ‘Ralph’s’. No one knew who Ralph was but it had been around for as long as Ophelia could remember and no one seemed to mind.

The building was old and the interior was no different. It was decorated as if the year were still 1890 and modern luxuries were simply fantastical speculations of those who had a bit too much absinthe on the brain.

The duo slid into two open seats at the bar and Ophelia bit back a groan when she saw who was behind the counter. Ralph’s had two main bartenders. One was a heavily tattooed woman with a barking laugh and a warm heart, named Charlene. The other was a slimy parasite of a man who did not seem to understand the word no, named Pierre. Ophelia was a big fan of Charlene’s. Pierre, however? Not so much. The man had been set on wooing her since he moved to town a year and a half ago. Despite her clear rejections, he never stopped trying and it was exhausting.

Antoinette shot her an apologetic look. “Want to go back?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll just shut him down again if he tries anything.”

The redhead nodded resolutely and called for Pierre’s attention. The man turned around, his face lighting up as he saw the two women, though a façade of composure passed over his face as he sauntered over to them.

“Well, well, well. What have we here? Hello, ladies,” he said, eyeing Ophelia, who rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, leveling a cold, unamused glare in his direction. He held his hands up in surrender. “Touchy. Okay.” He turned his gaze to Antoinette for a moment. “What can I get you darling dames tonight?”

Ophelia scoffed and he shot her a dirty look, though the sweat on his brow betrayed his embarrassment. Antoinette ignored the exchange and ordered them a round of shots. Pierre nodded and went to get them as Antoinette turned to Ophelia. “Be niceee. He’s nervous. He’s annoying but if you’re nice we might get our drinks on the house. You know he can’t resist that smile.”

Ophelia stared at her deadpan for a moment before contorting her face into a grimace that was semi-reminiscent of a smile. Antoinette sighed. “Fine, fine. We’ll pay for our drinks.”

Ophelia smirked and stuck her tongue out at her friend.

***

The hours passed quickly, peppered with laughter and a couple more rounds of shots. Pierre kept sidling up to them, trying to rope Ophelia into a conversation but she stonewalled him until he gave up. It was late evening, about 10 p.m., when they left the bar. Antoinette was leaning heavily on Ophelia, having indulged in about double the alcohol of her taller friend.

Ophelia looked at Antoinette, her pale freckled skin flushed from drinking, as she slurred some old Irish drinking song under her breath. Ophelia laughed, tightening her grip on Antoinette’s torso and leading them back to her cabin, ignoring the way the hair stood up on the back of her neck when they reached the edge of the woods, where the dirt road met the main street. They trudged along in the darkness, although the sky was a bit clearer that night.

The sensation grew stronger and Ophelia felt certain they were not alone. As a distraction, she looked to the stars, trying to identify some of the constellations her parents had taught her as a girl. She gasped as she saw meteors start streaking through the inky blue of the sky and nudged Antoinette to look up. The two stopped and watched the shower for a while, soaking up the beautiful moment until they heard a quiet flapping sound from behind them.

Antoinette seemed unfazed but Ophelia whipped her head toward the sound, catching a glimpse of a shadow in the treetops to their left, the leaves rustling as if they had been freshly disturbed.

She tugged on Antoinette’s arm, urging her forward quickly. Antoinette groaned about the increased pace but lazily followed along, her eyes still on the sky. Ophelia felt her stop and turned to scold her only to find her friend frozen in place, staring at one of the treetops. There was a massive winged shadow atop the tree. Ophelia was frozen in shock, though she noticed a feeling of peace settle over her.

Antoinette slowly raised a finger, pointing at the shadow, and whispered shakily, “Are you seeing that, Lia?”

Ophelia nodded, dumbfounded, before realizing her friend was too engrossed in this experience to see the gesture. She opened her mouth to speak but the words got caught in her throat. She coughed, and the shadow spooked, taking to the air and disappearing into the darkness.

The two women stood there for a while, Ophelia wasn’t sure exactly how long, before Antoinette turned back to her with wide eyes. “That was a big a** bat.” She paused before her face lit up with excitement. “Lia, do you think that was… the creature? The one they always told us stories about as kids?”

Her face portrayed a childlike sense of wonder as she waited expectantly for Ophelia’s response. The dark-haired woman thought for a moment before shrugging. “Heck, why not? Who knows, maybe it’ll come and suck our blood next!” She lunged at her friend who shrieked giddily and ran from her. The mood lifted, and they laughed about the experience as they walked back to the cabin.

When they arrived, Ophelia noticed a small bunch of flowers on her doorstep, tied together with a small piece of black thread with a tiny bow. A mountain blue violet, a red columbine, and a tufted evening primrose. She discreetly gathered the blossoms and herded Antoinette into the house.

After getting her friend settled in the guest bedroom, Ophelia went to her bookshelf to find the book she had on flowers and their meanings. She knew primroses were meant to offer protection and safety, something to do with fairies, but she couldn’t remember the others.

Finally finding the title she was looking for, she sat down on the couch and flipped through the pages until she found the pages she needed. Violets: Innocence, everlasting love, spiritual wisdom, faithfulness, modesty. Interesting.

There were various meanings for columbines depending on their color and the potential reference to her Shakespearean namesake was certainly not lost on her.

She scanned down the page to find the section for red columbines, as that must have been intentional considering the blue ones were far easier to find in her area. Red: passion, safety, vitality, wealth... and romance.

A blush ravaged her cheeks and she closed the book with a start. Who left these for her? It better not have been Pierre. She felt anger bubbling in the pit of her stomach and resolved to confront him about it the next time she saw him. Standing up, she headed to the bathroom, brushing her teeth and washing her face with vigor, grumbling all the while.

She checked the time, midnight, a few hours until her next shift. She thought about the ride to the cafe and tensed, remembering the shadowy creature that had watched them earlier. Well, she’d just ride extra fast and hopefully wouldn’t have to get anything from the walk-in.

Her stomach rumbled and she decided to make a little food and watch a movie to pass the time. She heated up some leftovers from the day before and sat down on her couch, clicking on the television with her free hand while shoveling reheated pasta in her mouth with the other.

She kept the volume low as she searched through the channels, finally landing on an old vampire movie. She chuckled and decided it was as good as anything.