Annabel walked the street around midnight. She wasn't sure this would work. She was not being attacked at the moment. That was positive. “Nothing so far,” she told Jules over her phone. She was connected to them in case the Unseen should attack. They did not want to take any chances.
“You're doing well. It appears the device works. I'm a genius,” Jules told her. “You can walk around more if you want. You're invisible to them now. Hope everything goes good.”
“Thanks Jules,” she said hanging up the phone. It would be nice for her to get to spend quiet time back home. She did not want to worry about an Unseen attacking her during the middle of the night. She thought about the last time she saw her room. She needed to find something to cover the window.
“Annabel,” Crispin said, coming up behind her. “It seems you're good to go. If you have problems, come back and see us. I'm sure Jules can fix it for you.” He continued searching the shadows but they appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary.
“Thanks Crispin. That's nice of you to do this for me.” She smiled at him. “I guess you'll have to go find someone else to save all the time now.”
“It's all part of the dragon code.”
“There's a real code?”
He shook his head and grinned sheepishly. “I made that part up. I won't have to save anyone for a while. I'll track the Unseen and destroy them before they get the chance to harm anyone.”
They looked at each other for a moment, both of them thinking about what they wanted to say. It was a chance encounter they met and now it was over. It was time to get back to their normal lives. Their paths wouldn’t cross again under normal circumstances.
“I guess I might see you around. If my watch breaks, I'll be there for sure,” she said, leaving. She thought for a brief moment about turning back to see him again. She sighed to herself. She was confused about everything.
He watched her leave and sighed. He thought for a moment about breaking that watch.
Annabel saw June sitting on the couch the same as always. She chuckled to herself thinking of how everything remained the same here. There was no threat of attacks happening or people shifting into dragons. It seemed boring. “How's it going?” Annabel asked plopping herself beside her. She had a smile still remembering everything that happened.
“Where have you been?” June asked looking at Annabel. “You look happy. What's going on? Have you been drinking without me?” She laughed at her roommate.
“It's been a crazy weekend. I don't know where to start describing it. Do you mind if I sleep in the living room tonight?”
“What's wrong with your room?”
“Have you seen my room? One of the windows is broken.”
June's mouth dropped. “There's a broken window? How did that happen? Annabel, you can't be serious” She stood up from the couch and walked to Annabel's room. June turned the handle and went inside.
“You're such a liar.” June walked back into the room with a look of relief on her face. “Your room is perfect. Maybe messy but it's cleaner than mine. All your windows are intact.”
“What?” Annabel walked into her room. June told the truth. Everything in her room was once again in perfect position. The window was replaced with the curtain reattached as well.
She walked around her room. There was no sign of the Unseen having fled her room. She looked out the window to the street below. Nothing seemed out of place. “How did this happen?”
She walked back into the living room shaking her head in disbelief. “I swear that window was broken.”
June rolled her eyes. “Windows don’t fix themselves. I think you have bigger problems. Your work called today. They said if you don't show up tomorrow, you're fired.”
“Threatening to fire me. I love my job so much. I can't imagine not going there and serving people,” Annabel said sarcastically.
“I know how you feel. I hate my job too,” June said sympathetically.
“You love your job. You get to tattoo guys all day and create dozens of different styles. This is what you want to do. I don't think we're talking about the same kind of hatred of our jobs.”
June made a face at Annabel. “You could quit.”
“I could live on the streets. On that note, I'm going to sleep. I have to wake up early to serve coffee for minimum wage. I'm so happy,” Annabel said, heading to her room.
She crawled under the covers and nuzzled into her pillow. It felt nice not worrying about being attacked while she slept. She looked at her watch. Jules installed a button which made it glow. She would never worry about whether or not she wore it. She could find it whenever she needed protection.
It was not as protective as she felt while staying at their place. It had to do. She closed her eyes and thought of Crispin. She hoped she saw him again. That would likely never happen. She fell asleep. Tomorrow was coming.