Free Eye of Newt by Dmytry Karpov Page A

its end hung an eye, and, always, it stared at her.
    That Evening
    “How did you get in?” Annabel stood on the balcony. Her red scarf rippled in the wind.
    Footsteps behind her. “I do what I’m paid to. You don’t want to know how.”
    Annabel didn’t turn. She couldn’t let the eye see him. “Did you get my message?”
    “Yes. How did you get the boy to deliver it?”
    The garden below brought the smell of roses. Annabel leaned on the stone railing. Its bumps pricked her soft hands. “He’s a farmer’s son. He visits me at the gate every night… if it’s safe.”
    “You’re fortunate.”
    Annabel flicked her necklace. “I wish I was.”
    “Shall we start?”
    “Yes.” Annabel turned and put the scarf over the necklace. Maybe he wouldn’t notice. Maybe…
    The dark room held only a bed and a chair in front of a mirror. The man before her wore a black coat, had thick black hair and eyebrows. His sharp chin fit perfectly with his slim face, and his blue eyes reflected stars. A handsome face. Her breaths became shallow with the possibility of desire.
    He signaled her to come closer. She did. He put his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. Her heart quickened. Her skin grew hot. His rough hands slid up to her neck.
    And broke it.
    All went dark.

That Night
    Annabel gasped as if waking from a nightmare. The man came into focus over her.
    “It is done,” he said.
    Her hand went to the necklace… it wasn’t there. Yes. Finally, but where …. At her side lay the golden chain and uncovered eye. She stood up, pushed the man aside, and threw the eye out the balcony.
    The door slammed open.
    “How dare you?” Newt stood in the doorway. His red coat puffed up just like his sweat-drenched face.
    “I am no longer yours.” Annabel raised her arms and exposed her throat, now free of his ever-watchful eye.
    The man who had freed her had disappeared.
    “What did you do?” Newt walked up to her, almost tripped over his cane. “I saw the necklace slip off of you. What did you do with it?”
    Annabel laughed. Oh, how she had waited for this moment. For years, she had planned her words. “I have left it. Like I am leaving you.”
    “No.” Newt clutched her neck and squeezed. The air ripped from her chest and returned in trickles. He pushed her to the floor and got on top of her.
    How had he returned so quickly? How long had she been out? No. This wasn’t supposed to happen now. Not now.
    Newt’s grip loosened as he breathed harder.
    “I’m sorr—” Annabel stopped. She wasn’t sorry. She was furious. Furious at him for stealing her life. And she was done acting.
    Yelling, she grabbed his face and dug her nails into his skin. Blood dripped from his eyes like tears.
    Newt screamed and pulled her arms away. Filled with air, she pushed him to the floor. He started to stand, but she dug a heel into his chest. She knelt over him and pushed on his throat with her new strength.
    “You kept me here like one of your precious ornaments. Now join them. You’ll have everything… ” she mimicked her father, and then added, “and you’ll be all alone.”
    She pushed harder, and Newt’s limbs collapsed.
    He lay there like a dead insect: thin, small, and twisted oddly. What had she ever been afraid of? She knelt and pulled a ring of keys from his pocket. The scent of his blood stirred her new hungers. She flicked her tongue at his chest, like a kitten sipping milk for the first time. Her stomach clenched, the vile flavor of his essence tainting her. Even his blood tasted foul.
    She laughed, wiped her red hands on her dress, and walked out. She walked past locked doors and barred windows. She walked past the garden and out the gate. She walked home, grinning all the way—the night alive with flavors. Her second chance at life an intoxicating elixir.
    ***
    Back at the mansion, the man in black emerged from the shadows. He stood over Newt’s body and shook his head. “When will you learn? You should have