Fae (14 page)

“I'll take you home.”

“To him who is in fear, everything rustles.”
—Sophocles

The pounding sound of the rain was deafening. Thunder and lightning illuminated the dark sky. With each crackling whip, the beams of light danced their way all the way down to the soils of the earth, and the clouds openly welcomed this energizing and electric charge. Then in what seemed like an instant, the noise suddenly came to a resounding halt because the great Odin had arrived.

There was much to be discussed, and there was no time for any distraction, even if the distraction was caused by Mother Earth.

The Valkyries knew the great power of the task at hand. And they saw concern written all over the creases of their master's face. Alderon was plotting and planning, and they sensed it. He wouldn't face this battle on his own; instead he had decided to send his minions. When they learned of Alderon's plan, they contacted Odin and sought his counsel.

They knew that Odin was undoubtedly already aware, but regardless they needed his counsel and guidance. When Odin led, they followed. When Odin commanded, they obeyed. Such had been the nature of their relationship for centuries. They were accustomed to their position, and they were loyal to him at all costs, and above all others.

Odin, wearing a deep blue velvet cape with solid gold embroidery, paced the grand room in deep thought, as his warrior maidens watched him in silence. His fears were now right before him, for this soldier would be difficult to battle. War was before them, and the enemy at hand was a worthy adversary. For he was someone that no one would suspect. Someone that would attract attention, but the right kind of attention. One that would lead the blinded innocent straight into his tangled web and right to their demise.

They called him Seeker.

And that is what he would set out to do. He would seek, hunt, find, and then kill his prey. Nothing and no one could stop him, and it would be all too easy unless they were prepared, and a well-strategized plan was put into place.

Odin continued to walk around the circle of trusted warriors deep in thought. The Valkyries bent their heads in obedience whenever he glanced their way. They were all spectacularly beautiful, all blond and blue-eyed. Each possessed great battle skills as well as unsurpassed military prowess. They were Odin's warrior daughters, and they were all faithful, willing to give their lives for their great father.

They stood around the circular table waiting for one word from him—some kind of direction—so they could charge into action. And then he spoke.

“I questioned his intentions, and I have questioned his methods,” he began in a commanding voice. “But now given that we are enlightened to Alderon's plans, I see that Devilyn is wise and perhaps smarter than I ever imagined.”

Odin normally wouldn't speak so openly, but the Valkyries were there for his protection and his protection alone. They would protect their Master at all costs and in doing so, they would shield those he held dear to him as well.

“I will inform him to stay the course and continue to watch her from afar,” He went on. “Until we destroy Alderon's new muse, no one is safe.”

Odin paused for a moment as he looked out at the group of enchanting warriors. Two of them knelt beside him in a sign of allegiance. They bowed their heads, and when they lifted them, he was gone.

Something was happening to me.

I did not understand it. But I knew that I was either crazy or I was starting to hear voices in my head. Correction,
one voice
. And it did not belong to me. It belonged to him.

He told me to kiss him. I
knew
that's what I heard.

And he said it in such a gentle manner, that for a split second I actually leaned in and closed my eyes. But then I quickly realized that it was only a voice, not a reality. I shook my head, but I know he said it, whether out loud or to himself. I
know
he said it.

He had to have said it.

I knew I was close to losing my mind. Or maybe I was suddenly psychic. It was probably the first ailment rather than the second, but I had to remain optimistic. I couldn't understand it. Maybe I was just projecting what I wished he would think or say out loud in my head. That had to be it.

That was the only
reasonable
explanation.

After Devilyn dropped me off at home, I had stayed up all night and relived every single moment we shared. My mind analyzed every look he gave me, from the smile, to the stern grimace, to the concern, and in the end the only thing that mattered to me was that I hoped, no I
wished,
that he would like me. Ask me out on a date. Hold my hand. Kiss me. Ugh. There I was, hoping that the typical fantasies of a teenage girl would will themselves to truth.

I actually thought I was above it all. Above the predictable teenage high school experience. But apparently, I was wrong. I was every bit as love sick and obsessive as my classmates. I lay in bed and stroked Famous's belly. He was curled up next to me staring into my eyes.

“I know, I'm losing my mind,” I said to him. “But I honestly felt a connection.”

He turned his head to the side and watched me curiously. I guess that was his way of silently agreeing with me. Before I made the rash decision that I needed a therapist and perhaps some prescription medication, I decided to give it a few more weeks before I jumped to any horrible conclusions.

The only solace I had was that it was Friday, the last day of the week, fourteen hours closer to being Saturday, a day when I wouldn't have to see Devilyn Reilly and live through the knots that he put in my stomach, until of course Jordana's party that night. I thought about the weekend plans that Teddy had laid out for me and grimaced. I had promised him I would go, and I would have to.

There was no choice in it. I had given my word.

Thankfully, that was around twenty-four hours away; I still had time to pray that Teddy would change his mind. One could dream. I got up from my bed, changed into jeans and a long sleeved navy t-shirt, and headed off to school.

The roads on the way to school were unusually slick. It had rained in the middle of the night, and the downpour had placed a lustrous gloss on the roads and leaves of the tree-aligned streets. I loved the rain, and I loved the impact it had on its surroundings. Roads that were run ragged and plants and trees that had lost their glow were suddenly alive and glowing. I was ready to face the world again with a newfound confidence.

With that optimistic and hopeful attitude I turned into the school parking lot and searched for a space. Perhaps the weather had also rubbed off on Teddy, and he would realize the idiocy of his desire to attend Jordana's party. I opened the big metal doors to the school and made my way down the long hallway, and that's when I saw Teddy standing next to my locker with the biggest grin on his face.

The closer I got to him the more I realized that Teddy was showing no sign of changing his mind. In fact he was practically giddy and couldn't seem to wipe the irritating smile off his face.

“What's with the happy face?” I grumbled at him even though I knew exactly why he was excited.

“It's Friday,” he reminded me with a laugh.

“Yeah, one day closer to your big night,” I replied with even less enthusiasm as I closed my locker door shut.

“We'll have fun together, I promise,” he said sensing my hesitation.

“I'm literally counting the hours,” I couldn't help the sarcasm.

“Come on,” he pleaded. “Don't you dare bail on me.”

“Have I ever done that before?” I asked with a sigh, knowing full well that he didn't deserve my mood.

“No. But I thought it would be right to advise against any sudden headaches, flu-like symptoms, or doggie illnesses.”

He actually made me laugh. He was so right about the way my thoughts were headed that I was sure I'd contemplate all of the above tomorrow afternoon.

“I'm in,” I reassured him as I pushed his shoulders while we headed off to class.

The rest of the day went by quickly. Devilyn was noticeably absent again, which was a blessing in disguise; although it did make me secretly wonder if he'd show up to Jordana's house the next evening. I hoped that his absence meant that he was sick, not anything dangerous or serious, but enough to keep him from going to the party. I shrugged off the absurd thoughts and knew that he would likely be there because missing school was
far
different from missing a party. This was high school, after all.

The day ended as uneventfully as it had started, and I had another Friday night of working at the restaurant ahead of me. I slowly walked down the hallway and watched as everyone anxiously discussed their weekend plans. Wouldn't it be nice to not have a care in the world? To not worry about college, my grades, the school newspaper, to not worry about helping my parents out at the restaurant.

For once, to have just fun on my mind.

I reached my locker, which was about halfway down the hallway, and began turning the knob on the lock. Once open, I shifted through my books deciding what I would need or not need for the weekend.

“Homework in Chemistry, Trig, and History,” I said to myself. I pulled out those books and placed them in my backpack and put the rest in my locker and slammed the door when I heard Teddy call out to me.

I turned around, and he was standing in front of me.

“Hey.”

“So I was thinking about what a good sport you're being about tomorrow night, and since I'm equally as good, I thought I'd prove it and help you out at the restaurant tonight,” he finished with a smile. “It's the
least
I could do.”

I smiled. He could be convincing when he wanted to be.

“Really?” I smiled in return. “I've never known you to be so amiable. She must really be something.”

“Well, she's not you,” he said as he wrapped his arms around my shoulder. “But she definitely has potential.”

He certainly knew how to break me down. But with Teddy, it didn't take much.

When we arrived at the restaurant we immediately went to work. For Teddy this was like a second home. He'd helped me out there before on so many days and nights that I could no longer keep track. I knew that he could use the extra tip money, and he knew that my parents could use the extra help. Even better, he knew the whole gang, menu, and procedures and easily slipped into the job.

Fridays happened to be Edie's night off, so my mom was in luck because they also happened to be our busiest.

“Hi kids.” My mom smiled as we walked in. “You two hungry?”

I shook my head as Teddy circled his stomach.

“What's cooking?” he replied, excitedly. Teddy's stomach was like a never-ending garbage pail. I couldn't help but laugh.

“We've got barbeque tonight and the usual stuff; just let Frank know what you'd like, and he'll get it whipped up.”

“It smells delicious back there,” Teddy replied as he made his way over to the kitchen.

“Teddy said he'd help out tonight,” I said to her when he had gone.

“That's so nice of him. We could really use it,” she responded, sifting through the stacks of receipts.

“Yeah, well it's not
that
nice,” I replied as I tied the black apron around my uniform. “He's actually trying to make up for dragging me to a horrible party tomorrow night. So actually, I'm the one doing him a favor.”

“Who's having a party,” she said as her eyes glowed with excitement. She enjoyed the high school experience more than I did—or ever would.

“Some cheerleader named Jordana Kroll.” Just saying her name made me cringe.

“Jordana? You mean Mike and Theresa's daughter?“

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Wow. Well, honey, that's so nice of her to invite all of you.”

“I don't know if I'm
really
invited; she invited Teddy and Teddy invited me.”

“Well aren't these high school parties open to everyone anyway?”

“Not really,” I said. I turned and walked away toward a waiting table of customers. “I'm probably crashing, but I guess there's a first time for everything.”

A few hours later, I looked up at the clock and was thankful to realize we were close to closing. The restaurant had been unusually busy that night, and I'd barely had time to take a break. I was exhausted. It had been a long day, and to be honest, a little bit of a depressing one. I hated to admit that school wasn't the same without Devilyn to keep my mind fully occupied.

I began to drift off into fantasyland again.

I dropped a food order off at one of the tables and heard the chiming of the restaurant door opening. Another customer. That meant at least an hour delay. I turned to see who it was. I thought I was hallucinating. I couldn't believe my eyes.

Devilyn stood at the door.

He had a big smile on his face, and I couldn't help but smile back. As cheesy as it sounded, he literally made my heart skip a beat.

Dressed in dark jeans, a grey sweater, and a black leather jacket, he looked like a movie star.

I was speechless and stared at him. I heard the door chime again and watched as a small group followed him in.

And then I saw her.

Sidling up to him and grabbing hold of his hand. With another planted firmly on his elbow.

And she was smiling, like the cat who'd caught the canary.

Actually, they both seemed to have that irritating grin on their face. I couldn't believe it. I was stunned. How could he bring Jordana to my family's restaurant? How could he flaunt their relationship like that? How could he?

Relax, Caroline. He can do whatever he wants! He is not your boyfriend. For that matter, he's not even your friend! I took a deep breath and moved toward them in what felt like slow motion. My legs were moving, and my body was following slowly behind.