What, I Have To Title These Things?!: show
My name is Leonard Elliot Grant. Most people call me Leon, fortunately. Honestly, I don't know what my parents were thinking naming a child "Leonard" in the 21st century. It's beyond stupid; it's bordering total idiocy.
I'm sixteen, turning seventeen in a few months. I'm tall, but not over six feet, which is good; people would call me a stick if I was six feet tall. As it is, I'm lean, but still a normal weight. My hair is normally black, but right now I have it dyed a blue-green color, really just because I felt like it. Black hair made me look even paler than I already was. I don't get much color, no matter how much time I spend in the sun. It's strange, but I ignore it. If someone decides to give me ♥♥♥♥ for it, I'll break their jaw. I don't care if I catch hell for it later; they deserved it.
People are usually surprised by my eyes. That's reasonable, considering they're different colors. It's a weird condition that I have; I forgot what it's called at this point. One of my eyes is a bright blue, and the other is bright green. I'm lucky, I suppose; the difference isn't too big. At least people keep their mouths shut on that one, unless they're kissing ♥♥♥, claiming my eyes are "beautiful". It makes me sick whenever I hear that.
I can't exactly say things have gone well for me lately. My grades are fine, sure, but school isn't the only important thing in life. I attract accidents like a magnet. I'll have more on that when I get to the story, though. Which should be about now; I expect you're getting bored with all my self-description.
Bear with me at the beginning here; this story doesn't play out how you think. And I won't bring this up forever. It's what this story is built off of, though.
•••••
I couldn't believe what Sarah was saying to me. We stood in front of my house, and she was turned away from me.
"Leon, we can't keep this up." she said. "I'm leaving tomorrow to go to NYC and I don't think we'll make it through the time I'm gone."
I took a step back, trying to come up with something to say.
"Can't we give it a shot?" I asked desperately. She shook her head slowly.
"Leon... I'm sorry." she said. "It's over."
It felt like a crushing weight had dropped on me. We had been together for the past year, and now it was all for nothing. I stood and watched as she got into her car, and thought I saw tears sparkling in her hazel eyes before she let her long brown hair hide her face and started to drive away.
I lost my head at this moment and ran after her. I would beg, I would do anything to try and keep us together. All I knew was that I couldn't just let her go. It sounds stupid, but you weren't there. If you haven't felt it, you wouldn't understand.
This was when I first saw death. A body cold, pale and unmoving, eyes closed forever. It wouldn't be the last time. Not by a long shot.
She looked up, saw the yellow light, and slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. She was stopped in the middle of the intersection, and before she could do anything, a heavy delivery truck slammed into her car. I screamed in horror as I saw the car basically torn in half as it rolled over, and saw the front half land on the driver's side door and crumple inward slightly.
"It's possible she survived!" I told myself as the police and paramedics arrived, "People have lived through worse!"
The moment they pulled her out, however, I knew there was no way. She was pale, and her eyes were closed. A few glass shards had cut her upper arms and face, the latter just beneath her left eye.
Soon after, at the hospital, the doctors confirmed my fears. She was gone.
I couldn't believe it at first. How could something, someONE so incredible, be taken out like that? What was life when one slip, one small mistake, could wipe you off the face of the earth for good?
•••••
That was when my horrible luck began to affect those around me. Accidents happened constantly to me before this, but suddenly it seemed to rub off on anyone close to me, and, of course, this gradually drove people away. Even my closest friends left, and eventually I was branded as an outcast. Story of my life. Sounds fun, doesn't it?
This all happened in the course of a year. It'd take way too long to go into detail about it, and every time it was the same story. People trying to pull away nicely, cutting me off eventually. Screw them too. I can take care of myself.
Anyway, the real story starts later. You wouldn't BELIEVE what happened.
•••••
"It's been... so long..." I said softly, staring at the picture Sarah had given me a few weeks after we had gotten together. It really HAD been a long time... today was the anniversary of her death. March 23rd.
I walked through the cemetery toward her grave, and knelt by the stone.
"Sarah... I... I miss you..." I whispered, tears filling my eyes. "Everything's gone all wrong since you left... You'd want to kick my ♥♥♥ if you were here; I haven't been able to go into the old church all year. Maybe... Maybe it's because I can't see why you were taken away... I don't know..."
I shivered, even though it was seventy out. I had been cold all year... It may sound stupid, but it was like Sarah's death had taken part of me with her.
I'm sixteen, turning seventeen in a few months. I'm tall, but not over six feet, which is good; people would call me a stick if I was six feet tall. As it is, I'm lean, but still a normal weight. My hair is normally black, but right now I have it dyed a blue-green color, really just because I felt like it. Black hair made me look even paler than I already was. I don't get much color, no matter how much time I spend in the sun. It's strange, but I ignore it. If someone decides to give me ♥♥♥♥ for it, I'll break their jaw. I don't care if I catch hell for it later; they deserved it.
People are usually surprised by my eyes. That's reasonable, considering they're different colors. It's a weird condition that I have; I forgot what it's called at this point. One of my eyes is a bright blue, and the other is bright green. I'm lucky, I suppose; the difference isn't too big. At least people keep their mouths shut on that one, unless they're kissing ♥♥♥, claiming my eyes are "beautiful". It makes me sick whenever I hear that.
I can't exactly say things have gone well for me lately. My grades are fine, sure, but school isn't the only important thing in life. I attract accidents like a magnet. I'll have more on that when I get to the story, though. Which should be about now; I expect you're getting bored with all my self-description.
Bear with me at the beginning here; this story doesn't play out how you think. And I won't bring this up forever. It's what this story is built off of, though.
•••••
I couldn't believe what Sarah was saying to me. We stood in front of my house, and she was turned away from me.
"Leon, we can't keep this up." she said. "I'm leaving tomorrow to go to NYC and I don't think we'll make it through the time I'm gone."
I took a step back, trying to come up with something to say.
"Can't we give it a shot?" I asked desperately. She shook her head slowly.
"Leon... I'm sorry." she said. "It's over."
It felt like a crushing weight had dropped on me. We had been together for the past year, and now it was all for nothing. I stood and watched as she got into her car, and thought I saw tears sparkling in her hazel eyes before she let her long brown hair hide her face and started to drive away.
I lost my head at this moment and ran after her. I would beg, I would do anything to try and keep us together. All I knew was that I couldn't just let her go. It sounds stupid, but you weren't there. If you haven't felt it, you wouldn't understand.
This was when I first saw death. A body cold, pale and unmoving, eyes closed forever. It wouldn't be the last time. Not by a long shot.
She looked up, saw the yellow light, and slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. She was stopped in the middle of the intersection, and before she could do anything, a heavy delivery truck slammed into her car. I screamed in horror as I saw the car basically torn in half as it rolled over, and saw the front half land on the driver's side door and crumple inward slightly.
"It's possible she survived!" I told myself as the police and paramedics arrived, "People have lived through worse!"
The moment they pulled her out, however, I knew there was no way. She was pale, and her eyes were closed. A few glass shards had cut her upper arms and face, the latter just beneath her left eye.
Soon after, at the hospital, the doctors confirmed my fears. She was gone.
I couldn't believe it at first. How could something, someONE so incredible, be taken out like that? What was life when one slip, one small mistake, could wipe you off the face of the earth for good?
•••••
That was when my horrible luck began to affect those around me. Accidents happened constantly to me before this, but suddenly it seemed to rub off on anyone close to me, and, of course, this gradually drove people away. Even my closest friends left, and eventually I was branded as an outcast. Story of my life. Sounds fun, doesn't it?
This all happened in the course of a year. It'd take way too long to go into detail about it, and every time it was the same story. People trying to pull away nicely, cutting me off eventually. Screw them too. I can take care of myself.
Anyway, the real story starts later. You wouldn't BELIEVE what happened.
•••••
"It's been... so long..." I said softly, staring at the picture Sarah had given me a few weeks after we had gotten together. It really HAD been a long time... today was the anniversary of her death. March 23rd.
I walked through the cemetery toward her grave, and knelt by the stone.
"Sarah... I... I miss you..." I whispered, tears filling my eyes. "Everything's gone all wrong since you left... You'd want to kick my ♥♥♥ if you were here; I haven't been able to go into the old church all year. Maybe... Maybe it's because I can't see why you were taken away... I don't know..."
I shivered, even though it was seventy out. I had been cold all year... It may sound stupid, but it was like Sarah's death had taken part of me with her.
Chapter 1:
A New Meaning To Taking Her Home: show
I turned to leave, and heard a rustle of leaves nearby. I looked around. I heard voices, low and menacing, then a much higher feminine voice reply. More from the first voices, then a loud gunshot echoed through the empty cemetery, and I saw a girl stagger out of the nearby trees.
Her eyes were different like mine, one blue, one green, and her hair was jet black. She was even paler than me. One of her delicate-looking hands was clamped over a hole in her tight black jeans. She also wore a tight black leather jacket over a navy blue shirt. The jacket was meant for looks, not function, obviously; like I said, it was seventy out. I ran to her side as she collapsed on the ground.
"Who... who are you?!" she said, pushing herself away slightly as I approached.
"Leona- call me Leon." I said, hands up to show I meant no harm. She looked at me suspiciously, then stopped trying to back away. I slipped an arm around her waist, helping her to her feet. Blood stained her hand when she pulled it away for a moment.
"Are you going to be okay? Who shot you?" I asked. She grimaced with each step she took on her injured leg.
"I... I don't know." she said hesitantly. "I should be fine... I'll need to find a place to clean up, and stop the bleeding, but the bullet went all the way through... In other words, I'm pretty sure I'll live."
"My house isn't too far away from here... If you want, you can rest there... My mother is on a trip right now." I offered. She nodded after a long pause, conflicting expressions crossing her face as she tried to figure out whether or not she could trust me.
"Thank you..." she said. After another long pause, she spoke again.
"I'm Kera." she said. I almost mentioned the odd name, but changed my mind quickly. I didn't want to offend her when she was already badly injured. My name wasn't exactly NORMAL, by any means, either. Hers was a pretty name too, to be honest. One of the only times I'll be caught dead calling something "pretty" in this entire story.
We slowly made progress toward my house. I struggled to keep her conscious the entire way, and I was basically carrying her half the time, once she passed out.
She told me to avoid contact with other people if I could (when she was awake, anyway) which made us even slower, as I had to slip out of people's sight. The request was strange, but I wasn't going to question it. Yet, anyway.
Eventually, we arrived in front of my house.
Well, more accurately, it's an apartment. My mother lost some money soon after the accident and even more after my parents' splitting, and we had to move. It's not really a big deal to me. Sure, we lost some space, but I couldn't walk out the door of our old place without remembering my last conversation with Sarah anyway, so anywhere else was better.
It was a small comfort of living here, but at least I could visit her without going too far from the new house.
I quickly unlocked the door and shoved it open, revealing the dark living room. It would usually be bright, with my mother sitting watching some reality show, but like I said before, she wasn't in town.
I flicked the light switch, going through my room to the bathroom while Kera sat on my small bed in the corner of my room, which was really all I had space for. I grabbed the first aid kit that we always had, but never used, ripping the plastic off and carrying it out.
"I can go, if you want..." I said awkwardly, but Kera shook her head.
"It's fine..." she said. "I... well, I actually don't know what I'm doing." She looked down after she said this.
I nodded. I had been trained to do this kind of thing before, granted I hadn't been able to even go near blood since the accident. While we cleaned the bullet wound, I did my best to avoid any of the inherent awkwardness, but wasn't sure I succeeded as I wrapped the bandage around to stop the bleeding, and she quickly got dressed again, fiercely red.
"So... Why did they shoot you?" I asked. She shook her head to show that she had no idea.
"Just because of who I am, I think." she said cryptically.
"I'm gonna need a bit more than that to go on..." I said. She shook her head again.
"It doesn't matter. It's done. Don't make a big deal out of it." she said. I stared.
"Not a big deal?! You got shot! It's kind of a big deal!" I said, my voice rising inadvertently. "You're lucky they didn't kill you!"
"You don't have to shout." she said quietly. I stopped; I hadn't realized quite how loud I was being.
I had no idea why I was being so harsh about this; maybe because I was still emotional after visiting Sarah's grave. Maybe it was because she was obviously hiding something. Either way, it wasn't something I would easily let go of. Not forever, at least, but I let the subject drop for now.
"What were you doing before they shot you?" I asked, changing the subject a bit.
"Nothing important... What were you doing before I showed up?" Kerra challenged, obviously trying to change the subject. I went with it.
"I was... Well..." I began, looking down. "Visiting my ex-girlfriend's grave..." I finished. Now it was her turn to look down.
"I... I'm sorry. It must be hard for you." she said awkwardly after another pause. I nodded.
"It's been a while, but sometimes... sometimes it'll still jump out at me." I said. My hands were shaking as I looked down again with blurry vision. I was losing my composure again. I desperately held back my tears, trying not to break down in front of this girl I had just met. I was a freaking wreck. It wasn't the first time I'd realized this, but now the point was being rammed home.
As I kept my emotions in check, I heard the sound of a key entering a lock, then the apartment door opening. I jumped.
"♥♥♥♥! I thought she was going to be gone longer!" I muttered as I heard my mother walk in. This was a bad situation for me; I had told her I would be alone the whole week. Kera's eyes flashed, then she suddenly threw her arms around my neck
"What the f-?!"
"Just trust me." she answered, then pressed her lips to mine, cutting off my protest. A good thing, too. It could've given everything away.
"I'm back! How was your-" my mother called before she walked into my room and saw Kera and me. She stopped dead, and we pulled apart quickly.
"Oh! Who's your... friend?" my mother asked, a dangerous look in her eyes. I looked down.
"Um... Mom, this is Kera. I met her at school a while back..." I said. "I didn't want to talk about her too much before you left..."
Damn it, that sounded like I was hiding something... Alright I was but not what she thought!
"Well, this is a surprise..." she said. "We'll talk about this in a while. I need some time to relax after this trip."
When she left, I stared at Kera.
"Where the hell did that come from?!" I asked, keeping my voice down. She shrugged.
"We needed an alibi. Would you rather tell her I'm some girl you picked up in the graveyard after I got shot?" she asked.
"Not really. You've got a point." I said, smiling. "It WOULD make me a little crazy."
"Good job thinking fast. Your head must've been spinning!" she said, and we both laughed. This was easier than I had expected.
"So, I've been asking such big questions... Where do you come from?"
"I'm from... the north." she said hesitantly. I frowned when she didn't elaborate.
"When did you move here?" I asked.
"When I was very young... I don't remember it that much." she said slowly. I couldn't tell why she was so hesitant.
"Do you live in the area?"
"I... guess you could say that... It's pretty far away still..." She kept looking down and away.
"Do you actually go to school in the area?" I asked, and she immediately shook her head.
"I don't..." she said quickly. "Actually... I don't go to school."
I was surprised by this; I'd never met anyone my age who wasn't in school.
"Did you drop out or something?" I asked.
"No... No I didn't." she said quickly. She seemed uncomfortable, so I stopped.
"Sorry... I tend to get a bit carried away with the 20 Questions game." I said. She smiled.
"It's okay. I just don't like answering questions about myself. It makes me really nervous." she said, looking away.
"Well, I'll make it up to you." I said, smiling. "Ask me whatever you want. As of right now, I've got nothing to hide."
She smiled at me, then shook her head.
"I'm not going to interrogate you. You helped me out; that's worth answering a few questions, even if I don't like it."
One more occurred to me as she said this, and I HAD to ask it.
"What about your parents? Aren't they going to be worried about you?"
Her expression suddenly became one of confusion.
"No... Why would they be worried?" she asked. My eyes widened. Was she serious?
"What do you mean 'why would they'?" I asked. "They don't know where you are right now!"
"They won't worry about me." She repeated, smiling. She seemed completely oblivious to my astonishment at that. "Why? Does your mother still worry about where you are?"
My jaw dropped. It was something totally obvious to me. Wouldn't any parent worry about where their kid was? Even if they're almost an adult?
"Always! Crazy things can happen!" I answered. "I mean, look at YOU!" She laughed.
"I can't leave! Those guys could still be out there!"
I stared. "You wouldn't leave an injured girl alone for them to find, would you?" she added.
'♥♥♥♥, she's right! Damn my old-fashioned morals...' I thought. 'I can't do that...' I resigned myself to the fact that she was going to have to stay for a night.
"Leon, get in here!" my mother called, and I sighed. How I would explain things to my mother without getting her mixed up in all this, I had no freaking clue. I walked into her room slowly, my head down.
"Look at me, Leon." she said. I looked up. She didn't look angry; on the contrary, she looked happier than I'd seen her since the accident.
"Y-yes?" I asked, not sure what to make of her reaction. She motioned for me to come sit with her. When I did, she laughed.
"You don't need to worry, Leon. I'm not angry. I wish you had told me we would have company, but you're not hurting anything." I looked at her in surprise. "Leon, you're almost eighteen. It's perfectly normal! I'm just glad you've gotten over... the accident."
I looked down. How could I tell her I hadn't? She'd think I was lying when I was telling the truth; or worse, that I was just bringing girls home for the hell of it.
-
And for the record, no I wasn't.
It wasn't for the hell of it! Shut the ♥♥♥♥ up with your technicalities; it was a one time thing!
And THAT sounds horrible. Great. Let's move on before I make things even worse.
-
"Mom... would it be okay if Kera-" I began, and she cut me off.
"I'm fine with her staying. She seems like a very nice girl from what little I've seen of her... Quiet, and surprisingly open, but nice." she answered before I could finish asking.
How she had guessed what I was saying, I had no idea, but it was pretty impressive in my opinion.
"You should get that psychic power on a reality show. Make some money." I said, laughing. She hugged me.
"Just don't do anything that could get you into trouble, Leon." she said. I turned red and nodded.
"Don't worry, Mom, I definitely won't. It's not like that, I promise." I said before going back to my room.
"Good news, Kera... Mom said you can stay." I said. She smiled.
"That's awesome! She didn't yell at you, it sounds like..." she said. I shook my head, remembering how strange Mom's reaction had been. I had expected her to be angry, but instead she had basically said "Do whatever."
-
I hadn't moved on... my visiting Sarah's grave made that obvious.
What confused me is why Kera wanted to stay with ME. I could've helped her get home if worst came to worst... It was like she didn't want to go home... Or maybe she didn't want me to know where she lived. Either way, I had a feeling I wasn't going to figure it out any time soon.
-
"It's getting late, you two. You should get to bed!" my mother called, and I jumped. "I'm going to be going back out!"
"Yeah!" I called back, hitting the light switch. Darkness took over the room, held back only by a small, dim lamp.
"You can take the bed." I said quickly. I wasn't trying to be nice; I tossed and turned so much at night that I would wake up on the floor in the morning anyway.
"I-" Kera began, and I shook my head.
"I'm not being noble or anything. I really don't sleep in my bed. Don't ask." I sighed. She nodded, and I rolled over, getting comfortable on the floor. Not hard for me.
I had trouble falling asleep... Every few minutes I checked the clock. The last I could remember, it read 1:38 before I finally passed out.
---
When I woke the next day, I was alone in the house again. Left on the middle of the already-made bed was a piece of paper covered in unfamiliar handwriting.
-I know I said I couldn't leave, but I had to. I don't want you to get involved with this more than you already are. I'm sorry, Leon.
~Kera-
I looked over at the clock; it was almost seven.
Her eyes were different like mine, one blue, one green, and her hair was jet black. She was even paler than me. One of her delicate-looking hands was clamped over a hole in her tight black jeans. She also wore a tight black leather jacket over a navy blue shirt. The jacket was meant for looks, not function, obviously; like I said, it was seventy out. I ran to her side as she collapsed on the ground.
"Who... who are you?!" she said, pushing herself away slightly as I approached.
"Leona- call me Leon." I said, hands up to show I meant no harm. She looked at me suspiciously, then stopped trying to back away. I slipped an arm around her waist, helping her to her feet. Blood stained her hand when she pulled it away for a moment.
"Are you going to be okay? Who shot you?" I asked. She grimaced with each step she took on her injured leg.
"I... I don't know." she said hesitantly. "I should be fine... I'll need to find a place to clean up, and stop the bleeding, but the bullet went all the way through... In other words, I'm pretty sure I'll live."
"My house isn't too far away from here... If you want, you can rest there... My mother is on a trip right now." I offered. She nodded after a long pause, conflicting expressions crossing her face as she tried to figure out whether or not she could trust me.
"Thank you..." she said. After another long pause, she spoke again.
"I'm Kera." she said. I almost mentioned the odd name, but changed my mind quickly. I didn't want to offend her when she was already badly injured. My name wasn't exactly NORMAL, by any means, either. Hers was a pretty name too, to be honest. One of the only times I'll be caught dead calling something "pretty" in this entire story.
We slowly made progress toward my house. I struggled to keep her conscious the entire way, and I was basically carrying her half the time, once she passed out.
She told me to avoid contact with other people if I could (when she was awake, anyway) which made us even slower, as I had to slip out of people's sight. The request was strange, but I wasn't going to question it. Yet, anyway.
Eventually, we arrived in front of my house.
Well, more accurately, it's an apartment. My mother lost some money soon after the accident and even more after my parents' splitting, and we had to move. It's not really a big deal to me. Sure, we lost some space, but I couldn't walk out the door of our old place without remembering my last conversation with Sarah anyway, so anywhere else was better.
It was a small comfort of living here, but at least I could visit her without going too far from the new house.
I quickly unlocked the door and shoved it open, revealing the dark living room. It would usually be bright, with my mother sitting watching some reality show, but like I said before, she wasn't in town.
I flicked the light switch, going through my room to the bathroom while Kera sat on my small bed in the corner of my room, which was really all I had space for. I grabbed the first aid kit that we always had, but never used, ripping the plastic off and carrying it out.
"I can go, if you want..." I said awkwardly, but Kera shook her head.
"It's fine..." she said. "I... well, I actually don't know what I'm doing." She looked down after she said this.
I nodded. I had been trained to do this kind of thing before, granted I hadn't been able to even go near blood since the accident. While we cleaned the bullet wound, I did my best to avoid any of the inherent awkwardness, but wasn't sure I succeeded as I wrapped the bandage around to stop the bleeding, and she quickly got dressed again, fiercely red.
"So... Why did they shoot you?" I asked. She shook her head to show that she had no idea.
"Just because of who I am, I think." she said cryptically.
"I'm gonna need a bit more than that to go on..." I said. She shook her head again.
"It doesn't matter. It's done. Don't make a big deal out of it." she said. I stared.
"Not a big deal?! You got shot! It's kind of a big deal!" I said, my voice rising inadvertently. "You're lucky they didn't kill you!"
"You don't have to shout." she said quietly. I stopped; I hadn't realized quite how loud I was being.
I had no idea why I was being so harsh about this; maybe because I was still emotional after visiting Sarah's grave. Maybe it was because she was obviously hiding something. Either way, it wasn't something I would easily let go of. Not forever, at least, but I let the subject drop for now.
"What were you doing before they shot you?" I asked, changing the subject a bit.
"Nothing important... What were you doing before I showed up?" Kerra challenged, obviously trying to change the subject. I went with it.
"I was... Well..." I began, looking down. "Visiting my ex-girlfriend's grave..." I finished. Now it was her turn to look down.
"I... I'm sorry. It must be hard for you." she said awkwardly after another pause. I nodded.
"It's been a while, but sometimes... sometimes it'll still jump out at me." I said. My hands were shaking as I looked down again with blurry vision. I was losing my composure again. I desperately held back my tears, trying not to break down in front of this girl I had just met. I was a freaking wreck. It wasn't the first time I'd realized this, but now the point was being rammed home.
As I kept my emotions in check, I heard the sound of a key entering a lock, then the apartment door opening. I jumped.
"♥♥♥♥! I thought she was going to be gone longer!" I muttered as I heard my mother walk in. This was a bad situation for me; I had told her I would be alone the whole week. Kera's eyes flashed, then she suddenly threw her arms around my neck
"What the f-?!"
"Just trust me." she answered, then pressed her lips to mine, cutting off my protest. A good thing, too. It could've given everything away.
"I'm back! How was your-" my mother called before she walked into my room and saw Kera and me. She stopped dead, and we pulled apart quickly.
"Oh! Who's your... friend?" my mother asked, a dangerous look in her eyes. I looked down.
"Um... Mom, this is Kera. I met her at school a while back..." I said. "I didn't want to talk about her too much before you left..."
Damn it, that sounded like I was hiding something... Alright I was but not what she thought!
"Well, this is a surprise..." she said. "We'll talk about this in a while. I need some time to relax after this trip."
When she left, I stared at Kera.
"Where the hell did that come from?!" I asked, keeping my voice down. She shrugged.
"We needed an alibi. Would you rather tell her I'm some girl you picked up in the graveyard after I got shot?" she asked.
"Not really. You've got a point." I said, smiling. "It WOULD make me a little crazy."
"Good job thinking fast. Your head must've been spinning!" she said, and we both laughed. This was easier than I had expected.
"So, I've been asking such big questions... Where do you come from?"
"I'm from... the north." she said hesitantly. I frowned when she didn't elaborate.
"When did you move here?" I asked.
"When I was very young... I don't remember it that much." she said slowly. I couldn't tell why she was so hesitant.
"Do you live in the area?"
"I... guess you could say that... It's pretty far away still..." She kept looking down and away.
"Do you actually go to school in the area?" I asked, and she immediately shook her head.
"I don't..." she said quickly. "Actually... I don't go to school."
I was surprised by this; I'd never met anyone my age who wasn't in school.
"Did you drop out or something?" I asked.
"No... No I didn't." she said quickly. She seemed uncomfortable, so I stopped.
"Sorry... I tend to get a bit carried away with the 20 Questions game." I said. She smiled.
"It's okay. I just don't like answering questions about myself. It makes me really nervous." she said, looking away.
"Well, I'll make it up to you." I said, smiling. "Ask me whatever you want. As of right now, I've got nothing to hide."
She smiled at me, then shook her head.
"I'm not going to interrogate you. You helped me out; that's worth answering a few questions, even if I don't like it."
One more occurred to me as she said this, and I HAD to ask it.
"What about your parents? Aren't they going to be worried about you?"
Her expression suddenly became one of confusion.
"No... Why would they be worried?" she asked. My eyes widened. Was she serious?
"What do you mean 'why would they'?" I asked. "They don't know where you are right now!"
"They won't worry about me." She repeated, smiling. She seemed completely oblivious to my astonishment at that. "Why? Does your mother still worry about where you are?"
My jaw dropped. It was something totally obvious to me. Wouldn't any parent worry about where their kid was? Even if they're almost an adult?
"Always! Crazy things can happen!" I answered. "I mean, look at YOU!" She laughed.
"I can't leave! Those guys could still be out there!"
I stared. "You wouldn't leave an injured girl alone for them to find, would you?" she added.
'♥♥♥♥, she's right! Damn my old-fashioned morals...' I thought. 'I can't do that...' I resigned myself to the fact that she was going to have to stay for a night.
"Leon, get in here!" my mother called, and I sighed. How I would explain things to my mother without getting her mixed up in all this, I had no freaking clue. I walked into her room slowly, my head down.
"Look at me, Leon." she said. I looked up. She didn't look angry; on the contrary, she looked happier than I'd seen her since the accident.
"Y-yes?" I asked, not sure what to make of her reaction. She motioned for me to come sit with her. When I did, she laughed.
"You don't need to worry, Leon. I'm not angry. I wish you had told me we would have company, but you're not hurting anything." I looked at her in surprise. "Leon, you're almost eighteen. It's perfectly normal! I'm just glad you've gotten over... the accident."
I looked down. How could I tell her I hadn't? She'd think I was lying when I was telling the truth; or worse, that I was just bringing girls home for the hell of it.
-
And for the record, no I wasn't.
It wasn't for the hell of it! Shut the ♥♥♥♥ up with your technicalities; it was a one time thing!
And THAT sounds horrible. Great. Let's move on before I make things even worse.
-
"Mom... would it be okay if Kera-" I began, and she cut me off.
"I'm fine with her staying. She seems like a very nice girl from what little I've seen of her... Quiet, and surprisingly open, but nice." she answered before I could finish asking.
How she had guessed what I was saying, I had no idea, but it was pretty impressive in my opinion.
"You should get that psychic power on a reality show. Make some money." I said, laughing. She hugged me.
"Just don't do anything that could get you into trouble, Leon." she said. I turned red and nodded.
"Don't worry, Mom, I definitely won't. It's not like that, I promise." I said before going back to my room.
"Good news, Kera... Mom said you can stay." I said. She smiled.
"That's awesome! She didn't yell at you, it sounds like..." she said. I shook my head, remembering how strange Mom's reaction had been. I had expected her to be angry, but instead she had basically said "Do whatever."
-
I hadn't moved on... my visiting Sarah's grave made that obvious.
What confused me is why Kera wanted to stay with ME. I could've helped her get home if worst came to worst... It was like she didn't want to go home... Or maybe she didn't want me to know where she lived. Either way, I had a feeling I wasn't going to figure it out any time soon.
-
"It's getting late, you two. You should get to bed!" my mother called, and I jumped. "I'm going to be going back out!"
"Yeah!" I called back, hitting the light switch. Darkness took over the room, held back only by a small, dim lamp.
"You can take the bed." I said quickly. I wasn't trying to be nice; I tossed and turned so much at night that I would wake up on the floor in the morning anyway.
"I-" Kera began, and I shook my head.
"I'm not being noble or anything. I really don't sleep in my bed. Don't ask." I sighed. She nodded, and I rolled over, getting comfortable on the floor. Not hard for me.
I had trouble falling asleep... Every few minutes I checked the clock. The last I could remember, it read 1:38 before I finally passed out.
---
When I woke the next day, I was alone in the house again. Left on the middle of the already-made bed was a piece of paper covered in unfamiliar handwriting.
-I know I said I couldn't leave, but I had to. I don't want you to get involved with this more than you already are. I'm sorry, Leon.
~Kera-
I looked over at the clock; it was almost seven.
Chapter 2 (Needs a Better Title)
I'm Batman: show
Had she just waited until I was asleep to leave? And why hadn't she told me the night before and left then? This didn't make any sense to me.
I walked out into the living room, and my jaw dropped.
"What the hell happened here?" I gasped, taking in more of the damage with every sweep of the room. The table was on its side, and blood stained the carpet and one wall. Shards of broken glass lay around a fallen picture from that wall.
I started to clean up, not wanting my mother to come home and see the house like this, but I stopped when I thought about what could have happened here.
Kera could be in trouble, or worse. Judging by a lot of the blood, more shots were fired, and she had tried to fight back. It didn't surprise me that I had slept through all of this; when I finally manage to fall asleep, nothing wakes me up until I decide to.
The blood trailed out the door. Someone had definitely been hurt. An image was beginning to form in my head of the men from before coming into the house, eventually dragging Kera with them after a fight.
The thought made me start to follow the trail. Chills ran down my spine as I saw more blood, and I sprinted back to my kitchen, pulling a sharp knife from the block and sliding it into my jacket pocket. I would've taken something better if I'd had it, but I didn't. I had to arm myself as best as I could if I was going to rescue Kera. I didn't doubt that she needed help. Maybe I was just paranoid.
The blood trail led out of my apartment building onto the street, down the sidewalk. I kept my hand on the handle of my knife, stopping at an apartment door several blocks down where the blood trail stopped. At this point, I was so on-edge that I was instantly sure I was at the right place. I knew picking the lock would take too long, and took a step back. My blood was racing as I spun and drove my foot into the door as hard as I could. It tore away from its hinges, revealing a dark room. There were so many more bloodstains in this place, but no sign of Kera. I slowly walked through the first room into another.
Behind me, the apartment block's door slammed shut. At this point, I didn't care. I turned the light in this room on.
"Leon! You need to get out of here!" Kera shouted as I locked eyes with her. I shook my head.
"Not going without you." I said.
Her arms and hands were stained with blood, and she still struggled against the cuffs holding her on the wall. Fresh blood dripped down her wrists.
"Thought you'd come, kid." a gravelly voice said. I turned to see a heavyset man, his face blocked out by the shadow his hood threw. "After we saw you pick her up off the street, we knew you'd be a problem."
I clenched my fists, holding my temper back. I couldn't blow up right away.
"Why are you protecting her? Do you even know who- what- she is?" he asked. I shook my head.
"I don't... And I don't need to!" I said, charging forward. He easily reached up, blocking my first blow. I continued my assault, driving my fist into his stomach. He took a step back, and I hit him again. He stumbled.
Pressing my advantage, I sent my elbow directly into his chin, knocking his head back. I swung around behind him, wrapping one arm around his neck, pulling it tight and twisting as hard as I could.
A loud crack rang through the room, and the man went limp. I grabbed his keys before he even landed, releasing Kera as fast as I could.
"Don't you think I can handle one guy?" I asked, grinning. She took a few deep, gasping breaths, then met my eyes.
"There wasn't only one." she said, right as four more guys swarmed into the room. All of them wore masks, and two held guns pointed at my face. I gasped,then, begging my luck to help me for once, I slipped the knife from my jacket pocket, throwing it at one of the gun holders.
A thud followed, and he collapsed, the blade buried in his eye. I ducked to avoid the obviously incoming retaliating shot, charging at the other armed kidnapper. I drove my knee into his stomach, punched him hard in the face, and grabbed the gun, pointing it back at him and pulling the trigger. I turned and aimed again, but a click announced that the gun was empty.
Seriously? Who uses a two-shot in this century?! Idiots...
As I dove to grab the knife from my victim's eye socket, throwing the useless pistol aside, a fist smashed into my face, knocking me back. I landed hard, hitting my head off the floor as I did so. Blackness slowly bloomed over my vision as I struggled to stay conscious. Maybe that's why I saw something so unbelievable.
A fierce expression on her face, Kera ripped the knife free, spinning to face the kidnappers. A rage showed in her eyes so powerful it seemed to burn as she flipped the blade expertly between her fingers. The men seemed enthralled, although they were more likely frozen in terror.
One of the men stepped forward, holding the gun from his fallen partner- the one who had previously had a knife in his eye- and Kera lashed out, carving a bloody path across his chest, finishing by burying the blade in his heart, twisting it, and ripping it free.
"Now..." she said in an airy voice, addressing the last kidnapper, so softly I could barely hear her. "Do you want to try something stupid too?"
He took a step back, shaking his head.
"It- it ain't nothin' personal, I swear! I was just followin' orders is all!" he said. "I lived on the streets before this job... Please, don't kill me"
Kera gave a deadly smile.
"If you are indeed as much of a victim as you claim, surely you won't mind a little game?" she said in the same soft voice, almost singing now. "A bit of proof is all you need, and I promise I will honor your plea. But if you decide that you will lie, I can promise you will die."
Her face cleared, and the musical tone left her voice.
"Are you willing to accept these terms?" she asked. The man nodded frantically, and Kera's smile widened. She pulled a small bell out of her pocket, and she spoke again, still in the same light tone.
"The rules are simple. I will ask you a few questions, shaking this bell after each answer. If you tell me everything you know about what I ask, the bell will not sound. If this lasts through every question, I will let you live. If you lie or omit anything, the bell will ring, and I will kill you." she said. The man's eyes widened. Kera's face became grave as he spoke again:
"Let the game begin."
I walked out into the living room, and my jaw dropped.
"What the hell happened here?" I gasped, taking in more of the damage with every sweep of the room. The table was on its side, and blood stained the carpet and one wall. Shards of broken glass lay around a fallen picture from that wall.
I started to clean up, not wanting my mother to come home and see the house like this, but I stopped when I thought about what could have happened here.
Kera could be in trouble, or worse. Judging by a lot of the blood, more shots were fired, and she had tried to fight back. It didn't surprise me that I had slept through all of this; when I finally manage to fall asleep, nothing wakes me up until I decide to.
The blood trailed out the door. Someone had definitely been hurt. An image was beginning to form in my head of the men from before coming into the house, eventually dragging Kera with them after a fight.
The thought made me start to follow the trail. Chills ran down my spine as I saw more blood, and I sprinted back to my kitchen, pulling a sharp knife from the block and sliding it into my jacket pocket. I would've taken something better if I'd had it, but I didn't. I had to arm myself as best as I could if I was going to rescue Kera. I didn't doubt that she needed help. Maybe I was just paranoid.
The blood trail led out of my apartment building onto the street, down the sidewalk. I kept my hand on the handle of my knife, stopping at an apartment door several blocks down where the blood trail stopped. At this point, I was so on-edge that I was instantly sure I was at the right place. I knew picking the lock would take too long, and took a step back. My blood was racing as I spun and drove my foot into the door as hard as I could. It tore away from its hinges, revealing a dark room. There were so many more bloodstains in this place, but no sign of Kera. I slowly walked through the first room into another.
Behind me, the apartment block's door slammed shut. At this point, I didn't care. I turned the light in this room on.
"Leon! You need to get out of here!" Kera shouted as I locked eyes with her. I shook my head.
"Not going without you." I said.
Her arms and hands were stained with blood, and she still struggled against the cuffs holding her on the wall. Fresh blood dripped down her wrists.
"Thought you'd come, kid." a gravelly voice said. I turned to see a heavyset man, his face blocked out by the shadow his hood threw. "After we saw you pick her up off the street, we knew you'd be a problem."
I clenched my fists, holding my temper back. I couldn't blow up right away.
"Why are you protecting her? Do you even know who- what- she is?" he asked. I shook my head.
"I don't... And I don't need to!" I said, charging forward. He easily reached up, blocking my first blow. I continued my assault, driving my fist into his stomach. He took a step back, and I hit him again. He stumbled.
Pressing my advantage, I sent my elbow directly into his chin, knocking his head back. I swung around behind him, wrapping one arm around his neck, pulling it tight and twisting as hard as I could.
A loud crack rang through the room, and the man went limp. I grabbed his keys before he even landed, releasing Kera as fast as I could.
"Don't you think I can handle one guy?" I asked, grinning. She took a few deep, gasping breaths, then met my eyes.
"There wasn't only one." she said, right as four more guys swarmed into the room. All of them wore masks, and two held guns pointed at my face. I gasped,then, begging my luck to help me for once, I slipped the knife from my jacket pocket, throwing it at one of the gun holders.
A thud followed, and he collapsed, the blade buried in his eye. I ducked to avoid the obviously incoming retaliating shot, charging at the other armed kidnapper. I drove my knee into his stomach, punched him hard in the face, and grabbed the gun, pointing it back at him and pulling the trigger. I turned and aimed again, but a click announced that the gun was empty.
Seriously? Who uses a two-shot in this century?! Idiots...
As I dove to grab the knife from my victim's eye socket, throwing the useless pistol aside, a fist smashed into my face, knocking me back. I landed hard, hitting my head off the floor as I did so. Blackness slowly bloomed over my vision as I struggled to stay conscious. Maybe that's why I saw something so unbelievable.
A fierce expression on her face, Kera ripped the knife free, spinning to face the kidnappers. A rage showed in her eyes so powerful it seemed to burn as she flipped the blade expertly between her fingers. The men seemed enthralled, although they were more likely frozen in terror.
One of the men stepped forward, holding the gun from his fallen partner- the one who had previously had a knife in his eye- and Kera lashed out, carving a bloody path across his chest, finishing by burying the blade in his heart, twisting it, and ripping it free.
"Now..." she said in an airy voice, addressing the last kidnapper, so softly I could barely hear her. "Do you want to try something stupid too?"
He took a step back, shaking his head.
"It- it ain't nothin' personal, I swear! I was just followin' orders is all!" he said. "I lived on the streets before this job... Please, don't kill me"
Kera gave a deadly smile.
"If you are indeed as much of a victim as you claim, surely you won't mind a little game?" she said in the same soft voice, almost singing now. "A bit of proof is all you need, and I promise I will honor your plea. But if you decide that you will lie, I can promise you will die."
Her face cleared, and the musical tone left her voice.
"Are you willing to accept these terms?" she asked. The man nodded frantically, and Kera's smile widened. She pulled a small bell out of her pocket, and she spoke again, still in the same light tone.
"The rules are simple. I will ask you a few questions, shaking this bell after each answer. If you tell me everything you know about what I ask, the bell will not sound. If this lasts through every question, I will let you live. If you lie or omit anything, the bell will ring, and I will kill you." she said. The man's eyes widened. Kera's face became grave as he spoke again:
"Let the game begin."
Chapter 3
The Game Of Truth: show
"First: What is your true name?" Kera asked.
"Lance Ryan Taylor." the man said clearly. After a pause, Kera shook the bell, but nothing happened. He had been telling the truth.
"Second: who were you sent to restrain?" Kera said, her expression unchanged. A nervous spark appeared in the man's eyes.
"Th-the boss never gave us a full name. He said to kidnap a strange girl called Kera, and to bring down her friend Leonard Grant, a boy who lives around here, if we had to! They gave us a description and an address!" he said, then waited.
The bell made no sound. He hadn't been given much to go on at all. Personally, I was impressed that he had gotten to us.
"Third: Were you told why you were hunting us?"
"No! Sean tried asking and he disappeared that night!"
Again, no sound.
"Finally: who do you serve?" Kera asked. The man's eyes went wide, and the fear was plain on his face.
"I-I don't know! We've never been given a name, a face, anything! All our briefings were done by dead drop or private phone calls. The voice sounded fake." he said.
Kera shook the bell once again, a small smile on her face. The man closed his eyes tightly.
The bell made no sound.
"You have answered truthfully. There really IS still good in your heart, Lance." Kera said. She put the bell away, and her eyes returned to a softer expression. "Now, you should leave. Go into hiding elsewhere, start a new life. I think you will find yourself more successful in your endeavors after today, so long as they are legal."
I slowly sat up, feeling the back of my head throb with the movement. I wasn't bleeding, but I was definitely hurting. Both because I was thinking and because I had hit it off the floor as hard as I could.
"Are you alright?" Kera asked, holding out a hand to pull me up. I took it. "You're lucky to even be conscious."
"I'm hurting, but I'll be fine." I said, rubbing the back of my head. I smiled, embarrassed.
"Some rescue attempt, huh? You had to save our lives." Kera stiffened.
"You saw that?" she asked, eyes wide. I nodded, not sure how she would react.
"I saw it all. You killed one of them... But let the other one go." I said. I must have looked worried, because she smiled.
"Don't worry. He won't be a problem." she said. I stared at her. "Fear often makes humans change their ways. He won't ever forget what happened just now."
"And..." I said slowly, "If the story he really told us is true, he's no better off now that he was before. You just sentenced a man to life on the streets!"
"Not exactly."
"That's EXACTLY what I saw, unless you slipped him a diamond ring or something during that game of yours, and I doubt you have one of those lying around."
"No, I didn't give him anything. Not in a material sense."
"What, then? You can't possibly expect me to believe your moral support is supposed to help him succeed in life."
"That's not it... I..." Kera said, then paused for a long moment. "It's tough to just say this, but I trust you. You came here to help me."
I waited, somewhat impatiently. I knew I shouldn't be so rude, but she had been so secretive, and it irritated me. I had helped her twice now, and she still refused to explain anything.
"Leon, I... I'm not a human." she said, I stared, not understanding. "I am one of the Faerie people. We have certain... abilities beyond those of humans. One of which is our ability to bless those who aid us, or curse those who harm us."
I somewhat understood now.
"So when you told him he'd be more successful...?"
"Yes, I made SURE he would be." Kera confirmed, smiling. "I wouldn't just leave someone on the streets, especially not someone who could help people if he could just find a bit of success."
"Lance Ryan Taylor." the man said clearly. After a pause, Kera shook the bell, but nothing happened. He had been telling the truth.
"Second: who were you sent to restrain?" Kera said, her expression unchanged. A nervous spark appeared in the man's eyes.
"Th-the boss never gave us a full name. He said to kidnap a strange girl called Kera, and to bring down her friend Leonard Grant, a boy who lives around here, if we had to! They gave us a description and an address!" he said, then waited.
The bell made no sound. He hadn't been given much to go on at all. Personally, I was impressed that he had gotten to us.
"Third: Were you told why you were hunting us?"
"No! Sean tried asking and he disappeared that night!"
Again, no sound.
"Finally: who do you serve?" Kera asked. The man's eyes went wide, and the fear was plain on his face.
"I-I don't know! We've never been given a name, a face, anything! All our briefings were done by dead drop or private phone calls. The voice sounded fake." he said.
Kera shook the bell once again, a small smile on her face. The man closed his eyes tightly.
The bell made no sound.
"You have answered truthfully. There really IS still good in your heart, Lance." Kera said. She put the bell away, and her eyes returned to a softer expression. "Now, you should leave. Go into hiding elsewhere, start a new life. I think you will find yourself more successful in your endeavors after today, so long as they are legal."
I slowly sat up, feeling the back of my head throb with the movement. I wasn't bleeding, but I was definitely hurting. Both because I was thinking and because I had hit it off the floor as hard as I could.
"Are you alright?" Kera asked, holding out a hand to pull me up. I took it. "You're lucky to even be conscious."
"I'm hurting, but I'll be fine." I said, rubbing the back of my head. I smiled, embarrassed.
"Some rescue attempt, huh? You had to save our lives." Kera stiffened.
"You saw that?" she asked, eyes wide. I nodded, not sure how she would react.
"I saw it all. You killed one of them... But let the other one go." I said. I must have looked worried, because she smiled.
"Don't worry. He won't be a problem." she said. I stared at her. "Fear often makes humans change their ways. He won't ever forget what happened just now."
"And..." I said slowly, "If the story he really told us is true, he's no better off now that he was before. You just sentenced a man to life on the streets!"
"Not exactly."
"That's EXACTLY what I saw, unless you slipped him a diamond ring or something during that game of yours, and I doubt you have one of those lying around."
"No, I didn't give him anything. Not in a material sense."
"What, then? You can't possibly expect me to believe your moral support is supposed to help him succeed in life."
"That's not it... I..." Kera said, then paused for a long moment. "It's tough to just say this, but I trust you. You came here to help me."
I waited, somewhat impatiently. I knew I shouldn't be so rude, but she had been so secretive, and it irritated me. I had helped her twice now, and she still refused to explain anything.
"Leon, I... I'm not a human." she said, I stared, not understanding. "I am one of the Faerie people. We have certain... abilities beyond those of humans. One of which is our ability to bless those who aid us, or curse those who harm us."
I somewhat understood now.
"So when you told him he'd be more successful...?"
"Yes, I made SURE he would be." Kera confirmed, smiling. "I wouldn't just leave someone on the streets, especially not someone who could help people if he could just find a bit of success."
Chapter 4
Dark and Light: show
I knew the news of Kera's inhumanity should have shocked me, but I couldn't react at all. I was injured, and exhausted from all the adrenaline that had recently left my system, and she seemed so human as she smiled at me now.
"It doesn't matter what you are." I said, shaking my head. "I know I'm on your side. That's all that matters."
In less than a day, we'd gone from strangers to... I'd like to say we were friends. Why else would she tell me this secret?
"So... Why were those people after you?" I asked.
"They, in and of themselves, weren't after me." Kera said, shaking her head. "The king of the Chaos Court sent them, I believe. You are familiar with the three Faerie courts, right?"
I tried to remember what I had read, what I had heard. Nothing useful.
"I know I should, but I don't really. Well, except a friend of mine. She was obsessed with the Dark Court. It was always funny to me. She always talked about how the two Courts were always fighting. There's a third one?"
"The Dark Court isn't inherently evil, nor is the Light Court inherently good. The majority of those in the Dark Court, also known as the Nightmare Court are the more fear-inducing Faerie, classified more by appearance than what they do. I'll admit that some of them are evil, but they aren't all horrible. The Light Court tends to look more "normal" by human standards, although if we use our power we can all easily look different.
"Recently, one of the more sadistic members of the Dark Court, Azirathe, began to gather his supporters and snatch territory from the two courts, setting himself up as the king of his own court. He seems to want control of this city, most of which belongs to the Dark Court at the moment, although the Light Court controls the northern parts."
"What does he want this place for?" I asked. "It's all apartments and poor people, and I've been poor long enough to say we're not exactly special."
Kera shook her head.
"Nobody knows why. He's powerful, cunning, and like I said before, sadistic. Few people could stand up to him, human or Faerie."
"You talk like you know him." I said, doing my best to keep my jealousy from affecting my tone. Kera turned red, then quickly turned away.
"We've... met, yes. I know him well enough to know he should be avoided at all costs." she said. "Can we change the subject while we leave? This isn't really the place to discuss this, and we need to put as much distance between us and these bodies as we can."
I nodded, taking the knife back and wiping it clean before putting it back in my jacket. We both left the building through a back door, running across the empty alley quickly. We slowed after that, but didn't talk as we walked in the shadows heading north, away from both my house and the bloody scene we had just left.
The entire time, I wondered if Kera had only played the helpless girl role at the beginning to draw me in. After all, she could make herself look like whatever she wanted. That made me wonder more about her. What was she? How old was she really? What court was she part of? Was that a choice, or was she born into it? Even with all these questions racing around my head, I couldn't bring myself to ask anything.
"You're thinking about something." Kera observed. I shook my head to clear it.
"Yeah, a lot of things... I don't really know WHAT I'm thinking." I sighed. "It happens a lot; I'll have so many thoughts that I lose track of them and can't focus on one." I said, trying to force the questions to the back of my mind so I could ask them later.
"Well, what's on your mind?" she asked as we rounded a corner and sped up, making several more turns as we got to intersections. "Don't worry about how it sounds, just say it."
"I... I'm wondering what you are... What court you're in... But I know you hate answering questions..." I said, turning into an alley with her.
"Leon... You came to save me. I'm not going to hide things from you, but... I don't think you want to know the answer to those questions." she said, facing away from me. "Are you sure?"
"Kera, you aren't going to be able to scare me off, okay? But... maybe we can wait on the questions. Just until we're safer..." I said quickly.
She turned and smiled at me, her eyes wide and sparkling. She nodded, then her expression turned serious.
"We can't go back, Leon. Azirathe is bound to have people watching." she said.
"You can't just expect me to leave my mother alone, then! I'm all she's got, and she's all I have!" I growled. She shook her head.
"Leon, listen to me! He knows where you live! Your mother will be safer if you stay away. I know him; if you try to go back, he won't hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way!" she said, putting her hands on my shoulders and looking into my eyes. I knew she was right, but it hurt to leave my mother without any warning.
"You're right." I said, looking away. "It's hard... She just split with my dad, and then there's Sarah dying... I don't know how many more shocks she can take."
Kera leaned in, her lips touching mine softly, and I pulled away quickly, shaking and bright red, but calm.
"It'll be okay. Just trust me." she said softly, her hands still on my shoulders.
"That's twice you've caught me off guard like that." I said, laughing. "I can never guess what you're going to do or say... But at the same time... Don't do that. It... doesn't help."
She tilted her head to the side, looking like she actually cared.
"Doesn't help? Doesn't help... what?" she asked softly. I looked down again.
"I... I can't betray Sarah. And that's what it feels like whenever I get close to someone else." I said, blinking back tears. Kera pulled me close, her arms around me.
"Leon, she's gone. I have magic, and even I can't bring back the dead. Once someone crossed that line, they can't come back." she said. I already knew that. Some people would just say I was making excuses. Maybe I was resisting because it was way too cliché to fall for a girl like this.
Okay, that was definitely part of it.
"We've got to keep moving." she said. "If Azirathe's agents find us we'll have to fight off another group."
I nodded, and we ran down the alley, making several turns and heading north. I stopped for a moment, and Kera turned to me.
"Where're we going? You said Azirathe is hunting us; if an extremely powerful Fae is out to kill us, is there even anywhere safe?" I asked. She nodded to acknowledge my question.
"We're headed for the domain of the Light Court. They technically hold this city, although if Azirathe is taking over they aren't doing the greatest job. We'll be much safer there, though." she said. "Relatively, anyway. They aren't fond of outsiders; there will be a price for seeking refuge with them."
"Well that's very encouraging... And how do we know when we're there?"
"We're outside of their domain right now." she said, wiping the blood off of her wrists with two fingers and opening the door of a nearby office after drawing a circle on the spot where the key would normally go. She pushed me through in front of her before walking through herself, and the door slammed shut behind us.
It was the strangest building I had ever been in. All around me, emerald hills stretched as far as I could see, dotted by lush forests. A deep blue river ran behind us, and in front of us was a shining marble castle with barred golden gates with trees growing on both sides.
"Keep calm and let me do the talking." Kera said softly, walking toward the gates and pulling me after her. It seemed odd to me that any person would leave a castle unguarded.
This notion was crushed almost instantly as the trees melted away, revealing golden-skinned human-looking creatures. Each pulled a gleaming short sword made of an odd green metal from their belts as they approached slowly, their black hair fanning out behind them as if a breeze was running through it.
"You shouldn't be here, humans!" When they spoke, it was no harsher than a whisper, but it still got their point across.
"I have business with the queen." Kera said, showing no fear even though we were both unarmed and the guards' hands were twitching like they WANTED our blood. "It involves the traitor, Azirathe."
The two Fae hissed, taking a step back.
"Do not speak of that fool!" they both said. "He has insulted the queen at every turn, stolen her lands, and killed her servants if they refused to serve him. The name is forbidden in her lands!"
After a pause, they continued their speech.
"Of course, the queen may be interested in any news of the traitor. We will carry your offer to her. In the meantime, you will wait here."
"But he's trying to kill us!" I burst out. Kera gave me a dangerous look, as if to say 'shut up right now,' but it was already said. The guards stared at me for a moment, then they nodded, pushing the gates open.
"You will be safe inside. However, you may come no further unless the queen allows it." they said. We walked several feet into the outer courtyard, Kera still giving me a furious look. Once the guards were gone I turned to her.
"What's wrong? I got us in, didn't I?" I asked. She nodded.
"But in the Faerie world, information is invaluable. The more they know about us, the more dangerous this becomes. They'd sell us out if it would get them something they wanted." she said fiercely, "If you value our lives, you'll keep your mouth shut."
Her face was even paler than normal, and she was tensed like she would bolt at the slightest warning. She was more than nervous; she was terrified. I couldn't tell why. The scenery and the bright sunlight was unusually comforting to me. Unusual because I hated sunny days.
"Don't get lulled into a false sense of security, Leon. The air of this place is full of Light Court magic. It's supposed to be pleasant to any human who enters." she said in a strained voice, her eyes staring off into the distance as she took deep breaths. "Whatever you do, don't lose your head, especially if the queen does give us an audience. Don't take anything you're offered, and whatever you do, don't make any deals with her, regardless of whatever she says she'll give you. Trust me, some of those terms will be very... tempting."
"Tempting? What can she possibly have that I want? I don't want money, or power, or fame... She has no control over Azirathe, so she can't offer safety from him, either!" I said indignantly, shaking my head. "It's like you don't trust me!"
"It's not that... She has an... odd ability, Leon. She can sense a person's deepest desires. Only you can know what that is. I can't tell you what she'll try to trade, just that it will never be worth the price." Kera said, then fell silent as the guards approached, another Fae between them.
The tall, thin, pale woman walked with an odd grace, and a slight breeze seemed to follow her and blow her red silk dress back even though there was no wind. Her long, blonde hair perfectly framed her face, and her green eyes instantly locked on mine. All-in-all, she had an otherworldly beauty.
The Queen of the Light Court smiled, and Kera shot me one last warning look.
"Welcome, humans." she said breathlessly in a musical voice much like Kera's had been when she had started the game of death. "I am commonly known as Ilia, Faerie Queen of Light."
"It doesn't matter what you are." I said, shaking my head. "I know I'm on your side. That's all that matters."
In less than a day, we'd gone from strangers to... I'd like to say we were friends. Why else would she tell me this secret?
"So... Why were those people after you?" I asked.
"They, in and of themselves, weren't after me." Kera said, shaking her head. "The king of the Chaos Court sent them, I believe. You are familiar with the three Faerie courts, right?"
I tried to remember what I had read, what I had heard. Nothing useful.
"I know I should, but I don't really. Well, except a friend of mine. She was obsessed with the Dark Court. It was always funny to me. She always talked about how the two Courts were always fighting. There's a third one?"
"The Dark Court isn't inherently evil, nor is the Light Court inherently good. The majority of those in the Dark Court, also known as the Nightmare Court are the more fear-inducing Faerie, classified more by appearance than what they do. I'll admit that some of them are evil, but they aren't all horrible. The Light Court tends to look more "normal" by human standards, although if we use our power we can all easily look different.
"Recently, one of the more sadistic members of the Dark Court, Azirathe, began to gather his supporters and snatch territory from the two courts, setting himself up as the king of his own court. He seems to want control of this city, most of which belongs to the Dark Court at the moment, although the Light Court controls the northern parts."
"What does he want this place for?" I asked. "It's all apartments and poor people, and I've been poor long enough to say we're not exactly special."
Kera shook her head.
"Nobody knows why. He's powerful, cunning, and like I said before, sadistic. Few people could stand up to him, human or Faerie."
"You talk like you know him." I said, doing my best to keep my jealousy from affecting my tone. Kera turned red, then quickly turned away.
"We've... met, yes. I know him well enough to know he should be avoided at all costs." she said. "Can we change the subject while we leave? This isn't really the place to discuss this, and we need to put as much distance between us and these bodies as we can."
I nodded, taking the knife back and wiping it clean before putting it back in my jacket. We both left the building through a back door, running across the empty alley quickly. We slowed after that, but didn't talk as we walked in the shadows heading north, away from both my house and the bloody scene we had just left.
The entire time, I wondered if Kera had only played the helpless girl role at the beginning to draw me in. After all, she could make herself look like whatever she wanted. That made me wonder more about her. What was she? How old was she really? What court was she part of? Was that a choice, or was she born into it? Even with all these questions racing around my head, I couldn't bring myself to ask anything.
"You're thinking about something." Kera observed. I shook my head to clear it.
"Yeah, a lot of things... I don't really know WHAT I'm thinking." I sighed. "It happens a lot; I'll have so many thoughts that I lose track of them and can't focus on one." I said, trying to force the questions to the back of my mind so I could ask them later.
"Well, what's on your mind?" she asked as we rounded a corner and sped up, making several more turns as we got to intersections. "Don't worry about how it sounds, just say it."
"I... I'm wondering what you are... What court you're in... But I know you hate answering questions..." I said, turning into an alley with her.
"Leon... You came to save me. I'm not going to hide things from you, but... I don't think you want to know the answer to those questions." she said, facing away from me. "Are you sure?"
"Kera, you aren't going to be able to scare me off, okay? But... maybe we can wait on the questions. Just until we're safer..." I said quickly.
She turned and smiled at me, her eyes wide and sparkling. She nodded, then her expression turned serious.
"We can't go back, Leon. Azirathe is bound to have people watching." she said.
"You can't just expect me to leave my mother alone, then! I'm all she's got, and she's all I have!" I growled. She shook her head.
"Leon, listen to me! He knows where you live! Your mother will be safer if you stay away. I know him; if you try to go back, he won't hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way!" she said, putting her hands on my shoulders and looking into my eyes. I knew she was right, but it hurt to leave my mother without any warning.
"You're right." I said, looking away. "It's hard... She just split with my dad, and then there's Sarah dying... I don't know how many more shocks she can take."
Kera leaned in, her lips touching mine softly, and I pulled away quickly, shaking and bright red, but calm.
"It'll be okay. Just trust me." she said softly, her hands still on my shoulders.
"That's twice you've caught me off guard like that." I said, laughing. "I can never guess what you're going to do or say... But at the same time... Don't do that. It... doesn't help."
She tilted her head to the side, looking like she actually cared.
"Doesn't help? Doesn't help... what?" she asked softly. I looked down again.
"I... I can't betray Sarah. And that's what it feels like whenever I get close to someone else." I said, blinking back tears. Kera pulled me close, her arms around me.
"Leon, she's gone. I have magic, and even I can't bring back the dead. Once someone crossed that line, they can't come back." she said. I already knew that. Some people would just say I was making excuses. Maybe I was resisting because it was way too cliché to fall for a girl like this.
Okay, that was definitely part of it.
"We've got to keep moving." she said. "If Azirathe's agents find us we'll have to fight off another group."
I nodded, and we ran down the alley, making several turns and heading north. I stopped for a moment, and Kera turned to me.
"Where're we going? You said Azirathe is hunting us; if an extremely powerful Fae is out to kill us, is there even anywhere safe?" I asked. She nodded to acknowledge my question.
"We're headed for the domain of the Light Court. They technically hold this city, although if Azirathe is taking over they aren't doing the greatest job. We'll be much safer there, though." she said. "Relatively, anyway. They aren't fond of outsiders; there will be a price for seeking refuge with them."
"Well that's very encouraging... And how do we know when we're there?"
"We're outside of their domain right now." she said, wiping the blood off of her wrists with two fingers and opening the door of a nearby office after drawing a circle on the spot where the key would normally go. She pushed me through in front of her before walking through herself, and the door slammed shut behind us.
It was the strangest building I had ever been in. All around me, emerald hills stretched as far as I could see, dotted by lush forests. A deep blue river ran behind us, and in front of us was a shining marble castle with barred golden gates with trees growing on both sides.
"Keep calm and let me do the talking." Kera said softly, walking toward the gates and pulling me after her. It seemed odd to me that any person would leave a castle unguarded.
This notion was crushed almost instantly as the trees melted away, revealing golden-skinned human-looking creatures. Each pulled a gleaming short sword made of an odd green metal from their belts as they approached slowly, their black hair fanning out behind them as if a breeze was running through it.
"You shouldn't be here, humans!" When they spoke, it was no harsher than a whisper, but it still got their point across.
"I have business with the queen." Kera said, showing no fear even though we were both unarmed and the guards' hands were twitching like they WANTED our blood. "It involves the traitor, Azirathe."
The two Fae hissed, taking a step back.
"Do not speak of that fool!" they both said. "He has insulted the queen at every turn, stolen her lands, and killed her servants if they refused to serve him. The name is forbidden in her lands!"
After a pause, they continued their speech.
"Of course, the queen may be interested in any news of the traitor. We will carry your offer to her. In the meantime, you will wait here."
"But he's trying to kill us!" I burst out. Kera gave me a dangerous look, as if to say 'shut up right now,' but it was already said. The guards stared at me for a moment, then they nodded, pushing the gates open.
"You will be safe inside. However, you may come no further unless the queen allows it." they said. We walked several feet into the outer courtyard, Kera still giving me a furious look. Once the guards were gone I turned to her.
"What's wrong? I got us in, didn't I?" I asked. She nodded.
"But in the Faerie world, information is invaluable. The more they know about us, the more dangerous this becomes. They'd sell us out if it would get them something they wanted." she said fiercely, "If you value our lives, you'll keep your mouth shut."
Her face was even paler than normal, and she was tensed like she would bolt at the slightest warning. She was more than nervous; she was terrified. I couldn't tell why. The scenery and the bright sunlight was unusually comforting to me. Unusual because I hated sunny days.
"Don't get lulled into a false sense of security, Leon. The air of this place is full of Light Court magic. It's supposed to be pleasant to any human who enters." she said in a strained voice, her eyes staring off into the distance as she took deep breaths. "Whatever you do, don't lose your head, especially if the queen does give us an audience. Don't take anything you're offered, and whatever you do, don't make any deals with her, regardless of whatever she says she'll give you. Trust me, some of those terms will be very... tempting."
"Tempting? What can she possibly have that I want? I don't want money, or power, or fame... She has no control over Azirathe, so she can't offer safety from him, either!" I said indignantly, shaking my head. "It's like you don't trust me!"
"It's not that... She has an... odd ability, Leon. She can sense a person's deepest desires. Only you can know what that is. I can't tell you what she'll try to trade, just that it will never be worth the price." Kera said, then fell silent as the guards approached, another Fae between them.
The tall, thin, pale woman walked with an odd grace, and a slight breeze seemed to follow her and blow her red silk dress back even though there was no wind. Her long, blonde hair perfectly framed her face, and her green eyes instantly locked on mine. All-in-all, she had an otherworldly beauty.
The Queen of the Light Court smiled, and Kera shot me one last warning look.
"Welcome, humans." she said breathlessly in a musical voice much like Kera's had been when she had started the game of death. "I am commonly known as Ilia, Faerie Queen of Light."
Chapter 5
Alone: show
Her eyes darting between Kera and I, Ilia smiled again.
"You are both quite interesting to me... Few humans have knowingly, voluntarily entered our domain. Yet two have done so today, and you claim to have knowledge of the Traitor. Your involvement in our affairs is... Unusual." she said. "For this reason, I have decided to speak with you myself. Tell me... Who are you?"
"I'm Leon, and this is Kera." I said, bowing slightly out of respect, hoping I was doing the right thing.
Kera just stared, eyes wide. She seemed to be immobilized by fear.
"I will happily hear what you have to say. However, I wish to speak to you individually. Like I said, you are... interesting, and I want to get to know you both. I would like to speak with the girl first, if you don't mind."
She beckoned for both of us to follow her. I obeyed quickly, and after a slight hesitation Kera followed my lead. Together we entered the castle, stepping from bright sunlight into a slightly dimmer, but still brightly lit entrance hall. Ilia continued to walk toward a door set behind her throne. Here, she gestured for me to stop, and Kera to follow alone.
Leaning against the wall and waiting for Kera to come back out, I realized how crazy this entire situation was. It was like the supernatural, insane turn it had taken was finally catching up to me, making my head ache as I tried to process everything that had happened.
Kera wasn't human. That was my first obstacle to get over. Hidden under that magically created skin was another person, one who could look and be incredibly terrifying. She was one of the Fae, just like the Queen and her guards. Who knew why she had her strange obsession with me, or why she was so intent on my getting over Sarah?
In defense of this strange girl, I killed three men. They had families just like me. In the heat of the moment, trying to save Kera, it had been an easy choice, but now thoughts of the men's possible families haunted me. Someone somewhere in the city was going through what I dealt with after Sarah... because of me. I couldn't make excuses to them or myself; I murdered the three men, when I could have knocked them unconscious and escaped.
And my mother... what would she be going through now, coming home to a ransacked room where blood stained the carpet, finding her son missing? Tears filled my eyes at the thought that more people were suffering because of my existence. She wouldn't be panicking quite yet... In another hour or so, though...
All-in-all, it was a lot to think about. When I was with Kera I could pretend to be somewhat happy. Strong, even. Now I was at the mercy of my thoughts. Even Kera couldn't save me from this... She was part of the puzzle that was tormenting me; thinking about her just made it even worse.
Time passed slowly as I sat against the wall, not even considering sleep. I had only been awake a few hours, but all of this drama seemed to have drained my energy just like time could usually do. Maybe it was just the adrenaline rush from earlier coming back to haunt me now that the crisis was over. I wanted to avoid falling asleep, though; this place seemed safe, but that could easily change if Kera or I slipped up or made one false move.
Waiting for Kera definitely wasn't the easiest thing I had ever done. I didn't have a lot of energy, but I started a nervous pacing as I tried to figure out what Ilia would ask. What DID I want most? The immediate answer was too easy; I wanted my mother and I to be safe from Azirathe. Of course, that couldn't be promised by Ilia, so there was no chance that she'd even attempt it.
More than anything else, if Sarah could be brought back, I would leap at the offer, but again, that was something impossible. I'd have to think harder. My thoughts were racing as I realized Kera could come back out at any second, and then I would be at Ilia's mercy. I didn't want her to catch me off guard.
I dismissed a lot of common desires easily: I didn't want money, or fame, or power. All three of those could easily corrupt any human, and I knew I was weak. Strength wasn't the answer either; nobody could give me that.
Make me less of a curse on people around me? At this point, I couldn't safely make friends anyway. An angry, bloodthirsty, sadistic Fae would make having relationships of any kind with anyone impossible. I didn't want any more blood on my hands.
None of it seemed like something she would be able to use against me. Nothing I could think of really had an allure to it that made it irresistible. If she couldn't tempt me with anything, this conversation would be easy. I calmed slightly, slowing my pacing and watching the door less anxiously.
I don't know how it happened, but I zoned out right after this, my thoughts blurring. I kept pacing, but I could've just been asleep the entire time, I accomplished about as much. My head kept pounding as I paced, making things even worse. It irritated me too, which just compounded the headache and my lack of concentration.
It seemed like it had been several days when Kera and Ilia finally walked back into the throne room. Kera looked flushed, like she had just been either angry or embarrassed. Ilia was smirking again, still amused. She seemed to see our visit to the Light Court as some kind of joke, entertainment for her to pass the time. Kera looked at me like she wanted to say something, but Ilia quickly spoke first, not sounding like she had rushed to cut Kera off.
"Well, now..." she said, "I'm definitely eager to meet you now... She speaks very highly of you and your courage."
I knew I was turning red this time, staring daggers at Kera. Courage? Not even close. Stupidity, maybe.
Ilia beckoned, and I followed her through the door, not sure what to expect.
"You are both quite interesting to me... Few humans have knowingly, voluntarily entered our domain. Yet two have done so today, and you claim to have knowledge of the Traitor. Your involvement in our affairs is... Unusual." she said. "For this reason, I have decided to speak with you myself. Tell me... Who are you?"
"I'm Leon, and this is Kera." I said, bowing slightly out of respect, hoping I was doing the right thing.
Kera just stared, eyes wide. She seemed to be immobilized by fear.
"I will happily hear what you have to say. However, I wish to speak to you individually. Like I said, you are... interesting, and I want to get to know you both. I would like to speak with the girl first, if you don't mind."
She beckoned for both of us to follow her. I obeyed quickly, and after a slight hesitation Kera followed my lead. Together we entered the castle, stepping from bright sunlight into a slightly dimmer, but still brightly lit entrance hall. Ilia continued to walk toward a door set behind her throne. Here, she gestured for me to stop, and Kera to follow alone.
Leaning against the wall and waiting for Kera to come back out, I realized how crazy this entire situation was. It was like the supernatural, insane turn it had taken was finally catching up to me, making my head ache as I tried to process everything that had happened.
Kera wasn't human. That was my first obstacle to get over. Hidden under that magically created skin was another person, one who could look and be incredibly terrifying. She was one of the Fae, just like the Queen and her guards. Who knew why she had her strange obsession with me, or why she was so intent on my getting over Sarah?
In defense of this strange girl, I killed three men. They had families just like me. In the heat of the moment, trying to save Kera, it had been an easy choice, but now thoughts of the men's possible families haunted me. Someone somewhere in the city was going through what I dealt with after Sarah... because of me. I couldn't make excuses to them or myself; I murdered the three men, when I could have knocked them unconscious and escaped.
And my mother... what would she be going through now, coming home to a ransacked room where blood stained the carpet, finding her son missing? Tears filled my eyes at the thought that more people were suffering because of my existence. She wouldn't be panicking quite yet... In another hour or so, though...
All-in-all, it was a lot to think about. When I was with Kera I could pretend to be somewhat happy. Strong, even. Now I was at the mercy of my thoughts. Even Kera couldn't save me from this... She was part of the puzzle that was tormenting me; thinking about her just made it even worse.
Time passed slowly as I sat against the wall, not even considering sleep. I had only been awake a few hours, but all of this drama seemed to have drained my energy just like time could usually do. Maybe it was just the adrenaline rush from earlier coming back to haunt me now that the crisis was over. I wanted to avoid falling asleep, though; this place seemed safe, but that could easily change if Kera or I slipped up or made one false move.
Waiting for Kera definitely wasn't the easiest thing I had ever done. I didn't have a lot of energy, but I started a nervous pacing as I tried to figure out what Ilia would ask. What DID I want most? The immediate answer was too easy; I wanted my mother and I to be safe from Azirathe. Of course, that couldn't be promised by Ilia, so there was no chance that she'd even attempt it.
More than anything else, if Sarah could be brought back, I would leap at the offer, but again, that was something impossible. I'd have to think harder. My thoughts were racing as I realized Kera could come back out at any second, and then I would be at Ilia's mercy. I didn't want her to catch me off guard.
I dismissed a lot of common desires easily: I didn't want money, or fame, or power. All three of those could easily corrupt any human, and I knew I was weak. Strength wasn't the answer either; nobody could give me that.
Make me less of a curse on people around me? At this point, I couldn't safely make friends anyway. An angry, bloodthirsty, sadistic Fae would make having relationships of any kind with anyone impossible. I didn't want any more blood on my hands.
None of it seemed like something she would be able to use against me. Nothing I could think of really had an allure to it that made it irresistible. If she couldn't tempt me with anything, this conversation would be easy. I calmed slightly, slowing my pacing and watching the door less anxiously.
I don't know how it happened, but I zoned out right after this, my thoughts blurring. I kept pacing, but I could've just been asleep the entire time, I accomplished about as much. My head kept pounding as I paced, making things even worse. It irritated me too, which just compounded the headache and my lack of concentration.
It seemed like it had been several days when Kera and Ilia finally walked back into the throne room. Kera looked flushed, like she had just been either angry or embarrassed. Ilia was smirking again, still amused. She seemed to see our visit to the Light Court as some kind of joke, entertainment for her to pass the time. Kera looked at me like she wanted to say something, but Ilia quickly spoke first, not sounding like she had rushed to cut Kera off.
"Well, now..." she said, "I'm definitely eager to meet you now... She speaks very highly of you and your courage."
I knew I was turning red this time, staring daggers at Kera. Courage? Not even close. Stupidity, maybe.
Ilia beckoned, and I followed her through the door, not sure what to expect.
Chapter 6:
The Queen Of Desire: show
Whatever I had expected, this wasn't it. We were in a dimly lit garden, with various types of flowers all around us. She smiled pleasantly, tilting her head to one side.
"You expected a torture chamber, maybe? Or a stuffy little war room? The Light Court doesn't appreciate those things. No, my only desire is to speak with you. You are a strange human to have found your way in here, after all."
"I didn't know until Kera brought me here." I said, then my eyes widened. I hadn't meant to say that out loud. Ilia smirked.
"Have you figured it out already? It took HER much longer." she asked.
"This room... You... My thoughts... Aren't safe here." I gasped out, now realizing I couldn't hold the words back. She shook her head, locking eyes with me.
"No, Leon, your thoughts are safe. You are forced to speak your mind in this place, yes, but your thoughts will not be used against you. As you know, I cannot lie. I promise you, what is said will stay between us unless you say otherwise."
"I never knew that..." I said, then shook my head. "This... is not... normal..."
"Of course it's not normal to you. You've lived in the human world all this time." she said. "To the Fae, it is positively mundane. A simple amplification of our binding to speaking the truth."
She reached out her hand, smiling slightly. "I know you don't trust me. However, I am not your enemy. I know what you desire most, as your ... companion has warned you, but I have no intention of doing you harm."
I hesitated, then flinched as she put her hand on my shoulder, surprisingly gently. We locked eyes and I caught my breath. Without warning, she leaned in and pressed her lips to mine, holding them there. My eyes widened, then slowly closed. We locked eyes again when she pulled away.
"You're lonely, Leon. Lost. You want to move on from her death, but at the same time, you want to honor her memory." she said. I froze. "It's so sad you don't know..." she added.
I stared back at her, transfixed now.
"I don't know what?" I asked. She smirked again.
"You've been living in the human world far too long, Leon. But of course, the Fae always return one day."
"What...? Return? What does that have to do with me?"
"Isn't it obvious, Leon? You're one of us. Just like that girl you stand beside. The one hiding behind a mask of magic."
"You expected a torture chamber, maybe? Or a stuffy little war room? The Light Court doesn't appreciate those things. No, my only desire is to speak with you. You are a strange human to have found your way in here, after all."
"I didn't know until Kera brought me here." I said, then my eyes widened. I hadn't meant to say that out loud. Ilia smirked.
"Have you figured it out already? It took HER much longer." she asked.
"This room... You... My thoughts... Aren't safe here." I gasped out, now realizing I couldn't hold the words back. She shook her head, locking eyes with me.
"No, Leon, your thoughts are safe. You are forced to speak your mind in this place, yes, but your thoughts will not be used against you. As you know, I cannot lie. I promise you, what is said will stay between us unless you say otherwise."
"I never knew that..." I said, then shook my head. "This... is not... normal..."
"Of course it's not normal to you. You've lived in the human world all this time." she said. "To the Fae, it is positively mundane. A simple amplification of our binding to speaking the truth."
She reached out her hand, smiling slightly. "I know you don't trust me. However, I am not your enemy. I know what you desire most, as your ... companion has warned you, but I have no intention of doing you harm."
I hesitated, then flinched as she put her hand on my shoulder, surprisingly gently. We locked eyes and I caught my breath. Without warning, she leaned in and pressed her lips to mine, holding them there. My eyes widened, then slowly closed. We locked eyes again when she pulled away.
"You're lonely, Leon. Lost. You want to move on from her death, but at the same time, you want to honor her memory." she said. I froze. "It's so sad you don't know..." she added.
I stared back at her, transfixed now.
"I don't know what?" I asked. She smirked again.
"You've been living in the human world far too long, Leon. But of course, the Fae always return one day."
"What...? Return? What does that have to do with me?"
"Isn't it obvious, Leon? You're one of us. Just like that girl you stand beside. The one hiding behind a mask of magic."
