by Mandi Oyster
“Satisfaction brought it back.” Sarah led us over to the couches. “Have you ever noticed how some horses are so much more brilliant than others? They almost shimmer. Their luxurious manes and tails never seem to need brushed. They never have a speck of dirt on them. They are just a beautiful sight.” A smile brightened her face. “And some dragonflies are enormous with shining, metallic looking wings. They are so much more lustrous and beautiful than those you normally see.”
I leaned forward in my seat, elbows on my knees. “Yes. I know what you are talking about. I’ve seen them before.”
“Next time you see a horse or a dragonfly, look at it very carefully. If you stop and take notice, you might find yourself staring at a beautiful unicorn or a timid fairy. There are other magical creatures out there too, not all of them are good. Most of them found a way to stay hidden from humans, but the disguises they wear can be seen through if you look carefully.”
I didn’t know what to say. I sat there for a while trying to let what she told me soak in. “Have you ever seen unicorns or fairies?” I heard the disbelief in my voice.
“Yes. I have. They are both truly magnificent.” Her smile brightened her whole face. “I’ve also seen gnomes, gremlins, and sprites. I know it’s not easy to accept, but these creatures exist.” My eyebrows rose. “You need to remember what you are capable of before you decide this is unbelievable. Most have no idea anybody like you even exists.”
“You’re right.” Heat crept onto my cheeks. “I guess I shouldn’t doubt anything that seems farfetched without having all the facts first.”
I stared into the fire transfixed. The coals danced from gray to orange to red and back again. “Sarah,”—I refused to make eye contact with her—“do you know anything else about Nefarious?”
She hesitated before saying, “You saw the picture. He’s about 12’ tall.”
“You knew he was 12’ tall when you showed me the picture?” 12’ tall? I knew I’d be facing a monster, but I thought it would be a human-sized monster. Fear coursed through my blood, threatening to spill out and wreak havoc. “And you didn’t tell me?”
“I thought you realized.”
The muscles in my jaw ached from clenching my teeth. “How would I?”
She stood up. “I’ll be right back with the journal.”
I closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing until I heard her return.
“Here.” She pointed at the drawing.
This time I realized the enormity of the demon. Standing beside it, less than half his size, a man shot lightning bolts from his hands at the monster. “Oh … I was so focused on Nefarious before, I didn’t notice.”
“That’s perfectly understandable.” She took the book back.
“Anything else?”
She crossed her legs, wrapping her hands around her knee. “I don’t know if you’re ready for this.”
I rubbed my hand along the couch, watching the color of the fabric darken. Then I looked into Sarah’s eyes and nodded. “I’m going to find out sooner or later.”
“If you’re sure you want to know.” She sighed. “I guess it’s my place to tell you.”
“If you tell me what his powers are, I’ll know what to expect. If you don’t tell me, I’ll imagine what they are.” I threw my hands in the air. “Who knows, what I imagine might be a whole lot worse. And, well … if something happens to you, I’ll never know.”
“I suppose you make a good point.” Sarah hesitated, taking in a deep breath. “He can cover his body in flames and …” She rubbed her hands down her legs.
“And?”
She cleared her throat. “And he has powers of his own.”
I rubbed my hand over my mouth. “Of course he does.”
“One of the things he does is try to find humans to stand in his fight against you. From some of the things my grandfather told me,” she turned her eyes from mine, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to gain the loyalty of Cassandra and her friends.”
I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply. “Go on.”
“He also has the power of suggestion. In your dream, you said you heard a voice telling you ‘to run, to hide.’ That’s the type of thing he can do. People with weak minds have no chance of defending themselves against this. He may tell you to flee from him or to run to him. If you have a strong will, you should be able to fight off the urge to do what he is telling you. If you don’t …” she broke off in mid-sentence her face ashen.
I pulled my hand through my hair, already feeling defeated. “So fire, the thing I’m best at, won’t do any good against him.”
“I don’t see how it could. Ice might have some effect, but I don’t know how much.” She sat next to me. “I’m sorry, Dacia. I hate to see you go through this. I wish I could take your place.”
Cody walked in the door as I said, “I can’t say it’s something I want to do. But, at least I have good friends to try to help me through it.” It wasn’t how I felt, but I was trying to be optimistic.
“Especially me.” He smiled. “You okay, Dean? You look pale.”
“I’m fine, Cody,” she said not managing to hide the stress in her voice. “I’m worried about Dacia, but I think she might have a little more strength than I’ve given her credit for.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty tough.”
“Why don’t you two get out of here and try to enjoy the rest of the day?” Sarah suggested.
“That sounds like a great idea,” I said.
“I’ll see you Tuesday, Dacia,” Sarah said as Cody and I headed out the door. “Unless, of course, something happens before then that you think I should know about.”
When we got out into the fresh air, Cody asked, “So, how was your lesson?”
“It went pretty well. I controlled my powers, and nothing even flew at Sarah.” I threw my shoulders back and felt a wide grin spread across my face.
“Great!”
We walked on in silence for a while. “Sarah tried to use you against me in my lesson.”
“Why?” Cody stopped walking and frowned down at me. “I’d never hurt you.”
“I know you wouldn’t.” I patted his arm. “Sarah tried to make me believe you were Cassandra’s boyfriend. She must think we’re more than friends …” I looked away from him. Why would she do this to me? I don’t need to think about Cody as anything more than my friend. “I guess she was trying to make me jealous.”
Cody’s face reddened, and he stared into the distance. He’d never asked me out, and I’d never expected him to. However, when Sarah mentioned him and Cassandra together, jealousy tore me up inside. I didn’t like the thought of him dating anyone. Even though we weren’t involved romantically, he was still my Cody, and as much as I wanted him to ask me out, I didn’t want to ruin our friendship if things didn’t work out either. Why mess up a good thing?
“Did it work?” Cody still hadn’t looked at me.
“I held my own.” I knew what he meant, but I wasn’t about to admit it to him.
He raised a single questioning eyebrow.
Time to change the subject. “I asked her if she knows anything more about Nefarious than what she told me at our first meeting.”
“And?”
“She told me Nefarious has the power to gain the allegiance of humans, so not only do I have to worry about defeating him, I might have to fight people, too.” Saying it made my stomach sink.
Cody put his hand on my shoulder. “It’ll be all right, Dacia. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but things’ll work out. Samantha and I will help you any way we can.” His jaw set, and his eyes lit up like they were on fire. “You know I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you.”
“Yeah, I know you’ll do your best to keep anything from happening to me,” I slid my hand into his. Wa
rmth spread from my fingertips up my arm. Get a grip. Seriously. “But I don’t know if you’ll be able to protect me this time, Cody.”
We walked in silence for a while, both of us a little uneasy. “Sarah also told me unicorns, fairies, and other magical beasts exist. She told me she has seen some of them, too.”
Cody cocked his head. “You believe her?”
“I don’t know—” I paused thinking of what Sarah said “—but, how can I deny they’re real when I believe in a fantasy that includes a horrific beast?”
“Touché.” He squeezed my fingers. “I wouldn’t mind seeing one.”
“Me either,” I said, still not sure if I should believe any of this stuff. A month ago all these things were the makings of fairy tales and childhood imaginations. Now I thought they might be true. Who knew what I’d believe next?
Chapter 15
Flying High
Samantha, Cody and I hiked through the trees to Falcon Lake. Thick woods surrounded a path worn into the forest floor by hundreds of students through the years. Roots and rocks jutted up through the dirt. Low hanging branches blocked the path.
“I really should be reading a book for English Lit.” I pushed a branch out of the way. An orange leaf fell, drifting to the ground. “I have a book report to do, but I don’t think I could concentrate on it today anyway.”
“Sounds like you.” Samantha tripped on a root. “I suppose it’s due Friday, and you’ll read the book and write the report Thursday.”
“You’re giving her too much credit, Sam.” Cody chuckled. “It won’t be done ‘til class Friday.”
“Well, for your information, the report is due Wednesday,” I said in the haughtiest voice I could muster. “I guess that makes both of you wrong. You know I’ll get it done. I always do.”
“You’ll finish Wednesday morning then,” Cody said.
“I’m going to finish it before then just to prove the two of you wrong!”
Cody rubbed his chin. “I’ll pay for dinner next Friday if you finish your report before class Wednesday.”
He should’ve known better; I loved a challenge. This would be the perfect motivation to get me going.
After walking nearly a mile, we stepped from the path. Picnic areas scattered around Falcon Lake were shaded by century-old trees. A quaint little park, with swings, merry-go-rounds, and slides, was the highlight for children. It evoked memories of childhood, the laughter, and innocence of youth.
Leaving our stuff at a picnic table, we walked down to the shore. Like most glacial lakes in the mountains, the water was crystalline, and you could see every rock for about ten feet out. After that, the bottom dropped out, and the water darkened to navy. It was about two hundred twenty feet at its deepest.
We skipped a few rocks across the surface before playing Frisbee. Setting up in a triangle, I threw to Cody who threw to Samantha who time after time tossed the Frisbee over my head. After about fifteen minutes of chasing the Frisbee and being good-natured about it, I was getting frustrated.
“Samantha, I’m here. I’m five foot five inches tall, not seven feet. Please throw it to me!”
Her face flushed with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Dacia. I’ve never been good at this.”
The next time she threw it to me, it was above my head again. Even though I knew there was no hope of catching it, I jumped.
The Frisbee hit my hand, and I closed my fingers around it. Samantha’s and Cody’s mouths hung open.
“What?” I stepped to throw the Frisbee, but my foot only touched air. I flung my arms out and plummeted back to earth.
Cody ran over, getting there the same time I landed on my butt. He lowered his hand to me. “Nice hang time!”
My eyes darted around, checking the area, hoping no one else had seen me. There was a couple holding hands, walking along the beach, but they were gazing into each other’s eyes and didn’t seem to be aware anyone else even existed. As far as I could tell, nobody had noticed. “Thank God there weren’t too many people around,” I said. “That would’ve been hard to explain.”
“How did you do that, Dacia?” Samantha asked, her mouth hanging open and her eyes widened.
“I was frustrated.” I wiped dirt off the back of my jeans. “I didn’t want to chase the Frisbee again. I leapt and all that emotion must have …” I pulled my fingers through red tangles. “I don’t know … given me a boost.”
Cody shrugged and acted like it was no big deal. “I wonder what else you can do.”
“I wish I knew how to make myself do these things instead of them just happening to me.”
“You’ll figure it out,” Samantha said.
“I’ve had powers all my life.” I folded my arms over my chest, holding my insecurities in. “I haven’t figured anything out.”
Clouds rolled in and blocked the sun. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and I took a deep breath. I walked to a picnic table and sat. Instead of picturing my mountain scene, I looked at Falcon Lake. Wind blew waves across the water, crashing against the beach.
Cody sat next to me. He reached to put his hand on my shoulder, but I dodged it.
“I need a few minutes.” I rubbed my hand over my face. “If you don’t mind.”
Cody’s shoulders hunched, and his mouth twisted. He reminded me of a lost puppy dog. I always ran to him when I had problems, but now I was pushing him away.
“Uh, sure. I’ll hang with Samantha.”
I grabbed a bottle of water. I wanted a normal life. When I left Bittersweet, I thought I might find that here. Things were farther from normal here than they had ever been at home, and the end was nowhere in sight.
I watched people at the lake and tried to imagine what it would be like to be them. I wondered what it must be like to be the couple I had seen walking around the lake holding hands. They didn’t appear to have a care in the world. They seemed happy to share each other’s company. Another guy played fetch with his loyal dog. I longed to be like him, not thinking about the end of the world, simply enjoying myself. I knew there had to be difficult things for him to deal with in his life, but in my mind, my problems outweighed everybody else’s.
The sky continued darkening. People grabbed their stuff, clearing the area. “Snap out of it,” I said to myself. I needed to get control before we had to walk back in the rain. I leaned my elbows back on the table and gazed at the mountains. My troubles dissolved. The clouds drifted away.
Cody and Samantha sat with their heads bent together, whispering. They looked up and saw me watching them, so I waved them over.
“Well, what did you two decide?” I asked as they approached the table. “How are you going to make things better, or did you decide I’m a lost cause?”
Samantha smiled. “You know we decided a long time ago that you’re a lost cause.”
I forced myself to return her smile.
“Actually, we decided it’s about dinner time, so do you want to eat here or go?” she asked.
“All we have here are snacks,” I said.
Cody rubbed his stomach. “I could go for a bacon cheeseburger and fries.”
Samantha went over to her bag and pulled out a pen and paper. “Why don’t you two tell me what you want? I’ll go back and order it while you get all of our stuff rounded up.”
“That works,” Cody said. “Bacon cheeseburger, lettuce, tomato, mayo and cheddar fries. Dacia?”
“I’ll have the same, hold the mayo.”
Samantha patted me on the back before heading up the trail.
Cody sat down beside me and took my hand in his. “You okay?”
“I’ll be fine.” I pulled my hair off my neck. “I’m sorry I sent you away. I needed a little space.”
Cody stared into my eyes. I wondered what was going through his head, bu
t I was afraid I wouldn’t like what I found out. “Don’t apologize. Sometimes you need space. Sometimes you need me.”
“Thanks, Cody.” I laid my head on his shoulder. “I have no idea what I’d do without you.”
“You’d be lost.” He rested his head on mine.
Having Cody hold me like this, my heart threatened to fly from its cage. “There’s more truth to that than you realize.”
“Let’s go sit by the water.” Cody stood and reached for my hand. “It’ll take a while for our food to get there.”
We sat on the edge of the lake. Waves crashed against the rocky shore. It was nearing sunset, making the trees and water appear more intense.
Cody reached up and put his arm around my shoulders pulling me closer to him. “I’ve, uh, been thinking about Sarah using me and Cassandra to make you jealous.”
I tilted my head and looked up at him. “Okay?”
He focused on the lake. “I thought about it. More than once.”
“Cody, I never expected you to ask me out.” My insides wobbled. Had he really considered dating me?
He cleared his throat. “You’re my best friend. I don’t want to lose you.”
I slid my arm around his back. Sitting this way felt good … right. You can’t let him think it would work. He deserves better. My heart stopped when I said, “Friendship’s good.”
Even with the glow from the sunset warming his skin, I saw his face redden. I laid my head on his shoulder and stared at the sunset’s reflection on Falcon Lake. Dating Cody had been on my mind on and off again all day. Sitting with him like this, I wanted it more than I’d ever wanted anything else in my life.
“Are you ready to go back?” I looked at his profile. With the sun behind him, each of his eyelashes was highlighted. It was hard for me to remember why we shouldn’t be together. “I imagine Samantha wonders what happened to us.”
“Nah.” Cody squeezed my arm. “I told her we needed to talk.”
Shadows lengthened. The sunset was little more than an orange glow on the horizon and stars dotted the sky by the time we decided to leave. The trail was unlit.