The Silence Between

  Oh boy.

  It's not that she disliked Ignis; he'd just grown so distant and made her ridiculously uncomfortable, and she couldn't tell if he did it on purpose or not. Gabriela, on the other hand, had not made a very good first impression on her. Still, Charlie was willing to give them both a second chance. Griff's is the only friendship that seemed to remain the same, and she didn't want to place any strain on his social connections just because they didn't get along.

  She put on a smile and walked over to the group.

  "Hey," she said simply.

  "How are you liking your first Bunny Festival back in the Cove?"

  "It's better than what I remember. Nothing like this in Drasil, that's for sure, and I've seriously missed these little social gatherings," she admitted. "Though I'm pretty sure I saw Troy spike the punch, so that's concerning with the little kids here."

  Griff groaned. "Not again…" He pulled his phone out of his pocket, texting quickly. "Last year both kids caught a buzz off whatever he put in the punch. Dad's gonna flip out."

  Gabriela laughed. "Well, silver lining—if Nate gets drunk, there's no decent competition."

  Griff glared at her. "Not funny."

  "Jeez, take a joke. I'm just kidding."

  "Because making kids sick is such a riot," he growled darkly. Gabriela rolled her eyes and his frown deepened. "Why don't you actually give the kids a chance at the egg hunt this year? You're a grown ass woman. What are you getting out of beating seven-year-olds?"

  It was Gabriela's turn to glare.

  "It's a competition, Griff. If you always win you won't build any character. Nobody's going to baby your wittle bwother forever, you know."

  And there went the second chance offered to Gabriela. Being shitty was one thing. But being shitty towards kids was something Charlie was not okay with.

  "Funny thing," she interjected, "but I think seven-year-olds are still young enough to be babied a little."

  Gabriela turned to her immediately. "No one asked the Apple Queen," she snapped. "Keep your big red nose out of it."

  Charlie judged her as the type to really hate being mocked, so she just raised her eyebrows and pressed her smiling lips together like she was holding back laughter. It got the reaction she was looking for. Abigail's face reddened with impotent rage, fists clenched to her sides like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

  "Whatever. Come find me when you're all not being so fucking sensitive," Gabriela seethed as she stormed off in the direction of the cemetery.

  Griff shook his head. "I have no idea what you see in her, man," he said to Ignis.

  Ignis had remained oddly quiet during the little squabble, but he looked so tired. Charlie felt like this wasn't the first time a confrontation like this had happened between the three of them.

  "Gabby loves rabbits, and she wanted to catch one this year as a pet. You guys messed with her on purpose," he said finally.

  "Except she started it," Griff shot back. "Dude, I'm pretty sure she's going to sacrifice the poor thing the second she gets it alone," he added, his face crinkled with worry. Genuine or not, Charlie couldn't tell.

  Ignis sighed and rubbed a hand across his face. "I'm gonna go to talk to her. Catch you later."

  Griff shook his head as he watched his friend walk away. "He can be so fucking dumb sometimes."

  Charlie had no clue what to say to that, so she stayed silent. After a moment, Griff turned back to her with his usual cheer restored.

  "C'mon, let's go get some of that punch."

  ‡ † ‡

  The rest of the festival went by without a hitch. Gabriela was suspiciously absent from the bunny chase, much to Charlie's amusement, and Nate and Tia ended up tying for first place. They both beamed with pride as they ran over to show off their new pets, and Charlie laughed and cheered when Griff lifted both kids up on his shoulders for a congratulatory parade around the square. The food was fantastic, and the whole town was in good spirits by the time the festival ended.

  Except for Ignis and Gabriela, anyway.

  Charlie and Griff were feeling pretty good themselves after indulging in more than their share of Troy's punch. She tried to get the man to spill what kind of booze he'd added, but Troy just grinned and played dumb. Whatever it was, it was delicious. And potent. Charlie didn't particularly want to ride out her buzz alone at home, so she accepted the invite when Griff finally decided to just chill at his house.

  They played video games until Griff got tired of getting his ass handed to him by a girl. Then they talked about favorite bands and movies while he messed around in his sketchbook—still working on costume designs—and Charlie thumbed through some magazines. When they retreated to the kitchen for some snacks and something non-alcoholic to drink, Charlie helped put away groceries, which elicited a mixed reaction of embarrassment and delight from Tal.

  It all just felt so…normal, so comfortable. It felt almost like home.

  They ended up on the couch with a movie when the afternoon wound down and their buzz lightened up. The movie turned out to be a garbage sequel for one of the best eighties' movies, and they were mostly entertaining themselves by mocking it relentlessly throughout. Tal had taken Nate to the park to play, so Griff and Charlie had free reign of the house to be as lewd and silly as they pleased.

  During a long stretch of driving scenes that were too boring to even make fun of, Charlie brought up a question that had been on her mind for a while.

  "So, what's his deal, anyway?"

  "Huh? Who?"

  "Ignis."

  "Oh… What about him?"

  "He's gotten kinda cold and…shitty. Gabriela, too. Sorry."

  Griff sighed. "Well, he changed right after you left. Kinda closed in on himself and wouldn't talk to anyone. But, he's still cool! Sure, he keeps to himself a lot and comes across as an ass, but he's really a good dude once you get past all that. He's just…gotten so quiet and hard to read, so no one really gives him a chance."

  Charlie lowered her gaze. She'd expected something like that, but it still hit hard. She, Griff, and Ignis were inseparable, and having such a tight-knit group quite literally torn apart would mentally derail even the strongest of people. They weren't exactly kids, but it still affected them.

  "You're right about Gabby, though. She is pretty shitty."

  "So, why do you guys hang out with her?"

  Griff paused for a moment, and then smirked. "Because Iggy's an idiot." At her confused look, he continued. "He's been obsessed with Gabby for, like, two or three years now. She used to actually be pretty cool, and he had a crush on her for a while, but when she found out the only reason he wanted to date her was to forget about you, she did this whole 'maybe' thing and started leading him on. So, she's been on a power trip playing head games with him since, and he won't listen to reason because over time he convinced himself he's in love with her."

  Charlie blinked back her sudden anger. "That's…incredibly messed up. I…I don't—"

  Griff waved it off. "He's a big boy. Honestly, now that you're back, I'm kinda hoping he'll see how stupid he's been, but knowing him?" He sighed dismally. "He's stubborn as hell so I don't know if he's ever going to snap out of it. He gets pissed at me whenever I bring it up, so now I just try to keep my mouth shut and deal with her. I don't know what else I can do."

  "I can think of a few things."

  He shrugged, but Charlie could tell that the situation really bothered him. Scooting over on the couch, she put her hand on his shoulder and gave him a friendly squeeze. He gave her a grateful smile and returned the gesture, pulling her into a warm half-hug. They watched the rest of the movie in comfortable silence, and Charlie walked home feeling better than she had in years.

  VII

  Charlie wanted to scream.

  There wasn't a single book even remotely helpful in the small, sad excuse for a library—economics, Farming for Dummies, Fishing 101, and tons of other 'normal' subjects. But there wasn't a single mention of the Guardian, sprites
, or anything. The place didn't even have a computer! At least not from what she could see, and the librarian—the intimidating eyepatch woman—was in the far back of the museum side, hammering away.

  And speaking of museum… Where were all the artifacts? The display areas just had dust with random shapes where something once sat, and the tags were just as bare.

  The heat of the forge hit Charlie's face when she walked through the thick hanging flaps. A rhythmic tap-tap-tap on stone filled the room and a small sun pulsed within the forge, casting an eerie glow across the walls and floor. The tapping suddenly stopped, and the woman looked up.

  "Ah, hello!" she chimed in a thick Dacian accent. Her smile spread wide across the side of her face that still had an eye. Hints of a nasty scar poked out from under the eyepatch. "Charlie, right? Now what do I owe the honor of the Cove's next Guardian gracing my humble little shop?"

  "Yeah, that's me. I…didn't catch your name."

  The woman giggled.

  "I'm Ruby, dear. I run this sad excuse for a museum. I'm also the librarian and blacksmith! So, is there anything I can help with?"

  Ruby…was not what she expected. Her genuine authenticity and friendly demeanor surprised her. She had unfairly stereotyped her, and quickly amended her judgement. With a deep breath, she gave the run down, but her hopeful smile quickly faded as Ruby's expression shifted.

  "We did have some old books covering legends of the Hollow," she began slowly, "but the last curator took 'em when they got outta dodge. Sorry, Charlie."

  "What about a computer?"

  "Now that we do have."

  Ruby led her to a small office with a big LIBRARIAN ONLY sign above the door. Inside was an old desk and chair, large shelves creaking with the weight of books, plaques, and other knickknacks, and a big, old, clunker of a computer. Despite its age, it turned on relatively fast.

  Left alone, Charlie immediately set to searching, but despite altering her terms many times, nothing came up, and what did was blocked by a firewall. At another dead end, she thanked Ruby and bid her farewell for the day and stepped out for some fresh air.

  Well, now what? She couldn’t just break into the southern tower, and no one seemed to have anything helpful to say when asked. The denial via firewall only made her stubbornness grow. There was no way around it. She needed internet. Full, far-reaching, uninterrupted internet.

  Her first instinct was to ask Griff, but he was playing shop keep until later that evening, and she didn't really want to bother Tal. Jason probably didn't have a computer, and Sophie definitely didn't. Hannah and Molly were away for the weekend on a shopping trip to the city…

  Wait! Masae! She was always tinkering with something and it was usually tech-related stuff. She had to have a computer. Charlie hadn't seen her in town that day, which meant she was probably still at home. Taking a deep breath, she turned up the path leading into the mountains.

  ‡ † ‡

  When Charlie arrived at Lori's house, the sign on the door read CLOSED, which meant the building was just a house, and Charlie still felt enough like a stranger to not just up and walk in unannounced. It was Masae who answered the knocks, and she smiled brightly as she invited Charlie inside.

  "If you're looking for Mom, she's at Tal's," Masae said.

  "Actually, I sort of came to ask you a favor. I know I haven't spent much time getting to know you since moving back, and I feel a little shitty coming to you for help just…well, out of the blue."

  A confused expression lined Masae's face before she began laughing. "Girl, stop overanalyzing yourself and just ask! I know it's been a few years, but you're fine! I don't mind."

  Relieved, Charlie gave her a grateful smile. "I'm trying to research Guardian stuff, but the computer at the library won't let me because of its shitty firewall. I thought, maybe, since you do a lot of technical stuff you might have a computer I could use for a bit?"

  Just like Ruby, Masae's smile faded. "Sorry, girl, my laptop bricked a few days ago. The new hard drive I ordered is on back order and won't be in for another week or two."

  Charlie groaned. "Well…shit."

  "If you don't mind me asking, why the research? Shouldn't you, like, already know that stuff?" Charlie, though hesitant, gave her a brief explanation over the fact she'd never actually learned anything about her new 'job'. "Huh. That's pretty weird of your grandma to not pass on what she knew. Sorry I can't help… Oh! Wait! Ignis isn't home. You can just use his!"

  Charlie hesitated. While it's true she wanted to get online, Ignis was the last person she wanted to ask, especially with how cold he'd been towards her.

  "I really don't know if that's such a good idea… I mean, yeah it's something important but I can just—"

  Masae waved it off. "You'll be fine. It's going to storm later on, and he usually stays out pretty late when the weather is crappy. If he asks about the search history or something, I'll just say it was me."

  Well, if he'd never know she was there…

  "If you're sure, then…okay."

  Charlie reluctantly followed Masae downstairs. Odd… Last she remembered, he was upstairs next to Masae.

  The first thing that struck her about Ignis's room was how dark it was. There were no windows, which made sense for a basement, but it was still incredibly jarring to go from afternoon light to pitch blackness in just a few steps. Masae flicked on the overhead light, but the room still felt dark. Dark walls, dark couch, even his sheets were dark. The guy did wear all black, so it wasn't surprising. The lack of color made her feel a little claustrophobic despite the room being a full-sized basement. It was tidy though, which Charlie noted with appreciation.

  Masae led her to the opposite corner of the room, where a table with two computers was set up. In front of the one nearest the corner was a professional-looking graphics monitor on an adjustable display stand, bearing the name 'Cacom Wintiq Pro'. A wireless pen sat at a slight angle on an oversized mousepad. The whole setup was a digital artist's wet dream and Charlie felt Masae's eyes on her as she stared in awe. How did Ignis afford all this?

  "Here you go," Masae said. "Go ahead and get settled in. I've got some stuff to work on upstairs, but just let me know if you need anything."

  Charlie thanked her and sat at the computer that didn't have all the expensive stuff set up around it. While the machine booted, she took one last glance around the room. It was totally out of character for her, but for some reason she had this urge to look through all of Ignis's shelves. Maybe it was because she didn't really know anything about the young man he'd become. He was hard to read, hard to talk to…

  A soft beep signaled the desktop had finished loading. Turning back, Charlie dug her Grandma's last journal from her messenger bag and opened to a blank page. She soon had to pull out a fresh one with everything she'd found. What started out as simple curiosity over forest sprites turned into a rabbit hole of unimaginable proportions, one that seemed to have no end in sight.

  Immortal protectors, the two bloodlines of the Goddess, Nobility, monsters that only came out during rain, and she had only just gotten started on the horror stories of the mines…

  She recalled Marianne's warnings not to go near the mines, and how—like any stubborn child—her curiosity drove her there. All she could remember was something with blood red eyes, sharp pain, and waking up as Adagium rushed her home.

  Now that she was an adult, there was so much more to the small, quiet town than she'd ever realized. And the way everyone seemed to live in peace there was just mind boggling. Didn’t they feel it? This tingling in the base of their spine, or heavy weight in their chest? Or was the seemingly blissful ignorance more involuntary than not?

  She sighed, rubbing her eyes with her palms.

  "What are you doing?"

  Charlie snapped her head up, blood draining from her face. Ignis stood just inside the doorway, arms crossed. His cold glare seemed to almost glow in the dim lighting. She hadn't even heard him come in.

  "Oh! Uh�
�I needed to do some research and Masae said you weren't going to be home so—"

  "So you thought you could use my computer because I wasn't here?"

  Charlie grimaced. It sounded so much worse when he put it like that. "Look, I'm really sorry. I wasn't trying to intrude or anything. I'll leave now," she said, hastily gathering her stuff as she stood.

  She took a few steps toward the door, but when he didn't move out of the way she came to an uncertain stop in the middle of the room. He was still looking at her, but now in a thoughtful way, like he was trying to come to some sort of decision. She shifted her weight uncomfortably.

  "What were you researching?" he asked finally.

  "Huh?"

  "Online. What did you need to look up?"

  She sighed. "Look, I'm gonna be honest. I don't have a single clue what I'm supposed to do here. Nothing on my family, magic, or even the orchard or the sprites."

  She felt dumb saying it, even more so when he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

  "Then why come back? Wasn't your family supposed teach you all that?"

  "Well, yeah, but… I mean, everyone seemed hellbent on keeping it from me. I was thirteen when we left, so training got cancelled. Now I'm just a college dropout who happens to be the only one for the job."

  The corner of Ignis's mouth twitched.

  "Right. Well, do what you need to." He walked over to the corner computer. He pressed the power button and both screens—the monitor itself and the graphics display—blinked on as the machine whirred to life. "Thanks for not using this one," he muttered. "I use it for work."

  Charlie gaped, attempting to wrap her head around the sudden shift in tone. So, he was pissed that she was here, then interrogated her, and now he's offering to let her stay? 'Hard to read' was an understatement.

  "Are you sure?"

  "I wouldn't have offered otherwise." Nodding to the graphics tablet, he added, "I think this might've even given me some inspiration."

  Confused but grateful, Charlie smiled. "Then I guess…you're welcome?"