by K.N. Lee
“He was trying to tell you something that day, but you had not accepted your Fae side and so, you did not allow him speak to you. He was trying to warn you about the Oakatex”.
I closed my eyes as he spoke, feeling his words lift a great burden off my shoulders. Had this not been exactly what I’d been trying to hear all along? For someone to say it was not my fault and mean it?
Even as I felt slightly happier, I still couldn’t shake the knowledge of the fact that I’d witnessed a murder and I’d been directly involved with it, one way or the other. Whatever Saban saw, or thought he saw, it didn’t change that fact. We were culpable.
“But, I saw him die, we hit him and I saw him die. We hit his car”.
Saban shook his head and looked at me with a lopsided smile. Then he spoke again,
“Don’t you think it was a coincidence that you hit a car with another Fae in it who was actually on his way to see you?”
I blinked at his question. My mind was totally blank and I had no response for that.
I looked at my grandfather and felt blinding anger at his words. What was he trying to do? Justify the murder of his granddaughter’s fiancé? What did he mean? Had Derek been trying to go and see Faye? What did that even mean?
I remembered that he had been acting strange that day, but it hadn’t meant anything and he never told me why he had to go out of the country, but from his words, I had just assumed it was on a business trip. How could my grandfather be implying that he was actually going to see the very person who ended up being responsible for his death? It just didn’t make sense. I couldn’t keep quiet any longer.
“That’s ridiculous. They killed him, so why would he go to see her?” I asked, staring at my grandfather furiously. He just stared at me coolly, and then he spoke,
“Because the Oakatex was going after the supreme Fae. As loyal fairies, our job is to protect our leader. I bit her on the day of your party as she caught me by surprise, but even I felt she was deserving of the bite, especially since your negligence brought the Oakatex forward to our location”.
I was a bit taken aback by his words. What did he mean I had brought the Oakatex to our location? What was an Oakatex? Wasn’t it just a myth spun to scare children? I didn’t buy that it existed one bit and nothing they could say would convince me otherwise. I had never seen one; my grandfather had only mentioned it over and over without proof. It was nothing but an efficient scare tactic and I refused to treat it as anything but such. Oakatex, I scoffed at my grandfather’s attempt at scare tactics. Blaming an imaginary foe for a crime whose true perpetrators were known to us. I found it beyond annoying.
His words concerning the brakes came back to me and I laughed mirthlessly inside. That was obviously a lie. There’s no way any of that could be true. Brakes. What a cliché. Juan and Faye-Minita had been driving under the influence of multiple drugs and they’d run into and killed my fiancé. There had been no mention of brake failure in the police report and I was fairly certain that if there were such a thing involved in the accident, the police would have discovered it.
They were responsible for my fiancé’s death. There was no arguing that. Nothing anyone could say would change my mind. I would not rest until I made them suffer. No matter the cost.
With that thought, it seemed something was suddenly lifted off of me and I could finally move. I turned towards Faye-Minita, ready to tackle her to the ground when suddenly, a loud crash sounded from above and a dull thud came from behind me.
I turned in that direction and caught sight of Tabitha. She was laying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding from various cuts. There were many slashes on her skin, which I could see from where I stood. I quickly raced to her side, wondering what could have caused such a huge fall.
“Tabitha, what happened? Who did this? Who did this?” I asked, but I got no response and she just laid limp in my hands, as I screamed and tried to revive her.
Faye-Minita rushed to my side and grabbed my stepsister’s hand, feeling for her pulse. I watched her listen intently, and then she let the hand fall gently to the floor,
“Her pulse is weak but she is okay for now,” she said and I breathed a sigh of relief, looking her over and wondering what could have caused her to fall. Was she pushed? Did she jump? Fall by accident?
The only person who could answer that was Tabitha and she did not look like she would be saying anything for a while.
I stared at the unconscious Tabitha and felt my heart beating fast in my chest. What was happening? First Ophelia had revealed that she had cheated her way through law school and being a lawyer in general. Then Danielle had threatened to kill me and she and Faye-Minita had gotten in a fight and fallen for what I thought was their deaths. Then we’d come out to find them surprisingly alive and with a man who everyone thought was dead, standing in front of them, as real as the confusion I felt concerning everything that was happening. And what was all that talk of murder?
Now Tabitha had fallen from the mansion like Icarus and we had no idea what was going on, and somehow, everyone seemed totally unshaken by this except him. How could that be?
I looked up in exasperation and I suddenly froze. As I looked, I could have sworn that something that looked like the form of a man, standing in the window Tabitha had just fallen out of. Who was that? I was still thinking about this, trying to make sense of it when Ophelia exclaimed excitedly. I turned briskly and caught sight of her bent over to pick some papers and what looked like to be pictures from the floor. I moved towards her unconsciously to help her, but then I held myself back. I still hadn’t forgiven her for what she’d done.
She got up with the papers and suddenly exclaimed as she stared at a particular picture. I moved closer, looking at the photo she held in her hand and I realized what it was that caused her exclamation. The picture she held was a photo of Saban Montgomery and his friends. It was an old picture, but it was well kept and all the faces were very decipherable. One face in particular, besides that of Saban Montgomery stood out.
“Who’s this?” Ophelia asked, pointing at the familiar man in the picture. Everyone tried to get in closer to see what the fuss was about and one by one a gasp escaped them as they caught sight of the man.
Saban stared at the picture for a short while before responding,
“That is Vagner. He was a good friend. He was a wilderness researcher. Why do you ask, girl?” he asked and looked at Ophelia quizzically, obviously not understanding the reason we all had the same shared look of bewilderment on our faces.
Saban scanned our faces, but it seemed none of us was ready to speak and confirm what it was that we were all thinking inside. I looked down at the ground, unable to look at the picture anymore.
“What is it?” Saban asked once more,
Finally, Peggy spoke up, “He’s here,” she said. Her voice lacked its usual strength and sounded rather tiny compared to her usual loud utterances.
Saban looked confused by what we were saying, and I didn’t blame him. We were as confused as he was.
“What do you mean ‘he’s here’? Who’s here? What are you talking about child?” he thundered and as I watched, Peggy slowly pointed upwards and we all turned our attention towards where she was pointing. It was the window where Tabitha had fallen.
As we watched, a smiling Vagner emerged from within the room, looking down at us. The moonlight above reflected against his gleaming teeth.
I watched in shock as Saban Montgomery staggered backwards in shock. I heard him murmur about how Vagner looked about the same age as he had been twenty years ago…maybe even younger and I looked up at the smiling wilderness researcher.
“Vagner is the Oakatex? But how?” Saban muttered to himself and I stared at the man, seemingly seeing him for the first time. Really seeing him. He didn’t seem at all like the same man I had been paired with on the scavenger hunt. He seemed different, almost predatory.
A shout erupted from behind me then,
“Everyone, g
et into the forest. Now! Juan and Faye will show you to the bunker. Vagner is the Oakatex. His kind needs fairy blood to survive, we aren’t safe here. Go, now. I will join you as soon as I can”.
It was Saban’s voice and as soon as he finished, chaos ensued.
Everyone rushed towards the forest in answer to Saban’s command and I looked up at Vagner. I felt anger bubble within.
Suddenly, I felt a hand touch me and I turned quickly, pulling back. It was Juan. He was carrying Tabitha, and Drayton and Ophelia were with him as well. I knew what he was about to do,
"Take them to safety Juan, there's something I have to do. I will be fine; you know I will be fine. Now go”, I said and he looked at me like he wanted to take me away by force, but then he nodded and poofed out of sight.
I turned and looked at Vagner. I couldn’t leave just yet. There were still so many unanswered questions and I could feel the answer was close. I needed to know what really happened concerning the accident. Were Juan and I murderers? I lived with the guilt for a big part of my life and I just wanted to know the truth. It didn't matter what it took, Saban obviously thought I was innocent and I was determined to see this to the end and find out if there was any further angle to the story. I needed to know if I was truly innocent of the charges and if I'd just been a victim of circumstance, circumstances that were partially of my own creation. This was my chance to take it all away, and I was determined not to let it slip away. Not this time.
I stepped backwards, moving closer to Saban as I asked him to explain the accident the way it happened. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Danielle stepping backwards also. She looked incredibly angry and I couldn't help feeling slightly sorry for her.
Saban looked at me, seeming uneager to begin talking about the accident with immediate danger a few meters above them.
"I don't think this is the place or time for this but if you insist”.
He breathed deeply, keeping his eyes on Vagner and then he spoke,
"The Oakatex was in Derek's car when it went over. Derek had been coming to see you to tell you how important you were – are to the Fae and to warn you about the Oakatex".
As he spoke, I suddenly saw everything that happened in a new light. We didn't kill Derek, he saved us. The Oakatex had messed with Juan’s brakes and Derek had inadvertently saved us through the accident.
He died protecting us.
I closed my eyes as deep anguish threatened to overtake me. All my life I felt sorry for myself, blamed myself for something I was not even guilty of.
Anger boiled inside me and as I opened my eye, I caught sight of my tattoos. They were glowing, but it was a different colour from the one I was already used to. My tattoos glowed with a bright aura of pink and purple. I felt a new energy surge within me. It was not energy I had felt before and all of a sudden I felt incredibly stronger.
I looked at Vagner, angrily looking at him as he stood there with a small smile on his face, showing his evil looking teeth. How dare he?
"Saban, sir, please take Danielle and go,” I said, as the energy flowed through me, caressing and massaging my core. I was more aware of everything. Sight, taste, hearing, everything was enhanced. I was ready to take on the beast. This was my fight.
"Take Danielle and leave, now. I commanded again", not looking to see if they’d listened or not. It was on now, and one way or the other, a showdown was going to happen. This was my fight. I deserved it.
As I watched, Vagner suddenly began to shift form. His smile contorted into an evil expression of extreme anger and hate and he began to take a different shape. He grew larger and more muscular and his limbs seemed to be made of wood. As I watched him, his claws grew longer and his teeth looked like they had been carved into points.
As he finished his transformation into the Oakatex, Vagner jumped down from the third- floor window he'd thrown Tabitha from and drew up to his full length in front of me. The mere sight of him underneath the moonlight was terrifying, but I stood my ground, staring him down even as the scream erupted from behind me.
It was Danielle’s voice. I didn't blame her. The Oakatex was not a monster you ever wanted to encounter in the dark.
13
Saban managed to quiet Danielle and I stared at the great, but Oakatex, feeling the energy spiral around me. Then it spoke and I was chilled to my very bones,
"I will drain your kind of its blood and then I will live forever with the abilities I obtain as well".
As he spoke, his eyes never blinked. They just stared at me, yellow and unblinking. It was truly terrifying, but I stood my ground, intent on not letting him know that I was afraid of him.
"And now, I'm going to start with you," The Oakatex said.
Before I could process what was happening, he raised his twig like arms up and they stretched towards me, moving through the air at an amazing speed and before I could move out of the way, I felt a sharp pain in my cheek as one of the limbs sliced across my face, side swiping me.
The limbs retracted and the Oakatex looked at his fingers where my blood remained and as I watched on in horror, he slowly raised it to his mouth and licked his fingers.
As he did, he seemed to glow for a minute; a rich blue colour and he closed his eyes as though in pure ecstasy, no doubt, enjoying the rush of power he got from that single taste. By the time he opened his eyes, he stared at me with undisguised hunger. He was looking at me the way one would look at a meal one was about to consume. It irritated me immensely.
I shook my head, breaking out of the trance like state I had just entered as I monitored the Oakatex. With a sudden rush of energy, and operating purely on instinct, I rushed towards the Oakatex, my jaw set with a purpose, as I suddenly knew what to do.
As I got close to the monster, I suddenly lunged towards him, propelled into the air by a force from within. As I reached him, I could see the look of surprise in his grotesque features. He was in for a lot of surprises. Immediately I touched him, I instinctively activated my astral powers and as I passed through him, I latched on to his astral form, dragging it out of his physical body and tossing him to the ground.
I landed in front of him and stared at myself. I pulsed with that same pink and purple energy and I was slightly shocked that I'd been able to pull it off. I'd just pictured it in my head and the picture had been extremely clear. The energy surged through me and my instincts had done the rest.
I watched in slight amusement as the Oakatex tried to make sense of what was happening. I knew for a fact that if I looked back, I would see my physical form on the floor, temporarily lifeless. The Oakatex's yellow eyes widened as it stared at itself and looked at the floor behind me where, no doubt, it's physical form laid still, not breathing, lifeless.
As he processed this information with what looked like a mixture of confusion and anger, although on his monstrous face, they both looked alike, I took a step forward, ready to continue my attack. A loud voice from behind me gave me pause,
"Faye-Minita, you are the leader of the Fae. You cannot stop him. You must run for safety. Leave him to me. Please, come back".
I turned towards him, wondering what exactly he meant by that, but my attention was taken by another transformation that was taking place just beside him, unknown to Saban.
Danielle’s face contorted to a looked of immense rage and she grabbed at her head, seemingly unable to contain her rage and she fell to her knees. Her emotions were all over the place and I watched as she began to lose colour, fading until just a dark essence surrounded her. She opened her eyes to reveal red floating orbs of rage. I watched this in horror, aware of the Oakatex mere feet from me, still dazed from my astral attack. Saban seemed unaware of Danielle’s transformation and merely screamed for me to return and allow him to handle the Oakatex.
I heard his voice, but I wasn't paying attention. His words hardly registered as I stared at Danielle instead. Something truly remarkable was happening. I was seeing her. Not just her physical form or her slowly
overtaking the dark form. I could see her. She was like an open book and I was taken aback by the things that were revealed.
I saw her kill Blake and I saw the reason why. Tabitha knew about her dark fairy abilities, as she was a Fae as well. Tabitha had intended to turn Blake because she liked him, but she’d been unable to because she was not a prime.
The word stuck in my head and I wondered what it meant. Prime.
Danielle changed slowly and her mind peeled layer after layer, giving me full access to everything that was happening inside.
I caught snippets of memories and how she felt about things that had happened. It seemed Blake had known about the Fae thanks to what Danielle referred to as Tabitha’s 'Big mouth'.
She had eventually decided to kill him; after all, as she thought, “big sister knows all”.
I shook my head at the intensity of the revelation and staggered slightly, shaken by what I'd just seen. Poor Blake. Big sister knows all? What exactly was it that she knew? I was instantly furious. What did she know? It was clear that she was beyond clueless about everything that was happening and was simply blinded by rage and acted on impulses she took to be rational thinking. She didn't know anything at all. She had failed to heed her grandfather's warnings and she'd let the Oakatex right into the mansion. She had a big part to play in the insanity that their lives had turned into and she had done it simply because she failed to pause and think for a bit.
Her heart was darkened by loss and I watched her claws extend slowly as her transformation completed. She was the dark fairy.
I was suddenly aware of movement behind me and I turned in time to see the Oakatex break out of its confused state and attack me. His attacks were less than useless, however and I knew this instinctively. Smiling slightly, I held him and flung him into a nearby wall, causing a long crack to appear down to length of its surface. The Oakatex fell down, a big lumbering mess and I dived towards him and as he struggled in vain, I slowly phased into the cemented patio with him and then phased out alone, leaving him there, stuck in the ground.