by Mindy Hayes
“Declan, you scared me.”
He chuckled quietly. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention.”
“What’s going on?” I looked him over. His chest wasn’t bare anymore, which was only slightly disappointing. It was also relieving that he wore a cream woven top so my heartbeats wouldn’t race so swiftly. I hoped that wasn’t something they could detect. They weren’t vampires. It wasn’t as if they could sense the flow of my blood, but who knew?
“I didn’t know you came. I thought we truly scared you off, but then tonight Kai mentioned that you came a few days ago and you didn’t come back. I wanted to check on you to make sure you were all right.” The sincerity in his silky voice was refreshing. I hadn’t felt truly cared for in quite some time.
I smiled. “I’m still in one piece. No wings or ears though. Apparently that’s just appalling to Kai,” I said, shaking my head.
“Oh, don’t worry about him,” Declan brushed off the comment. “He’s like that all the time. You get used to it.” His blue-green eyes nearly glowed in the dark.
“I feel like he’s someone no one should have to get used to.”
Declan chuckled again. It was such a happy sound. But he didn’t continue. He seemed content just watching me, the curiosity of the unknown. There were so many things we didn’t know about each other and yet, I felt safe. I was outside in the middle of the night, talking to a strange man in my jammies. I was still in my pajamas. Shifting, I folded my arms across my tank top, realizing that in a hurry to come outside I hadn’t thought to put on a bra to cover myself. The thought instantly made me uncomfortable. I couldn’t handle the silence. “Is that all? You were just checking on me?” I prompted.
He shifted from one foot to the other. Was he nervous? “Well, yes and. . .and I wanted to make a meeting time so I didn’t miss you the next time you decided to wander in and visit us.”
A smile tugged at my mouth. He wanted to see me again. “Well, tomorrow’s Friday. I can come after school.”
“I’ll be in Faylinn again.” His shoulders slouched. “What about the next day? Sometime in the afternoon?” he asked, hopeful.
“Okay,” I agreed. I was already looking forward to it. Where did my sudden change in attitude come from?
“You promise?”
“I promise.” I smiled when a pleased grin grew on his face. “I should probably head back to bed. I’ve got school in the morning.”
“I understand. Have a lovely evening, Calliope.” He bent his head in a slight bow. “Get some rest.”
“Thank you, Declan. I will.”
He lifted a hand to wave, but didn’t head back into the trees. I scurried away on my tiptoes through the grass in my bare feet. I hadn’t even thought about shoes. Where was my head? When I reached the sliding door, I turned to wave. He waited by the edge, his tall form shadowed by the trees, until I was safely inside.
That night I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
• • •
“Are we still on for tomorrow?” Cameron asked as I pulled some books from my locker after school to study over the weekend.
I’d forgotten about our third-wheel date, but I didn’t dare let him see that. It wasn’t as if I’d made any plans. Well, I did with Declan, but that was earlier. I’d be done with him before it got dark. “Yup. What time am I meeting you?”
“Oh, I’ll come get you. You don’t have to drive.”
Did he really not see how awkward that was going to be? Was I really supposed to sit in the backseat while they snuggled up front? I was going to feel more out of place on this third wheel date than I had since I found out about Faylinn. I didn’t want him to see my apprehension though, so I agreed.
“Good. This will be fun. Isla’s really looking forward to it.”
Why? I mustered up my best genuine smile. “Me too.”
He nudged my side. “It’s okay if you’re not, Callie.” Though he still had class, he walked me out to my car. “I won’t be offended. I’m still making you go, but I won’t have my feelings hurt if you don’t want to be best friends with Isla.”
“What? No. I’m fine. I like Isla,” I stumbled over my words. Why did I stumble?
He chuckled. “Uh huh. . .we’re best friends, Callie. I read you like the palm of my hand.”
I shrugged. What else could I do? I threw my bag in the front seat of my car as I plopped into the driver’s side. If he could read me like the palm of his hand then either I hid my feelings for him really well or he didn’t reciprocate my feelings and chose to act oblivious. I hoped it was the former.
“I’ll see you tomorrow around 6:30ish.” He closed my door and leaned through the open window. “Drive safe.”
When I looked to him, his face was mere inches from mine, close enough to kiss and for the first time in our years of friendship it became instantly awkward. “Always,” I said as coolly as I could manage, but I didn’t turn away. I wouldn’t back down.
He blinked. Had I imagined it or had he been thrown by our proximity too? Being close to him always felt natural before, but this time something broke, like the wall of friendship we had been able to uphold all of this time had come crumbling down.
I couldn’t do it anymore. I turned back to my steering wheel and twisted my key forward, the engine humming to life.
He cleared his throat, stepping back. “See ya,” he said and waved as I drove away.
Chapter Eight
Saturday morning I woke up and smiled to myself, realizing what day it was. I get to see Declan today. I headed to the kitchen for some breakfast before getting ready to meet him. Dad was already at the kitchen table with a newspaper and coffee in hand.
When he saw me he smiled. “Good morning, Calliope.”
“Morning, Dad,” I breathed. Things had thawed out between us since we bonded over the swing. I was grateful for it too because he was the only one who knew the truth. The only other person I could rely on.
“How did you sleep last night?”
“Great,” I replied as I rummaged through the fridge for breakfast.
He cleared his throat so I turned to see what he wanted to say. “Have you noticed any. . .” he broke off and thought about how to phrase his question, but before he could finish, Mom walked in.
“Good morning, sunshine!” she sang as she curled her arm around my waist. “You want me to make you some breakfast?”
“Uh. . .sure. What are you offering?”
“Well Dad and I had some waffles earlier if you want the same I still have some batter left over.”
“Sounds good to me.”
I sat down at the kitchen table and waited until he peered at me over the newspaper. I knew he wanted to ask me if I’d noticed any changes in my appearance so without saying a word, I simply shook my head.
He nodded discreetly and gazed back at the paper.
How was I going to explain where I was going? Oh, I’m just going to go disappear in the forest for a few hours. Don’t worry about me. No, I had to be secretive about it. I could tell my dad so at least he knew my whereabouts, but I had to do it when Mom wasn’t in earshot.
“No work today?” I asked as I finished my plate and Mom did the dishes.
“I have a few things I need to do from home, but I don’t have to go into the office today.”
“Well, that’s nice,” I said. And I did feel that was nice for her, but it was going to make it that much more difficult to get out of the house.
She nodded and smiled, finished the dishes and headed back to their bedroom to work I presumed.
“I’m going to go see Declan today,” I said quietly, wiping my mouth. “I wanted to let you know, so you don’t worry about me.”
“I don’t like it, Calliope.” He kept his eyes on his newspaper.
Well, I didn’t like that he had kept this gigantic secret for years. Tough. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t like it. After all this time, I deserve more information.”
His eyes peeked above t
he edge of the grey paper. “If you want, I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
I shook my head. “It’s not the same.” I knew he would leave stuff out. Declan and Kai were the only ones who had been honest without being haggled. Well, without needing much haggling anyway.
He folded the paper and placed it down on the table while giving me the eye. That eye parents give when they don’t like what they’ve heard or seen. “So, that’s it. You’re just going to go hide in the trees all day long? What are those boys even doing so close to here?”
I shrugged. “How am I supposed to know? Are they not allowed to be?”
My dad sighed. “There is no ruling against it if that is what you are asking. I just don’t like it. They might have been around all this time, but I never knew and it felt better that way. Ignorance is bliss. I believe that’s the human saying. I liked it that way.”
I thought I was the one who had to come to terms with all of this. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Dad. You were the one who was basically telling me I needed to embrace the whole faery thing and now you want to hide it from me all over again.”
My dad heaved a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. What did he honestly expect? He knew I couldn’t hide from them either. Not anymore.
“It’s not that I want to hide it from you. It would simply be easier for you if you didn’t get so involved with them.”
“Dad, I’ve talked to them like once. I’m not running off and marrying one of them today, just having a simple conversation.” I decided to make nice. “Can I go? Please?”
“Do as you wish. I won’t stop you.”
I kissed him on the cheek and rinsed off my dish. “I’ll be back later. Just tell Mom I went out for some fresh air or something. You’ve had plenty of practice omitting the truth over the years.”
He rolled his eyes, but mustered up a smile to let me know he knew I was only giving him a hard time.
• • •
I tried to follow the same trail I took the last couple of times. There was no manmade trail, so I had to follow landmarks that stood out to me before: a moss covered log that looked like an alligator, the tree that looked like it was dancing. The sound of the stream needed to stay at my right.
“Calliope.” When I heard my name I spun around to see Declan smiling at me. “You came.” He sounded relieved as if he hadn’t believed that I would actually come.
“Of course I came. I don’t back out of promises.”
He smiled, disrupting the beats of my heart. Very few people had ever caught my attention. Maybe I was oblivious or maybe they simply weren’t that interesting. Declan was definitely interesting. Today rather than the bow and arrows slung across his shoulder, he had a thin belt with a sharp off-white dagger attached to his hip. It looked like the tooth of a large animal. The cream top was gone, baring his tanned skin once again. I don’t think the fae men knew the kind of effect a topless man could have on a girl. Or maybe the fae women were so used to it that it had little or no affect at all on them.
I noticed a certain body wasn’t lingering around and I hated myself for not feeling relief, but disappointment. “You alone today?”
He raised his hands to his hips and scanned the branches above us. “I don’t know where Kai is. We don’t always have the same schedule. I was getting so used to it only being me until he found his way over a few months back. I’m sure he’ll show up when he feels like it.”
I nodded, not really sure where to go from here. There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but it felt strange to just dive in.
“Come,” he said, pointing to a gigantic rooted tree. “Have a seat.” He perched himself on one side, folding his legs under him and offered me the other root for a chair.
I chuckled. He was so nimble, which amused me because it wasn’t as if he had the body of a skinny dancer or anything. He was tall and burly. But, I suppose if they lived in trees they would have to learn to adapt to their surroundings. Did they live in the trees?
“What?” he asked, perplexed by my amusement.
“Nothing.” I bit back a smile.
His pitch-black lashes fluttered, contrasting with the vibrant light blue in his eyes that still captivated me. “So you seem to be adjusting a little better than the first time we met,” he observed.
“I’m definitely not completely adjusted, but being the daughter of a faery isn’t something you can hide from. I guess you could say I’ve. . .come to terms with it.”
“So, you are happy to be a faery?” Declan tilted his head, hopeful.
“I wouldn’t go that far. I’m. . .learning to adapt,” I said.
He nodded, but didn’t speak. His eyes didn’t shy away from me. They stayed focused and curious as if I was the only thing that mattered.
I decided to start with the questions. We had sat awkwardly for long enough. “Why are you even here? Why aren’t you in Faylinn all the time?”
Declan blew air from his lips. “Faylinn is ruled by a faery that isn’t the most. . .pleasant faery.” He chose his words carefully. “Not that many faeries are pleasant, but he’s brought a whole new level to faery cruelty. Quite honestly, Faylinn is falling apart and he doesn’t even care. He doesn’t even realize it’s his fault it’s falling apart.”
I resituated on the root, getting more comfortable. “What’s happening to Faylinn?”
“A lot of Faylinn’s faeries are slowly dwindling away. Some just disappear without a trace and others are dying, younger than they should. The longer Favner rules the fewer there are of us.” He scratched his head. “No one wants to live under a malicious king, but most don’t want to live in the human world. To have to wear such confining clothes and speak as you speak. To have to learn the ways of money and your human jobs. It terrifies us. Some try to leave, but if they don’t truly want to be human. . .they don’t survive. And no faery can live in the human world unharmed.” The angst in Declan’s voice was apparent. “And those that do survive. . .the ones that come crawling back to Faylinn aren’t forgiven.” He paused as if not wanting to continue. “They are tortured and do not survive.”
I cringed at that morbid thought. What kind of a place did my father come from? “What does he do to make them want to leave in the first place?”
Declan looked sorely thoughtful, trying to decide where to start. “We used to be equals. No matter the season we were born. No matter where we lived. No matter the gender or outward appearance. There was a time when we got to be with our families and thrive in the jobs we were born to do. We were able to pick when we wanted to reproduce, where we wanted to live. We had freedom. But Favner,” he said, taking a breath. “Favner split us up. He tore apart our families and divided us into separate colonies. Now, we are told what to do and when. We are required to do as he commands. Eat, sleep, work, and reproduce.”
“What do you mean by colony?”
“We were each born into a colony: Sowers, Craftsmen, Keepers or Weavers. We were raised in those colonies and taught the ways of each trade. When he became king he created a new colony: The Nesters.”
“What are the colonies for?” I leaned forward now, painfully immersed in the world of Faylinn. Declan looked too upset to talk about it, so I stopped him before he started. “I mean. . .you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s okay. You’ll need to learn about it sooner or later.” He paused before continuing as if debating how to reveal the information. “The Sowers are the gardeners and hunters so to speak. They produce all of our food by hunting or farming. But instead of farming when it’s time, they are forced to harvest from dawn until dusk so there is always an abundance of produce. Not that an abundance of food is a bad thing, but a lot of it goes to waste. To a faery, being wasteful of nutrition is almost sacrilege.”
Being wasteful of nutrition should be sacrilege to anyone.
“The Craftsmen build the dwellings and repair them. They construct whatever the king wants. And it must be done
rapidly. If the king wants a new tower on his castle, the Craftsmen are commanded to build it in a day. Granted faeries are swifter than humans, but they aren’t that swift. Which causes more issues.”
“So the Craftsmen are basically the manual labor.” I grew tired at the thought of physically working constantly. “They must be exhausted all the time.”
He nodded. “They are. They are worked to death. That is the only way we are allowed to stop. We serve until death takes us.”
I had to lean back against the tree now for support. “What about the rest of the faeries?”
“The Weavers provide clothing, blankets, curtains, all things that require material. They weave the fabric and create anything you might need. They always supply things like jewelry, wreaths and baskets. They are very good with their hands.”
“Like a seamstress.”
He nodded. “The Keepers are the protectors. They keep the boundaries of Faylinn guarded to ensure no one intrudes and they keep the peace inside the kingdom. The Keepers have the most leniencies with their job. They are allowed to have the most rest because Favner wants his guards alert at all times. They can rotate more often and have a little more flexibility for free time. He really wants his guards well taken care of. Apparently we have something important to protect. I think Favner is just worried someone will come and overthrow his reign as king.” Declan bowed his head and focused on the ground. He shook his head and blew out a huff of air.
“What about the Nesters? The new group Favner formed,” I prompted.
“Nesters.” I could tell this was the one that bothered him the most. “The Nesters bear seedlings. No other colony is allowed to reproduce because apparently the other jobs are too important to be put on hold for reproduction. But as a result the Nester fae are dwindling away. Bearing a new seedling is tiring. It takes only a month not nine months like humans, but as soon as one seedling is born, another must be created. And the process is repeated until the faery can no longer handle carrying another. They don’t survive long. Nesters are never not expecting.”
“So not every woman gets the opportunity to have children?” That thought churned knots in my stomach. Declan shook his head without meeting my eyes. “How did Favner decide who was meant for each colony?”