Monsters & Fairytales

by Rebecca Suzanne

  “So it is. Will you be staying then?”

  “Yes. I will take you up on your day visit so long as I am promised that I will be safe. And that I will be returning to my world as a human.” I mumbled the last part, just to be sure.

  “Really?”

  He raised his eyebrow again with that comical look. He was reading me.

  “Why not? You said yourself that I would love it. And I’m actually quite intrigued with this place.”

  “What’s troubling you, then?”

  “My animals at home. I want to know that they will be safe as well.” I said.

  “I can have someone there in two seconds, if you’d like.” He nodded.

  “Thank you.”

  “Very well. You know, you care an awful lot about him.”

  “Well of course, he’s my dog.”

  “Not him! Sebastian.”

  “Oh, well I suppose I care for him as much as he cares for me.”

  I wasn’t really sure how to answer that. Was he capable of reading wants, too? How much had he seen?

  “I have never seen this in a human.”

  “How many humans have you seen?” I asked.

  I had most definitely stood up too early. I was getting tired already and wanting to sit again. But he was standing now, too, and I had enough common sense to know it would be rude to sit back down at this point.

  “You’d be surprised. They never last this long, and they certainly don’t carry conversations like you.” He took his bifocals off and rubbed between his eyes. “I wonder... have you suffered great pain in your heart?”

  “What does that have to do with anything?!”

  I dropped my hands at my side as my heart plummeted into my feet.

  “Your heart has been freed. Your mind is open. You love and live without direction. You are capable of seeing and accepting everything, because you have nothing. It is a sad life for you humans, but ideal for us. Maybe that is why you can fit in here but you also carry some boundaries? Like with the connection thing and the color thing…you are still human after all. Tell me, did you walk through my city unnoticed?”

  “Yes.” I sighed.

  “Well. You have your free pass. If no one fears you and you fear no one, I do not need to grant much further work.”

  He folded his bifocals and put them inside his jacket pocket. It was then that it occurred to me he had used them so many times after fixing my own vision. Maybe he could only fix everyone else’s, and not his own. Otherwise, he wasn’t making a very valid point earlier on my wanting to keep my own glasses. Smoothing his pocket, my brain transitioned to him wearing clothing and I forgot all about asking him about his eye sight. It was just so strange to find that the clothing was fully functioning. I mean, they were human clothes, and he wasn’t fully human. Now I was worried about ever seeing a real human again.

  “Just out of curiosity, you can get me back home?” I asked.

  “Do you want to stay?” He yawned.

  “If I stay for the day-”

  “That is not answering.”

  “Yes. I would like to stay a day.” I said.

  I made sure to purposely add the day part. Something wasn’t feeling right with that. I couldn’t go back on my word now, though.

  “Very well. I will give you a room in my home. It is too dangerous at night time to travel back to the city. Sebastian and Carlyle can take you around tomorrow, and then you will go home.”

  “But how?” I asked.

  “Enough for tonight. Sleep well. Let my guards know if you need anything, food or such. I must go.”

  He bowed his head then walked off. He touched a spot on the wall and I watched a portion of it go inward. The chunk moved aside, revealing a spiral staircase. He ducked into the opening and started down the stairs. Just as I was creeping forward for a better look, the wall went back into place, perfectly concealing itself.

  Wind gushed into the room and I jumped. The other doors had opened behind me. I wasn’t sure what to do. Sebastian and Carlyle weren’t waiting for me, no one was. Taking baby steps, I walked out and looked around. There was a guard standing on the other side of the wall. I didn’t notice him until he grunted and stepped into the green glow. He grunted again and pointed his weapon down the hall.

  “So, you want me to go this way?” I asked.

  The tension in the air made my insides crawl. This beast could gut me at any second. I wasn’t sure what was stopping him from doing so. His red eyes were staring through me. Not a word escaped his lips. He didn’t need to talk. Once back into his statue position against the wall, I took my leave. It was difficult to see my path. The corridors went on forever in the darkness and the only way to see anything was when I was right up on it.

  Getting the feeling I wasn’t going the right direction, I stopped to turn around. I nearly screamed when there was another guard directly in front of me. Or maybe it was the same one? However, much like the previous, he just stood there and pointed his weapon towards a new direction. Or was it my original direction?

  “Right.” I pointed at him.

  Trying desperately to see if could recognize anything, I bumped into a wall. At least I knew that wasn’t there before. I remembered following it right from the first guard. To avoid that from happening again, my fingers stretched out and danced along the wall as I walked. When there was an opening, I touch the opposite wall and kept walking. It felt like a good plan until ten minutes later, I was still in the darkness. This was hopeless. There had to be a way out of this castle. Was it really that big?

  Finally, off in the distance, there seemed to be a light glowing. Was it a mirage? I hurried up some before it went away. It was so bright my eyes hurt. I shielded them and walked up to the guard. He was already pointing the way for me. The walls were impossibly white, and that didn’t help with the brightness. The carpet was yellow. This must be the spring time hallway. I started to smell flowers. My head was playing tricks on me.

  When I reached the end of the hallway, I realized the wall I thought I had been staring at was actually a door. The handle was a flower, not just a decoration. I reached for it but I could hear voices on the other end. Being nosy, I pressed my ear to the door to try to see if I could make anything of it. It was Sebastian and Carlyle; they were speaking in their natural tongue. My heart started racing. I had missed them; I had honestly missed both of them. It made me feel good. My hand was shaking as I brought it up the handle. I had to calm myself. Breathe in, breathe out. I opened the door and stepped in.

  As you so wish.

  ((the weak in image are the strongest in the heart))

  “Mirabelle!”

  Time stood still. It was only me and Sebastian standing there staring at one another. My hands cupped my heart and I could feel him. He was there. He was right in front of me. His face lit up and the smile curled up into his cheeks. Frozen between the two of us, we were lost in our feelings. My legs were glued to the ground in front of the door. His weren’t. He jumped up with such a force that it knocked the chair he had been sitting in completely over. Then he was rushing towards me. I braced myself. On impact, I was scooped up in his arms and wrapped myself completely around him. It had only been an hour at most, but it felt like a lifetime. How could I ever expect to leave him willingly? Especially knowing I’ll never remember this. These feelings were all I had right now. This is where they’d be forever.

  “I thought I wasn’t going to see you again.” He said in my neck.

  “Me too.” I sighed.

  It twisted and twirled up into my head, the feeling of being missed. I was getting sucked in and I didn’t care. Being loved by one person your whole life leaves a pretty big hole when they’ve left. Sebastian was filling it. Wait. What was happening? How was it this easy to forget all the bad and only see the good? I had 24 hours left with him; I couldn’t get this sucked into it… could I?

  His arms pushed up under mine and I realized he wanted me to let go. It was a feat I didn’t th
ink I was capable of. Sliding down his body, I touched solid ground again. Our hands were still intertwined. We couldn’t stop smiling and staring at one another. We should kiss. My face flustered. He grunted, then swept me up again.

  “Okay, okay.” I laughed, pushing him off.

  “What are you still doing here?” He asked.

  My brain wasn’t capable of thought just yet. Every word that came out of my mouth was just a slur of stutters. Our hands were still together. He walked me back over to where he had been sitting. Picking up the chair, he patted the seat for me. I obeyed. He sat on the bed and looked around to his left then back at me just in front of him. He lunged forward and placed me next to him and pulled me as close as I could be. I giggled. It was adorable. It didn’t help he was all smiles.

  “Calm yourself.” I soothed him.

  I smiled patting his hands and thought of the best way to tell Sebastian my plan.

  “Go on!” He urged me.

  “Well, he gave me a free day in the city. He fixed my vision problem and now apparently I can see everything the way it’s meant to be seen. I’m relieved that you still look the same.” I teased.

  “Wait, seriously? You are going to spend a whole day here with me?! I do not understand, why would he- it’s not like him?”

  Sebastian was smarter than I gave him credit. I didn’t want to tell him the bad things. I knew he’d ask. I just wanted to stick with the good. Well, the good that didn’t involve the Minakai wanting me to fall in love with Sebastian and stay here forever.

  “I don’t know. I guess he’s just proud of you guys. I sort of expressed, too, that I was curious.”

  I leaned back. He was reading me.

  “What?” He asked.

  A door opened. Both our heads turned in that direction at the same time. It was a perfect distraction. It was even better when I saw it was Carlyle. Was that a connecting room? God, I hope it’s a bathroom.

  “Mirabelle!” He screamed.

  I braced myself for his oncoming hug. When I felt nothing, I lifted my eyelids open to look. He was standing in front of me with his arms spread. That was a much nicer welcome. I stood up and walked into his hug. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and squeezed. I couldn’t breathe. I started coughing.

  “You guys, eesh.”

  I straightened out my clothes when he set me back down on the bed. I felt light headed.

  “I just, I mean, what?” He said calming himself much faster than Sebastian did.

  Sebastian wasn’t looking at me as happy as he had before. I didn’t understand what was bothering him. On the other hand, Carlyle gave me no chance to really think.. He nudged me, reminding me he had asked a question. I thought about what he exactly wanted me to say in response.

  “I have tomorrow left and then I go home.”

  “He’s going to take you home?” Carlyle asked.

  This seemed to upset him. He sat on the chair in front of us. I was really impressed he fit in it. With a few hops, he was situated in front of me. I wasn’t sure about the need to move the chair closer to me, but I wasn’t going to say anything.

  “Well, I assume.” I said.

  “He didn’t exactly say that?”

  Carlyle looked from me to Sebastian and then back to me. I was worried that he seemed to be making a big deal out of it. It was already something I had tried to focus on with the Minakai in his office. Did they know something I didn’t?

  “No, she was just about to explain what he said when you walked in.” Sebastian raised his eyebrow.

  “Oh, good. I didn’t miss anything.” Carlyle clasped his hands together and crossed his legs. “Do go on.” He urged me.

  “It’s nothing. He just wants me to see your world the way it was meant to be. Then after that, he’ll take me home.”

  I just wasn’t ready to tell the truth of my feelings and how angry I was at having them. I wished Sebastian would stop pushing it.

  “So, he did in fact say he’ll take you home?” Sebastian had a hint of attitude to his voice.

  “He said I can go home after tomorrow, yes.” I nodded my head.

  “Easy, brother. Whatever has you upset can be dismissed. She is here now, let us focus on that.”

  Carlyle stood up and walked to the window. He was bothered by something more than I was with Sebastian’s pressing questions.

  “I agree.” I said, smiling after Carlyle.

  “Then we should sleep. Tomorrow will come fast and there is so much to do in Aegyssus.” Sebastian said as gaily as he could.

  I saw right through that. He had a motive for this, I just knew it.

  “This is a good idea. I am sure you are very exhausted, Mirabelle.”

  “I, uh, hmm.” I thought about it for a moment. I was tired, but there was much more I wanted to do right now rather than sleep. I was starving, I wanted a shower, and I wanted to change out of the clothes I had been wearing all day. Heels were a bad idea.

  “What?” Carlyle asked.

  He sat down at the table in front of the windows. Getting comfortable, he set his feet up on the other bed. His body leaned back with his hands behind his head the way an average male human would do after a long day. My eyes wandered. This room was set up like a fancy hotel.

  “I would like to change and eat.”

  I thought of the one coffee cake I had earlier. My stomach growled. It seemed to remember its contents at that thought, too.

  “Food? Now?”

  Carlyle leaned forward. His hands dropped. I couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or intrigued.

  “Yes. Are you guys not hungry?”

  I really wished Sebastian would say something. This whole angry-at-me-for-nothing was getting under my skin. I hadn’t done anything wrong. I was here for him, he should know that.

  “We have already eaten.” Carlyle said.

  “Well, then it shouldn’t be that weird that I would like some food.”

  I remembered the Minakai telling me that his guards would get me whatever I needed. Deciding to test this, I got up and walked out the door without saying a word to the guys.

  The hallway hurt my eyes again. Blinking a lot, I stood there for a second and squeezed my watering eyes shut. I could hear Sebastian and Carlyle were whispering about something. I shook my head to stop myself from listening, partly because I knew it was about me, but mostly because it was in their language.

  When I stuck my head out of the doorway at the end of the hallway, the guard sitting there instantly stood up.

  “What do you want, Human?”

  He had a very deep voice. It startled me.

  “Yes, the Minakai told me to ask you for food…if that’s all right?” I whispered.

  I felt very inferior to him. I realized that was the point, but I was so used to hating cops and other people in my world that were meant to protect and serve the government, that it was odd that he got my respect so instantaneously.

  “Humph.” He grunted.

  I realized that his lack of response was just him talking to someone else. Seconds went by and there was a rattling down the hallway. From the darkness there was a shining light. It was a silver platter being held by a lizard man. The platter was covered with a matching silver top, but I could smell the food under it. My stomach was hurting with hunger now.

  “There you go.” The guard said.

  “Thanks.”

  I stuck out my arms, waiting for them to hand me the plate. The lizard turned and walked away. He didn’t say anything or do anything. I didn’t understand it. I looked around to see if he had set it on a table or somewhere close by without me noticing, but I saw nothing. The guard nodded down the hallway implying it was time for me to leave him. I didn’t want to cause an uproar, so I just cowardly walked away. I supposed they were allowed to have one cruel joke against me, even if I was going to die without food.

  When I walked in the room, guilt swept over me. On the table Carlyle was sitting at, the platter was right there in front of hi
m. It was so pretty. Carlyle was leaning over, smelling it. He went to tip the edge up but sat back when he saw me.

  “Interesting.” I whispered.

  I stepped out of the path of the door and closed it. The scent in the air had me captivated.

  “Mirabelle, what is this?” Carlyle asked.

  “Food.” I said, walking over in a catatonic state.

  “They need that so they aren’t cranky.” Sebastian whispered.

  “We do not. We need it to function.”

  I swatted him when I walked by. At least he was playing around with me or I thought he was.

  He got up and followed me to the table. All three of us were eager to see what was underneath the lid. I carefully lifted it and my nostrils were swarmed with delicious smells. Instantly, the lid was completely off. There was a cheeseburger, fries, onion rings, ice cream, cookies, and a drink. I laughed. The Minakai seemed to read the number one fast food items and prepare that for me. I was ecstatic.

  “What are these things?”

  Carlyle went to poke my burger in curiosity. I hit his hand away.

  “That’s a cheeseburger. Those are fries. Those are onion rings. Those are chocolate chip cookies. That’s ice cream. And that is…” I stopped to take a sip, “… soda.”

  “You actually eat that?”

  Sebastian leaned over my shoulder to get a better look. My neck got chills. I tried to control myself.

  “Yes. You can try it if you’d like.”

  I picked up the cheeseburger and held it in front of him. I was hoping he would say no. I was starving. He looked at me very seriously, though, debating. I hadn’t realized how close he was to me. I felt myself holding my breath. I looked at his lips and he looked at mine. My stomach got tingly.

  “I’ll try it!”

  Carlyle snatched the burger from my hand. We both turned, shaking from the fantasy of our minds, but indulging a few seconds longer, anyway.

  Carlyle looked at the burger, inspecting it. With a few sniffs, he licked one of the sides. Then he took a bite right where he had licked it. I was glad he chose that spot. I didn’t want to eat after his slobber and I didn’t want to give him another bite. Can’t a girl eat around here? Sebastian and I watched him chew it around, think about, then swallow.