by C. J. Abedi
Caroline was staring at me in horror, her hand covering her mouth as she watched me beat Rowan to a pulp. I had taken him down, but once I looked up and saw her I was lost. And in that moment, he struck back.
I was completely taken off guard when Rowan’s fist hit my face. The force threw me off balance and I fell down hard. Before I could react, a few teachers came running out blowing loud whistles, pushing through the crowd of students. I rubbed my jaw tenderly and was happy to see the giant purplish welt that was beginning to form around Rowan’s eye. He would be stuck with that for a few days, a necessary marking of having to keep up the pretense of being mortal. I winced when I realized I would probably be wearing something similar.
“What is going on?! Devilyn Reilly! Devilyn Reilly, you are coming with me to the principal’s office right now!” Miss Corwin, my AP Calculus teacher, screamed as she blew her whistle again in my face.
“And you! What is your name?!”
“Rowan.”
“You, too! Principal’s office right now!”
I couldn’t help but smile.
C
I couldn’t believe what had just happened. The sounds their bodies made as they crashed against each other were like thunder and could be heard all the way in the library. One punch after another. The pounding noise of Devilyn’s fist hitting Rowan’s body was one I wouldn’t forget.
It was all everyone could talk about. One student after another gossiped about the epic fight between Rowan and Devilyn. Football players who hit each other day after day on the field admitted that even they had never seen anything quite like it.
But I didn’t know what to think. I never knew fights like that actually happened in real life.
And for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why. What had provoked them? Rowan didn’t seem like the type of guy who would intentionally hurt someone. But I wasn’t sure about Devilyn anymore. Nothing he did these days surprised me.
Needless to say, they were both sitting in the principal’s office, with their fates at the school and on the football team now in the hands of the administration. I hoped that neither of them would get suspended, but I was more concerned about whether they were both okay. They had each gotten some good punches in.
“It’s being called the fight of all fights, you know,” Teddy said excitedly as I pulled my gym bag out of my locker.
“I still can’t believe it. I just hope they’re both okay.”
“They were walking, weren’t they?” Teddy said to me as he crossed his arms. “Well, kudos to me for predicting it. I have to say, I’m pretty spot on.”
“What are you talking about?”
“They were clearly fighting over you.”
“You’re seriously insane.”
“David Wells said he thought he heard them mention something about some chick before Devilyn went crazy.”
My heartbeat accelerated.
“What do you mean ‘before Devilyn went crazy’?”
“Well, he threw the first punch. And you’re not acknowledging the rather large elephant in the room.”
“It wasn’t about me. Trust me. I know that for a fact.” I thought of all the things Devilyn said to me at the dance. But something deep inside me thought that maybe there was a chance that it was about me.
“Caroline, you get straight As. You have aced every exam I have ever seen you take. You mean to tell me that you were completely oblivious to the look Devilyn gave Rowan when he walked up to our table in the library?”
“Teddy, I don’t know what to say anymore. Devilyn has a girlfriend, and he’s pretty much told me in not so many words that I’m not his type, so I can’t keep focusing on this anymore.”
Even if the truth were something different, it didn’t matter anymore. I had to believe the words that came out of his mouth, even if his behavior was confusing. He wanted nothing to do with me in that way. Because for whatever reason, he would regret it.
“I would never encourage you to entertain the idea of this if I wasn’t confident that it was true, Caroline. You’re like a sister to me. I would never want you to be hurt by anyone.”
“If you don’t want me to get hurt, then don’t make me talk about it anymore. We’re so not having this conversation again.”
Teddy took a deep breath and shook his head. “For now. For now, I will leave you alone. But I can’t make any promises about later. Deal?”
“You’re relentless,” I said, smiling up at him.
“Which reminds me.” Teddy pulled an envelope from his chest pocket. “I forgot to tell you—my mom has apparently been saving for the camping trip. So guess who’s coming?”
“Oh my God! I’m so happy!”
“Me too. Can you imagine if I had to sit in the library for a week by myself?”
“Now that would be tragic. This is seriously the best news I’ve heard all day.”
“Yeah, I can see that two guys fighting over you pales in comparison,” he teased as he started to walk away.
I rolled my eyes and pulled my gym bag up over my shoulder.
“Where are you headed?” he called from down the hall.
“The track. I want to get a run in before I head out.”
“Call me when you get home.”
“I will.”
I hurried off to the locker rooms and quickly changed. I made it out to the field in no time and began my standard stretches, warming my body for the long run I had planned. There was no greater love for me than running. I could run all kinds of distances—sprints, dashes, cross-country. I loved them all. It was the only opportunity I had to clear my mind, and these days it certainly felt cluttered.
As I bent down, I noticed a shadow appear next to me and then a moment later felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped back. I didn’t even see her coming. She was dressed in a black tank top and black skin-hugging gym shorts with black and white Nikes. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, showing off her exquisite porcelain skin and big amber eyes.
“It’s Caroline, right?” She had a buttery, smooth voice with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Yes. And you’re Katya?”
“Yes.” She reached a hand out to me. “Devilyn’s girlfriend.”
I hesitated. It was so unfair of me and so unlike me, but I had an overwhelming feeling of dislike for her. So much so that I secretly hated myself for it, but I couldn’t help it. She was everything he wanted and in turn had the one thing I had ever wanted.
Devilyn.
“Nice to see you,” I said as I slowly took her hand. Once our fingers touched I felt a shock.
“Crap!” I winced as I withdrew my hand.
“Sorry about that,” Katya shrugged. “Must be static.”
“It’s okay.” I rubbed my hand for a second but managed a smile. That definitely felt like a greater force that static. “Are you going for a run?”
“Yeah. Since I’m waiting for Devilyn, I thought it would be a good way to kill time.”
“Oh.” Right. She was waiting for her boyfriend. Devilyn.
I pulled a rubber band out of my pocket and lifted my hair up so I could tie it in a high ponytail. Katya watched me with those dark eyes. Something about her rubbed me the wrong way, and while assessing her I agreed with Teddy—the girl had bad juju.
“Looks like Devilyn is still in the principal’s office. I hope everything gets resolved,” I said, noticing his absence on the field where the rest of the football team was practicing.
“Devilyn is usually in full control. I wonder what that guy Rowan said to provoke him.”
“I guess we won’t get the whole story until they’re out,” I replied, definitely not appreciating her tone.
“I think I already have an idea.”
The way Katya looked at me made me uncomfortable, and I suddenly had no desire to be around her.
“Well, I’ll see you around the track,” I said politely as I took off running.
As soon as I hit my rhythm an
d stopped thinking about Katya, I heard her coming up next to me. I refused to look at her. The sound her shoes made when they hit the gravel irritated me. I knew she was competing with me—it didn’t take a brain surgeon to figure that out—but for whatever reason I wasn’t going to let her win. I sped up and got two strides in front of her.
She increased her pace and moved up next to me, but I went a little faster and moved up ahead of her again. She tried to close the gap and then to get ahead of me. But I sprinted forward. We kept this up for the next forty-five minutes. After my twelfth lap around the track, I had had enough. I made my way off the field. But Katya followed.
“Nice run,” I said to her between breaths.
“You, too.”
There was an awkward silence as we approached the gym. I had every intention of making my way to the locker rooms and really hoped she wasn’t going to follow me inside. Thankfully, it seemed like she was heading out to the parking lot, probably to find Devilyn. As soon as I reached for the glass door, she called out to me.
“Caroline?”
I stopped and looked back over at her as she stood a few yards away with her hands on her hips. She was breathing heavy and looked a little irritated.
“I’m pretty good at keeping up with you, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“I want you to remember that. Even if you think you’re getting two strides ahead, it won’t take long for me to be right there by your side again.”
“I’m not following.”
“Stay away from Devilyn.”
I was sure my mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” Katya said as she took one step closer to me. “He’s mine. So stay away if you know what’s good for you.”
She spun around and trotted off to the parking lot as I stood, openmouthed, and watched after her. I don’t think I moved for a good minute before I finally headed into the locker room. No one had ever talked to me like that, and I wasn’t sure why she would even say something like that to me.
She had never seen Devilyn and me in each other’s company. There’s no way she knew about our dance in the drama room. No one had seen us, and I hadn’t told a single soul about it.
Unless he did? But I didn’t think he would have done that, so where was all of this coming from?
I had the sudden urge to get home as soon as humanly possible. I decided to forgo showering or even changing and just grabbed my backpack and gym bag. By the time I got out of the locker room and into the parking lot, the sky had taken a turn for the worse. There were black clouds everywhere, and the low rumble of thunder echoed across the sky. Chills ran up and down my arms. Just minutes ago the skies had been clear.
I hadn’t heard anything about a storm. I ran out to the parking lot and found my car. I clicked the alarm as I rushed toward it to open the door. Right as I threw my bag inside, I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“Caroline Ellis.”
I was so startled I almost screamed. I turned quickly and was surprised to see Devilyn’s grandfather standing next to me.
“Mr. Westmoreland?”
“I’m so sorry I scared you,” he said, giving me a kind smile.
“No,” I began to lie but then smiled as I looked up. “Okay, you kind of did, but it’s okay. The change in the weather has me on edge. It was a clear day just ten minutes ago.”
He looked up at the sky and looked almost sad.
“The sky must have a sudden urge to weep.”
I didn’t know how to respond, so I smiled nervously. It dawned on me that he was probably at school to see the principal after Devilyn and Rowan’s fight.
“Are you here to pick Devilyn up?” I was careful not to mention what had happened earlier in case he didn’t know.
He shook his head. “No. I’m actually here to see you.”
“Me?”
“Yes.” He looked around the parking lot. “But what I have to say to you is best said in private.”
I couldn’t hide the concern from my face and was positive he could see it.
“I don’t understand,” I replied.
“You will if you come with me.”
“Mr. Westmoreland—” I began.
“Odin.” He corrected me. “You must call me Odin. I insist.”
Like the Norse God? I guess I had heard stranger names, but this was beyond bizarre.
“Caroline,” he said gently, “I would never hurt you.”
“I know that. I’m just confused.”
He took a moment before he spoke again.
“I have some things to explain to you. Some things about your childhood.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you know that you were left at your parents’ doorstep when you were an infant?”
My blood ran cold.
“What did you say?”
“It’s true. Your parents did not go through the typical adoption process. You were left to them at their door.”
I could barely process what he was saying.
“How do you know that?” I whispered. I could feel the blood drain from my face as I backed away from him. “Did Devilyn tell you—”
“Devilyn didn’t need to tell me,” he interrupted in a gentle tone. “I was the one who put you there.”
I knew that tears were streaming down my face. But I couldn’t help it. The ramifications of his words were too unbelievable to even contemplate.
“That doesn’t make any sense.” I shook my head. “How can that be possible?”
“There are many things that are possible in the world that you come from,” he said. “Come with me, Caroline. Let me be the one to finally pull back the curtain. It’s time you were told the truth. You deserve that much.”
He held out his hand, and I briefly hesitated before I let him take it. We disappeared from the parking lot within a second.
When I opened my eyes we were standing on a misty glen next to a large, elliptical-looking stone that emerged from the ground. Somehow in the process a long, heavy purple cape was wrapped around my shoulders, keeping me warm against the cold air and wind that hit my face. I was too shocked to move. We had just been in the parking lot of Manteo High, and now it was late in the evening and I was standing on a glen. I didn’t even know where I was. Or more importantly, how we got there.
I stumbled back away from Odin, who was now wearing a blue cape and conical helmet. He looked like the mythological figure from my history books. He looked like the man he said he was. He looked like Odin. A warrior, a God that had always worn the clothes of the great warrior.
“What is going on?” I whispered fearfully.
“You have nothing to fear, Caroline. I will explain everything. I thought it best to bring you to the land where your people first appeared.”
My people? What was he talking about? Was I hallucinating? Maybe I had fallen on the track and hit my head? And this was just a dream. My mind was going a mile a minute, looking for any excuse to explain what I was experiencing.
“This can’t be real.” I didn’t realize I’d spoken out loud.
“Calm yourself, Caroline,” Odin whispered softly. “Even though your rational mind is racing, you are accepting what has just happened and where you are. Listen to your heart. Listen to the truth. I promise you will feel it. Trust me.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. He was right. Though my mind was racing, my heart was surprisingly calm. I didn’t sense or feel any impending danger. I was more shocked than afraid.
I should have been running down the glen screaming my head off, yet I stood where I was.
Waiting.
“Open your eyes, Caroline.”
I did as he said and stared in awe as the large stone began to glow. Odin touched it with one hand, and it left an imprint of light.
“This is the Lia Fail, or as the humans call it, the Stone of Destiny. Your people, the Tuatha de Danann, brought it with them when they came to this earth man
y, many moons ago. Legend says that when the true king lays his hands on this rock, it will shout its joy throughout the land for all to hear.”
Odin’s face was now glowing from the light emanating from the rock. He looked magnificent.
“The Lia Fail has another special power that only reveals itself to those who believe.”
“What is it?” I asked curiously.
“It is also said to allow mortals to see their past, present, and future, if they only believe they can.” Odin looked right at me. “And when a Fae places his or her hands on the stone, even more is revealed. Inner demons, secrets that are often hard to face, because there is no escaping the images that you will be shown, feelings that you fear. It is truth in its most raw and unfiltered way.”
Mortals and Fae.
Fae?
The logical side of my mind fought against the idea of such an existence. But my heart felt his honesty.
I didn’t hesitate.
I stepped closer to the Stone of Destiny and placed both hands on the rock. A beaming light shot up and out from the top, and my body was pulled in toward the stone by the magnitude of its energy. A million different images began to flash before my eyes. I was instantly shown the history of the Fae, their birth, arrival to this land, their struggles, their beauty, their battles, including those fought alongside the humans. The Dark and the Light. In the space of seconds, I was shown an entire race’s incarnation.
And then I saw Arthur. Virginia Dare.
The Lost Colony.
Then I saw him.
Darkness.
Evil.
I watched in horror as Alderon destroyed my family. My own history. I began to cry. It was so unfair.
I saw Odin, just as he said, place me on the doorstep of my human parents’ home. I watched the joy on their faces when they saw me and their unconditional love for me throughout the years. Had they known what I was, I imagine they wouldn’t have cared. They would have sacrificed everything for me. That much I knew, because it was all there in their eyes.