Book of the Hidden

by Annalynne Thorne

  “Hey, where is Seth?”

  Lowering her hands she saw Flint sitting on the edge of her plate. When he saw her he gave a puzzled expression.

  “Vivian, why are you crying?”

  “It’s nothing Flint.”

  “It is something. What's the matter?”

  When she didn’t answer, he did.

  “He has gone.” Flint suggested.

  “Yes, he’s gone. He left a long time ago. I would think from dating my sister you would know about that." Vivian replied.

  “I did, but I don't know why?”

  She sighed irritated. “I told him to. Damn it, Flint, he had to go home.” She stood and began to walk out of the room, but Flint was flying right beside her.

  “You let the one you love go?”

  She stopped in her tracks. “I didn’t love him! He was just a guy that needed help. I helped him, and now he’s gone. That’s it - there’s nothing more to it.” Vivian broke into a run out of the kitchen running to the hallway, but she didn’t make it halfway when she collided with someone throwing her backwards onto the floor. A sudden sharp pain shot up her back, her head feeling like an explosion when it hit the floor with a thud.

  “I am sorry miss.” A tall gangly man with long silver braided hair stood before her holding out his hand.

  “It’s okay, my fault,” she took his hand, getting to her feet.

  He watched as she brushed herself off. “You were going fast there.”

  Vivian looked up, and nodded. “Yeah, guess I was. I’m sorry, just was trying to get away from someone.”

  “Not Seth.”

  The name caused a pain in her heart, but she was intrigued. “How“, then she noticed his ears, they were pointed sharply up. “Oh…”

  The elf gave a kind smile, and walked away.

  “They disturb me.”

  Vivian jumped at the new voice, to realize it was her sister talking over her shoulder. “Yeah, you disturb me too,” she cracked a smile, and continued walking.

  “Why did you do it?”

  Vivian stopped and turned towards her. She was serious. “I can’t be selfish.”

  “He loved you though, Viv.”

  She opened her mouth to protest but Jean held her hand up to silence her. “Really, he loved you, he would have stayed here forever with you. I don’t understand why you would give him up.”

  “It wouldn’t be fair to him,” Vivian sighed, and went to try to leave to her room again when another voice caught her attention.

  “EVERYONE, THE NEWS! COME QUICK!” A deep voice erupted from the circular room.

  Doors swung open, and footsteps echoed off of the walls. Everyone headed to the circular room in a rush where a small television was perched on a rickety stand. All of them gathered around it, the fairies and dwarves up front.

  The newscaster announced- “A break in occurred at 7th street this morning at four A.M. Jake Martin was taken from Mary Anne’s Orphanage. A boy by the name of Seth Martin - brother to Jake Martin - ordered that Jake leave with him. The nuns expressed their disapproval, but Seth was of age, and took his brother with him. Police found mysterious claw marks made by what seemed to be a large dog, on the door to the room where Jake slept. Because Mary Anne’s Orphanage does not allow animals inside their building, it wasn’t apparent of how the marks came to be there.”

  With a soft click, the blond haired lady with a stack of papers disappeared, and the screen went black.

  People turned to look at Vivian, but she didn’t notice. Her head was reeling with what she just heard. Seth and Jake got away, but now Jake knew what Seth was, and he left claw marks. He was risking their secret. Jake was only eight, he couldn’t handle his brother being something other than human. He went through enough.

  “You know what you have to do….” Jean prodded.

  “I know, the safest place for them, is here.”

  “Them?” An old bitter dwarf asked in a gruff, scratchy tone. He rubbed his matted black beard thoughtfully. “Isn’t this Jake boy human?”

  “Yes….” Vivian didn’t know what he was getting at.

  He shook his head, rubbing his wild black beard. “No, no. Can’t be done. He’s human, he doesn’t belong here.”

  “What?” She looked at the others backing away.

  “Only magical beings. No others. That’s how it has always been done, and will always be done.”

  “He’s eight years old! He can’t be on his own, especially now that he knows what his brother is. I’m in charge, and I say he’s staying. If you have a problem with this Gundon then you can leave!” Jean cursed.

  Gundon did not move, but he pulled on his wiry beard harder with glaring eyes of a stone.

  “Don’t defy her,” Flint warned in full size standing next to Jean.

  Vivian gave a smile to him mouthing her thanks, then turned to her sister. "I need your keys."

  Jean's eye twitched. Her car was her baby. Nonetheless, she handed over her keys.

  "Thanks sis," she said quickly, and left the underground to her sisters red sports car. She took a deep breath starting the engine, slamming her foot down with force leaving tire marks and a cloud of dust behind her. Her hair whipped around her face. Nervously, she made a rhythm out on the steering wheel. She had no idea where she was going; where they might be. They could be anywhere. With a shaking hand she wrapped her fingers around the necklace.

  Where are you Seth? Where are you? A warm feeling drowned her senses like she had been cold, and sunk into a warm bath.

  Opening her eyes she barely saw a man standing out on the dirt road in front of her headlights. Letting the pendant drop onto her chest, she gripped the wheel tightly, and the car jolted along the stretch of the field bouncing her up and down on the seat roughly. Her foot slipped along the brakes until she was able to press down on it throwing herself into the wheel. Chest aching, with a stabbing sore pain as if being beaten. She took deep breaths coughing as she choked on her spit.

  Her hand still shaking, she reached for the necklace again. She wanted to know what caused that warm feeling…. What was it?

  A scream that surely the stars above heard erupted into the night as Vivian turned around to see the mud-streaked face of a man through her open window.

  “Shhh. Vivian, it’s me, Seth.”

  She removed her hands from the steering wheel, shoving the door open, and throwing her arms around his neck. She could have drowned in the relief that flooded her that moment. “You’re okay right?” She looked into his eyes frantically.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” he insisted, but behind the mud his face was pale, and bloodless. “Astrid was there Vivian.”

  She felt like she had been clobbered on the side of the head. “Astrid? Are you sure – “

  “Yes, it was her, I fought her. She tried to get to Jake, I don’t know why.”

  “Is Jake okay?”

  “He’s fine. Not a scratch on him.”

  Vivian nodded, “well, that explains the claw marks.” Seeing the confusion on his face, she went to explain. “They had it on the news.”

  “Great,” Seth moaned, and leaned further on the door.

  “Astrid,” Vivian whispered to herself. Why would she be at that orphanage, and how would she know that Seth was going to be there? Or maybe she didn’t know Seth was going to show, maybe it all had to do with Jake. But what about him? He was human…

  “I didn’t know where else to go,” Seth brought her back from her trance in soft spoken words. “I need to find someplace for Jake to stay. The Underground was the safest place I knew, but I know you all don’t allow humans, and it’s okay -“

  Vivian nodded understandingly. “In this case, rules can be changed.”

  Seth’s dry, chapped lips curled up in a smile, and he embraced her in a hug again. “Thank you,” he whispered.

  She never wanted to let go of him, but a shadow behind him caught her eye, and she gently and reluctantly pushed Seth away. She kept him at arms le
ngth. The shadow was short, and small, and it was - or more like who Vivian suspected it would be.

  On cue, a small child appeared from behind him also covered in mud. His face was terror stricken, and it broke her heart. “He knows doesn’t he,” she asked, looking back up at Seth.

  “Yeah…. He knows.”

  Smiling, she bent down over the boy. “It’ll be okay. You’re safe now.”

  Chapter Six

  Encounter with Astrid

  Late in the afternoon Vivian, Seth, Flint, and Jean sat in the circular room, in two of the most comfortable couches in front of the large fire. Across the stone were carved pictures that told a story. Vivian and Jean told it lively to Seth, who was a great audience, listening intently.

  “And Maeve built this place all by magic! Imagine how this place was by itself back in the 17th century!” Jean slapped her legs enthusiastically. She loved having people listening to her. “It’s so wonderful to have a place to go, and such a place as this! The Underground Palace!”

  Vivian and Seth laughed politely, Jean giving them confused glances. Flint smiled proudly letting her rest against his chest.

  “I think you had too much sugar, Jean.” Vivian picked up the plate of caramel directing it with her hand towards the kitchen.

  “Spoil sport.” Jean stuck out her tongue draping her legs over the arms of the chair before turning to Seth. “So, what are you going to do with the rug rat?”

  After cleaning up, Seth had tucked Jake into his bed where he slept all night, and still slept to where the sun was starting to sink lower into the sky the next day. None of them dared to wake him up. He had been through enough.

  “Jean!” Vivian clenched her teeth. “They can stay here as long as they want. Even Jake.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Viv, lets come back to reality, this is not a place for a human boy. He needs to go back to his own kind.”

  “He needs to be with his brother!”

  “His brother is a werewolf!”

  Vivian sighed, “exactly, and we can settle that.”

  Seth looked over at her surprisingly. “You mean the book?”

  “Yes, it’s in the wrong hands as it is. We need to get it back sometime.”

  He nodded his head agreeing, but looked into the fire.

  Vivian had explained how she had tried to contact her family to no avail. But even trying did not place the book back in their hands. They had to have it, and soon. Jean had readily agreed to get a serious move on after she heard of Astrid.

  Leaning forward watching the light dance across Seth’s face, Vivian had to ask, “you want to be human right?”

  “It’s the best for Jake,” he didn’t bother to look at her when he said this.

  Just then a flash of light - a fairy - passed between them stopping the conversation, and a high voice that was barely heard said, “she’s here, she’s here!”

  Jean’s face darkened when she looked passed Seth and Vivian at the door. A cool breeze from the wind outside chilled them, and Vivian’s arm became prickly with goose bumps, and even more so when she peered behind her chair to see who it was.

  “Astrid,” she breathed.

  In human form, there stood Astrid. Long black hair that made her pale face stand out, fell over her narrow shoulders, and her yellow eyes much like a raven’s gave a cold stare at the three, until they zeroed in on Seth. A menacing smile curled about her lips, and she strode over.

  “So, you’re alive,” she droned in a lazy low voice. It chilled Vivian more than the cold breeze.

  “Yes…. Why shouldn’t I be?” Seth crinkled his brows confused.

  Jean moved uncomfortably forward In her chair. “Go away Astrid, you’ve done enough damage as it is.”

  Instead, Astrid lowered her face towards Seth. “It was really funny... How you didn’t remember me at first in that orphanage. It was very cute how you protected your brother. So sickeningly cute.”

  Seth’s lips tightened to a thin white line, but he didn’t waver, or look away from her eyes.

  Astrid chuckled. “This is funny. I’m the one who changed your life boy. I’m the one who made you what you are, and you didn’t have the courtesy to remember me? Then you tried to fight me? I’m hurt.” She pouted her lips.

  “You’re crazy - you need help.” Seth stood and moved away from her. He finally tore his eyes away and glanced at Vivian for help with this psychopath.

  Vivian jumped up and took place beside Seth. “Astrid, don’t be an idiot.” She clenched her fists. “You know when humans transform they don’t remember the person that changed them. Now go away. I’m surprised you even came back.”

  A soft clunking sound echoed in the circular room as Astrid’s boots hit the floor. She walked towards them, and everyone stayed still and quiet, holding their breaths.

  “This is unlike you Vivian.” She smiled not showing her teeth. “I wouldn’t have thought you would take on a human for a pet.” Her eyes glanced over at Seth. “But I guess he’s not human anymore, and you need a companion other than your sister. It gets lonely without any family doesn’t it Vivian?”

  Vivian swallowed the lodge in her throat. “We are all here for the same reason. None of us have a family anymore. We’re each other’s family, except you Astrid. You can go now, back to the humans.”

  “What?” Astrid’s eyes showed a flicker of fear, and she took a step back.

  “You think you rule this place Astrid, and you don’t. You know what I am, and you know my powers. But you may forget sometimes my power within this family. The one that Maeve left me with.” She took a deep breath and in a louder voice, “by show of hands, who wants Astrid gone?”

  Around the circular room all the hands raised. The centaurs, vampires, fairies, elves, dwarfs, werewolves, and all. Even the brownies, holding large trays of food had their hands raised.

  In a softer tone Vivian spoke to Astrid, “majority rules. Go."

  Astrid’s face scrunched up in anger. “You are tempting the wrong person Vivian. You know where the book is right? With your family, your blood family. Right now as we speak they are coming up with something to bring you and your sister back to your human form, or to kill you. As for myself, I hope they settle for the latter, and I’m going to help them to achieve that.” Turning on her heel she left slamming the door behind her. Dust fell from the ceiling, but nobody cared to dust themselves off. No one spoke.

  Vivian let out a breath falling back into her chair. “She’s helping them….”

  “No, our family wouldn’t kill us.” Jean let her legs fall from the arm of the chair, and sat up straighter. “This is just like Astrid, she would want to ruin her own kind, starting with the leader. But don’t worry, we’ll get back the book.”

  “Leader?” Seth finally spoke.

  Vivian was afraid to look beside her at Seth. Was he angry? Or was he confused? She didn’t know, and she looked at Jean for some answers, but all that was on her face was a disapproving stare. She didn’t know what to say, and before anyone else spoke, Vivian ran out of the room, and into the hall where she locked herself in her room.

  How could I not tell him?! What is he going to say? Many thoughts ran through Vivian’s mind that moment. But she would rather listen to them than the continuous knocking on her door.

  The light from her room was now disappearing, and she ran opening the window with great difficulty. It must have been ages since the window had been opened, or maybe it has never been opened. But it was that time, and she jumped through it, but before she could go anywhere there was Jean waiting for her.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Jean crossed her arms over her chest.

  Vivian rolled her eyes. “Taking a walk. Do you mind?”

  “Yes I do mind. You have to tell Seth about this, you can’t leave him confused.”

  “There’s so much he doesn’t know…. And if he still wants to change back, none of what I said to him will matter. The less he knows the better.”

&nb
sp; Jean sighed sympathetically. “It may mean more than you know. And he needs to know now.”

  "How?"

  "He's already entered our world," she rolled her eyes irately. "And I don't care what you say, you've gotten close to him."

  Vivian nodded in defeat. She turned back to the window climbing through it once again. But when she went back to the hallway, only a ball of light was floating there.

  “Avery, where’s Seth?” Vivian asked.

  The tiny ball of light dimmed to show it was a fairy with straight brown hair to her waist, and she wore a soft blue dress made of flower. She was one of the most beautiful fairies in the underground. She was known as the messenger.

  “He went to his room,” answered the fairy in a high, squeaky voice.

  "Thanks," she said shortly. She took a sharp turn right, and softly knocked on the door with her knuckles, and opened it.

  Seth sat on his bed, staring at his left hand he changed into a paw then transforming it back to a hand. He looked up at Vivian standing in the doorway, and cracked a smile.

  "You're getting pretty good at that," she closed the door behind her.

  "It doesn't hurt as much now, but still does, mind you."

  Vivian nodded. "Seth, I think I owe you an explanation."

  "There's none needed," he said simply.

  "Yes, there is. I never told you I was leader of the Underground, and I guess I should have told you."

  Seth nodded his head too, indicating agreement.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't think it mattered."

  "It doesn't, but you still should have told me."

  Vivian sat next to him. “You know the story that Jean told you about Maeve, and how she started the Underground?”

  “Yes.”

  “It was a long time ago. But that field was where Jean and I were at when it happened. I don’t know who shot us. I didn’t see their face. All I remember is looking up into two silver eyes. Maeve saved us from death, but because she did, we received powers. We turned into a witch, like her. We didn’t want it though, not at first. We wanted to go home back to our family, but they hated, and still do, the thought of us being what we are. Our parents accept us, but we didn't want to complicate their life so we left, and found Maeve in the field, and she took us into the Underground. It was safe from our family, and it was safer for our parents. They are protected now with a spell Maeve casted.”