Chapter Seventeen
An Awakening
"You look terrible," Jean exclaimed, as Vivian walked through the archway into the circular room with hair and clothes in disarray. Her eyes were dark, and her body bruised, she did not care to make any appearance.
"Thanks a lot," Vivian mumbled, falling into a chair by the fire, the cushions comforting.
Flint and Jean thought that Vivian may have not seen the worried look Jean passed to her fiancé, while her sister stared into the fire. Vivian saw it though, and did not care. For the sake of saving their breath, she didn't say anything about it.
Jean gave an exasperated sigh, and with a thump, laid down her book on the table. Kneeling beside the chair that Vivian sat in, she gave a few coughs. Again, Vivian ignored them, losing herself into the bright dancing flames.
"Viv?"
They weren’t going to give up. "Is Jake okay?" Jean asked.
"Yes, I picked him up at the apartment after you got in last night. Speaking of that - "
"Is he up?"
Jean looked up at her now, and with another annoyed sigh, she said, "Yes, he's playing with Julian. Now about what happened - "
"If you can't tell, I keep changing the subject." Vivian shouted.
"We have to talk about last night!"
"No, we don't." Vivian shook her head.
"Why not?"
Vivian felt herself crack a little, all the worries, and all the messed up ideas her family had put into her head finally got to her. She rapidly stood up, towering over her sister. Without meaning to, she felt her voice rise, and she was yelling, "because it's my fault Seth was shot. It's all my fault! I kept turning him away, because I'm afraid of the blood that runs through my veins, that I would leave him, or he would leave me. I was an idiot for being so scared. So stupidly scared. For the first time, I was frightened of something, and I was out of control because of it."
It surprised her to see Jean smile. She stood up, looking slightly down into her eyes. "You love him. I know how hard it is to try to trust someone. But haven't you noticed how Seth always turns up not long after he has been gone? He isn't going anywhere. He's meant to be here."
Vivian let those words, she has always know to be so true, finally sink in. She really had been thick all along. Throwing her arms around Jean's neck, she said "thanks sis."
"Anytime, I don't mind telling you when you're being stupid," Jean happily sat back down in her chair, picking up her book.
Vivian walked outside, the sun painfully hitting her eyes, when she emerged from the stone walls and lighted torches. The field stretched out in front of her, a wave of green grass and yellow wildflowers, all the same looking, but Vivian knew exactly where in the field of green and yellow she was going.
Far to the left of the Underground, she dropped to her knees. The patch of grass was clean, but six years ago, it was red, as were the yellow flowers. Images of a thirteen-year-old girl, and her fourteen-year-old sister, played in her mind. They were both wearing sky blue dresses, and ribbons in their hair to match. They played tag around the field, as the sky became darker and darker. Aunt Karen was stuck in traffic, and for the first time in her life, she was late.
The once-bright sky now turned to night, but the two girls paid no mind. They stood picking up the beautiful yellow flowers. Some, they broke the stem off, and stuck in their hair right above their ears. It was then yelling erupted from the quiet of the forest behind them. There were screams about drugs, and betrayal. Figures dressed in black, with their hands buried in each others shirts, tumbled around on the ground. All the girls could do was stare, wide eyed, paralyzed with fear. They both saw the gun. The guy beneath his foe pulled it out of his pocket, but with a sweep of the other man's arm, it was pointed at them. Before they could run, before they could blink, the gun fired, and the bullet sailed through the air straight into the thirteen-year-old's stomach. She had looked down to her stomach and saw something warm seeping through, and then she fell. She couldn't see, she didn't want to. She kept her eyes shut as the pain controlled her body. Everything was becoming dark and cold, but she heard another shot. A shot so close to her. A gasp, and a thud next to her. Her sister.
When Vivian awoke, a pair of silver eyes stared down at her. Maeve healed her, and her sister, and she was safe. She was to learn the ways of the Underground, she was to become leader.
Now, Vivian knelt there, her hands on the grass where she and Jean almost died. "Thank you Maeve," she whispered.
She walked away from the sight, and returned to the circular room. Jean sat there with a piercing stare. Vivian nodded in agreement, and walked the length of the hallway. She went further than she had in a long time, the light from the room she left behind was getting smaller, and the torches that lined the wall began to become brighter.
She turned and opened the door with the glowing green 'w' on it. Inside it was as dark as the hallway, but with comforting candles that burned blue. Empty beds lined the wall, each with a chair, and a small bedside table. However, one bed was not empty. Beneath the covers of the middle bed, lied Seth.
Vivian took a seat beside him, and as she did, Seth's eyes fluttered open. He scanned the ceiling, and then, her face, recognition came over, and he smiled.
"Hi," she greeted.
"Hi."
"Feel weird?" Vivian asked.
"How did you guess? What happened?"
"You were outside your apartment, in the parking lot. There was a guy who tried to mug you. There was shooting, and a bullet hit you in the stomach."
There was a pause while Seth tried to remember. He then looked at her as though she was out of her mind. "You healed me."
Vivian nodded, crossing one leg over her other nervously. "Yes, I did."
"So, I'm a.... Witch?"
"Yeah...."
Without any warning he reached over grabbing the back of her head pulling her forwards, and her lips collided with his. He pulled back resting his forehead on hers, and whispered "thank you." He then lied back, and keeping his eyes on hers asked, "are you going to change me back?" Seth questioned.
"That decision is up to you. Even as leader, I am in no right to tell you what to do." Vivian responded.
"No, but you are now. Vivian?"
She looked up from the floor she had been staring at.
"Do you want me?"
The four words hit her, and her breath caught in her throat. It was time for some truth. "Yes."
Seth smiled, softly touching her hair. "Why didn't you say that in the first place?"
"I lost most of what I considered my family. I didn't want to lose you."
"Well I'm here." He kissed her lips a last time before he lied back, and drifted off to sleep again.
Chapter Eighteen
A Normal Tradition
Vivian stood in front of her full length mirror, smoothing out the sleek material over her stomach. She wore a ruffled, sparkling blue dress, matching heels with straps wrapping themselves around her legs, her hair pinned up, strands falling about her face. A blue Amaryllis was stuck above her right ear. She picked up her bouquet of long stemmed Amaryllis' off of her dresser. She was never one to care a great deal about how she looked, but looking in the mirror she was astounded that she could clean up so well. She had not dressed up for a good occasion since.... Never.
There was a knock at her door before it creaked open, and Seth's head bobbed in mid-air. "You ready?"
"Yep," she went towards the window until Seth walked in, and started coughing excessively.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you. Jean said if you get your dress dirty.... You get the idea."
Vivian laughed, and took Seth's hand. Looking over at his ironed suit, and tie, she smiled appreciatively.
They went out through the front door of the Underground, and into the forest the long way with everyone else. Vivian grabbed a handful of her dress holding it to her side, picking it up off the ground above her ankles. Seth held onto the crook of her arm t
o keep her from falling. Why did Jean make her wear these uncomfortable, unreliable shoes?
"Flint is so nervous. I think he drank a gallon of water this morning," Seth made small talk.
Vivian stumbled over a twig, wincing as it poked through the shoe into her foot. Luckily the hose didn't rip. "Not that I've had much experience with pre-wedding jitters, I'm sure he's fine."
"Oh he's fine, but Jean has him nervous. Keeps telling him if he messes up...."
Nodding Vivian moved closer to Seth. Jean must have nagged him too as she could feel the nervous heat from his body heating her arms.
"You look very beautiful," a rough, unusually calm voice came from her left. Caelum trotted up beside Vivian, straight-back, and proud. The centaur had put a vest over his masculine chest. "The stars are in your favor tonight."
Vivian smiled, she loved the centaurs with their commonly absent minds towards everything but the stars. "I hope they're in my sister’s favor tonight as well."
"Most certainly so Ms. Vivian."
Seth and Vivian went their separate ways into two opposite bushes hiding a circular area. When Vivian walked through the bush she saw Jean in a sleeveless white dress that flowed to her feet, the flowered cut veil lying over her hair that curled a little at the ends.
"You look so beautiful Jean," she hugged her sister.
A full-length mirror also stood in the small circle, and Jean anxiously looked into it. She sighed, and looked over her shoulder. "One day it will be your turn."
"But today's yours." Vivian picked the bouquet of Star Gazer Lilies off the ground, and handed them to Jean.
She smiled, and hugged Vivian again. She nervously ran her hand over the flowers.
Further out, came the lovely noise of someone stringing a harp harmoniously. That was Vivian's cue. "Here we go...."
Vivian walked out of the bush, and saw Seth waiting. Linking arms, they walked down a narrow path of dirt, temporarily made for them. Ahead was the Silver Reflections, and Andry's in black, standing wise and serious in front of it holding an ancient book in his hands, the Book of the Hidden. His fair hair excelled against the pool, it lying over his shoulders, his pointed ears sticking visibly out.
On either side were benches, so white they could have been seen through the thickest forest. Each of the benches was filled with their families. On the left in the front row was her mom, proudly beaming. The rest of the bride's side was filled up by the people closest to her in the Underground.
On the other side, all in human size, was Flint's family, smiling happily. A few of the elders did not smile however, not even smirked. They had a sour expression on their faces like they had bitten their tongue and tasted the flavor of copper blood. Vivian wasn't surprised by their reaction. In their time, interbreeding species was strictly looked down upon, usually the people who fell in love with someone not of their kind was cast out by the family. But days have changed, the elders just didn't change with them.
Vivian diverted her eyes back to where they were supposed to go. When Vivian and Seth reached the end of the aisle, they separated ways on either side of Andry, Seth standing behind the hand-twitching Flint.
The harp then changed tunes, playing the traditional Bridal Chorus. Flint's three-year-old niece Alyssa appeared from behind the brush, smiling in a green dress that swept around her. She carried a wicker basket filled with white rose petals, and she started down the aisle, taking a handful at a time, dropping them in an arc in front of her.
Then Jean and their dad emerged from behind, linked at the elbows. Her dad smiled, but was still apprehensive. He never grasped the fact of his daughters being witches as easily as their mother. She noticed his eyes did not even look at Andry or Flint, or anyone for that matter. He kept them straight out and beyond the forest, afraid of staring at the many creatures that surrounded him, and not being able to stop.
Vivian could hear his sigh of relief when he reached the end of the aisle, and took his seat beside his wife. Inwardly, she grinned. At least he hadn't fainted.
Jean was glowing, her eyes bright, taking Flints hands with her own. He couldn’t take his eyes away from her. When Andry began speaking of love, eternity and fate, both their eyes shined with tears of happiness.
Vivian noticed there were tears in her own eyes, not at the traditional words, but at the couple she kept her gaze on. They were the vision of love that saw through so many differences. Everything in the wedding was traditional, because Jean deserved something normal, but unlike so many humans, they wouldn't divorce, she was positive about that. Bonds were taken seriously in the Underground, people remained true to words. Even Astrid had.
The glittering rings were slid onto the left ring fingers. Then something in Fairy tradition was done. Flint reached into his pocket withdrawing a black pouch. Inside something glowed glittery of silvers, blues, and purple. He dipped his finger into the substance, and rubbed it across Jean's chest where her heart was. The glitters caught the light from the sun peeking above the trees.
Jean reached in the pouch taking a dab of glitter on her hand, as Flint undid his button down shirt enough for her to run the glitter on his chest, over his heart too.
And then they kissed, sealing the bond.
Thunderous claps exploded in the circle of the woods. Vivian clapped along, her throat tight, and her eyes straining against tears.
From the other side of the kissing newlyweds, across from her, she saw Seth. They both smiled at each other.
*****
The reception naturally took place in the circular room of the Underground. Music, cheerful voices, and the clinking of glasses echoed off the walls, making the party seem much larger than it was, though it was pretty large, even though a small portion of the Underground creatures showed.
By the large table of food set aside, like it had been for the ball, celebrating Maeve's birthday, was Vivian's mom, her nose wrinkled at the array of different smells the food had cast.
"This is awful Vivian," she exclaimed as her daughter stood beside her.
"Different types of creatures eat different things."
"But at a wedding?"
Vivian shrugged, "they have to eat."
"You know, if you ever decide to leave and come home, you can."
"And you know, if you ever decide to move here, you can. Mom, I'm happy here, I'm with my own kind."
Her mom nodded understandingly.
"Where's dad?" Vivian asked as she picked up a slice of vanilla cake.
"He's in the corner staring at his hands," she laughed.
Vivian nodded giving a quiet chuckle. She speared her cake with a fork, taking a bite. The cake melted in her mouth, smooth and delicious. The Brownies went all out when preparing.
"He'll never get used to this."
Her mother sighed giving a backward glance in the corner of the room. "No, he won't. But he understands, that's what’s important."
Vivian put down her plate and hugged her mother. "Thanks for everything."
Mrs. Evans smiled.
Jean quickly walked over to Vivian taking her hands. "Come on, dance," she twirled her around, slightly stumbling, she turned and ended up in Seth's arms, his hands gripping her waist. She looked into his eyes for a moment before staring back at her sister. Jean was staggering around, the gray concoction the Brownies stirred up making her a bit drunk, but it was a lot safer than mortals alcohol.
"It was a beautiful wedding," she looked back up at Seth.
"Hope our wedding is as great as this."
Vivian's mouth dropped slightly, but recovered from her momentary shock, and grinned. "You think so?"
"I know so," he gave her a small kiss on her lips as they danced in the middle of the circular room.
A moment later, a voice echoed above everyone's. "Everyone gather around please!" A man with a thick mustache, and a fake toupee stood behind his tripod.
The party closely gathered around in front of the camera.
"How does it feel to be a
married old woman?" Vivian teased, nudging Jean's arm with her elbow.
"You will know someday. In the meantime this old woman will tackle you to the ground if you call me that again!" Jean gave a sly grin.
"Okay, everyone say goat cheese!" The man yelled, the camera flashing white and blinding.
Vivian glanced at the crowd. Some had their arms around each other, some looked serious, some acted goofy, but every one of them wore smiles. The kind where your eyes sparkled.
Vivian may never be able to call most of her relative’s family again, but it did not matter. Blood did not prevail in the end. Looking around at the people and creatures, her friends who surrounded her, it was them that were family, who loved, and cared for her no matter what. She knew because they had been there for her. She could trust no one else. That was why they were there, together. In the end, it would be them that would survive.
Some people called them miracles, angels or fate. If any of them looked past their fear to something different, beyond the disaster, they could see them.
Just like Vivian did.
Book of the Hidden Page 13