by Amanda Churi
“Uh, Daisy, can it wait until later?” Kevin called, quickly maneuvering over to Lucy to help her strip the bed.
“Uhm… No,” she admitted, standing outside the door and staring at her feet; Cecil warned her not to say anything… But she couldn’t do that! Not only was her life possibly in danger, but her parents’ too! They needed to know!
“Daisy, not now, dear!” Lucy cried, yanking the last of the covers off of the bed. A mattress made out of animal hides, filled with wool and straw, was revealed; veins and puddles of red were visible at the surface.
“Dammit! Of course the blood would stain,” Lucy snarled. She dropped down to her knees, reaching under the bed and searching for any spare sheets.
Daisy stiffened up, her head snapping towards the thick door. “Blood?”
“She said mud!” Kevin corrected.
“Get a shirt!” Lucy demanded fiercely, throwing a thin white blanket over the dark stain and hoping that no one would notice.
Kevin sprinted over to the wardrobe, throwing the doors open and grabbing the first shirt he could find.
Daisy listened intently, fearing the worst. Did something already happen? She couldn’t help it. The protective urge to keep her family safe kicked into gear, her eyes illuminating a dull blue. She let her body fade away before, with a deep breath, she stepped through the door, her powers immediately faltering when she saw her mother kicking several blood-drenched sheets under the bed.
A devastating scream shook the room, Kevin snapping his gaze over to the door just in time to notice Daisy appear. Her eyes were broad and glassy, dread swimming in her vibrant blue irises as she continued to scream.
“DAISY!” Lucy scolded as she continued kicking the sheets under the bed.
“W-what happened?!” Daisy exclaimed in horror, half-speaking half-screaming.
“Shh, calm down!” Kevin pleaded frantically, running over to his daughter on unstable legs and pressing his hand to her mouth. She tried to cry out in protest, Kevin wrapping an arm around her back and squeezing her mouth harder to shush her. Daisy’s pupils shook, unable to process his request properly, especially when she stumbled across the crusted blood on her father’s neck.
Terror consumed her; Daisy squirmed out of his hold and continued to scream, pressing her back against the wall. What was going on?! Why was there so much blood—blood on the sheets, on the bed, on the floor?! Why were they trying to restrain her?!
“Daisy, be quiet!” Lucy barked violently, giving the sheets a final kick and approaching her daughter. She bared her teeth, roughly grabbing Daisy by the shoulders and giving her a firm shove against the stone. Daisy squealed painfully, unable to stop shaking and crying as the situation spiraled out of control. “Stop it!” Lucy continued fervently. “You’ll wake everyone up!”
“Mommy, let me go!” Daisy screamed as Lucy gave her shoulders another powerful slam against the ragged rock.
“Lucy, knock it off!” Kevin demanded, grabbing his wife by the stomach and trying to pull her out of her fit of rage. What had gotten into her?!
“What’s going on?!”
In an instant, the door to their bedroom was kicked open with such force that the hinges and wood could not hold themselves together. The door slammed down onto the cold floors with a heavy thud, Cecil hurriedly leaping on top of the door and turning to face the royal family with wide eyes.
“Get out, Cecil!” Lucy snarled, thrashing in Kevin’s arms and breaking free as she tore herself away from both her un-official husband and daughter, who were staring at Cecil with gracious yet horrified eyes.
Cecil stood there, stupefied. He wasn’t sure what to do.
“I said get out,” Lucy growled, bunching her hands into fists.
Cecil turned his gaze to Daisy, unable to ignore the terror present in her blue eyes—not to mention the drops of blood dripping down the backs her skinned shoulders. Anger consumed his vessel, his protective instincts kicking in as he remembered his daughter—the tears of pain frozen in her young eyes as she was torn apart and spread out over several square meters.
“Ya… Hurt her…” he whispered, hardly able to be heard as flashbacks overcame him.
“What happens in this family is none of your business!” Lucy spat. “Now GET OUT!”
“N-no!” he objected, racing over to Daisy and wrapping her in his arms. Daisy squealed in surprise, and no matter how much his very being now frightened her, she didn’t try to fight him, especially when she felt his tears land on her skin. “I-I’m so sorry, Ezri! I’m sorry, baby; I’m sorry…”
Lucy froze, the sight of her fractured sentinel bringing her fuming emotions back under control. “W-what…?”
“Cecil,” Kevin rasped. He approached his best friend, rubbing his back to try and calm him down. “Why don’t you and Daisy go out for a bit, hm? Lucy and I need to talk.”
Cecil was stiff for a moment as he turned to look at his king, his eyes wide. “Sir…” he said in a quiet, airy tone. “Yar… Yar neck…”
“I’m fine,” Kevin pressed, trying to casually rest a hand on the back of his neck.
“Ya’re a…” Cecil couldn’t speak, his scarred lips trembling as his copper skin took on the appearance of a ghost. “Ya didn’t tell me…”
“I didn’t know until last night,” Kevin grumbled, seeing no point in trying to deny it. He needed Cecil to trust him; if he lied, Cecil could very well turn his back on the kingdom, and the last thing Kevin wanted was for his invaluable trust to be shattered. “Please, don’t say anything for now until we know for sure what this means.”
“Daddy…?” Daisy chirped with concern, her eyes roaming over her father’s injury.
Cecil’s green eyes flashed with pain upon hearing the name, a million memories eating away at him. He stared at Daisy, who shook in his hold, before looking back towards his successors. Waves of dread, regret, and insecurity rolled off of him like the ocean as he stood up with one arm wrapped around Daisy’s shoulders; he could hardly even see clearly with such toxic emotions clashing within. He huffed once—reluctantly. “Yar secret be safe with me, sire.”
Kevin exhaled in relief. “Thank you…”
Cecil nodded, giving Daisy a light tug, though his eyes never left Kevin’s. “Come on, let’s go.”
“But—!” Daisy protested, trembling at the thought of being alone with him.
“Yar father told me to take ya to get some fresh air,” Cecil quipped, a rough edge to his voice, warning her to keep quiet.
Daisy’s jaw dropped, her flighty eyes flickering with quickly dying hope. “Can’t I stay here, Daddy? Please?”
Kevin shook his head. “Just… Take a breather.” He looked back at Lucy, who would not dare to meet his gaze, let alone speak. “We all need one.”
Daisy whimpered in protest, but Kevin would hear no more of it and neither would Cecil. Following his orders, Cecil led the solemn Daisy out of the room and towards the foyer, not a word more spoken amongst them.
Kevin waited until the two were out of earshot, taking a step towards Lucy. She shrunk back, bringing her arms in close to her breasts and tottering backward until her rump hit the bed. Her black eyes merged with the floor, regret and pain lapping along the shores and threatening to break loose.
“Lucy…” Kevin tried, shaking his head. “What got into you, honey…? I’ve never seen you get mad like that…”
She sighed in defeat, closing her eyes. “I know… I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I was just… Scared.”
Kevin frowned. He sat down next to her, placing his hand on her waist and pulling her close. “It’s ok,” he purred, stroking her hair with his free hand. “I understand… But you can’t let anger overtake you like that…”
“I know… I just wasn’t thinking clearly…” she admitted. “I’m… I’m just so lucky to have you… To have all that I do right now. I don’t want to lose you; I don’t want to lose anything.”
She pulled away from Kevin, shaking her h
ead as she sauntered over to the window, Kevin’s eyes following her like a headlight. She pressed her small hands to the glass, staring out at the glistening ocean and leaning forward. “I don’t want anything to change… But I know it is going to.”
Her words surprised Kevin. Intrigued, he got to his feet, approaching her from behind and wrapping his arms around her stomach. “What do you mean?”
Subconsciously, she pressed one hand to her throat, tracing the swollen black veins winding around her neck. “What happens if I’m taken away…?” she sobbed, spinning around to face Kevin with the most scared eyes that he had ever seen—even worse than when he broke the news to her that he was leaving to protect a boy and might very well never come back.
“Taken… Away?” Kevin asked, his throat stinging.
“I am only kept here as long as the forces above and below allow it,” she elaborated, moving one hand to her own heart and the other to Kevin’s. “I’ve always been worried about one day just disappearing into thin air and returning to the earth that I was a part of for so long, because as time goes on, I’m almost feeling… More beside myself, if that makes sense.
“I tried to ignore it; there was no reason to worry you, and there was no reason for me to fret over the inevitable if it did in fact happen. Now, though…” She took a step closer to Kevin, closing what little distance was left between them. “You’re a Returned too. What happens to Daisy if we both disappear? To Phantome? To Reeve for goodness sake! To—!” She paused, catching herself.
“What?” Kevin urged her on gently.
Lucy cleared her throat, shifting her pulsing eyes away from Kevin. “Nothing.”
“No, Lucy,” Kevin argued, lightly pushing her back into the window with his chest. “You can tell me anything… I want to hear what’s on your mind.”
Lucy still refused to speak.
Kevin’s heart ached with remorse, his head slightly drooping. “Please…” he begged, staring at her hopefully, though she never did make eye contact. “What is it?”
She only met his eyes for a fraction of a second, all of her love for him spinning in her irises like a storm, with clouds of anger, mistrust, and fear swirling together. She took a deep breath, clutching her stomach tightly and forcing herself to say the words that she wished she could have told him under much happier circumstances.
“…
What happens to our child…?”
Twenty
Hidden Solace
They were left in peace for the remainder of the day and on into the night—as much peace as one could get, that was. Daisy lay curled up in her bed, her breathing slow but strong. Her mind was dark and closed off, choosing to momentarily bury the terrible events of the past few days.
Cecil sat next to Daisy, keeping a constant watch on her. He had taken her on a long ride with Tripp earlier in an attempt to calm her down, though hardly a word was exchanged between the two; unfortunately, for Cecil, he knew that Daisy did not trust him, and he was unsure if she ever would.
It was a scary thought… He needed her to. If she never learned to trust him, he would never be able to help her. And if she didn’t learn to accept help and control her powers, she definitely would not escape the rising threat in one piece.
Ever since he had taken his seat next to Daisy when she went to bed, he had not moved—not to relieve himself, not to eat, not even to stretch. It was his duty to protect the royal family but specifically, in both his heart and soul, his duty to protect Daisy.
Daisy moaned in her sleep, pressing her face deeper into her blankie. “Shh…” Cecil whispered, carefully brushing a piece of her beautiful blonde hair aside.
His arm suddenly tensed, an image of Ezri overtaking his mind—her beautiful hazel eyes with flecks of silver, her long brunette hair, and her young, innocent, pudgy cheeks that swallowed her face whenever she smiled.
He pulled his hand away, forcing himself to stay a bit distanced. As inevitable as it was, he wanted to keep himself from getting close to Daisy for as long as possible. He never wanted kids for a reason… But even raising Ezri for the small frame of time that he did, he became so attached that when she was taken from him, he felt as though he had lost all sense of purpose.
Cecil sighed, turning his head and staring at the old, belittled, stuffed bear that lay sprawled across the stone floor. His thoughts became a blur for a moment before subconsciously, he reached down for the bear, bringing it up onto the bed and placing it on his lap. He stared at its black eyes, silent.
“Cecil…?” Daisy groaned, the young guard immediately redirecting his attention to the girl. She faced him on her side, confused as she processed the odd scenario—him sitting right there, on her bed, watching her and cuddling with a stuffed toy.
Definitely one of the weirdest sights she could have ever seen.
Cecil frowned, knowing just what she thought. He held out the bear towards her, keeping his head low and waiting for her to take it; he refused to move until she did.
Realizing his persistence, she took the stuffed bear in her ever-growing fist, tucking it in between them and forming a barrier. “So… What’s up…?” Daisy began hesitantly, uncertain as to what the motive was behind Cecil’s elongated visit.
Cecil chuckled, a nearly invisible grin tugging at the corners of his lips. “Nothin’ much. Just watchin’ ya.”
Daisy cocked her mouth to the side, a bit distressed. “Well, I’m feeling fine,” she stated dryly, not being rude but not being friendly either. “You can go.”
Her reasoning amused Cecil. Oh, how little she understood the severity of the situation. “Nah, I don’t think so,” he countered, tisking his tongue and flashing her a mischievous glance. “Quite obvious ya can’t protect yaself since I’ve had to swoop ya up from trouble twice in a day.”
His arrogance cut into Daisy’s heart. “I said you can leave,” she urged, her voice now clearly hostile. “Your job isn’t to be my babysitter.”
“Technically, that is the job description of guard,” he rounded. “Besides, I don’t think ya’ll mind in the long run.”
Daisy scoffed. “No thanks. Now, I’ll ask you one more time—”
“Tell me, do ya wanna know just what’s happenin’ to ya?” Cecil spat, tired of trying to gently spoon-feed her his friendship. “I mean, I know what be goin’ on. Ya can either cooperate here, or I can leave, and ya can have fun figurin’ it out by yaself. Hm? Take yar pick, dear.”
Daisy paused, surprised by his offer. That was why he was here? After scaring the wits out of her yesterday, he suddenly wanted to put all of the eggs in her basket? “You’re weird…” she mumbled under her breath.
Cecil smiled—a surprisingly genuine smile. “Just startin’ to notice, eh?”
“No,” she responded bluntly. “Now quit messing around, and…” She trailed off.
“And what?” Cecil asked, fluttering his eyes in a taunting fashion.
Daisy observed the bear between them for a moment, her lungs deflating. She didn’t trust him… But she needed answers. “Tell me what is going on, or get out…”
He sat there for a moment, contemplating his next words carefully. “Lemme start off by sayin’ I was wrong,” he admitted sheepishly. “I shouldn’t have come on as strong as I did yesterday. It was unacceptable.”
Daisy huffed in agreement, stubbornly crossing her arms as she continued to listen.
“I hope ya know, though, just like I told ya then, that I’m only tryin’ to protect ya. The closer ya come to revealin’ yar true form, the higher the risks will get, and ya need to know how to defend yaself before it be too late.”
“…True form?” she echoed in awe.
He nodded glumly. “Do ya really think ya’re just an average sorceress?” he pressed, looking the young teen in the eye. “Ya’re much more than that. Ya’re a supernatural unlike any other. It’s the only reason I even bothered to be yar father’s guard; it meant I could keep an eye on ya…”
Daisy shook her
head, the words she heard not sinking in properly. “But… Why?”
Cecil paused. “Ever since I first saw yar face, my fate has been sealed.”
“Fate? Cecil, what are you talking about?”
Cecil smiled. Inhaling deeply, he forced himself to look at Daisy from the corner of his eye. “Ya don’t recognize me, I figure.”
Baffled, Daisy shook her head.
Cecil chuckled, veering his sight to the fireplace. “I guessed that was it,” he mused, both happiness and pain drowning his voice as he quickly lost the strength to speak. “Ya… Were too young.” He sniffled, a tear breaking from his eye. Daisy slowly sat up, evaluating his every move.
“Yar mother, Elizabeth, and I… We were close friends…”
Daisy gawked. “You… You knew my mother?” she said as she polymorphed into shambles, the vivid image of her hand brushing over her mother’s tombstone festering in her mind. “What was she like?”
“Well, nothin’ like ya,” he admitted, resolute in the words he spoke. “She wasn’t yar average gal, I’ll tell ya that—always a bit rebellious.” He chuckled heartily, lost in memories. “She always hung out with the wrong people, unfortunately, and one day, she came to me… Excited and scared. She and this guy who I never fancied for had hit it up, and almost a month after the fact, she suspected she was with child. She made me swear to keep it a secret as long as I done could, and me bein’ her best friend, I agreed.”
He shook his head. “At first, it wasn’t too hard ‘cause she didn’t show. But then…” He came to a pause, looking back at Daisy with warm eyes and an entranced smile—one so calm and peaceful that he seemed to be lost in his happiest days. “Ya started to grow real fast, l’il one… Faster than any I had seen.
“I stayed with her through thick n’ thin. Ya just kept growin’ and growin’; she was full term within months, and then… Ha… There ya were…”
Daisy smiled, unable to keep her heart from turning into goo. He wasn’t making this up… She could just tell based on his eyes. He really did care for her like a daughter…