by Rowan Casey
As Hautdesert disappeared, Hannah gazed up at Daniel, who had a faraway look on his face. She studied him, with his unruly, curly brown hair, pronounced sideburns, and near-black eyebrows that gave his face a dark look. He was just under six feet tall, she guessed, and he was lean underneath his green Under Armour polo shirt and tan khakis, the cuffs frayed. Apparently he had changed by the time his new clothes arrived so they were stuffed in his bag. She knew him as well as she knew most of the boys who lived in the gated wing of the home; that was to say, not particularly well. The staff saw to it the two sexes only interacted under careful supervision, usually once-a-week mixers or movie nights. He wasn’t much of a talker and she wondered what his story was and why he kept to himself.
Not that she was without her own reputation - “the loner with a death wish” - which was not the case in her mind. She felt she was fearless but after enough “antics,” as her aunt put it, she was turned over to the home. Hannah had been there for four years now and was likely to remain there until she graduated high school and aged out. The future may be the one thing to cause her any doubt.
However, if Grimm was telling them the truth, then her options had changed dramatically. After all, if the Veil was pierced and demons overran the earth, the choice between college and being a barista suddenly seemed superfluous. Should they prevail, she suspected he would look after her future. If he really was Merlin and she was a Knight reborn, they were no doubt, linked.
Finally, Daniel looked in her direction and studied her. He asked, “Do you believe him?”
Hannah paused to consider the question. It sounded ridiculous but so had everything they experienced. Still, the sword was heavy in her hand, it felt real. Her wrists still ached from hefting it. The dark gray thing certainly stank. Her new sense of purpose also felt real and she always trusted her instincts.
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t see myself as a knight,” she said. “I’m too short.”
“Or the reincarnation of a knight?”
“Yeah, that, too.”
“You know, people were shorter back then, maybe you’re just the right size and I’m the freak,” Daniel said.
She shot him a dirty look and exaggeratedly looked up at him and snarled, “That makes you a giant who must be slain.” Then they both chuckled at the absurd conversation they were having. “How can we not believe Grimm? That demon was real.”
He took a step closer so they could talk without a chance of being overheard by the few passersby. It was early evening on a late August Thursday so the stores were just closing and people were coming home from work. It was quiet for East Flatbush, so their voices might carry and neither wanted to be overheard talking about this.
“Hey, I might believe in reincarnation, or want to believe I can come back as something better than…this,” Hannah began then hesitated.
“But you don’t want to come back as a guy,” Daniel finished for her.
“That’s just weird,” she admitted, “knights.”
Daniel sat on the front stoop, clearly hoping no one would step outside and interrupt them. While protocol was for Hautdesert to sign them back in, he correctly intuited they needed some time to process what they were told them so made his farewells in front of the home, trusting they would go back in. Their curfew was in about half-an-hour, at nine.
“You know much about the Round Table and Arthur?” he asked her.
“I recall seeing that Keira Knightley movie and maybe a Disney version,” she said after a moment.
“The Sword and the Stone. Yeah, I saw that one, too. It’s just something you hear about and eventually you see something about it and just seem to know,” he said. His voice was deepening, not quite done changing, she decided. It was a pleasant enough baritone although his slight frame didn’t seem big enough to contain it.
“There’re books, too,” she added although she’d read none of them.
“Yeah, haven’t read any,” he said with a shrug. She settled beside him on the concrete stoop, tucking her legs under her black skirt. Neither seemed to know much beyond what he told them, but what they heard was fantastic.
“So, you’re really Sir Yvain, and I’m supposed to be Sir Bors,” she said, practicing what Grimm told them in the limo. She felt like an idiot when she asked him to spell it.
“Sir Bors the younger,” he corrected. “How old are you anyway?”
“Sixteen. You?”
“Seventeen,” he said. “You know, what he said sort of explains a few things. Might even finally tell me that I’m not crazy.”
She eyed him carefully, waiting him out. Hannah learned a while back that silence was a tool and one she effectively wielded. Certainly better than that sword in Los Angeles.
“I’ve been here six years, left here by my parents who couldn’t handle my visions. I was always seeing things, reacting to things that no one else seemed to see. My parents, the doctors, they all thought I was crazy. But you know what, Hannah? I think I was seeing things all along.”
“That vision thing, Grimm said?”
“Yeah,” he said and shrugged.
“What do you see?”
“I’ve seen monsters; nightmares walking down the street. I’ve seen shimmery things in front of some people, learning to figure out it was, like, their inner selves. I could read people after a while, that sort of thing.”
“So you know when people are lying?”
“Something like that, but not everyone and not all the time. It has to be, like, really intense.”
“Can you read me?” She was surprised at how hesitant her voice sounded.
He shook his head. “Not right now. Without the vision I can tell you’re pretty freaked.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Grimm says we’re reincarnations. He’s one, too. Freaking Merlin. I mean we’re talking about Merlin, the great sorcerer, the one who put the sword in the stone. That’s power. And he’s scared this Veil thing is cracking.” She was impressed by the awe in his voice, never quite grasping the power this legendary name conjured.
“What did he call it? About us?”
“We were being activated. He’s been watching the knights’ bloodlines for centuries. Now he needs us to keep the Veil from breaking and letting monsters into our world.”
“You said you see monsters now, so aren’t they here already?”
Daniel paused, gathering and ordering his thoughts. She could see his dark brows dart down in concentration. “He said some were never trapped behind the Veil, that they wandered the earth, causing trouble. But now their brothers and sisters are trying to break through and join them.”
“I don’t feel like a knight. I don’t know how to use these powers he says we possess. It’s a lot.”
Daniel looked at her and nodded. They sat in silence for a bit, each to their own thoughts. Part of her was properly freaked and a growing part of her, a part that seemed to wake up under Grimm’s touch, was excited. It grew darker, the sounds of the borough were softening, the day’s heat almost gone. Shortly, they’d have to go in and return to their routines but she wondered how that could be when she knew she was being entrusted with a mission.
“You really believe him, don’t you?” she asked.
“I do,” he said without hesitation, which surprised her. “And you and I have to go out and find this horn. Whatever it is.
“He called it the Horn of Brân Galed, Irish, or Welsh, or something. It’s hidden and he’s counting on my sight to find it,” Daniel said, sounding doubtful. He had clearly been paying more attention because she was still wrestling with the revelation of her being a knight and Grimm being Merlin. Now that was some magic trick. So, they were now partners and charged with a mission – no, they were called quests back then. They were on a quest to find this horn and notify Grimm that they had it.
She’d come a long way very quickly, since her biggest problem that week had been Charlene and her posse.
“Daniel,” she fina
lly said, breaking the silence. He turned to look at her. “You are a knight, I guess. You did come to my rescue.”
“Well, if I’m a knight, so are you,” he said. “You were outnumbered and the knights were one for all and all for one.”
“Those were the Three Musketeers,” she corrected. She loved that old Disney movie, watching it endlessly on DVD when she first arrived at the home, a scared twelve-year-old. She huddled on the couch, earning television privileges and thrilling to the Musketeers’ humorous adventures, crushing on Kiefer Sutherland.
But she got his point. A week earlier, a week to the day actually, she was cornered by Charlene, Precious, Yaamini, and Jasmine in the kitchen. Once more they were intimidating her into stealing for them. He was setting the table nearby and charged in to break it up. Her hero! It was the first real interaction they had and now she wondered if it was fate. Or some test conjured up by Grimm. She was never one to really put a lot of stock in fate or luck or chance, but she could not deny they had built some trust between them because of that and now they were paired for this quest.
She shivered at the enormity of that thought and stood.
“We gotta go in,” she said quietly.
“Yeah, no infractions so we’re free to move,” he agreed, rising. “Hannah, why do the others pick on you?”
“They want to me to do things for them, figuring I’m fearless enough to be stupid, and I’d rather choose how stupid I want to be,” she said, her hand pushing the heavy metal door open.
The foyer was currently empty, the staffer on front door duty was not there, a typical instance. No doubt breaking up a fight or grabbing coffee. Justine was a caffeine fiend. Standing in the small, worn and familiar space, she was filled with doubts about everything she had experienced. She was suddenly uncertain about it all, as if reality was coming to crush her dreams anew.
Hannah suddenly turned to Daniel, just as he was signing them both back in. “I want to choose to be stupid and reckless. If I don’t want the girls forcing me to steal food or stuff, I don’t want Grimm telling me what to do, either. It’s dangerous, if you’re really seeing monsters out there. I don’t think I want to go on this quest.”
Daniel finished signing then turned and looked down at her, his brows clouding his eyes. He looked dark and imposing, almost frightening to her, but she knew he wasn’t a threat.
“Hannah, if Grimm is telling the truth – and yeah, I think he is – then we have to do this and really, I don’t want to do it alone. You’re more than fearless. You’re brave and I need that bravery. We’re going who knows where and fighting who knows what to get the horn. I can see it all, but I’m not a fighter.” That was the most he ever said at once and that alone impressed her.
“But you’re a knight, too, and that makes you fighter,” she insisted.
“Fine, find me a suit of armor, a sword, and a horse, and I can try on my own. I’d rather do this with you, not a horse.”
That made her laugh, but it was cut off when arms roughly grabbed her from behind and yanked her off her feet. Her heels then dragged along the linoleum floor and bumped over the door guard separating the main entrance from the first of several common rooms. Hannah couldn’t see who grabbed her, but she turned her head and saw three other girls, of various heights, weights, and ages, waiting by a couch. She struggled, but whoever had her was stronger than she was. A hand covered her mouth, holding her jaw tight so Hannah couldn’t bite or yell. Where was Daniel? She continued to squirm until she was yanked onto the couch and as she landed, she was immediately straddled by a large, acne-scared girl with long, stringy hair - Precious. The heavier girl’s knees pinned Hannah’s arms and someone else used a throw pillow to cover her face, smelling musty and vile.
She squirmed and tried to shout from behind the pillow but little noise escaped. All Hannah could hear was a lot of whispers and footsteps. There was a definite struggle, probably Daniel trying to rescue her…again. He should be able to shove them around and get to her. He was, after all, a Knight of the Round Table.
Unless he wasn’t. Unless Grimm, or Merlin, lied about it all.
“You don’t seem to understand who’s in charge here,” Precious said, her Spanish-accented voice dripping with hatred. “That’s us. We give orders, you do as you’re told. And no guy gets to save your fat ass.”
If anything, Hannah thought her ass too skinny but it amused her to hear someone that large call her ass fat. She couldn’t giggle and in fact, was gasping for breath.
“You two need to learn some new lessons,” Charlene announced.
“Let’s begin,” the ringleader said. Hannah struggled some more and then managed to turn her head and gasp of fresh air. But filling her field of vision were three more girls, all brandishing the wrong ends of brooms and mops. They were just within striking distance.
Aw hell, she thought, this is going to hurt.
4
Daniel
Daniel knew most of the girls by name but normally steered clear of them. They all had a sickly green-yellow glow about them, when his sight was working. That alone told him to stay away, but their actions confirmed it. They broke the rules, bullied the younger girls, and did what they could to cause trouble because they were as low as they could go with little left to lose. He suspected Charlene would be trouble when she arrived four months earlier. Sure enough, she tormented and wheedled her way to the top of the food chain on the girl’s side. There were cliques on his side, too, but he kept to himself and never engaged in the ego struggles.
A week earlier, it was easy to help Hannah, feeling she was seriously outnumbered. His newfound partner was small, maybe 5’4”, and light enough that anyone could wrap their arms around her and wave her like a ragdoll. Now, with three girls pinning him to the wall, Precious atop Hannah, and another three girls about to strike, they were seriously outnumbered.
If he were truly a knight, he would know what to do. But seriously, what could his sight do in a battle? He’d felt different since the “activation” ceremony; newfound energy in his heart and soul and he’d noticed the colors were now brighter, sharper. Something had changed and while he looked forward to exploring what they meant, he needed to find some way to help Hannah without getting grounded in the process.
One girl, pretty but with a vicious sneer, prodded Hannah’s ribs with a broom handle in an exploratory fashion, making certain the girl couldn’t strike back. Satisfied, she jabbed harder once, then twice. A second girl, a Hispanic with jet black hair and a long, jagged scar on her right cheek, joined in from the other side. Hannah’s shrieks of pain were muffled by the pillow over her mouth but she bucked and kicked, struggling to free herself while Precious wriggled with sadistic pleasure. There was definitely something off about Precious and Charlene, each a sandwich short of the picnic basket.
A third girl, more timid in action but goaded into motion by the other two, poked closer to Hannah’s neck, which was certain to hurt more given the softer tissue there. He strained against the girls pinning him to the wall, two hands crisscrossed over his mouth, a faint whiff of cheese coming from the fingers, and one kneed him in the groin, causing him to groan and bright yellow stars appeared in his vision. He had to help Hannah or call for help, even though that meant everyone involved would be in deep trouble. Where is the staff? he belatedly wondered.
There was so much activity on the couch it was hard to keep track, but Daniel noticed that Hannah managed to free one arm from all the shimmying going on. She waved it to ward off the broom sticks, her hand open. Fortune favored her and one stick landed on her palm and she grasped it tight. Then, she yanked it forward, pulling the Hispanic girl off her feet and into Precious. The force of the collision was enough that one knee shifted off of Hannah, allowing her to wiggle free. Without waiting, she charged the pretty one - Yaamini, he thought her name was – and ducked under a swinging mop then head-butted her in the stomach, driving her into the wall.
One of Daniel’s attackers turned
to watch and unconsciously loosened her grip. With a violent jerk, he wrested his arm free, twisting his hips to avoid another sack attack. He pushed the other girl hard into the wall and forced himself free. He stood still, unwilling to hit any of them. It wasn’t so much that they were girls, although somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew knights didn’t do that sort of thing. No, it was more to do with the degree of trouble he’d be in when this ended. If he didn’t strike them but was the one attacked, it would minimize the punishment.
Hannah, though, as the aggrieved party, fought back as fiercely as she was attacked. With Yaamini down, Hannah turned, now hoisting the mop like a stave, and blocked the pretty one’s attack. Charlene tossed the Hispanic girl to the floor and stood up, ready to charge Hannah on her own.
“That’s quite enough!” a loud male voice boomed over the fighting.
Weapons of cleaning dropped to the carpeted floor and the girls stood up, hands empty. Hannah, breathing hard, was the last to put her weapon down. There was a wild look in her eyes, nowhere near done with this fight.
“What the hell is going on?” the man roared. He was a forty-something Asian man with a bad comb over. He was Bill, with wet pants, stained with something yellow or orange and he looked less than pleased with how his shift was going. Behind him he saw Justine, the woman who was supposed to be at the front door. She was a college kid, pretty and broad-shouldered, but her brunette hair was looking wild and something looking like pink, watery watermelon was splattered above one ear.
Multiple voices spoke at once, but Hannah and Daniel stayed quiet. Whatever was said was going to be gainsaid or contradicted but the bottom line was that rules were broken and with that came consequences. What was unusual about this situation was the number of girls involved. Charlene’s influence was far more significant than he knew. One by one, Bill ushered them out of the room as other staff from the evening shift arrived, all seemingly disconcerted, and they helped direct the girls up to their rooms.