Fae

by Jennifer Bene

  “Way to go, Fae. A couple millennia of slavery and you forget all your manners…” Flipping the water off, she squeezed out her hair and wrapped it up in a towel before drying off. There was a toothbrush still in the package out on the counter, again evidence that he was being thoughtful.

  She was such a bitch.

  She looked through his cabinets and couldn’t find a real hairbrush, or a hair dryer, so she just vigorously toweled her hair and attempted to finger comb as much as it was possible. Keeping the towel wrapped around her she stepped back into his room to find that he had lined her bags up against the wall the night before. Digging through them she found a green sweater, and another pair of jeans. Her hair was still very damp, but she couldn’t do anything else about it. Taking a deep breath she opened the door and walked back into the living room to find Kiernan sitting on the couch watching something on TV.

  He turned to look at her and stared at her the same way he kept looking at her, like she was some kind of new creature that had walked out of the ocean. It was a little unnerving, but the expression quickly faded.

  “Did you have a good shower?” He made a face that reflected how dumb he thought that question was.

  “It was fine, and I -, um,” Fae came and stood next to the end of the couch picking at the fabric a little. “I just wanted to say thank you for everything you’ve done so far - the clothes, and trying to make me breakfast, and getting me away from the guards and out of the snow. I’m sorry that I was a bitch, and I’m sorry for trying to kill you before giving you a chance to explain yourself.” She forced herself to look up from the couch at him.

  Kiernan seemed surprised, and he just shook his head. “You don’t need to thank me, at all. I wish I could do more. All of this doesn’t even begin to make up for everything that – well, everything.” He stood up and pressed buttons on the remote and the TV clicked off, then he dropped the remote back on the couch. “Also, I should have known better than to cook when you couldn’t even watch me do it - that was stupid of me. I have an idea though, if you’d be willing to come somewhere with me?”

  “Okay.” Fae was relieved he hadn’t made a big deal out of her thanks. Kiernan was dressed in a black sweater that hung well across his shoulders. His jeans were worn and ended in the same shoes he’d worn the day before. He smiled at her, and she smiled back which instantly took some of the awkwardness out of the situation.

  “Then let’s head out, Glowworm.”

  “What did you call me?” Fae wrinkled her nose.

  “Glowworm. After all, you lit up my living room like one this morning.” Kiernan grinned mischievously at her as he opened his front door for her to step through.

  “I am not a Glowworm.” Fae glared at him over her shoulder as they headed to the stairs.

  “Too bad, I like Glowworm.” At a landing in the stairwell she turned and punched him in the arm, he grabbed it and laughed.

  “Don’t call me that!” She glared at him, but his grin only broadened as he rubbed his arm.

  “You telling me not to call you Glowworm is only going to make it stick. Alright, Glowworm?” Fae rolled her eyes and mumbled some obscenities while jogging down the stairs. Kiernan followed her down and when they came out on to the street he gestured to the left.

  “We’re going that way.” Kiernan told her while trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. Fae headed that direction walking a swift pace ahead of Kiernan. He jogged a few steps to catch up to her.

  “Come on, don’t be mad, Fae. I’m taking you to my favorite place in the city, you can’t be mad once you’re there.” She glared at him, and he just smiled at her, which made her want to smile despite herself. He had a big grin on his face the entire way while he pointed out some local landmarks. They took a few turns before they arrived at a pair of gates with a sign that read:

  ‘You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt’.

  “What is this place?” Fae looked through the wrought iron fencing at the large plot of land where little sheds were placed randomly. The whole thing was surrounded by buildings as if the city had just forgotten to build there.

  “It’s a community garden.” Kiernan pointed at the sign. “That sign has been there for a long time. It’s what originally made me come in. I had a lot of troubles to bury.”

  Fae looked over at his face and he seemed lost for a minute, “It looks… nice?”

  He laughed. “It’s not going to win any awards for beautification, but it’s a place where people from around the city can come and plant gardens, grow fruits and vegetables, and then everyone can take some home.”

  Fae traced a hand across the worn edges of the sign while Kiernan punched a code into the push button lock and then opened one of the gates. Fae followed him in while he walked along a meandering tiny path between sleeping gardens until he got to one of the sheds. He let her in first and inside there was some stored warmth, and in long troughs were growing vegetables and herbs. Light came through the semi-transparent walls and ceiling so that it was easy to see by. She watched as Kiernan rushed around the little greenhouse gathering gloves and spades and a few clay pots.

  “This is your favorite place in the city?” Fae shrugged off his coat, and walked up to one of the troughs filled with soil and small, green, growing plants. She traced one of the tender leaves with her finger. It was mint. A little ways over was a section filled with basil, and the scent in the air was wonderful and fresh and earthy. Kiernan stepped up next to her, smiling like a kid with a new toy as he held out a pair of gloves to her.

  “Yeah, I told you I was a farmer once. Digging in the soil is what I was meant to do. If I’d had the choice I would have kept my spade over a sword. Anyway, I just wanted to take care of something real quick before we do what I came here for. You can help if you want.” Fae took the gloves and smiled at the idea of getting back to a garden as she tugged them on. It had been one of the few joys for her at Ráj Manor. Kiernan moved over to a trough crowded with tomato plants with small tomatoes just starting to appear all over them.

  “I wouldn’t have imagined you spending your spare time in a place like this.” Fae looked over at him, his broad shoulders bent forward as he picked up a spade, digging gently around one of the tomato plants.

  “It makes me feel more like myself. It was one of the first things I really wanted to do after I started to wake up from Gormahn’s control.” Kiernan shrugged. “We need to give these a little more space, the girl that planted them didn’t plan very well and they’re going to choke themselves. We just want to replant some in that empty section at the back.” Fae grabbed the other spade and mimicked him. Kiernan very gently lifted out the first plant, and being careful with its root system, he walked back to the other trough and replanted it.

  “How long have you been here?” Fae asked while lifting her own. She was good with plants, her father had taught her everything she needed to know about tending them and she felt confident in moving the little green lives back and forth. They quickly found a rhythm to clean up the crowded bed.

  “Maybe ten years, I’ll have to move on soon or people will start to wonder why I look the same. I can only say it’s good genetics for so long. I’m going to be sad to leave this one though, some great locals support it.”

  “Where were you before Seattle?”

  “Denver, Colorado. I like the cooler temperatures. I’ve never been a fan of hot places, and I wanted out of Europe for a while.”

  “Did you do this there too?” She asked, and Kiernan nodded at her.

  “Yeah, I helped get a community garden started there. I mainly just gave people the money to do what they already wanted to do. I’ve donated to this one too to keep it afloat.”

  He spoke so casually, and Fae watched him for a minute as he moved the tender plants, carrying them with care. It made her think of her father, and how he had told her repeatedly that a good man puts his hands in the ground, while others simply walk upon it. Fae wasn’t sure what kind o
f man Kiernan was yet, but this was another tally mark in the ‘good guy’ category.

  “Where did you get all the money for that?”

  “You’d be surprised how much money you can gather across the centuries… especially when you’ve ransacked almost every major civilization in the last two thousand years. Artifacts and gold and jewels are easy to sell if you have the right connections.” He pressed the soil down around the last transplant and started to water the troughs of herbs and vegetables. Lifting his head up from a bed of lettuce he smiled at Fae. “We also have some really smart accountants.” Fae smiled and tugged her gloves off while she watched him.

  “So, if this isn’t why we came here, what are we here for?” She crossed her arms and Kiernan turned around and set the watering can down.

  “Come on, I’ll show you.” Opening the door he stepped outside and held it for Fae to walk through. Once he had secured the door he walked across the lot to another little storage house, and Fae followed him, tugging his coat tight around her in the wind. When she got to the door she was surprised to find big baskets of fresh fruits and vegetables stacked on tables inside. A big sign at the back read: ‘Take what you need. Leave what you can.’ There was a simple locked cash box under it and a slot to drop in money. Unfolding a cloth bag Kiernan handed it over to her. “Go ahead, pick what you’d like to eat. Then you can cook it at the apartment. I won’t touch anything.”

  “It’s fine if you do. Really.” Fae rubbed the top of the bag between her fingers looking across the fresh produce. It made her stomach growl to think of all of it, but she was still nervous at the idea. Kiernan hopped up on one of the empty spots on the tables, scooting back until he was leaning against the wall.

  “No, it’s not. I’m okay with that considering everything they’ve put in your food. Pick what you’d like, it’s the best produce in the city.” He leaned forward to watch her, his dark eyes tracking her as she walked slowly up and down the rows. Fae traced her fingertips across the rough wood tables, grabbing a few carrots, a handful of snap peas, several potatoes, and turning down the back she grabbed an eggplant.

  “This is good.” Lifting the bag a little, Fae gave a small smile.

  Kiernan chuckled. “You sure that’s enough? You can grab some more so you have a couple of meals.” He hopped down off the table and Fae grabbed a few more of each item until the bag was heavy. Tucking a few bills into the lockbox he waited for her to be done.

  “Thanks, Kiernan. All of it looks great.”

  “Of course, now we just need to head to a market for meat and anything else you might need, or, wait, are you a vegetarian?” He turned around from the door and paused.

  Fae had to stop herself from laughing, so she just covered her mouth before she spoke, “Not at all. I used to help with the butchering before everything became so readily available in stores.”

  “Good to know you’re not squeamish.” He smiled at her, and then headed back outside. When they left the little garden, Kiernan made sure the gate was secured and then headed back towards his apartment. After a few minutes of Kiernan asking her what she planned to cook with her not having any answers yet, they went inside the market. It was Sunday morning and there were crowds of families walking through the aisles pushing big carts, and single people carrying baskets on their arms. It meant the entire store was crowded. Kiernan placed his hand on her back to guide her to the side of the entrance so they were out of the way. He walked up to a woman at the register and leaned over to talk to her, she turned around and a blush crept across her cheeks as she looked at Fae.

  Well, if Fae didn’t feel awkward before she sure did now.

  “Everything’s okay. Elsie knows we’re bringing in some veggies from the garden so it won’t be any trouble when we’re done.” Kiernan talked to her as he was walking back over, then he turned and pointed, “Meat counter is at the back of the store.”

  “Got it.” She nodded, and Kiernan gave her a big smile over his shoulder as he snagged a basket from the entrance and walked down one of the aisles towards the back. Several women’s eyes followed him as he moved, looking at him like he was the meat. There was something that itched inside her when she saw the women staring after him, but Fae pushed it away and started to follow him. When they got to the big glass case filled with pre-portioned cuts of meat she watched as Kiernan looked over the little labels before walking over to her.

  “Alright, do you know what you want?” Kiernan seemed relaxed and happy. She was amazed that he melted into the population so seamlessly, like it was normal to be in a store where food filled the shelves ready to be picked up. Fae felt like she stood out, because she couldn’t relax at all. She expected at any point for someone to show up and ruin everything, discover who she was and drag her back to Butler or some new personalized hell.

  Choosing a protein for dinner seemed ridiculously mundane when compared to the majority of her life decisions.

  “Fae?” Kiernan’s voice broke through her thoughts. He was still smiling, and the man behind the counter was waiting for her answer, he gave her a smile too.

  ‘There isn’t a threat here’, she had to remind herself and take a breath.

  “Umm, chicken?” She stepped up to the glass case and looked inside as the guy wrapped up chicken breasts. “Oh! Salmon too?” Kiernan laughed to himself and nodded to the man behind the counter who grabbed a few fillets and wrapped them up too. The man handed them across the case to her and she smiled and muttered a thank you. That had been… easy.

  “Geez Kiernan, you can’t just come in like this and surprise me!” Fae jumped at the loud female voice that was only a few steps behind her. Turning around she saw that the woman wrapping her arms around Kiernan was the same from the front of the store. When she leaned back from the hug her eyes creased at the edges with the strength of her smile. The woman kept one arm around Kiernan and extended her hand to Fae. “I’m Elsie, and you are…?”

  “I’m Fae.” She reached forward and shook Elsie’s hand who grinned even bigger and turned to look up at Kiernan, who was easily a foot taller than her. She was probably in her mid-forties and had a big mop of curly brown hair on her head, and whoever she was to Kiernan her touch seemed welcome.

  “Kiernan, I could smack you for not telling me you had such a beautiful young lady in your life. I thought you said you always tell me everything?” Elsie talked to him like he was a kid, and Kiernan didn’t seem to mind.

  “I do tell you everything, Elsie. Fae and I just met each other.” Kiernan grinned at her and hugged her to his side before letting her go. Elsie gave Fae a onceover, but the glance didn’t feel judgmental or threatening. Elsie seemed to be warm and kind, and her smile looked genuine.

  “Well, my girl, you shouldn’t let this one go,” Elsie punctuated her statement by tapping Kiernan on the arm. “He’s one in a million. Grab on to him and hold on tight!”

  “Don’t scare her away, Elsie. Fae and I are just friends.” Kiernan was blushing slightly but he still smiled at the woman. She responded by throwing her hands up with an exasperated sigh.

  “Here now, I’ve never seen you with a girl before so she has to be something special.” Looking at Fae, Elsie spoke in a conspiratorial whisper, “Don’t let him fool you, you wouldn’t be here if he didn’t like you, and as beautiful as you are he won’t hold out.” Fae grinned as Kiernan’s blush brightened and he leaned forward to tug Elsie back from Fae.

  “Is that right? I didn’t expect him to spend his time alone.” Fae was enjoying this way too much and Kiernan’s embarrassment was obvious. Elsie stepped out of Kiernan’s hands and looped her arm through Fae’s, and the two of them started walking towards the front of the store.

  “Oh, he’s always alone. Sometimes I go to his place and make him dinner because I think otherwise he would just sit there, alone, staring at the television. I just take care of him like I would my boys.” Elsie was pretending to whisper, but was actually talking so loudly that everyone could hear he
r. Normally Fae didn’t like to be touched but Elsie instantly made her comfortable. There were no weird looks, no strange stares, Elsie had treated her like she was an old friend, and Kiernan’s obvious discomfort was making it hard for Fae not to laugh. Elsie started talking again, loud and warm, “See, I have two boys about Kiernan’s age, and they’re both off at college so I have to spend all my mothering on him.”

  “And I’m lucky to be mothered by you.” Kiernan was shuffling behind them, the blush starting to fade from his cheeks as he watched them both.

  “You’re right you are!” She wagged a finger at him before leaning back towards Fae. “Has he told you that he helped my boys get scholarships to college?”

  “No, he hasn’t told me about that.” Fae smiled as they stopped at the check-out line at the front of the store, and she glanced back at Kiernan to see him rolling his eyes.

  “Such a modest boy. A couple of years ago he heard me talking about saving up to send my boys to college and he suggested they send an application to the company he works for because they do scholarships. He brings me the essay topic and a form and I have them both fill them out.” Elsie was talking with her hands, and Kiernan was looking at her like she was a precious stone. “So, I have my son who had already graduated fill it out, and my other son, Timothy, was graduating that year so I made him fill it out too. And you know what?!” Elsie’s voice was even louder in her excitement.

  “You don’t need to tell Fae this story, Elsie.” Kiernan had shoved his hands in the back pockets of his jeans, but pulled one out to push his fingers through his hair.

  “Hush, Kiernan.” Elsie chastised him and turned back to Fae with a huge smile. “They both won! Full scholarships! I have never been so grateful for anything in my life, the Laochra Company is such a blessing, and it’s all thanks to this boy.” Elsie grabbed Kiernan’s face between her hands, and he smiled down at her and gave her a hug. When Elsie stepped back her eyes were filled with tears. “He is wonderful. Don’t let him fool you, he needs a woman like you. I can tell you’re a good girl, and so pretty.”