by G. K. DeRosa
“You have a police station?”
“Of course. Someone needs to maintain order in this place. Although we are a very peaceful society, there are times when things get out of hand, and the police are there for that purpose.”
Celeste found this all so fascinating. She had about a million questions and would have loved to spend the entire day exploring the town. She knew, however, that Sierra must have much to do for the ceremony tomorrow, and she didn’t want to keep her.
As if Sierra had read her mind, she interjected, “I’m sorry my dear, but I must be getting back to work. We have been very busy preparing for the ceremony and even more so when we were alerted about your premonition.”
“I really hope I’m wrong,” she said gravely.
“No matter, we are taking the necessary precautions and have invited an additional hundred guardians from all over the world. Some will be arriving this very evening. Our little town is about to get extremely crowded!”
Celeste smiled. “Thank you so much for the tour. I’m really looking forward to the ceremony tomorrow.” And with a wave, Sierra disappeared back into the impressive Council building.
Celeste wasn’t entirely sure how time passed here in Astor relative to her world, but she figured it was about time for her to return as well. She just hoped she could remember how to get back.
Celeste’s eyes shot open to the sounds of large wings flapping by her open window. Rubbing them sleepily, she turned in her bed to see a large black falcon perched at the bay window. His beady blue eyes were intent on hers as he peered at her questioningly.
“You can come in, Roman,” she said as she sat up and ran her fingers through her wild hair.
The falcon flew into her room and by the time Celeste blinked, Roman in full male form was standing before her. Looking at him now, she only saw her friend, her trainer, her protector, and the love of her life. But when she closed her eyes, the horrible images of Roman covered in the blood of some helpless victim refused to disappear. He stood silently watching her as her heart and mind struggled to make a decision. He knew her so well, he undoubtedly sensed that something was wrong.
Celeste patted a spot on the bed beside her. “Come sit,” she said, looking up at his troubled expression. He crossed the space between them in a split second, and was sitting next to her staring at her anxiously. She took a deep breath and began.
“I wasn’t entirely honest with you when I told you about my premonition the other day. I mean I was, but there was just more to it than I told you. I think I saw a vision from the past too – your past,” she fumbled. Roman put his hand on her thigh to steady her, but she flinched. He quickly pulled it away, the hurt written across his face. “I’m sorry,” she said, noticing what she had unintentionally done.
Roman stood up and walked a few paces toward the open window. Then he turned around to face her. “What did you see Celeste? How bad could it have been that you recoiled from my touch?” There was a hint of panic in his eyes. He knew very well that there were many things he had done long ago that could have caused such a reaction.
“I saw you Roman, but it wasn’t anything like the you I know,” she said as her voice began to tremble. “It was horrible! Your face was covered in blood and there were bodies scattered all around. And your eyes were black as night, and so empty. I’ve never been so scared in all my life. You were a monster!” As she let out the last word, she began to sob. She buried her head in her hands and cried and cried. He had always told her that he was a monster, but she had never believed it. Not until she had seen it with her own eyes. And now she wished she never had.
At the sight of her crying, Roman’s first instinct was to rush over to her to comfort her, but now he wasn’t sure if that’s what she wanted. She had seen a side of him that he had hoped would remain forever hidden from her. Intense feelings of guilt washed over him. He tried so hard to forget about the terrible things he had done in his life, and now to have them all out in the open, in front of the girl he loved more than anything, was just too much to bear.
Roman dashed across the room and kneeled on the floor in front of Celeste. He laid his head in her lap and pleaded, “I’m sorry Celeste. I’m so sorry, please forgive me,” he implored as tears ran down his cheek. “That wasn’t me. That’s not me anymore, not since I met and fell in love with you. I could never be that thing that you saw. I swear it!”
Celeste wanted to believe him, she wanted for it to be true with all her heart, but she suddenly couldn’t look at him the same way anymore. Something had changed, and with that realization she felt a tiny chasm split open across her heart.
“Say something, please,” he said, lifting his head to look at her.
“I love you, Roman,” she said, a shadow of a smile crossing her face. “I’m just going to need some time to move past this.”
“Okay,” he said, clasping her hands in his. “I can give you time, I can give you whatever you need. Just please give me another chance.” His bright blue eyes stared at her intently. “You were right about all the supernatural stuff, and you being a part of it – we are meant to be together. You are my life. I can’t live without you. I won’t.”
Roman slowly inched his face toward hers, and Celeste gazed back at him, her heart beating erratically. She closed her eyes as he neared. Before reaching her lips, he lowered her chin with his unsteady hand and planted a chaste kiss on her forehead. She opened her eyes as the warmth of his lips faded away, and he was gone.
***
“Did you find what you were looking for in those old Guardian journals?” asked Dani. Stellan had been tucked away in his study for hours, and she was bored.
“No, not exactly,” he said, shaking his head wearily.
“What are you trying to find anyway?” she asked, her head curiously peeking through the doorway.
“You remember the light that burst out of Celeste’s sword when Fabian and Alek attacked a few months ago?” She nodded her head. “Well, there is no mention of anything even remotely like it in any of these books. I’ve gone through at least a hundred years of notes from a multitude of guardian families, and I’ve come across nothing.”
“Maybe Celeste is just special or something,” said Dani with an indifferent shrug of her shoulders.
“I suppose. I was hoping that I could find a definitive answer, especially with the Induction Ceremony and her ominous premonition looming ever closer.” Stellan adjusted his glasses and bent his head back down over the journal in front of him. Dani took the hint and left him, shutting the door silently behind her.
***
“I don’t want to talk to anyone. Leave me alone!” said Celeste. Her voice was muffled by the pillow where she had buried her head.
“But you have a visitor,” said her mom through the door.
Celeste picked her head up off the tear-stained pillow, and rubbed her eyes. “Who is it?” she asked, a part of her hoping it was Roman.
“Her name is Marie. She said she’s a friend of yours from college. She’s waiting downstairs in the living room for you.”
Ugh. What is she doing here?
With everything that had just happened with Roman, Marie was probably the last person Celeste expected to show up. She forced herself out of the bed and caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and she had a ring of mascara above and below her eyelid. She splashed some cold water on her face and attempted to make herself look a bit more presentable.
Trudging down the stairs, she found Marie sitting in her living room. Her long auburn hair shone in the mid-afternoon sun and perfectly contrasted the emerald green of her eyes. Marie’s pink lips formed into a sweet smile as she saw her approaching.
“What’s up?” asked Celeste brusquely, in no mood for niceties.
“Sorry, I hope I’m not intruding, I just came by to – ” she stopped mid-sentence having noticed the look of misery on Celeste’s face. “Are you okay?”
�
�Yeah, I’m fine,” answered Celeste, avoiding the girl’s questioning look. “You were saying?”
Marie paused for a moment, second-guessing her decision to come over. “I was just at Brian’s, and he filled me in on your premonition about the ceremony,” she said tentatively.
“He did?” she interjected, her eyes wide. Celeste was annoyed with herself for not having done the research on the fairies like she had wanted to. The old books that Stellan had lent her still lay unopened on her bedroom desk.
“Yeah, we had this big talk about the supernatural world and all that. He had a lot of questions about me and the Fey. I think it went pretty well though, and I think we’re dating,” she said with a smile.
“So Brian’s okay with all of it?” she asked with her arms folded defensively across her chest.
She nodded. “I guess I should thank you. If you hadn’t introduced him to all the supernatural stuff to begin with, he probably wouldn’t have been so open to me. So anyway, I thought maybe I could help you.”
“How could you help me?” Celeste asked, annoyance building inside of her at Brian for sharing her secret with a perfect stranger.
“I can go with you to Astor. I know that you usually hunt with Roman and Nico, so I thought I could be your back up. Brian’s worried about you going alone, so I promised him I’d try to help.”
This was so not what Celeste was expecting. “How can you get into Astor? Aren’t fairies supernatural creatures? You shouldn’t be allowed either.”
“I can get in,” she said with a wink.
Celeste contemplated her offer. On one hand, she didn’t trust Marie and knew practically nothing about her, but on the other, her fairy powers could prove useful if the Council was attacked. And it would give her the opportunity to spend more time with her – get to know her better. But if it was the Queen of the Fey that had sent the Bacillus demon after her, Marie could be working for her and this could all be an elaborate trap, she reasoned. Celeste’s curiosity finally won out and she said, “Okay. Be back here at 7pm and we’ll go.”
As she opened the door to let Marie out, Natalie came strolling up the porch steps with a grocery bag in tow. She ran to Celeste and wrapped her arms around her. “I’m so sorry. Nico just told me what happened.”
Marie’s ears perked up, but Celeste gave Natalie a warning look and she quickly shut up. The two girls acknowledged each other with a smile.
“You’re Natalie, right?” asked Marie.
“Yeah, I remember you from Ralph’s,” she responded. “Nice seeing you.”
“See you in a few hours,” Celeste said to Marie trying to hurry her along. Marie turned and walked away, and Celeste pulled Natalie inside her house.
“So you guys are on a break?” asked Natalie. The two girls sat in the kitchen with a large bowl of ice cream in front of each of them. Maraschino cherries, chocolate syrup, rainbow sprinkles and whipped cream covered the kitchen counter. Natalie had come prepared.
“I don’t know. I guess,” answered Celeste despondently.
“So this thing that he did in the past that you won’t tell me about, is enough to break up over?”
“It’s bad, Nat. I just can’t look at him the same way right now. I need time to figure it out,” she explained as she shoveled a spoonful of chocolate sundae in her mouth. She hated not telling Natalie the truth; she was probably making it sound like Roman had cheated or something. She would have never guessed in a million years that he was a brutal killer.
“Hi, Nat. I didn’t know you were here,” said Celeste’s mom, appearing in the kitchen. “I’m so glad you got her out of bed.” She put an arm around her daughter and kissed her on the top of the head.
“I’m looking out for her, don’t you worry about a thing, Mrs. Wilder,” said Natalie.
“Thank you, sweetie. That does make me feel a lot better,” she said with a warm smile. “I have to head out to the hospital, but your aunt is upstairs taking a nap. Are you girls going to hang out at home tonight?”
Celeste’s eyes opened wide. “No, I actually have somewhere I need to be tonight.” Her mom and Natalie looked at her in surprise. “With Aunt Maddie. She’s taking me out for some family bonding.”
Her mother nodded knowingly, but Natalie looked disappointed.
“Thanks for the ice cream, Nat. It was just what I needed. But I do have some important things I have to do with my aunt tonight.”
“Oh sure,” she answered. “We’ll pick up where we left off tomorrow then?”
“Yeah, that would be great,” she said. If I’m still alive by then.
Once Natalie pulled out of the driveway, Celeste raced up the stairs to her aunt’s room. It was getting late and Stellan and Marie would be here shortly. Her aunt still hadn’t given her a definite answer on whether or not she would be coming. Celeste hoped desperately that she would.
Celeste knocked at the door of the guest bedroom, quietly at first, and when her aunt didn’t respond, she knocked more forcefully then gave the doorknob a jiggle. It was locked.
“Aunt Maddie? Are you awake?”
She heard footsteps in the bedroom and finally the door swung open. Her aunt stood before her in a bathrobe with disheveled hair and eyes almost as puffy as Celeste’s.
“Is everything okay Aunt Maddie?”
“Of course, I just must have fallen asleep,” she responded, her voice raspy.
“Are you coming with us to Astor?” Celeste asked. “It’s almost time. We have to get ready to go.”
“I’m not going,” she said and turned to shut the door.
“Wait!” said Celeste, planting her foot in the doorway. “Please come, I need your help.”
“I’m sorry, Celeste. I can’t,” she said as she slammed the door in her face.
Celeste was crushed. She hadn’t even realized until now how much she was looking forward to sharing this experience with her aunt. Somehow being with her made her feel closer to her dad. She couldn’t understand her aunt’s strange behavior. Did I do something wrong?
Before she could think too much about it, her cell phone chimed. She pulled it out of her pocket, and her heart clenched when she saw Roman’s name.
Good luck today, and please be careful.
She dismissed the message and tucked her phone back into her jeans. She couldn’t afford to get distracted. She had to focus or else all of their lives could be at risk.
In her room, she packed a large duffel bag with her sword and several of the Wilder family weapons she had taken out of storage. She hid a sharp stake inside her boot and a smaller dagger in her back pocket. She touched her neck to make sure the key was still there, and her ring grazed the metal finish, sending a tiny electric shock through her hand. She jumped. That was odd. She examined the ring closely, turning it around on her finger, but felt nothing unusual.
It must have been some sort of static electricity.
As she finished packing, she felt a powerful gust of wind blow into her room. She looked over and the bright blue glow of a portal appeared in front of her closet. Stellan leapt out, managing to land with dignity before her. Celeste’s mouth dropped open at the sight of him. She had never seen him so formally dressed. His normally scraggly silver hair was tied back neatly, and in place of the big black horn-rimmed glasses he generally wore was a dainty pair of gold spectacles. He wore a royal blue, flowing robe embellished with gold trim and matching shimmering golden booties.
“I feel seriously under-dressed,” said Celeste. She was wearing her tattered patrolling jeans, which were covered in stains from all kinds of strange creature guts and an old St. Alice High t-shirt.
“Well, you are bringing something else to wear for the ceremony, are you not?” he asked.
“No, I hadn’t planned on it,” she responded with a scowl.
“Didn’t you see the invitation my dear? It’s black tie optional. Everyone will be wearing their finest,” he finished, as if it was the most commonly known thing.
“U
gh. I’m going to need a few more minutes then,” she said. “Can you go downstairs and get the door when Marie gets here?”
“Marie the fairy?”
“Yes. She’s coming with us.” Stellan furrowed his eyebrows ready to object, but Celeste cut him off. “And don’t give me that look, Stellan. If you knew what kind of day I’ve had, you wouldn’t even ask.”
Stellan diverted his gaze uncomfortably and headed down the stairs as instructed.
Celeste was beyond relieved when she opened her eyes and found that they were in front of the Council building in the colorful main square of Astor. She was very pleased with herself for having the foresight to practice the day before. She would have been mortified if she had appeared in the Council’s chambers today of all days. Marie and Stellan stood on either side of her getting their bearings, and then released her hands.
“Well done, my dear,” said Stellan. Celeste gave him an appreciative smile. “Now, we must go check in. I’m sure that there will be work for you to do. As you can see it is still early morning here – twelve hours earlier than in Oak Bluffs.”
“Celeste, why don’t you go ahead? There’s something I have to do first. I’ll catch up with you soon,” said Marie as she hurried off.
Celeste waited for Stellan to reprimand her for bringing Marie along, but to her surprise, he didn’t say a word. Instead he just took her by the arm and ushered her into the Council building. Celeste’s mouth gaped when they entered the main atrium. Hundreds of guardians of different shapes, sizes, ages, and races littered the immense lobby. Some stood together in groups and chatted animatedly, while others lingered alone wearing serious expressions. And yet there was something similar about all of them. Celeste could tell by their posture, by the way they held their swords, that they were like her. She was overwhelmed with a wonderful sense of belonging, of being among family.