I was going to leave Hellsner House.
Probably for good.
And while the aspect of seeing my home again thrilled me, I couldn’t help but feel a bit nauseous when faced with the aspect of saying good-bye to the people who had become a part of my everyday life. Despite my best efforts to remain unattached, I was actually going to miss this damn place and the people in it. Ugh.
Wrinkling my nose, I slung my duffel bag over my shoulder and took another look around. I paused when I caught my reflection in the dresser mirror.
Though my hair was still black, I had hurriedly pulled it into a ponytail, a tame hairdo by my own standards. Even my clothes were pretty ordinary, my go-to concert t-shirt and jeans—what I’d eventually decided on. I’d also foregone my usual black lipstick and removed my lip ring, so the face that stared back at me looked nervous as hell, brown eyes wide and skin pale. And not in the cool emo-girl sort of way, but the normal, scared out of your mind way. Blech.
With a groan, I lugged myself and my bag toward the door, mentally bracing for the long farewells ahead. Hopefully, the emotional gauntlet I was about to experience wouldn’t leave me scarred for life. Well, no more than I already was, anyway.
As my hand rested on the cool metal of the doorknob, a faint buzzing sound reached my ears, along with a blast of static-charged wind that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I turned around slowly, fear clawing away at my gut. What now?
A circle about three feet in diameter opened up in the air in front of me. Faint, gray light pulsed from its center, crackling with static. I could just make out the outline of a face, the image blurred and fuzzy like an old television station not coming in clearly. My bag slid off my shoulder to the floor unnoticed. My senses barely registered anything except for the anomaly facing me.
The image rolled a few times, making me dizzy as I tried to concentrate. I reached a hand out just as a male face snapped into focus, making me rear back in shock.
“Sora, can you hear me?”
That voice. That face. I knew them both. My father’s best friend Durin.
“Sora! I don’t have much time! Can you hear me?” The urgency in his shrill voice penetrated the numbness of shock that had threaded its way through me.
“Um…yeah. Durin? Is it really you?” First, my mother shows up out of the blue, and now this? I stared at the image of my father’s dear friend, still unsure I hadn’t slipped and bumped my head on my way down the stairs. His face was haggard, dark circles casting deep shadows under his blue eyes. His blond hair was drawn back from his face tightly, making the sharp angles of his cheekbones even more pronounced. He looked tired. Very tired. A glaring contrast to the man who’d told me bad jokes as a child and consoled me and my mother after my father’s death.
“What’s going on? How are we even talking?”
Durin’s eyes darted from side to side, making me uneasy at the fear reflected in their depths. “I had a few friends help me set up this communication portal so that I could warn you.”
Warn me? Lord and Lady. “I…I don’t understand.” I licked my lips, finding them as dry as parchment.
“You can’t come back to the Hidden Realm with your mother, Sora. Things have changed much since you left. It isn’t safe.”
My head swam with all that was implied in that statement, still not understanding what was going on. “What do you mean it’s not safe? They banished me, remember? How can my home not be safe?”
Durin’s expression changed to one of sorrow, his features lax and eyes downcast, like he was afraid to meet my gaze. “I am fully aware of how they sent you away from your home, but it was for the best, little one. It was the only way to ensure your safety and to keep the promise I made to your father to protect you.”
This still wasn’t making any sense. “Protect me from what?”
His head snapped up as he inhaled deeply. “Have you not wondered why out of everything the council could request from you, they chose to have you give up your magic in order to come home?”
Of course, I’d wondered that, but just figured it was due penance for having used my magic to harm another without real provocation. At my silence, Durin continued. “They want your powers, Sora. Making you believe you have a choice in the matter is just part of their game.”
A throbbing at my temples warned of an impending headache as I made a valiant attempt to sort out what was happening. “But why would they want my magic? I’m not special. The elders on the High Council have more power in their pinkies than I do altogether.”
Durin sighed. “That’s where you’re wrong, little one. You are more powerful than even you realize. In fact, you are—”
The image in the portal blurred out, filling with static for a few seconds that stretched out into what felt like an eternity. When it finally snapped back into focus, Durin’s jaw was clenched tightly, the earlier fear back in his eyes. “I must go. There are spies for the Council everywhere, and I’ve already said more than I should have.” He gave a curt nod. “Be safe. And think hard about what you are willing to risk in order to come back to this place you once called home.” And with that, the image rolled into a screen of shaky lines, then faded altogether as the portal closed and disappeared.
I blinked, that body-numbing shock still keeping a pretty strong hold of me. Had that actually just happened? Had I gotten a magical warning against taking the offer my mother brought like a scrap of food to a starving person? Surely, Durin couldn’t have been serious. Why on earth would he want me to think that the Hidden Realm was not safe? Surely my mother wouldn’t come, knowing there was danger waiting for me. Would she?
The suspicion and apprehension when my mother first announced the offer came back with a vengeance. It swirled around in my stomach, making it tumble with nausea. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my rattled nerves. Durin’s cryptic warning made no sense, but it didn’t change the fact that I was being given a chance to go home. If any of what he said was true, then the only way for me to find out what was actually going on, was to continue as planned.
I slung my bag over my shoulder and turned back toward the door, opening it slowly. The hallway was quiet, which didn’t surprise me, since I knew that everyone would be waiting for me downstairs. That fact almost made me turn around and climb out the window instead, but that would be the coward’s way. And though I might be many things, a coward wasn’t one of them. As illustrated by my ignoring Durin’s warning and heading smack dab into what he’d tried to convince me was a trap.
Pressing my shoulders back, I trudged down the hallway, the weight of my bag making my shoulder hurt. Perhaps I’d packed too many things after all. Nah.
The soft echo of voices that carried up to the second floor stilled when I turned the corner. In silence, I descended the stairs, my heart falling with each step. I really, really didn’t think this would be so hard.
When I reached the bottom, Derrick was there to greet me, of all people. As I dropped my bag at my feet, the others sort of stepped back, giving us some space.
“So, I hear you killed someone.” I expected to get the typical Derrick smirk, but instead watched as he jammed his hands into his jeans pockets, his jaw clenched tight.
“Well, I see your girlfriend has a big mouth.” I retorted as I glanced around to catch Zoe’s eye so I could give her one last evil glare, but she seemed too busy talking to Carlton at that particular moment.
I waited for the barrage of insults, the jabs, the laughter. None of it came. “So, what are you waiting for? Let me have it, dog-face.”
Pity, not glee, lit his amber eyes, quite a change from what I was used to from him. “Let’s just say that I might have some idea what that kind of burden is like, and leave it at that.”
“Oh.” Well, well. Even Derrick’s past seemed to have darkness. Perhaps everyone at Hellsner House had a deep dark secret that tore them up inside. But the emotion from Derrick wasn’t just unexpected, it was just too much to take. I couldn�
��t handle that from him. Not Derrick. Not dog-boy. We were sparring partners, not best buddies.
“If you expect us to have a cumbaya moment, or something, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you.”
The pity that had filled his gaze disappeared as fast as it had appeared, leaving his usual mischievous glint. “As if.” He cracked a grin, but I could still sense a sadness there. “Bye, your highness.”
“Yeah, yeah, mongrel. Just because I won’t be here doesn’t mean you can chew on the next girl’s shoes, either.” I smiled nervously, glad the emotional moment had passed. I just couldn’t live with myself if I cried in front of the jerk.
Derrick moved away and stood next to Zoe. She and I had already had our moment last night, so we just sort of nodded at each other. Jox and Jax rushed over next, their little blue arms circling my legs. “We don’t want you to leave, Sora. We need you to help us find the right portal home!”
I patted the little guys on the tops of their bright yellow heads. “Sorry, guys. You’ll have to find your way without me. Besides, my portal magic is just plain crap and you know it.”
They traded a knowing look, but hugged my legs tighter anyway. “We’ll still miss you, though.”
The twins finally released their death grip on my legs as Patrick shimmered into sight, making me jump. “Sheesh, that’s one thing I won’t miss. You popping up unannounced like that.”
He gave me a good long glare, for old time’s sake, then smiled. “I think I’ll actually miss you, Sora.”
“Well, don’t strain yourself, or anything,” I grumbled, but still managed to give him a smile. With a nod, Patrick disappeared.
Banore stepped cautiously over, looking as uncomfortable as I felt. “Um…take care…and all that stuff.” He hooked his finger through a loop on his pants awkwardly.
“Watch out for the twins and their portals. There’s just no telling what might come through.”
He furrowed his brow in confusion at first, because he had come through one of those portals at Christmas. Then my teasing comment seemed to sink in. Sometimes, it took him a minute to get a joke. He gave me a lopsided grin and nodded his head. “Will do.”
Carlton lumbered up next, the slump of his shoulders making him seem shorter than he was, which was pretty damn tall, mind you. Like over eight feet. Then he just stood there and stared at the floor. Awkward!
“Um…well…goodbye, Carlton. Don’t you let—oomph!”
He grabbed me in his burly arms, lifting me right off my feet in a hug that knocked the breath from my lungs. “Can’t breathe, Carlton…need air…” I gasped, oxygen a thing of fantasy.
After hugging me for what seemed like ten years, the big galoot finally let me go, setting me on my feet. I wavered a bit, dizzy from lack of breathing. Let’s just say that ogres can apparently hug the life right out of you.
Once my brain had begun functioning again with its required air supply, I turned to Micah and Danielle. Micah came forward first and hugged me gently. “Don’t forget that we all love you here, Sora.” His blue eyes were bright as he stepped back, the light coming in from the window behind him making him seem almost…angelic. Weird. I shook my head to clear it and focused on Danielle.
This was the farewell I had been dreading the most, for I had no idea how I would be able to keep it all together. I inhaled deeply as she stepped forward, her eyes glassy with her own unshed tears. I blinked back tears of my own, hoping upon hope that I wouldn’t start crying again. Not only was I tired of it, but I’d never hear the end of it from Derrick.
Danielle pulled me into her warm embrace and hugged me tightly. Infused in that hug was more love than I could bear. More love than I deserved. But she gave it to me freely anyway. Even after knowing what I had done, Danielle still loved me with all her heart. That fact made me want to cry even harder, my throat constricting as I made every attempt to hold the burning tears behind my eyes at bay.
I sniffed as she gave me one final squeeze before letting go. She cupped my chin in her hand and looked me straight in the eye. “You remember what I said yesterday, Sora.”
I nodded, words failing me for once in my life. Danielle stooped to pick up my duffel and handed it to me. “Your mother is waiting in the back yard for you.”
I backed away from them, torn by the sorrow evident in all their expressions—even Derrick’s. How they could miss me, I’ll never know. But somehow, I’d managed to matter to them, just like somehow they’d ended up mattering to me.
As a final farewell, I raised my free hand and waved it at them. Sparks of white fairy magic burst forth and spiraled in the air, taking the form of a large heart that glowed brightly for an instant before fading away. It was a sentimental gesture atypical of me, but it sufficed when words failed. And truth be told, might just be the last time I’d have magic to use at all.
My feet were like lead anvils as I turned my back and tried to make them carry me outside. For someone being given a second chance, I sure felt like crap. My stomach was doing somersaults while my heart felt as heavy as my shoe-laden bag. But somehow, I made it out the door to where my mother was waiting.
Since Shaylee Starwind was fairy royalty, she more than enjoyed dressing the part. Today was no exception, and the deep blue satin dress she wore with the crystal shoes made her look like she’d just stepped out of a Disney movie. “Don’t dawdle, Sora. The portal will be opening soon, and there will be so much to do!”
Though my mother beamed at me, I just couldn’t match her smile with one of my own. I shuffled forward, counting the steps as I took them to prevent myself from barfing on my shoes instead.
“First things first, we’ll have to fix what you’ve done to ruin your beautiful hair and return it to its golden splendor.”
That trait was the very first thing I’d changed after my banishment. I so wasn’t a blond, no matter what genetics deemed. My stomach lurched, images of me with long blond tresses flashed through my head, making me nauseous.
She motioned for me to follow her and made her way to the space of the yard where I imagined the portal was due to open. “And I hope you didn’t bring too many of these horrid mortal clothes. We will have to have some lovely dresses made for you out of fairy weave. And after the extracting spell, we’ll get you enrolled in some proper etiquette classes…”
My mother’s voice droned on, but I stopped listening. I should be happy, going back home to be with my mother and my people. But what was I really going back to? Had these months away erased how miserable I’d been in the Hidden Realm? How lonely I’d been? How people would whisper when I walked by, treating me like a pariah? Was any of that going to be different after I had no magic? And what about that crazy warning Durin just hurled at me via magical communication portal?
I froze in my tracks and glanced toward the backside of Hellsner House. A sea of faces stared at me from the large picture window. Faces that loved me, despite how much of an ass I could be. Faces that never asked me to be anything or anyone, except myself. Faces that belonged to…
My family.
That thought brought me to my senses in a big way. That’s what the ragtag bunch inside that house was. They were my family. People who put my happiness above their own. I couldn’t even claim that about my own mother. Even more so if what Durin had told me was true, and that returning to my home with her would put me in danger.
“Sora, why are you standing way over there? The portal is due to open at any time!” The irritation in her voice was evident, but at that particular moment, I found myself not caring.
She was my blood, my only surviving family member, and had done nothing to defend me or keep me safe by her side in the Hidden Realm. She had stood by and done nothing, making her an active participant in my banishment, complicit in blame. I fixed her with a hard stare infusing all the hurt and loneliness I could muster into that one look, rough anger chasing away my pity party of one. “You let them banish me.”
Her brow furrowed, confusion marri
ng her porcelain doll face. “What?”
My feet hit the ground with extra force as I stomped my way over toward her and dropped my bag to the ground, the sky darkening to a dull gray to match my change in mood. “You stood there and let them send me away, not caring what happened to your daughter. How could you?” I pointed an accusing finger at her, my face heating to what had to be bright red as I snarled my accusation.
Her hand fluttered to her chest as her eyes widened. “Sora, I had no choice. The Council ruled—”
“I don’t care what the Council ruled!” My voice went up a notch in volume as my heart pounded with a force fueled by the fury building within me. “You are my mother! You’re supposed to take care of me! But you let them send me away to be on my own instead! All alone to deal with what I’d done! Do you have any idea what that’s been like?” What Zoe had said last night about my mother echoed inside my head. Zombie-girl had been so right. Why hadn’t I seen it before?
Fear flashed across her bright blue eyes when an arc of lightning streaked through the air between us. “Sora, darling, please calm down. You know what can happen when you let your emotions get the best of you.”
“Calm down? You want me to calm down? How about you explain to me why after all this time, the Council lets you come to take me home, as long as I give up my magic? Hmmm? Is there something you’re not telling me?” My hands clenched and unclenched at my sides, my heart and head pounding with pent up fury.
She seemed taken aback, and pressed her hand to her breast with a small step backward. I noticed her hand trembling. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please, we don’t want anything bad to happen.”
I ignored her comment, too caught up in the anger that pulsed through me like a white-hot laser beam. “What can happen, mother? Will someone get hurt? Will someone get dead?” Lightning cut through the sky a little to her left, and she flinched. I smiled, pleased at having the power to instill fear into the great Shaylee Starwind, because I wanted her to hurt at that particular moment. I wanted her to hurt as much as I had when everything and everyone I’d ever known had been taken away from me in an instant. And she’d done nothing to stop it.
Hell House Books 1-3: The First Three Hell House Novellas in One Box Set Page 6