Jasper dashed off before Archie could utter a word. He rolled his eyes though his brother could no longer see it.
Archie walked back upstairs and knocked on the bathroom door. He cracked it open an inch and heard Natalia call out that it was ok.
Carefully, he nudged in to find Natalia perched on the edge of the bath, a green towel wrapped around her body – the rest of her soaked clothes were now piled in a heap. Her words, about being ok, had been strong, but her head was in her hands and she was sniffing. Archie put down the mug he carried and went to her. Bending in front of her, he put a hand on her bare shoulders, moving his fingers in a circular motion in the hopes of offering comfort. Peri always enjoyed the motion when she was upset. Natalia didn’t push him off so he took it as a sign to continue.
“Natalia?” Archie kept his voice low. “What’s wrong?”
“The storm crept up on me,” she mumbled.
“You’re upset because of a storm?” He studied her and eventually she shook her head. “You don’t have to tell me why you’re upset, but it might help you if you do. I can a keep secret if you want no one else to know. Even from Peri.”
Archie didn’t want to keep anything from his girlfriend, but this wasn’t about her or him. If the roles were reversed, Peri would do the same. They trusted in each other that they’d be keeping secrets for the right reason – not to hurt one another, but to help someone else.
“Why haven’t I been accepted?” Her voice was shaky and quiet, her breaths shallow and sharp. It was like the floodgates inside Natalia were breaking and Archie sat there as her ears. “Why is the Council taking so long to come to a decision? Was I wrong for shouting at them? The situation was fucked! Do you think making me wait for their ruling is punishment for what I did? Because that’s how it feels.
“I didn’t even know that I wanted to be a Creature. Not fully. I thought it was fanciful, a joke, a lie, when you all told me of who and what I was. But the idea grew on me. The more I understood, the more I wanted to be part of it. I wanted, want, to be present in it all. And I don’t want to think about what will happen if I don’t get accepted.” She sniffed, wiping her nose with her forearm.
“Can the Council just not accept me?” She continued. “What will I do? Will I still be a Creature? How can they monitor me to make sure I’m not following our Purpose, the one that’s buried inside of my blood and body? What happens to those that choose to leave this behind? Why do they leave?” She took her head from her hands, meeting his eyes. Hers were red and puffy and mascara ran down her cheeks with a mix of snort and tears, but she was unbothered. “I just don’t understand what’s happening and what’s not happening. But I want to be a Creature.”
Twice. That was how many times Archie had bared witness to this kind of pain before. Just like those times, his heart sank until it felt like it was beating inside his lower abdomen. He was on the outside looking in on her pain but unable to take it on himself. He felt his own lungs struggle to breathe.
He wanted to help, but there wasn’t much else he could do. Listening and being available was sometimes the best kind of aid because it showed care. And despite not knowing Natalia well, Archie did care. Because she was Peri’s friend and slowly becoming his, and that was enough.
Archie sat on the floor and took Natalia’s hand, dragging her down too. They sat crossed-legged in the tiny space. The light in the bathroom was dim, but Archie could see how pale Natalia was.
“Would you be alright if I answered things slowly?” he asked steadily.
Natalia either didn’t hear him or his words didn’t register. In her moment of distraction, he let her hands go and clicked his fingers. At once her shoulder slumped and she raised her brown eyes to his green ones. He hated using magic to change someone’s attitude in circumstances like this; it was a last resort. But this was one of those times it was needed, for Natalia.
“You used magic,” she said. It wasn’t quite a question. There was a glimmer in her eyes and seconds later, bronze appeared on her cheeks. “Thank you.”
Archie took a deep breath and saw Natalia do the same. “Mum’s in Atlantis,” he began. He kept his eyes on her, making sure she was alright. If things changed, even by a small margin, he would stop. “She’s trying to establish what’s going on with your application. I won’t lie. I’ve never seen or heard of this before; where the Council validates a Creature before letting them begin training.”
“Can they do that?” Her eyes glassed over. “Can they stop me from following my Purpose?”
“In theory, they can do what they like. They’re the Council.”
“So, do you think they’re making me—”
“Wait to punish you?” Natalia nodded and he took her hands again. “I don’t think so. I think this is more about curiosity and safety. They’re curious about you, the Fairy Queen’s granddaughter and a woman who was raised as Human. And they want you, as an heir and Creature, to be safe, as well as us, though it might be hard to see considering how they act. They don’t want us dying to protect you if you can’t even try to protect yourself. Our Purpose is to make sure life lives. That includes our own. Royalty doesn’t always take precedence over our Purpose.”
Natalia’s face livened with understanding. “They want to be sure I want this. That I’ll train and protect life, not make people end theirs because I’m incapable.”
“And the whole not accepting you thing, I don’t know much about it. It’s highly unlikely they’d turn you away. Right now, the worlds need all the help they can get.”
“But if they did.”
“Again, not that they will, but if they did, I wouldn’t know what would come after. You’d still be a Creature at the end of the day. They can’t cut that out of you.”
“There are those who don’t follow their Purpose, aren’t there?”
Archie’s heart thumped hard. “There are.”
“What do they do? Can they ignore their calling? Do the Council monitor and punish them if they go against the walls put in their way?”
“There are those who don’t follow their calling, usually not through their choice.” He talked slow in hopes that what he was implying would hit Natalia before he had to spell it out. Unfortunately, she didn’t pick up on what he was aiming at. “I don’t think anyone actively leaves it. Those who leave are made to.”
“What?”
He nodded. “The Council banishes them.”
Natalia blanched. “Banishes?”
“I don’t know much about this,” he admitted. “But it’s usually because of misconduct. Serious misconduct.”
“Like what?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Archie tried to think of an example, clicking his tongue as he thought. “As I said, I don’t know much. The Council keeps everything like this under magical lock and key from the public. Very few know anything. But the best I can think of is if you attempted to get hurt by a Monster to ensure a transfer of their powers for your personal gain.”
Natalia was silent a for moment. “That can happen?”
“There are very few Monsters that can transfer their powers.”
“Why would someone want them?”
“To harm other Creatures or to be boosted to be heralded as a hero.” He let go of her hands then and picked up the cooled mug of hot chocolate, passing it to Natalia. “Imagine if you had a Monster power and it allowed you to wipe out hundreds of the bastards at once. It would raise you up and you’d get commended for it. There are also some that just want the power for power’s sake, not to be a hero.”
“Oh.” She sipped her drink.
“But it’s unjust and unlawful. It all goes against what the God’s gifted you. Our Purpose may be hard and unfair, but it is a gift in itself and we have been given enough to fight with.”
Again, Natalia remained silent for several heartbeats. “Wouldn’t it damage you? To take on that other power?”
“The Creature part begins to die.”
&nb
sp; “Begins?”
“In the process, a lot of Monster’s transfer more than just powers, like blood, but that’s where it starts. If the action is stopped, the Creature is saved but banished. If the action isn’t stopped, then that Creature becomes more Monster and must be killed like one, whether it was once your neighbour, mother, lover, or child.”
Natalia’s face held fast but Archie could read the uncertainty in her eyes. “I won’t get banished,” she said, trying to sound confident. Then it faltered. “Will I?”
“Have you done anything to upset the balance of the law so much so that banishment is the only acceptable punishment?”
“Does shouting at the Council count?”
“I doubt it.” Archie smiled. “Now, how do you feel? Any better?”
The bronze on her cheeks shimmered. “Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure. And as I said, Mum’s in Atlantis sorting it all out, and she’s damn good at her job. So if you’ve done nothing scandalous, you’ll be one of us in no time.”
“I don’t want you to hide this from Peri.” Natalia’s tone was steady and sure. “Same goes for anyone else. This isn’t a secret and I don’t want it to become one.”
A knock came at the door before he could respond. Archie stood and offered a hand out to Natalia who accepted. He unlocked the door as she slurped her drink.
Jasper stood there, grinning. “One pile of clothes, delivered by a very handsome young Witch,” he said as charmingly as he could muster. He was indeed holding a pile of clothes, the socks hanging out the sides and threatening to jump out. “Where’s the patient?”
Natalia’s head appeared below Archie’s arm which was holding the door. “Patient?” she challenged, putting down her now empty mug on a shelf.
“If I’ve offended you, you won’t want this.” Jasper began to turn.
“Ah!” Natalia lunged for the clothes and caught them.
Archie gave his brother a studying look, who then spoke to Natalia. “Don’t you need to get dressed?”
Natalia glanced down at herself then raised her eyes again, bronze dusting her cheeks. She ducked behind Archie and shoved him away, locking the door.
Jasper’s eyes focused over Archie’s shoulder as he asked, “Everything ok?”
“I’m sure she’ll tell you in her own time,” Archie answered. Though Natalia had expressed that there was no secret, they were her thoughts and feelings to share. “She wanted answers on a few things.”
“Bad enough to walk through a storm?”
Archie nodded once. “Bad enough that she had a wobble.”
Jasper’s mouth made an “O” shape. In this house, having a wobble meant someone was having an extreme personal meltdown, though it was a nicer way of explaining it.
“Is she ok?” Jasper whispered after a few moments.
Archie nodded again. “She will be.”
“You explained everything? You answered all of her questions?”
“To the best of my ability.” Archie gave his brother a curious look. What was going on in his head? He’d never seen him act like this before. “Instead of asking me, ask her yourself.”
Jasper opened his mouth as the bathroom door opened. Either Jasper or their dad had found some of Peri’s old clothes, ones she wouldn’t miss: a white vest, a black shirt, and an old baggy pair of grey jogging bottoms. The sleeves on the shirt and legs of the trousers were shorter on Natalia, and all of the clothes were a little tight, but they did the job.
Natalia held out her mug and Archie took it. “Thank you,” she said, smiling softly at Jasper. Flecks of bronze were stuck to her lashes and her bottom lip.
Jasper grinned. “As much as I want take the credit, dad got the clothes for you and Archie made the chocolate.” He moved closer and jutted his arm out, elbow first. “Does my lady require a guide?”
Archie expected her to challenge Jasper calling her a lady, his lady. Instead, she asked, “What for?”
“You won’t be getting home tonight; the storm’s getting worse, so you might as well make the most of being here. We might as well start some part of your training. If you have the energy?”
Natalia appeared uncertain. She quickly shook her head and rolled her shoulders. Her face turned from a canvas of confused sadness to one of confident wondering. Archie knew Fairies were confident in most of what they did – it was a trait they all wore on the surface. He’d just never seen it. But, in that moment, he did.
Natalia accepted Jasper’s arm and they walked off. Archie watched them go with curiosity before turning to clean the bathroom.
As he did, arms wrapped around him. They snaked over his body until the hand and stump rested against his muscled chest. He smiled and pulled the girl from him, twisting them both round and dipping her lowly in his arms until she had to peer up at him. Peri giggled. The smell of the sea was pressed into her skin. His heart leapt like a deer in spring.
“Are you going to kiss me?” she asked, a devilish smile on her face.
He bent his head and their faces met. There was salt on her lips and Archie licked it off. He felt Peri melt underneath him, and he melted against her, too. It was a charming kiss, unlike any other. None of their kisses ever seemed the same; all of them were fresh and passion-riddled and powerful as if it were the first time.
Pulling back, Peri’s grin remained but weakened. “I saw a soul string,” she announced.
“That was Natalia,” he said, certain.
Peri blinked. “You sure? Is she alright? Has something happened? Who do I need to fight?”
Archie tucked Peri into his side, ignoring the dampness of her hair. Because Natalia had given him permission, though he had refused to tell his own brother – only because Jasper should’ve asked himself, he seemed interested in her enough, yet it was like he was avoiding something – he began to tell Peri of the girl who had walked through a harrowing storm for answers.
11
Honesty Hours
“How are you?”
Natalia tried to not lose her footing as she walked, her right leg twinging. She’d started to wonder if it ever would heal. It had only been around a month since she’d sustained the injury, but a month was also a long time too.
“My leg’s playing up,” she admitted.
Jasper reached the bottom of the staircase first and stopped there, turning to her. “Is that the one that was clawed?” His eyes travelled down her legs. “Dancing the other week probably didn’t help if it’s still not fully healed.”
“I honestly don’t remember if it hurt at the parade or not.”
His eyes met hers. “I meant, do you think you agitated it when we danced?”
Her face reacted, coating in the bronze dust that never rested too deep from the surface anymore. How had she only made it appear once or twice before? Now it seemed to shine every other minute. She wanted peace from it. More often than not, it gave away how she felt in that moment.
Avoiding his gaze, she said, “I actually think it did some good.”
Jasper gave no warning as he reached up and snaked his left arm around Natalia, his palm and fingers splayed across her upper back. Jasper’s other hand wound around her middle. Before she could protest, she was pulled flush against him and lifted off her feet. She was twisting in the air. Her heart pounded though her body relaxed.
After a moment, Jasper lowered her. “If you ever need a dance partner, I’d be happy to lend myself. For the purpose of physiotherapy, of course.”
Natalia’s lips curled. “Of course,” she agreed, face shining, “All in the name of healing.”
“Will you be requiring my services?”
“Not right now.” Natalia’s eyes trailed the empty hallway, all too aware of how she remained in his arms. “Maybe in the future.” She slid her arms back to her side, away from where she’d rested her palms against his chest.
Jasper smirked. “I’ll keep an open diary for you.”
He removed his higher hand from between her
shoulders, but left the other in the small of her back as they walked on, side by side. His hands were gentle, delicate, not belonging to someone who handled magic or killed with it.
A jolt shocked down her spine as his fingers moved ever-so-slightly.
A burst of white light lit the hallway, followed by a crashing of thunder. Natalia could see out past the glass kitchen doors as they walked. It was dark until the sky livened again.
The storm was getting worse indeed. Natalia was thankful she’d made the choice to stay at the Darby’s. Right now, she admittedly wanted nothing more than to be here, where she felt safe and around people who understood her. The weather just gave her an excuse to stay.
“I think you’ll be with Alex tonight,” Jasper announced. He peered sideways at her, his hair falling across the tops of his eyes, half shielding them. “If that’s alright?”
“It’ll be fine, thank you.” She paused as another crash came. “I texted my dad to say I’m here but whether he gets it or not…” During storms, most phone signals on the Island died.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine and I’m sure he knows you’re fine too. You’re a Creature. You can look after yourself.”
“I have a few injuries to the contrary.”
Jasper laughed and held out his hand. “And that’s why we’re here.”
Natalia accepted, almost jumping as another shock raced along her skin. Was Jasper using magic or was something else at play? Shaking her head, she looked to see where here was. A wooden door with an ornate golden glass handle was built into the back of the staircase.
With his free hand, Jasper opened it. Dim light shrank downwards. He urged Natalia ahead of him, her heart racing nervously. Her right hand touched the sloping rail and she clung to it, leaving her more dominant left hand free to defend herself against whatever awaited her.
“What’s down here?” she asked, turning back. Jasper didn’t reply.
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