These Lying Eyes

by Allen, Amanda A.

  A sort of conviction was growing in Mina. There could be a society of sprites, witches and whatnot. It was possible that Mina was somehow a lost member of it. But if those adventure stories were right, her abilities were genetic. And that meant, her family was too. Were all of them unaware and lost?

  Her mom had 8 siblings. Most of them lived in Ocean Haven, so she had a pack of cousins, aunts, and uncles all right here in this town.

  Who lived in a town where sprites lived.

  And who didn’t know what they were?

  Yeah, right.

  * * *

  “Hey,” Max said as she lifted the helmet off her head just before school.

  “S’up, dude.” She replied as they dodged other kids to enter the building.

  “So I was wondering if you wanted to study for our English test together?”

  Mina glanced up at him, almost in surprise. They’d been doing their home work together for a while, but still, he always asked her. Yet again she felt as if there was something unsaid behind his words. Like he had something else to tell her, but she waited, and he said nothing.

  Mina ignored a flash of…attraction for him. But he was her squeaky Max, and he was her only friend outside of her cousins and the sprites. Plus she was a dried out twig with a mop of bi-colored hair—there was nothing for him to want about her.

  “Totally,” Mina said catching sight of the sprites. They were darting between the other kids, flashing back to Mina to tug her hair or pet her ear and then blasting forward to snag whatever caught their attention, the little thieves. Mina tried to keep her eyes from following them, but they were having so much fun. It had been weeks since they’d all spent the day together, and being together made it feel like a holiday.

  Hailey and Charlie joined Mina and Max, and Hailey even gave Mina a somewhat friendly nod.

  Then, she caught sight of an unfamiliar girl walking towards their group with a determined stride. The girl’s blue eyes were intense and familiar. She met Mina’s gaze. With a twist of her head, the stranger’s hand snatched out grabbing Poppy’s bat wing. Poppy shrieked, whiplashing in the air.

  Mina gaped, helpless, as Poppy growled in pain. She tried to twist back, attempting an attack on the girl’s hand. But the girl reached forward with her second hand and grabbed Poppy’s legs. Once the limbs were imprisoned the girl let go of Poppy’s wings to grab her torso.

  “What are you doing?” Mina gasped. The girl looked as if she was going to twist, and if she did, surely Poppy would snap.

  Without thinking, Mina grabbed the girls wrist, dug her nails in, and jabbed her foot down on the other girl’s foot.

  The girl screamed dramatically, but there was a slight smirk when she and Mina were face to face. The girl let go, finally, of Poppy and dropped her to the ground.

  “Mina!” Hailey yelped.

  Mina lifted her foot and slammed it down again.

  “Holy crap, Mina what are you doing?” Hailey said, taking hold of Mina’s arm. But Mina shook her off as the girl lifted her foot to crush the sprite.

  “No!” Mina yelled, diving forward attempting to cover Poppy’s body with her own. The kids in the hall, busy with their friends, hadn’t seen the girl’s movements, but they all stopped and ogled Mina after her horror-filled yell.

  Choking back a sob Mina’s hands hovered over Poppy. How to not hurt her further? Gasping breaths jumped from Mina as she ran her finger along Poppy’s body and just barely felt the movement of the sprite’s body.

  Mina looked up and the girl was gone. With a desperate glance for help, Mina saw frozen faces, a few cell phone cameras snapping, but no friendly gaze.

  She sucked in her lower lip and carefully scooped Poppy into her arms. There was a quiver in the sprite’s breath, and Mina froze. Hitch landed on Mina’s arm, kneeling next to the red-head. He gently touched Poppy’s breast, ensured she was breathing, and nodded at Mina.

  Mina forced herself to her feet as she heard Hailey say, “Aunt Vee, Mina’s doing it again. You said to tell you if I saw it, and I have.”

  Hailey spoke into her phone, and her voice echoed in Mina’s ears. Even still, Mina could barely process what her cousin was saying. Part of Mina knew she should be worried, but she couldn’t get past the horror of what had happened. Even now, Hitch’s arms were trembling as he debated aloud what to do. Zizi had disappeared, and Mina was afraid to ask Hitch what to do with everyone staring at her, and perhaps a few filming.

  Mina’s eyes swam with tears, so she almost missed seeing Max shuffle away from her. But the look of dawning horror on his face was catalogued by her brain even as she searched for help.

  “I told you she was crazy,” Hailey muttered into the phone.

  “What are you doing?” Max sounded appalled, and Mina swallowed dryly. She wasn’t surprised by Hailey’s reaction, but Max, Mina hoped she could have counted on Max.

  “Can’t you see?” Mina begged, holding Poppy forward. “See, Max see.”

  Max shook his head and sidled a few steps away from Mina, as a few random kids laughed. Mina heard a tone of mockery but didn’t bother to listen to what they were saying.

  “Ok, I’ll keep an eye on her until you get here,” Hailey scowled as she spoke into her phone before turning the frown on Mina.

  “What do we do?” Mina asked Hitch ignoring the dropped mouths of the other kids as she spoke to empty air.

  “We need help,” he answered as Hailey responded as well, “You’re making me late for class. I have to stand here and be associated with you until your mom comes. Why do you always ruin everything?”

  Mina gasped, but Hailey’s comments barely registered. Who could she go to for help for Poppy?

  “Mina,” she heard Hitch say, but almost couldn’t reply. “Mina, give me Poppy.”

  “What?” She asked almost drunkenly, blinking down at the sprite.

  “Mina, damn it. Turn the crazy down a notch until your mom gets here.” Hailey said as Hitch said, “Give me Poppy, I will take care of her.”

  Mina shook her head, and his words were traveling in slow motion through her brain. But then teachers were shooing other kids away, and her mom was running down the hall, and Mina knew she couldn’t escape like he could, so she let him take Poppy into his arms just as Mom grabbed both shoulders, gently wiping Mina’s tears away before looking around for an explanation.

  “Take care of her,” Mina whispered looking up at her mom in a daze.

  Everyone finally knew her secret, but now that her worst nightmare had come true, Mina found she didn’t care.

  All she cared about was being trapped while Poppy needed help.

  * * *

  Before Mina could even think she had been rushed to Doctor Seal’s office. Through her tears, Mina barely registered that her mother acted as though Mina had fallen down the stairs and was covered in blood, bones sticking out, and all. Her mom must be freaking out, but Mina couldn’t care.

  What was going to happen to her?

  Mina’s dad was already waiting at Dr. Seal’s office. Dad paced the foyer, and his eyes shot over Mina with a look she couldn’t read. Mina saw her mom jerk her head at Mina before her dad thought to wrap her in his strong arms and press a kiss to the top of her head. Then they escorted her into Dr. Seal’s office, left her there, and returned to confer in the foyer. Whispering about her. Making unsolicited and unwanted plans for her.

  Deep shaky breaths forced Mina to lean back into the overstuffed cushions of the gray couch. Mina’s fingers traced slight patterns into the soft velvet fabric while her other hand clutched her chest. The panic was overwhelming; she felt like she was having a heart attack.

  With a glance around the familiar room, she couldn’t help but remember all the reasons she’d been here before. She had started coming here when she was a tiny tot dreaming of wolves that chased, witches that cackled, trees that gouged out eyes, and rats that swarmed her friends. Mina hadn’t had those dreams in ages. Maybe they weren’t nightmares; maybe sh
e had always been off her rocker.

  Nausea roiled in Mina’s stomach; her heart pounded so hard against her chest she thought it might burst out of her. If she listened hard, she could just hear Dr. Seal’s precise voice murmuring to her parents and the sound of her mother crying. And then Mina didn’t want to just wait for them to pronounce her fate; she was tired of being helpless.

  Mina crept across the deep burgundy carpet towards the voices.

  “Surely we can do something else,” said her father. “This can’t be our only option.”

  Mina thought she might hurl right onto the lush carpet. Dad was defending her. What were they planning? And what was happening with Poppy?

  “Anything, anything at all?” implored her mom. Mom made the deep hiccup she always did right before she really cried.

  Dr. Seal started to speak softly again, and Mina leaned forward towards the crack of the almost closed door. She held her breath as the doc’s voice slid into the office, “Grigg’s Group Home is a very nice facility.”

  He continued, “The doctors are very caring. The staff is devoted to those who live there.”

  Live there? Mina thought. No! No. Please no.

  “Surely, Mina doesn’t need that…level of help.” Her father said. “She does her homework…her chores. Sure she doesn’t eat much and sure she’s a little…spacey. But she gets straight A’s; surely, we can do something else.”

  “Mina is functioning, yes.” Dr. Seal said. And the way her voice trailed off caused more fear than whatever she wasn’t saying.

  Even Mina freaked out a little. The doc might as well have told her parents to expect to find Mina salivating over the corpse of a baby.

  The doc continued, “Seeing things. Things that are not there, that are not real. It’s very serious. Can we risk the chance that she’ll decide to follow one?”

  Follow one where, Mina wondered. And suddenly she was angry. Furious, with white-hot burning rage.

  And as she stood in the light that slanted through the Doc’s garden door, she was utterly certain she wasn’t crazy.

  She’d never been crazy.

  She was just a witch or a fae or whatever. She was one of that group of The Hidden from her stories and even though it seemed crazy to believe it; she was confident that she’d finally found the truth.

  The depth of her heart, the strength of her soul; her eyes…she was finally going to accept what they told her.

  “What,” Dr. Seal asked, “if she listens to the advice of one of her little…visions? There’s too much of a chance that she could escalate even further.”

  Mina’s eyes narrowed. When had she ever done that? Well, she’d done it all the time. But when had it ever been something that needed to be monitored, to be imprisoned over?

  With barely a pause, Dr. Seal continued, “For her safety, for the safety of your other children, Mina must get specialized help.”

  Magic words, Mina thought, the safety of your other children. I am screwed.

  “When would you want to move her?” Asked her dad, voice cracking.

  “As soon as possible—today really.”

  “Today?” gasped her mother. “Oh, Lucas, this is all my fault. I didn’t realize. I didn’t notice. Maybe if I’d seen, she wouldn’t be like this.”

  “No parent anticipates their child being…” Dr. Seal’s voice murmured.

  But, Mina didn’t stay to listen. As she tiptoed over the lush carpet, she filled in the thought in—berserk, bonkers, nuts, looney tunes…crazy.

  But it was the utter fury that sent her sidling through the glass doors leading down into the beautiful coastal garden. She’d read this book, Mina thought, and seen this movie. It never ended well for the crazy girl after they locked her up. Pretty soon white walls would be closing in. And the orderlies were always menacing.

  Carefully, Mina snuck open the door and ran to the garden wall. She’d have to move fast. It’s hard to get out of a little coastal town when everyone is hunting you. Especially if you’re on foot.

  Mina ran.

  She jogged away from the center of town and towards the national forest. Out of the garden, behind the shops, in the alleys the tourists didn’t visit, Mina raced through Ocean Haven faster than she thought possible. They’d bring the dogs once they realized she wasn’t skulking on the beach or getting a frozen yogurt. Ocean Haven wasn’t that big, so she didn’t have much time.

  Mina heard buzzing over her head. It sounded like a swarm of bees, but she knew that wasn’t what she’d see. With a quick glance, she counted the miniature bodies pacing her with the wings of butterflies, dragonflies, birds. At the head of their flock was Zizi. They egged her on; they warned her when to duck, to run, to hide. And, Mina listened like she hadn’t in years.

  At their cry, she darted into the alley near the library just as her Uncle Mike drove by in his old white truck. Crouching next to Grace’s SUV, sides heaving, with sprites covering the vehicle she waited for them to wave her clear of a group of off-season tourists.

  “Carousel Park, Mina.” Zizi said from her shoulder.

  “Now,” yelled the sprite on the SUV’s antenna. He was mottled shades of green with a shock of black hair.

  Mina didn’t pause or look as she plunged across the street and into the trees lining the park’s meadow.

  She dodged at one sprite’s command, paused behind a tree at another’s.

  “Go Mina,” the mottled sprite yelled, and with laboring lungs, Mina lunged over tree roots and bounced from trunk to trunk using them to propel her exhausted body away from whatever Dr. Seal had in store.

  “Watch out!” a sprite called.

  Still running, Mina shot a fleeting look over her shoulder. A massive man tore down the path behind her, wearing a crisp white uniform. Head shaved, chin covered in scruff, and built like a line backer, he loped after her, always gaining. Maybe it was the scrubs, for certain it was where she was running from, but Mina was sure he could only be a crazy-house orderly.

  How could they know already?

  Would Dr. Seal have called them before she even evaluated her and spoke to her parents? Was there an orderly SWAT team? Mina gagged on her fear. She barely evaded the orderly’s giant hands, but he was so close behind her she was amazed to not feel his breath on her neck.

  Ducking behind trees, she tried avoiding him by weaving through trees he was too large to squeeze through. Somehow, however, he was able to stay close enough that she felt as if his breath warmed her neck.

  She darted to the side, hoping agility would save her. Except, her foot caught the arc of an exposed tree root, and she let out a shrieking yelp as she fell headlong to the ground.

  A massive hand clutched her ankle as a voice rasped, “Got you. Freaks like you belong in a nut house. You and all your family.”

  Mina jerked away. With a thud she rolled against the tree trunk trying to escape from the undergrowth and the grasping hands.

  Free arm flailing, Mina scampered back crying, “No!” as she tried again to evade the hulking man.

  She scrambled away, desperately kicking her free leg at his face. Mina yanked her leg with all of her strength, kicking his face and throwing herself back. Her head slammed into something hard. A tree? And all was darkness.

  Chapter 6

  A low steady beep woke Mina. Mina shifted; her legs were trapped. Fear spread through her, but Zizi whispered, “Do not open your eyes, Mina.”

  Mina stilled.

  “Just Listen,” said the soft low buzz.

  Mina had barely focused when she heard her mother’s voice, “You don’t understand.”

  “No you don’t understand.” The voice was deep, low—unfamiliar. “Wilhelmina is not like your other children.”

  “We made this choice for our children. All of them. We did it to protect them.”

  “Then you shouldn’t have had seven children, Mrs. Roth. Not as a seventh yourself. You shouldn’t have set up your daughter like that.” There was scorn in the voice, ang
er.

  Mina heard her mom gasp just as Zizi huffed, “Finally.”

  “Your daughter is a Seventh of a Seventh. Of how many generations? Do you even know?”

  Mina froze. She wasn’t…

  “I…” her mom’s weak reply wasn’t countering the doctor.

  “It doesn’t matter,” the man cut in. “Obviously she is from generation upon generation of Sevenths. You may have trained your abilities to lie low, but your daughter has not. She can not. Not any more than you could have.”

  “My husband and I…”

  “Enough, Mrs. Roth. Your daughter is too thin. She’s dehydrated. For goodness sake, her lips are cracked and bleeding.”

  “Just listen,” her mom nearly wailed.

  “No. You know the cause of your daughter’s suffering, and you don’t tell her?” His scorn was so thick, Mina felt like she could choke on it.

  She was her parent’s fourth child.

  And what were they keeping from her? What was going on? Mina wanted to scream. She couldn’t remain still and the rustle of her body against the sheets had both voices pausing.

  After a moment, the man continued with a lower voice, punctuated by the beep of the hospital machines, “I don’t know how you can face yourself.”

  Her mom’s breath jerked in a painful gasp. Mina’s echoed it.

  “It’s ok,” Zizi whispered, “it’s ok. Just listen.”

  Mina swallowed and then held her breath.

  “Our laws might prevent me from telling your daughter myself, but I will tell you now that whatever lies you and your husband are telling yourselves…”

  “You don’t understand…” Mina’s mom cut in.

  What Mom didn’t say hovered at the back of her mind. She didn’t say Mina was her fourth child.

  “What I understand is that your daughter needs help. Do you? Do you understand that? Your excuses are the reason your daughter suffers.”

  “I…” her mom’s voice caught on tears.

  The whole of Mina’s consciousness focused on her mother. Willing her for an explanation…

  “I need to talk to Lucas.”