by Mary Dublin
They ate in peaceful silence until there was a distinct crunch of a key in the front door. Jon raised his head inquisitively to see Cliff shuffling into the apartment. His clothes and hair looked rumpled, like they had hardly dried after getting soaked.
"You were out late," Jon remarked.
"Highway got shut down till five AM. Not to worry, though. I found somewhere to ah, spend the night." Despite the setback, the blonde hunter looked to be in a rather pleasant mood. Spotting the plate of pancakes, he took a seat across from Jon and helped himself to the topmost cake.
"What was her name?" Jon asked, barely looking up from his food.
"Raine. Ain't that a kick?" He waggled his eyebrows at Jon with a sparkling grin.
Jon scoffed. "No way."
"No lie! I couldn't make this up if I tried!" Cliff trailed off with a chuckle. He turned on Sylvia next. "Hey, shortie. Sleep fine without me?"
Though she liked to think she was used to the humans' immensity by now, Sylvia dropped her piece of cake on her lap in alarm as Cliff's hand thrust toward her without warning… to lightly tap her uninjured cheek. She relaxed into a wry look as his hand pulled back by his napkin just as quickly. He really had no idea what his teasing looked like to five-inch fairies.
Picking her breakfast up from her lap, she let out a slow breath. At least with both humans there, she didn't need to worry about another greeting scaring her out of her skin for the time being. She gave Cliff a feigned frown of distress.
"Oh, it was a struggle, but somehow I managed to sleep without your calming presence," she said, unable to hold her expression for long before it became a good-natured smirk. She glanced at Jon and then focused back on Cliff. It was easy not mention Leeana around Jon, but Cliff had no idea what had happened. "Too bad you were out last night. You missed a lot of… fun."
"Fun?" Cliff just about choked on his bite. He looked between Sylvia and Jon with a perturbed expression. "Just what kind of 'fun' are we talking here?"
Jon's fork hit the plate with a loud clink. Sylvia glanced over her shoulder at him. He looked tense.
"The kind that almost gets her taken," Jon said, instigating immediate alarm in his friend. "Leeana dropped by last night, after the blackout. She saw Sylvia and freaked."
Cliff's intense gaze dropped to Sylvia. "She made a grab for you?"
Sylvia nodded grimly, having been so caught up in what happened after Leeana left that she nearly forgot how close she had gotten to being taken away. Being snatched in a fist while half-awake suddenly felt less severe compared to what could have happened.
"And she did get me, for a second. But I, uh… scratched her hand up pretty good with a spell." She knew for a fact that the knee-jerk reaction to use the spell wouldn't have gone so smoothly if she used it on the hunters when they first grabbed her. Feeling her appetite diminish, Sylvia set down what was left of her cake and chuckled dryly. "Really, she seemed angier about finding me and Jon sleeping on the couch together. But… she left."
Cliff's broad shoulders relaxed as his alarm faded and a thoughtful look took hold. "That's it? She left? But she… Sylvia, she saw you."
"I worried about that for a while," Jon cut in. "But the truth is stranger than fiction in this case. It doesn't matter if she can't keep her mouth shut about what she saw. Who's going to believe her when she goes around saying I ditched her for a fairy?"
The kitchen went deathly quiet. Jon's confidence wavered visibly as the confession rattled around in the open air. Cliff wasn't helping with his eyebrows hiked up high on his forehead, stiffly gaping at Jon from across the table.
"You two?" Cliff finally stammered, eyes flicking down briefly at Sylvia. "You guys are a thing now?"
Jon didn't answer immediately. For an awful moment, Sylvia wondered if he was having second thoughts. If in the morning light, he was now embarrassed of the things he'd said and done last night. But then Jon outstretched a hand, resting it next to her. The tip of his thumb glided against her thigh.
Jon smiled, and this time Sylvia was certain it was just for her benefit. "You could say that."
She released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Seeking Cliff's approval hadn't crossed her mind, seeing as she felt like she could deal with anything after enduring Leeana's scornful remarks. Reaching over, she rested a hand on Jon's thumb. He was willing to confess their relationship to his best friend. It could work… they could make it work.
"Guess I'm going to be I'm going to be around here longer than I thought," Sylvia said with a shrug, playing it off with a smile.
To her mild relief, Cliff broke out into a quiet chuckle. He shook his head, returning his attention to the last scrap of cake pinched in his fingers. "Now I know what you meant by a fun night."
Jon cleared his throat, gingerly taking his hand back so he could finish his food.
"Regardless," he said pointedly. "I think we've got more pressing issues than my love life. Did you get the stuff?"
Cliff nodded, all business about him now. "Nate hooked us up. Got enough firepower in the trunk to take out a small tank."
"We're gonna need it. The storm will be flooding every storm drain in the city. It's only a matter of hours at this point before it's flushed out into the open." Jon pushed back his plate, standing to clear away the mess resulted from their simple breakfast.
Sylvia's easy expression faded. Right. The gator. This is my life now. The thought was frightening, but she tried to look on the bright side. She lived somewhere she was truly wanted, somewhere she could be herself. Inside the apartment, at least. Everywhere else she had to hide away in a cramped pocket.
She stood up on the table, brushing crumbs from her lap. "That storm drain the gator went down… where does it lead out?" She hesitated, looking between Cliff beside her and Jon across the kitchen. "I was thinking, if there's no humans around, then there's no need for me to hide anyone's pocket, right? I can do so much better with my magic if I have full mobility of my arms and don't have to worry about climbing out."
Jon turned back to the table reluctantly, a conflicted look on his face.
"It might be best for you to sit this one out, Sylv." Jon said. "Your wing has barely healed, and even still… I don't want to risk anything happening to you. I'd like you to stick around for a while."
He leaned over her, running a careful finger down her arm as if that would soften the blow. It didn't. Sylvia nearly pulled her arm away from him, but instead she went perfectly still, looking up at him in disbelief. "But I want to help. My wing's feeling much better, really."
Her hopeful expression fell when she saw it wasn't convincing him. Her heart began to race. Let Jon go and face that monster gator? There was bound to be water when the hunters caught up with it—she needed to help in any way she could, and having water around provided her with the perfect opportunity to do so.
Trying to stifle her mounting desperation, she pursed her lips. "So, I'm just supposed to… stay here?"
Jon pulled an apologetic frown. "Well… no offense, but where else would you go?"
"I'm…" She trailed off, her mind racing. There was a way she could go with them, even if they didn't know about it. In fact, it was crucial that they didn't know about it if she wanted to carry out the plan successfully. "I just don't want to be alone. This outflow… does it lead out anywhere near the willow forest? Maybe I can see my family while you hunt the gator."
Jon looked uncertainly to Cliff, who confirmed with a nod.
"Outflow is about 10 miles south of your neck of the woods," Cliff said. "We could drop you off on our way down, swing back again after we finish the job."
Jon straightened up again, his hand slipping away from Sylvia without warning. "Hold up, that's nearly as bad as bringing her with us."
"How?" Cliff scrunched up his face in bewilderment.
"Well, for starters, they burnt her face," Jon reminded him forcefully. "Can you imagine what they'd do to her if they found out she ran away with humans?"
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Sylvia threw Jon a mildly offended frown, but he wasn't looking at her. The hunters were talking over her. She fixed that by swiftly flying up to be at eye level with them, relieved to feel that her wings truly were feeling much better. Good. That was crucial to her plan.
"It's not like I'm going to walk into the High Council chamber to say hello," she said, raising her voice a bit to ensure she had their attention. "I won't even go into the village. I just want to see my family. I have an opportunity to let them know I'm okay. Even though my mother let me go, she still has to be worried sick." Sylvia glanced at the sunlight peeking through the window. "Nice day like this? I know where my mother and sister like to hang around, and it's a safe distance from the village entrance."
Jon gave her a subtle scrutiny, sizing her up with a brief flick of those brown eyes. Sylvia felt something stab weakly at her heart, realizing that despite his affection, her small size wasn't something the humans could entirely look past.
"You'll be careful," Jon confirmed reluctantly.
She allowed herself to smile reassuringly, letting the negativity flee her expression in hopes of convincing him. "I won't get caught. I promise."
He forced a tight smile of his own in reply. "Alright. I trust you know what you're doing."
"I do," she assured with a fake smile.
He trusts me. Relief and guilt battled within Sylvia. It had worked. All she had to do was convince herself it was for the best.
Eighteen
The after-rain slickness made the ride rougher than it had been the day before. Sylvia was relieved to have a safe perch on Jon's shoulder, partially because it was comforting to be near him, but mostly because it would make it far easier to carry out her task without being noticed.
She didn't have the luxury of time to waste, even as memories began to graze the back of her mind as the blurred scenery outside changed. Skylines of concrete and glass boxes turned to softer, rain-touched woodlands on either side of the car. When she recognized a cluster of trees that neighbored her village, she knew her time was just about up.
Gaze focused straight ahead to the windshield, Sylvia whispered Fae words under her breath. The music coming from the radio made her voice inaudible except to her own ears. Like clockwork, her pupils dilated. Her hand, resting casually on Jon's shoulder, began to trace a rune, fingers barely brushing over the fabric. The embedded symbol she left behind was small to her—practically microscopic to the humans. It would fade once it served its purpose.
Her deed took the whole of about ten seconds.
She finished her spell with a soft sigh, her eyes returning to normal. The greenery outside flew by as she waited for the lightheadedness of magic-use to pass. A nostalgic ache shot through her at the window's view. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she missed the trees and foliage.
Swallowing, she tore her eyes away from the window. Now wasn't the time to let emotions get the best of her. She needed to keep a clear head.
The asphalt faded to uneven rocks, pebbles, and vegetation. Before she was fully prepared, Cliff had parked the car where the crimson oaks merged with willows by the lake. Almost immediately, Jon brought a hand up toward his occupied shoulder. Strong fingers sought Sylvia and wound around her body. She put up no protest to his gentle handling.
The hunters got out of the car and stood side-by-side facing the grove of willows. Jon's composure was convincing, but Sylvia knew he was nervous. He seemed hesitant to let her go, but it was time to part ways for the time being. She had made him promise to keep his distance for both their sakes.
"Stay scarce," Jon advised, his thumb brushing her cheek in an effort to tuck back her strands of copper hair that threatened to obscure half her face.
"Hey, I think I'm the one who should be worried about you," she said, leaning into his touch and closing her eyes for a blissful second. With a small smile, she looked between the two hunters and nodded. "Good luck. I'll see you soon." Sooner than you think.
Her eyes briefly flitted to Jon's shoulder, seeking the rune she had planted. She knew she had made the right decision. There was no way she could trail after the car for ten miles, even if her wings had been in perfectly good condition.
The willows were painful to look at—the home that she was no longer welcome in. She tried to put on a happier face; after all, her human friends thought she was about to reunite for her family. With one last look over her shoulder, she fluttered out of Jon's hand. Not wanting to put a strain on her wings so soon, she flew straight to the willows without wasting another second and disappeared into the vegetation.
It wasn't long before she heard the car rumble to life and pull away.
The ground among the willows was muddy when Sylvia landed. She was a fair distance from the road, not very far from the village. Despite knowing that, she flinched at the sound of fluttering wings in various directions and even saw some movement between leafy bushes. She relaxed. None of the sounds were directed toward her; fairies were gathering food after the storm. Nothing to panic about.
Nonetheless, she hurried to stay out of the open, seeking refuge beneath the thick roots of a tree. She wished she could activate the rune on Jon's shoulder and get it over with, but the time wasn't right. The boys couldn't be ten miles away yet. She needed to be patient for her plan to work.
Fairy voices continued to come in the distance, recognizable. People of her former home weaved through the foliage, oblivious about her and carrying their own lives in blissful ignorance. For a fleeting moment, she missed that life, even if she had never quite fit in.
Time seemed to move slower than usual, but eventually Sylvia determined the boys must have reached their destination. Now the symbol on Jon's shoulder would serve its purpose. For once, Sylvia was glad for her lack of precision when it came to traveling spells. She wouldn't land directly on Jon's shoulder. That would make for a very awkward conversation about how she'd gotten there. With any luck, she would land a few feet away. She prayed that they were near vegetation thick enough to hide her sudden arrival.
After a deep breath to prepare herself, she muttered the spell that would lead her back to Jon. When she finished, she felt the telltale goosebumps that indicated the spell was working. She shut her eyes and prepared herself for the nauseating sensation of being pulled by magic.
"Sylvia! You made it back!"
Sylvia whirled around, widened eyes focusing on the figure that had snuck up from behind, ducking right into Sylvia's root hideaway.
"Hazel, don't come near me," she said breathlessly, on the verge of panic as she shuffled backward.
Her little sister had an unsettling look of crippling relief on her face, as if she had expected to never see Sylvia again. Were those tears?
"What? No, come on! Mother isn't far!" Hazel ran forward heedlessly, hand outstretched.
"Don't—!"
Hazel gripped Sylvia's wrist just as the spell decided to run its course.
It was like being tossed into a violent whirlwind with gusts so ferocious that Sylvia's eyes stung, but the trip was short. Sylvia hit the ground hard on her back, breath completely knocked out of her lungs. She blinked hard. Light filtered through the vegetation overhead. She was hidden.
Her relief was short-lived. Hazel appeared a second later, shoulder ramming into Sylvia's stomach as she landed. Sylvia suppressed a groan of pain and pushed her sister off roughly.
Hazel sat up, wincing. "Ow, what—!" Her cry of discomfort was cut short when Sylvia clamped a hand over her mouth to silence her.
Sylvia latched an arm around her little sister's waist and pulled her to her feet, dragging her closer to the roots of the bush they had landed beneath. She heard the boys' voices nearby, but couldn't determine how noisy her and her sister's entrance had been. As her ringing ears cleared, she heard Cliff's voice.
"What was that?" His deep voice easily carried over to them.
A gasp caught in Sylvia's throat. Between the low-hanging leaves, she could see a pair of ma
ssive boots pivot in her direction. She held her breath, feeling Hazel tremble in her arms. Neither girl made a sound. Hardly a leaf dared to turn in the breeze under Cliff's scrutiny.
The pause of silence was broken by Jon. "Relax," he said, closing the trunk. "I think we're looking for a little more than twigs snapping."
After another moment, the boots turned away. Sylvia heard the familiar clicking and clanking sounds of the hunters loading and preparing their weapons.
"Let's make this cut and dry," Cliff proclaimed. "If you have a shot, take it."
"And just keep hoping that a gasher is waiting for us at the end of this rainbow?" Jon said, sounding like he was handling something heavy. "Face it, we're essentially acting as cleaning crew here. There's no evidence the thing is even in town anymore."
Another harsh clicking noise came from one of the guns—Sylvia couldn't tell whose from her vantage point.
"Next lunar cycle's coming around soon," Cliff answered, thought driving each word. "We owe it to ourselves—to everyone—to stick it out."
That seemed to be the final word on the subject. Without further discussion, two pairs of denim-clad legs strode straight on past to the right, headed for a rough path sewn between the crimson-clad trees. Sylvia let herself breathe and let go of Hazel once she was sure the hunters wouldn't further investigate the bush concealing them.
"What just happened?" Hazel whispered, visibly battling with panic and indignant confusion.
"Shh!"
"You, shh! Or tell me what's going on! The humans took you again, didn't they? How did you escape?"
Sylvia, daring to shuffle away from the roots to peer at Jon and Cliff from beneath the leaves, turned her confused attention to Hazel. "Escape? What's there to escape from? I wanted to go with them."
"What? Mother told me you disappeared during the night!"
"She… why would she tell you that? She was there! She practically gave me her blessing to go with them." Sylvia turned back toward the car when she felt the vibrations of the hunters leaving. She pushed away her concern for what was going on with her family. "Look, I don't know why she lied to you, but we can deal with that later. Right now, we have to get up to the branches and follow them."