Coming back to you -Chapter 1

Coming back to you1

Chapter 12


It wasn’t a large town by any account, nor was it small; one of those places that still held mystery beneath it’s age and wasn’t overwhelmed by tourists or cookie cutter housing. Somehow it almost seemed untouched, in its own way. Most the larger houses residing in the country or outskirts of town towered in brick or stone or rich, dark wood. Many of the smaller homes were more modern and bright, holding their own against the feel of the too often clouded sky and cobble-stoned sidewalks. Miscellaneous shops stretched out from the center of town and flooded over a good many blocks. Few were decrepit, awaiting an imaginative buyer with great patience and an even greater wallet, while many catered to the fashion kissed and antique lovers. A handful of secondhand stores were scattered about and greatly appreciated among those in the smaller houses with no desire or need to be upper-class in such a closed off town. Here, wilderness enveloped you and acted as a curtain of sorts, sheltering the town from the wave of over development and eagerness to be bigger and better and, in the end, completely unnecessary. It was home and always would be for most, refuge for many, and a cage to the rest. For my mother it had been all three. I, on the other hand, had been too young to decide. 3

||||||
When I was ten my mother, Magdalene Sweete, disappeared mysteriously, which was rather odd because there was nothing in this world that she’d loved more than her daughter, or so that’s what she claimed. However, I have learned over the years much about my Mother, many things a child wouldn‘t want to believe, at first. Children do grow up though, and I have learned since then to take most things not at face value, but for what they really, truly are. So, at age ten, I was whisked away to the home of a rather wealthy Aunt, Sonia Kavanagh, whom I’d had no knowledge of. I was under the impression that Magdalene was an only child, then again, I was also under the impression that my Father was dead. I had no real physical proof of course, that he was alive, or even a clue as to who he was but when he came up in conversation with my Aunt, well actions speak louder than words they say, and her actions told a whole other story than her words had. She didn’t lie, she couldn’t, she was Fae after all. But Fae have their own way of “deceiving.” They are very good at speaking and, after all, truth and honesty are two very different things. There were also aspects about myself that dear Magdalene never intended to tell me. Aunt Sonia and her longtime lover Calvin McNamara, did their best with what knowledge on the matter they had. 4

Unlike Aunt Sonia, Magdalene was not Fae. I asked Sonia how that was possible and she told me that her Father, Vogler Abendroth, one with great power and a hate for humans, became enthralled by Magdalene’s mother, Faina, as human as she be. Her beauty was pure and her voice enchanting, hair that fell in tendrils, rich and dark as chocolate, to her waist, skin slightly and perfectly kissed by the sun, and eyes as green and mysterious as the forest. Or as Aunt Sonia would say, she looked as I did only more fragile, weak almost, not to mention I was very fair skinned, there was no “sun kissed” to me, the most I ever got from the sun were freckles. I’ve an awkwardness about me really, something I could never shake and had no desire too. Besides, there are plenty of other things in my life that need attention, really I’m lucky that a little awkward is all I am, I’m strange enough as it is. I find myself pretty and that’s more than I could ask for. My Aunt may think me a beauty but in all truth, when next to Sonia, it was hard to believe that any beauty could be as magnificent as hers. Not just with her glamour, which is what most Fae use to disguise themselves among the human race, there was just something so frightening and yet so breathtakingly gorgeous about her. Her golden hair, her large, deep black eyes, and plump, rosy lips were enough to send shivers of fear, heartache, or pleasure to anyone as they so pleased. But, as I was saying, Sonia’s Father fell deeply in love with this woman, who, at the time, was married to an old and rather abusive man. Naturally, Faina was drawn to Vogler, it was as if it was written in the heavens that they should love each other. So they did. One night they were to meet in the small glen where they’d first met, a favorite place of Faina’s, but she never came and Vogler waited and waited until the sun began to peek over the hills and send the treetops aglow. Vogler searched but her home was empty and there was no sign of where she and her husband had gone. Months passed without word or sight of Faina. 5

In a shining town riddled with iron and buildings and old iron railroad tracks, Faina prayed night and day that Vogler would find her and the child that was slowly growing within her belly, each night she whispered his name, praying that the myth of using a powerful Fae’s name, which would turn that Fae’s attention to the one who’d spoken it, was true. But Vogler Abendroth was not among the metal working Fae so his searches for her were limited and far from the reaches of cold iron. Nearly nine months had passed since last she’d seen Vogler, she’d mourned the loss of her lover every day until she could take no more. Gathering her courage, what little she could carry, and the money she’d stolen from her husband, Faina waited until he fell asleep then slipped away, setting out to the forest where the two lovers first met. But not far behind her trail was her husband, enraged, who’d woken to an empty bed and the letter she’d left him which spoke every truth of the despicable man he was and the lover she’d taken and given her whole heart and soul to. As she came to the glen she so loved she cried out Vogler Abendroth’s name over and over but by the time Vogler reached her he found her husband standing over Faina’s bloodied, beaten body. With great anger and great strength Vogler ripped the man to pieces and rushed to Faina’s side. Returning to consciousness and in a terrible condition, Faina screamed in agony, the baby was coming. Upon Magdalene’s birth it became apparent that the child was not Fae, she was not of Vogler‘s blood. He lifted the child, about to do to it as he’d done to its father, but Faina’s faint cry froze him. She begged Vogler to watch after Magdalene and care for her as Faina cared for him. This was her dying request, she’d given Vogler every bit of her and in turn he owed her this. Vogler loved Faina too much to destroy the child but he could not bear her as a constant reminder of the loss of Faina’s love. He entrusted Magdalene to Eve, Sonia’s mother, who’d been indebted to Vogler by the birth of Sonia, she desired a child more than anything but was among the weaker Fae and could not find a suitable, strong Fae to bed with. It is difficult for Fae to become pregnant, especially with a full blooded Fae child, so many of the Fae races had weakened with the ages that passed. This is why many Fae mate with humans, it is an attempt to keep the blood from dying out. So, repaying the debt she owed to Vogler, Eve raised Magdalene as her own. Unfortunately I do not know the full story of my Mothers or my Aunts childhood, Sonia does not go into great detail or use most names, for my own protection she claims, but I’m inclined to believe that it’s something more than that. Something that has to do with my Father, and what I am. I am not Fae, I am something else, something more, something I still do not understand. 6

As far as I know there’s no name for what I am. We’ve speculated for years, right from the start my Aunt said she’d noticed odd things about me, and those abilities have strengthened over time. For instance, I can sniff out a lie, quite literally actually. I heal faster than most humans, a wound doesn’t close and disappear in front of my eyes but broken bones, if set properly, heal quicker than humans and cuts and things do as well. It’s all based on the severity of the wound, a scratch will be gone by the end of the day, with no signs that it was ever there. My senses are heightened as well, my night vision is fairly decent, better than that of a normal person, my hearing is slightly better as well which is great for ease dropping when need be. Also, my reflexes are very good which means I’m very fast, I don’t blur or anything but I’m fast enough to keep up with the deer and coyotes and such. My sense of smell is about as impressive as my speed, I’ve learned that each emotion has a distinct sense about it, it radiates off the person depending how strong it is. Unfortunately this means I can also smell things that I’d rather not, death is among the worst. My nose is very useful and yet can be very troublesome, it’s what helps me see through some of the Fae glamour. I can’t see through all of it, especially the more powerful magic, sometimes I can’t even sense that they’re Fae at all. But their glamour is designed mostly for that of sight and touch, to fool humans, if it has a weakness, that weakness is smell. Sonia smells of seawater whereas Calvin smells of earth and metal. Of course there are other scents on them too, everyone has a distinct smell, everything they use on a daily basis and the places they go, but something even deeper. They have their own personal scent, the basis on which everything else they use or where they go mixes together and creates their own unique smell. When someone grows angry or sad or aroused or anything else, there’s a smell and a slight reaction in their manner, I’m not as good with reading people as I am with sniffing things out but I’ve learned a bit over the years, you have to when you’re living with Fae, otherwise you’ll never know when they aren’t giving you the full truth or when their trying to get around something. 7

At first my Aunt suspected something along the lines of werewolf, which I was only slightly surprised to hear they actually existed, maybe being so young helped me believe so quickly, or maybe it was because I’d seen some of what she could do, felt what I could start to do back then. Or maybe it was too easy to believe, I didn’t hesitate long when she’d first suggested it, I merely accepted that those things you think are confined to story books aren’t and never were. But I’m nearing eighteen now and I’ve never changed, I’ve never been moonstruck, the moon has it’s beauty, it’s own sort of call, but it’s never called to me, not like it would to a real werewolf. Sonia and Calvin taught me as much as they knew about werewolves though, the power games they played to determine dominance, their short tempers and outrageous strength, their heightened senses, like mine, but much, much more strong. I think compared to them I’d just be doing parlor tricks. But I met a werewolf once, he had no pack and was not very dominant so I wondered if he’d last long on his own like that. I smelled him before I saw him and right then I knew he wasn’t human, I could smell fur and pine and so much more. He was just passing through near where we lived, which was highly populated with Fae. They are not particularly fond of werewolves, nor are the werewolves fond of them. They tend to stay away from each other, there are laws after all. No one wants to start a war, but now and then you get a rogue wolf or a Fae showing their true nature, it doesn’t always end well, especially with a wolf. As I said, they are short tempered beasts. Human, Fae, or anything else should be very careful around them I’m told. Many Fae can be dangerous as well and they have their own power games. In certain areas I was taught the opposite of most children I guess. Sonia always warned me to never thank a Fae or they may take it as you are indebted to them, and that is not something you want, not in the least bit. Some may do nothing, some may let you off easy, but there are others who are very cruel and twisted, ones that relish in the trickery and damage they can do. I was also taught never to accept gifts from Fae, nor food or drink, with the exception of my Aunt of course. 8

In general I stayed away from most the Fae, they don’t really like to be bothered, but I’d made three amazing friends not long after I came to live with Sonia, all Fae. We met at the beginning of high school, I’d had some human friends there but nothing like my friendship with Alice, Cray, and Zane. All of them were Pixies. Now usually Pixies are described as mischievous, but in all honesty they were just as mischievous as I was, they did not hunt humans, they didn’t usually play pranks that any other normal teenager wouldn’t. Just try not to say “thank you” in front of them, I’d made that mistake a few times. Mostly they did such things for kicks but there were things that separated them from me, our morals were a bit different, but they were all raised fairly modern. Maybe our strong bond was because they could understand being different, and boy were we all different. Alice queen, nearly twenty-one and a few months younger than I, is only half Pixie. Iron makes her uncomfortable but it’s bearable. Cray Nightingale and Zane Foster, both twenty-two now, stay as far away from iron as they can. It’s one of the reasons older towns are preferred by the Fae, it is much less bothersome. Iron can be very painful, if not deadly, to a great deal of them.
||||||9

Sonia sulked around the house for days after I told her of my summer plans. I was returning to Whishting, the town that had been my home before the disappearance of my mother. Sonia acted as if I‘d betrayed her, she couldn‘t understand the appeal to such a town when I could have my pick of exotic beaches with her. But part of me missed Whishting, it had an air about it, something that I’d craved since I left. And now I felt it tugging at me every time I looked at the polaroid of my mother and I, caught and suspended forever in a moment of perfect love and laughter, it pulled me closer to memories I thought I’d long forgotten. It made me wonder if that beautiful smile touched her eyes, if she’d really been as happy as I thought she had. But most of all it left me with the sudden need to find out what really happened to her. I’d spent a great portion of my childhood angry with her, not knowing why she left or where she went, but there was also a great sadness, I’d loved her so much and she abandon me. But as time passed the anger and sadness numbed over and she fell out of my thoughts and my dreams. She’d become nothing more than Magdalene Sweete, the ever fading memory. I wasn’t so sure I was happy with that view anymore. 10

11

I was tired from the drive, I should have just flown but I didn’t want to have to invest in a car here when I had a perfectly fine one that I loved, a cute, gray 1990 Mini Cooper. I pulled down the long dirt road and parked in front of my destination. It was hard to believe that just under sixteen hours ago I was warm under a clear sky, not a rain drop in sight, with my friends, family, and the forest I knew so well that I could run through it with my eyes closed. It was a second home almost, a home to the more animalistic side in me, the more primal and instinctive self. But as much as I loved those woods, they frightened me, I’d spent too much time in them really, sometimes I felt like I was losing control of myself, like I was slipping into something else, something hidden that craved those smells and tastes and hunts. Once I’d stalked a deer and nearly killed it, thankfully I snapped back to myself before I’d gone through with it. Since then I spent less and less time there. Here I sensed it would not be as easy to just withdraw myself from the forest. It surrounded the town and went on for what seemed like ever. Just miles and miles of trees and glens and things that hid in the shadows. Those scents mixed and filled the air, they washed over me in sweet lilac, pine, earth, so much it was almost overwhelming. I had to close my eyes and steady my breathe when I got out of the car, memories washed over me causing a panic attack. I leaned over and braced myself against the car, just staring at the dirt and watching the rain drops splash against my shoes. Finally I got the courage to face the small cottage in front of me. I didn’t know my Aunt kept it, my home, the place my Mother would, in my mind, always live. I had to swallow the lump in my throat and will away the tears that wanted so badly to form. 12

The door stuck and I had to give it a good kick, the stale, stuffy air swirled around me as soon as it was open. The only things left in the house were the appliances and furniture, which were covered by dusty sheets, making the house feel eerie and dead. The first thing I did, after just staring for about ten minutes, was raise all the shades and open the windows. It had two bedrooms of relatively the same size, a slightly smaller room that served as the office, one bathroom, a cozy kitchen, and the living room that had a large sliding glass door staring out at the forest that lurked not fifty feet away. I needed to go buy groceries and cleaning supplies but I couldn’t bring myself to leave, not yet. I slunk down to the cold, hardwood floor in the living room as if I’d been defeated in some long raging battle. I felt so worn, like I was cracking all over the surface. I closed my eyes and sat there for a while, bringing my knees to my chest. It was like I was waiting for her, almost like I just expected my mother to stroll out of her bedroom dawning her favorite robe, which was covered with little Peter Pans and Tinker Bells, go figure, over her t shirt and comfy pants. I stared down the hallway, waiting to see her stretching and smiling, heading straight for the coffee maker and pancake mix. I could picture her so clearly, I stood up and went around the counter that looked out into the living room, and entered into the open kitchen. I watched her make coffee and flip pancakes simultaneously, heard her ask if I wanted Mickey Mouse ears or heart shaped. I smiled as the image faded from my mind. “Both” I whispered and the smile left with the memory as I braced myself for what was to come. 13

The rain was finally letting up, a few people walked about their business under bright umbrellas that didn’t match the gloom of the day. I didn’t think anyone would remember me, it had been a long time after all. “Sobreeman…Sobreeman Sweete?” the voice was female, she smelled uncertain and anxious. I hesitated, wanting to keep walking and pretend I didn’t hear her, but what did I have to hide from? I turned just as she trotted up to me. Kelly Deans, I knew her instantly. Though she’d aged a bit, quite naturally, I could see her old self in the eyes and around the mouth. Kelly had been one of my mothers closest friends, Magdalene’s disappearance hit her as badly as it had hit me. We’d stayed in touch for about a year, with letters and the occasional call, but she had no responsibility to me even if she had felt like it at one point. We fell out of touch completely but by the look in her eyes and the guilt that slowly began to seep off of her I realized that she hadn’t forgotten me as easily as I’d forgotten her. “Sweet tea, it is you.” She never liked to curse, instead she’d say things like “Sweet Tea” or “Son of a biscuit eater” it used to make me laugh. She reached out and put her hands on either side of my face, which I didn’t like one bit, it made me feel very uncomfortable and I could smell the garlic she’d eaten on her lunch. 14

“Kelly” I smiled, showing teeth. She let her hands fall away. 15

“Why didn’t you call, what are you doing here?”
“I’m here for the Summer, taking care of some things. Figured a nice, quite place would be a good change.” I shoved my hands in my pockets, the air was chilled, it must have been in the high fifties. Kelly pulled her long jacket closed and left her hand there as if it would save her from feeling the cold if she held tight. I was in short sleeves and jeans, the cold didn’t bother me so much, it was the heat that tended to irritate me. If you’ve spent enough time in triple digits then you’ll agree with me.16

“Well gosh that’s great, you’ll have to come to dinner but I gotta run right now. Let’s see…what’s today, Wednesday?” I nodded my head and watched her, she touched my arm “How’s Friday night?” 17

I inhaled deeply “Yeah, Friday night sounds great, I remember how to get there.”18

“Oh no Hun, I moved ages ago, got married.“ She flashed her ring and smiled big. “I’ll give you the address, it’s easy to find.” She scribbled the address and abbreviated directions onto the back of a card. Huh, she’s a realtor, I wondered if she gets much business around here. Kelly scrambled off to a nearby shiny, black car, I watched her drive away and headed across the street to the little grocery across from my little gray car. 19

The inside was fairly modern which means they’d redone it sometime in the past eleven years. I didn’t smell fresh paint or anything to lead me to believe it had been updated recently. I got enough groceries for at least a week or two and headed to the cleaning supplies isle. I waited at the register as the young girl scanned my items, she wore too much perfume and I had to sneeze to get it out of my nose. I considered asking if they were hiring but didn’t particularly want to work with perfume girl or the harsh lights and bland setting that radiated from the store. I needed to get a Summer job, not so much for money as it was to just keep busy. I loaded up the car with my groceries and decided to drive through town a bit to see what had changed since I was last here. I turned onto a street that used to hold mostly secondhand stores and a few buildings that always had ‘For Sale’ signs in the windows. The same secondhand stores were there and in better condition, clean and upscale looking. There was also a little coffee shop across from a bookstore I didn’t recognize. I stopped in the coffee parlor and got a mocha that tasted like heaven and headed into the antique looking bookstore. I figured it was cool enough outside that I could leave the groceries in the car for a while. 20

The shop was a good size and very open. Books lined every wall and a secluded isle sat in the back right of the building. There were some small, old antique tables and a comfortable looking couch and chairs. The register counter was to my left but I saw no one, there was a curtained off room just behind it but I couldn’t hear anyone back there either. I thought perhaps they’d gone for lunch. As I stepped further inside the store, smells drifted through the room, the old books absorbed everything within their pages. It wasn’t overwhelming though, it was calming really, I could sift through the smells and try to finger the older books from the newer. I browsed the shelves, being an avid book reader with a love for corny romance novels. But most of these books were old , some so old I felt that I shouldn’t be touching them. After a minute of browsing something on a shelf caught my eye, it was a rather old copy of Dracula, a first edition, signed. I didn’t want to put it back, it was a classic and a favorite, but the price made my breath catch in my throat and I gingerly set it back on the small metal stand where I found it, making sure to keep my mocha far from any and every book there. I hadn’t heard anyone approach and I certainly didn’t smell anything aside from the books but as I turned to leave I heard a voice from the isle at the back of the room. There he was, just leaning against its edge, staring at me as if he’d been there all along. “It’s a little far fetched, Dracula. But it’s a classic and that copy in particular is very precious, a steal for that price really.” I was still busy trying to figure out how he’d managed to sneak up on me before I realized he’d crossed the room. He stood, quite a few inches taller than I and only a few feet away. I breathed slow trying to take him in but I couldn’t get hold of anything but soap and books and a touch of cologne, and maybe something else, something I couldn‘t put my finger on. He wasn’t Fae, or at least he didn’t look it but if he weren’t a Fae than why couldn’t I get his scent? He leaned forward and his sweet breathe kissed my nose, making my mouth water. My heart skipped faster for a moment as I took a good look at him for the first time. “I don’t think I could sell it for anything less than it’s priced, it just wouldn’t be fair and you don’t seem like the type who’d want to take advantage of an old booklover like myself.” He looked fairly young, maybe in his late twenties, I couldn’t imagine he was older than thirty. His voice was deep and smooth and taunting with a slight undertone of an English accent. His shiny, jet black hair was pulled into a neat, tight ponytail that fell to the middle of his back. His jaw was strong and his nose was slightly long but complimenting to his face almost perfectly. His build was long and lean and muscular, but just the right amount, not something that was gained in a gym, something almost natural and unnatural at the same time. His lips were a little thin but just like his nose they fit well with the rest of him, I wondered absently if they were soft, but his eyes, those were what caught me. They stared back at me like a deep, stormy sea. As I stared at them I felt it, a tug on my conscious that made me not want to look away. It was then that I knew without a shadow of a doubt that something about him wasn’t right. 21

I dropped my gaze and smiled without teeth. “A little too much for me I’m afraid, I’ve only just arrived in town, don’t even have a job lined up so I’m sorry to say books are not a priority at the moment.” I stepped past him, if I really wanted to buy it I would, cost didn’t really matter. Sonia was a firm believer that a girl my age should spend her time enjoying life instead of working and worrying about money. She’d set up a bank account in my name that would allow me most any luxury I pleased. I’d gotten jobs anyway, paying for my own things rather than making her, I felt it was an important part of life, of growing up. She never understood why but I felt that laziness was a useless and unattractive quality, and had I used her money on whatever whim I’d had, I’m sure I would be a rather annoying, ungrateful slob. “I’ll be sure to come back though, you have a wonderful collection and a beautiful store. When did you open it?” 22

“A few months ago when I moved here, why do you ask?”23

“Just curiosity, I lived here for a while as a child and couldn’t remember it ever being anything but empty.” I stood there for a moment, feeling awkward and vulnerable under his gaze. I couldn’t smell anything, no emotions, no normal scents. The bookstore was too warm for the long sleeved dress shirt he wore but I couldn’t even smell sweat on him, let alone see it. I had trouble reading his expressions and movements as well. They almost seemed off, slightly fake. My instincts were screaming that he wasn’t human, but at the same time I couldn’t see him being Fae. He intrigued me, I didn’t want to leave so I lingered hoping that maybe the books were confusing my senses. One thing I felt however was power, only a hint of it in the way he moved and spoke, but it was a great power that hummed through my skin for a moment. And then part of me lingered for more than just that, he was so handsome, so appealing to both the human and animal side in me. I shook those thoughts out of my head quickly and scorned myself silently. I was tired and not thinking clearly, I was in desperate need of a soothing shower and a soft bed. I smiled tiredly at the look on his face, he seemed almost as curious as I felt, then I turned, reaching for the door. 24

“ I could pay you seven dollars an hour, it’s more than you’d get most other places here.” he paused for a moment, it was so silent and it seemed like it took forever for him to take a breath. I considered his offer longer than I had to, the answer would have been yes even if he hadn’t peaked my interest. “Good, you start tomorrow, 10:00am sharp. You’ll be cataloging a lot, going through the stacks of books in the back and taking inventory and such. I do a lot of my business online or over the phone so you’ll be going through and shelving them or packing them for delivery. I’ll show you the ropes tomorrow, Miss….” it didn’t register at first that he was asking for my name.25

“Uh, Sobreeman Sweete, most people call me So…. And I never said I accepted your offer.” I stared directly into his eyes, I was stubborn and had a habit of challenging people, which can get you into quite a bit of trouble even if you aren’t raised around Fae or Werewolves or anything of the sort.26

“Very well then, offer retracted. Goodnight Miss Sweete.” It grew dark so quick I’d hardly noticed. I stuttered for a moment.27

“I never declined it either.”28

He raised his eyebrow “Then I’ll say it again, 10 am tomorrow morning, I have things to take care of so I’ll be closing up now. Goodnight.”29

“20 questions then huh.” sarcasm is one of my better qualities.30

“I’m sorry?” he looked genuinely puzzled and for some reason I took joy in that.31

“You’re name, do we play 20 questions or am I supposed to call you the old booklover.” I quoted from his taunting earlier.32

He laughed for a moment, closing his eyes and crossing the room to the open door where I stood, he extended his hand and took mine, shaking it lightly. “My name is Arcaius Gray, please forgive me for the lack of manners.”33


“Not at all….tomorrow then.” I smiled again and quickly pulled my hand from his soft, yet somehow stone like grasp. It took me about twenty minutes to get back to the house, I put in the fridge what needed to be and left the rest on the counters, still in their bags. I’d brought some bedding with me so I’d have something before I had a chance to shop. I quickly and carelessly put the sheets on the bed, curled up on my soft pillow and under a large, fluffy comforter, falling asleep nearly instantly.