Discovering Fae

Grim

I broke the neck of the man in charge of this pitiful group of rejects. If I didn’t need warm bodies to sacrifice, I wouldn’t even bother with these weaklings. But I was building an army. All the dark things that shocked and scared those that didn’t admit to the shadows inside of themselves.

I had no time frame, so the sooner I gathered the numbers I needed, the stronger they would be, should things drag on. While they were all disposable, it would buy me more time if they could hold out a little longer than a few minutes. It wouldn’t do to get caught before I even found her.

I had to get her away from those traitors. The ones that had lied to her, hurt her, left her behind, that had abandoned her. Then, they plotted and schemed behind my back to get me out of the picture. Then, they took her away, probably told her whatever they knew she would believe, and she would believe almost anything they told her because she trusted them. I had trusted them, too.

I couldn’t reach her. Not right now. The darkness inside of me wouldn’t allow it. I would be too weak, and I needed to be at my strongest in order to get her back. But she would come back. I knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t stop until they brought her back, to keep up the lie that they were doing the right things.

It wouldn’t be long, now, I was certain. She’d find a way. Even if they didn’t let her come with them, she’d come on her own. I just had to wait.

Wait, and be ready.

Fae

Nightmares sucked. All you want to do is get some freaking sleep, but no. They were there, waiting to wake you up in pure terror, gasping and sweating and doubting if this was real or was the nightmare.

Unfortunately for me, both were real. One just happened before the other. Geezer had stopped asking who I was and was being a little more helpful, bringing me a piece of fruit in the mornings. In the five days since our chat in the cave, I had regained a little of my strength so I could actually do things without passing out being a very likely outcome.

I had also been working on myself. The little chat in the cave had given me a bit of insight and I had to admit, to myself, that I had a lot of problems that only I could solve. Doubts, fears, and insecurities were all there, piling up like last week's laundry. Gods, I needed a bath and clean clothes.

“The fog is still thick,” Geezer commented as he stepped out of the jungle, another piece of fruit in his hand.

“It’s not as easy as you think, you know,” I rolled my eyes and took the fruit from him.

“Nothing worth doing ever is,” he smiled.

“Are you going to tell me how to go about “clearing the fog”?” I asked, imitating him on the last bit.

“It is not mine to clear,” he chuckled and left. Of course.

“You’re about as helpful as a barnacle on a whale's butt, you know that?” I called after him.

I rubbed at my chest again, feeling, more than ever, the pain of being apart from Mal. It wasn’t as painful as last time, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. I could only guess it’s because, this time, neither of us had a choice.

“I could really use a joke right about now,” I sighed. Then I smirked. “Or that picture of Blaine in a tutu.”

I remember that I had had a rough day. The nightmares had been particularly vivid, and I had been sparking left and right, though back then, I had still been too weak to do more than make a pretty show and the occasional static shock. I didn’t even know Blaine had come back from the Sidhe until he walked into the room, in all his hellhound glory, wearing a fluffy pink tutu and a tiara.

He looked about ready to tear something apart and he was sulking like a kid that had been told to eat his vegetables or there would be no dessert. Mal cleared his throat and spun his finger around, making Blaine growl before he stood up on the tips of his toes and pranced around in a circle, making me cry because I was laughing so hard.

Then I remembered the day I had an obsession with carrying Ben around like a kid carrying her favorite toy. Mal had to deal with Rex’s family, as well as his own, and Ben was the one that stayed with me. He was just so soft and fluffy; I couldn’t help it.

There wasn’t much those three guys wouldn’t do for me, I realized, and it made me miss them even more. They did so much and here I was unable to handle a few bad dreams. When did I become a sissy?

I fought. It’s who I was. I fought Gary over every little thing, I fought the whole “not human” thing, I fought with the guys more than a few times. And yet, I was letting Rex, a dead man, turn me into a whimpering damsel in distress?

It was terrible, what he did to me, but I had Mal, Ben, and Blaine. Zane, too, if he was ever found. They found me the last time, but this time, I was going to come back to them.

Clear the damned fog.

-----

I sat outside the cave and stared into the dark mouth. I had the idea to do this inside, where the fears fed the memories and made them stronger, but now that I was here, I was seriously questioning that plan. As well as my sanity. It felt like there was something in the darkness, looking back at me, and the thought of having that surround me gave me enough pause to stay in the light of day.

“Stop stalling, wuss,” I told myself and sat down on the ground, legs crossed under me. “Time to face the demons.”

I closed my eyes and found myself back in the same dungeon I had been in when Mal found me. The same one that I found myself in every night when I went to sleep. The same cold, metal table, the same array of tools sitting only a breath away, waiting to cause pain. The same face, twisted by the evil that was inside of him.

I balked. How could I not? After everything that happened at his hands, Rex was the face of all of the pain he had caused me. He was the demon that had turned me into... this.

“No more,” I said, making the evil look fall for a moment before it returned, and he reached for one of his tools. “I’m not letting you keep doing this to me anymore!”

“You’re going to suffer so much,” he smiled as he came closer, holding up the pliers he had used to pull my nails out of my fingers. “We’re going to have a lot of fun today.”

“No, we aren’t,” I said, sitting up on the table and swinging my legs down, something I had never been able to do before. “You’re dead, Rex, and I’m not. The only thing you’ll be having is the cold and empty death that you brought upon yourself.”

The sick smile that was always on his face fell again as I stood up. The pliers fell to the floor as he took an uncertain step back.

“I’m going to live, Rex. I’m going to cry, and laugh, and be angry. I’m going to hurt,” I said, and he smiled again, but it was soon gone as I continued, “But it won’t be at your hands. I’m done feeding your memory and I’m done feeling weak. I’m not weak! No more!”

By the time I finished, I was yelling. I was done with him and all the pain he still caused me. Unlike before, though, I had the power to stop him.

“You’ll never forget me,” he hissed.

“No, I’ll never forget,” I agreed. “But I’ll never see your face again.”

I turned around and left the room, ignoring his shouting and yelling until there was nothing but the red hues of light filtered through my eyelids. When I opened them again, Geezer was sitting across from me, smiling.

“It’s a good start,” he said.

“Start? Are you kidding me?” I said looking at my shaking hands.

“You found the source,” he nodded. “No more will be created, but there is still fog left.”

“I’m sorry, but are you stupid?” I asked, making him smirk again. “Everyone has fog, you moron. It’s part of life. We have doubts, fear, pain and scars to show after every conflict. Some of us just end up with more than others and some of us handle them better.”

“But you haven’t been handling them, have you?” he asked, holding up a bony finger. “You’ve been hiding from them and now, here you are.”

“Wait a second,” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Is that why I’m here? Some sort of boot camp therapy session? I swear, I’m going to skin that cat alive!”

“No cats,” Geezer said with an odd look. “Just bats.”

“You said to clear the fog. I took out the source. Anyone who knows anything about weather knows that the fog will clear on its own once the source is gone,” I said and stood up rubbing my chest. “Is that enough to get me home or am I going to have to get angry?”

“There is nothing you can do to go anywhere unless the Gatekeepers deem you are ready,” Geezer shook his head.

“Then I need to go have a chat, because I’m hungry, I’m tired, I reek like nothing I have ever smelled before, and I am pretty sure my chest is going to cave in because some magical bat things decided to take me away from my Bonded,” I snapped and walked into the cave, my palm out and a small, but intensely bright, flame dancing above it.

I got the where the bats were hanging from the ceiling and glared up at their curious stares.

“Look here you flying rats,” I yelled at them. “Open the freaking gate and send me home or I will pull this place apart, piece by piece until there’s nothing left.”

There was some angry chattering and a bit of a squabble on the ceiling, and I growled into the darkness and reached a hand upwards, fingers spread out wide. Making a fist, I pulled down, bringing a stalactite crashing down to the floor of the cave.

“Now!” I demanded and flung my hand outwards, sending a wave of compressed air towards a large stalagmite, shattering it like pottery.

More screeching and angry bat sounds came as the bats took flight, trying to scare me into leaving them alone. They underestimated the utter lack of craps I had left to give. I wanted to go home and if these freaky little flying cave rats were the way there, then the only way they would get me to stop was to open the gate.

“Open the gate!” I yelled and pulled another stalactite down.

The whole world shook as the bats screeched even louder, flying more frantically as their wings grazed my face with each pass they made.

“Scare tactics aren’t going to work! Send me home right now!” I shouted, my voice echoing in the cave as I threw my hand out again, sending lightning buzzing to more stalagmites, jumping from one to the next until the fifth one held the charge and exploded.

Once again, the world shook. This time it was hard enough to send me to my knees. The flame that had been dancing on my hand went out and I covered my head with my arms as I heard another stalactite break off from the ceiling.

Then, everything was quiet.

I peeked out from under my arms and nearly gasped. It was dark, but there was a pale glow from a lamp shedding just enough light to show me what I had been wanting to see for nearly a month now.

Mal was spread out on the bed we shared, fully clothed and over the blankets, snoring softly. He looked terrible. Dark circles under his eyes and more worry lines than I liked seeing on his face. Even sleeping, he looked worried sick.

“Malachi!” I exclaimed, too happy to gently wake him up.

He jumped up, eyes wide and searching until he woke up all the way. I threw myself at him before he could move an inch, sending us backwards to the mattress as I cried in relief.

“Fae!” he gasped, crushing me in his arms and pushing us back up until we were standing, not once letting go of me. He walked us over to the wall to turn on the light and swore when he looked at me.

“Oh, my gods!” I squealed and hid my face in my hands as I tried, and failed, to duck away from him. “I smell like something died and I’m fairly certain I don’t look much better! Let go! I need a shower!”

“No way in hell!” he said, shaking my shoulders a little bit. “I mean, you do stink, but I don’t give a shi-.”

“Malachi!” I hissed and smacked his chest. “Come on. I haven’t bathed in weeks.”

“If you think something as small as horrendous body odor is going to keep me away, you have another thing coming,” he said, taking my face in his hands. “Are you hurt?”

“What? No. I’m starving and I feel sorry for the bar of soap I can hear already screaming in terror, but I’m fine,” I smiled. “Annoyed it took so long for me to figure out how to get back, but I’m okay. Now.”

“Thank Fate,” he sighed and crushed me to his chest so hard, I couldn’t breathe. “I thought I lost you for good this time.”

“You wish you could get that lucky,” I laughed as tears ran down my cheeks, no doubt leaving tracks in the filth. “Can I take a shower now?”

“Not a chance, princess,” he chuckled, taking my hand and throwing the door to his room open, dragging me out, down the hall, the stairs, and into the library. “Mary, Quinn!”

“What?!” I squeaked. “Mal! I literally look like something that came from the bottom of a dumpster. I haven’t even so much as brushed my teeth in weeks. Weeks! I’m tired, I smell, and I’m hungry.”

“Fae?!” came the delicate gasp an instant before the smell of cookies literally crashed into me, driving the air from my lungs with an “oopmf”.

“Mom,” I sighed and looked up as a shadow moved. “Dad.”

“Back off, old man,” Mom said pushing Quinn away after a long hug and wrinkled her nose at me. “Honey, I say this with all the love I have, but you need a shower because you smell really bad.”