Discovering Fae

“Why must you nearly dislocate my arm every single time?” I asked rubbing my shoulder after I was deposited in a chair.

“Justine,” Nana nodded at Mary.

“Nana,” she nodded in return.

“Mary,” Jacob purred with flashing teeth as he smiled. “It’s been a long time.”

“Too long, Jake,” Mary smiled back. “Nana, why haven’t you broken the curse on him yet?”

“It’s a blood curse,” she waved her hand. “So, how do you know our Fae?”

“She’s my daughter,” Mary smiled wider.

Jacob yowled and pounced on me, purring and licking my face with his rough tongue before rubbing his face all over me.

“Down Jake,” Mary laughed.

“It’s best we leave them to their chatting, dear. Let’s have some tea,” Nana said and they left us alone.

“Jacob,” I said pushing at his chest. “Can you get off? Your paw is crushing my thigh.”

“I can’t believe it! You’re Mary’s daughter!? That’s wonderful news!” he exclaimed jumping back a few paces than sat down, his tail curling around his feet to thump excitedly in front of him. “So, you’ve gotten the answer to one of the big questions. Where you come from. How does it feel? Good?”

“Awkward,” I sighed. “I don’t know what exactly I was expecting, but it’s... strange, I guess. I can’t help thinking that I’m going to end up disappointing them somehow. I mean, I’m not that remarkable. I have more problems than I know what to do with and baggage like you wouldn’t believe. And my parents are royalty. I, clearly, lack those kinds of qualities.”

“Do you honestly believe that a person's status is based only on the nature of their birth?” he asked, one ear twitching. “Are there not stories humans tell of the low becoming kings and the kings falling from their thrones?”

“Those are just stories, Jacob,” I shook my head. “This is actual life, not some fairy tale in a book.”

“Don’t stories usually have some grain of truth in them?” he questioned. “But let’s get back to meeting your parents. You said it’s awkward. How?”

“I don’t know what to say to them and I’m pretty sure they have the same problem,” I made a face. “And, not to sound like a broken record, but they are royalty.”

“Does Mary look like royalty to you?” he asked.

“Not right now,” I admitted.

“And Quinn?”

“He looks more like a surly bodyguard than a king,” I smiled, and Jacob chuckled.

“He really does, doesn’t he?” he smiled. “Perhaps it might help if you stopped thinking of them as royals. Maybe even stop thinking of them as your parents. Instead, start the way you would when meeting a new friend. They aren’t the king and queen. They are just... people.”

It made sense. I was overthinking things and simplifying the situation might be just what the hellcat ordered. One problem addressed; an unfathomable amount left to go.

“Something just crossed your mind,” Jacob said. “Something troubling. What is it?”

“I don’t even know where to begin,” I said quietly.

He hummed and his tail tapped the floor a little harder before he stood up slightly and readjusted, curling his tail around the other side before settling again.

“Often, the best place to begin is the beginning,” he said.

“I was kidnapped,” I said, and he growled, laying his ears back. “Mal came back, and we were talking. They came in and took me. I don’t even know how they got past the safeguards and alarms.”

“I am sorry to hear that, Fae,” he lowered himself to lay down, crossing his front paws.

“But the worst part is what happened after,” I felt my lip start to shake as a tear rolled down my cheek. “Do we have to talk about this?”

“I sense it has a very deep effect on you. It’s best to address it sooner than later,” he nodded.

“What happened to “if you don’t want to...”?” I asked him.

“I’m not a therapist, Fae. I can push and prod and poke all I want. Now, what happened after you were taken?” he said.

“Can’t you guess?” I replied.

“I can, but that sort of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?” he chuckled, an ear twitching again.

I sighed and closed my eyes. I really didn’t want to talk about this. I just wanted to forget everything that happened. I wanted to go back in time and avoid being taken in the first place. I wanted to be mad at Mal for leaving me and end up forgiving him after making him suck up for a few days. I didn’t want to live with this... this thing lurking around, waiting to pounce when my guard was down.

But I really didn’t want to talk about it.

“You were hurt, weren’t you?” Jacob asked and I nodded. “They hurt you over and over again, inflicting as much pain as they could without killing you.”

“I don’t want to talk about this, Jacob,” I said.

“What did they do, Fae?” he asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it!” I shouted and slapped my hand on the arm of the chair.

The ground shook and the air around me started to crackle with electricity. There was a pressure in my chest, and it kept growing until it felt like I couldn’t breathe. Then I remembered what Mary had said. The pressure was magic building up inside of me. I remembered the lightning and how it had destroyed the wall and the ground where it hit. Imagining that happening to Jacob scared me.

I was shaking and trying to suck in enough air, but it wasn’t working. It wasn’t working at all. It was just getting worse.

I felt warm hands on my face, turning my head so I was forced to look. Brown eyes looked at me, sorrow and pain swirling in the depths.

“Let me have it, dear,” Mary said, pulling me to her and wrapping her arms around me. “It won’t hurt me. Let it out.”

I cried out as I let it go and broke into sobs as I held on to my mother. Images flashed behind my eyes, and I shut them tight and tried to hide from them, but they were in my head, and I couldn’t get away. I couldn’t get away. I needed to get away!

“Fae!” Mary cried, but then there was nothing.

I opened my eyes and gasped. Instead of Nana’s house, I saw stone. I heard water dripping far away, the sound of bats squeaking to each other and the gentle breeze in the trees outside. I was in a cave.

It was hot and humid, far more than it should be this time of year. It all smelled earthy, too, and not like the forest that surrounded our little town. Confused, I followed the dim light, careful not to trip in the darkness, to the cave mouth.

“Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore,” I whispered as I took in the thick jungle around me. “Not that I would ever want to go back to Kansas. Where in the world am I?”