Beyond The Veil

Chapter 8

After an awkward encounter with Airell, I wanted to start the morning without him. I have no idea what got into him, but I was not about to again put myself in that situation. I found myself walking out into the forest to see Scully. I had switched him to a bigger lagoon, and seeing him would give me some peace of mind.

My mind was still reeling from Airell's unexpected question. Why would he ask such a thing? I felt sick, so did my stomach. Asking a Fae woman about her purity was a personal question, and Airell and I were barely friends. I sighed out of frustration and twisted the bracelet on my wrist that my father had given me when I was young. It was now my tool to help me calm down. Living in the castle felt like a whole other world, and I was not us to it. I needed some time to gather my thoughts.

As I came to the lagoon, I saw a glint of silver on the edge of it. My heart quickened as I rushed up to it. My eyes widened when I realized it was the same Demon Dagger...

"What? But how?" I uttered under my breath as I pulled out the knife. A crinkled piece of paper underneath caught my attention. I looked around to see if anyone had followed me, then gently picked it up. The paper felt fragile and thin. I opened it carefully and read what was written:

"I think Odessa wanted you to have this; she had it in her hand...

~Micha~."

My head whipped over to the Veil that was now a few feet from me since I moved Scully. I felt a slight tug on the note; I looked down and saw another picture. It looked old and torn; the picture showed a little boy with blonde hair who looked like he was holding someone's hand.

"Airell? Why would Odessa give me a picture of him?" Odessa went into the Demon realm to get a picture? She died because of this, and it made no sense. I put the picture in my pocket to hold on to, then tore a small piece of note-off. I searched for a nearby feather and dark berries to use for ink. Once I gathered my supplies, I dipped the point of my feather in ink and started to write back to Micha.

"I have so many questions about what happened to Odessa. If it's not too much to ask, can you tell me what happened?

~Emery~."

I had been around Odessa most of my life, and this did not make sense to me. She was a friend and had a good heart no matter how hard she was on me, but at least now I know why. She was grooming me to be the next Water Fae Elder. Part of me was honored, but the other part felt like I never had a say in the matter, which irked me. I wanted a say in what happened to me; I did not want someone else deciding it for me even if I did not know what I wanted yet. 

After I signed the note, I carefully pushed it on top of the point of the blade and stuck it through. I rushed up to the small hole in the Veil then threw the knife; it embedded itself in the trunk of a tree. I quickly turned away, smiling. This was like I had a secret of my own, all to myself. Even though the thought of talking to a demon should scare the living spirits out of me, It didn't. It was something different and out of the ordinary in my "perfect" life. 

I quickly backed away from the Veil and rushed away from it. I wanted answers about Odessa's murder, but I wasn't sure I would get them from Micha. I made my way back to the castle; I saw Colleen's bouncy blonde curls before I got to the gates. I hid behind a tree and peeked out to see her. She was swaying her hips back and forth in her flailing green skirt. She looked like a Fae school girl. White silk blouse and white gloves. She seemed to be waiting for someone; she turned slightly and caught sight of me.

"Hey! Frog girl!" she shouted. I hide behind the tree again. I heard the scamper of her feet come towards me.

"Hello? Are you deaf?!" She shouted again as she rounded the tree trunk I was hiding behind. Her transparent wings glimmered as she hovered in front of me. I rolled my eyes.

"Ugh, what do you want, Colleen?" I said as I started to walk to the Castle entrance.

"Uh, what every girl wants in Findara, Airell. I know you've seen him, so tell him I want to talk to him!" She shouted. Her voice was so annoying, like two rocks being scraped together...

"Look, I don't know where he is; I'm not his babysitter." I sassed; Colleen stopped me in my tracks and landed on her feet in front of me.

"By the way, what the heck are you doing here?" She asked; Colleen always held herself on a high pedestal compared to others. She would always stick her nose in the air if she did not find you "Interesting enough" I guess I fell into that category. What struck me as odd is that she did not know what I was doing here...you would think that King Silas would have announced Odessa's death and who would be taking her place.

I sighed as I side-stepped her. "I have better things to do than to be here with you."

"What is your problem, Frog girl? I ask one question, and you get all snooty with me." Colleen scoffed. I started to grind my teeth together. I turned to her with my eyes narrowed.

"I am not snooty. If anyone is snooty here, it's you."

Colleen gasped. "You take that back, frog girl, or I'll put you back in the pond where you belong." She said as she crossed her arms on her chest. 

"Ribbit." I hissed through my teeth, daring her to try me. I could feel the heat coming off Colleen's cheeks as she pressed her forehead against mine.

"Airell only felt sorry for you; you aren't his type, your just a peasant girl with warts, you toad!" 

I gasped, then before I knew it, I punched Colleen in the stomach; she grabbed my hair, pulling me to the ground with her. She had embarrassed me so many times I had lost count, and she always did it on purpose. I wanted to make her hurt; I wanted to leave marks on her the way she left them on me even though mine were invisible.

I slapped, punched, and scratched her pretty little face until someone yanked me off of her. I was in a blind fury, and even after someone had pulled me off of her, I was still flailing. 

"Hey! Knock it off! Calm down!" Airell's voice was like an echo; I was lost in my anger. 

"Tell the toad to calm down! She bit me!" Colleen cried out. Airell pushed me away from Colleen, and I pushed him back.

"Get off me! She deserved it that little Witch!" I shouted; my hair was in my face, but I could still see Airell.

"Stop, or you will get into trouble." He whispered to me, but frankly, I did not care. I was so tired of being picked on by her. Airell turned to Colleen, but as usual, Colleen made it seem as if she had done nothing wrong.

"Airell, I just wanted to ask her a question, and she got raving mad like a beehive!" She exclaimed. 

"Oh, I'll show you raving mad!" I shouted to her then lunged at her, but before I could get to her, Airell grabbed me by the waist.

"That's enough!" He yelled. "Colleen, walk away, now."

Colleen dusted herself off then stuck her nose in the air. "You know, she started it. I was just a bystander minding my own business and -"

"Oh shut up!" I yelled. "You are just a pampered brat who thinks she can do anything she wants without consequences! Well, guess what, sweetheart?! Your nothing but a snooty b***h!"

Airell's eyes widened, and his jaw slacked. Colleen swallowed hard; she looked at Airell then turned away from the both of us. "Whatever, at least I'm not a wart-infested toad like you." Her voice cracked as she rushed away.

My heart pounded from the rush of emotions I felt. Airell stood there staring at me. 

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What?"

"That was a bit harsh, don't you think?"

My jaw dropped. I laughed, not wanting to believe what he just said. "Are you kidding me? That was nothing compared to what she has put me through my whole life!"

Airell looked away from me. "I understand that-"

"NO, no, you don't! Airell, you're a prince. When have you ever been bullied or embarrassed other than the one time your so-called brother embarrassed you, huh? Probably not ever, so don't you dare try to tell me you understand!" My eyes stung, and my throat tightened. All of the hurt and pain I shoved down deep in the pit of my stomach spilled out of me. Airell's face softened then he wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm sorry, really I am." I wanted to push him away, I wanted to be that strong Fae woman, like Odessa, who didn't need comfort from anyone, but I was tired of holding all of it in. I was done trying to act like it didn't hurt.

"I'm sorry..." I sobbed into Airell's arms. He held me close to him and brushed his hands through my hair. It was moments like this one that made me think I could escape into the warmth of his arms, like one of those sappy romance books I read, but real life wasn't like that...real-life hurt. It breaks you, and sometimes you lose sight of yourself and replace it with someone you barely recognize anymore. I was so close to that point...

"Emery, it's alright to feel weak. Your safe with me." Airell whispered in a soft voice. I looked up at him with tears streaking down my cheeks.

I gently moved from his arms; I slightly laughed, realizing how I must look to him. "I must look so pathetic to you right now..."

Airell chuckled. "No, Emery, your not pathetic." He said as he wiped a tear from my cheek. I looked at him then, really looked, and found myself in awe. This man, who barely knew me, stood up for me when I could have had my wings ripped off. Not only that, but he has seen me crying, and to me, that was personal, but I never cried in front of anyone. I cried alone.

Airell placed his hands on either side of my cheeks and leaned down to me. "Emery, you are the very essence of beauty..." He said in a breathless voice as he leaned into me. I could feel my heart pounding against my chest. My body responded to Airell, or maybe it was because he was the only guy I knew that paid me this much attention; whatever it was, it took hold of me at that moment, and I was left wondering what his lips felt like. I placed my hands against his chest as I felt his lips graze mine and was lost in a world of wonder when his kiss laid upon my lips.

My very first kiss...