Thinking Too Hard- Chapter 8

Thinking Too Hard
….Chapter 8


I rested on the car ride home, my head lolling on Cole’s shoulder, while he drove me home. Well, to his home.
When we got home, Anna had a thousand questions for me, and I answered what I could, but they froze when I mentioned the solitary fey. My blood curled at what Cole had to tell me.
“Yeah. We’re faeries.”
Anna and her husband left the room. I stared in disbelief at Cole, so he continued.
“I was hired to keep you safe. I never believed this would happen. I thought, once my job had finished, I would go back to Faerie and everything would be all right. But now that I’ve met you, I know that can’t happen. I wish I could have told you earlier.”
I didn’t say anything, but then suddenly thought of Hunter.
“So,” I said sleepily, “Hunter. What’s he? I know he has some random tattoo on his wrist.”
Cole nodded, “He’s solitary as well. Ok. I see you’re confused. Let me explain. Seelie court is where all the good faeries are. Well, they’re still wicked, but they don’t kill or hurt humans. Much. That’s what sort of makes them good, whereas the Unseelie court would purposely go out to kill humans. They’re evil. Solitary Fey are the Faeries that don’t kill: much. And they don’t get involved in war between the courts. That’s me. A pacifist. There are groups as well in the Solitary court. Hunter and I belong to a group that split in half.”
He took the moment to pull the jumper sleeve back from his wrist. There, was a snake inked into him. Exactly like Hunter’s, “We split into two,” He repeated, “Hunter chose the bad side to join, and I chose to do good. Whatever Hunter pretends to be, or do, he’s evil.”
I frowned, that didn’t sound too much like Hunter. He had a dark side, that was clear, but I doubt he would be evil.
“He enchanted you,” Cole said, looking deep into my eyes, “He enchanted you while you were a fey so you would follow his orders. But when you were Glamoured, you were protected.”
“Wait, Glamour? What’s that?” I asked, completely confused.
“Glamour is a type of magick all Faeries wield, and it can hide their true identities. They can change there facial shapes with them, or change them into humans, aka, you. They can also Glamour buildings to be invisible. A human can walk right over an area that has been Glamoured and they won’t even feel it.”
I shivered, wondering how many times I haven’t noticed a building because it’s been turned.
Cole touched my face, “Don’t run from this. Faerie is you. You are Faerie. You’re their princess. Your mother is Queen of the Seelie court. That’s why you’re so gentle. The Queen of the Seelie court has no problem with the Solitary Fey; actually, she’s hiring heaps of us, so that her Faerie can have more time to party and battle train. It works for us because we can afford more things in the Faerie markets.”
I rolled my eyes. Faerie markets, of course there would be!
Cole smiled tenderly, “You mean to much to me to see you go back to them so quickly, but first you have to find the killer.”
I frowned, “Why does everyone tell me that? The killer of what?”
“The disappearing humans. We even know that the Unseelie Court isn’t behind this cruelty. They like to take the stragglers, whereas whoever is doing this takes groups of people, which rules out the Seelie and Unseelie courts.
“The Seelie and Unseelie courts have too many rules involving human killings. That means it’s a solitary, like me, going on the killing spree. That also means none of us are safe from this slayer.”
I nod in understanding, “So that’s why I’m here.” I paused, “Then where is Janice?”
Cole looked away, “They were in a car crash because her father slipped on the icy road, and Janice was killed. We took that opportunity. We buried her body and we Glamoured you to look like her, but because her face was so messed up, we got certain features wrong.”
When you did your poetry reading, the Glamour started to fall, and that’s why you got your eye and hair colour back. It was a mistake, which really needs to be fixed.”
“How did you know about my English classes?” I asked suspiciously.
“I’m being paid to keep you safe. That means for me to follow you and keep you safe. I was watching through the window, concealing myself well. You could have seen through it easily if you knew about your powers.”
He passed me a rock from one of the random potted plants around the house. I curled my fingers around it, and I immediately felt it throbbing with energy.
“I’ve never felt this before.” I murmured to Cole.
He nodded, “And this is only you at your weakest. Now, close your eyes and imagine it turning into a flower.”
I closed my eyes, suspicious that it wouldn’t work. When I opened my eyes, their, sitting on the palm of my hand was a small yellow rose bud. I dropped it in horror, but Cole picked it up and changed it back into a rock before throwing it back into the bottom of the pot plant.
“Holy shit. I’m really not human,” I whispered to myself, feeling my wings brush my back, “I want to see my real self again!” I told him.
Cole nodded, “I can do that for you, but just don’t be scared,” I questioned him and he shook his head, “You’re of royal heritage, meaning you’re much more powerful. Your wings and skin colour change all the time.”
I frowned, “Ok, that’s weird.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, “Didn’t I turn you off?” I looked at the called ID; it was Hunter.
“Screw you,” I said and refused his call. “I’m ready,” I said to Cole. He put his hands on my shoulders and said something under his breath. I felt the world tilt and my skin was shed like a children’s costume.
I gasped at everything I could feel around me. I could feel Cole’s warm hands on my shoulders, the kitchen tainted with iron, and the warm engine from the car outside.
I looked at my hands and saw they were a dull purple. Cole took them in his, “They match your eyes,” and he brought one of my hands to meet his mouth.
My wings fluttered on my back softly and I turned to look at them. They were bigger and they looked exactly like a monarch butterfly’s wings. They were almost as dark and sinister as the person who was calling me.
I picked up my vibrating phone and it read Hunter’s name once again. I swore under my breath.
“Hello?” I said into the phone, feigning ignorance.
“I know it’s you, turkey,” Hunter said.
“Mum?” I asked.
A soft chuckle, then, “Unless your mum has had a sex change, I don’t think she sounds like a man. It’s Hunter. But you already know that, don’t you?”
I shook my head, then realised that he couldn’t see it, “No. My mistake. What do you want?”
Hunter’s voice became sinister, “I suggest you look out the window.”
I looked around the room, “Which one?”
“The one to your left.”
I felt my back prickle with unease. I slowly turned to the window, and there was Hunter’s face, smiling jovially back at me.
“I’m going to kill you,” I yelled at the phone, before throwing it across the room. I ran to the door, and heard Cole’s questioning glance, before he followed me out. When he saw Hunter, he placed himself between us.
Hunter grinned at Cole, “Getting romantic in there are we?” he asked, but I could hear the threat that was unconcealed under his jolly words.
“Hunter,” I warned, “Back off.”
He turned to me, and I could see the hurt in his eyes, but it was quickly disguised by a flash of anger.
I grabbed Cole’s hand and egged him to go back inside and leave this to me, but when I saw Cole’s face, I knew he wouldn’t listen to me.
“Go away,” Cole hissed, “My family lives here.”
“Your family?” Hunter’s eyes widened in mock surprise, “If only I had a heart.”
I glared at him, “If only you had a brain, more like it!”
Hunter stared at me for a moment and came closer, “Your glamour is off. I almost didn’t recognise you. You’ve changed. More power.” He put one hand up as if to rest it on my wings, but then thought better of it, and dropped his hand. My heart beat with disappointment.
Hunter smiled warmly, “Guess it’s only fair that we drop our glamour too, no?”
Magick swirled around him and then his glamour was whisked away with the gentle breeze that stirred his hair; and so was my breath.