Part 12 (1/2)
”Oh yeah, time doesn't pa.s.s on the other side of the s.h.i.+mmer,” Thorne blurts out. ”Give me a second and we'll go talk.”
Caleb looks at me curiously, ”s.h.i.+mmer?”
”Let me call Amber, and I'll tell you what the s.h.i.+mmer is.” Amber's phone goes straight to voicemail. ”d.a.m.n, voicemail. Where do you think she went?” Caleb and Thorne just look at me and shrug. ”Glad to know you're so concerned.”
”I'm sure she's fine, probably drank and got grounded. Her dad would have called you if she were missing. Don't stress...I'm sure she has a big story for us on Monday morning.” Caleb says as he pulls me into a hug and kisses the top of my head. ”Miss Gayle, do you think Amber's okay?” Thorne asks grandma as though they're best buds.
”I'm sure you're right.”
Thorne isn't good at hiding his concern, it's written all over his face. He motions for us to follow him. It feels like it's been hours since I was inside these walls.
”I'm going to brew some coffee, would you like any?” Thorne asks us as he fills the carafe with water. After a unanimous yes, he and grandma set mugs and coffee creamer out on the dining table. He pulls a bag of Milano Cookies with dark chocolate out of the cabinet. Grandma takes the cookies and puts them on a plate, setting it in the middle of the table.
The dining table is much smaller than the one at home. I doubt anyone has used it before; the finish is perfect, not as much as a nick to be seen.
”I'm feeling like something major has happened, I can't put my finger on it though. Would someone like to enlighten me?” Caleb's voice is cool without a hint of frustration, although I could sense that he was.
”Okay, here's the deal dude...I'm not a Light Tamer. I'm a guardian, and I've been a.s.signed to watch out for Jessie. In the beginning, I thought it was odd to watch a Tamer. I mean, well, there isn't too much drama that goes along with them. Typically, the Dark Ones do their thing and go. They don't haunt a family and don't usually do serial light stealing. If the teachers had their way, they'd make you guys think it happens all day, every day. So yes, I was confused about the Jessie a.s.signment. I find out after I get here about her heritage, and that made more sense. It wasn't until this afternoon that everything came together, crystal clear.”
”You're an angel?”
Thorne sets his mug down harder than necessary. ”No, I'm not a d.a.m.n angel. Why does everyone think that you take the word guardian and a.s.sociate it with an angel? I'm far from angelic...I do, however, have a code of ethics, just as they do. Trust me when I say, it isn't much fun guarding someone who is bound to a big dude that looks like he can kick my a.s.s. Not that I can't fight, but I'm not into fighting for a girl. Don't get me wrong, I'll fight for her, but not for her in the relations.h.i.+p kind of way. She's not my type.” He looks over at me and my mouth drops open. ”You're too pretty, too sweet...too...good. I like my love interest to be edgy and s.p.u.n.ky.”
”Like Amber?” I grin from ear to ear as I say it.
”Like Amber,” he agrees. Grandma and Thorne begin by telling Caleb about the woodlands and grandma's secret.
The next hour was spent telling him about the box and its contents. I open it again and show him the smaller box with the rings. Everything was going smoothly, up until they tell Caleb we have to get married....because we're going to rule Fairyland.
”We can't get married; she's not sixteen yet. I don't think you can get married in North Carolina at fifteen,” Caleb complains.
You don't want to marry me?
No...yes...yes I do, but not like this...not right now. We can't vote or get credit, we can't support ourselves...this is a dumb idea.
I scoot my chair closer to him, he puts his hand under the table, and I take his hand in mine. You're right. You were so adamant; I thought maybe you didn't see us together in the future.
Jess, don't be silly. We will be together for the rest of our lives. I love you, you're a part of me...I'm nothing without you. It might sound corny, but it's true.
”Are you paying attention? I'm not here to talk to myself. When is your birthday Jessie?”
”August thirty-first.” The three of us say in unison.
”That's Friday, we can't wait for Friday. Honestly, your age isn't a big deal in the super world,” Thorne says matter-of-factly.
Caleb and I turn to each other and back at Thorne. ”Super world?”
”You know... the supernatural world.”
”Oh yeah, that world...I totally forgot. What does this world consist of?” I ask sarcastically.
”Sorry, that's a need-to-know basis...right now you don't need to.”
I huff and turn to grandma. ”What kinds of supernaturals? He might not be able to lie, but his omission isn't the truth.” She shakes her head at me. ”Explain this Fairyland prophecy. How does Light Tamer fall into the category of faerie?”
”That's the easy part. All magical beings get their powers from the elements. Your light is a gift and to those who went dark...their curse. Like the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, one predominately good, the other not-so-good. There's been many presages about leaders of courts, packs, clans, congregations to come. Each has slowly been brought to fruition over the last decade. The fae have exclaimed the presage about them was just a fairytale...pun intended. They guessed since they don't operate on a parallel realm, they wouldn't need to worry about the so-called prophecy. Growing up with a human family and visiting the Woodlands, I was intrigued with the stories the rogues would tell. You may have noticed when we were on the other side of the s.h.i.+mmer, I was younger. Fae don't age like humans. We start as children and age to no more than thirty - physically. You'll meet fae who are hundreds and hundreds of years old. I'm relatively young compared to them. I'm not jaded by the rules and regulations of their world. I've never lived on the other side of the s.h.i.+mmer. I actually found their stories intriguing, and the elders love to tell their stories. One of them gave this box to me when I was about your age Jess. He wanted me to try to open it, obviously I couldn't. He told me to keep the box, one day I'd have reason to try again. I had the box in the closet before you and Tabitha moved in. When I got wind there was a Guardian involved, a nice omission Mrs. Ward left out, I knew the time had come. Lucky for us, he came with a key,” she said pointing to Thorne.
”Where did you get the key?” Caleb asks Thorne.
Thorne stood to cross the room; he picked up a messenger bag. The khaki bag was well-worn with frayed edges and stains. He pulls out a journal looking book. ”This is a book a.s.signed to guardians. The book fills with information regarding my next charge. Each evening, I talk to the book, and it doc.u.ments my words. The information is stored for reference if needed. Once the a.s.signment is over, the book goes blank...until you receive the next name. Sometimes, I'm called to work another case. The new guardian will receive all of my notes when their book reveals the name. That's what happened to me. I was on a mission when Jessie's name appeared in the book. When one a.s.signment trumps another, it's usually important. The notes stated I was told to talk to a fae by the name of Locke. He's...”
”Nuts,” Grandma blurted out.
”Yeah, we'll go with that word. He gave me the key, and said the Lady of the Lake told him to retrieve the key. He had to go to the bottom of her lake and was rewarded with a kiss. He was chattering on about her beautiful smile, the way she hovered over the lake, in a gossamer dress.”
Grandma pours herself a fresh cup of coffee and shakes her head. ”Granted a kiss did she? Obviously he hasn't collected on the kiss, or he wouldn't have given you the key.”
”Why, what does a kiss do?” I ask.
”One kiss will link him to the lake; he'll lose his earth magic, and become a water wielder. Water is cool, but when you've lived three hundred years roaming the forest...losing your magic will kill a fae like him.”
”Oh, how terrible. She has him get a key made of iron and rewards him with death? Who does that?” I blurt out.
Thorne squished his face as if he smelled something foul. ”The fae are losing nothing when it comes to him, trust me.”
Grandma shakes her head in agreement about Locke. ”How did you find out the box was at my house? I didn't even know.”
”The book, it said to tell her to bring it.”
”What is in Kentucky if you get all of your info via book?”
”Home,” he says, without any hint of betrayal to his secrets. ”When I don't have an a.s.signment, I live in Lexington. I haven't been back to Kentucky for anything other than meetings. My roommate is a slacker when it comes to being a guardian; he's on suspension for failing to protect his charge. She died before she was slated to, which tethered her soul to earth. Until he finds a necromancer to successfully release her to the heavens, he is suspended. It is no bed of roses to have a soul stuck in limbo, and stuck with you. Since he's at fault, she stays with him...constantly! I hear she's a chatterbox. She talks non-stop while he's trying to sleep, going to the bathroom, entertaining a lady friend. You get the idea.”
”Miss Gayle, what is the prophecy?”
My phone buzzed with a text.
WHAT IS WRONG??.
I was worried.
I'M FINE.
Good, put this address in your GPS and come here...NOW DO YOU HAVE ASPIRIN?.
You hung over?
STOP BEING THE ALCOHOL POLICE.
When can you get here? Thorne is here.