by Tara Chau
We creep through the dark empty halls of Anne’s house, some sense of a disturbance shaking the foundations, setting Anne on edge. All the lights have been switched off, shadows dance across the wood planks, cast by the streetlamps from outside. The windows are iced over from the cold, the house equally bleak. Something shifts ahead, making the boards creak loudly. Anne begins to sprint, drawing a small throwing knife at the possible threat. My ears prick up as a small shuffle comes from my right, the scratch of a blade across a surface, and hushed running footstep.
“Anne,” I bark.
She whips her head in my direction, eyes blazing with fire.
“This way,” I say, running, leading her into the main living room.
Something erupts in my face; a bright light flashes and yelling begins. I see Anne look around in confusion and panic, raising her fists, the knife gripped in one. As my eyes finish adjusting to the light, I grin and start to crack up laughing.
“God, she really doesn’t like surprises,” I breathe, gripping my stomach, trying to contain my laughter.
Looking over at Anne, I see her mouth gaping as she takes in the state of her living room. A dull, modern place transformed into a room of bright streamers and balloons.
“Happy birthday!” Everyone shrieks.
“W-what?” Anne splutters.
“She forgot!” Jess says, eyes wide.
"What-no, I didn't forget my own birthday. I just thought you all did!" she admits, lowering her fists.
“Your faith in us is hurtful,” Ty says, walking over from his hiding spot to tug her into a tight hug, a playful brotherly gesture.
Once Ty releases Anne, she turns to grin at each and every one of us until her eyes fall onto Gabe. "He hates birthday parties,” she says accusingly.
“He hates birthday parties,” Ty emphasises, nodding his head in agreement.
“I hate birthday parties,” Gabe says plainly.
I attempt to hide my smile as he glances my way, taking in my plain white dress that hugs me tightly.
"Well, Gabe," Anne says, skipping over to where Gabe stands, brooding, "I couldn't ask for a better birthday present than your reluctant participation."
“Oh?” Gabe smiles, uncrossing his arms, “Then why the hell did I get you that bloody overpriced present? I should just return it then, get my money back.”
Anne squeals in delight, jumping up and down like a puppy in front of Gabe. He laughs, his smile reaching his eyes. I always forget that Anne and Gabe, along with Ty, are like siblings. Gabe knows exactly what to say to make her excited and exactly what to do to make her jumpy with nerves.
“Gimme!” She begs.
“I guess we’re doing presents now,” I smile.
As we all dash to the coffee table where we’ve stashed the presents, Anne sheaths her knife, plonking down on the couch like an eager child.
“Who first?” Hayden asks.
"I don't care. Presents are presents,” she says, fidgety with anticipation.
“Okay then, me first,” Jess says, shoving a box into Anne’s hands. “Hayden and I went halves on this one.”
Anne begins to rip open the box. She gasps, pulling out a pair of jet-black leather boots, with heels the length of my palm, holy crap.
Anne begins jumping up and down in her seat, looking at me with wide, glistening eyes. I can tell how much energy is going into keeping from screaming her lungs airless.
“Do you like them?” Jess asks worriedly.
“Hell yes,” Anne says, jumping up to give them both a huge hug.
“Good,” Hayden breaths, “because I think I emptied about half of my savings on them,” That just makes Anne squeeze them harder, making their eyeballs bulge.
“My turn,” Ty says, handing Anne a small parcel.
Anne carefully unties the ribbon, revealing a small peacock green gem, about the size of a fifty-cent piece, flat and round.
Anne's eyes snap to meet Ty's, this time, a real tear drips down her cheek.
“What is it?” I ask quietly.
“It’s a-a soul stone,” Gabe says, peering at it closely.
“Faith and forever,” Ty says, strong and unflinching, no hesitance in his eyes.
“Faith and forever,” Anne echoes.
The room is silent as we all gaze at the crystal, the exact shade as Anne’s coat, bags, and aurar, her colour.
"It represents an unbreakable bond. Anne will wear it around a necklace as protection. She will be able to draw energy from Ty if needed. It's a very high status with the Protectors. Not everyone gets one in their whole life. If you die, a part of the other person dies with you. Faith and forever,” Gabe says, smiling at his siblings.
Anne rises slowly, walking over to Ty. She draws his close, tight, "Thank you,” she whispers.
“Thank you.” Ty smiles.
As Anne sits down, I bring her my present, which seems inadequate compared to Ty's now. Anne pockets the stone carefully, beaming up at me as she opens the lid off the box. A moment later, a loud squeal rushes through the house halls, making everyone cringe.
“I. Love. It,” she says, taking it out of the box to examine the contents properly.
The pale blue dress shimmers beautifully, almost as if it were the sea reflecting sunlight. The spaghetti straps are loose and will need adjusting. The neck of it dips low, stopping right above the belly button space, dark blue string threads back and forth as a protection against wandering eyes. Delicate, intricate swirls and flowers of thin gold slide down the back of the dress and the bottom of the dress, gleaming brightly. The end of the dress just reaches her knees, I realise, as she holds it up against herself.
“W-where did you get this?” she asks, wide-eyed.
A huge smile spread across my face as I remember how bloody hard it was to get the design perfect and how much patience it took, though it is worth it.
"I saw Astrid with a gorgeous dress a few weeks ago. It seemed to look like it was flames itself. I asked her where she'd gotten it. Astrid had it made in Maline by a famous seamstress… Galyth, I think her name was.” Every face in the room gapes as I recite the name and the rest of the story. “I sent a design to her along with a letter from the last Iysador in the Protectors world. Apparently, I’m famous guys.”
Gabe laughs as the rest of them simply stare, shocked, taking a little bit longer to take in the information.
“I have a dress made by Galyth,” Anne says, unbelieving, looking at the shimmering masterpiece she holds. "It looks like the sea,” she says softly.
"And I added the gold at the last minute - hope you love it,” I say, beaming.
“Yes, yes, yes!” she says, flinging herself at me, almost knocking me to the ground.
“I think my present will go well with that dress,” Gabe muses.
Anne's attention snaps to Gabe, her teeth gleaming as she flounces over to him. Gabe hands Anne a small box. She opens it quickly, eyes gleaming as she takes it in. Gabe takes it out to show everyone. It is a small necklace, gold and about the width of my pinkie fingernail, delicate. It looks like a choker, but then Gabe whips it in some fashion. We all shout out, fearful that it will snap, but then magically, it unfurls into a full-length whip, still the same width but somehow strong.
We all blink at it in confusion, as Gabe demonstrates, whipping it out at Ty, lassoing his wrist, and flinging him to the floor with one tug. Ty growls as he attempts to pry the whip from his wrist. Gabe makes the whip go slack, releasing Ty. We all gasp as we spot a thin faint red line around his wrist where it had been.
“Ow,” Ty hisses.
“Sorry,” Gabe says with a grin.
“Hand it over,” Anne yells excitedly. Gabe does. "Yay! Now I have those amazing boots which I can fight in as well as strut the runway, the soul stone which I will literally sleep with, the spectacular dress, and this choker slash whip! A whole damn new look!" she says, gathering them all up in her arms with wide eyes
, dashing into her room and returning only with the necklace around her neck.
"You guys are the best. Thank you all so much for doing this,” she beams.
“Any time,” Hayden replies.
“No, not really,” Gabe says, shaking his head at the big, decorated cake.
We all burst out laughing, filing over to the cake, ready to have one hell of a night.
* * *
“Thank you,” Nyx says, brushing away a strand of her black hair, almond-shaped eyes peering up at me from where she sits on the bed.
It has been three days since we’d found Nyx and Chax fighting that Polexn. She'd been sleeping for three days. Chax sits at her side on a chair, watching her with warrior closeness, surveying for any permanent damage, even though Astrid had assured us there isn’t.
Gabe smiles at Nyx from beside me, glancing at Chax every few seconds. Ever since I told him about the demon Lucien is going to raise, Gabe has been wary of Chax even more and slightly distant, though closer than ever, always watching for the slightest threat.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“I feel tired, but other than that, everything intact,” she gives me a small unsure smile. “I-I know you.”
"Yeah, I'm Dianna Reeds. We used to fence together when you were still in school,” I remind.
Nyx nods, seeming to recall. “Dianna…”
“You can call me Di, please,” I interrupt.
“D-Di, how did you get messed up in all this?” she asks.
“I could ask you the same question,” I counter, her face instantly sours; god, I remember her moods now. "My mother was a Protector. She might not have known it. But really, I'm kind of famous here?” I explain.Gabe grumbles something, rolling his eyes. Nyx simply nods again. “Now you, please,” I request.
"Um, it started when I went to meet Lucien. He wasn't him, though. He tried to kill me. I escaped, but only after he'd gotten a good few hits in. By the time Chax found me, I was really weak. He took care of me, fighting off all the demons tracking my blood, Lucien had sent them.” Nyx looks back at Chax, giving him an appreciative smile. For the first time in the past three days, Chax’s face cracks into a small smile.
"I refused to go back to normal once I'd healed, in fear that they would come back for my family and me. After days and days of nagging, I finally got him to teach me. The day you found us was only my fourth time in the field."
"You get distracted too easily,” Gabe inputs.
“She knows,” Chax snaps.
A silent duel happens between the two males, the air between them charged with the emotions and power they each have. Gabe’s eyes challenge Chax, Chax returns his looks with a killer stare of his own. I can see them each play out the battle between them, trying to guess who will walk away, mostly unbloodied.
“Stop it,” Nyx and I bark together.
As easy as that, the charge and suspense break from the room, each male's gaze slipping to Nyx and me. What do people say? Behind every great man, there is a powerful woman?
“Anyway,” Nyx says, steering us back to the topic. "I know you have already done so much, Di, but do you think you could do me one more favour?" she asks worriedly.
“Okay,” I decide.
"Lucien, he has a pendant. It has a claw on it. Can you return it to me?"
“It’s yours?” I ask, shocked.
"Yes, well, it was my grandfathers. He passed it on to me a while ago, I never knew what it was, but I wore it every day. Now I know, it focusses his power, makes it easier for him to harness and control,” she explains.
“If that’s the favour, then absolutely, it would benefit us as well. Nyx, it might take a little while, but I do promise that I’ll return it to you,” I vow.
Nyx bows her head in thanks, her smile wobbly in an effort not to cry.
“We’ll be out of your way as soon as she’s properly healed,” Chax says, eyeing Nyx clutching her side.
“That’s alright,” I say, nodding my approval.
Gabe and I get up to leave, striding out the infirmary door. I look behind me once more, just in time to see Nyx’s eyes glow a faint green, her shoulders slumping in silent relief. A sharp grin spreads across my face.
Both Gabe and I spend the remainder of our day training in the hall, Gabe finally showing me how to make that huge jump. By the time I get home, I barely have enough time to eat with Dad before collapsing in bed, energy completely drained.
Rising early in the morning the next day, I ready myself to go babysit Ronnie. I'm still early by the time I get there, so I let myself slip through the back door. Mrs Renalds is already gone. She went to Maline to figure out what to do with the Counsel about the missing book. Creeping down the hall, I peer into Ty's room. He's still sleeping, like a rock. Ronnie's room is the one across the hall. I peek in quickly. She's still dozing quietly, sprawled out over her big bed, mouth slightly opened and hair a mess. It's hard to remember that she's only six, but at these moments, it's too obvious.
I walk back to the living room, staring out at the road from the kitchen window. I almost lash out when I hear someone creeping up behind me, the smell of cinnamon and chestnut halting me.
Gabe’s arms wrap around my waist, drawing me close.
“You don’t trust your safety even in a house full of Protectors?” Gabe asks, a small smile tugging at his lips.
I can feel his chest rising and falling against my back, alive. “I trust you,” I whisper.
Gabe lowers his lips to my neck, kissing me delicately. Shivers move up and down my spine as his mouth roves my neck. My breath hitches as his teeth graze a spot below my earlobe, nerves exploding through me. I turn around, trying to hide my disappointment when he draws back to look at me.
“Why are you here?” I ask.
"I slept over last night. Ty decided to go out with Helen, though and didn't tell me. He must have stumbled in really late last night."
"Yeah, I'm here to babysit Ronnie, Ty's supposed to be leaving to get Helen in about ten minutes,” I realise, glancing at the clock.
“Lazy bastard,” Gabe curses.
Looking into his ember eyes, I reach up to ruffle his dim blue hair. Gabe looks up, able to spot the tips of his hair growing down. He's let it grow longer, let the blue fade. Want blooms from my chest, making my breath catch as he looks back down at me. I lean forward, kissing his bottom lip feather-light, then the side of his mouth, his jaw, then his neck, seeing who will give in first, he does. Gabe tugs me closer, gripping my waist as he takes me in. But I don't want this, I don't want him to think everything is normal and things can go on like this because they can't. Not with everything about to happen.
I pull back, ignoring his protests, leaning against his chest. Finally, I raise my head, only to see him reading my eyes carefully. I cannot give into him yet, not until I'm sure I'll make it through this. I'm about to force myself to draw back, to step back when Gabe encloses his mouth around mine. He kisses me fiercely. Desperately, a small whimper escapes my lips as he pries them open. Before I'm lost, I pull back quickly. Gabe looks into my eyes, locating my hesitance and fear. I shake my head, silently begging him to understand why. Gabe's eyes suddenly cloud over with hatred and despair. He brings me in close, closing his arms around me tightly.
"I can't lead you on like this. You know that we'll never be a normal couple. I'm going to die; we have to realise that."
Gabe stiffens, a shudder racking through him. “No, we’ll find a way to save you. I promise,” he says.
“You can’t,” I exhale, resting my head on his shoulder.
“I can, and I will,” he assures. Gabe releases me slightly, only to plant a soft kiss on my lips, lingering slightly.
"Is it breakfast yet?" A shrill, high-pitched voice calls.
Gabe and I look towards the hall, where we see Ronnie running into Ty's room.
“Pancakes?” She begs loudly.
Gabe and I laugh quie
tly, breaking us out of our misery.
“Fooood!” she shrieks.
Gabe lets go of me, giving me a small grin as he saunters off to collect up Ronnie, sparing his best friend. Gabe walks back out from the hall, carrying Ronnie on one hip. Banishing all my thoughts of the future away, I turn to walk up to them both, plastering a big smile on my face.
“Good morning,” I say happily, truly happy to see Ronnie’s excited face.
“Hi!” she chirps, flinging her arms out and leaning back quickly, making Gabe curse as he desperately clutches her to his body, eyes wide with the fear of dropping her.
I laugh lightly, the last of the dread flushed out.
“Ha, ha, very funny,” Gabe says, shaking Ronnie carefully, rolling his eyes at me.
She squeals as Gabe throws her over his shoulder, spinning around on the spot. Once he stops, Ronnie is basically bright red, laughing, her little nose scrunching up.
"I thought you were hungry, you little menace,” Gabe laughs.
“I am!” she defends, clutching her stomach from laughter as Gabe sets her down.
“Then what are you still doing here? To the kitchen!” Gabe says, pointing to the next room excitedly.
Ronnie runs quickly to the kitchen, jumping up onto the stool, peering over the counter. “Pancakes!” she repeats.
“Do you want me or Gabe to help you make them?” I ask worriedly
“Oh gods, are you trying to kill the little thing?” Gabe asks deviously.
Ronnie giggles uncontrollably as I punch Gabe hard on the shoulder, accompanied by a feral grin.
"Gabe, please, I like his best,” she admits.
“That’s my girl,” Gabe winks.
I pretend to be stabbed in the chest, faking death. It simply makes her laugh harder. Gabe, Ronnie, and I laugh loudly as we ready the pancakes, Ronnie setting the table.
“Hey, come here,” I whisper to her.
“Yes?” she asks, creeping towards me.
“Do you want to help me with something naughty?” I ask.
