Seducer Fey

by Cullyn Royson

  I’m an only child. Danny’s what I imagine a younger sibling would be like: annoying sometimes and a little weird, but I’m glad she and I stayed in touch through our Me-Sites.

  Thinking of her Me-Site, Cassidy glanced at the rectangular dual-screen device strapped to her arm. Her Ogham, which had a projector, camera, voice recognition, and financial capabilities, was also her connection to friends and family. For voice commands, Cassidy had chosen to dedicate her Ogham’s name to the spectacular evening skyscapes she enjoyed while kayaking on the Puget Sound. “Sunset accept: Birthday recommendations for Rona-Mom.”

  “Your mother recently read several articles about the up-and-coming magician, Harlan Eldin. Popular with young audiences, he is known for his eccentric costumes ...” Cassidy touched her Ogham to silence it. Most children received their Me-Site around the age of six. Schools required them; however, some people updated more often and put more information on their Me-Site than others. She had observed a current trend at her school to include as little information as possible to seem mysterious.

  Cassidy picked up her pen and scratched it along the page but no ink came out. She gently tapped the pen to the page wondering why a pen she had just bought wasn’t working. It took her a moment to realize that pens with ink function differently than the stylus she used to draw on her tablet or Ogham screen. A little ashamed of herself, Cassidy sat up tilting the pen down and the ink flowed onto the page.

  To be fair, we’re both too stubborn to ignore, too honest to adore, too kind to abhor. I’m more of an introvert than Danny, but those traits are probably how we became friends at the camp in the first place. I just wish Danny was as nervous about applying to university in the fall as I am.

  Cassidy looked out the window wishing she could go play in the clouds instead of worrying about the future. “I wish I could fly,” she murmured to herself.

  Danny responded with a snore. That sound did not disturb Cassidy’s whimsy, but a cheery male voice from the aisle did. “You are flying.”

  “I meant like a bird.” Cassidy whirled around from the window to face the intrusive speaker.

  A young man rested his arm on the headrest of the aisle seat as though he owned the plane. The blue audio strip on his jaw contrasted with his dark—gold skin and matched his V-neck and eyes.

  “I got up to get some coffee and I couldn’t help but overhear your comment.” He gave her a radiant smile. “I feel the same way when I look at the sky.”

  Another snore from Danny made both Cassidy and the young man jump.

  “Looks like your friend could use some caffeine. Would you like coffee, soda, or anything?”

  As he leaned toward Cassidy, a wavy forelock fell between his eyebrows. One glance into his uncannily bright eyes made the temperature rise in Cassidy’s cheeks.

  “Nope. Thanks. Bye.” She plastered on a smile.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I prefer black tea with a little bit of honey and lots of sugar in the morning.” Cassidy covered her mouth. I can’t believe I told him that, she thought.

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  She waited until he was out of sight to poke Danny. In her sleep, Danny knocked her hand away. Cassidy shook her friend gently. Danny rolled up into a ball and turned away from Cassidy. As a last resort, Cassidy clapped next to Danny’s ear.

  Sitting bolt upright Danny grabbed both of Cassidy’s hands. “Don’t do that, my head will be ringing for hours.”

  “There’s a guy, who is … getting us tea.”

  “How nice.” Danny folded into her seat in a perfect imitation of a pill bug.

  “Don’t go back to sleep,” Cassidy commanded, shaking her friend’s shoulder vigorously. “I don’t want to talk to him alone.”

  “We didn’t pre-purchase a meal, did we? They won’t let us have drinks unless we pay for the whole meal.”

  “That’s true. I hope they don’t get mad at him.”

  Fishing around her bag for her glasses, Danny gave up on any hope of a nap. She had managed to tune out most of the noises on the plane, but the vibrations coming from Cassidy’s audio strip made it hard for her to sleep.

  “What’re you listening to?” Danny asked.

  “Nothing in particular.”

  Danny located her glasses and slid them up her tiny nose. She usually didn’t wear them outside, but it was nice to see detail up close. Danny sighed. Every time she put on her glasses, she was reminded that she had been born without any testing or corrections. Genetic enhancements were extremely pricy and not all legal, but vision correction was often performed through gene therapy. Her mother had been against Danny getting her genome sequenced at birth, though it would’ve been useful for health purposes. Plenty of anti-discrimination laws existed to ensure a genome couldn’t limit someone’s career choices, in case someone managed to get that private information. A breach of confidence of that type was almost unheard of because the medical community kept genomes in strict confidence. I don’t understand Mom’s prejudice, Danny thought. She started picking at the seat cushion. A few years ago, when she’d contracted a bad flu, her father allowed the physicians to process her genome. Her mother was furious when she found out, but evaded questions as to why. Not long after Danny’s illness, her mother moved back to Nova Scotia. I wonder if my parents separated because of me, Danny thought. They never told me why my genome was so important. The scratching sound of wheels brought Danny back to the present. A trolley rolled down the aisle and stopped at their row. The attendant, a tall ginger-haired gentleman, poured black tea into two compostable mugs. Danny moved to the middle seat and put the tray table down. The attendant set the two drinks on the tray.

  “Have a good morning,” the attendant said as he rolled the trolley away.

  “Thank you,” Cassidy replied.

  “You too.” Edana encircled the cup with her tiny hands, feeling its warmth. The bitter scent of black tea made her nose wrinkle. She preferred green tea with honey, or as Cassidy had put it, honey with a spot of tea.

  “I’m sorry you don’t like it,” Taban said, returning to see Danny’s expression.

  “It’s fine, thanks. I’m Edana, but you can call me ‘Ed’ or ‘Danny.’” She thrust her hand out in greeting.

  “Edana?” Transferring his mug of coffee to his left hand, he took her hand in a firm shake. “That’s pretty?”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’m Taban Mir. I was visiting relatives and now I’m headed home.” Taban leaned over Danny. “Pardon me.” He offered his hand to Cassidy. “What’s your name?”

  “Cassidy.” She cautiously accepted his hand.

  “Nice to meet you. Do you mind if I take a seat?”

  “Not at all,” Danny said.

  He placed his mug on the tray and sat down. As he did this Cassidy noticed a scratched stone ring with specks of red on his left ring finger. The dark color and abrasions clashed with the rest of his apparel and demeanor, so she pondered it, but wasn’t comfortable inquiring about the object.

  “What were you talking about?” he asked.

  “Music,” Cassidy replied.

  “There are some bands playing in Nova Scotia. Who’s your favorite?”

  “Knots of Avernus,” Cassidy said. Then coughed and felt the heat in her cheeks spread to her ears. “I mean, I like a few of their songs. I wouldn’t want to see them in concert though,” she lied.

  “Knots of Avernus? Aren’t they the teen band that people make fun of?” Danny asked, without a note of judgment in her voice. She didn’t care if Cassidy liked the band or not. In fact, if Cassidy liked them, that was a point in their favor, in her opinion. She searched the name of the band and had some information about them transferred to her glasses. “What do you like to listen to?” Danny asked Taban and closed the viewer on her glasses.

  Soon Danny and Taban were looking up bands on their Oghams and joking like they were old friends. Cassidy pretended to message someone on her Ogham, so she wouldn’
t have to interact. What were initially cheerful butterflies in her stomach when she met Taban, abruptly transformed into spiteful, wasps, as she watched him listen to her friend. Danny’s enthusiasm often puts people off, Cassidy reasoned. It’s nice that someone appreciates her. Angry at herself for being jealous of her friend, Cassidy tried to look out the window, but her attention kept returning to Taban. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but Taban seemed like he came out of a mid-twenieth century film that used a blurred halo effect to suggest glamor.

  “What about you, Cassidy?” Taban asked.

  “What?” Cassidy replied, having managed to distract herself with pictures of attractive people on her Ogham. She hid the screen with her hand when she realized Danny had disappeared from the middle seat. He slid into it.

  “Danny told me you go to junior college.” Resting his elbow on the tray table Taban tilted his head and regarded her intently.

  Cassidy nodded.

  “I go to Dalhousie. Danny said you were touring. Maybe I’ll see you there.” He tapped a code to unlock his Ogham. “Here, take my contact information.” She set her Ogham to receive mode and slid it across his.

  “That’d be awesome!” Danny said when she rejoined them. “We should hang out.”

  The seat belt sign beeped to on and the pilot announced the descent. Taban let Danny sit in the middle seat to Cassidy’s dismayed relief. She wanted to learn more about Taban, but using the face scan feature to look someone up on the Ogham was considered rude. Plus, most people bought a certain level of privacy from face identification technology.

  ***

  As they exited the plane, an Ogham buzzed. Cassidy and Danny instinctively checked theirs, before noticing Taban looking at his.

  “I need to take a message. It was nice to meet you both.” He walked far enough away that Cassidy couldn’t make out anything, but Danny heard: “Yeah, she’s here.”

  “Who’s he talking about?” Danny asked aloud.

  “What?”

  “Oops, I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping. It’s nothing.”

  “Tell me.”

  “He said, ‘she’s here,’” Danny explained.

  “That’s weird. Maybe he was talking about someone else.”

  “Must be.”

  Cassidy tapped his name into her Ogham. Since his last name rhymed with ‘purr’ she tried both ‘Mar’ and ‘Mir’. The latter yielded professional photographs that resembled the young man they’d encountered. At a glance, Cassidy could tell he’d put his privacy settings to high and paid a six-figure sum for an inclusive privacy service.

  “A13 accept: Message Mom: At Baggage Claim,” Danny said.

  “Why is your Ogham called: A13?”

  “The number I’ve broken.”

  Danny’s mother met them at baggage claim. Her hair was grey with the last hints of black tied in a bun.

  “I’m so glad you could come, I missed you!” She wrapped her arms around Danny. “Cassidy, it’s nice to see you again too.”

  Danny’s mother, Sarah Reyes, lived close to the airport in a compact, yellow, mass-production house. She drove them to her home in a small electric-solar car. When they entered, Danny noticed the walls painted ivory and grey. The dull interior contrasted with the colorful apartment her father had painted in Victoria to such an extent that Danny connected the dissonance to her parents’ separation.

  While enjoying a sandwich Ms. Reyes made, Cassidy noticed her friend’s frown across the table. “You okay, Danny?”

  “Yeah.” Danny didn’t feel like mentioning the estrangement in front of her mother.

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, what have you two been up to?” Ms. Reyes said.

  “I’ve been trying to stay on top of my school work, but it’s really hard,” Danny replied.

  “I volunteer at a mediation center,” Cassidy said.

  “Do you still do Aikido?”

  “Not so much lately. I’ve been surf kayaking, though.” Cassidy decided she should attempt small talk. “What brought you to Nova Scotia, Ms. Reyes?”

  Ms. Reyes continued eating her sandwich, as though she hadn’t heard Cassidy’s comment.

  “Mom, didn’t you take me here when I was little?”

  “No. You must be mistaken,” Ms. Reyes said. “I grew up here.” She finished her sandwich and left the room. Remaining at the table, Danny and Cassidy exchanged uncomfortable looks.

  “Want to play a video game?” Cassidy asked.

  Danny offered to watch, but Cassidy preferred to choose something they both wanted to do. At last they settled on their tried and true pastimes: watching martial art comedies, sparring, and eating pizza. School work and other productive pursuits could wait until after break was over.

  ***

  When they had completely exhausted their eyes, Cassidy and Danny got ready for bed and made their way upstairs to the extra bedroom. Ms. Reyes had covered the king size bed with a bright-green quilt, which cheered her daughter.

  “Sunset: sleep mode,” Cassidy commanded placing her Ogham on the bedside table. Sleep mode turned her Ogham to vibrate and informed senders on her contact list that she was unavailable.

  Danny switched her Ogham to sleep mode, by sliding her finger across the screen. She owned an Ogham-Flex, which, as the name indicated, had a flexible screen that made a cuff on the user’s arm. Cassidy looked at it carefully because it was much less popular than the Ogham with a strap. It had no compartment and tended to come off accidentally more often than the regular model. Giggles usually accompanied an Ogham falling off in public, because Oghams, being both waterproof and comfortable, were only taken off under specific circumstances by their owners.

  They awakened to a loud knock at the downstairs door. Cassidy and Danny glanced at each other. Who on Earth would come by this late at night? Cassidy wondered. She crawled to the bedroom door, kneeling next to Danny to listen.

  Ms. Reyes opened the door. “You aren’t welcome here.”

  “We know she is here,” a quiet but authoritative voice answered. “It is essential that we talk to her.”

  “No! I’ll make sure she doesn’t have to be part of this. She will be safe as long as she doesn’t know. Who’s to say that she’s one of you anyway?”

  “How can you think ignorance is going to protect her?” The stranger growled. “She is very likely a Tuatha de Danann.”

  “A Tooua de whatta?” Danny mouthed to Cassidy.

  “If I knew how that was spelled I could look it up.”

  “Shh! You will wake up the girls. Leave now!”

  Danny heard clattering that sounded like her mother pushing the stranger out of the door.

  “We’re in trouble if they find out about one of us,” he said. “You chose the worst time to bring her here. And make sure she doesn’t get sick!” he added desperately.

  The latch on the door clanked as it locked into place. Danny and Cassidy listened to the clicks of latched windows and rustled curtains. Ms. Reyes’ footsteps resonated, as she ascended the stairs making her way to her bedroom. Neither of them dared to move for about five minutes. Eventually, they crept away from the door to communicate in whispers.

  “I just spelled it out phonetically and came up with Tuatha de Danann,” Cassidy said. “Supposedly that’s a race in Celtic mythology.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” Danny replied.

  They huddled, silently searching on their Oghams for anything that sounded like what they heard, but yielded nothing promising. A break in the cloudy sky allowed a sliver of moonlight to illuminate the bed. The surreal light emphasized muscle definition on Danny’s dark arms and added an elegant shine to her hair. To Cassidy, Danny appeared uncharacteristically serene and powerful.

  “Why did mom say I shouldn’t know? I want to find out more, but I trust my mom.”

  “Knowledge is power,” Cassidy whispered. “How can not understanding what’s going on actually be good?”

/>   “I guess.”

  A cloud blocked the moon causing the room to darken considerably. A thought occurred to Cassidy, “Was that Taban just now?”

  “No. I’m positive it wasn’t him. The voice was too high.”

  “I didn’t think so.” Cassidy rolled over on the mattress. “Now that your mom’s not here, let me ask you again: ‘Are you okay, Danny?’”

  “Yeah … I’m mad at Mom for keeping something from me, though. I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Me too. We’ll figure this out.”

  “I’m not sure I can sleep.” Danny stretched her arms over her head. “Ugh. The plane made me so stiff.”

  “Would a shoulder rub help?” Cassidy offered.

  “Definitely. I’ll give you one too.”

  As Cassidy worked on a couple of knots on her neck, Danny tried to remember if she’d been to Nova Scotia before. As she reached back into the depths of her mind, she heard that word—Tuatha de Danann—echoing through a large house. The call of a bird in the distance, a twig breaking in the breeze, and a scratching below the floor boards distracted her from the vague recollection. She made a mental note to tell her mother about the rats under the house and drifted off to sleep.

  CHAPTER 3

  WELCOME, TUATHA

  DE DANANN

  FOLLOWING THE SCENT OF BACON, Danny charged down the stairs. Cassidy trailed after her with much less enthusiasm. Sunlight flooded the pastel-yellow kitchen through floor-to-ceiling windows. Ms. Reyes stood in front of the stove, her hand moving mechanically as she scrambled the eggs. The plates clanked as she set the table with unsteady hands. Cassidy saw the dark shadows under Ms. Reyes’ eyes. Ms. Reyes wouldn’t relinquish control of the frying pan to Cassidy, who tried to relieve her of the duty. A sizzling pop caused Ms. Reyes to jerk away from the stove. “Ouch!” Danny rushed over to help, her sudden motion causing more grease to jump out of the pan. Danny dodged the grease, but her mother moved sluggishly in her insomnia-induced stupor, so she suffered another burn. Apologizing profusely, Danny retreated back to the kitchen table. Ms. Reyes finished breakfast and served the girls.