by Stella Snow
“I didn’t realize they looked down on people who couldn’t use magic.” Melodie picked at the hem of her shirt uncomfortably. She looked down at her hands. They were still tingly. She rubbed her fingertip against her thumb trying to get it to stop.
“They pride themselves on their magic. I can see why they are snobby even if I think it’s crappy of them. How do you feel about cinnamon?”
“Cinnamon?” Melodie asked.
“Yeah, in your hot chocolate,” Ethan clarified, holding up a shaker of cinnamon.
“Oh, that’s fine.” Melodie tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She looked down at her shirt and finally realized how filthy she was. Her hands and clothes were streaked with dirt. She patted at her hair and realized there was a twig stuck in what was left of her braid.
Ethan noticed her discomfort. “Maybe I should have offered a shower first.”
“It’s no big deal. I still feel a little wobbly, maybe the sugar will help,” she said with a tired smile. “You said some of your people can’t use magic anymore. Can you?”
He nodded. “My mother’s side married with humans the least out of any of the families, and I guess that has made us stronger. My father’s side is probably the third or fourth strongest, and my mom’s family has always had the strongest magic. It’s why they’re the Keepers of the Gate on this side of the Veil.”
Melodie looked at his ears, but they looked normal. She frowned.
“You okay?” he asked.
She snapped her eyes back to his face, but it had been obvious she had been staring. “Your mom has, uh, pointed ears like mine, but you don’t?” Melodie poked the tip of her ear.
“Oh, yeah.” Ethan turned his head to the side and the next moment his ear was slightly pointed, just like his mother’s had been. “I use glamour to hide it. I honestly forget about it most of the time.”
“Will I be able to learn that?”
“I’m sure, it’s pretty simple magic.”
Ethan grabbed two mugs from the cabinet and poured a generous serving of the rich, chocolaty liquid. Melodie accepted the hot mug gratefully and took a sip to test the temperature. It was too hot, but she didn’t really care at the moment. The warmth was heaven on her throat as she took a long swallow.
“So, you and your guardian got attacked?”
“Yeah, by men with swords and a barghest, apparently. It smelled terrible.”
Ethan laughed, bright and open, and Melodie couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve read about those. I bet it was a shock to see something like that.”
Melodie nodded. “Yeah, you could say it was a shock.” Her hand twitched as she remembered the searing pain of the magic of that had burst out of her.
“Is that what happened to your face? The burn marks?”
Melodie brought her hand up to touch her cheek, she had forgotten about that already. There were three blister spots that she could feel. “Yeah, that thing’s saliva was no joke.” The spots hurt now that she had touched them.
A timer went off and Ethan jumped up to pull a dish out of the oven that smelled like lasagna. “Want some actual food?”
Melodie shook her head and swirled the remaining hot chocolate in her cup, trying to cool it off. She forced herself to take another drink. The drink was good, but she had lost her appetite completely.
“Think I could get that shower now? I feel disgusting.” She took her mug to the sink and dumped out the remnants.
“Yeah, sure.” He motioned for her to follow him down the hall. “I can get you something for those burns too.”
John’s phone conversation was briefly audible as they walked past the study. He sounded terse and irritated, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying.
“You can use my bathroom, but— crap I need to go grab a clean towel. Just wait here,” Ethan said as he trotted off down the hall.
The door to the room next to his swung open and the girl from the family photos walked out, froze, and stared at Melodie. She had the same brown hair as Ethan, cut into a short bob, but her eyes were more hazel. She was a miniature of her mother. “Who are you?”
“Um, Melodie.” She had no idea what she should or shouldn’t explain to the girl.
“Why are you outside my brother’s room?” the girl asked, surprise turning to suspicion. Melodie was saved from having to answer when Ethan walked back with a fluffy black towel and her travel bag in hand.
“Leave her alone, Joy, she’s had a rough day. Just go get something to eat. Dinner is on the stove.” He opened his bedroom door and waved Melodie inside. “Sorry, Joy takes after Mom. She likes to interrogate people.”
Melodie followed him through his room, which was perfectly neat, into a roomy bathroom which was also perfectly neat and clean. What kind of teenage boy was he exactly?
“You can use all my shampoo and stuff if you need to.” Ethan pointed at the shower. He set a small jar of ointment on the bathroom counter. “For the burns.”
“Thanks.” Melodie smiled.
“Whenever you’re done, I’ll be in the kitchen or living room.”
Melodie nodded and Ethan left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. She locked the door, then stripped off her dirty clothes.
As soon as the hot water hit her skin, she relaxed and began picking debris out of her hair. She poured an excessive amount of shampoo into the palm of her hand and scrubbed her scalp with vigor. The fresh scent finally erased the memory of dirt and blood and magic. The memory of bodies lying still on the ground. As soon as it was rinsed out, she combed conditioner through her hair and scrubbed every inch of her body. Each swipe of the rag was cathartic. She desperately needed to feel clean again.
Melodie got out of the shower and wrapped herself in the oversized towel. She grabbed the ointment and dipped her finger in the white cream. It smelled like mint and cucumber. When she looked up, she froze. Her eyes were very green––as green as the gem in her mother’s necklace––but there were also flecks of gold that made them look unnaturally bright. They stood out from the plainer features of her face. She had the same flat nose, unfortunately, and the full lips. Her black hair was still wavy and only moderately shiny.
The reddened welts were new though. There was a cluster of burns on her cheek that trailed down her neck. Melodie hoped they weren’t going to leave a scar.
She pushed the wet strands of her hair behind her ears and tried to get used to their new, strange shape. They weren’t exactly larger, just longer where they extended into a point. She poked the tip and wondered at the kind of magic that could change something so basic about her.
Her skin had a muted sheen to it now that made her skin seemed to glow with health. She turned in the mirror trying to see her back and noticed there were two lines on either side of her spine that were different from the rest of her skin––a pearly white. She touched it gently with her finger, but it didn’t feel different.
The person in the mirror looked like her, but not. It was like she was looking at a close relative instead of her own reflection. She tried to memorize her own face and adjust what she knew she looked like. As she stared in the mirror, the tingling feeling of magic on her arms grew. Balling her hands into fists, she turned away. If she let the magic get away from her again, Esther would not go easy on her.
The magic receded and she let go of the tears she had been holding back all night. Sobs shook her shoulders as she buried her face in her hands.
Chapter 7
Melodie jolted awake. She couldn’t remember what she had been dreaming about, but her heart was racing.
“Melodie?” Salathia gently shook her shoulder.
“What?” she asked, grumpy and disoriented. She sat up partway and realized she was curled up on one end of the couch. Ethan was hovering at the end of the couch, his lips pressed into a white line.
“Esther wants to talk to you soon, but I wanted to make sure we spoke first,” Salathia said. “You heard yesterday that the gate was closed, right?�
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“Yeah, but what is the gate again?” Melodie rubbed a hand across her eyes. The whole night before seemed like a bad dream, yet there she was on a stranger’s couch.
“It is the only way to pass between the human world and the Sidhe. The last time the gate was closed was during the Great Unsettling when the Forgotten were trapped here and war broke out in the Sidhe.”
“Okay. So, it’s a big deal,” Melodie said. “What now? Can they reopen it? Do they know how something got here if not through the gate?”
“They haven’t been able to reopen it, and they don’t know how the mercenaries and barghest got here.” Salathia sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “We will be figuring out the next steps today. So far Esther is willing to let Gavriel and I help, even though we aren’t part of the Forgotten.”
“Who is Gavriel exactly?”
“An elf, from your father’s kingdom. He’s from one of the noble houses actually,” Salathia said, her brow creasing. “I don’t know why they would have sent someone like him out here.” Salathia smoothed down a piece of hair that was sticking up from Melodie’s head. “Are you feeling alright this morning? And are you using the ointment Ethan gave you?”
“Yeah, and the burns are fine I guess.” Melodie rested her forehead on Salathia’s shoulder. “I’m tired, and still confused, but I don’t feel like I’m about to explode again or anything.”
“Glad to hear it.” Salathia pulled her into a tight hug before standing. “I have to get back to the meeting. Someone will come get you when Esther is ready to talk to you.”
Salathia swept off to the study, taking her comforting warmth with her, before Melodie had a chance to object.
“What time is it?” Melodie asked as she sat up and swung her legs off the couch.
“Ten a.m.,” Ethan said.
“What else did I miss while I was asleep?”
Ethan plopped down beside her and propped his bare feet up on the coffee table. “My mom came back about thirty minutes after you fell asleep. Ms. Nancy, the woman that normally stays at the gate came back with her too, but she only stayed for a little while. The others have pretty much been locked in that room since she left. I don’t even think they’ve slept. Nancy did tell me that the gates were closed when she was leaving, and I’ve never seen her look rattled before,” Ethan said with a shake of his head. “I think pretty much the whole community has heard about it now. Everyone is coming over for dinner. You’ll get to meet quite a few people in between all the meetings they’ll be having.”
“Why does it matter if the gate is closed?”
“Well, it’s not so much that it will affect the Forgotten, it’s kind of what it represents. The last time it was closed a huge war broke out in the Sidhe so it’s kind of a touchy subject. We’re not sure what it means. Also, the mercenaries got through the Veil, and we have sworn to protect humans from those kinds of threats. On top of all of that, Mom promised Gavriel safe passage to this side of the Veil, if he gets trapped, that’s just another way we have failed.”
“Is there more than one gate?”
“No.” Ethan shook his head. “Gaea only had the power to create one.”
She pinched her eyebrows together. “Who is Gaea?”
“Oh, that’s right. You don’t even know who she is.” Ethan sat up straight and turning to face her. “She is the goddess of balance. She protected the Forgotten through our banishment centuries ago.”
“I see,” Melodie said, a little startled by his fervor. And by the thought that gods and goddesses might be real. Everything was so new and confusing––like she’d stumbled into a dream. “When is everyone else getting here?”
“Around five this evening. Sierra and Tate should be coming with their parents, so you’ll get to meet them too.” Ethan grinned.
“So—we just wait now?”
“Apparently.” Ethan shrugged. “Want me to show you the room you’ll be staying in? We can move your things in there if you want.”
“Yeah, if I sit here any longer, I think I’m going to fall asleep again.”
Ethan stood from the couch while she pushed herself up onto wobbly legs. He stopped at his room to grab her bag, then led her back down the hallway and past the study. “This is the guest bedroom. Mom said you’ll stay in here and Salathia can stay out in the guest house with Gavriel since it only has two bedrooms.”
The small room had the same wooden floors as the rest of the house. There was a simple white comforter covering the bed along with numerous decorative pillows that looked like they would be extremely uncomfortable to actually lay on. The only furniture in the room besides the bed was a dresser with a mirror on top.
Melodie followed Ethan into the room and pushed the heavy, white and gold brocade drapes to the side so she could see outside properly. He set her things on the bed and joined her at the window. The room looked out over the side of the backyard, she could see what she assumed was the guest house and a large pool.
“I should show you around the property since I think you’ll probably be staying here for a little while.”
“That’d be great,” Melodie said, letting the curtain fall back into place. She didn’t like the sound of staying here for a while. She wanted back in the little beachy cottage that she and the-woman-formerly-known-as-her-grandmother had picked out together.
“Come on.” Ethan tugged on her elbow. He practically jogged down the hallway, taking a left through the living room and leading her out onto the back porch. Melodie stepped out into the sunlight and felt a rush of energy. She paused for a moment and let the breeze drift around her.
“Sorry, I’m still a bit sleep-deprived,” she said when she noticed he was staring at her.
“It’s alright, I do it too. No matter how little Sidhe blood you have in you, you can feel a connection to Gaea. She restores us, even on this side of the Veil.”
“I’ve never noticed anything like that before.” Melodie crossed her arms, feeling uneasy having a connection to a goddess she had only heard of that morning, and wasn’t sure she even believed was real. She had always been the outdoorsy type and she spent most afternoons sitting out in the backyard if she could. There had never been anything like this before. She could feel the tickle of something strange along her skin now. It was unnerving.
“It’s easy to rationalize or dismiss things if you have no reason to examine them more closely. Or maybe the binding kept you from feeling it, who knows,” Ethan said with a shrug. “Come on, the pool is this way.”
The backyard was magnificent. The guest house was bigger than most people’s homes and might have been the original house that was built on the property. The front of it was covered in leafy vines that made it look as though the house had grown up out of the ground.
The pool blended in as a natural part of the landscape as well. It had a slide built into a waterfall made of rocks and the bottom was painted dark blue making it look like a lake. It was three times the size of a normal pool at least––the thing was practically a lake. These people must have a lot of money. Maybe they’d sold off whatever jewelry they’d brought over from the Sidhe as well.
There was a gazebo with climbing vines that covered the trellises that were set on each corner. The vines were awash with purple flowers that were all pointed toward the morning sun. She caught a glimpse of a white shed near the side of the guest house, but her view of it was blocked by the gazebo. The lawn was perfectly maintained and had little stone pathways between the house, the pool, and the gazebo. Just like the house, it could have been in a magazine.
Melodie wasn’t sure where the property ended, there was no fence, it seemed to just disappear into the forest. She turned in a slow circle and stopped facing a large, stone wall that must have been fifteen feet high on the other side of the yard.
“What’s that big walled-off area?” Melodie asked.
“Ah, that’s the garden. We can’t go inside right now, but I’m sure you’ll have permission to en
ter soon. It’s a little piece of the Sidhe that the Founders created when they first settled here. They tried to recreate the gardens that they had at home. We grow some things there that are native to the Sidhe. Dad and the other elders maintain it, but any of the Forgotten can come to it at any time. You can feel Gaea’s presence there so strongly. I guess you could say it’s like our church.”
“Wow, that actually sounds kind of cool,” Melodie pressed her palm over her necklace. Her heart clenched at the thought of getting to be near a piece of something from her birthplace. The Forgotten had been cut off from their home with no hope they might return, she could understand wanting to keep what you could.
“The property extends back about a half-mile into the woods. I can probably take you out there tomorrow when we have more time. The guest house is always unlocked by the way, if you ever need to see Salathia or whatever.”
“Good to know,” Melodie said, still staring at the wall.
Ethan pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. “Crap, I’ve got to get started on lunch and Mom would kill me if I left you out here unsupervi—um, by yourself. So I have to drag you back inside.”
“Alright,” Melodie said, trying to push down her irritation. She had just broken their entire driveway, so maybe it was reasonable to give her a babysitter. Regardless, it rankled.
Ethan led her back inside and Joy was waiting for them on the couch reading. She propped her chin up on the back of the couch when they walked in.
“What were you doing?” Joy narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
“I was showing Melodie around,” Ethan said as he walked quickly into the kitchen.
Melodie paused at the edge of the couch and smiled at Joy, though she got a blank state in return. “What are you reading?” she asked Joy as Ethan began pulling things out of the refrigerator.
“A book.”
Melodie raised her brow and stared Joy down. The young girl finally sighed and lifted the book up so that Melodie could see the cover. “A Wrinkle in Time.”
