Tab Bennett and the Inbetween

by Jes Young

  “That’s enough you two.” Pop took a seat behind the desk and Alex and I stepped reluctantly away from each other. “Your lack of self control is inexplicable and unforgivable.”

  “It’s worse than that. It’s slutty,” I muttered.

  “I apologize, Bay,” Alex said through a smile. He grabbed my hand and brought me closer to him. “I was unprepared for my reaction to her. I didn’t expect the enchantment to be so…strong.”

  “Yes, that was unexpected, wasn’t it?” Pop was pretty clearly not amused. Alex, for his part, seemed unaware of the icy gaze the old man was giving him.

  “I meant no disrespect.” Alex looked over at me. “I hold her in the highest esteem.”

  “If I thought otherwise we wouldn’t be standing here now. Her guards were ready to defend her. Matthew or Francis would have had you on the ground in moments if I thought you meant her any offense.”

  “Your men have served the princess well.” Alexander bowed deferentially to Pop and gave my hand a playful squeeze.

  I had no idea what they were talking about. Princess? Guards? None of it made sense. Nothing had made any sense since I’d walked up the stairs to meet Alex.

  “Where’s Robbin?” I asked, suddenly frantic. “He’s waiting for me. I have to go.” I needed to find him, apologize to him, beg his forgiveness. I had to find my engagement ring and put it back on. I promised I would never take it off again if he was waiting for me.

  I heard Alex say, “What do you mean she doesn’t know?” without registering the surprise and anger in his voice. I was already in the hall calling Robbin’s name.

  ********

  I found him sitting outside on the top step of the porch. He was holding my engagement ring, turning it over and over in his hand. I saw his shoulders tense when I walked up behind him but that was the only indication he gave that he knew I was there; he didn’t say anything and he didn’t look at me. I told myself he was mad, that he deserved to be mad considering what I’d done, but he would forgive me. He wouldn’t be waiting for me if he hated me beyond repair.

  I wanted to apologize but nothing I thought of seemed like quite enough to make up for vigorously making out with a stranger right in front of him. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say. I can’t explain any of it…” I babbled on for a while after that, apologizing again and again while his back got tighter and tenser and straighter. Eventually I concluded with, “So anyway, could you say something please? Or at least look at me?”

  I heard him take a deep breath before he stood up. When turned to face me, he wasn’t himself. His eyes held none of their usual chocolaty warmth. His lips were set in a grim line.

  “I’m sorry,” I said again.

  “Please don’t apologize, Princess.” There was no trace of emotion in his voice, no trace of love or anger. He sounded removed, polite. “You did exactly what you were supposed to do.”

  “Stop calling me that.”

  “Whatever you say, your Lightness. It has been my honor to serve you, but now I am going home.” He started walking towards his truck.

  “Wait. I don’t want you to go yet.”

  Without looking back he said, “It’s not my job to care about what you want anymore.”

  “Why are you doing this?” I was holding myself together by a thin thread – a very thin thread – but I was close to snapping. I guess he heard that in my voice because he finally stopped and turned around.

  “Don’t tell me he still hasn’t told you,” he snarled. “He still hasn’t told you, has he? Unbelievable.”

  He took a step towards me, ready to be my hero just as he always was, before something stopped him. I saw a flash of hostility move across his face and I didn’t have to look to know that Alex was behind me. I could feel him there.

  “This is my first chance to thank you for your service, Robbin Turnbough,” he said. “You have our deepest gratitude.” Personally, I would not have described Alex’s tone as grateful.

  “It was always my pleasure to serve the princess.” It was impossible to ignore the way Robbin lingered on the word pleasure.

  Alex was standing behind me and Robbin was in the darkness just beyond the circle of porch light, which meant I couldn’t actually see either of them. I could feel the tension though, covering the three of us like a blanket – a thick, scratchy, smallpox-ridden blanket. For a second it seemed one of them was definitely going to punch the other. It was just a question of who would move first. I waited, hoping one of my cousins would hear the brawl and get there quickly to break it up – maybe even before anyone got hurt.

  “Perhaps we should save this reunion for another time,” Alex said.

  “You say when,” Robbin called as he climbed into his truck.

  Alex gently took me in his arms and I let myself be folded close to him. I laid my head against his chest and my body relaxed there, all the tension of a horrible day evaporating in an instant, leaving me with a strange kind of peace. I heard Robbin’s truck start up and rumble down the driveway and I remember thinking, Robbin is leaving you. Go after him but I didn’t move. I was in Alex’s arms; there was nowhere I wanted to go.

  I lifted my head from his shoulder. He was very close and we studied each other in the dark for a breathless moment before he laid my hand over his heart.

  “I’m sorry, Princess. When I came here today I assumed you would know who you are.”

  “And who am I, exactly?”

  Chapter Five

  Alex told me the story of how I came to live at Witchwood Manor. It didn’t start with “once upon a time,” but it might as well have.

  “It will be hard for you to believe this but there are things in the world that you cannot see unless you know to look. Inbetween places and on the underneath of things there is sometimes magic, either light or dark. Our people are part of that magic.”

  A sputter of air, not a real laugh but close, left my mouth. “Alex, I…”

  He held up his hand, silencing me.

  “We are called by many names, sometimes the trooping fae or the Alfar or my personal favorite, the hidden people but I think you will know us best by our simplest name, elf. We are of two kinds. Those of the Light,” he gestured to include us both, “rule the kingdom above the World of Man while They of the Dark rule the kingdom buried beneath it. The two kinds have been at war in some capacity or another for thousands of years. The violence always building and waning until sometimes a short and vicious war erupts.”

  “Your mother, the Queen Gwendolyn, was strong and powerful and the dark elves feared her. While she was queen, They stayed below where They belong and there was peace in the kingdom for an Elves age, which is a very long time. We grew careless, believing They had been conquered, but They were plotting in secret, grasping and waiting and lurking the way that things that thrive in darkness always must.”

  I pictured something small and pale and wrinkled crouched among the roots of the flowers. Alex slipped his jacket over my shoulders, mistaking my shiver for cold.

  “Shortly before you were born They attacked as the Queen rode through the countryside. She escaped without serious injury but she was weakened. Bringing you into the world weakened her further and she never fully recovered. You were Gwendolyn’s only child and she was thrilled, of course, to have you. She loved you very much. In the short time she remained amongst us after your birth she doted on you. She passed on to the land of Eversummer before you were a full season old.

  “Without fear of Gwendolyn, They of the Dark grew bold and began attacking We of the Light, starting the war again. When the other members of your mother’s council were killed, it became clear it was too dangerous for you to stay amongst our people. Bay Bennett, your mother’s friend and most trusted advisor, volunteered to bring you here, to raise you away from the violence and destruction that was raging in the Inbetween. He has kept you here in secret, safe, for all these years but now it is time for you to return to your kingdom.”

  I di
dn’t know what to say. “So you’re telling me that I’m . . .” I gestured for him to finish.

  “You are Tabitha Bennett, born Aurora, acknowledged Heir to the Throne of your Mother, Gwendolyn, born Spring, herself the Daughter of Summer. You are an Elvish princess.”

  I touched my ears. He smiled and brushed my hands away from them. “That’s fiction.”

  “And you are?”

  “I am Alexander Hilldale, son of Adair, General of the Queen’s 100, and the man you are going to marry.” He sounded so confident, so sure of himself and his place in the world; I had a sudden, smarting desire to kick him in the shin and run. He rested his hand on the side of my face, turning my desires in another direction. “We have been promised to each other since the day you were born.”

  “I don’t remember making any promises to you.” My voice was all breathy and soft but I was not flirting. At least, I didn’t mean to be.

  “There has been a certain lack of romance, hasn’t there?” His smile made all kinds of very exciting promises, sending a shiver of anticipation up my spine. “There will be plenty of time for us to make it up to each other now that we’re together.”

  I could feel something pushing me toward him, urging me to touch him, like a voice whispering in my ear.

  “But what about Robbin?”

  “Turnbough will be rewarded for his loyal service. As will the other members of your guard.”

  “My guard? Right. Because these people aren’t my real family.”

  “Not by blood, no. George Waverly will act as your advisor, just as Bay once did for your mother. Francis Oakman commands your personal guard and Matthew Waverly is his second in command.”

  “How interesting.”

  He looked puzzled by my lack of reaction as he continued with his story. “Mollinda and Rebecca led the Winged Circle – an ancient order of teachers, guardians and guides. They accompanied you to the World of Men to assist in educating you about your role as queen.”

  “Hmm,” I said noncommittally. “What about Rivers? Who was she?”

  “Had she lived to take her place, Rivers would have sat at the head of the Council of Our Mothers. She would have helped you to rule the Inbetween.”

  *******

  “So I’m just supposed to believe I’m an elf because you say I am? How do I know this isn’t a joke? Can you prove any of this?”

  “You think your heritage is a joke?” The vein in Pop’s forehead was throbbing with a never before seen intensity. Explosion: imminent. “Do you know how many of our people have died to protect you? Molly and Rebecca – Rivers – their deaths seem like a joke to you?”

  We might have gone on like that for hours, Pop and me yelling at each other and accomplishing nothing, but Alex raised his hand and silenced us both. “What kind of proof do you require?”

  I tapped my finger against my lips. “I’ll tell you what I want for Christmas, and if Santa brings it, I’ll know you’re telling the truth.”

  Pop sputtered in surprise at my rudeness. Alex raised his hand, silencing Pop again. I made a mental note to ask him about the hand thing. That was a trick I wanted to learn.

  “I know this is difficult for you to believe,” he said.

  “Seriously? Do you really expect me to believe I’m an elf?” I folded my arms across my chest in a posture that said ‘because I don’t’ as clear as words would have.

  “You are Elvish, Tabitha; it’s not a question of belief. But since you only just found out,” Alex glared at Pop before continuing, “I understand your need for proof. With your permission, Bennett?”

  Pop was not in a permission giving kind of mood. He wanted to refuse so badly I swear he was almost shaking with the desire to say no. But he gave it anyway. He didn’t really have a choice.

  “Look at me,” Alex said, “I am going to show you that I am as I say.”

  A desk lamp provided the only light. It cast shadows against the objects in the room, making everything seem unfamiliar. Pop and I sat across from each other with the expanse of his desk between us and he was the most unfamiliar thing of all. “Well watch him,” he groused.

  “Are you ready?” Alex asked as he moved a few feet away from me. When he closed his eyes the air began to sparkle and sway. A bright, white light swelled in front of him, wrapping itself around him. He stood, radiant, at the center of the glow. I was breathless, jealous, desperate for the light to hold me too. I took one step toward him and he disappeared.

  “Alex?” He reappeared when I said his name. “That was amazing.”

  He made a little bow and then said, “Now listen to your grandfather.”

  “Can you do that?” I asked Pop.

  “Of course,” he said indignantly. “All of We of the Light can do that.”

  “Can I?” My eyes were wide open at the thought.

  Alex laughed. “Soon, love, you’ll be able to do that and much more.”

  Pop cleared his throat. “Are you convinced then?” he asked.

  The magic of Alex’s disappearing act was hard to ignore but some part of me, the part that had long ago given up on the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny, wasn’t buying it. The whole story was too crazy to just believe. I was intrigued but cautiously so.

  “You have my attention.”

  After an annoyed grunt, Pop reached into his desk drawer, pulled out a box, and placed it in front of me on the desk. “This belonged to your mother,” he said. “Now it belongs to you.”

  You’ve heard the phrase expectant hush, right? Well, one of those fell on us as I scrutinized the unexpected gift. Alex smiled and gestured toward it, his face full of a happy kind of tension. He wanted me to like it. He wanted me to put it on and say yes and be happy too. Something in his expression reminded me of the way Robbin looked right before he asked me to marry him.

  “It’s not a box of snakes, Tabitha. Just open it,” Pop snapped.

  After a moment of hesitation I picked up the ornate wooden box and carefully worked open the silver clasp. Inside, a delicate circle of braided platinum vines and flowers and diamonds flashed and sparkled. I touched it tentatively, just with the tip of my finger, and the flowers and vines burst to life, transforming into living roses and ivy and vibrant blue forget-me-nots. Clustered around the diamonds, the flowers so alive and fragrant were more beautiful than the platinum version could ever hope to be.

  “I’ve kept this safe for you just as I have tried to keep you safe while we lived in exile here among Those of the World. Perhaps I have made some mistakes but I have always acted out of love and loyalty to you. I have always done what I believed your mother would have wanted me to do.”

  I had no idea if he was right, if he’d raised me as my mother would have. I didn’t know anything about her—nothing true anyway. He had kept her from me my entire life.

  “We have very little time to decide what you’ll do next. Your future, the future of your kingdom – I have been making plans…”

  I snapped the box closed and pushed it away. “So whether I’m your granddaughter or the queen of Narnia you still get to boss me around and decide everything, huh? Here’s what’s happening in my future; I’m going home to take a bath.”

  “I am not finished,” he began but when I raised my hand to silence him, to my surprise, he stopped talking.

  “It’s enough for one day, Pop.” The familiar name stuck in my throat. I felt my face flush. “Wait; would you rather I call you something else now that I know? I could call you … Bennett I guess.”

  “Of course not.” He looked hurt by the question. “Whether or not we are bound by blood, I will always consider you my beloved granddaughter.” That was as close to a declaration of love as Pop usually got. “If you’re sure,” I said. “I mean, that’s how I feel too.”

  Pop really wasn’t the hugging kind, but he did his best, briefly wrapping his arms around me. Then he nodded and straightened his tie. “You may take the princess home now.”

  Permission granted. Some th
ings never change.

  *********

  The air between Alex and me was buzzing with questions and doubts and curiosity. Sitting on the sofa with him was like trying to relax in a wasp’s nest. The longer we sat there, the louder the buzzing got.

  “Would you like to ask me anything? Anything at all?”

  “I should have thousands of questions for you, shouldn’t I? I can’t think of one.” I laughed at the absurdity of that. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  He was sitting just one sofa cushion away, staring at me with those bright blue eyes, that’s what was wrong. I knew there were things I should be concerned about but all I could think about was him. I jumped every time he moved his hand, hoping he was going to touch me. He seemed so calm by comparison, making my excitement more embarrassing.