“No, no. Those are just stories,” I replied more to myself than to Viv. “They can’t be real.”
“Perry doesn’t think you should know the truth, because the ACC likes to punish those of us who actually know what we are. They don’t mind exploiting our powers though. He wants to keep you safe. But protecting you is going to sink him, and I cannot allow that. So, now you are in the same boat as the rest of us. You can’t pretend that you don’t see the ACC’s bigotry anymore just because it doesn’t affect you.”
“The rest of you?” I repeated back, struck by her phrasing. “What are you?” I asked, wondering if there was more to this story than just Perry and me.
“Part mermaid. My mother. Orpheus, Itzel and Anubis are too. Lavinia and Westin are part vampire from what I can tell. You can usually tell from the powers. Itzel has a textbook Siren’s call. Lavinia was a bit trickier to figure out. She didn’t know her Dad, and her mother is only safe because she pretends he is just a normal witch. Shifting into spooky things is vampire 101, though. So, we are pretty sure.”
Aella’s painted words on the Memorial came to mind: “We know the truth.” This was the truth that she was talking about. Spindlewick was full of crossbreed children. Children that the ACC only let live because they were useful. Children who were not supposed to exist in the first place. So much began making sense now. There was only one person who could confirm this for me. I needed to get out of this illusion and see Perry now. Reaching inside of me, I called upon the powers of air and water. Viv needed a shock to her system to snap her out of this mind control. Extending my hands out, I silently commanded the temperature around us to drop.
“What are you doing?” She shouted, her breath now visible. I was plunging the summer night into winter dangerously quickly. I needed Viv to come around fast, before anyone got hurt. I tried to contain the shift in temperature to the glade. However, with the illusion in place, I could not be sure that the marshals on other parts of the island wouldn’t notice. A layer of ice formed where Viv was still wet from my orb. She couldn’t take much more of this. I would have to stop soon. Luckily, the light came back to Viv’s eyes, followed closely by horror and exhaustion. Knowing what would surely follow, I snapped my own eyes shut, trying to avoid the disorientation of coming out of the illusion. In my current state, I knew I couldn’t handle it. Curled up on the floor, I released my hold on the temperature. It slowly began to reset itself. When the plastic floor gave way to rich soil again, I opened my eyes. Across from me, Viv had collapsed. Lavinia screamed and ran over, trying to rouse her. Westin grabbed the unconscious witch’s healer bag and joined them. Looking up to the canopy, Anubis was patiently waiting to be released from his own prison. With a wave of my hand, the branch put him down gently. He nodded at me gratefully, pity filling his eyes. That confirmed it. He had seen the exchange.
The moments that followed were excruciating. They felt like both a lifetime and the blink of an eye. Seeing Perry would tell me everything that I needed to know. I wished silently that there would be a smile on his face, and this would all be an elaborate prank of some kind. When I reached his eyes, though, there was only sadness. His face searched mine desperately.
“Khlorie,” he called to me, voice breaking.
“Is everything Viv said true?” Perry took a step towards me, but I retreated. “Is. it. True?” I ground out.
“Yes,” he whispered, frozen by my rejection of his closeness. “Everything Viv said is true.”
Next to Perry, Orpheus was comforting Itzel. “Lo siento mucho,” she kept saying. “Khlorie, I just wanted her to distract you. I asked her to talk to you. I thought that would keep anything bad from happening. I couldn’t reach her once she put you in the illusion.”
“Does everyone here know the truth?” I asked finally. “Have you known the whole time?”
Silence. Eventually, Orpheus answered in his calm, deep voice. “Everyone here knows the truth about enhanced powers. Most people at Spindlewick do not.” Looking at the rest of the group, he added, “I think you and Perry need to talk without an audience.”
“I don’t think that is a good idea,” I replied sharply. The air elemental flinched at my cold words. Viv was now up and walking, thanks to Westin’s quick use of a replenishing potion and a body temperature spell. She tried to meet my trainer’s eyes, but his expression turned stony, and he looked away.
“I didn’t mean for you to find out like this,” Viv called to me. “I won’t pretend that I didn’t think it was important for you to know. But this was not the way.” She motioned to the woods around her.
“I’m glad someone wanted to tell me the truth,” I responded, causing her eyes to flit guiltily towards her best friend. Leaning on Lavinia and Westin, she began to walk out of the glade. Anubis gave my shoulder a squeeze and followed behind them. Orpheus and Itzel moved to follow, despite my protests.
When we were alone, Perry dared another step in my direction. “I never wanted to keep things from you,” he began.
“But you did.”
“I just didn’t want you to carry this burden,” he whispered into the darkness. “The ACC goes to great lengths to keep this a secret from everyone, especially us. Your life is in danger if they find out you know what you really are. Viv and I, we live in a farming community in Maine. We can keep a low profile. You have the damn Luminary Witch over for tea every week. You are best friends with the daughter of the people who would imprison you.” He paused. “However, you feel about me right now, I am not going to let anything happen to you.” He took another step and then another. My feet were rooted, arms stiff at my sides. Inches away from me, he paused. “Please talk to me.”
“I knew that there was a piece about Spindlewick that I was missing. I just didn’t think it was this big.” I paused. “You think my dad was like you? That his mother...”
“I had my suspicions, but I didn’t know for sure until you told me you found out he was an earth elemental.” I nodded.
“Were you ever going to tell me the truth?”
Taking another step towards me, he wrapped me tightly in his arms with one hand around my waist and one cradling the back of my head. I considered pushing him away, but I was shook to my core. Whatever happened tomorrow, this was helping now. Perry held me for a moment before speaking. My head fell against his chest, absorbing the comfort he was offering. “Eventually, when we are out of this place and not being watched as closely.”
My chest ached hearing him describe a future that we could never have. There would be no “we." I would not put him in danger. Releasing myself from his arms, I put distance between us. Rubbing the heel of my palm against my chest, I willed the pain to go away. “Why did you tell Marshal Trackerson about us? You knew about all of this. You put yourself in danger. Viv was right when she said that they would not let us be together, not with a shared secret like this.”
“I do care about you, Khlorie. There was no lie that Marshal Trackerson would have believed. Besides, no one is going to keep us apart. They can’t. We are tethered.” He searched my face, looking for a reaction. “I felt you searching for me, using the tether.” He stepped close again. “You can feel it too, now. Can’t you?” I nodded and he pulled me back into an embrace. “The ACC will never know that we are aware of our lineage. They don’t want to know. It means they can’t use us.”
“Have you always known what you are?” I whispered against his chest. I felt him nod and I tilted my head back to look at him. “Keeping it a secret must have been hard.”
“I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.” He replied sadly. “Least of all, you. I’m so sorry that you are carrying this burden now.” His lips came down and grazed the top of my head.
“My mother hates fairies,” I said quietly into his chest, tears rolling down my eyes.
“There is nothing wrong with what you are,” he responded, pulling me in tighter. “You are extraordinary. You are perfect.” I stayed in his embrace for a while, knowing that, soone
r or later, I would have to give him up for good.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The cool, September air kissed my skin as I cultivated my garden plots. Under Ed and Perry’s watchful eyes, I grew an apple tree from seedling to fruit producer in under ten minutes. It was the hardest task they had given me yet, and I felt tired as I pulled a perfectly red apple from a branch. Perry, sensing the strain on my magic through our growing connection, knelt down next to me.
“Was that too much?” He asked, taking a bite of an apple.
“A healthy stretch,” I responded quickly. “Are they as good as your Mom’s?”
“No comment,” he replied, laughing. “You are going to have to come and taste for yourself.”
“There is no way the marshals are going to let us off the island together,” I whispered. It had been three weeks since learning that I was actually part fairy. Knowing this made me look at the marshals with new eyes. There were some who were stationed along the perimeter of the island, but many walked the interior of the campus, including a mind witch. While he was nowhere near as powerful as President Sager, he would certainly be able to mine the thoughts around him for incriminating evidence. Perry walked me to classes each morning, and every day he asked whether or not I’d taken my mind-blocking potion. He was taking no chances now that I knew the truth.
“Oh, Khlorie,” Ed gushed. “That was quite incredible! You could be the answer to World Hunger! Perry and I will have to discuss what to try next.”
“I had a thought about that,” Perry said smiling.
“Do tell!”
“Well, it seems Khlorie can accelerate the growth of any one seed. I wonder if she could do it with a field of seeds?”
Ed’s eyes lit up. “What an intriguing idea? The problem, of course, is that we don’t have a proper field. I keep asking to annex the space behind the garden, but Professor Hola says that he needs that to stay as the flying space.” She shook her head. “They are flying, why do they need such a large piece of ground? I told him he could keep the whole sky, but...no! It is not enough. Selfish,” she added.
Perry smiled, and I realized that this was not just an off the cuff idea. Perry had some kind of plan. “That is too bad. She really could use the practice.” He paused. “Hey, I know! My mother has a farm and orchard. I could take her and have her practice there.” Perry’s acting skills were atrocious, and I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing.
Ed clapped her hands together, causing her signature crocheted bell sleeves to dance. “Now, there’s a thought. I will talk to President Sager about it this afternoon at our meeting.”
“Is that today?” Perry asked.
She nodded sadly. Looking at how the moods shifted, I knew the meeting was important.
“What is wrong?” I asked slowly.
Ed looked at Perry, who nodded. “We meet with President Sager every year to discuss our advisees and their potential career placement. This meeting is much earlier than usual.” Fear must have crossed my face, because she went on quickly, trying to console me. “Obviously, I will tell her that Perry must be placed in a gardening position.” Even as she spoke, she seemed defeated. “She can’t keep such a talented gardener away from plants. It would be an outrage. It would go against everything we are taught about ACC job placement.” I wondered how much Ed knew about Spindlewick and the students.
Three loud tones interrupted my thoughts and Perry eyed Coventry Hall wearily.
“Students,” Ed called out to the garden. “That is the mandatory convening bell. We must all hurry to the Community Center. Leave your tools here, we can come back and get them later. Next to me, Perry stiffened and grabbed my hand. As we were exiting the garden through Coventry Hall, I spotted Itzel moving quickly with a group of chanters. Soon, she was also at my side. Looking around at the grim faces, it seemed that everyone knew that an unplanned assembly in the middle of the academic day was bad news.
Students arriving in large groups were funneled into a neat line due to the narrow entryway of the Community Center Building. It took a long time to make it into the building, but I was in no hurry. Nervous energy in my body now activated my elements. I could feel them dancing just underneath my skin. It would take nothing to call them, so I needed to be careful. When we reached the well-lit circular chamber, we could see that marshals stood along the circumference of the top row. We spotted Orpheus talking quietly with Anubis across the way, much to our relief.
“You should go sit with them,” I whispered to my trainer. Perry was supposed to be pretending that we broke up, but he was miserable at it.
“We don’t know what is going on here. I am not leaving you. We came from gardening. It’s not weird.” he whispered back, determination clear in his voice. He was so stubborn. Keeping him safe was not going to be easy. Viv, Lavinia, and Westin were a few rows in front of us. Perry pretended not to see Viv shooting him apologetic glances. It had been weeks, but the man next to me was still being a bit cold with her. He had officially forgiven her, but their relationship was not the same. I gave her an apologetic look. I would not be the reason for their schism.
When students and faculty stopped filing in, President Sager walked into the door flanked by Marshal Trackerson and Virtue Williams. I sucked in a quick breath at the sight of them both together. Virtue’s piercing silver-gray eyes found me in seconds. Giving me a quick nod, she looked back to President Sager.
“I am joined today by Bodhi Trackerson, the head marshal of New England, and Virtue Williams, the head of M.A.S.L.E.O. They are here because the marshals have uncovered that the fairy breach of the island was not an isolated incident.” Gasps filled the air and people began chatting under their breath. I looked over at Itzel and saw her eyes were wide with surprise. Perry held my hand a bit tighter. “The recent capture of a local digger fairy revealed that the Inner Circle has been receiving highly classified information from a member of the staff here at Spindlewick. This individual was taken into custody this morning and will be prepped for a thorough interrogation in the coming days. The library will remain closed until Madame Spine’s replacement can be found.” Perry’s body tensed next to me, and a light breeze tickled my face. For all of his gifts at keeping his face masked, Perry was losing control of his winds. The marshals were scanning actively for any unusual responses and I could not let his anger be so evident. Even a slight breeze would trigger their notice in a building with the door closed and no open windows. With the gray thread vibrating, I called to Perry’s winds and commanded them to dissipate unnoticed. Eyes seeking Orpheus, I mentally pleaded with him to work his calming magic on my trainer. Finding him, I could see that we had the same idea and Perry’s body slackened a bit in his chair. Maybe we could get him out of here safely, after all.
“We debated about whether or not to divulge this information,” Virtue Williams began. “It is an ongoing investigation, after all. However, we decided that you all are our best bet of making sure that any other such plots are found. You have the greatest interest in making sure that your secrets are not shared. This is your future that people like Madame Spine are endangering. So, we are asking that if you know anything about collaboration or fraternization with fairies that you come forward to any marshal stationed here on Spindlewick Island. They are here for your protection. As you know, with the Council of the Harvest Moon coming up, the fairies are more desperate than ever. They know that once we pass this fairy registration bill that they will no longer be able to hide their anti-witch activity. We will find every last member of the Inner Circle. We will find all of the wrong-doers and terrorists. Once every fairy must be registered, you will all be safer, and so will your secrets.”
“If you didn’t weaponize us, the fairies would leave us alone!” A voice called from my left. Standing there was Dido. Despite my dislike for the witch, I felt bad for her. This was not going to end well.
“Everyone must do their part for the good of the ACC,” President Sager said calmly. Next to her, Bodhi Tr
ackerson balled his hands into fists and moved instinctively towards Dido.
Virtue simply smiled. “Every one of you is evidence that witches are the dominant supernatural species. No one else can touch us. If we left you to regular University programs, you would simply be picked off by murderous fairies, or jailed because you can’t control your powers. All we ask in return for teaching you and protecting you is that you give us a few years of service, in some fitting capacity.” Hoping Dido would nod and sit back down, I looked over at my classmate.
“What evidence is there that the fairies would give a damn about us if we weren’t here? All of their attacks have been on government sites.” She paused, anger warping her face. “YOU are the terrorists. You are the ones targeting families and…” Whatever she was about to say next was trapped in her throat as a snarling panther launched towards her from the center of the room. Growling and stalking, Marshal Trackerson climbed row by row up to Dido in his feline form, terrifying students as he passed. Behind her, four marshals had pinched forward. She was trapped. Her face turned ashen at the show of aggression. Her lips trembled and she froze, seemingly rooted to her spot. Despite our previous interactions, I felt sorry for Dido. This was not going to end well.
“Well, we certainly want to hear more of this viewpoint. In private.” Virtue’s voice was menacing. She nodded to the marshals and they moved to collect my classmate. My breathing got heavy. She did not deserve this treatment for dissenting. The marshals inched closer to taking her, but when they reached out she was gone. In a blur, Dido sped out of their outstretched hands over to the opposite side of the room. She was a speedling. She moved towards the doors, but Virtue secured it magically with a wave of her hand. “Dido, come quietly and talk to us. The more you resist, the more we assume you have to hide.”
Tears were falling down Dido’s face now as she realized there was no way out. “You aren’t supposed to assume guilt at all. That is the problem.” Dido called out, her voice shaking with anger and fear. “You assume my guilt because I disagree with you and no one questions your authority.” As she spoke, two marshals crept up behind her and clasped her arms firmly, forcing her down to her knees. She was bound at her arms and ankles right there in front of everyone, as if it were a show. They could have saved her some dignity, but that was not the point of this demonstration. Bodhi and Virtue were making an example out of her and showing us all what happens when you cross the ACC. It made me sick to my stomach, but I forced myself to watch. This was a side of this family that I needed to see if I was going to keep everyone I loved safe. I needed to be smarter around them. Finally, Dido was dragged out of the building, still on her knees. Bodhi, back in his human form, escorted them out.
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