by G. Bailey
“He isn’t that bad,” I reply, a little bit nervous. Who wants to take five guys back to your parents and grandmother? Let alone explain the relationships I have with them all. Knox is right as well, dad never did like the Tale brothers, but he hated Quin more. So maybe this is a good middle ground for him.
Or possibly the ground has just grown four times as bad as the one I left home with.
“Come on, Sleepy. Let’s go and help the others and take you home,” Knox says, turning us around, and we walk down the pathway, but my thoughts stay on the worry of taking him back to my parents. I don’t know why, but I’m more nervous to take them all home than to face an army of dark tales that want to kill me.
My dad is scarier than them all.
Chapter 6
The portal drops us right outside my house, and I stand for a long time, just looking up at the brown bricks, the white windows. Everything, from the tree by the side of the house to the white picket fence and dad’s red car, makes me so happy to see it all. This is my home, the place I was brought up, and most of my favourite memories were in this house or on this street.
“This house is so normal,” Warren comments as a car drives down the street behind us.
“Homey is the word you are looking for. I love this house,” I tell him, and he softly smiles at me.
“We should go inside; it isn’t safe to be outside at the moment,” Knox reminds us all, snapping me out of it. I run up to the door, lifting my hand to knock before shaking my head. I don’t need to knock. I open the door, stepping inside and smelling cookies straightaway as the warmth of the entrance hall breezes against my skin.
“Who is it?” dad shouts, coming out of the kitchen, holding a tea towel as he dries a dish. He grins, placing the dish on the side as I run to him and wrap my arms around him tightly, feeling overwhelmed with emotion as he holds me back. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen my dad. “Hey, pumpkin. I missed you too.”
“Does your grandma get a hug too? It’s been far longer since we have seen each other,” Grandmother Raven says, and I grin, pulling away from dad to see my grandmother by the dishes. Only she is far different from the last time I saw her. She is dressed in her usual jeans and simple black top, but large black wings spread out of her back, folded down on her back. “Ah, you can see them now.”
“You really have wings,” I say, running over to her and hugging her, my hands resting near her wings, but I don’t touch them as I don’t know if that’s okay.
“I’m going to get your mum out of the garden. She is going to be so happy,” Dad says and walks past the guys, and suddenly he pauses. He eyes them all, focusing on Warren for far too long before looking back at me. “Tell your men to stay there, and I will be back. Especially the dark one.”
“Oh don’t be silly, son. Introduce me, Madi,” grandmother replies as I let her go and turn around.
“Sure. This is Warren,” I say, and he comes over, bowing his head before offering her his hand. “And you already know the Tale brothers. Everyone, this is Grandmother Raven.”
“Who are you again?” grandmother asks, pulling Warren closer with a tight grip on his hand. I place my hand on her shoulder, worrying that she is reacting with that “kill first and ask questions later” instinct, but I see tears filling her eyes. She suddenly lets go of Warren’s hand and walks away, heading to the stairs.
“Grandma, are you okay?” I ask.
“I need some space, I’m sorry. It’s all too much,” she says through tears, and I frown in confusion as she goes up the stairs just as mum runs into the room, wearing bright pink gardening gloves, and she’s covered in soil. She practically squeals when she sees me and runs at me, almost knocking me over as she hugs me tightly.
“I’ve missed you so, so much,” she tells me, holding on so tightly. “I never expected to have you back so soon. Is everything okay?”
“Not exactly. Can we sit down to talk?” I ask, seeing dad leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as he stares down the Tale brothers, and poor Warren just hides near me.
“Of course, dear. Where is your grandmother?” mum asks, looking around at everyone. “It is lovely to see you four again. Madi missed you so much. But who are you?”
“This is Warren, and grandmother wanted to go and sit down for a bit,” I say because I’m still so confused about what upset her about Warren. It didn’t make even the littlest bit of sense.
“Right, well, all of you go and sit down. I will make tea, and there are fresh baked cookies,” mum says, kissing my cheek and heading into the kitchen. Dad stares them all down for a second longer before ruffling my hair as he passes me and goes to help mum in the kitchen. Sin, Noah and Tobias sit on the one sofa, and I sit on the other between Warren and Knox.
“Your dad still hates us,” Sin whispers with a nervous look. Even though my dad doesn’t have powers and they all do, somehow they are scared of him. I’ve never seen him as anything but my playful, cheeky dad that loves to embarrass me. I doubt that is how the brothers and Warren see him though. Mum and dad come back into the living room a little later, handing us all a drink and putting plates of cookies on the coffee table. The guys instantly tuck into the cookies, mumbling thank you as dad judges them, and mum looks so happy to have us all here. It’s an odd mood.
“We went back in time,” I say, and everyone just pauses until dad laughs, that is until he sees how serious I am being.
“How far back? How is that possible?” Dad asks.
“In the future, the one we came from that is different from now, Sin died and the dark tales destroyed the good community, taking Lost Time Academy over as well. The leader, Rueben Frostan, made me use a raven stone to look into the past, but it nearly killed me to do it. It killed a healer the second time,” I say, and mum lets out a little noise of horror. Tears run down her cheeks as dad holds her close but keeps his eyes on me.
“Our little girl went through so much,” mum says.
“But she isn’t our little girl anymore. She is our brave and amazing daughter. I can see you’ve changed,” dad says, and I nod, feeling like I needed to hear him say that, and I didn’t know I did until now. “What did you see with the stone?” dad asks.
“The past of the two goddesses that made our race,” I explain.
“Dear god,” mum mutters.
“They were locked by magic in a statue in the library at the academy all these years. We found the keys, which were daggers, and unlocked the statue. The bad goddess has disappeared, and the good one sent us back in the past to change everything before she died,” I explain as the guys carry on eating cookies until the plate is empty.
“How is this possible? What did you all do next?” mum asks.
“We saved Sin, and Madi put the island to sleep. The entire island is in a magical sleep, and they aren’t waking up,” Knox explains for me as I drink my tea. Somehow mum’s cup of tea makes me feel so much better.
“Whoa, my girl has some powers,” dad proudly says.
“Dad,” I say.
“Sorry but not sorry,” dad cheekily replies.
“That is incredible, Madi, but you need to see something,” grandmother says, and we all turn to look at her as she comes into the room, still somewhat upset. She picks up the remote and clicks on the TV, flicking until she finds the news channel. We all stare in shock at the remains of buildings burnt to a crisp and one familiar woman causing all the destruction, with another familiar man following her.
“That’s her, the goddess that escaped, with Rueben as well,” I mutter as the announcer talks about how all of Greece is being destroyed and terrorised by this magical woman they are calling the darkness. Kinda fitting.
“We have a big problem. I think the world is just finding out fairy tales are real, and this one is going to end the world,” mum says, her voice a ghost of what it was before.
“Do you have a plan?” Dad asks the most logical question.
“We need to get inside the c
ouncil building. We need to access the books and weapons they have from the ancient times,” I say.
“That’s half, maybe even a quarter of a plan. What are you going to do next?” dad asks, and everyone looks at me.
“I have to stop her. It’s my fault,” I say.
“No, it’s not,” Warren interjects, but I shake my head.
“It is, and it’s the price for getting Sin back,” I say, and the room goes silent until Knox speaks.
“Then it’s all our fault and our price to pay.”
“And mine. I should have stopped Rueben years ago, but I didn’t,” Warren adds in. The brothers nod at him, seeming to respect him more for saying that. I don’t think it’s his fault at all. Warren was lost in a world of pain back then. Funnily enough, he met me when I was in the same place as him, and we pulled each other out of it.
“Fault is a funny word when it’s shared. It becomes less of a fault and more of a determination to fix something. In this case, you have to save the world,” grandmother says.
“But first, we all need to go back to the dimension. It isn’t safe here,” Knox interrupts. “I do not like that we have been here this long.”
“Dimension?” mum asks.
“I can make a portal to a world I’ve created. It’s safe as only I can enter it and choose who to take with me,” Knox explains.
“It’s safer than here. What if the darkness goddess moves here and starts destroying everything, including you all?” I ask when mum looks hesitant to leave.
“We will come with you, Madilynn. You are our daughter,” dad says, and mum nods.
“And we will help you get into the council building. Grandmother Raven should be able to help with that,” mum says.
“Maybe,” grandmother replies. “That is if they keep the spare key in the same place they did before.”
“It’s not under a flower pot, is it?” Sin asks, and we all laugh as grandmother shakes her head at him.
“Right then, we should get packing,” mum says, standing up and going off without saying another word. Dad awkwardly stares down the guys until I stand up and clear my throat.
“Dad, maybe I should go and help mum, and you help grandmother pack,” I suggest to dad. I need some time alone with my mum.
“Good idea,” dad says, getting up, and I look to the guys just as Sin mouths “thank you” to me. I try not to chuckle as we go upstairs, and I walk into my mum’s bedroom, hearing dad open the guest room in the distance, with grandmother following him. Mum has pulled two suitcases out from under the bed and is emptying her drawers of folded clothes until she sees me.
“Are you okay?” mum asks.
“I wondered if you wanted some help,” I say, rubbing my arm.
“Yes,” she says, staring at me oddly for a moment. “Why don’t you choose some of your dad’s shirts to pack?”
“Okay,” I say, walking to the wardrobe and unhooking a blue shirt first. I fold it neatly as I walk to the suitcases, but mum stops me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as she starts to cry. I hold her tightly, breathing in her lavender perfume and remembering how just her perfume always had a way of making me feel safe. Even though everything is so not safe, it still works in a strange way.
“I know I should be brave for you. That I shouldn’t cry in front of you, because you need me to be strong, but—”
“It’s not that simple. It’s okay to be scared and worried, mum. I feel it too,” I admit.
“If I could fight this battle for you, I would,” she tells me, pulling back and placing her hands on my cheeks. “I would in a heartbeat, without a second thought.”
“I know,” I tell her.
“The only reason I feel like I can breathe is because of how those boys look at you. They are going to fight at your side and make sure nothing happens to you,” she tells me.
“They will, mum. We always fight for each other,” I reply, because I know it’s true.
“It’s what family does,” she tells me. A tear rolls down my cheek as mum kisses my forehead and steps back, wiping her cheeks and putting on a big smile. “More blue shirts. It’s your dad’s favourite colour.”
“It’s mine too,” I say with a smile. I can be as brave as my mum. She just showed me how.
Chapter 7
“Madi, everyone is ready, are you?” Noah asks, coming into my bedroom and smiling at me as I sit on the bed, looking over my old, flooded with memories of this place. I remember how the boys would come for a sleepover, where mum made them sleep on the floor in sleeping bags, and dad would check they were still in them at three a.m. every morning. I remember movie nights with us all sat around with popcorn and laughing at the TV. I remember everything about this place, and I almost don’t want to leave. Noah comes and sits next to me, wrapping his arm around my back, and I rest my head on his shoulder.
“I miss normal too,” he tells me, knowing exactly what I’m feeling.
“Do you think we will ever get back to normal?” I ask.
“Only if we can save the world,” he says and chuckles. “No pressure, aye?”
“None at all,” I say back with a big smile, looking up at him. He leans down and kisses me ever so softly and slowly, exploring my mouth with such tenderness as I lean into him. Someone clears their throat, and we look to the door to see Sin leaning against the frame, his arms crossed.
“I don’t ever remember that being an activity we did in your bedroom, Madi. Was Noah keeping secrets from us all?” Sin asks with a cheeky smile, and I roll my eyes at him as I stand up. Noah grabs my bag off the bed for me, carrying it out and shaking his head at Sin. I close the door as they both walk down the corridor, and it feels important somehow as the door shuts. It’s like I’m saying goodbye to my childhood and the comfort I find here. I can’t be a child anymore; I have too much to do. I learnt the hard way that not fighting back and being scared means you will lose someone. I lost Sin once, and I will not lose any more of my Tale brothers. They are everything to me.
“It’s hard to leave home, is it not?” grandmother asks me as I let go of the door handle and turn to see her walking towards me, wearing a long red cloak.
“You remind me of little red riding hood, you know? Whose grandmother knits her a red cloak?”
“I prefer the novels I’ve read where the big bad wolf transforms into a sexy man and—”
“Grandma, I really don’t need to know about what books you like to read,” I say, and we both laugh as she comes closer to me.
“There are important things I need to talk to you and Warren about. Alone though, dear,” she says.
“We can speak in the dimension; it’s not safe to stay here for too long,” I say. “Want me to carry that for you?”
“That would be lovely,” she says, and I take her bag before walking down the corridor and down the stairs. My parents have their suitcases in front of them and smile at us as I stop next to Sin and the other Tale brothers who are in the crowded room. I look behind me, seeing Warren coming out of the kitchen with a bag in his arms.
“We are ready to go,” I say.
“What is this place like?” mum asks me, sounding a little concerned.
“Beautiful,” I answer, which seems to put her at ease for just a second as I see Knox moving in front of us all. He takes less than a few seconds to make a portal burn into the living room.
“We just walk through it?” mum asks, but grandmother is already walking past me, and she walks straight into the portal, not looking back once.
“Your grandmother is brave,” Warren says.
“Or reckless,” mum interrupts, and I chuckle. I walk through the portal next, coming out on the other side to the dimension, where my grandmother is looking around in wonder. My parents come through next, holding hands, and their mouths practically drop open as they take in the place. Warren follows them through, and the Tale brothers come out next, holding the heavy-looking suitcases they instantly put down on the grass. Knox jumps through la
st, closing the portal with a click of his fingers.
“Noah, darling, would you show me the kitchen? I would like to get ready for tonight’s meal,” mum says, getting right at home already.
“Of course, Mrs. Dormiens,” Noah replies, and Sin goes with them as they wander off.
“Boys, I would like you to show me around. Where are we sleeping?” Dad asks.
“I can make you a building wherever you wish,” Knox explains. “That is ours and Madi’s cabin. The one opposite is Warren’s and Quin’s, but he isn’t here right now.”
“I want rooms right next to my daughter,” Dad says.
“Dad,” I groan, shaking my head. “Wouldn’t it be easier if Warren moved into our cabin? There is a spare room, and then you, mum and grandmother can share his cabin. It would be easier all round.”
“Oh for heaven’s sake, Madi is clearly old enough to make her own choices. If I remember right from the stories I heard, you had many girlfriends during your youth and many sleepovers,” grandmother backs me up.
“Deidre—”
“Leave poor Madi and her gorgeous men alone and move your butt into Warren’s cabin,” grandmother says and looks to me. “Madi and Warren, do take me to the river. I wish to see it; it sounds so lovely.”
“It would be an honour,” Warren replies, hooking her arm in his, and I run to her other side. I look back to see Knox nervously showing dad where to go, with Tobias practically hiding in their shadow. My eyes lock with Tobias, and he smiles at me, a smile that is begging me to save him. Nope. I’m escaping.
We are silent as we walk down the small path and get to the river. Grandmother goes and sits on one of the large rocks. Warren and I look at each other, neither of us really knowing what to say to her.
“Warren, you look so much like your grandfather. Did you know he and Quinton’s grandfather were the closest friends growing up? I was friends with them both…I loved them both. The council found out about my relationship with Horace, but they didn’t know I loved Declan as well. I had to end my relationship with them because the Masters forbade it; it only meant death for us all,” she explains.
