Unafraid

by Michael Griffo

  Could it be that simple? Ronan had never heard of that happening before, but it made sense. If Morgandy wanted to be one of Them, The Well wasn’t going to allow him to cross over knowing all its secrets or maintaining all the benefits bestowed upon their race. If this was true, he was beginning to learn that The Well was more powerful than he had ever imagined.

  “So not only did you abandon him, Ronan, but your Well erased all his memories. Swimming like a pack of oversized fish, waking up each morning wrapped in your glorious arms, all those memories were taken from him and he was cast out,” David continued. “Why, he was discarded as callously as if he were a crippled newborn.”

  “I didn’t abandon him!” Ronan cried. “He betrayed me!” Once again David turned his back on Ronan, not to pour himself another drink, but to resume his place behind his desk. Like the insipid ladies of the long-ago tea parties, this young man was starting to bore him, and he wanted their conversation to end. “That is your interpretation, not that it makes a difference,” David said. “Morgandy van der Poole is born anew, unto a far superior race.” Dipping his quill pen into an inkwell, David shifted his attention to the small pile of papers on his desk. “And even though you’ve lost him forever, dear boy, never fear, he may become part of your family after all.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  David loved when he piqued an adversary’s curiosity with a simple turn of phrase. He relished the look of confusion on Ronan’s face for several moments before speaking. “Your former paramour has been searching for his freedom,” he announced. “And I believe he may have finally found it.”

  “I have to be free, Michael,” Saoirse declared. “That’s what my name means, you know, it’s Irish for freedom.”

  Slinking deeper into the brown velvet couch in the front room of St. Joshua’s, Michael sighed. “And in English does it mean stupid?”

  “I am not stupid!” Shocked, Saoirse threw her notebook at Michael. He deflected it expertly with the tip of his finger, sending it flying a few feet up in the air, and waited until it started to descend before reaching out his hand to grab it before it fell to the floor. They might not be in the library proper, but there was still no need to cause a ruckus.

  “Then why are you keeping secrets from your brother?” Michael asked. “Haven’t you learned that around here that’s really not the smartest thing to do?”

  “This is different,” she said, jumping up from her chair and jumping onto the couch next to Michael. “This doesn’t have anything to do with the V word.”

  Michael tried to stop himself from laughing, but couldn’t. “The V word?”

  Failing to find the humor in her euphemism, Saoirse replied, “Would you prefer I use the proper word? Because I can, you know. It rolls off my tongue right easy.”

  “Oh shut up!” Michael said, playfully hitting Saoirse in the arm with an embroidered pillow. “Look, I get why you don’t want to tell Ronan that you have a boyfriend, he’ll get all big brotherly and stuff, but you can’t keep it a secret forever. You have to tell him some time.”

  “Well, I was planning on making the big reveal the night of the Archangel Festival,” Saoirse said as she braided a few strands of her hair. “But David the arsemaster canceled it.”

  This was news to Michael, news that was really disappointing. “No Festival! Why not?”

  “Because it’ll outshine his daft Tri-Centennial shindig,” she replied, releasing the three strands of hair and watching them spin.

  Now it was Michael’s turn to pout. Wrapping his arms around the pillow, he held it close to his chest. “But that’s kind of our anniversary, me and Ronan.”

  “Anniversary?” Saoirse asked. “Of what?”

  Thinking back to the first night he and Ronan spent together, Michael was reminded yet again that there were certain memories that should absolutely remain private and secret. “Um, well, never mind.”

  Proving that she could read minds even if she didn’t possess the power of telepathy, Saoirse grabbed the pillow and whacked Michael in the head with it. “That is downright goppin’!” she exclaimed, her face scrunching up as if she had just smelled something foul. “You calendar that?”

  Wrestling the pillow from Saoirse before they got thrown out of the library, Michael tossed it onto the wing chair. “Officially changing the subject now,” he declared. “Have you seen Diego? We’re partners on a history project in Willows’s class, and we have to do some research.”

  Saoirse halfheartedly looked around the room and shook her head. “No Fuente presenté,” she joked.

  With or without his study partner, Michael had to enter the bowels of the library and start doing some actual schoolwork; the time for chatting with his favorite blonde was over. Well, almost. “I’ve got a great idea!” he announced. “Let’s go on a double date. Me and Ronan and you and the mystery boyfriend.”

  Before she responded, Michael knew she loved the idea. Her clutching his hands and jumping up and down kind of gave it away. “I love it!” she squealed. “We’ll go into Eden and hang out somewhere and be all adult-like. It’ll be cracking!”

  She was a handful, but she really was a lot of fun. Hopefully, her boyfriend was worthy. “And don’t worry, I’m sure Ronan is going to get along with this guy,” Michael said. “Whoever he is.”

  Flopping onto the couch like it was her bed, Saoirse laughed. “You know me, I never worry.”

  Which is exactly why Michael was worried. Just as he was about to leave in search of a book on the Franco-Prussian War, Michael suddenly remembered something else that caused him concern. “Where’s Ruby?” he asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be with her during your free period?”

  “Not since the creation of the Ulrich Doctrine,” Saoirse announced.

  “What?”

  Braiding her hair again, Saoirse translated. “The charter that Fritz drew up christening himself Ruby’s bloomin’ twenty-four-hour-a-day chaperone,” she said. “He’s gone a bit potty over that one, I must say.”

  Luckily Saoirse was more interested in her hair, so she didn’t see Michael’s alarmed expression. Well, there wasn’t anything that he could say or do that would convince Fritz to ease up on his courtship of Penry’s sister; Fritz was determined to make her his girlfriend. Walking into the library, Michael consoled himself with the fact that just because Ruby wasn’t human, didn’t necessarily mean that she wasn’t also harmless.

  As hopeful as that thought was, it was wrong.

  Looking at the girl from behind, Brania thought she was looking at herself. Same wavy hair, same auburn color, same curves. When the girl entered a clearing in The Forest and wasn’t shrouded in tree shadow, Brania realized there were some differences. This girl’s hair was much redder, much more like the color of Brania’s hair when she was a young girl, and her shape, while womanly, wasn’t nearly as voluptuous as hers. Still, from her current point of view the girl was attractive and would probably make a delicious meal.

  Hunger pains ripped through Brania’s body, determined to make her act. Usually she had control over her cravings, but now it took every ounce of restraint not to act like a cheetah and pounce on the unsuspecting girl, gently brush aside her red hair, and pierce her neck with her fangs. Take her blood, take her body, take her life. Before she realized it, Brania was right behind the girl, her fangs longing for release, her own body desperate for blood. So desperate that if Ruby hadn’t turned around at that exact moment Brania would have devoured every drop of her blood in one inhuman swallow.

  “Hello, Brania.”

  Clutching her own throat in surprise, Brania stepped back. It wasn’t the resemblance that alarmed her—besides the color of her hair and the shape of her body the similarities ended—it was the fact that Brania didn’t know what kind of creature she was; all she knew was that she wasn’t human. Other than that, she hadn’t a clue. Her eyes were completely white; not a pigment of color invaded either socket. Her skin was beyond translucent, and when
she reached out her hand, Brania saw that it was covered in a shimmery substance. Her entire body was outlined in a white glow, making her look ethereal. The fact that this being knew her name made Brania think she was probably sinister as well.

  “How do you know me?” she demanded.

  Ruby smiled, her red lips parting slightly to show teeth that didn’t contain fangs, but were whiter than any Brania had ever seen before. “I’ve known you your whole life,” she replied, even though her lips didn’t move. “It’s so nice to finally meet David’s daughter.”

  So that was it, she knew David. If that were true, she had to be sinister, no doubt about it. “How do you know my father?” Brania asked, her voice losing all of its calm. “Answer me!”

  This time Ruby laughed, but her body didn’t move, and if her eyes laughed along with her voice Brania couldn’t tell; they were still pure white, the color of total absence. “I’ve known your father for a very, very, very long time,” Ruby said. “And now I’d like to get to know you.”

  When Ruby touched Brania’s hand, she felt the world around her disappear. Gone was The Forest, gone was this strange girl who claimed to know her father, gone was everything except a white canvas. For a few seconds she felt like she was floating within a cloud, protected, hidden, comforted, and then she hit the ground. Immediately, she tried to get up, but her body refused. She felt that her own flesh was rebelling against her, but she quickly understood that it was merely being controlled by someone else.

  Looking down at Brania, Ruby was disappointed. She had thought that Brania would resemble David a bit more. Ah well, the girl wasn’t as young as she looked; age did change the body somewhat, even when that body belonged to a vampire. She did wish Brania’s hair were less auburn and more of a true red, more like the coloring of her hair. And David’s.

  She began to walk in a circle, and Brania noticed that when she moved a white light appeared behind her like a laser beam. What power that beam possessed or signified, Brania had no idea. She just knew it wasn’t normal. When Ruby had traveled once around Brania’s body, she stopped and stepped back so the light could connect and create one complete circle in the air. She raised her arm and, as if it were connected, Brania’s body also began to rise, not stopping until it was level with the circle of light.

  Unable to move even her eyelids, Brania was consumed with fear. She was one of the most powerful creatures who walked the earth and here she was immobilized by some girl without eyes, incapable of doing anything except staring up into the bit of sky that was still visible and not blocked out by the trees. Whatever this thing was, she was stronger than Brania, much stronger, so along with her fear, Brania also offered her respect.

  There was a sudden noise from within the wood, just a rabbit scurrying away, uninterested in the spectacle, but enough to distract Ruby. When she turned, the spell was lost. The light disappeared, and Brania fell to the ground, her body hitting the dirt hard, her mind losing consciousness. The sounds of The Forest grew louder as Ruby watched Brania’s motionless body, the wind, the chirping, the rustling, just the sounds of nature, sounds that would continue no matter what Ruby chose to do. But looking down at Brania, she remembered what David had always taught her: timing is everything, nothing can be rushed, and if something is important it’s worth waiting for.

  Yes, David was right. It would be better if she introduced herself to Brania another day. Satisfied that it was the right decision, Ruby walked further into the depths of The Forest, leaving Brania alone so she could sleep in peace. As she walked, her right hand swirled to create a circle in the air, a faint white light emanating from her fingertips. At the same time a circle was formed around Brania’s body, a circle that was made up of the most beautiful white roses.

  chapter 17

  At first, Michael thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He wanted so badly for it to be true that he thought he was hallucinating. But when he saw the funnel of gray fog slice through the clear, dark sky only to stop and hover in front of him near the edge of The Forest, he knew it was real. Phaedra had returned.

  “Hi, Michael.”

  Thrilled to see his friend again, Michael was speechless. He threw his arms around Phaedra and hugged her, immediately noticing how warm and soft she felt. She was definitely more efemera than human. It didn’t matter; it still felt wonderful to feel her, see her once again since he had thought she was out of his life, all their lives, forever. But here she was standing before him dressed in the familiar St. Anne’s uniform, her hair still a mass of unruly curls, her eyes still gray-blue and peaceful. Even though her reappearance brought Michael joy, he knew she hadn’t returned simply to pay him a friendly visit. Her homecoming must have been prompted by a far more important purpose. “I’ve come to warn you about something,” she said.

  “Before you tell me why you’re really here, can’t we just hang out for a while?” he asked. “Can’t we take a walk so I can fill you in on what’s been happening since you left?”

  A breeze blew past them disrupting her curls even further, and she tucked the wayward strands of hair behind her ear. It was a simple gesture, but it filled them both with sadness because it reminded them of the teenager she used to be and how she would never be that young girl again despite her convincing appearance. She was an ancient spirit with a message, a message that Michael had to hear even if he thought it was old news. “Ruby isn’t what she seems,” Phaedra said.

  Nodding his head, Michael agreed. “I know. She isn’t human.”

  “That’s only part of it.”

  Intrigued, Michael sat down on a boulder, the same color as the fog Phaedra so effortlessly transformed into. “What do you mean?”

  Phaedra hesitated only slightly before she sat down next to Michael. She was reluctant to get comfortable because she knew she couldn’t stay long. She shouldn’t even be here now; she should be at the Holding Place awaiting instructions, finding out who she had to protect next. Another breeze enveloped her, bringing with it an annoying voice that whispered in her ear, reminding her that no one could be more interesting than Michael and no surroundings could be more welcoming than Double A. That’s because Fritz wasn’t a student at any other school.

  “Phaedra, what do you mean?” Michael repeated.

  Focusing on the boy sitting next to her and not the one occupying her mind, Phaedra replied, “Because of what Ruby sets into motion, you’re going to be challenged like never before.”

  Intrigue had graduated into full-fledged concern, and Michael was starting to realize the gravity of the situation. “What is she going to do?”

  A few yards away, a twig snapped. It was a random noise, probably just an animal in search of a warm place to sleep, but it reminded Phaedra that she was breaking rules, defying the universe’s orders. If she wanted to stay here on earth any longer, she had to take precautions. “I think we should take that walk,” she said, abruptly getting up and walking into The Forest.

  Michael was quick to follow and even quicker to understand her motives. “You don’t want anyone to see you.”

  “I can’t have anyone see me,” she corrected. “I’m not supposed to be here.”

  “Then why did you come?” he asked. “You must know that I figured out Ruby wasn’t human the first time I saw her.”

  Leading Michael away from a well-worn path and into an area more densely populated with trees and bushes, Phaedra finally stopped when she was satisfied she would be camouflaged from prying eyes. “To remind you that you can only trust yourself and Ronan and to remember the things that he’s told you.”

  Michael wished she didn’t look so serious; he wished she would smile again. But obviously this wasn’t going to be a happy, hugs and kisses type of reunion. He thought back to the many things that Ronan had told him and instantly knew what Phaedra was referring to. “You’re talking about my dream.”

  “Yes,” she confirmed. “If there ever comes a time when you have to make an impossible choice, listen to your
heart and you’ll find the answer.”

  His heart understood the command; it had ever since he first heard Ronan speak the words in his vision. His brain was having a bit more difficulty comprehending the message. “Of course I’ll protect Ronan, you know that,” he replied, twirling his ring around his finger with his thumb. “But he’s so much stronger than I am, I can’t imagine he’ll ever need my protection.”

  Finally, there was her smile. Unfortunately, it was borderline condescending. “Michael, you really have to let go of this idea that immortals are invulnerable,” she said. “It’s sort of like being human. Humans have free will, but that doesn’t mean they’re not going to sin.”

  Michael turned the comparison around in his head. “So just because you’re immortal doesn’t mean you can’t die?”

  “Exactly,” she replied. Phaedra didn’t want to frighten Michael, but she had to make him understand. “And despite that knowledge you must choose to do what your heart and your destiny command.”

  A cold chill clung to the early evening air, but Michael didn’t feel it. His body erupted in an explosion of heat, heat that housed fear and panic. Phaedra was telling him something he didn’t want to comprehend; she was telling him that Ronan could die. It was an unimaginable thought. Ronan was a vampire; he was amazingly powerful; he couldn’t die. And yet those weren’t the reasons Michael wanted him to remain impervious to mortality. It was because without Ronan by his side, Michael didn’t know if life would be worth living. She was also suggesting something incomprehensible, that Michael must stand by and allow it to unfold. He knew he could never let that happen. “Phaedra,” Michael began, surprised to hear himself speak when it was so difficult to breathe, “if you know something, if you know that something is going to happen to Ronan, you have to tell me.”

  Looking down at her pleated skirt, she pulled on the material and stretched it out a bit. How she loved wearing this uniform, how easy it was to slip back into it. “Even if I knew exactly what was going to happen, I couldn’t tell you,” she replied. “I’m only here because you’re my friend and because Ruby cannot be trusted.”