by Lainy Lane
“Anything else?” She places her hand over Drake’s shoulder. Calandra fights against her instinct to react and distracts herself by looking at Jarreth.
“That’s all for now.” Drake brushes Glyda off; he suddenly seems completely uninterested. Calandra wonders if it has anything to do with the fact that she kept her reactions hidden or if she’s simply flattering herself with that train of thought. Once again, she wonders why she even cares.
“What someone isn’t telling you,” Jarreth finally takes his glare from Drake and turns to face Calandra. His face is still stiff, but his eyes seem softer, “is that not only will the person you’re with effect how powerful you become, but it will also directly effect the amount of good or evil in you.” Jarreth takes his shot quickly and holds the glass up in the air for another one. “But, you’re a smart girl, Cal. We can trust you to make the right decision.” Jarreth’s eyes narrow in Drake’s direction.
“There isn’t a decision to be made!” Tristan corrects.
Calandra takes a long gulp of her new drink and tries to drown out the situation going on around her. She decides she doesn’t want to respond to or even look at anyone at the moment. The amount of pressure that has just been laid on her makes her head spin. Calandra still feels Jarreth’s gaze on her. He is watching her, probably trying to gauge her reaction or feel her emotions. She tries to shut him out completely, but isn’t sure how to tell whether she’s successful or not.
In an effort to distract herself and resist the temptation to look at Jarreth, she decides to turn her attention to Drake. He has lit a small burner at the bottom of the silver contraption and is now opening the brown bottle. He places the lid next to him and pours a thick, dark crimson liquid into the triangular glass that sits on top. At once, the liquid begins to bubble and flames blue for a few seconds before going out. Using mostly his long, angled, brittle fingernails, Drake picks up the cup and gulps down the liquid quickly before he starts the routine again. Calandra watches in amazement and curiosity takes over any other thoughts or emotions she had.
“I take it you haven’t explained all of our ways to her.” Drake’s voice pulls her out of her daze and he nods his head toward her.
Calandra clears her throat, returns to her drink, and tries to hide her blush. She finally makes herself look up at Jarreth questioningly. Jarreth smiles at her reassuringly and somehow she figures it means he’ll explain later. She bats her eyelashes at him. He shakes his head slightly and tries to stifle a laugh.
“Well, well, well …” Drake breaks up the silent communication going on between them. “Looks like you two are already starting to bond, eh?” He takes the shot of the red liquid he’s just prepared and snaps his fingers for Glyda to return.
Tristan looks between Calandra and Jarreth again with hurt and confusion on his face.
Without saying anything further, Drake motions for Glyda to take his stuff from the table and gets up. He slowly brushes his arm across Glyda’s back and smiles at Calandra as he does. Her body stiffens, she returns to her drink, and finishes it in one big gulp. “I told you not to search her out just yet, Tristan. I knew you wouldn’t listen.” He winks at Tristan before turning and walking out of the bar.
“Another!” Calandra says before Glyda can walk away. “Well, he’s charming isn’t he?”
“No!” Jarreth replies rather harshly.
“Relax, it was a joke. You know, a bit of sarcasm.”
“I knew that.” Jarreth’s voice turns slightly defensive.
“Yeah, okay,” Calandra laughs.
Glyda returns with their drinks. “That’ll be all for today,” Jarreth tells her and gulps his shot down. “We’ll be leaving shortly, put it on my tab.”
“And Drake’s as well?” Glyda asks with a smile.
Jarreth rolls his eyes. “And Drake’s, too, I guess.”
Calandra sucks down her drink while Jarreth stares at her. “What?” she finally asks.
“Nothing, just thinking,” he says as he places his hand behind his head and leans back slightly in the booth.
“About?”
“Don’t fall for Drake’s tricks, Calandra. He’s not exactly … good.” His face is serious and the expression looks out of place with the rest of his body in such a relaxed position.
“According to someone that knows you pretty well, neither are you,” she points out.
Jarreth chuckles and nods. “This is true.”
“Does anyone want to fill me in on all of this?” Tristan chimes in.
Calandra finds herself surprised that she seems to have forgotten that he was there. “It’s … well, complicated!” Calandra finishes her drink.
“Come, let’s go.” Jarreth smiles as he stands up and holds his hand out for her.
“Where exactly are we going?” Tristan stands in front of Jarreth and holds his hand out for Calandra.
“I can handle myself thank you!” she says as she stands up quickly out of the booth in an attempt to make a point. But in the dramatic effort to make a point, her foot catches on the leg of the table beneath her. She loses her balance and falls toward the floor.
Jarreth reaches his arm out and steadies her. “You sure about that, Cal?” He chuckles.
Tristan’s glare burns into Jarreth.
Calandra’s entire face turns red and she shakes it no.
Tristan puts his arm around her waist to keep her steady and walks her out of the bar. “Lucky you have me for support, huh?”
“Too bad you have no idea where we’re going,” Jarreth mumbles under his breath.
They turn out of the bar and head back toward the tree house.
“What? The bar is the only thing in town?” she asks when she realizes her exploration day is over.
“No, but I think you’ve had enough for the day. The sun is going down, your boyfriend has returned, and I feel obligated to get you home now.” Jarreth walks a little further ahead of them and out of earshot.
Calandra throws her head back and laughs heartily, though she is unsure of why the statement is so funny.
Tristan leans into her. “Nice to see you, too, Cal. Glad to know you missed me.”
The pressure fills her head again as she realizes this cannot end well for anyone.
****
Jarreth, Tristan, and Calandra sit on the couch in his little cabin. Jarreth has his bottle of pink liquid out on the table and two shot glasses. He pours some into each of the glasses.
“Two?” Calandra says as she pulls herself out of the swirling thoughts in her head and realizes what he’s doing.
“Both for me, don’t sound so excited.” He chuckles.
Tristan watches them both carefully. In an effort to ignore the tension building in the room, Calandra straightens up with an idea. “That, I believe, is where you’re wrong!” she says, and in one swift movement she grabs one of the glasses and gulps down the liquid before Jarreth can stop her.
It’s sweet and a little sticky, but it doesn’t burn at all. It is thick and soothing as it slides down. Something familiar swims in her as she drinks it, but she can’t quite put her finger on it. She puts the glass back down on the table and smiles daringly at Jarreth.
He simply stares at her, shocked. “Well played, dear, well played.” He chuckles as he takes his own shot.
“So, now that I’ve had it, are you going to tell me what it is?”
“I think not. Let that be a lesson for you to not drink or eat things that you have no idea what they are. Especially in Faerie. We’re not all as innocent as I am.” He winks.
“Somehow I doubt that.”
“What? You think they are all innocent?” Jarreth now has alarm on his face.
“No, I doubt that you are that innocent.” She laughs and points at the shot glasses.
“This is true.” He frowns slightly and refills the glasses. “However, comparatively, I’m not so bad really.”
“Compared to who?” Calandra giggles.
Tristan scoffs
and goes upstairs. He had been less than uncomfortable since he came strolling back into the scene unexpectedly. Calandra has a feeling he had expected Jarreth to leave when they got to the tree house. To be honest, Calandra had expected him to as well, but he didn’t, and she wasn’t going to push the issue.
“Others here I guess.” He shrugs and hands her another glass. “Seriously though, Calandra, what Drake was telling you, the amount of power and evil in the person that you choose to love directly effects the person you will become and in turn, what this world becomes.”
“Why do I feel like there’s a warning in there?” she asks and shoots the liquid back.
“Because there is,” he begins as he takes his own drink. “If you fall in love with evil, this world is history. There’s your warning, without a riddle even!”
“No pressure or anything, right?” Calandra chuckles and lays her head back on the couch as the drinks begin to make her vision swirl together.
“None at all,” he whispers. “You don’t need any pressure, I can take it away.”
Calandra’s entire body freezes just as her emotions start to drain out of her, thanks to Jarreth. “No, I don’t think you can,” she says simply and sits up straight. “I think you need to go. I need to go talk to Tristan.”
Jarreth’s eyes flash green and return to baby blue again. Without a single word, he stands and leaves the tree house. Calandra sighs at the turn of events the day managed to take. Tristan is upstairs upset and clearly they have some things to discuss. Too many emotions clutter her head and she feels like she may explode. Sighing audibly, Calandra leans back on the couch and closes her eyes to the entire situation.
Chapter Fourteen
Possibilities
“So, you’ve been holding up well in my absence I see,” Tristan says as Calandra sets a plate in front of him.
Jarreth’s body has gone stiff. He is sitting over his plate with his fork in his hand in midair, but he’s yet to take a bite. Calandra had managed to pass out on the couch last night instead of going to talk to Tristan, which made things awkward, to say the least. To make matters even worse, Jarreth showed up first thing this morning before she had even woken up, which left things beyond awkward. Calandra isn’t even sure where Tristan stayed and somehow she feels that would be the wrong question to ask. Calandra smiles timidly at Tristan and shoots a quick glance over at Jarreth. The room feels as if it is filled with pressure and at any moment it might combust.
“How have you been?” Calandra’s question slices through the tension in the room.
In typical teenage boy style, Tristan is already shoveling food down his throat. Regardless of any life situation or drama going on, a boy still has to eat! Jarreth watches him in shock, his own fork still in midair.
With food still in his mouth, Tristan responds, “As good as can be expected I guess.”
“So you’re haven’t been, like, tied up in a dungeon or anything apparently,” Jarreth’s voice sounds cold and Calandra shoots a glare at him.
Tristan quits eating and cuts a look at Jarreth. “No, I’m not. I’ve been kept in a tiny room, but when I finally left Drake told me I didn’t have to stay in there. Although he did suggest I not come looking for Calandra. Nonetheless, here I am … and here you are.” Tristan looks back at Calandra. “So does he actually stay at his house at all? He does have one, right?” he says he with an extra dose of hate and tilts his head toward Jarreth.
“Of course he has his own house, Tristan.” Calandra feels the temperature rise in the air around her as the pressure turns up a few notches.
“And yet, he’s here.” Once again Tristan puts an emphasis on the word he and he shoots Jarreth a sideways glance.
Jarreth’s body tenses, his eyes flash red, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Yes, Tristan, he’s here, trying to help me with things.”
“Hmm,” Tristan scoffs.
“So, why exactly don’t you just go home?” Jarreth finally breaks his own silence. The question is directed at Tristan, but he doesn’t look at him. He finally starts in on his own breakfast.
Calandra simply plays with her own food. She pushes it around on the plate with her fork, unable to actually make herself eat.
“I can’t go home.” Tristan has a very matter-of-fact tone to his voice. “Even if Drake would let me, I’m not leaving without Calandra.”
Jarreth opens his mouth to say something, but Calandra drops her fork and holds her hand out to stop him. She shakes her head at him and cuts him a look. Jarreth fights to take in a breath and stops himself. Tristan looks at Jarreth suspiciously and turns curious when he looks at Calandra.
“It’s … complicated,” she says simply and looks back at her plate.
“Dang it, Calandra!” Tristan slams his fork onto his plate and pushes it away. “What is wrong with you?”
Calandra looks up at him with her jaw dropped. He’s never lost his cool with her before, she’s never even seen him angry. They’ve never argued, nothing more than merely teasing each other and roughhousing. This new side of him cuts a slit through her heart and allows everything to bleed out slowly.
Jarreth’s entire body tenses and he finally drops his fork that he’s been holding midair during the majority of the morning conversation. “I—” His voice is harsh and his eyes have yet to change back to their normal blue yet, they are staying red for longer than Calandra’s ever seen them. “I will not have you come into this house and talk to her like that!” Jarreth stares at Tristan with an intensity Calandra’s never seen in anyone before. Part of her expects Tristan to spontaneously combust from the glare.
Calandra lets out a breath, forcing her powers to will her to focus on the here and now. She holds up an index finger to Jarreth and walks over to the cabinet where he’s chosen to stash his mystery juice. She pulls out a shot glass and the bottle of pink liquid. Too many emotions from all of the drama she’s caused pulse through her when she looks at it and she has to remind herself to focus on the task at hand. Keep Jarreth and Tristan from killing each other, she tells herself. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she turns and heads back to the bar. Tristan is watching her carefully, a disgusted look on his face. She gives a slight smile to him and then steps right in between the two of them. She pours a shot of the liquid, which reminds her that she still has no idea what it actually is, and places it in front of Jarreth. He is still looking around her to stare at Tristan, who is squirming in his seat under the intense glare.
Calandra moves to the side to catch Jarreth’s gaze and clears her throat. As if he’s been pulled out of a trance, Jarreth responds and looks a bit lost, but he focuses on Calandra. She nods her head toward the shot glass she’s placed in front of him. “Drink and chill!” she scolds.
Jarreth looks as if he’s going to challenge her momentarily, but instead he takes a breath, turns in his chair until he is no longer facing Tristan, and takes back the shot. He keeps his head turned up momentarily with his eyes closed, enjoying it more than Calandra has seen him do before. The motion reminds her of Drake and makes her feel uncomfortable. He finally turns his head back up and slams the glass on the bar. Calandra taps his hand a few times and pushes the bottle closer to him to signal him to have more if he needs it. She then turns to face Tristan, who is giving her his own scornful look.
“It’s just … I need to be here, Tristan. People here, well, they need me.” She tries to think of a way to put it all into a statement that makes sense, but she can’t seem to find the words. She tries to think of a way to lessen the blow that she may never return to the mortal world, that he should probably just go home, start all over and forget all about her. She quickly realizes she can’t say any of it without crying, so she decides against it.
“And what about the people at home who need you?” Tristan’s voice is quiet; he is hurt.
“No one needs me, Tristan, not there.”
“Your dad.” Tristan looks down at the bar in front of him before he continu
es, “Me.”
Calandra sighs heavily. How was she supposed to do this again? It seemed like a much easier task when it was just an idea in her head, but now that she’s actually started, it seems significantly harder. She focuses her powers up around her once more, and feels the comfort their presence offers. She is beginning to be thankful for the powers she has received, even though they are limited, she has discovered they are especially nice for times that you don’t want to feel things.
“My dad, I’m quite sure, couldn’t care less at this point where I end up or if he sees me again.” Calandra looks away and begins twisting her fingers into each other. “You can go home without me, Tristan, there’s no reason for you to stay here.” She suddenly feels torn in half. There are two separate people on either side of her and she wants to find a way to please both of them, yet Tristan is going to get hurt and she knows it deep down. Judging by the look on his face and his shallow breathing, he seems to know it, too.
