by Elle Casey
I started to move my hands to my sides and the bubble bounced wildly, knocking Tim over inside. He struggled to get up, all cranky now because I’d messed up his hair. He smoothed it down while shooting me the stink eye.
I put my hands back up, making sure Tim was once again suspended over his bed. “Got any other great ideas?”
“Hey, don’t put your hate on me, I’m just trying to help.” She stuck her tongue out at me.
“Try harder, H-two-O girl, my arms are getting tired.”
“I’m gonna go get somebody. I’ll be right back.”
“Who are you going to get?!” I yelled, but she was already gone, disappearing into the air, probably just to piss me off. She knew I was jealous of her mad teleporting skills.
Becky was back in less than a minute. “She’ll be here in a sec.”
“Who?” I asked, suspiciously. But then I knew. My room, which is totally closed off from the outside world, was suddenly full of wind. “What the hell did you do, Becky?” I whispered angrily.
A mini tornado appeared out of thin air up near my ceiling and then touched down next to me. Its revolutions slowed until I could see the form of Céline taking shape.
I frowned at my friend. “This was the best idea you could come up with? Tattling on me?”
Becky rolled her eyes. “I didn’t tattle. Céline will help you, not punish you. She likes you, dummy.” Then Becky tried to blind me with a smile so bright it could block the sun.
I just shook my head at her. “Whatever.” Friggin’ happy ass water sprites.
The Green was holding strong and true – even my nervousness about Céline being here didn’t have any effect on it. Tim sat down in the bubble with his legs crossed. I could totally picture him in there holding a box of popcorn in his lap. My screw-ups? ... Total pixie entertainment.
“Jayne,” said Céline, a little taken aback by what she was seeing, “hello.”
“Uh, hi.” Trying to act casual, while holding out a ray of green light that happens to be holding a pixie trapped inside, is impossible.
“What exactly do we have here? Or do you not know?” She glanced at Becky who I could see out of the corner of my eye shaking her head and mouthing the word ‘no’.
“Well, what we have here, is me saving Tim’s ass and then me getting stuck in savior mode.”
“Uh-huh. I see. And so you need assistance in ... shall we say, shutting off the power?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I need.” I felt better already, having defined the problem.
Céline looked at the bubble and then back at me. She was staring at my face and I tried to smile, but I was too worried about Tim being forever trapped in one of my screw-ups.
“Let’s try this ... can you try to focus on something else, maybe? Instead of thinking of The Green, think of another thing or another person – like your friend Tony, for example.”
Saying it was easier than doing it. I tried to think of something else, but my panic would rise up as soon as I saw the bubble start to move. I was afraid Tim was going to start zinging around the room and go splat into a wall or something. “I can’t. I keep thinking the bubble’s going to get away from me and then I won’t know how to get it back. Or Tim.”
A knock at the door took her attention away from me. I sensed Becky leaving my side, and the door opening behind me. The sound of Spike’s voice filled the room.
“Well, well, well ... what do we have here?”
Becky spoke in hushed tones. “She’s stuck. She can’t let go of it.”
Spike came up behind me and talked softly in my ear. “Got yourself all up in the shit again, didn’t you, Trouble?”
“Yeah. You could say that.”
Spike addressed Céline. “So, what’s the scoop? You getting her out of this mess?”
“I’m trying,” she responded, frustration in her voice. “I’m afraid I’m a bit out of my element. I am merely a servant to the wind. I do not command it. She has a much greater control going on here than I am familiar with.”
“Why don’t I give it a shot?”
I looked at Céline, wondering if she would be okay with an incubus changeling stepping in where she had failed. I probably shouldn’t have worried because Céline wasn’t about ego or status. “By all means,” she gestured towards me, “see what you can do.”
Spike stepped around to where I could see him. He was so ridiculously good-looking I could hardly stand to look at him. All the sexual tension set the bubble to bouncing again and Tim got a little panicky looking. He held his hands straight out from his sides, steadying himself against the curved green glow as he cast worried glances at us.
Spike smiled at me. “Hey, babe. You okay?” He reached up and stroked my upper arm, sending shivers down my spine. The green glow intensified.
“I’m not so sure that’s the best approach, Spike,” warned Becky. “You’re making it worse.”
“Shhhh ... I’m just going to guide you through a little exercise the incubi use to help us focus, okay?”
I nodded my head, not trusting myself to speak. If this focusing exercise included him getting any closer or touching me anymore, we were going to have a problem.
“Okay. Now, look at the green light in your hands. Block out visions of anything else. Just focus on that light.”
I did my best to do what he was saying but he was standing too close. Visions of green lights warred with visions of Spike without his shirt on ... Spike leaning over me ... Spike kissing me.
The green glow got brighter again and the bubble darker. Tim started waving his hands in front of him, gesturing for me to stop.
I sighed in frustration. “This isn’t going to work if I can see you or hear you, Spike.”
Spike stepped away and whispered something to Becky. I heard her say, “Be right back.”
“Becky’s going to get Valentine,” said Spike. “He’ll be able to help you.”
Oh great. Spike’s mentor. The last time I’d seen him in action, he’d nearly drained Chase’s life energy from him.
Spike stayed out of my visual range but I knew he was still back there. It kept my light burning brightly.
My bedroom door opened with a bang and then I could hear Valentine behind me. “Oh. My. Goodness. What have you gotten yourself into now, sweetness?”
“I’m a little stuck. Spike says you can help me focus and get this thing wrangled.”
Valentine addressed Spike, “How come you couldn’t do it, lover?”
Spike cleared his throat, embarrassed, “She can’t focus on it right when I’m around.”
“Tsk, tsk. Young love. Always interfering in the flow. How many times have I told you? There is no room for love in the life of an incubus.”
Before Spike could reply to that interesting tidbit of information that I was trying not to let bother me, Valentine arrived at my shoulder.
“Okay, cutie pie. Here’s what you’re going to do. Focus on that adorable green light you have coming out of your hands. Focus on that and nothing else. Hear my words but then do it without thinking about me. I know, I know ... how are you going to stop thinking about Valentine? How could anyone? Believe me, girl, I hear what you’re saying. But try. Try very hard.”
I could hear Becky snort behind me and it made me smile.
“Get yourself all joined up with that pretty light. Mmm-hmmm, that’s right, it’s just you and the power. Nothing else matters. Commune with it. Meld with it. Welcome it in. It is you and you are it. You are one.”
As his words droned over me, I felt myself slipping into a more focused realm. Now I could sense the power flow and how it continuously coursed through me without actually leaving.
“Once you are fully connected mentally, grab that flow and pull it back into you. Show it who’s boss. Make it go. You’re in charge, sweetie, you’re the captain of this ship. Show it your fierceness. Hold nothing back. You are the queen of the green light. This is your house.”
I am the boss
, I am the boss. Get your ass back in here green light. Don’t make me put orcs back in your damn trees.
I don’t know if that last thought is what did it, but suddenly I felt a shift in the power. Now The Green wasn’t flowing through me ... I was flowing through it. Overwhelming. Controlling.
I moved my hands until Tim was suspended just a pixie-foot above his bed. Then I visualized myself grabbing the flow and shoving it back down through my feet and into the floor below.
As if I had turned off a light switch, the green glow snapped off, taking the bubble with it. Tim was dropped down onto his bed where he bounced once and then sat, cross-legged and wild-eyed. That lasted for about a second before he jumped up and started whooping.
“Whooooo hoooo! That was awesome! Do it again!”
I stepped over quickly, fixing him with an angry stare. “Stop jumping around you crazy ass pixie before you light a fuse to another nuclear bomb.”
Tim stopped jumping and pouted at me. “Party pooper.”
“Party pooper, my ass. Don’t you realize how serious that was?!”
Becky came over and touched my arm. “It’s fine now, Jayne. Relax. Tim is fine.”
“Yeah, but ... ” I couldn’t put into words what I was thinking. I couldn’t shake the images of Tim being fried or exploded by a power flow that was coming through me that I couldn’t control. My other mistakes with The Green were different. The power seemed more passive. It just made people oblivious and happy. Now it was almost aggressive. I was afraid of what it would do to someone when it backfired.
Spike grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. I landed smooshed up against his chest.
Céline spoke up, “Well, if I’m not needed here, I’m going to head to dinner. I believe, Jayne, that you will be joining Anton in his office? Will I see you there?”
I nodded my head, unable to speak now that I was breathing in Spike’s scent and he was staring down into my eyes with a sexy smile on his face. I could see his teeth glistening out from behind his lips.
Valentine broke into my getting too warm daze, saying, “Okay, babies, I can see that you don’t need me anymore. I’ll leave you to your star-crossed love. Toodles.”
I shook my head to get it out of Spike-land for a second, looking at Valentine’s retreating form. “Thanks, Valentine. I appreciate your help.”
“Oh, it was nothing. You did well. I think you would have been an absolutely divine succubus. So much control ... tsk, tsk ... ” and then he was gone, the door shutting behind him.
“So guys. Time for dinner, right?” said Becky, injecting a bunch of fake cheer into her voice.
“Yeah!” agreed Tim. “Time for dinner, not for swapping spit!”
I turned and frowned at him. “One more thing, Tim. Just say one more thing.”
He stuck his tongue out at me and then sat down on his bed, putting his moccasins back on. “I’m hungry. Am I allowed to say that? Or are you going to bubble-ize me again?”
I rolled my eyes and took a deep, calming breath.
Spike was grinning at Tim and me. “What’d he say?”
“He’s hungry. And he gets cranky when he’s hungry.” I looked over at Tim as I finished. “ ... so I’m not going to flick him in the ass like he deserves.”
I was rewarded with a pixie fart.
I pushed Spike away, now totally not in the mood for romance. “Thanks for everything, Spike.”
He reached out to grab me back. “How about a kiss for ... success.”
I looked at him like he was crazy. “Uh, no. For some reason – thank you Tim – I’m not really in the mood.”
Spike frowned at me playfully.
“Maybe later.”
His smile came back.
Becky grabbed my hand. “Come on, lover girl, let’s go.”
“Wait a sec.” I pulled her with me towards the dresser. “Hop on, Tim. The dinner train is leaving.”
He jumped up from his bed and ran over to get on my shoulder, grabbing a handful of hair a little too hard.
“I’ll do it, Tim.”
“Fine.” His hold loosened.
“And don’t even think about what you’re thinking about, or you’re gonna be riding the shoe.” I’d never actually made him do that before, but tonight I totally would. One more pixie toot and it was all over for him.
“TThhhpppt. Maybe you should do a little lovey, sucky, woo-woo with Spike. It might cheer you up.”
I didn’t dignify his suggestion with a response, possibly because a part of me agreed. But right now I couldn’t trust myself to handle it well and I didn’t even know if it was safe for Spike anymore. Who knows? I could accidentally put him in a bubble and then not be able to get him out. He’d die of starvation in there.
I tried not to think about it anymore as we all headed out the door to get some food to take with us to Dardennes’ office.
Chapter 35
By the time I had my plate of food and had arrived at Dardennes’ office, the room was full of my friends. Finn was sitting next to Becky on a small couch. Dardennes and Céline were at his desk together. Spike and Scrum were standing while eating from plates on a small table – Scrum’s was full of wiggling meats and other gross things, Spike’s nearly empty. Tony waved a bread roll at me from a single chair positioned across from Becky and Finn.
“Hi, uh, sorry we’re late. It’s Tim’s fault.”
“Hey!” he yelled in my ear, but I ignored him. A little revenge is just what the doctor ordered to cheer me up, and I had no problem with self-medicating.
“Not at all,” said Dardennes, a smile in his voice. “We were just chatting. I suggest that we get started now though, and all of you should feel free to eat as we talk. I know you have been working hard and you need to make sure you have the necessary energy for your continued training.”
I didn’t see any sense in beating around the bush, so I took a seat next to Tony and immediately started asking questions.
“First, I’d like to know what Céline’s connection is to Maléna.” I looked down at my plate, acting like I was interested in my food. I didn’t want her to think I was challenging her or anything, but I was more than just a little curious.
“Céline?” said Dardennes. “I will leave this one to you, dear.”
Céline cleared her throat. “A-hem. Well. Maléna? She is ... my sister.”
I looked up at her, saying, “I knew it. I totally nailed that one. Are you guys twins? Because you sure look like it.”
Her mouth turned up slightly at the corner, but it looked more like a grimace than a smile. “No. We are not twins. She is younger than I.”
“So why is she ... ” started Becky, but then she stopped, her face turning red.
I looked at Becky, seeing that she wasn’t going to finish. “I think what Becky wants to know, is how is it that Maléna’s Dark Fae and you’re Light Fae?”
I looked over at Becky and she nodded at me, her face still flaming.
“We used to both be Light Fae. Then she ... met someone. A Dark Fae silver elf. She fell in love and then ... she left. She joined him and the Dark Fae.”
“Bummer,” said Scrum, half-chewed food showing in his mouth.
“Yes,” agreed Céline, clearing her throat again. “Bummer, as you say.”
“Who was the guy?” asked Spike, a sly look on his face as he stared at Dardennes.
Céline looked at Dardennes. “Anton? I believe this one is for you.” She looked down at the table, but not before I saw the sadness in her eyes.
Dardennes didn’t answer right away. He sighed, staring off into space for a moment. Then he looked at us, one at a time. When he looked at me, he answered, “The Dark Fae silver elf who she fell in love with ... was me.”
The responses erupted around the room.
“What?!” I said, shocked out of my gourd, even though a little piece of me wasn’t that surprised.
“How could that ... ?” asked Tony, confused.
“Whoopsy,”
said Becky, shrugging her shoulders.
Spike just smiled, all crafty like. He must have already had it all figured out. He and Valentine were the gossips of the compound. I made a mental note to talk to him about it later – find out what else they knew.
Finn just looked at his food, chewing and not making eye contact with anyone.
Since everyone seemed too uncomfortable to continue, I decided to take charge of the interrogation. “So, she was a Light Fae, fell in love with you, joined the Dark Fae, and then what? You left her there and came here?” Man, that sounded totally cold-hearted. I looked at Dardennes’ face, but he didn’t seem angry – more like resigned or something.
“Essentially, yes. But there is much more to it than that.”
“Much more, like what?” I pressed.
“The Dark Fae council ordered me to do something that I would not agree to do. I was found in dereliction of my duties to the Dark Fae and asked to leave.”
“What was it that you refused to do?” asked Finn, now looking as if he was paying closer attention to the conversation.
“I was told to kidnap Céline and bring her to them.”
“Whoa. Bad soap opera drama – pitting lover against lover and lover’s sister,” said Spike.
I shook my head at him. Sometimes he scared me with his Valentine-ness.
“Why didn’t Maléna come here with you? I mean, her sister’s here,” said Tony who had completely abandoned the pretense of eating, all of his attention now focused on the conversation.
“We were together as Dark Fae for many years. But there were ... other Dark Fae who had different fundamental beliefs than I, and after many years, I realized that I could not continue to support their mission I so strongly disapproved of. Taking Céline was, as they say, the last straw.”
“But Maléna didn’t feel that way?”
“No. She did not. And she had ... other reasons to stay.”
It sounded like my parents’ marriage – stressful and unhappy. I wondered if fae could get divorced.
Céline jumped in. “My sister is a very headstrong and brutal person. She believes very firmly in the superiority of the fae as a species and believes that our position should be asserted over the human species for the good of all fae, regardless of what methods are used. She justified her actions through any methods possible. Neither she nor ... her compatriots ... can see how their philosophy will actually hurt all fae.”
