by Laura Mae
As she waited for Willow and Giovonna to get in the car, she gandered at all the supplies. There was another tent, firewood, cooking supplies, lanterns, umbrellas, canned food, and blankets. It was enough supplies to live in the wilderness for about a week. It seemed that she had this stuff all ready to go in a moment’s notice, and somehow, that made Sydona more comfortable. Maybe Willow was with the Sparrows and had to be ready to leave quickly with short notice. She was sure Willow didn’t normally get much notice when those calls came in.
Raoul made himself a spot in the middle console, complete with a soft rag for him to sit on. Once everyone was buckled in and set, Willow started the car up with a loud rumble and backed out of the long driveway.
“How long until we get there?” Giovonna asked.
“Hopefully a day. If we don’t run into any car troubles or anythin’,” Willow answered.
Giovonna asked Sydona to grab a fiction book from her backpack in anticipation of the long trip. Willow had the radio turned down low to where Sydona couldn’t understand the songs, but the melody soothed her. Sydona kept an eye on Willow for a few hours in the car, but soon she grew bored and tired. The smell of rain wafted through Giovonna’s open window, and Sydona sighed happily. She loved the aroma and sound of rain. The sky darkened and thunder crackled in the distance as rain began to pour down. As she stared out of her window, listening to the pitter patter on the outside of the car, her eyes grew heavy, and she drifted off to sleep.
~~~~~~~
Sydona hid in a kid’s treehouse a few houses down from her own. When her parents were taken away, she wanted to run far away but also wanted to go back to the house eventually. She cried for days and rage pulsed through her, but Raoul was able to calm her down to keep her from doing anything rash. She could see her house from the tree, but it was surrounded by agents for days. Finally, when they gave up and couldn’t find anyone else, they left. Sydona and Raoul cautiously walked back down to the house and through the open back door. The house was destroyed. Broken glass was everywhere, things were thrown from the cabinets, furniture was severely damaged, and many items were missing. Sydona walked slowly through the house, and tears quickly started streaming down her face. She headed up the stairs to find that her bedroom was the most devastating room of all. Her mattress was torn to shreds, feathers covered the scraped up wooden floor, the mirror above her small vanity desk was shattered, and many of her things were broken, including pictures she had of her family.
“Animals,” she whispered as she noticed a picture of herself taken by her mom was ripped in half. It showed only the top part of her face, and her small purple eyes were smiling.
She straightened up and wiped off her tears. Her eyes flared green as she stormed through the house and grabbed a giant bag from her parent’s room. She filled it with food from the kitchen that wasn’t touched, clothes in her room, and a random assortment of other items she thought she may need for a few weeks. Raoul sat on her shoulder, trying to hold on and not saying a word. There was nothing to be said. She went into her parents’ room again and looked for any sort of memento that she could hold onto. Everything seemed to be gone. Not only had they destroyed their peace of mind, but they also stole everything of value in the house. She grabbed a pillow off their bed and started hitting things in the room with it. Raoul flew out of the room quickly, afraid that he would get hit. With one last outburst of rage, she kicked her parents king size bed, and it moved slightly.
She looked under it curiously to see if there was anything underneath and noticed a piece of the wooden floor sticking up slightly. Pushing the bed over to the other side of the room, she then wedged her fingers into the edge of the board and lifted. The hole was very narrow, and she felt around for other boards that could be moved. As she moved back four more, she reached down and felt a large metal box. It was heavy and took all of her strength and Raoul’s fairy dust to lift it out. On one side there was a circular lock that had numbers on the edge.
Sydona stared at it, trying to figure out the combination.
“Try your birthday,” Raoul whispered.
She dialed the numbers ’11, 15, 34’.
The metal door squeaked open, and Sydona’s jaw dropped. Sparkles from emeralds, rubies, diamonds, and other jewels shone in her eyes. There were also gold coins, stacks of cash, and currencies from other countries she had never heard of.
“Buzz around the tree was that your parents and a family friend had flown to Saudi Arabia a long time ago. And while they were there, they discovered a cave that was filled with treasures. Your parents said they were going to keep it if they ever had a baby,” Raoul said softly.
As she searched through the safe, she found a piece of paper with her name written on it. Curiously, she unfolded it, and tears ran down her face once more as she read it to herself.
Dear Sydona,
You may not be born yet, but we decided to save our findings from our adventures to use towards your college education when you grow up. The doctors say you’re very healthy and will come to visit us in just a few short weeks! We hope that this serves you well and that you will be the first Wilder to attend college. Make us proud, baby girl.
Love always, Mom and Dad
She hugged the letter, curled up on the wooden floor, and lay there for hours. Raoul snuggled up next to her, singing a lullaby her mother used to sing to her until she fell asleep.
~~~~~~~
Chapter Eight
A sharp turn from the car startled Sydona awake. Opening her eyes to bright scenery, she saw the rain had stopped. The road and trees were soaking still, and birds played in puddles. Peeking up at the radio with a digital clock, she noticed she had slept for several hours. Raoul was no longer in the middle console but zonked out on the other passenger seat. A tiny nudge from Sydona made Raoul stretch, open his eyes, and let out a yawn.
“Hey. How are you doing?” Sydona whispered low enough to avoid having Willow and Giovonna overhear.
“I’m tired.” Raoul rubbed his sleepy brown eyes.
“No, I mean how are you doing? You miss home?” Sydona asked.
Raoul nodded as he stared off and thought about his family.
“Me, too. I wonder how everyone is doing.”
“I’m sure they’re fine. They might miss all the fruit you normally get, but they can eat the veggies in the garden. Even though a lot of them don’t like them because they’re not sweet. It would be helpful if you had tomatoes, though.”
“Yeah, but you can’t grow tomatoes in May. Just like you can’t grow corn in the spring.” She winked with a grin.
“How long are you gonna hold that against me?” Raoul crossed his arms.
“As long as it’s still funny.”
She accidently let out a burst of laughter at Raoul’s sour face and caught Willow’s gaze in the rearview mirror. Sydona’s face returned to normal, and she looked back out of her window.
Willow then cleared her raspy throat.
“So how’d y’all meet?” Willow glanced over at Giovonna who had a book propped up on her knees. Giovonna shut her book and grinned at the both of them.
“Well. I just had a stupid argument with my dad about school crap for the thousandth time. Did you know I get A’s on most of my papers, and if I screw up just a little and get a B, he bites my freaking head off?” Giovonna grumbled while waving her hands around with anger. She then composed herself and continued on. “Anyways, I was so mad at him for that whole thing, so I left my house. Then I saw this cute little diner down the road and wanted to go in. And wouldn’t you know it, only twenty minutes later a tall blonde walks in wearing sunglasses. Next thing I know, that Harold guy is causing a scene and bumps her glasses off! Then I see her eyes! I knew I had to talk to her...”
Sydona sweat just thinking about that whole thing, and it irritated her that Gia brought it up in front of Willow.
“When she left, I followed her but at a distance. I didn’t want to seem creepy. But I’ve neve
r seen anyone with eyes like mine before. Of course, then she thought I was a human ‘cause of my contacts. But I showed her and convinced her I was a flier like her. And of course, she begged me to come along with her.”
“Excuse me, I did not beg you…” Sydona interjected, even more annoyed than before.
“That’s not what I heard,” Giovonna chuckled and gave Sydona a look.
“I did not--okay. Haha.” Sydona turned her head to face the window again.
Giovonna laughed harder. “No, okay, she didn’t beg me. But I did kinda beg her.”
“Kinda? You were going to follow me like a lost little puppy dog!” Sydona yelled. But then quickly realized that Giovonna was only messing with her. After she yelled, the car got quiet, and Giovonna stopped laughing.
“Sorry,” Sydona said softly.
“No, it’s okay. You’re right. I was gonna follow you. Meeting you was too big of a sign for me to ignore, and I wasn’t letting go of it that easily.” She flashed Sydona a smile. The tension in the car disappeared, but it was followed by more silence. As a change of subject, since apparently she didn’t have an off button, Giovonna turned around more to face Sydona.
“Hey, so, tell me about us. How were we created? I’ve always wanted to know.”
“Well,” Raoul cleared his throat and landed on the middle console, “our tree is full of traditions, one of them being a story that is told every year of how the first flier came to be.” He cleared his throat again, puffed out his chest, and lowered his voice to imitate Shaman Faro.
“A long, long time ago, back before my great great grandparents were born, there was an island named Nebulous Isle that was inhabited by fairies. They were happy here, peaceful and protected. The island held many fruit trees that did more than satisfy the fairies that lived there. They homed many trees and lived there for centuries, unwavered. Until one day, a lone wanderer named Grace crashed her boat along the sand during a bad storm. The fairies did not know what to do as they had never come across a human before, and considering her size, they were terrified. But the woman showed no signs of harm; she was just hungry and lost. Grace took shelter in a cave on the opposite side of the island to prove that she did not want to hurt them. After several weeks, one fairy in particular took an interest in her, wanting to know more about this foreign species. His name was Valerio, and he had violet colored eyes. They spent every day together, and it didn’t take long before the two fell in love. Grace was then invited to live amongst the fairy community, and she did for many years.
Soon, Grace and Valerio decided they wanted a family and did not let their differences hold them back. One of the village shamans tried everything in his power to help them but failed after many attempts. The couple thought a baby would never be a possibility, and the island became dark and cloudy. Eventually, many of the fairies rallied for them and were able to convince two of the most powerful shamans on Nebulous Isle to contribute their powers. One of the shamans was named Dario, and he had bright green eyes and a serious temper. Although he was hotheaded and unpredictable, he was one of the greats. Bazel was his counterpart and showed off his more sensitive side. As great as Bazel was, he was afraid of many things and often scared of the unknown. His eyes were a timid auburn color.
Dario, Bazel, and Valerio all came together as one to complete one of the most complicated spells they’ve ever attempted. After several days and tedious chantings, it was finally a success. Nine months later, Grace had a baby girl named Nova. They were surprised to learn that she had developed Valerio’s violet eyes. And at only eight years of age, her eyes changed colors depending on Nova’s mood. Not to mention, she could now fly.
We now celebrate the blessed day that brought the two loving creatures together. Despite their clear differences, love was the only thing that mattered, and from love, came life. We are proud of this species and have been honored to have them by our side since the beginning.
And then we all do shots.”
Raoul bowed, waiting for a reaction.
Giovonna giggled and waited for the punchline.
“Okay, we don’t do shots, but I had to put something in there at the end. That story is so boring.” Raoul took a deep breath and sat down.
“I thought it was fascinating!” Giovonna exclaimed. “Thanks Raoul. I love a good origin story.”
He nodded his head.
Sydona loved the story. She had only heard it a handful of times, but she knew that Raoul heard it way too many times in his life. She imagined herself a lot like Grace: living alone with nothing but fairies in a place where they would never be disturbed. She never fell in love with a fairy the way Grace did. Not to be prejudice but she preferred men that were at least the same height as herself.
As she stared out of the window, dreaming about the perfect island, Giovonna was busy messing with the radio stations.
“This is my favorite song!” Giovonna exclaimed. She adjusted the volume knob on the radio so loud that it made Sydona and Willow jump. Raoul hid himself in the very back of the car under all the bags and luggage. Giovonna bounced around in her seat and sang loudly while playing an air guitar. Sydona covered her ears to help block out some of the noise. She had never heard the song before, but Giovonna seemed to be making it worse.
Willow asked her several times to have her turn it down, but Giovonna argued that it was almost over. Every time Willow would reach over to turn it down, Giovonna would turn it back up. Sydona rolled her eyes at the scene, and her ears pounded each time Giovonna turned it up, making it louder every time.
“Gia! Would you stop!” Willow yelled.
“Just a second. It’s just getting to the good part.” Giovonna fought with Willow’s hand.
As Willow was focusing half on the road, half on controlling the radio, she barely kept her eyes on the road. Sydona happened to look out the windshield as the arguing continued, and she tensed up as she saw a deer standing in the road.
“Willow!” Sydona screamed and pointed up front.
It felt like slow motion. Willow’s head snapped around as Sydona yelled. She didn’t have time to use the brakes. She tried to swerve, but the deer jumped in the same direction. Panicking, she maneuvered to the other side. The road was still slick from the rainstorm, and her tires skid uncontrollably, forcing the SUV into the edge of a metal railing. Screams from Giovonna rang throughout the vehicle, the tires squealed, and Willow cursed every other word. Sydona squeezed her seat belt tightly and braced for impact.
As they hit the railing with an ear-crunching sound, the airbags went off instantly in front of Willow and Giovonna with a loud pop. Sydona wasn’t sure what caused the next thing to happen, but soon they were upside down, rolling over and over down a hill. There must’ve been a downed tree or boulder to cause the giant vehicle to overturn with ease. Her heart raced as she thought about Raoul who wasn’t buckled in or anything. Supplies from the trunk were roaming about the cabin freely, hitting Sydona in the head and body. Luckily, nothing hard enough to do any real damage. The screaming and cursing stopped as the SUV landed at the bottom of the hill on it’s side.
Sydona sat still for a moment, in shock from the impact and still gripping her seat belt. The sounds of pipes whistling, airbags deflating, and Giovonna moaning were loud in her ears. Finally feeling safe enough to open her eyes, she took everything in. The window underneath her was shattered. The glass made several cuts in her right arm, and she could feel the throbbing intensifying. Her neck ached from being tossed around like a bobble head, causing her head to hurt, too. Their supplies were scattered all around the car. A few logs laid on her chest and made it hard to breathe. The lantern was broken, and a medical kit had burst and thrown its contents everywhere.
She searched for the buckle on her seat belt. Once she freed herself, she pushed everything off and threw it in the back. She examined her arms and legs and found only a few scratches. She could feel bruises that weren’t visible yet. The silence worried her. She knew that they had pr
obably gotten much more damage than she did and began to climb out the other side. Cranking the other passenger window down, she hoisted herself out, sat on the top, and gasped for fresh air. Fresh, muddy tire marks weaved down to the scene of the accident. The guard rail was severely bent, and the deer was nowhere in sight. A part of her was glad that Willow dodged out of the way instead of hitting it. She knew her SUV would take little damage compared to the animal. Maybe Willow had a soft spot for it. Knowing this helped her like Willow just an inkling more.
Just then, she heard coughing from back inside the sideways car. It was a small cough, and she knew instantly that it was Raoul. She slid off the car and hobbled back to the trunk where she assumed he was trapped. She popped open the trunk and rummaged through everything, listening intently for the cough. Lifting up a blanket, she uncovered Raoul stuck underneath a log of wood.
“Are you okay?” Sydona asked with a sigh of relief. She threw the log off him effortlessly.
“I am now.” Raoul slowly stood up and fluttered his wings. He examined the one red wing that was torn and sighed. Testing his wings out, he discovered it wasn’t bad enough to prevent him from flying.
“Okay, good,” Sydona said. “I’m gonna go help them. You gonna be okay?”
Raoul gave her a thumbs up while he massaged his shoulder.
Her muscles ached, and her neck still cramped, making it hard to move quickly. She knew she had to crawl back on top of the car in order to help them, though. Managing to make it back on top, she looked down Willow’s rolled up window to see her hanging sideways by her seatbelt with blood on her head. She was so large that she couldn’t see Giovonna at all. Willow wasn’t moving or anything. Sydona grabbed the door handle, but it was locked. With frustration from it not opening and her injuries, she grudgingly went back inside the opened window she came out of. She was now able to see Giovonna and her condition, and it didn’t look good.
