Chapter Four: Thea

Chapter Four! From Thea's perspective. Note the date change. 

Thea

August 3, 1900

           I was always so comforted by a leisurely stroll to set my perspective. The forest was not far from the house, so I made a point to exploring the wood when it fit my fancy. Every season provided new wonders to explore; fresh green moss and migrating birds in spring, bounding deer and vegetation of all sorts in summer, fall molds and fungi accompanied a vibrant pallet of leaves, and winter welcomed crystalline lakes and stark trees.

        This particular adventure was during the ambience of a summer night. The serenity of the forest surrounded me like a cloud, settling the dew on the shadows of leaves. Silhouetted trees danced circles around me as I quietly flitted through the forest. Attempting to walk undetected, I crept along the trail like a panther would stalk its prey. I wondered what I was hunting as I stealthily traipsed the winding path.

        I slowed to a stop and allowed a slithering corn snake to pass by. In the light of the moon, I glimpsed the gleam of its scales.

I stepped carefully over roots, thorns, and little patches of mud from yesterday’s rain. So focused was I upon the ground that I noticed the broken stem of a poppy. The crimson flower drooped sadly, as if hanging it’s head in shame. Beyond that was a broken branch and a scuff of dirt. I followed a clumsy trail of someone who had been aiming for speed. In the mud, I found a distinct bootprint surrounded by the paw marks of many dogs. There was something else mixed into the mud, something dark, clotted, and smelling of rust. I couldn’t make it out, there was still too little light to see properly. The rising sun helped a bit, but-

        The sun! My attention was sharply drawn to the east, as the warm glow of sunlight peeked over the horizon. I jolted into motion, making for the open field I knew was beyond a nearby stream. I bounded across the landscape, leaving no room for error.

        As I neared the meadow, I focused on my back muscles and relied on instinct to carry me forward. A tingling sensation began in my lower back, followed by an unpleasant prickling. The feeling crept up my spine. I winced in discomfort as my shoulder blades diverged and rearranged themselves to allow for the new growth.

        Just as I burst into the field, into the sunlight, my wings unfolded. I smiled in pure joy as my wings began beating. The feeling of lifting off had always felt slightly unnatural, yet was such a common sensation that it no longer frightened me.

        A laugh bubbled out of me as my toes skimmed the trees. Flight was so exhilarating. I loved the freedom of it, the opportunity to stray away to anywhere. Sometimes I flew to strange, foreign lands simply for the sights, as one might take a walk just to meet who they may.

        Unfortunately, this was not one of those instances. It was a race between me and the sun. Whoever lost became the scapegoat, carrying the burden of the blame. I couldn’t say who usually lost. Generally, I was aware of the sun’s position and would make it back before James or Tim even knew I was gone, but this morning I had been wrapped up in a shroud of thoughts that masked the rising ball of fire in the east until it was upon me.

        I sighed at the thought of Tim and James, who were probably only just waking up. With wind whistling past my ears in a chorus of voices too fine to understand, I regretted keeping my expeditions into the wood a secret from them. They were the building blocks of my existence. I should have some trust and respect for them. I firmly told myself these things that I already knew so that they would resonate in my head, not allowing me to forget them.

        I was so absorbed in this memorization that I whizzed past the house. In my haste, I had flown so fast that the rooftops blended together, creating one, continuous grey strip below me. I only recognized our house due to the potency of the magic that surrounded it. Tim’s concoctions, spells and potions kept the humans blind to our oddities. They also rang out a deafening roar of existence to other Fae. That doesn’t just mean me. This was a problem.

        I brought my wings up as a windbreaker to slow me, then swooped into a turn to bolt back towards the house. I managed to stop right above the building, which was more like a mansion, and hovered, lowering myself closer to the bland grey shingles with every wingbeat. I gently and gracefully landed on the roof, making a light thump when my feet touched down. It was such a slight noise, invisible to human ears. Not to Fae, however.

        I winced, knowing that the sound had been as loud as if a tap dancing elephant had come to visit and was convinced that our roof was its stage. I clambered down the side of the roof, folding my wings back in between my shoulder blades as I descended. I jumped off of the gutter, grabbing a bystanding gargoyle to help aim my body towards the window.

I swung inside, only to find myself staring into the eyes of the only man I’ll never not know when to trust. Timothy Waterburg.

“Tsk, Tsk,” He mockingly scolded, wagging his finger. “Sneaking out and coming home at dawn with a hangover, are we?”

“Ugh, Tim, I wasn’t drinking and you know it,” I pushed past him, disgusted.

“I do know it. But that’s not what I’ll tell James,” Tim playfully warned, following me out of the room. It was the armory, where the weapons, armor, and dangerous potions were kept. Also where I hid the chocolate, to Tim’s dismay.

“So I’ll just tell him you’re lying,” I promptly retorted. Tim no longer intimidated me. He may have seemed scary when I first met him as the tall, unpredictable wizard genius, but then I met the real Tim, who was really about as scary (and ridiculous) as an angry chicken. Just keep a safe distance.

        “You don’t have his address though.”

        I whipped around suddenly with a million thoughts in my head. Where was he that his address would be different than ours? When did he leave? Why would he need to? Why did Tim know and I did not? These trains of thought swirled angrily around my head like pesky buzzing bees. I waved them away and chose to hear Tim’s explanation before making any assumptions.

        “Where is he?” I said carefully, straining my voice to remain casual.

        Tim gave me a look that screamed; “I’ll never tell you.” He grinned like I supposed a man on the other side of the glass would. What a child.

        “Tim,” My voice took on a threatening tone, “Tell me where James is. Now.” I took a step in his direction and a hysterical, jubilant laugh suddenly erupted from him. He dashed down the hall and jumped off the balcony down into the living room. I was in quick pursuit.

        When my feet slammed onto the floor between the stairs, Tim was nowhere to be seen. I could still hear the disembodied echoes of his maniacal giggling bouncing around the room, but Tim himself had vanished. He was obviously having the time of his life keeping this from me. He so rarely had anything that I didn’t; this was a huge amount of leverage for him.

I grumbled irritably about irrational wizards named Timothy and trudged back up the stairs to my room.