I was getting less and less used to normal lunch breaks. Between eating frozen burritos in pure silence with Jerry and grabbing takeout on the roof of Logan's car.
This lunch however would have top the list.
“So. . . why are you. . . here ?”, I ask drinking some more of Ty’s
herbal sweet tea.
“Well”, Ty starts as if I asked her about the weather, “ Let's see . . . when I first moved to Cascade Falls there were a lot men around, so I figured lots of opportunities to have children.. It was just such a quaint town I couldn’t leave; now we just summer here.”
Ty turns her attention back to the pink and purple flowers she is weaving into a crown . She reaches over to Tirney’s pile of beheaded flowers and takes a fluffy white flower.
“Uh, how does that work again? I mean you aren't . . .married ?”, I take a bite of the turkey
sandwich. There is no way that’s McGill’s turkey product, it was to fucking good.
Tirney and Thistle (Who I’m sitting next to) look at Ty and then back at the decapitated flowers infront of them. The women are all dressed in loose white and beige dresses. I had tried to look civil and taken a seat on the grass while they are sprawled out on a bright blue blanket.
This what not what I’d been expecting when I got invited to lunch by April's family. . . but
still. Somehow when I got the text from Thistle I new April wouldn't be there.
Ty was resting on stomach with her feet in air, she seemed
idle and it just didn’t seem like a way a grown woman would sit. Tirney and Thistle are
leaning lazily against each other, something about the three of them looks. . . off. How did no one else see they were--
“Right well…”, Ty continues, “ In each Fae’ s mid-lifetime—“
“Am I going to want to hear this ?”
“Maybe. Anyway, they have three precious eggs to conceive three special daughters. Since we don’t have male equivalents our beauty and ability to change size are essential to attract humans.”
Tirney and Thistle were rolling their eyes (not in an April like way ) I guess this was like sex ed to them, and I feel stupid for asking.
“We do know who are fathers are”, Tirney pipes up, “We honor them by using our gifts to benefit them. It’s just messy to get them involved.”
“Right”, I say, “So I mean how did you, um, get here. Shouldn’t you be in Ireland ?”
I think about April’s story and now I can easily detect a hint of an Irish lilt in Ty’s speech.
“Really ?”, says Thistle. “I mean how did your kind get here? Immigration, duh.”
“Er, I’m Indian ?”
Thistle opens and closes her mouth and places her impressively woven crown of smooth branches and little red flowers on her head. I think she’s cute, but I think I like it better that she challenged me.
“I’m a third sister”, Ty explained, “So I have a lot of freedom. I won’t inherit the title of queen. . . so when I had heard the rumors about what my Aunt Thesia had done to her real daughter I went to find her. When I found April I realized it was better to not return home. Plenty of our kind immigrated over with humans, so I knew I’d be okay here. I’d hoped April would be okay here too. She's been such a troubled girl”
Ty got on her knees and places a big purple flower in the side of Tirney’s high bun. Ty had said I could ask any questions I wanted about. . . them. . . but I didn’t know where to begin. Sure they were just a race of people who over the years had been forgotten and feared.
It wasn’t that they were hiding, but they had nothing to gain from coming out.
“So April isn’t April’s real name ?”
“Nope”, Tirney answered, “Names are very powerful things. If spoken out of true love and earnest . . .you could make a faerie do anything. Not a good problem for the next Unseelie Queen to have--”
“Hush with that”, Ty said, “April is not going to be the Unseelie Queen”
“She has a right”, Tirney said, “She’s the true heir”
“Tirney, when I left the court I did it so my daughters could have any life they choose either as Fae or human. You’ve made your choice haven’t you ?”
“Yes”, Tirney said, “So April should be able to make hers.She doesn't want this.”
Tirney grabs Thistle’s hand and the two make their way out
of the woods and back towards the restaurant. I hadn't really seen it before but I guess the Tirney and Thistle cared about April. . .they wanted her to be happy.
“You know”, Ty went on. Her voice was sad, “I hoped April would follow the path of my girls and assimilate. . . but she despises masquerading as human.”
“Are Unseelie Faeries bad?”, I ask my mouth stalled around the word Faerie, “Is she dangerous ?”
“They aren’t bad persay. They are just different natured. The world needs a balance of dark and light.”
Ty finishes the crown of flowers she is is working on. It’s all blue and white and she places it on my head and smiles at her own work.
“Cillian, there’s a reason I wanted you to join us today. I have a bit of a favor to ask you.”
“Shoot”, I say before realizing that’s a very Logan thing to say.
“Names are very important to Fae. My girls and I have nothing to fear with our names but April does. She won’t even tell me her real name. I've never seen April take to someone like she seems to have with you . . .I thought maybe you could try and maybe get her real name.”
“I don’t know. . .do you just want it to control her ?”
“Cillian, April is planning something to get back in the queen’s good graces. . . and I’m afraid for her. If I knew her true name maybe I could stop her. . . I could help her”
“I think you have the wrong guy. I'm just a guy here for the summer. . . I've got my own life to worry about.”
She smiles and pours some more iced tea into my mason jar.
“Cillian life’s been hard on you, yes ?”
“Could be worse”, I decide. I could still be locked up.
“You’ll need a lot of luck to make it in the world after this summer, serendipity ?”
“Yeah”, hell I hadn’t even thought of what came next for me.
She tilts my chin up and looks into my eyes.
“ I can give that to you if you help me. Luck and blind faith are my gifts. Imagine . . . suddenly every whim and every chance magically plays out in your favor. I can do that for you. Do you feel lucky Cillian ?”
I can feel her staring at me. My throat felt dry, I’d grown up hearing myths and folktales about supernatural creatures and magical tricksters, but I didn’t expect to be living one. The heroes always struck bargains for promises like these. . . however the heroes were always idiots. Always.
But what if ?
What if I could change my life for the better by making a deal with a . . . a . . .Fae?
“I’ll try”, Is all I manage.
She smiles and I can feel like I’ve made the right decision.
“Any more questions Cillian?”
“Yeah. . . there aren’t mermaids in the lake, right?”
+2+
That son of a bitch was holding out.
I pull up outside of Logan’s townhouse just outside of Lake Tahoe City an hour before the party starts. Even thought it is about 45 minutes out from Cascade Falls, Lake Tahoe City still isn’t much to look at. Logan's townhouse has a massive backyard and a small hot tub. His roommates are pretty cool, I think one might have been his cousin
“Last call for the playlist”, Logan calls from behind his laptop while I throw beers into the bathtub full of ice. I don’t know any of his country music so I just pass on contributing. Although I know I’ll hear Honky Tonk Badonkadounk at least five times tonight.
Logan dims the light and puts on about 5 or 6 of those mini
strobe lights. I never realized it but Logan really is the hospitality king. I even start to get a
little psyched for this backwater party.
Logan’s college friends come in first, and even though they just go to community college I still feel stupid next to them.
One of his friends notices the scars on my knuckles and asks
if I fight, I shake my head but don’t say much else. I don't feel like lying and I don't want to tell the truth either.
I kept thinking about my odd lunch with Ty, Thistle ad Tirney. How Ty had reminded me that I have no idea what awaits me once this summer is over.
I couldn’t stand the thought of putting on a vest and working my way up to manager at the Pachenga Casino and Spa, then again I wouldn’t past the background check.
Mechanic ? Welfare ? Living of Big John’s elder checks ?
My thoughts get interrupted when I see an orange Range Rover pull up in the driveway, Tirney and Thistle hop out with their friends. I recognize a redhead as Lydia from the camp.They are all wearing those flower crowns from earlier with their cowboy boots. Other girls stop them, smile and point to the flowers and they instantly became best friends.
“Any luck with the Cottingley sisters ?”, Logan asks.
“Who—oh, um I don’t know”
The girls wave at us and I wave back like an idiot
+3+
As much as I wanted to drink I knew I couldn’t and something told me this party was bound to get noticed by the police. When the party gets going , a few people have already stripped down in the pool. I quickly catch the attention of a few girls but none of them really stand out.
Then . . .out of nowhere my mood starts to really pick up. The tracks turns from that twangy country to what Logan would call that digitized shit. The air gets thick with something and suddenly everyone is congregating in the living room. I can feel the bass pumping through the speakers.
Thistle pulls me off the couch and pulls me towards the dense crowd of people
dancing in perfect rythm, she loosely wraps her around my neck moving her slim hips with music.
Behind me I sense Tirney slips her arms around my waist. I'm lost in their touch and sway.
I smile and everything seems to slow down and speed up at the same time. I can feel both girls pressed against me but my mind is other places. I remember smelling fresh air outside the prison, I think about Isabel when she agreed to be my girlfriend, I thought about those damn french fries, I think about Dan Pena’s house party.
I could feel warmth radiating off the the sisters breathing
“Are you doing. . . this ?”, I finally mange to ask
“A little Euphoria”, Tirney says from behind me
“Maybe some Happiness”, Thistle turns so her back is to me.
I laugh because I do feel euphoric, I do feel happy and I’m
not worried about the end of the summer. I’m not the only one. The entire party
seems to be feeding off the good energy they are feeding into the air. No one is on the sidelines, against
the wall or looks left out. Everyone is dancing, drinking and having a good
time.
No wonder this was a happy town, no wonder everyone was so
complacent and good natured. That food was sure as hell made with more than
love. They were making the whole town . . . feel.
Before I can say something else the entire house goes dark and the music cuts out. For one second there is nothing but complete silence
The lights start to flicker and the entire room comes down from the instant high. Everyone falls out of sync and the usual house party mood takes over.
Lightening booms and rain clatters down on the roof. A few people from outside scream and run inside.The rain starts coming down hard but everyone still parties on, though everything is still a little off kilter.
Only I seem to notice when the door flies open and April Cottingley walks in.
+++
April seems to fade into the background. She has on a distractingly
short black dress and high strappy purple shoes. I decide on my approach and go
over to her and hand her a beer. No one seems to notice her clothes dry instantly
“Seriously ?”, she says dropping the beer on the floor.
“Sorry, princess”, I said sarcastically
She stops at that and turns quickly towards me, I can't tell if she hates the nickname or is challenging me to say it again. Which I will.
“Watch it”, she says as serious as hell, “I saw you having lunch with Ty and company. I don't know what Ty is up to but you’re a nobody in all this Cillian, so stay out.”
“I’m trying but we keep running into each other. Why else would you be here.”
“You really think I came here because of you?”
“Why else ?”
“Opportunity.. .”
"For what ?"
She goes straight through the crowd, making a big point of pushing aside Tirney and Thistle, who if anything, seem unfazed by her pushiness.
I follow her through the crowd and grab her arm. She flicks it away and ducks outside. I take a breath before stepping outside. The rain drenches me in seconds
“April, wait”, I stop her but I have no idea what I’m going to say.
“You really don’t get it”, she says
"Don't get what ?"
"Why you should stay away from me. I'm trouble."
"Your're trouble", Did she know who she was talking to, "I'm trouble. I. . . I killed someone with my bare hands."
"I know", she says and I remember she has been inside my nightmares, "You're still not the worst person in the room. Watch. . . ."
She grabs my shirt t and drags me back inside. I had almost forgotten how strong she is. Once we are inside she lets me go and grabs one guy down by his arm.
“It will happen again”, she whispers to
him and lets him go
She grabs Lydia next
“She’s going to die”, she whispers to her
And another
“Getting shipped overseas”
I run up behind her, “What are you doing ?”
She stops in the middle of the living room and closes her
eyes, the back seams of her dress began to seperate and tear. The lights begin to flicker
and everyone is swaying until they gently falling asleep. Bodies fall all over each other in a huge mass.
April's wings open with so much force I almost topple over sleeping bodies.
Even Tirney and Thistle are knocked out.
“April. . . stop.”
The sleepers start turning and tossing over one another in a giant writhing mass . They scream now trapped in their deepest darkest fears.
Trapped in their nightmares
Aprils eyes are lighter and frostier.
“Look at them”, she says with a lot of effort, “See how they cower to me. See what I can do”
Lydia’s piercing screams rattles me, her scream is followed by several others. I can feel the anxiety coming on behind me like a dark shadow. It's her. It's not real.
My knuckles burn a little but even more I find a way to push through the oncoming fear. I feel my muscles tightened but I breath through the burn.
“April, stop”
The wind picks up the faster her wings move, the light
between them begins to dim and she keeps watching me. Slowly she starts losing control. She keeps staring at me and finally I reach for her.
Without warning April topples to the ground into the mass of
dreaming, sweating, screaming people.
I quickly grab her as people begin to wake up. I pick her up and head outside, I'm almost blinded by the rain. She's passed out her wings still unfurled. I
don’t think anyone has seen her.
I shake her until she is conscious enough to fold the wings
back behind her. I put my flannel over her shoulders and place her into Jerry’s truck
“I did it”, she says half awake, “I made them all dream.”
“What was that ?”,
I’m scared shitless and driving as fast as I can down the mountain road. I slow down remembering this is how my Father died.
“Don’t you get it ?”, she’s about to fall unconscious again.
“What ?”, I want to keep her awake, “Get what ?”
She slumps in her seat and falls asleep.
+4+
The next morning she has tied one of my purple flannels into a dress around her and is looking around the cabin. As she puts a thin cover up on I can see where her skin stretches and the bones beneath her skin bulge out to make up her wings.
“Shit”, she whispers closing the window.
I get up from where I had slept on the floor, my back is killing
me and I'm late for work.
Before I ask her what’s going on and about last night the
door flies off the hinges and to the other side of the room.
“Holy Shit”, I yell jumping into the bed. How the hell am I going to explain that to Jerry ?
Ty is standing on the other side, she looks like she has just woken up and her eyes are zeroed in on April.
“What is the matter with you ?”, she demands. I’d never seen
Ty look so angry. Her sweet motherly demeanor is gone.
“Leave me alone, Cousin”, she says matter of factly
“Tirney and Thistle just made it home. They told me what happened last night. What you did. Do you know how lucky you are no one was hurt ? You can’t control that many people at one time. . . It’s wrong. You need to stop this. You need to put those silly dreams out of your head and live a real life. ”
“Dreams ?”, April shoots back, “Is that how you’d speak to a
future queen ?”
“Oh, please.”, she sneers at April, “You think the Unseelie court will take a
little brat raised among humans as their queen ? You know nothing about our
land, our history or our people. Get those stupid ideas out of your head. You are going to hurt someone.”
“Fuck you”, April pulls out of her grasp, “Spoken with the true jealousy of a third sister. A runaway. Don’t forget Ty I know what you fear too. I've seen your nightmares.”
When Ty’s hand hits April’s face it’s like the entire forest
goes quiet. Ty’s chest is heaving and her eyes are wet with tears that don’t
fall. April looks at her defiantly. Holy shit I need to get out of here.
“I left my home to find you. To save you. To give you any life you choose because that’s what family does. Is this how you are going to repay me ?”
I know Ty is talking to April but I take her words to heart.
“ You are not a child anymore . . .If you’re not grateful for what I’ve done, April, then I don’t want to see you anywhere near my property again. You are cut-off You selfish, selfish little devil.”
Ty straightens up and looks over to me.
“Cillian”, she acknowledges me and leaves. It’s more of a
plea though, like she wants me to remember out deal. I suddenly see why she wants April's name. To stop whatever it is she is planning.
April brings her hand to her face, a faint black line on her cheek of a quickly wiped away tear. In a few seconds he ahs the her signature devil may care look of annoyance on.
“Well, big guy”, she sits on next to me, “I guess you have a roommate now.”
