Monsters & Fairytales (63 page)

“It’s okay.” Sebastian tried to comfort me.

“She’s gone.” I whispered. “She’s gone!”

“Mirabelle.”
Carlyle cooed, leaning down to place his arm on my shoulder.

“No. I can still find her. I can make it.”

I jerked my arm away and took off towards the forest. I didn’t care where I was
going,
I just wanted to get there.
This world wasn’t real; there was an end to it. I would find it. She would be there.
             

There was an end to Earth, now, too. I didn’t care anymore. Spike was here, I was here, that’s all I had left. Everyone was right. I had nothing. My entire life was a joke. It was just a preparation for something claimed to be greater. I didn’t feel any greater.
             

I had lost her again. I was stupid to think I could handle seeing her and letting her go so easily. Sebastian should have known better than to have pushed that on me. However, he just wanted her to tell me to stay. He knew she’d want me to get my fairytale ending. There were no monsters that won the fairytale ending.
             

I was running from everything I had ever thought I needed in life. I ran through the trees and tried to find some sort of direction that seemed to get me to the edge of this world. Everything was so lovely here, though. Nothing was turning that into dark and dull vastness, warning that there was danger ahead. This place made me feel as if I was turning in circles. Had I been paying attention, I bet I would have noticed the same scenery flashing by me. This was hopeless. I couldn’t even run away correctly, how did they expect me to rebuild civilization?

“Because, as we’ve all said, you do not have to do this alone.”
Sebastian smiled.

“You don’t get it.” I said.

He fluttered down from a branch and plopped next to me.

“Do not be mad at me.”

“I’m not.” I sighed.

“This will work.” Carlyle said. He walked out from behind a tree.

“Nice to know you’re not mad at me anymore; even though I’m not entirely sure what I did wrong in the first place.”

“It wasn’t you I was mad at.” He said.

“Then what?”
I asked.

Was it really time to play make up? I just wanted to disappear.

“You never saw your worth. I saw it all along, Sebastian saw it, and you never accepted it. After the short time we have spent together, I understand why you did not feel your true worth. You get it now.
You’re going to make the right decision.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled. He was right. I did feel a heightened sense of self worth that I owed to him and Sebastian. It was never really that I ever felt so mediocre, I just felt out of place. That can tear someone’s life apart, and it was happening to me. I found my place in the world. All my fears were gone. Carlyle was starting to get his charm back.

“Okay, not that I don’t want the two of you to get along or anything, but this isn’t the time for this.” Sebastian interrupted.

“He’s right. We have to go back to Father and let him know your decision.” Carlyle said.

“But-” I sighed getting up.

There was no time for any more discussion. Sebastian swept me up and took me out of the forest. In the air I could see that I had actually made it quite some way. I was proud of myself for that. Of course it had taken them only a few moments to have us back in front of the house; I didn’t care. Zerach wasn’t there anymore. I couldn’t see Loki, either, but Carlyle had just spoken of him so he had to be there.

“There you are!”

As if he had been sitting on edge, Loki rushed from the porch when we landed.

“She just got cold feet.” Carlyle joked.

He looked at my bare feet and then back at his son, he was obviously confused.

“Never mind Father
, it’s a human thing.” He laughed again.

“What has been decided? It is getting stronger.”

“
She is staying with Sebastian
, here in Aegyssus, where she belongs. She has accepted her place among us.” Carlyle said.

“Are you sure?” Loki asked me.

“Can I go home for one last time?” I whimpered. I didn’t want to sound weak, but I needed that option to see my world the way I saw it before they came into my life.

“Spike.”
Loki whispered his name like the wind calling for him.

“But, I thought he was here.” Sebastian asked.

“He cannot stay here. He is not
granted
in our realm. He will be with the child’s mother soon enough.”

“Then it is true? All the animals will go as well, with the humans?” I asked with a very shaky voice.

“
Yes.
All life must start over, if this is what you choose.”

“This is what she chooses.”

Sebastian grabbed my hand; his smile was from ear to ear.

“Very well.”
Loki nodded his head.

He stepped up to me and knelt so we were eye level. I looked away. I couldn’t face him, for some reason. I knew he understood.
             

My heart started racing. I was afraid. He placed his hands on mine and told me to close my eyes. When I did, I felt tears slide down my cheek. They kept creeping up on me.

I wasn’t sure why, but I thanked him. It seemed appropriate until I was reminded of the complete agony the
transit back to Earth entailed. That was nothing to be thankful for. My insides twisted and burned. My head was on the verge of exploding and I begged for the ending of the pain. There were images in my head this time. It seemed to be making things last much longer. I couldn’t take it. I wanted to collapse, but something was holding me upright. Suddenly, in the darkness, it stopped.

The.
End.

((
there
is no time like the present
))

Softness.
Pain.
I was crying. I was holding on to my necklace and crying.
On my side curled up, Spike was with me. He was facing me. I was in her room on her bed. It wasn’t fair. The time I had held her for was so little. Sebastian walked into her room. He stared at me with impatience. I didn’t care what he had to say. I needed this
.

“Are you ready?” He asked.

“Go away.”

I was terrified. I didn’t know how much longer I
could hide the truth from
him. If Sebastian had any inkling of a doubt that I would not be returning to Aegyssus with him, he would string me up now. Regardless of how well hog tying and throwing me over his shoulder would work, it would still be a delay in the time I needed to accomplish one last goal. There was too much inside of me that screamed the world was not lost. My hope was strong in humanity. That was my virtue.

“It’ll be okay, I’m here. And I’m not leaving you.” He said, walking over to me.

“Give me some more time.” I begged.

It was sheer cruel irony that I was able to mask my true intentions with the despair of my mother. If she had never passed, if I hadn’t just seen her after death, I would have never had the pain in my heart enough to overthrow the thoughts in my brain. I didn’t want him to feel them. I was doing so well not thinking of the lifetime I was destined to have without him. But he needed to hear otherwise. That’s why my mother said what she said. She trusted me so much and knew I would see through her words. Of course, she wanted my happiness and for me to be with my true love, but we both knew the guilt of having the world wiped out on my behalf, would be no happiness at all.

Sebastian leaned close behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I felt him kiss my head. My strength was diminishing by the seconds. 

“We don’t have time, my darling.” He pleaded.

“I need to go outside with him, one last time.” 

“Then we shall.” He agreed.

He shook into his human form and held his hand out for me. I was afraid to touch it. He would be able to feel the betrayal instantly. I closed my eyes. I waited for him to say something, but he just walked us out the door. Spike followed very closely to me. I didn’t even stop to leash him. The way he was sticking to me let me know that he understood what was happening. He was very smart. This big part of me hoped that if I was returned to Earth, the one thing my memory would retain was how much Spike knew.

When we got outside the breeze hit my face and I felt myself wanting to choke. The air was so impure here compared to their world. Everything was. My hope faltered for a split second as I tried to grasp how I was actually going to accomplish this. Every thought my head had conceived of this, the moment it hit I had to act to avoid Sebastian from picking up on it. But it was starting to show that I needed the depth in my choices.

The park.
Someone there had to be doing something good. There had to be a family having a picnic, or an owner playing with their pet. There had to be a support group meeting under a giant tree, or a child learning how to ride their new bike. Spike got anxious with me. We took off at a slight jog around the corner of the building. There was no time frame or stop watch counting down the seconds. There was no Loki standing guard letting me see when things were getting towards the end. I needed to hurry and to focus.

Sebastian snatched my arm just before the crosswalk. He faced me and looked into my eyes. Violet flashed at me, threatening me. He had caught on. He knew what I was trying to accomplish. My eyes stared right back into his daring him to try to stop me. There was no time for claiming alpha
though,
I pulled away from him before he moved. It didn’t matter anymore. He couldn’t stop me; I had to do this.

The white hand welcomed Spike’s and my own safe crossing to the park. A sigh of relief escaped my lungs when I was greeted with an elderly couple holding hands as they sat on the fountain together. Their bodies were barely touching, and yet it would have been too much. The love was so obvious between the two of them, it could have been captured on film that moment for the rest of the generations on Earth to try to obtain. To make it even more heartwarming, giggles erupted from the two of them as Spike leaned into the fountain to get a drink of refreshment. I couldn’t help the smile across my face. It was working.

“They’re wondering where your parents are and if you realize the poison your dog just ingested from the chemicals.” Sebastian whispered.

I wasn’t going to let his words get to me. He was angry with me. Was he even being honest?

“No. This is going to work.”

“It won’t work.” He said, sternly.

Pivoting on my feet, I took off in the opposite direction from him. Patting my leg, I whistled Spike to my side. He came trotting up. His ears perked as children’s laughter became clear. Their innocence was something worth fighting for. I headed in that direction to see what they were so happy about. It was a pleasant site of a mother blowing bubbles as the children ran through them and the father was recording them. The smile on his face, you could tell there was nothing more in the world he cherished. The mother glanced over at him, adoring him.

Spike trounced in and starting nipping at the bubbles. I apologized and grabbed him back, but the boys were enjoying it so much. They wrapped their arms around Spike’s neck and hugged him. Together they got the last of the bubbles then collapsed giggling to the grass. Spike rolled around with them until I called him on. The mother waved at me, thankful for that moment. Both she and I looked over to the father once I stepped away; his phone was still up in front of his face.

“He is committing adultery on his wife. That thing in his hand is his communication device with her. They’re planning their next meeting now.” Sebastian said again.

“No, don’t these people know I’m trying to find the hope to save them!” I mumbled.

“It’s not going to work. I told you. Carlyle spent years here. You can’t fix it all in an hour, Mirabelle. You have to accept that.” 

I sucked in my courage and carried on. When I took a step forward, Sebastian yanked me back. I almost went to yell at him, but then a Frisbee whipped in front of me. Spike took off after it. Sebastian instantly let go of me.

“Spike!
Spike!”
I called after him, chasing him down.

I didn’t catch up to Spike until he caught the dang thing. At that point, the person that had thrown it was also caught up to us. I took a hold on Spike’s collar and looked up at the guy.