See Me

“What’s going on, Cass? Talk to me.”

She swallowed hard and blinked. Her hair was matted to her head from the rain earlier in the night. I’m sure I looked just as pleasant.

“I’m just tired.” She concentrated on changing out of her damp clothes.

“It’s something more than that.”

She didn’t answer me, choosing instead to climb into bed.

“No, I’m seriously so tired. I’m just going to sleep, and when I wake up, everything is going to be okay.”

Before I could attempt to get to the bottom of the issue, a weird buzzing and flapping noise came from outside our door.

“What the hell is that?” Cassidy sat up in bed with wide eyes. We stared at the door.

It continued, and we both jumped to our feet.

“Sounds like… a bird or something,” I said. A really large bird. Cracking the door, I peeked out into the darkness with Cassidy looking over my shoulder. I reeled when I heard the flapping again, but it was further away now. We opened the door enough to step out and look around. A small, hazy green form disappeared into the dark trees. Faint, high-pitched cackling sounded from within the nearby forest. I stared out, frozen, but Cassidy grabbed my wrist and tugged me back into the room, slamming the door behind us. We both leaned against it, breathing hard.

“That was one of those creepy little pixie things, wasn’t it?” Cassidy asked.

“No way.” I had no idea why I was denying it when we both knew that’s exactly what it had been.

“Freaky Fae Girl has a spy,” she said.

My stomach churned, threatening to send up all the mead inside.

“I hate her,” I whispered.

“I do, too. Let’s kick her ass. Two against one.”

“Don’t even joke,” I said, feeling queasy.

“You’re scared of her.” The realization seemed to shock Cassidy, and she grabbed my hand.

I’d never admitted fear, but I couldn’t deny it. We both knew that the FFG could take away everything I loved and royally screw up our lives if she had the notion. I was glad Cass didn’t say anything trite about how it would all be okay and there was nothing to fear.

“McKale loves you.”

Those cozy words made me close my eyes. I wanted him to love me. My heart was definitely headed in that direction, and I didn’t want to go alone. “Maybe,” I whispered.

“He hasn’t said it?”

“No.”

“Well, it was all over his face tonight. I’m happy for you, Robyn. So happy.”

Again with the sad voice, despite her sweet words. Something was off, but I was afraid to push her anymore tonight. She would likely clam up and get mad.

I lay my head on her shoulder and she leaned her head against mine. We stayed like that until it was clear the pixie wasn’t coming back, and then we climbed into our beds. Cassidy hadn’t been lying about being tired. She fell right to sleep.

She didn’t even wake when a gust of wind blew our door open. We must not have shut it all the way. I leapt from the bed with my heart in my throat, groping in the dark for the swinging door. I closed it hard and pushed my heavy suitcase in front of it. While I tossed and turned all night, afraid of monsters outside, Cassidy slept hard, even snoring at times.

I hoped she was okay. My world felt off kilter when Cass wasn’t well.

At some point that night my body’s exhaustion overrode my mind’s fears. I woke in the morning to the sound of Cassidy whispered cussing in our bathroom. She shuffled out and sat on her bed, leafing through her mini-calendar again.

“Hey, chickadee.”

She jumped at the sound of my sleepy voice.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Cass let out a derisive laugh and rubbed her temples. “I don’t know. I think… maybe… ugh! Never mind.”

“You think what? Tell me.” I sat up and took out my hairband, smoothing my hair back into another ponytail. She dropped her hands and looked right at me.

“The Clourichaun can’t, like, reproduce or whatever, right?”

A sickening dread filled me and the world seemed to stop.

“No. Why? Is your period late?”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “Four days.”

We stared at each other. Cassidy and I were never late. We were like the clockwork sisters.

“I’ll be right back,” I said, jumping up.

“Where are you going? Don’t tell Mom and Dad!”

“I’m not. I’m getting McKale.”

I ran from the room in my pajamas and bare feet with my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. I only saw one other person, so it must have been super early. Crap, I had to feed the animals! I sprinted and almost tackled Leilah and Rachelle as they came around the corner. I panted, leaning down with my hands on my knees.

“I’m going to be a little late on my chores.” I felt light headed. They eyed me like I was a scary sight.

“Don’ worry, miss Robyn. We’ll take care of the lot this mornin’. Ye just relax now.” Leilah patted my arm and they ambled off to work.

“Thank you,” I called.

I made it to McKale’s room and knocked on his door. He answered after a minute, shirtless with half his hair sticking up. He attempted to flatten out the mess of red when he saw that I was his visitor.

“Wha’ happened?”

“Can you come with me?” I whispered, wishing I didn’t sound so frantic. “I can’t talk about it out here.” He nodded and left the door open while he flew around his room, throwing on a shirt and scooping a handful of water to tame his hair. I waited outside the door with my arms crossed.

Cassidy couldn’t be pregnant. She was under a lot of stress with this trip: being in a strange place, knowing she’d soon be without her sister, getting involved in a serious whirlwind romance with someone she’d met a month ago. That stuff could have thrown off her body. I did the dates in my head. She would have conceived during one of their first times, if not the very first. What were the chances?

McKale came out, closing the door, and we rushed to my room where Cassidy waited. Once we were in with the door closed, the three of us stood close so we could keep our voices low. We each crossed our arms over our chests, which might have been comical under different circumstances.

“The Clour ca

“Tha’s correct.” He looked back and forth between the two of us with a crease in his brow, then his gaze stopped on Cassidy and his forehead smoothed. “Ah.”

“Please tell me they can’t get women pregnant,” I whispered.

McKale paused, too long.

“Aye, they can.” He sounded respectfully sorry. “But it does no’ last beyond the early months.”

Cassidy whimpered, covering her mouth, and angry fire raged through me.

“McKale,” I said through gritted teeth. “Please find Rock and bring him here.”

He pushed a hand through his dampened hair and nodded at me, looking pained.

“Wait!” Cassidy’s hand shot out and grabbed his arm as he turned to go. “You’re not go

He looked down on her with sad eyes. “Nay. If I did, he’d no’ come.”

She watched him leave with her mouth agape. “He would still come.” She sounded childlike.

“Cass—”

“No!” She pulled away when I tried to touch her and went to her bed, sitting down and pulling up her knees. “McKale’s wrong. It’s not like that. Ronan loves me.”

I curled my hands into tight fists. My sister could be pregnant with a baby that had no chance of survival. And I had a terrible feeling the only person Rock loved was Rock.

We waited in silence. She stayed in bed and zoned out while I paced. It felt like forever before the guys came. Rock’s hair looked particularly big this morning and he wore a good-humored expression.

“Wha’s the secret, then? Are we off on another grand adventure today, lasses?”

“Oh, it’s grand alright,” I said.

“Robyn, stop!” Cassidy jumped out of bed and went to Rock. He draped an arm over her shoulder and they gazed at one another.