See Me

Rock could barely stand. His ankles kept bending under his weight. Cassidy and I stood and moved closer, watching as Keefe, the soccer guy, greeted Rock, pulling back his hand and flapping it in front of his nose.

“Och, Rock! Ye stink of Farmer Teague’s wife, ye do! Was she boiling another batch of her death-by-roses perfume, then?”

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Laughter ensued, and Rock half-gri

My blood pressure rose.

“Bloody fool,” one of the Chaun boys said, slugging Rock in the arm and nearly knocking him over. “Ye’ll never learn.”

Rock spotted Cassidy and I through bleary, half-closed eyes. “Cassie-lassiiieeee!” He shoved through the other guys and draped his arms around her, bumping me away.

“Ronan, stop,” Cass said, wiggling out of his grasp and staring at him with wide eyes. Her next words were hissed in a dangerously low whisper that only the three of us could hear. “Did you just sleep with some woman? Someone’s wife?” Her eyes begged him to deny it. He could feed her a lie right then, and she would eat it up.

“Tell her the truth,” I warned him. He stank; there was no denying that.

Rock looked at me through a mop of long curls. He stood a touch taller at that moment and looked as serious as I’d ever seen him. There was a message for me in his eyes. I didn’t like it, but I understood it. Rock was about to sever ties with my sister. He looked back at Cassidy, who’d wrapped her arms around herself.

Before Rock could say anything, Blackie came up and clapped him on the back, giving us a devilishly handsome wink.

“Old man Teague should know better than to leave ‘is young bride so long while he tends to trade matters, ‘eh? Somebody has to take care of business at home!” He slapped Rock’s back again, ru

Cassidy closed her eyes and pressed her fingertips to her pink lips.

“No,” she whispered through her fingers. “Tell me it’s not true.”

“Cassie…,” Rock said, tilting to the side and then righting himself.

The regret in his tone was evident, but it wasn’t enough.

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. “I can’t believe you would do that to me. I love you!”

Her words seemed to punch breath from his lungs. Rock’s sorrowful eyes were haunting as he stepped back, distancing himself.

“This is no place for the likes of ye, Cassie.” He still used her nickname, defiant. “And I’ll no’ be tied down to a lass. Ever.”

“Why are you doing this?” She sucked in a shuddering breath and her eyes filled with tears. I watched her face turn hard as her words turned spiteful. “Whatever. I just came over here to tell you I’m not pregnant. Not that you cared. Not that you were worried about me. I can’t believe I was so stupid.”

She tried to leave but he grabbed her upper arm.

“I ne’er meant to hurt ye,” he said.

“Then why did you?” she whispered.

Beyond Rock’s shoulder I saw a shift in the crowd as people moved out of someone’s way. Someone big.

“Go,” I told Rock. “Our dad’s coming. You need to get out of here, now.”

Cassidy and Rock both looked to see I was telling the truth. My parents and Brogan were making a straight line for us.

Rock gave Cass one last heart-shattering look of apology before staggering three steps backward. The other Clour must have been keeping an eye out for Rock, because they all followed his lead back into the grass, pushing and shoving one another as they hurried away. They’d come with a purpose, and it had been achieved.

Cassidy cried silent tears now, one hand over her mouth. I looked for my parents. Dad’s eyes were on the field where Rock had disappeared. Mom’s eyes, of course, were on Cassidy, no doubt reading the heartbreak there. She began moving through the crowd toward us with Dad behind her. Mom wore the same fierce expression she had when she caught us watching Cinderella as kids—she hated anything that depicted Faeries in a positive light, fictional or not.

As they got closer, Dad scrutinized Cassidy’s tear-stained face. He stopped, hesitating only a moment before stalking toward the field, slow at first, then breaking into a sprint. The three of us girls watched him, astonished. I’d never seen him move so fast.

“Leon!” Mom shouted. The three of us ran after him, and others followed.

Dad caught up to the boys just before they got to the trees. He grabbed the back of Rock’s shirt and spun him around, pulling him so they were face-to-face. Dad’s biceps flexed with restrained fury. I had no idea his muscles were so big.

“Daddy, please!” Cassidy cried.

He gave the Clour a hard shake. “What did you do to my daughter?”

Rock’s mouth hung open, no noise escaping.

I chimed in, afraid for Rock. “They just broke up, Dad… they broke things off.”

Dad, keeping a tight hold on the boy, looked to Cassidy who nodded. Mom placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let him go, love.”

He snarled down at Rock, pulling his face a touch closer and whispered through clenched teeth. “You stay away from her. Do you hear me? Don’t come around here again until the summer is over and we’re half a world away.”

“Daddy!” Cassidy cried.

Rock swallowed and nodded, croaking, “Aye, sir. I’ll no’ bother her again.”

“Good.” Dad shoved him away.

Brogan stood next to him now, glowering at the Clourichaun who were rushing into the trees. A large group of villagers stood behind us, watching. McKale came to my side and took my hand.

We all looked at Cassidy. She let out a muffled choking sound and turned, pushing through the crowd, ru

Dad exhaled and rubbed his face. “I’m sorry about that, Brogan.”

“’Tis fine, sir. I ca

“Thank you.”

Brogan looked hard at McKale. “I’m takin’ back the invitation I extended to ‘em for the binding ceremony. Understand?”

“Aye, Father.”

We walked back up to the field in silence, and McKale never let go of my hand. People dispersed into the clearing, whispering amongst themselves.

“I think I’ll call it an early night,” Dad said.

“I’ll be along,” Mom said. “I’m going to check on Cass first.”

He nodded. “Tell her… tell her I love her and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lose my temper, but I think there’s more to this story. Stuff I don’t even want to know.”

I dropped my gaze to the ground as Dad walked away. My heart thudded when Mom turned to face McKale and me.

“Robyn, what have your sister and that boy been up to?”

McKale looked away. I swallowed and whispered, “I…” I dropped my eyes.

She pressed fingertips to her temples, appearing even more anguished than she’d been when she broke the news to me about McKale’s heritage. “Never mind. I don’t need to hear it.”

“Oh, Cassidy Renee,” she whispered into the air. Her eyes watered. “Why must you learn everything the hard way?”

I squeezed McKale’s hand and released it. “You can go. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He left us.

I walked to my room with Mom at my side. Stress reverberated off her. Cassidy’s sobs were audible long before we got there. I was scared about what Mom pla

Nope. My parents were full of surprises tonight. Mom climbed straight into my sister’s bed and curled around Cassidy’s balled form. She whispered and smoothed her hair back from her face. Over and over she did this until Cass quieted, hiccupping for air every minute or so. I climbed into my own bed, but couldn’t relax as the minutes ticked by. Mom didn’t return to her own room until Cassidy was hard asleep.