Monsters & Fairytales (52 page)

“Silence!”
A voice echoed down from the top of the stairs.

I jumped and ducked even farther behind Sebastian. Both of them had stopped bickering; though they were a bit reluctant to turn from one another. I looked for the Myrian that had spoken around Sebastian’s right arm. I had never met him, but I could tell it was their father, Loki.
             

I knew instantly if it weren’t for the tension downstairs, his presence would have forced the entire room to look at him the second he took his place. His demeanor was nothing to be trifled with. It helped that his looks were just as intimidating. He wasn’t taller than them, really, Carlyle seemed slightly taller. However, his wings were bigger. They hung to the ground and curled up so as not to be dragged.
             

He had bracelets on his forearms in the brightest blue and deepest yellow. I wasn’t sure the purpose of the decor until he moved and the light reflected scars on his chest. I suppose if they were meant for a distraction, I would have
noticed the scars the first second I saw
him. Maybe they were a way of declaring that he demanded respect. I felt that without the beads, I’d still have no problem giving him that type of respect. He was a wise man that oozed superiority. 
             

I watched him reach the bottom of the stairs where everyone took a bow. I rushed to fit in. I felt stupid when I realized I was afraid not bowing would make me stand out. I was the only light skinned one there. I also
sme
lled and looked different in every way. He’d known I was here before I’d even stepped into the house.
             

Loki started speaking in their tongue. I stood up and looked around. They were all listening to him. He put a hand on each of their shoulders. They wanted to flinch and move away, but they held their respect. Loki closed his eyes and chanted. Everyone else closed their eyes. I did, too.

“Mirabelle.”
My name was sung almost, by the deep voice of Loki.

“Sir.”
I said.

“Open your eyes, child.” He laughed.

I did as asked. He was standing in front of me. Everyone was staring at us.

“Everyone here is very interested in you. You have managed to capture a Myrians heart, and not only that, but return your own. You have come very far to do a great thing, we ask you to join us. Please, stay here for dinner. We would be honored to have you as our guest.”

The most unbelievable thing happened next; he bowed to me. A leader bowed to me.

“I would love to, of course!” I blurted out.

The room erupted in cheers. Everyone was happy, except Carlyle. There was no chance to try to say something to him. The crowd started moving in a haze. Everyone was rushing to the dining area. Sebastian reached his hand back for mine. I grabbed it and was pulled to his side.

“There is someone here for you.” He whispered.

“Who?!”

I looked around the room. How was I supposed to see anything when I was a good 10 feet shorter than the tallest Myrian?

“Mira.”
He nudged me.

“What.” I nudged him back.

When the crowd finally cleared to some extent, I saw this familiar white patch in all of the black. It was Spike. He was sitting there, waiting on me. It was quite possibly the greatest feeling ever. I stopped in my tracks and held my breath, everything seemed to slow down. Spike edged forward a little bit and I knelt down and patted my lap. He instantly charged at me. He collided into me, knocking me over, and devoured me in kisses.

“Spike!”
I laughed, pushing him off.

“I told you he was fine.”

Sebastian smiled patting Spike’s head. I noticed that a few Myrians looked at Spike and laughed when they walked by. What was he saying?

“Can everyone else hear him, too?” I asked
,
just to make sure I really was the only one who couldn’t.

“They can.” He nodded.

“I knew it.”

“What did he say?”

“He missed you. He’s been talking about you all day.”

“All day?!”

I tugged on his cheeks and kissed the top of his nose. He was whimpering and trying his best to get into my lap. I’d missed him. It felt like it had been days since he and I had just spent time together. I looked up to Sebastian, he was just watching me. He was so in love with me it was almost sickening. I felt my face getting red. I wanted to kiss him.

“Come, they are waiting.”

He stuck his hand out for me to get up. I walked with Sebastian and Spike past the stairs and to the right. We went through a crooked yellow doorframe. I was curious what the door that fit it looked like. I imagined a carousel of crooked doors, something out of Wonderland or Willy
Wonka’s
chocolate factory.
             

I concluded it was from Wonderland once I stepped inside the dining room. I had gotten smaller while the room got much, much larger. It was completely captivating inside. Yellow pin stripes danced across green walls. They were imitating the sun’s rays across the grass. If I stood just right in the room, it was hard to tell a difference between the walls inside and the vegetation outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. They were more like cutouts, since they had no glass. I wondered if bugs were a bother or worry of theirs in this
world?

My eyes jotted off to the next sight in the room, the table. It seemed the room was only built to hold it and its guests. The purple color was similar to the color of their water in that lake in the oasis I had visited the other day. I supposed that was also done on purpose, seeing as how the table bent and curved like water.
             

The biggest bend in the table was directly in front of the fireplace. Loki was sitting there with his arms crossed. I thought it was odd he wouldn’t be at the head of the table. Looking at each end, I guess maybe that was the head of the table to them.
             

Myrians were pushing their way around me. I almost forgot we were all supposed to be sitting. Sebastian had been so patient, standing there and letting me take it all in. I looked for two empty seats together, and my eyes caught two next to Loki. Of course one was on either side of him, but I still assumed that was for us.
             

I walked over towards them and stopped on the one to the left of him. I remembered reading something about how the right hand man was the one most valued in hierarchy, or was it the left? I wasn’t sure and I didn’t want to insult anyone, so I took a step back to allow Sebastian to take his place properly. However, Carlyle jumped in the gap I created and without so much as a glance back, pulled out the chair taking a seat.
             

I looked at Sebastian, helpless. He was already sitting in the olive chair on the right. I didn’t know what to do. Understanding my helplessness, he pointed to an empty seat directly in front of them. Dumbfounded, it was, of course, the only one on the inside of the curve. I was going to be the center of attention.
             

Clearly Sebastian didn’t understand just how helpless I was, because he didn’t stand back up to offer to walk me to the seat. I was going to be forced to walk all the way around the now seated Myrians to take my spot in front of their leader. At least I’d have Spike. I looked down for him, but saw he was already on the other side, sitting next to the chair. Of course, he could crawl under tables.
             

I debated for a second, but quickly knew that it wouldn’t look so great if I walked under a table. They were already whispering about me, I didn’t need more unknown words to be spoken.
             

I carefully kept my head high and tried not to make eye contact. Each one just barely turned their head and inhaled as I passed, then they’d quickly face their neighbors and jabber on about me. I tried to walk faster to get it over with, but I was terrified of falling.
             

When I finally reached the other end, I shot a glance around the room. They were all staring. I pulled my seat out and as soon as my butt touched the chair, Loki stood up. Instantly I went to stand up with him.

“Stay.”

Loki held his hand up, interrupting me. I happily obliged. On the opposite end of the wall, two doors opened up. I watched creatures that were miniature ‘Nancy’s’ file out. They were green, not yellow like her, and they had no hair. Red antennae stuck out from the tops of their heads with bulbs on the tips of them. They had yellow pockets on their chest that made it look like they were wearing a button-up shirt.

Fixated on those oddly placed pockets, I noticed inside of them were napkins. How peculiar to have an appendage
be
a working pocket. I guess it wasn’t really much different than a kangaroo; these guys just used their pouch to hold material items and not infants.
             

They had six hands that were full of all sorts of things. Some had platters, some hand fruits with straws in them, and some had things I had never seen before. They were rushing about with such grace, I was in complete awe. It didn’t seem right that they were
born with that napkin holding appendage as if to prepare for the worst.
It was almost a curse. They played their role accordingly though, and stopped in a few seconds, each behind a Myrian.
             

The one behind me was breathing very heavily. Had I gotten the only clumsy one as my own? Were they perfectly paired that way? Or was he just nervous to be around a human? I seemed to keep forgetting I was the abnormal one.
             

The tribe took its seat and then the creatures placed their hands over the platters. On the same count, the feast was revealed. Each Myrian had something different. I realized everyone had gotten exactly what they’d wanted when I saw chicken tenders and curly fries on my plate. My stomach growled
             
.

Looking at my mutt, he smiled at me, smacking his chops. He even had a plate of food lying on the floor in front of him. I thought it was adorable that he craved dog food with bits of meat in it; at least they’d seemed to be cooked and not horribly raw.
             

I dipped a fry into some ketchup and took a bite. It was delicious. Everyone was digging in, paying no mind to their neighbors. What a perfect meal.

“Mirabelle, you should try this. This is what I had mentioned to you earlier.” Sebastian said with his mouth full of food.

He was holding a silver cup in his hand and tipping it towards me. I looked next to my plate at the green cup. Picking it up to my face, I sniffed it. It reeked of alcohol. Did I really want to get drunk in this place like this? I didn’t want to be rude and not try it. So I took a small sip. It was warm, buttery, honey like. It tasted delicious. I wanted to drink the whole thing, but the fog in my head told me it was too strong for me to handle properly.

“It’s amazing. I feel wrong drinking any more, though, since I am technically underage. Can I get some water instead?” I asked. I prayed I wasn’t taken as rude.

“Of course!”

Sebastian waved to the back doors. No one came out. He returned to eating and left me in confusion. Feeling my mouth dry up, I looked back at the drink in my hand. One more sip shouldn’t do too much harm. When it hit my tongue, I wanted to laugh. They had changed it for me already. From wine to water; they were crazy.

“So you want to stay here with my son?” Loki said, after a few moments.

He startled me. I had almost forgotten I was sitting in front of him, let alone my purpose here.

“If that is a possibility, yes.”
I said.

“You must really love him.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then why are you not willing to make the sacrifice?”

He raised his eyebrow at me.

“Sacrifice?”

I swallowed a fry down. I didn’t like the sound of that. What sacrifice was he referring to? There was an eerie laugh slowly getting louder. It took me a second to realize it was coming from Loki. I didn’t like it at all.

“Father, no.” Sebastian whispered.

“She’s going to find out, eventually.” Carlyle mumbled.

I was glad he was talking in front of me, even if it were full of disdain.

“Not here, not now.” Sebastian hissed.

“Then when?” Carlyle snapped right back.

“Mirabelle.”
Loki said interrupting the two.

He held up his hands to show how serious he was for them to stop talking. They obeyed instantly.

“Sir?”

I was afraid. I wanted to show strength and honesty about my feelings towards Sebastian, but he was very intimidating. He had to know that.

“Is there nothing on earth to keep you happy?” He asked.

“No.” I answered quickly, that helped my courage.

Just to make sure, I thought about it for a little bit. I had to admit, I could see myself happy, but I’d be a fool to say it had anything on my love for Sebastian. He completed me. I had spent enough time not knowing him to know that I’d always want more out of life if he weren’t there. There was no way around it.