DEVON
"You've got to be kidding me" I said when Luke opened a portal that took me home. He'd accompanied me home after we'd taken Theo home.
"You shouldn't be surprised, princess. An hour here in the human world is like a second in the underworld" Luke said. "Woah"
"I'll be leaving now" he said and I nodded. He vanished from sight and I knocked on the door. When no one answered, I opened the door. I was totally not expecting the sight of my mum standing by the staircase, her face drained of color. She looked horrified but that was not the shocking thing about this situation. Her blue eyes had become a very light blue that glowed fiercely. Her hands were covered with ice. I lowered my gaze to see what she was staring at. My dad was lying on the floor, completely frozen.
"Mum? W-what's going on here?" I said, my heart thudding madly against my rib cage.
"Sweetie..... I-"
"Wait, you're not human?" I said, my voice shaky.
"Save the questions for later, I need to unfreeze your dad" she said and knelt down beside him. My head was starting to pound.
How on Earth is my mum not a human too? Does that make me half human?
Disoriented and disorganized, I made my way upstairs.
Mum made no effort to stop me. I laid down on my bed, my head resting on my pillow which smelt like Theo. I smiled, closing my eyes. My mum could wait.
I slowly sank into slumber, my body relaxing.
I was awoken hours later by the loud ringing of my phone. I groaned and picked the call. It was Karla.
"Devon! You are in so much trouble! Why didn't you tell me you were going on an adventure with the guys?!" She yelled.
"How did you know about that?" I asked, running a hand through my hair.
"Your mother told me! I was starting to get really worried. You were gone for two days!" She said and I gasped.
"Wait, what?"
"I thought you guys had run into trouble. I'm glad you're okay. How's Theo? Is he okay now?" Karla said.
"Yeah.... he's fine" I said
"That's great. I'll come over later, okay?"
"Sure"
The line went dead.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in"
My mum walked in with a grim look on her face.
"I know you have a lot of questions. So, I'm going to tell you everything. I know I should've told you what I am even before now. I'm sorry" she said, sitting down beside me. "Is dad okay?" I asked.
"He's fine"
I nodded, staring at the small cut on my palm.
"I'm a forgotten" she said and I turned to look at her, surprised. Theo had once told me that half-bloods are also known as the forgotten.
"My father was a human while my mother was a fairy. A Grymlok at that" she said, taking my hands in hers.
"Does that make me half fairy too?" I asked.
"Technically, you're a half faerie.... But, you don't have any feature of a faerie. It probably means that you didn't inherit my fae side" she said.
"Oh"
"Don't feel bad. Fae or not, you're still you. Beautiful and brave. I'm so proud of you" she said, tucking my hair behind my ear. I smiled, squeezing her hand reassuringly.
"What happened between you and dad?" I asked.
My mum sighed, lowering her gaze. "Sweetheart, your father found out that you were gone. He was so upset and he took it out on me. I was trying to assure him that you would come home but he wouldn't listen to me. When he.....tried to hit me again, I acted on instincts. I didn't mean to freeze him" she said. "Mum, he keeps hitting you" I said.
"I can handle him, you don't have to worry. Your father has just been really stressed lately. Everything will be fine" she said, embracing me. "Did everything go fine with Theo?" She asked.
"Yes...it went fine"
"How was your adventures, then?"
"Intriguing" I said and she smiled. She kissed the top of my head and left my room.
I walked up to my window and gazed outside. I noticed the peonies Theo had brought me some weeks ago. They were dying. Frowning, I touched the petals of the sweet smelling flowers. I didn't want them to die, but it was probably too late. All of a sudden, the tips of my fingers began to glow a light green color. The peonies brightened and started to blossom again. Shocked, I stared at the peonies that were previously looking dead. Maybe I do have a feature of a fae, after all.
...
THEO
I awoke to the feeling of someone's lips pressed to my forehead. The scent of roses and coconuts filled my nostrils and I instantly realized who it was. Devon.
I smiled and slowly opened my eyes. She was smiling at me with her fingers running through my hair. She looked so happy and...... excited?
"Hey, stranger" she said and I smiled.
"Hey, beautiful" I rasped.
"How are you feeling?" She asked, her fingers lightly tracing my skin.
"Much better" I said.
"That's great. I was worried that you'll have to sleep for two weeks straight" she said and I raised a brow.
"That's not even possible"
She laughed.
"You don't know that"
"Well, sleeping is different from being in a coma"
"Do you mind coming with me to the garden?" She said.
"Why?"
"There's something I need to show you" she said, still caressing my hair.
"Really?"
"Yup"
"O...Kay" I said, sitting up on the bed. She grabbed a grey long-sleeved shirt from my dresser and brought it to me.
I put it on and got to my feet.
She grabbed my hand and started to lead me downstairs.
"You look very excited" I said and she giggled.
She literally giggled.
Gosh, she's adorable.
We got to the garden, then she plucked one of the lilies and turned to look at me.
"Do you remember the peonies you brought me?" She asked.
"Yeah"
"The flowers were dying....but when I touched the petal, it began to bloom" she said and my eyes widened.
The lilies in her hand had started to bloom.
"Woah.... that's amazing" I said. "That's right"
Luke stepped out into the garden with a frown on his face. He was holding a bird which was clearly dead.
"Luke, where did you get that?" I asked and he scowled.
"It's a she. Her name's Flora..... she's my.....was my pet" he muttered.
"When did you start having a pet?" I asked, confused.
He rolled his eyes, placing the dead bird on a huge slab of stone.
"Two weeks ago, dumbass" he mumbled, squatting beside the stone.
"Don't be sad, Lukey" Devon said as she squatted beside him. "Don't call me that" he said, scoffing.
"Is that a Nightingale?" She asked, gazing at the dead bird. "No, it's a raccoon"
"When did she die?" She asked and I realized what she was going to do.
"Probably a few hours ago..." He said, frowning.
"Can I touch her?"
Luke eyed her suspiciously.
"Can I?" She asked again.
I bit my lower lip, resisting the urge to burst into laughter. They were both behaving like kids. It was ridiculous.
"Fine, you can touch her" he muttered. I watched her as she stroked the bird's feathers gently, the tips of her fingers glowing a bright neon green color. Her eyes had turned a very light shade of green. Luke watched with his jaw nearly hitting the ground.
"What the-"
The bird opened it's eyes and stumbled to it's feet. It stared at Devon for a while before perching on her shoulder.
"How- How did you do that?" Luke asked.
"I don't know. It just happened. I found out today" she said, grinning proudly.
"You do know what this means, right?" Luke said, looking at me.
"She's a necromancer"
"Right....but, that doesn't make her less human. She's still human. But, this--it's a gift" Luke said.
"I can get used to this" Devon said, grinning.
"Thanks for bringing back Flora" Luke said as the Nightingale flew up to his shoulder and perched there.
"You're welcome, Luke"
"By the way, there's something you need to know, Theo" Luke said to me.
"What is it?" I asked.
"It's about the Hexagon" he said, a look of dead seriousness in his eyes.
****************
"Wait, you mean the Hexagon wants to strip him of his runes? But that's not fair!" Devon said, pacing back and forth. Luke sighed.
"It could've been worse than that. But thankfully, they're just going to de-rune him and send him away from the Hexagon. He'll no longer be a nightwalker" Luke said.
"I'm fine with that. Besides, I'm sick of being the suspect at all times" I said
"Are you sure about this?" Devon asked, holding my hand. "I'm sure"
She nodded and embraced me. "You'll come back to me in one piece" she said and I nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
Luke and I left the house and started to walk along the streets. "You know, I'm considering leaving the Hexagon too" he said and I shook my head.
"Luke, you don't have to do it because of me" I said.
"No, they treated you wrongly and they tried to use me against you. I can't remain there" he said and I shrugged.
"If that's what you really want, you're free to do it" I said. We got into the Hexagon HQ soon. Thane was apparently waiting for me in his office while Luke had to wait outside.
"I'm sorry things had to be like this" Thane said as he picked up a syll. I rolled my eyes and took off my coat.
"This is what you actually wanted in the first place. Maybe, something even worse. There's no need to apologise" I said. He clenched his jaw.
"You're right. I didn't just want you de-runed. I wanted you gone. Not just gone, I wanted you dead" he said.
"I've heard that several times. You're not the first person to say that to me. Get on with the de-runing" I said, taking off my shirt.
The head of the nightwalkers took the syll from Thane and began to run it over my runes. The runes burned fiercely but I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me in pain. Slowly, the black runes on my skin faded away. The only one left was the one beneath my collarbone; The one binding me to Devon.
"It is done, your grace" Talon, the head of the nightwalkers said to Thane.
"Good, Good. It's time for the banishment" Thane said.
I put on my shirt and my coat before picking up the sword of factions. It was the same sword that had chosen me to be among the night walkers.
"I, Thane Ryder, leader of the Hexagon, banish you, Theodore Wainwright from the Hexagon. From henceforth, I strip you of every position you hold. And, I proclaim you as a rogue"
The sword glowed a bright orange color. Thane took it from me and placed it in it's sheath. He turned to face me with a smirk on my face.
"Now, we'll see how well you can survive on your own. You're nothing now. Rogues can't survive after their banishments. As it is, you're a rogue now" he said.
Red hot fury exploded inside of me. I stalked him steadily with my eyes burning gold.
"You're wrong" I growled.
He moved backwards, fear in his eyes.
"The runes doesn't define me. I don't need you or the council to survive" I said. I had removed the glamour and he was seeing my true form. "W-what a-are you?" He stammered.
I laughed.
"I don't have to answer to you. I am your superior, Thane. Don't. Even. Dream. Of. Messing. With. Me. Ever. Again" I growled. He nodded frantically, bowing his head as he trembled with fear.
"Do you understand me?" I said, a smirk playing on my lips. "Y-yes. I'll never bother you again, y-your majesty" he said. "You will not say this to anyone" I said and he nodded again. I grinned.
"Of course, you won't tell anyone" I said and snapped my fingers. His eyes widened when he realized that he couldn't talk. He stumbled forward and fell face first. I vanished from his office and appeared beside Luke who was waiting for me outside the office. "I take it that you've scared him half to death" Luke said, grinning.
I shrugged.
"He deserves something worse. But right now, he's not worth my time"