The Heart Collector (Under Editing)

Chapter Nine: Funeral

Fare had the two keys laid out on the coffee table. They were both rounded at the ends and the teeth were fat. The one Fare found in Kila's apartment had a little bit of rust on the neck while the other looked like it could have been made recently. Fare suspected that it was possible that it was a copy, but she was not positive. Someone could have just taken good care of it. Upon closer inspection, the keys appeared to be nothing special. There were no intricate markings, and they were made of thick iron. Whatever they opened, it was not made in modern standards. She could only speculate what they went to and it drove her crazy. If was the one that sent the key to Milo, then why him instead of her? Kila trusted him with something over her. That was like a knife in the gut, but Fare thought back to their last conversation and how Kila shot down her offer to come to Meridia. Did Kila deliberately keep Fare out of her investigation? If so, then why? A knock came at the door and Fare pocketed the keys. She opened the door to find two well-built men and realized they were human.

"'Ello Miss. We're here for repairs."

Fare cautiously kept her hand on the door and the one that greeted her chuckled.

"Don' worry Miss. Captin' Snow sent us."

"Oh, sorry." She let them come in, "I was expecting-well- Fae."

"That's alright." The other one set down his tools in the kitchen, "We get that a lot."

"Really?" Fare said.

"Yeah. Usually, the Truthfalls use people already in their service, but the Thirteenth Division calls us whenever they can. I had asked Captain Snow about it one time and he said he wanted to find ways to support the community more."

"I see." Fare could not help, but nod her head in approval, "Can I get you boys anything? I'm afraid I don't have much. I need to go to the store, but I do have coffee."

"Thank you. Water is fine."

"Same for me."

As Fare filled some glasses, she thought that Novus must have thought she was all right with humans coming into her place. Unlike some other Fae, he must have sensed that she would not harm them. He kept on surprising her, but this time she was not unnerved by it in the slightest. For the first time in a long time, she was interested in what future interactions she could have with Novus and those associated with him. Fare watched them work and banter amongst themselves. They were completely different from each other, but they bantered like brothers. One was paled skinned. The other well-tanned. One was clearly from another country by the accent. The other must be local. Fare could not help but be reminded of her and Kila. She smiled and watched them in content. 

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Fare woke up at her desk. It was morning. After the repair men left last night, Fare wanted to try and find information on the keys but came up empty. They were clearly antique, but both the internet and books came up short on what they could go to. Fare woke up her computer and deleted her browsing history. She thumbed the rusty key and sighed. Here she had a promising lead, but it stopped her completely in her tracks. She glanced at the time at the bottom of the screen; 6:20. She sighed again. She wished that for once she could get a full night's rest, but her brain never lets her. She went to the kitchen just as the coffee pot sputtered to life. She leaned against the counter with her arms folded across her chest while she listened to the coffee brew. She needed as much energy as she could get. Kila's funeral was this morning.

Fare could not wrap her brain around why Kila asked to be buried in Meridia instead of Larkston. Agatha thought it was strange but did not question it when a lawyer showed up at her door three days after receiving the news. Fare still thought it was strange though. What twenty-six-year-old had a will? She originally chalked it up to Kila's line of work, but it still left an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Fare did not find any copies of the will in Kila's apartment. The only versions she had seen was the one the lawyer gave to Agatha. Even then Fare authenticated Kila's signature at the bottom. Someone was either an expert forger or Kila really did sign it. Whether it was of her own volition, Fare could only speculate. She downed the black coffee and relished the burn. As she placed the cup in the sink, she could not help, but think how she could pull off showing up to the funeral. She had told Novus that she was a good friend, but she had a feeling that he did not believe her. The cemetery that the funeral will be at was in a wooded area, so hiding in the trees would be easy. The only problem was Agatha. While she knew that this will be risky, Fare knew that she would not help but look around for her. Agatha was smart. She knew that Fare would not miss it for the world. Fare was concerned that her natural desire to seek out comfort in a familiar face would cause a problem.

Fare filled the cup with water and sighed. She needed to go. Damn the risks. She walked into the bedroom to put on a pair of black jeans and a dark hoodie. Agatha would have a conniption that she showed up to a funeral like that, but Fare was never able to follow traditional societal norms. Especially, one that normally requires dresses and heels.

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It was raining heavily, and Fare chuckled at the irony. Kila would too. All their lives they made fun of the movies that used rain to dramatize scenes and here it was raining at a funeral. She pulled her hoodie tighter. While the tree she was in kept her well covered, there was a chill in the air. She just hoped that it would not start thundering anytime soon. Thankfully, it was the end of the ceremony.

Fare watched as people started to leave and several of them stopped in front of Agatha to give condolences. Fare did not recognize anyone there other than Agatha and Novus. In a way, she was glad that he was there. She saw Agatha visibly relax in the sea of strangers and it stopped her from trying to locate Fare. Speaking of the Truthfall captain, Fare realized that he was no longer in the crowd.

"Beautiful ceremony, wasn't it?"

Fare was almost startled out of the tree but managed to stabilize herself. She looked down and saw Novus looking up at her with an umbrella in hand.

"I must say. I thought you would be here, but you in a tree was certainly low on my list of hiding places. You have guts, especially during a rainstorm."

Fare rolled her eyes and stayed put.

"What, no witty remark?"

The temple on the side of her head began to twitch. She wanted to say something, but that would be giving him what he wanted.

"Still nothing? I pegged you for this hot-head and here we are in silence. You know, I asked myself when I saw you. 'Why hide in a tree at the funeral of an old friend? Why not be in the crowd?' Then I realized that maybe my theory about wasn't as farfetched as I thought."

Fare bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

"If that is the case, then that would explain a few things. Like how you can afford your apartment without a job and how you are so close to the Woods family. Kila was-."

Fare jumped down suddenly and flashed her eyes in his face, "I would rethink what your about to say if I were you. You may be a Truthfall, but I will defend myself if I find it necessary."

Novus was clearly surprised, but he did not let it faze him too much.

A small smile formed on his lips, "Are you threatening an officer of the law Ms. Blackglade?"

"If your so clever, why don't you tell me?"

Fare turned and started walking away.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Fare quickly turned back to face him, but he was already gone. She was left in the rain in stunned silence.