Shorts

Finn Gavinson Webber-Grey

Finn Gavinson Webber-Grey sat up under the pathetic shade of a leafless tree, hand fisted around a cluster of grass. He squinted up at the sun, lifting a hand to block the light from his newly sensitive eyes. This had been happening for months. Ever since Finn had died and been reborn, no longer a human, but a glorious fae, according to the other fae he'd met. Finn wasn't sure how he felt about that. He missed his family like crazy, he missed his gambler of a sister Eva, his haughty know-it-all but playful cousin Glimmer, and his beloved fiancé; Feyre. Finn's heart seized as he thought of Feyre. How could he have left her? How could he have died only a few weeks before their wedding? He blinked, looking back down at the nature around him. But alas, the air was stale, and Finn's hope diminished. He reached down and rapped his knuckles thrice against the solid, marble ground. That was all it took for the rest of the illusion to disappear. The lush green grass, the bright blue sky, and the blazing sun disappeared, leaving Finn trapped in a white box with an orb of artificial light hanging overhead, illuminating the gloomy scene. He sighed, turning his face to the right, met by the familiar face of a once-again awed fae scientist behind a looking glass. Apparently they thought Finn was an idiot, and that he wouldn't remember to stop trusting the illusion his eyes saw every time they knocked him unconscious and re-tried the experiment. This had been going on for months, or maybe even longer, who knew? So Finn sighed and leaned back against the ground, ready to be injected with some strange serum again so he could drift back to sleep and start the process all over again. Finn had stopped struggling a long time ago. But instead of the doctor rushing in through a concealed door, something entirely new happened. A bronze-skinned fae stepped into view, just as gloriously, perfectly beautiful as any other fae Finn had ever seen. She eyed him through the glass, cocking her head to the side as dark blue hair fell over one bared, brown shoulder. For a moment the female fae stood there, gaze piercing into his, and then turned away to speak with the subdued scientist. She left a few moments later, and the scientist continued on with his tests, until minutes turned into hours, and the male left, shutting all the lights except a single human lamplight. Finn had no idea why the fae put it there for him. Maybe they believed it to be comforting, like a nightlight or something, but who knew. They left it on for him every night, even though Finn's new heightened senses gave him night vision. A thud sounded overhead, and Finn looked up to see two hands and knees pressed against the translucent ceiling. He couldn't see anything beyond that, but heard a few colorfully unrepeatable curses before the person completely disappeared. Finn blinked, wondering where they'd gone, but a moment later he staggered back as a section of the floor caved in completely,a blue, glowing rim appearing around it. A girl, presumably the one from earlier who'd been on top of his prison, climbed out like a spider, grinning briefly at him before sticking her head back into the portal.

"Thanks Jay! Worked like a charm." She yelled into it before sitting up and flashing Finn a grin. "Ello."

Finn tilted his head, eyeing her skeptically as he took in her appearance. She wore a black snakeskin suit zipped to the neck and had a short bob of platinum blonde hair bordering on white. Finn wasn't skeptical about any of this, though. He was skeptical about the black bandana tied around her eyes, probably blocking all her vision. Yet as she sat there, knees up and hands braced on the floor in a typical frog-like position, her face stayed turned in his direction, as if she could see him. Frowning, Finn walked in a circle to test who knows what, but the girl's gaze still followed him. Or at least, she kept turning in his direction, seeming to know where he was despite the fact that it should be impossible due to the new stealth he'd acquired along with his immortality.

"Are you done inspecting me?" She asked, mouth curving with an amused smirk. "Because I don't have all day to save your behind."

Finn huffed and straightened a few wrinkles from his stark-white "prison" clothes. "So how does this work?" He asked. Finn still didn't believe that this girl was here to save him. Maybe it was another illusion, sent by that fae scientist to lift his hopes and crush them again. Nonetheless, Finn stepped forward and took her outstretched hand. "So, how do we get out of h-- AUGH!" Finn yelled in surprise as the floor completely dissolved under them, and then a moment later he was sprawled on the ground, breathlessly staring up at a starry midnight sky. This scenery, however, was ruined by a very smug-looking -and annoying- girl looming over him, one hand braced on her hip and the other held out for him to help him up off the floor. Finn ignored it and pushed himself to his feet, gripping the trunk of a nearby tree. Was he really free? The air here was undoubtedly fresher than that in his cellar, but what if it was another illusion? Hope bloomed in her chest like an infectious thing, and a grateful smile spread across his face as he turned to face the girl who'd helped him out. Her expression was no longer amused, or smug. In fact, it looked slightly sad. Before he could register the look, she dropped into a curtsy.

"Good luck, my lord. Au revoir Finn Gavinson Webber-Grey." The girl grinned before stepping back into a portal that'd appeared under her tailored boots, and then left the little clearing, leaving Finn alone.

He blinked, looking around. He hadn't thanked her. He hadn't asked her for her name, yet she knew his. Finn looked up at the midnight sky and yawned, turning in a circle. Where was he, and why would he need good luck? Finn was immortal now, anyway. Surely he was in no danger of dying again, right? Finn thought back to his death, and how his recreation had come to be. He'd been riding in the forest with Feyre, laughing at a joke she'd made earlier and admiring the expensively magnificent Arabian horse Feyre was saddled onto which had been given as an early wedding present. They had originally been gifted two horses, but the one meant for Finn had died shortly after it's arrival. Some speculated that it was seen as a bad sign, -and maybe it had been-, but Finn and Feyre paid it no heed, continuing on with their wedding plans. He'd finally been happy, ready to leave the constant bickering between his almost-divorced parents behind, and about to marry the rather intensely stubborn red-haired girl he loved. Yet fate didn't see it that way. Finn died that day in the forest, pierced through the heart by a fae spear. Finn didn't know what happened after that, but his next memory was being awakened in the Seelie Court, surrounded by impossibly, immortally beautiful beings. Apparently he'd been killed unjustly by a fae poacher for sport, and the fae law required Finn to be given back his stolen life, but no longer as a human. He was a fae. Reborn anew and sent off to a lab to be studied, as if that was any type of life.

Finn sighed, thoughts returning to his current reality. Where was he? One scan of the surrounding forest had his heart lodged in his throat again. 'Oh no.' This was The Forest of No Return from human fairytales, otherwise called the Demonic Forest. And it wasn't called that for no reason. Finn was immortal in a sense, yes, but though he could survive hits that are fatal to humans, it didn't mean Finn couldn't bleed to death. Finn hadn't even discovered any fae powers yet after being reborn. Either they were stubbornly dormant, or Finn didn't possess any powers at all. He whipped around, gaze locking with that of a serpent of sorts, its bright, fiery-red eyes shimmering eerily in the dark.* "Ha." Finn said, backing away as he lifted his palms towards the creature. He was dead meat. Again.