Flashback

Chapter 6

A/N FINALLY!!! AN UPDATE!!! Sorry it took so long, I had craziness to attend too. Not to mention the fact that I am currently helping either write, edit, or come up with ideas for at least 4 or 5 different books. And I was writing chapter 9 of flashback on Word. SO MUCH TO DO!!! (and I STILL have to watch Finding Nemo again for the millionth time.)

I resurfaced out of my vision with the group of plotters just standing there staring at me. I was completely out of breath and felt like I had just taken on an army. It seemed that no time at all had passed, when I must have spent at least a half-hour reliving a - memory.

That was a flashback! I tried to look around my brain and, sure enough, my meeting with Eagle had been popped back into place in my poor little empty head.

Coral and Cove rushed over, while Foof just stood there, gaping at me. I still wasn't sure wether or not to trust them, but thoughts of running again were squelched by the feeling I was having. It was like all of the energy I had was used up in the attack. I couldn't run very far without collapsing from exhaustion. I might as well trust them. they seemed genuinely sorry for even thinking about doing, well, whatever they were planning on doing to me.

So I kneeled on the ground there while the one of the sisters babbled at me and every once in a while the other would shout what must have been very unladylike profanity (in their eyes at least) at Foof, who still seemed dumbstruck by the attack.

"What just happened? You were just standing there, and then your eyes turned completely gold and started flitting around like crazy!"

'FOOF!!! HOW COULD YOU? YOU'RE SUDDENLY ACTING MORE LIKE A - LIKE A NAUTILUS THAN A TULIP!"

"And then you froze at the end of it and just collapsed!"

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE BETTER THAN THAT! YOU'RE JUST A CEPHALOPOD!!!"

Then, at the exact same time, they both shouted, "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?"

So, with Foof still frozen in place and obviously not able to help, I took the not-so-subtle hint and retold my two seconds of apparent crazy.

I explained everything, even though I had no idea what it meant. When I was done, even the Green was paying attention.

They again seemed to gather in council, but this time I was one of the chairs.

After a long and rather heated debate over what this had to mean, we came to the conclusion that we should just wait (however much we hated it) for Jey to finally show himself.

It was getting late, and so everyone went to bed and Coral walked me to my room.

She explained as we walked that the hous had been built with two rooms for each race (one for each gender), and, because there were no other girl Faeries, I would have a room to myself.

As I walked along the narrow passage, I noticed the other doorways along the sides of the hallway. The left side seemed to be for girls, and the right for boys.

From the first two came the smell of fresh earth and flowers. Obviously for Greens.

From the second, the sound of splashes and trickling water. Must be for Mers.

I heard distant pounding the third pair. Dwarves, if I had to guess.

We approached another room, on the right, it carried no distinctive markings except for the dust on the handle, as if it hadn't been opened for a while. The opposing door was to my room. Coral spoke, interrupting my thoughts. "While all the commotion was going on, Vendic primed your room." I hoped he didn't really prime it. I had no idea what he could do with explosives. "He may seem like a grouch, but he's actually very good at reading people."

And with that, she opened the door.

Inside was actually more out. an oak tree arched its branches across the room, creating a maze of perches and bench-type sections. The limbs swooped down at places to form four small beds elevated a few feet above the ground, only one of which was made.

Along with the perches above, there were stools, chairs, and tables made from the roots of the tree, for any non-flying visitors, or for any tired Fae who didn't want the hassle of taking wing to find a place to sit.

When we stepped into the room, I immediately flew up to one of the thicker branches and dangled my feet over the side. As I stared up in wonder, I noticed a skylight that allowed the tree to get sun.

"How?"

"That's what I said when I first saw my room. You want to see?"

"Sure!" I jumped off the branch and landed lightly on my feet. We walked out into the hallway and back to the second door on the left.

Coral opened it and walked onto a beach. There was a large pool in the center with a bridge across it to walk. Colorful fish jumped over the bridge at random. I began looking for Cove, when she came up from below the pool, her red hair streaming rivulets of water.

She glared at her sister. "I was trying to sleep! Is this a tour or something?"

Coral laughed and flicked her wrist ever so slightly. A jet of water came up from the pool and splashed down on Cove's head. I heard a low growl come from the now even more soaked mer, before she reached up and pulled her sister into the water.

Coral instinctively immersed her necklace and took a breath. She turned into another mer, practically identical to her sister with a bright red tail the same color as her hair. They began to have a play fight in their pool, with Coral moving the water to attack her sister, and Cove changing the temperature of the pool, from freezing cold to boiling. It was pretty funny actually.

When they were finally done, I was practically dying from laughing so hard. I guess being cooped up inside a giant dome made you want to release your anger every now and then.

No one stopped us as we walked to Foof's room, which was basically a valley of assorted wildflowers. And Vendic's, a cave that no one really wanted to enter. Jey's door was locked, and was still void of any features.

I returned to my room and settled on the bed, looking up to the skylight and watching the stars rise. I was almost dreaming when the door creaked open. Some forgotten advice kicked in and I feigned sleep as the person walked over to the bed.

The footsteps stopped, but I still heard his labored breaths. He must have stood there for a long time before a tentative hand reached out and hovered over my face.

He sighed quietly and brushed back a stray lock of my hair. Looking at him through my lashes,  it seemed as if he wanted to do more, but he didn't, and  he clenched his nimble fingers and shook his fist to himself as he walked out of the room.

The only traces he left of himself was a gleaming silver feather. The words he had said still hovering in the air.

"I know you're awake."