Starborn Legacy (A Starborn Series prequel)

Chapter three

Audrey laid on her bedroom floor with her ear pressed against the air vent. Holding her breath, she strained to make out the conversation that carried upward from the den below.

The only thing Welkin had said as they shepherded her home from the forest was, "I must speak with your grandparents at once." At the time, Audrey was too stunned to ask questions. But now that she was stuck waiting in her room while her family had an emergency meeting about her, she was kicking herself for freezing up.

Downstairs, the conversation between Welkin and her grandparents sounded serious and tense, but no matter how hard she tried, Audrey couldn't make out what they were saying. With a sigh of defeat, she rolled onto her back. She raised her hands in front of her face and turned them slowly from side to side, looking for some clue to explain what had happened. Even though her ex-girlfriend's note had burned up into ash, Audrey didn't seem to be injured. The skin of her hands was completely unmarred by the strange, dazzling flames. In fact, the whole thing had happened so fast, Audrey wasn't sure if she'd felt anything at all.

Was it fire? she wondered. Or was it something else?

Whatever it was, it had been exceptionally bright. Everytime she closed her eyes, she could still see the brilliant flash of it burning behind her eyelids.

Did it come from me?

The sound of footsteps ascending the creaky old stairs made her jump. She quickly scrambled off the floor and threw herself down into the old armchair next to her bedroom window where she liked to read. A dogeared novel sat on the window sill, but instead of picking it up, Audrey stared out into the backyard and waited. The yard backed up against the woods, and in the encroaching dark she could see the flickering lights of faeries as they moved between the trees. When she was small, Audrey and her friends would spend the twilight hours of summer following those magical little lights, trying to catch them in jars as if they were fireflies. That is, until the day she finally caught one. She still had a scar where its tiny faerie fangs sank into her left index finger.

Audrey was absentmindedly rubbing her thumb over the scar when a soft knock came from her bedroom door.

"Come in," she said, dragging her eyes from the window.

The door squeaked on its hinges as it opened. Her grandfather's face peered in from the hallway, and he forced a smile when their eyes met.

"Hey, sweetie. How ya' feelin'?" he asked warmly.

Audrey sat up. "I'm fine. Can I come downstairs now?"

Rubbing his wide hand over his beaded chin, her grandfather nodded and stepped back. From the far-off look in his eyes, Audrey could tell that he was deep in thought. The way he seemed to avoid looking at her as they descended the stairs together sent a chill down her spine. It wasn't like him to be so distant.

When they rounded the corner and stepped into the den, Audrey was surprised to find Welkin sitting on the couch. It was rare enough that Welkin actually came into the home, and to see someone as majestic and regal as them sinking awkwardly into the plushy middle of their well-worn couch was so unsettling that it was almost comical. Audrey would have laughed had the tension in the air not been so thick.

"What's going on?" she asked. Her eyes flitted to her grandmother, who was standing by the window and gazing out into the encroaching gloom of night. Even with her grandmother's back to her, Audrey could tell that she was upset.

Welkin rose from the couch and motioned for her to sit. "Your grandparents and I have something we need to discuss with you, Audrey."

"No kidding," Audrey said as she flopped down. "I can't believe you guys sent me to my room so you could talk about me. It's not like I did something wrong."