All That Shimmers [Seungmin]

10

The moment I was finally alone, I fell to the bed, sobbing into the pile of pillows. What kind of world had I been brought into?

I missed my family and our modest home. I missed the tulip field and the lake. Most of all, I missed my father who I'd never see again. I cried and grieved for all of it, wishing nothing more than to wake up and discover that all of this had been a nightmare. But unfortunately, it had actually happened and all because of something I'd never asked for...all because I was a hybrid...

I supposed I should be grateful that at least I wasn't a fairy yet. For whatever reason, I'd been spared from that torture so far.

I was absolutely horrified, though, that the other hybrids had all been turned against their will and under such painful conditions. What would happen to them now? Would they be forced to forget their humanity? Would they be taught fairy magic and fairy laws and sent to attack their friends and family?

The thought made me sick.

The King had asked Seungmin if he'd collected the dying tear. I deduced that it was necessary to complete the transformation from hybrid to fairy. But a whole life lost to earn a half-magical one? That seemed like an unfair trade...even for a fairy to force on someone.

And why had Seungmin killed my father if not to use the tear? I was grateful that I was still myself...still half human...but why murder my father just to leave me the same? It seemed wasteful and it made no sense.

I wondered if he'd tell me the truth if I asked him. One of Seungmin's only redeeming qualities so far was that he wasn't a liar. He sometimes withheld information, but he'd also told me the truth. I should ask him in the morning why he'd kept me half-human.

Eventually, I was too exhausted from crying and overthinking to try to figure out the semantics so I got out of bed to change. Taking my hair down felt amazing. He had knotted it tightly to get it to stay up, and I rubbed my scalp to soothe it where it stung. I removed the broach, bracelet, and earrings and laid them each out on the vanity the same way I'd found them. I went to pull off the ring but found it was stuck on my finger.

I tugged and tugged but it wouldn't budge at all. It felt glued to me. Anxious since everyone had reacted strangely to it, I abandoned my room and headed off in search of Seungmin. I found him walking down the hallway towards me in his pajamas. I'd never seen him in anything other than a suit and it was a little strange. If he'd been a stranger I may have complimented his disheveled, devil-may-care look.

"It won't come off," I told him.

"I know," he muttered. He looked exhausted, and I briefly worried that glimpsing had used up more of his energy than I'd known about before remembering that I didn't care how he felt.

"Take it off," I told him, holding out my hand.

"I can't," he explained, keeping his in his pockets.

"Liar," I grumbled and pulled on the ring some more. There was no way I was leaving this thing on. It obviously had some hidden power or meaning which was why everyone was so curious about it.

"When have I ever lied to you, Aerin?" Seungmin uttered. His voice was soft, and I didn't understand why he always made an effort to make me believe he actually cared about me when I already knew that he didn't. If he really cared I wouldn't be here and my father would still be alive.

"You said it was to hold off my magic. Won't I need my magic at the lake?"

"I can undo that for you," he explained and tapped the stone three times.

"That's it?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"Here, follow me and test it."

Seungmin poured a glass of water, and I stared blankly at it. I didn't really believe I had any powers so how was I supposed to know how to use them?

"Make the water move." he urged. "You can do it."

I gazed at the glass and tried to imagine the water rocking from side to side, but I didn't even know where the magic came from (if it existed at all). I didn't know how to manipulate it.

"You're able to stay underwater for so long because you're calm," he explained. "You are at your best when you're relaxed, so stop overthinking."

I glared at the glass as though it were to blame and took a deep breath to calm myself as he'd suggested. I put one of my fingers in the water, since the only times I'd supposedly used it were when I was submerged, and closed my eyes.

I let my muscles relax and exhaled a deep breath. I felt a surge of energy down my arm to my hand. My finger twitched, and I felt a tickle.

"Good job," Seungmin praised, and I opened my eyes to see the water bubbling on the surface.

"I did that?" I grinned in awe of myself.

"Yes. And with some practice, you can do even more.

I stared excitedly at the little bubbles before remembering that I didn't want this. I shouldn't be smiling right now. Being any part fairy was bad and I pulled my hand back, surprised to find that the water followed my finger in a trail. I swished my hand in the air nervously trying to flick it away, and it splashed onto Seungmin.

He blinked down at his wet pajamas in amusement.

"I..." I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sorry...not really. He'd done and deserved far worse than a little water on his chest.

He snapped and instantly dried off.

"As I said," he began, "I can't take the ring off, but I can let you have access to your magic as long as you don't use it against me."

"Okay," I agreed. It may end up being a lie, but he didn't need to know that.

"Now get some sleep, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

He turned to walk down the hallway but I had one more question that I was itching to get the answer to, "Seungmin?" I called.

"Yes?" he sighed and turned back around.

"Why did you keep me a hybrid?"

He shrugged, "I had a hunch that only a hybrid could find the lake."

"Oh," I murmured, recalling that the story had mentioned that a hybrid had created it. "How did you know I knew where it was?"

"Magic," he answered with a yawn. "Goodnight, Aerin." With that lackluster answer, he sauntered off to bed.