Come Away

Chapter 14 - Messenger

I fidget with the sleeve of my jacket, almost tearing it to shreds in my attempt to distract myself. Anything is better than making eye contact with her.

"Why is she so scary, a hAthair?" Fiona asks from her stool placed right across from me. She tilts her head as she stares, her long waves of russet hair falling to the side like a curtain.

Cináed answers from the table where he sits wrapping a bandage around Darren's knee.

"Fiona, do not pester Roisín." He says, glancing over at me with a smile. "She bites when she feels threatened." He adds with a wink.

I huff and turn to face the window, hoping that the girl will lose interest if I simply ignore her long enough. Bull-head, who I learned is a creature called a Minotaur, is standing watch outside the cottage.

"A creature from Greek Mythology, of course."

Those were Darren's words to me when I asked what bull-head was.

"And he is not an it. Can't you tell?"

I nodded like I'd known that all along. But I wasn't about to start checking the creature out for those kinds of details. The girl had called him Mino and hugged him like they're old friends, which means that Cináed knows the creature well enough to trust him with his daughter. Part of me is grateful that he survived last night. I would have a harder time feeling safe in this bungalow if there was a less dominating creature standing between us and that forest.

The green goblin's screams and the sound of the demon horse's whinnies are the haunting soundtrack of last night. As soon as the sun came up—or whatever golden sphere they use to replace the sun down here—the terrors immediately started to melt away. Almost like they never happened.

My eyes catch a movement along the line of trees. Probably just a shifting shadow or a rustle of leaves. But it's a reminder that our new home is never going to welcome Darren and I as equals. Something tells me that in this strange land, outsiders have to fight for respect.

The girl is scooting off of the stool now, her attention distracted. She moves across the smooth dirt floor, twirling her dress around her tiny body. The dance is graceful and innocent. In many ways the exact opposite of myself.

I might be scary Fiona, but I'd rather be scary if it helps me make it out of here alive.

Cináed claps his hands on his thighs and stands up. The tear in Darren's pant leg is sewn up to hide the bandage underneath. Despite a slight hollowness under his eyes, I'd never guess that my brother was chased by a carnivorous horse last night. He looks alert and ready for the next adventure.

"Fiona, why don't you show Darren the stream where you like to watch the pretty salmon?" Cináed says, and Fiona plants both of her bare feet on the ground as she stops spinning.

Her and Darren watch each other for a moment. I know Darren has always wanted younger siblings to play with, but I also know he probably would prefer a brother, or at least a sister closer to his same age.

Fiona is the first to speak. "Can you run fast, Darren?" She says, observing him like she's seeing him for the first time.

My brother nods, sending his dark hair into his eyes. "Yeah."

"Then you can come chase the salmon with me." 

Her tone is so demanding that I have to hold a fist over my mouth to hide my grin as Fiona takes Darren's hand and leads him outside. I can hear her giving orders to Mino to come along, and the Minotaur obediently follows the girl as she disappears into the tall grass.