A Tale of One Deviant (Book One)

Chapter 64: Clover Brook

My delirious and captivated mood sunk away as Kitri continued to walk down the hallway, looking at me as if he didn't know why I was so bipolar sometimes.

     I sunk against his chest again, solemn and tired.

     Seeing that painting just made me feel...lonely. I wanted to stay away from it because of the old feelings it brought up from so long ago, my dark past.

     And yet, I also felt like I could sit there and stare for hours at it, trying to see what other emotions rested in the fairy's weary face, what else lay in her bitter and sorrowful eyes.

     Eventually, we arrived in front of a room.

     The door was painted over white, and had a knocker on it that looked like a laurel wreath. Simple, realistic, not much decoration. Conservative, if you will.

     It didn't look like anything you might find in a castle full of Fae, but I guess it worked.

     Kitri reached up a hand and used the knocker, hitting on the door three times, then pausing. Another four times, pause, then one.

     "Kitri!" I heard from inside. "Welcome back!" A young girl's voice called out as the door swung open, revealing the female counterpart of my best friend.

     The hair was in thick orange curls that went down to her shoulders, all bunched up. The eyes were more of a sky blue than the stimulating blue Kitri had. Her features were sharp, ears poking just a bit out of her hair, showing she was a spriggan and not an elf.

     She was half a head shorter than Kitri, so she still looked down at me from where she stood. Her attire was a nightgown, an emerald green color that went down to her ankles and was really loose for the sake of modesty, but tight at the neck and wrists.

     "What's this precious thing?" The open eyed girl asked, leaning down a bit to look me in the eye while biting her lip to not let anymore descriptions escape. I knew this because Chord did the same thing.

     I wasn't really in the mood for greetings, but didn't want to be rude, so I just muttered loud enough for her to hear.

     "Hello."

     "This is the girl that our aunt was talking about, the one from the ambassador festival with Tear Fang's tribe."

     "What? That can't be, she said it was a young girl...oh. Ohhhhhh..." Her eyes widened even more than they already were and her mouth went into a tight line as she realized the miscommunication.

     Kitri nodded, "Yep."

     "How are you going to explain this to Mom? She was expecting a strapping young woman with the way Aunty was describing her," the girl leaned on the doorway with a thoughtful look on her face.

     "I don't really know about that part," Kitri shifted me to his other shoulder, where I was starting to fall asleep. I shouldn't be, since it was midday back home. Was I getting used to the time schedule so fast? Or did that painting somehow mess with me? "I was kind of hoping you would know...?"

     "Brother of mine, you know that doesn't work on me anymore," the girl, someone who looked to be about sixteen, warned. "But for the sake of this little one who had no other choice than to come, I'll help out."

     "Thanks, Sis. You're the best," he flashed a smile like Mona Lisa, mischievous and grateful.

     "Oh, I don't know why I still fall for your words!" She exclaimed yet had a smile on her face. "The night's still young for us, but I bet she's tired. Run along now, we'll see you in the morning."