4 AM Forever

The Red Room || The Flat

The room was big. Bigger than Kassie had assumed. It was red and had a black leather couch and a desk at one end and a rectangle table at the other. Already of which Cheriah and Olivia were sitting clothed with sweaters. Mikey grabs a shirt off the table and hand it to Kassie and she pulls it on.

"What's the word?" Mikey asks to a middle aged man behind a desk in the corner.

"They know," he then points to the girls, "they may not be safe." He says, taking off his glasses and rubbing his face.

"Safe?" Cherish says looking at him,

"What is this place? A mafia house?" She says and the boy sitting on the couch snorts.

"Mafia no." The man says standing. "More of a Cove." He says walking around the desk.

"A cove?" They say in unison.

"Sit, Kassandra. Time to learn." He says ushering her to a seat next to Olivia.

"I am Aelfric. I am the leader of the Dark Fay. The Fays have kept their secret. Until one Fay decide to trust humans," he says sitting down across from them.

"Orlaith, The higher Light Fay, a kind soul, but her heart was broken by a male human. So she banished any Fay that had human contact to dark places and stripped us of our wings." He says looking at the girls, who were still very confused.

"So you are a faery?" Olivia asks, Kassie looks over to Mikey who looks at the ceiling, but she sees the red on his cheeks. "and why can't Cherish see you?"

"Oh she sees us now." He says reaching across the table to her hand.

"Nothing like spit to the eyes, right my dear?" he says and Cherish faces the floor.

"And yes and no, Fay are mystical creatures, with light and dark sides. Many people see us as bad, but it's a very misunderstood concept. When she banished us, some turned cold and took it out on the people they had come to love. When the Fays shared their lives with the humans, things happened, very bad things. And thus Half-Fays where made." he says motioning to Olivia and Kassie. they eye each other with wide eyes.

"Wait a fucking minute. You're saying.. We're-we're Fay?" Olivia asks, this was all too much in one night..

"Yes you are. And from a powerful branch. And now Orliath wants to rid the realm of the mixed bloods." he says, his voice was thin and it sounds sad. "Listen, how about you guys rest and we can talk when you wake." he says standing and the girls involuntarily follow.

"Fine. Will we be staying here or at our homes?" Cherish says finally speaking up. Aelfric looks around to the other Fays, or so the girls assume.

"They can stay with us, our place is safe, symbols and all." A boy that Kassie recognizes as the first boy from the fire. His curly hair is pulled back by a bandana, and his shirt has holes all over it.

"Are you sure? If Orlaith gets her hands on them, its done." Aelfric says gravely, but the boy nods.

"Orlaith wont come down from her cloud, she'll send her goons to do her dirty work." he says sarcastically, "Us guys can handle them." he says looking to Mikey and a third boy who has been occupying the couch, he had such a easy feel to him.

"Fine, Ashton. But you're taking these." he says going to his desk and pulling out, what looked like long daggers, made of silver. he hands them to the boy on the couch, Ashton, and Mikey. The girls stand, following Mikey and Ashton to the door.

"I'm trusting you, boys." Aelfric says wearly, "Please keep them safe." he says and closes the door. back out into the dance room the music is still pumping and now the floor was all watery, and its pouring inside, washing the bodies of the glow paint thats running down the drains on the floor.

"Let's go. No time to waste, your Highness'." the grumpy boy seethes, earning a nudge from Ashton. "Luke. Watch it." he says putting a hand on Cherish's and Olivia's shoulder stirring them toward the big doors.

***

Olivia follows Ashton's and Mikey's bikes, Kassie was half expecting them to go further into the deserts to a bunker of some sort but they ended back in town and they passed through onto one of the main roads to Phoenix.

It was very lively for being 2 in the morning. passing the main strip of clubs, people littered the streets. Ashton and Mikey come to a stop outside a building and turn off their bikes. Olivia pulls in the spot next to them and kills the ignition. Luke's bike is already in the spot the boys pulled in. Ashton wave them to follow, and they do. Without a word to each other. they follow the boys through the front door and up the stairs.

"You guys can take mine and Mikey's room." Ashton says opening the door to a living room. Both Mikey and Ashton tossed their keys on the counter leading to the kitchen. The girls looked around the living room, it's semi white walls with a big window facing Phoenix's busy city. The furniture were beanbag chairs of different colors and one couch. Their tv stood on a beautiful wooden stand.

"Not very Fay of you." Olivia snarks, "Oi, we are regular guys too ya know." Ashton says smiling and nudges Olivia a bit.

Kassie took in the room, with the kitchen to the right as they walk in, and a small round table just behind the small couch in the living room.

Kassie looks down the hall that had three doors.

"Kassie's got the right idea."Ashton says, "how about you girls get some shut eye?" He passes Kassie and leads them to his door. "Sorry it's kind of a mess." He says and opening the door. The room was a good size, but clothes and shoes cluttered the floor along with stray pieces of junk. Ashton walks to his dresser and pulls out bottoms; shorts and a pair of sweats.

"Have at it." He says putting them on his bed. Olivia chose the sweats and Cherish and Kassie take the shorts.

"I guess I'll leave you to it." He says walking to door and closing it softly behind him.

The girls get dressed in silence. Till Cherish speaks, "Alright, since no one else is addressing this, what the actual fuck is going on?"

"It's like a bad teen novel.. Next thing you know, half naked men will be here to whisk us away to wonderlands." Olivia says flopping down on a bed.

"Yeah but none of those novels involves faeries." Kassie retorts, looking around the room. The walls littered with posters of bands and some of movies.

There's a knock on the door, Ashton opens the door and peeks his head in. "Alright ladies, lights out." They get settled into beds. Olivia and Cherish sharing and Kassie solo in the single bed. Kassie hears them chatter and then slowly they fade as they fall asleep. She pulled the covers up close to her chin and breathed in the scent. It smelled familiar, the smell of clean linen or the smell of cookies being baked. His scent felt familiar and it felt safe. As soon as she closed her eyes, she drifted to sleep.