Fae

Chapter 18

Standing before her, in a black leather bodysuit, Kaden's necklace glinting around her neck, was Veronica.
    "Ronnie, what are you doing here?" Kaden whispered as she swallowed thickly, holding back the waterworks that viciously threatened her pride.
   "Come now Schatzi, we needn't talk about that for now,  just stand down and all will be fine. I never wanted to leave you; I wanted to stay, honest." Veronica purred.
    "Why are you doing this to me?" Kaden asked as her teeth found the inside of her cheek, applying pressure until the metallic liquid landed on her tongue. Her eyes began to burn as the people stared. They watched the two girls' every move. Mitzie's face morphed into horror as realization sat in. The Queen bored holes into Kaden with her deep disappointment. Kaden's world began to spin, and the ground seemed to rise quickly to catch her, but was denied by Veronica's strong form gathering Kaden up into her embrace.
      "My dearest Schatzi, you are perfect.  You are kind, beautiful, funny, and," she paused her recantation of her previous statement long enough for her smile to turn malicious, "-and so fucking naive. It's almost funny how easily I hurt you. Were we ever even dating? Tell me, Treasure, why are you angry? Why are you hurt so badly? Did you want us to be together? For me to be in your shadow as you ruled the very people that ruined my life? These are the same people that have been threatening to kill you since you got here. They won't protect you from me any more than you will protect them." She spat in anger. Her fingers began to twirl sparks delicately between them. She sent one last look in Kaden's direction, then pointed to the crowd.
      A thin, tendril of light arced from the extended index, and latched onto the metal flooring of the stadium, suspending everyone in a state of unending electrocution.
     "No!" The Queen screamed. Mitzie grabbed her right before she was able to jump in front of the volt. Tears fell down the Queen's face as she watched her people suffer and heard Mitzie say,
    "It's her fight." They both looked to Kaden for answers. Kaden saw the worry lines etched in the Queen's face, and remembered a previous lesson.
     "Fae, how old do you think I am?" The Queen asked her, she replied that she did not know. "That is because the Mond can retain any age they desire."
    "That is so cool!" Kaden replied. The Queen laughed.
     "It may be, but it's also very tricky,  for once an age is decided on, it can only be undone by being chosen as an Elder or death." She paused, "You see, Fae, Mond can either age or stop at an age they're at, but those decisions are permanent, since Mond are immortal except through their individually specific weakness,  and Elders are not chosen often."
      "Is Floaty an Elder?" Kaden inquired as she thought of the ageless man, who was both old and youth simultaneously.
      "Flo- Oh, yes." She laughed as she realized who Kaden referred to,  "Yes, he is an Elder, and the most esteemed of them at that."
      "He doesn't like me very much." Kaden replied in a moment of fear.
     "He does indeed." The Queen stopped her. "He risked his position, his title,  I dare say, even his life, when he brought you here and demanded your position. He broke protocol, because he knew that in the time it would take to secure you the proper way, you would no longer be suspended by the amulet's power and would return to the dead." She let that sink in for a moment before adding. "After you were placed in the Mond solution, a meeting was held. He defended you with his all. He swore that if you should be killed before you were given a proper chance, he would resign his position as an Elder." Kaden's face went slack with shock. "Fae, once you become an Elder, the only way to resign is to surrender your immorality. He was willing to die for you. To go through the agony of all his years catching up to him in a manner of minutes, and be dead within an hour, so that you would be given a chance to rule. If that doesn't show that he likes you, I am unsure if anything will."
     This memory is what she thought of as she saw Floaty dart from where he was guarding the door and jump into the volt, shielding the people. His eyes locked with hers as the voltage traced every inch of his skin. A few moments later, they rolled back into his head, and Kaden was released from her trance. She looked to the Queen, registered the ghastly state of her complexion, and asked the question that she did not want to know the answer to.
     "-His weakness?" She rasped around the hard lump forming in her throat. Mitzie looked to her, pain traced on her features, and shook her head. It was all the answer Kaden needed, but most definitely not the one she wanted.
    "Don't worry Mitzie, I won't let him,  or anyone else here get killed." Mitzie's eyebrow shot up in suspicion,  "I promise. You'll see."
     Kaden felt the waves crashing through her being, begging for release. It was like listening to your favorite song, wanting desperately to sing, but denying yourself even a head bob or foot tap. She circled over to Veronica, keeping behind her so she wouldn't be seen, and she aimed at the center of her back. A torrent of water blasted itself into her back, throwing off her concentration,  and knocking her off balance. After she recovered her state of balance, Veronica whipped around to see Kaden standing before her, dawning a smug grin.
    "Good job, Schatzi! That truly was... underwhelming." Veronica spat with a sickening grin, "I am, in a word, surprised. Not by your skill, but by the endless reach of your insolence. I've never met anyone as easily tricked as you. To think, I've been watching you the whole time, just under your nose, and you never had a clue!" She paused a moment, debating on whether or not to continue. "It was a real shame about The Ursula, of course."
     Now it was Kaden's turn to be knocked off balance. No one knew about The Ursula, except Leigh and her family, Floaty, herself,  and the asshole that cut them off, which caused them to flip! Which means that-
    "Damn you!" Kaden screamed, crying in hatred and disbelief. "You fucking flipped us? You... you killed me?" She drew in a shutter of a breath, "How could you?" Veronica didn't look pained, or shocked. She didn't respond at all. Kaden let out a yell and encased Veronica in an orb of water.
     She heard muffled screams for a few moments, then nothing. The blue orb began to turn white, and large bolts of lightning zapped out it. The bolts flew out in every direction, striking aimlessly, reeking havoc on anything they came in contact with.
    Kaden refocused and regained her control on the orb, layering a thick wave over the corrupted orb, blocking the volts. She squeezed the orb until she could no longer feel movement in the depths of her power, then she diminished the orb, and Veronica landed on the ground with a hard thump.
      Her body was limp and had a pale blue complexion. Her mouth twisted in agony, eyes holding horrors unknown,  Kaden found herself unable to look at the body any longer. A tear slipped down her face as she watched Floaty and a few other men carry her off in a giant bubble.
     Mitzie ran up to her and hugged her. She squeezed Kaden tightly, before she released her like she had a disease,  backing up quickly. She looked at Kaden, her young face contorted with fury.
     "Mitz-"
  "What the heck, Fae?" Mitzie interrupted,  "Were you dating her?" Kaden didn't reply. "Why? -Wait, is she the reason you weren't focusing? I swear, Fae, if I had known... I would have never stood up for you. You were fraternizing with the enemy... literally!"
      "I didn't know!" Kaden rushed to stop her, "I didn't know who she was. I swear. She was just so nice.." She trailed off.
        "Nice' does not mean 'good'. Plenty of people are 'nice'. 'Nice' people, in your world, will shoot you dead in the face, and call it 'being nice', call it 'mercy'." Mitzie spat grimly.
       "I'm sorry, Mitzie." Kaden said exasperated, "I'm sorry. Okay? It's just,  well, it's not easy being somewhere where everyone would just as soon kill you as look at you. My life has been threatened since the day I got it back, and I know it's no excuse, but she was one person who was nice. One person who seemed to genuinely care, not held to some duty or sense of honor. I guess that's gone now. Kill me if you wish." Kaden sighed in resolution. It was over.
       "Absolutely not!" Floaty's voice rang out loud as he came near, "This girl is a hero, she saved all of our lives, even if that meant breaking her heart in the process. No one shall lay a finger on her!"
    Just like that, Kaden became untouchable. She spent most of her days alone, practicing with her powers, perfecting new tricks. No one disturbed her.
    She was no longer hated, she was feared. The Mond respected her act of freeing them from the Jägerin, from Veronica, but they knew now that Kaden had loved her, so they didn't trust her. Kaden didn't mind it in the least.
    She missed Veronica. Well, the Veronica she knew before she learned that her love was the Jägerin. Kaden missed rolling over in the mornings to see her raven hair all mussed up from sleep, or waking up to the smell of breakfast being cooked by her scantily clad girlfriend. Was she her girlfriend? They never titled what they had, but they had it all the same. It was there. It was wonderful. It is no more.
     Kaden couldn't let it go though. Something didn't feel right. She didn't feel gone. Kaden didn't feel the stabbing pain of loss, just the numb confusion that comes when a prized possession is misplaced. She knew Veronica was bad for her, but she missed her still. She visited her grave on occasion, when she would not be seen, and left black and blue roses there for her since they were her favorites. Still, even looking at the grave, knowing that she had seen Veronica's pale blue corpse, she still was unable to accept that Veronica was really dead.
      Her hand drifted absently to the necklace around her neck. Veronica made it for her after Kaden made her one. It held a beautiful, dark sphere of iron encased in a wooden heart. Dangerous to the touch, but still very beautiful, just like Veronica had been.
   Kaden heard a noise behind her, like a twig snapping, and moved to hide before she was seen. However, an old familiar voice called to her,
    "There is no need to hide, Young one. I certainly will not harm you." Floaty came into view, a small smile painted on his face. "So it's you leaving the roses." He chuckled, "Gave the people quite a scare when roses started appearing on the grave of their worst enemy." Kaden gave him a sad smile and a humorless chuckle. "I know it is hard to let go.  The Jäge- I mean, Veronica got very close to you, very fast.  You got used to her being yours. She was a part of your life, a piece of your heart. A piece that now can never be replaced. Can never be filled or soothed, it doesn't get easier, you just learn to cope with the pain." He placed a hand on Kaden's back,  "I am sorry, Fae."
     Applause tore through the silence like a hot knife through butter. Floaty instantly jerked his hand away, stepping protectively in front of Kaden. Kaden felt her heart jumping hurtles in a marathon all its own. Her dreams had been fulfilled, as well as her nightmares.