Across the Veil: Open Eyes (Book 1)

Chapter 10: A New Perspective

Willow's head was still swimming long after the police had left and the bar returned to its quiet state. Savio had offered to stay with her in Celeste's room upstairs while Bruno helped Memphis on the main level. He didn't say much, but his presence was very comforting for Willow's chaotic mind. Despite everything that just happened, she knew Savio and the others were her friends. She knew they cared for her, and clearly they had very good reasons for not opening up to her about their world. Living in fear of others hunting you for simply existing... It crushed her heart. Some things never change she supposed.

The door to the room creaked open, revealing an exhausted Celeste. She explained that Memphis was busy cleaning up downstairs and dealing with the other staff. She pulled a chair over so she could sit beside the bed where Willow was resting. Her voice was calm and soothing, "How are you doing?"

"Shocked... But it's getting better." Willow said, a faint tremble to her voice still. She picked at the surface of the blanket without being aware of her actions.

Celeste took note of the gesture but said nothing. "I would imagine you have questions. Are there any you want to ask?" she offered, hoping to both inform and distract Willow.

The young woman paused, as if trying to decide what to ask first. So many questions flitted through her mind like hummingbirds. Finally she decided, "What are you guys?"

Celeste gave a soft smile. "That depends on who you ask. Rayne, Savio, and myself... We are Fae. Beings whose magic is tied to the natural world. Rayne and I are Fae of nature, which is why we look like spiders. Not all of us look like this. Some nature Fae have animal features, or bird features. Savio is a shadow Fae, so he can look like a living shadow. Our powers are limited to our specific... element I suppose is the best word." Celeste explained, keeping the information as simple as possible. There would be time to delve deeper into the nature of Fae and the other races.

Savio smiled contently at Willow's curiosity. There'd been many times where he'd wondered how Willow would react to the truth, and right now it was better than anything he had imagined.

"What about Memphis? He isn't Human." Willow asked, sitting forward now.

"Memphis is... something completely different. He is what you Humans would call a Demon. I must admit... I don't know much about Demons... All I can say is that they are a trickster race with no specific form. They can't do anything to the Human world, but they can interact with it by possessing mortals... Or so Memphis says." Celeste explained, a small chuckle escaping her. "You don't have to worry about him though."

"He's a tricky asshole, but he's not evil... I hope." Savio added in. He didn't sound too confident on how evil Memphis was or wasn't.

"If there's Demons, are there Angels too?" Willow asked.

"I would imagine... But no one has seen or heard of an Angel in a very long time. I don't think there's any left on this plane of existence." Celeste said, almost sad at the idea.

"I see..." Willow said softly. She was silent for a moment before asking another question, "Have you guys... the Fae I mean... have you always lived in this world? You make it sound like there is more than one."

"Fae, Elves, Drakes, Harpies, Centaurs... We all come from another world parallel to this one. Our world is called Avalon." She explained.

"Like the myths and fairytales?"

Celeste chuckled, "Myths and fairytales can hold certain truths to them. Avalon is like this world, only Folk live there... And some Humans with especially strong magic. Witches, Wizards, and the like. Our technology is... well... not to sound proud, but it's quite different compared to what you Humans have here. It's technology infused with magic. It's quite something to behold."