The Degenerate (Mythics Book One)

14

 The Sanctuary rested above the ground, built among the branches of the giant sycamore trees. Like an expansive city of treehouses, wood was masterfully sculpted into windows and small homes the size of a normal apartment. Such workmanship made the grains of wood flow like water into any shape or form firmly. The majority of the city was draped in shadows, the only light to see by streaming from the stars above. A minute later, Porter and Tiffany dissolved into the trees to quietly announce our presence.

The transformation was breathtaking.

Like fireflies flickering in the darkness, a vast number of lights began to shine forth from windows and door frames, seeping through closed curtains and lanterns hanging from multiple branches. Everything was coalescing into a united front of warmth and mystic woods. It was enchanting, as if it were a scene straight out of a storybook. Golden light splashed against the green leaves that arched in a protective canopy over our heads. Strings of tiny light bulbs revealed more of the houses, showing lean, almost natural-looking bridges connecting the boughs. Soft rumbles of murmuring sound reached my ears--- the people were rousing themselves, speaking to one another, peering from their windows at us curiously.

"Keep things quiet," Rafe advised us. "It's late and I wouldn't want to wake any children." He sighed and suddenly appeared weary. "Nothing like a screaming child to end this journey."

Theo and I exchanged a look as more and more people swung down from the trees, rope ladders unfurling before them. Some held weapons and stern expressions while others looked positively delighted to see their friends back safe and sound. A few wide-eyed children remained up in their homes, the curtains shifting at every secretive glance outside.

Rafe was already intermingling with them all, grasping hands, grinning exclamations, and making people laugh. I watched as Adair met up with a group of equally handsome guys and they bro-hugged and fistbumped their way through a conversation. I felt a small smile reach my features when I saw Tiffany embracing a small dark-skinned girl with poofy pigtails and spiraling forest-green wings. Must've been a younger sibling. Meanwhile, Porter could just barely be seen slipping into the shadows, blade drawn. I assumed he was patrolling...seemed like a Porter thing to do.

Exhaustion came to me like sandbags shackled to my ankles. I could hardly move another step. Everything ached, from my wrists where the real shackles had been, to the soles of my feet. Maybe I should have been out there mingling too. Making connections seemed like a smart idea, but that meant some semblance of normalcy and that made my stomach twist into knots. Normal felt like being complacent with how things were and that...that was undeniably wrong.

And I loved traveling with Theo. I loved being on the road and never knowing, not really at least. I realized I craved the feeling of wind in my hair as we drove with the windows cracked and I thrived on the vibrating music of the Suburban's speakers and the smell of smoke in dank hotel rooms.

Something in me began to ache.

"I'll find Rafe," came Theo's suggestion. "You look tired. Let's find you a place to rest. I mean, if you want."

I glanced over at him and took note of the hands he kept stuffed in his pockets. He sent a wobbly grin my way.

"That sounds fantastic," I said with a smile of my own. Gosh, weren't we just the most awkward pair ever?

That was the issue, though. I was well-acquainted with Theo's episodes and how I came to play in them. I knew how I felt toward him, and man, I was super familiar with the terrible tension that lingered for a couple of days afterward like a bad cold. I also knew how he felt--- at least, how he thought he did. Theo put on a good show of confidence and unruffled exteriors but we both knew what I was. Naturally, there was something about me...something about my aura that made men swoon and women get protective. And I was around Theo all the time.

I couldn't imagine what that must do to him, to his thoughts and feelings.

Needless to say, the episodes were mostly my fault. I never blamed him, but I must have been into self-punishment because I thought about it all the time. Theo...he was the only one whose feelings I cared about, and that meant he was off-limits. I could never like him in that way because I would never know whether his sentiments were real.

Forbidden fruit and all that. Gotta love it.

Rafe was pulling away from the straggling crowd, his long strides quick with purpose. Reaching him took some time, because for once the people were curious, not put off. The crowd didn't part as we neared. Instead, they drew closer, tapping my shoulder and spouting words of welcome. It was an odd sensation to say the least. There was this strange sense of...of togetherness that I'd never felt before.

I tried to keep up with Theo, knowing that of course he hadn't intended for me to follow. There was no way I was letting him leave me alone. Too many people made my heart race and my veins feel as though they were crawling with ants. Too many voices climbing over each other, too many unpredictable people with unnatural differences like mine. Talk about stress. I began to jog, trying to catch up, but I was pulled to a halt as someone pressed a hand into my arm.

Whirling around, I faced a woman dressed in... Wait, was that silk? I furrowed my brow at her clean silk nightgown and lush blonde hair, twisted up into a thick braid around the crown of her head. She was awfully comfortable out here, supposedly roughing it amongst the trees. I took a giant step back when she removed her hand, glimmering green eyes meeting my own.

"Have I seen you before?" she asked. Those jewel-toned eyes burrowed into me, stripped me bare. I came to realize that she wasn't much of a woman at all, probably just a girl around my own age. Her voice, however, was deep and soft like velvet. Between that and her sharp, almost regal features, she seemed to be dripping with secrets.

"I'm new here," I managed to say.

The girl frowned at me. Taking a step closer, she reached out one pale hand and touched my hair, watching as the dark strands caught the light. "You seem so familiar."

Perplexed, I took another step backward. A nervous smile took over my features and I tripped over my words. "You must have mistaken me for someone else, then. We've... we've never met."

"Right." Leveling a look at my face, she widened her stance and stood straight.

I had the odd impression of a showpony. Or maybe a soldier ready for battle. I honestly couldn't tell.

Canting her head, she gave me a close-lipped smile and said, "Might as well introduce myself. My name is Asherah. Welcome to the Sanctuary."

I swallowed down my building sense of unease. "I'm Ivory," I responded, and I left it at that. Awkwardly.

Asherah's hand found my own and gave it a squeeze. "It's so nice to see you."

I nodded at her, and then she seemed to melt into the crowd, totally disappearing from my view. For someone dressed so pristinely, she sure did have a knack for blending in. Meanwhile, I was rooted to the spot and sticking out like a sore thumb. Something about that girl left me reeling, her choice of words spinning around and around in my head.