Under the Veil of Night

part one of one

I grab the last bottle on the shelf. Cecil said to take the longneck bottle filled with orange liquid, but every single one of these are identical and label-less. I chug the contents quickly, and it tastes buttery but kind of sweet, in the fruity sense. I swallow the last drop and shove the bottle in my bag. I know she's coming, I can hear her and she sounds furious. Cecil mentioned that I should avoid Aya at all costs, that was her name apparently, but this house means something to me, and I want to know more. Taking the risk willingly, I grab some of her books and jars, glancing at the locked door occasionally and calculating how much time I have until it bursts open. I jump out of the window, but before I can make it more than five yards, Aya's made it into her little storage room that I've just robbed. She sticks her head out the window, and judging by what was in that room, I run behind a willow tree, just in case she decides to throw something at me. To my surprise, she does nothing of the sort.

"Please come back! You don't know what you've done, girl! I can help!" she shouts urgently, but I ignore her. Cecil said that she wasn't to be trusted, and I trust him.

I get back up and leave the safety of the tree, and continue running through the tall weeds and grass that dominate Aya's yard. I need to make it back to Haven Glint, back to Cecil. I smile at the thought of Cecil. His perfectly styled sun kissed blond hair, and those adorable round glasses. And how could I forget, his ridiculous purple vest and bow tie to match. Wait, Cecil? He means nothing to me, and I mean nothing to him, why would I think about him like that? I tell myself that I'm just not in the right state for practical thoughts at the moment. I shake myself out of the moment and check my watch for the upteenth time, slowing down since I've made it pretty far from Aya and that I'm now on the road that leads me back to the city. It's 8:56PM and the sky is completely black except for the orange haze that indicates Haven Glint, and the unbelievable multitude of stars in the sky. And the strange thing is that it's been pitch dark for hours, as far as I can recall.

The oddity of the sky reminds me of what was happening to me this morning. Am I even on Earth anymore? I can't tell, and I've certainly never heard of a city called Haven Glint. I'll have to ask Cecil. He knows about these kinds of things, I know he does. I trust him. I trust him with my life. It seems weird to admit that to myself, mostly because I only met him this morning. But I feel like I've known him for years. Maybe it was a different life, I'm not sure.

By the time I finally reach Haven Glint, it's been about 45 minutes. That seems like a reasonable amount of time to get from one place to another, but I took the same walk from Aya's to Haven Glint this morning, and I swore it didn't take that long. I jog to Cecil's diner-the Moonlight All Night Diner-and come in to find Cecil sitting in a barstool, talking to his brother Carlos even though he should be working. He turns around when the little bell above the door rings and his face lights up when he sees me.

"Ah, Fenris! You made it back!" He laughs and studies my clothes, I didn't notice how dirty I had gotten them from running. "I would ask how it went, but your clothes seem to explain the trip all on their own," He pauses and glances around his little purple retro diner, "We should go back to my place and talk, it would be more ... wise." I nod and follow him out the back door to his car, and he motions to Carlos to take over.

Back at Cecil's flat I feel comfortable, as if I could trust the man more, I manage to. There's plants and books and astronomical equipment decorating the place all over, I must say, he's got taste. He brings tea from the kitchen and invites me to sit on the sofa and tell him about Aya's place.

"Cecil wait," I say before sitting down, "Where are we?"

"What do you mean, we're at my house Fenris. Isn't it obvious?"

"No, that's not what I mean, I'm asking what planet we're on, there were so many stars earlier," I start to pace nervously around his livingroom. What if this isn't Earth? "So many stars and time seemed weird. This doesn't seem like... it doesn't seem like Earth to me."

"Of course it doesn't seem like Earth, Fenris. We're on Cistern. Some have said before that Cistern is Earth's twin though. Why are you acting like this?" He motions for me to sit down, "You haven't been to Earth have you? That's impossible!"

I sink down into the sofa next to him and dig my palms into my eyes. I tell him how I was outside gardening in my yard but when I went inside, instead of ending up in my house I ended up in Aya's. I left because I heard someone upstairs, and then I walked to Haven Glint and his diner seemed like the best place to go. He picks up the story and explains how I caught his eye as soon as I walked in.

"Your messy fire orange hair and panicked sea-colored eyes, and your stupid dirty jean overalls that you've managed to make even dirtier. I knew I had to help you, so I sent you to Aya's. Are you going to tell me about her place now?"

"Yes just give me a second to catch up here Cecil." I lean back and take a deep breath, and ponder for a moment. I go over today in my mind again. It's unbelievable, but I have to deal with it. I look over at Cecil and smile at him half-heartedly and he responds with a smile twice as strong as mine, and despite myself, I break out into laughter.

"Alright tiger, I'll tell you about Aya's house, though there's not much to tell," I explain to him what happened simply, and then I recall the books and jars, and the empty bottle. I fetch the items from my bag and hand them to him. He studies the empty bottle and removes the cork and sniffs the opening cautiously.

"Well you took the right potion," he says, handing me the bottle back.

"Are you going to tell me what it's for now? You said I would need it, and I trust that you know better than me,"

He smiles again, but this time, chillingly. Not as nicely as before. "It's for your life, Fenris! Or should I say, the soon to be lack of your life."

I stand up, suddenly feeling ill. "Cecil, what have you done?"

"Oh me? I haven't done anything sweetie, you're the one who drank your own death serum," he says it as if he's innocent, but he knows that he's not, and wants me to know too.

"No no no that's not true, you're lying. You have no reason to want to kill me! What about the stars and the door? This... this... this is Cistern, you hardly just met me, why... Cecil, why?" I say, confused and finding it harder and harder to breathe.

"Hallucinations baby, this is Earth, and getting you from your house to Aya's wasn't very hard either. Just a little bit of memory serum, Aya's an alchemist you see, and she agreed to help me. Oh, and my name's not Cecil, it's Darwin. Do you remember me now, Fenris? Nerdy old Darwin from high school. I adored you Fenris. I asked you to every dance, and you rejected me, each and every time. But look at me now, I'm happier than ever, and you're dying at my feet."

"Cecil... Darwin, I'm sorry. I was young... I'm not like that anymore, I'm practically a different person... I didn't mean to hurt you, I regret it, I'm so-" I cut off, choking on nothing.

Darwin lean over me, by now I'm on the floor, convulsing. "It's a little too late, don't you think Fenris?" His round glasses and icy smile are the last things I see.