The Gyfted

Faeland

After landing at the nearest airport, they drove another 2 miles to costal town. Upon arriving at the neighboring human run island, Aistel and Castien boarded a ferry to the Fae Island. It was one of many territories the Fae had, but it was the only site anyone felt safe having the gyfted meeting. Many wards and runes protected the island. Only those who were invited could set foot on the island. They dealt with anyone who tried to force their way onto the island with golems.

Aistel loved the sea. She loved the salty air and blue sky. Castien had realized it was the first time he had ever seen Aistel so pleasantly happy. He had noticed what she told him in the car was true. Any nonhuman who got too close to her seemed to be filled with disgust at her presence. However, for Castien, he seemed to be pained with being too far from her.

He brushed a few of Aisti's loose curls out of her face. Aisti then took Castien's hand and held it to her cheek. As if awoken from a dream, she looked around lost.

Castien had been frozen in place because of Aisti's action. He was amazed at how such a beautiful girl had little to no understanding on emotions. He saw her shiver in the cool sea breeze and decided to place his arms around her to keep her warm.

Normally Aisti would harm someone for touching her without her permission, but for some reason she had no need to. She was more comfortable being held by Castien then standing next to him. Then she thought of Tons. Both of them were much taller than her and of similar builds. The only difference was what she felt with each of them. Tons was a deep longing. Castien... she didn't understand.

"Aistel, I need to ask you something. I know I haven't known you long. I mean, we didn't like each other very much. I guess what I am trying to say is, I have these.... Feelings.... For you. I'm not sure why this happened." Castien said while holding her.

Aistel looked up at him. She was analyzing his face to gauge what she should say to him. He seemed to enjoy them standing so close. She decided to allow him to stay the way he was, to make him feel good.

"You didn't ask me anything."

Castien let out a slight laugh. "I know. I am not sure how I am to ask you. I want to understand your thought process. I know you don't understand emotions or feelings. Reading your file, I read that you had an incident in high school."

"The one when the jock tried to ask me to prom and freaked out when I told him he was too ugly for me?" She asked with a blank expression.

Castien laughed, and it shocked Aistel. He normally had such a hard expression, yet as he laughed, there was a youthfulness to his face when laughing. She knew Fae lived very long. The oldest known Fae was 6,000 plus years old. At 700 years, they probably considered Castien a young adult or even a teenager.

Once he noticed her staring, Castien started to blush again. He smiled at her and placed his hand around her again. "Yes, that one. You had been asked out so much that year and probably were tired of it. You broke his over confident heart. Sebastian loves reading that and watching the footage. I chuckled at it too. You didn't seem to mean it in a heartless way."

"I didn't. I told Johnny no several times, but he chose to ignore it. So I broke him. He got over it quickly. He asked the lead cheerleader the next week. I ended up asking Tons to go with me."

"What do you see in Tons? I read he is one of the few gyfted you are friends with." Castien asked with a serious look.

"Tons.... Tons is just Tons. He has always been there for me. I'm not sure what I would do without him or Ire. I'm not close to my siblings nor my parents. My older sister tries her hardest, but.... I can't get close to them." She said staring off into the sea.

Castien didn't know what else to do but hug her. He heard snickering behind him and glanced around to see Elven children pointing at them and making kissing faces. He ignored them and looked at Aisti. In a split second he saw sadness. However, it disappeared off her face nearly as fast as it had come.

Ire was playing with her cellphone on Tons' couch. She had been nervous all day. She is gonna be alone with Castien for an entire WEEK! What am I going to do if she falls for him? He seems to have his eyes on her, already! At least if it was Sebastian, she would shut him down. She thought worried. She looked up to see Tons pacing.

"What's wrong?"

"That idiot intern at the company lost important files. He thinks he left them at home. I swear to everything if a rival company gets those plans.... I'll kill him." He said, while biting his finger.

Irene stood up and was waving her hands to calm Tons. "Hey now! No killing allowed. What's so important in those files? New tech you were working on?"

"Yes, plans that would help gyfted folks and their kids handle difficult situations with human and non-humans. You know how hard it was for me. Being asked every day to show off my gyft. Shit drove me up a wall. I was told it was wrong to not show them. I want other gyfted kids to know it is OK to say no." He said.

Irene agreed with him. Aistel and Tons were the only two gyfted in their school. Many other Gyfted parents homeschooled their children at the time. Tons' parents didn't have the time. Aisti was nearly kicked out for breaking a boy's nose cause he was constantly begging her to show off her skill of healing people and animals. So she broke his nose and then healed it. The boy cried to the teacher, and she got in trouble.

"Tons, what would you do if.... If Aisti fell in love with someone else?" Ire asked her cousin.

Tons turned and looked at her. To her surprise, there wasn't any fear in his expression. Instead, there was a sadness she could feel. He smiled weakly at her. "I've always thought about that. Hell, I probably think about it two times a day. The fear that someone, other than me, will awaken her emotions. Someone who will make her smile and laugh. Not stare blankly because she doesn't understand the joke. Not force a laugh to blend in."

"Tons...."

"It would hurt. Like hell. It would probably leave a scar on my heart that would never heal. She is my first love. The first time I noticed her beauty was when she had gone away to that therapist for 6 months. She came back taller, prettier. She then smiled at me and my heart stopped. I don't pursue her. Do you know why?"

Irene knew the answer. It made no sense for him to pursue her as she was. In this emotionless state, asking her would only hurt Tons. She may or may not agree with the idea of being with him. It may be a test in her eyes. Irene couldn't dare put him through that.

Tons smiled at Irene. He saw the pain she was in. It hurt her to watch him be sad. "Get some rest. They probably are getting settled in. You haven't slept and its noon. I'll wake you up if she calls. OK?"

Irene merely nodded and walked towards his bedroom. As she turned to look at him, Tons had sat down at his computer. All I want is for you to be happy.