Mystery Lake
[44] Spread Apart
Roxy looked over at Eugene, who had a vaguely stunned expression, as if it still wasn't quite processing for him that he was looking at an honest-to-goodness leprechaun standing in his shop. It was really his call about whether these trinkets should go to the creature, and Roxy brought that up. Briefly scrutinizing the pieces, Eugene looked at the pieces, took a breath, and agreed to give up what was in the immediate vicinity of the creature, but had one small request: "Can I at least get a picture of you? Unfortunately, I don't think it will be any kind of proof in this day and age, but at least I want evidence that I'm not going crazy right now."
"Certainly! Do text it to my number. I always love a good snap. I'm actually on Instagram, that new blue-something replacement for Twitter, and LinkedIn. But my little baby here is how I contacted all of you." He flashed a cell phone that didn't look too dissimilar to any recent model. "It's a little magical because I didn't need to know your numbers in advance; I just needed to know where ya were. I don't know if anyone else in the area was scared off by my warning—maybe a few cheating hearts. It's a bit of fun, but that's why I always try to keep it simple and all caps. Easy to write off as a silly scam text."
Roxy accepted all this without too much trouble. She was at her threshold. It was like a reservoir for collecting water, only representing events and information that she could absorb and respond to. The place within her was saturated and overtopping, so that each new addition glanced off without coming to rest in her consciousness. Yeah, the world might end soon; objects had some sort of memory; leprechauns are real; she might be a princess because of just a little bit of water she swallowed; these seemingly ancient fairy creatures had access to modern technology. All good.
Not surprisingly, when Eugene took a picture with his regular cell phone, the results looked disgustingly awful, to the point where the little man was little more than a blurry blob mixed with a light-bloomed CGI projection. No matter what angle he took it from or how he tried to correct it on the phone, nothing came out clear. The leprechaun barely concealed a chuckle.
"I told ya there was magic afoot. We're very good at hiding ourselves. Will there be anything else?" The little face looked so smug that Roxy had a fleeting wish that she could punch it. Eugene leaned back and retrieved a classic flash camera with actual film stock inside. The leprechaun looked quite annoyed by this, flinching against the bright light, but had nothing to say. The film would have to be developed, although Roxy had a sneaking suspicion that the resulting image would not set the world on fire with supernatural discovery either. Eugene mumbled something about an EMF detector and other equipment he had stashed away. The picture was all he had been promised.
The little man swiftly darted over to where his spilled treasures had fallen and retrieved some of them while leaving others behind. With a toothy grin, he remarked that the lion's share of his reward was simply to see "the princess's face."
He finished by saying, "And now, I must be off to my flying saucer. Good even'. May you all be... May most of ya be safe and sound from danger." And, in an instant, he was gone, a sharp wind disturbing the nearest things before they finally settled down. The front door rattled slightly.
Roxy really needed a place to sit and process everything. What settled first to the surface were the words, "The Fairy Court wants us dead."
Cerberus kept his eyes on the area where the leprechaun had been, as if half expecting the bastard to have left a smelly poop somewhere nearby. He responded, "Often the case, no matter who you are. Beneficial and friendly Fae are few and far between; the vast majority are tricksters, or they're horny. The dark ones ruthlessly crave death and destruction."
Layla slowly lowered herself to the floor, sitting with her legs crossed and her body weakly wobbling as she tried to brace herself. Cerberus reached over with a surprising, steadying hand. Layla wobbled with uncertain gratitude. His hand lingered on her shoulder as he breathed lightly. His fingers relaxed, but he retained a tight curl. Layla looked up at him uncertainly. The man in black released his grip.
Roxy felt a headache coming on or returning. She wasn't quite sure which. She needed a comfortable dinner and as much sleep as possible. Or as much dinner as possible and a comfortable sleep. Eugene tucked the developed film away somewhere safe behind the counter and tried not to look suspiciously at any of his guests.
Cerberus and Rydia were welcome to supper but politely declined, with Cerberus insisting that they had stayed too long and already gotten the answers they needed. Roxy felt like they hadn't asked her much of anything. Nor had they spoken to the others nearby or even made much of an effort to track them down for questioning.
She had emphasized that she didn't want them going after the entire group, but why the hell would they bother to listen to her? It wasn't like they'd be gone for long, though, as they reconfirmed the lunch date. Cerberus avoided saying that he would chaperone, but he did say that he would be present. Roxy was actually looking forward to it, although she wasn't quite sure why.
Without further preamble, the two of them gradually maneuvered their way down the tight, awkward stairs and out of the building. Though it would have been fascinating to see if they had a vehicle or some other means of transportation, Roxy didn't pursue their business past the door. It was just the four of them, once again with the other four upstairs.
Roxy wanted to sit next to Layla and have a thinking circle or something like that. They all had a lot to discuss with one another. And then they had to catch up with the others on a veritable mountain of new information. All they were likely thinking about was dinner prep. Or maybe they had their own separate adventures, battling with a different variety of fairy creatures, and they had just as much fresh knowledge to share as any of them. She found that to be a nice thought. The world didn't have to revolve around her, please, and thank goodness.
Miranda stretched her back, which was working overtime with all the weights her transformed form placed in the front and collected in the rear. Tiredness was an inescapable truth, and they needed all these fairy fuckers to back off for a while and let them recoup. Yeah, they did some shit in the fucking lake of sex and dead they all considered incorruptible. But at least let them have some rest.
Didn't that seem fair? Jake looked like he had all the new developments balanced on his head like uneven fruit and couldn't move more than an inch without fear of disturbing it. She just wanted to hug him fervently as her cacophony of nervous stomach gurgles joined in the chorus. All those words she didn't care about anymore, the lexicon of the ladies. Or some other bullshit like that.
She made her seat on the surprisingly warm wooden floor. Eugene fiddled with his hands and announced that he was going to check on the others upstairs. Miranda straightened up as if she had something in mind to add but resisted speaking it out loud. Jake opted to take a bathroom break while Miranda examined the spot where the leprechaun who was mimicking her had last been.
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The greedy bugger had left behind some of the valuable, scattered remaining trinkets. Roxy wondered if it was more the act than the possession of the artifacts that mattered to such a creature as that. An odd notion, but it made the most sense.
Sitting next to Roxy, it almost seemed as if Layla was obligated to slip on the familiar trappings of her exuberance and smiles, even though it was clear her lighthearted excitement was a thin veneer. It broke Roxy's heart to see such a shadow cast over that delightful girl. Asking what was troubling her felt like cruel, clawed probing into delicate matters. Layla fought back a shiver and bolstered her positive attitude with a light humming that barely trickled out of her lips.
"The world and worlds are so much darker than they seemed. What was right and bright, and once light gleamed. And now, with chaos teem. Sorry. I had a semester of poetry writing, and with all my play work or play play, my happy place is sing song and poetics. It gives me strength. The world is such a scary place. I've always known that, but now it's a scary place that's harder than ever to understand. I thought the lake was curiously magical, but it's just a strange sort of mass grave. I guess they thought that we were trying to steal what was left there. And then the beauty of breakfast turned into rotten mud. You felt so sad after that, but then you got happy. The other world preyed on you for that, followed by the rest of us being hunted. We have to confront the Fairy Court, wherever and whatever that is, or they won't leave us alone..."
Roxy leaned forward, wrapped her arm around Layla's shoulder, and stroked her head through her slightly disheveled but still wonderfully curly golden honey blonde hair. Layla leaned into her and managed to breathe without crying. The old lady's meal would make them feel better. Roxy was convinced of that. She had to believe it, for the sake of the others. Eugene backed her up, praising his mother's cooking skills.
Alyssa stepped through, pressing her stomach so tight that it practically seemed as if she wanted to pop her abdomen. Well, Roxy thought, at least Layla wasn't alone in her quirky little shifting power. She never expected Alyssa to be the one who picked up such an ability too. Quite the peculiarity. Then others came down the stairs and through the door.
Barry stood there in an unfamiliar jacket and long skirt, his blonde hair restored to its short, spiky length, his stubble reawakened, and an uncomfortable fear sprawled across his features. Now that was strange. But Barry only had the sight ability, so... standing behind them was an unfamiliar man with gray, almost white, hair.
He was short and slender, evoking the prototype of a lady's contours, but clearly in the mold of a man. He was wearing an awkward pink bathrobe that seemed both too tight for his form and desperately loose. Roxy had a few thoughts scratching through her head, and none of them were particularly pleasant. She avoided making assumptions, but Eugene quickly confirmed the boldest fear.
"...Mom?!"
The old man brushed his fluffy hair out of his eyes, looked kindly at Eugene in the same way as Maggie, and spoke with a voice almost unchanged from before: "Oh, honey. I never knew you would see this face of mine. I lost it a long time ago, when I wasn't even a man and barely a boy. But here it is, and here lies my secret. They made me forget so many things."
Eugene reeled, and it seemed like he would soon fall completely flat, joining them on the floor of contemplation and fear. Roxy just wanted to hug poor Barry, do whatever wouldn't make Alyssa scratch and yowl at her like an angry cat, and soothe the dark, diminished gleam in the old lady's eyes.
If only one of them had come down like this, especially Alyssa, then she could have calmly blamed the monster-mashing regurgitation session on this result. But the fact that it was all of them up there made her legs freeze in place and not want to ascend. Funny, why wouldn't she want to dive into the gleeful possibilities of returning to Joel form? She could blame her hosted friend, along with the sweet shower session, but it felt deeper and more complicated than that, something she'd probably have to work through eventually.
Old man Maggie took a steadying breath and announced, "Dinner is ready. I hope you all can enjoy it, no matter what."
That was an immense hope to hold onto, but Roxy knew that Maggie was an immense spirit. She just wanted to be as strong as her when she faced whatever it was that came for them next.
Cautiously, the assemblage of broken people slowly rose up and shifted from their spots to face the maw of the secret door that was opened a slit. Miranda hung back, and Roxy didn't blame her for her hesitation. If they all reverted to how they began this day, would that really be such a bad thing? The experience of being Roxy gave her a lot to chew on for the rest of her life, even if she would be a little bummed if she only got one turn at the unimaginable, mind-blasting ecstasy of crazy fairy stuff. She just wanted Jake to be all right.
The plodding steps mounted steadily as they looped around the bedroom realm and entered the land of plenty, with sharp, enveloping meatloaf scents seemingly spiraling from all directions and corkscrewing into their nostrils. The old man settled into his familiar post as hostess, preparing all aspects of the table for their guests. Despite how rough and unfinished his form now felt, Roxy could still see the demeanor, body language, and exuberant energy that Maggie instilled in every moment, softly translated into joyful intention. It was beautiful, but also monumentally sad, like a priceless painting melted in the rain or slashed with a sinister knife.
Alyssa beside her, tensed and relaxed like an engine struggling to start. She seemed more composed than she expected at a moment like this. She was trying to be her own inner glue. But it just seemed too painful for her. The faint, pale, doll-like girl struggled for the determination of words. Roxy wanted to hear them; she got no benefit from Alyssa at her weakest and worst, no comeuppance, or I told you so. It just hurt them all.
"I'm sorry. I screwed up. I want things to be different. But I fell back into my old, broken self. Maybe I'm responsible for all of this; I don't know. But I'm sorry for that too. I've said sorry so many times that it feels useless. I know that I shouldn't just lean on apology. I need to do things differently to change what's going on, to change how things are with all of us, and to move forward. I just don't know how, I don't know what to say, and I don't know what's necessary because me and my relationships just break before I can really repair them. I don't want that to happen again. I want to be happy, and I want everyone else here to be happy too, in whatever way is best. That's all there is. That's all I have. I hope that makes sense." Alyssa leaned back in her chair with a deflating sigh, then corrected herself forward as her chair began to tip back.