Through my eyes

Regret

Logan
It's been 6 years since I watched them take her away and there was nothing I could do to stop them, how could I when they can't even see me. Skylar was my best friend, she's 3 years younger than me but we got on like a house on fire, it helped of course that she could actually see me unlike the rest of the human world. I never told Skylar the truth about who I was, she knew about the veiled but she didn't know I was one of them. I never had the guts to tell her that I wasn't human so I told her I could see the veiled too, I wanted her to feel like she wasn't alone, I never knew why she was the only one who could see us but I wish I had tried harder to find out.

I am a fae, a fairy if you like, but the veiled are not all like me, there are other fae, vampires, witches, pixies, werewolves and even the occasional lycan. I didn't know what Skylar had seen that day but it wasn't any of the veiled that I had ever heard of at the time.

It took me years to find out he was a Warlock, one that had turned to dark magic; the magic had taken over his soul and that's what had turned his eyes black, but after 6 years I still hadn't found him. I knew what he wanted and I still blamed myself for pointing him in the right direction, without me he wouldn't have noticed Skylar and she might never have been put in this situation.

A year ago I hid in the back of the court room while Skylar petitioned the judge, when she won the tears streaming down her beautiful face broke my heart, if only I could hold her, tell her everything would be okay and that I had a plan to help her out of this predicament she got stuck in; but I couldn't, she couldn't see me because if the judge thought she still believed in the veiled then she would never be released. Stoney Hall was for minors only and I don't even want to think about where Skylar could end up if she wasn't released.

Today I watched from a distance as the fiery red head I once called my best friend tried her hardest to blend into the crowded streets of Chicago.

She looked nervous but then anyone would be after 6 years in a prison, she looked down at her phone and a confused look crossed over her face, her brow furrowed and she spun around holding out her phone like a compass, not surprisingly she appeared lost. Oh how I want to step in, guide her in the right direction but I can't, if I'm going to see her it needs to be in private, I don't want people to think she's insane again after she's worked so hard to convince them she's fine.

After a few seconds she sets off walking again, clearly now aware of what way she needs to go, I can't help but wonder what would happen if she spotted me. I've changed a lot in 6 years, I'm 21 now and while I don't want to sounds vein I'm not exactly bad looking, I'm 6ft2 with my grey eyes and scruffy black hair which can be quite intimidating to most given that I work out almost everyday. Today however I'm hiding all of that under a black hoodie, I needed to blend in, I know the rest of the humans can't see me but I don't want Skylar to notice me yet.

All I want to do is follow her, keep an eye on her and make sure she's safe but I can't risk it, I can't risk her.

The decision is made and I turn on my heels and walk in the other direction, I don't have far to go from here, I found out where Skylar was going to be living a few months ago so I moved as close as I could.

The old warehouse that to the human eye looks abandoned is actually a complex for the veiled, they had one apartment left when I called, it wasn't quite what I was used to but it would do for now.

A knock at the door brings me back to reality, I known who it is before I answer, the only person who knows I live here is Nate.
Nate is a fae like me, we grew up together and while I never introduced him to Skylar he knows what loosing her did to me, how angry it made me and how much I needed to get her back; he's also the only person I can confide in about how nervous seeing her again makes me.

What if she doesn't forgive me, what if she hates me for not freeing her and what if seeing me again ends up with her back in a psych ward. I'm not sure I could forgive myself if that happened but Nate always talked me down, convincing me that she would see reason once she knew what I was.

After opening the door to Nate I turn and start pacing my living room, seeing her today has put me on edge. "calm down Logan, it's not like your going to speak to her today, you have plenty of time to mope around before you ruin the poor girls life again" while I know he meant it as a light hearted joke there is a part of me that also knows he's right because I did ruin her life, had she not met me then the veiled would have left her alone, I painted a target on her back without even realising it. Sure I was only a child myself when I met her but I still should have known better, I should have left her alone when I realised she was human and maybe none of this would have happened.

"Fuck you Nate" my voice echoing around my tiny apartment as I slammed by fist into the wall by the door, he didn't even flinch at my outburst but then he knew I could never hurt him; it wasn't in the nature of the fae to hurt anyone purposefully, in fact we rarely even got angry once we had finished puberty, there wasn't really a point so we all became experts at controlling any negative emotions that could lead to violence.

The last year however I seem to have less and less control over my emotions, like somebody flicked a switch inside me that allowed me to regulate and suppress my anger.

Nate was the only person I had told about my lack of emotional control and I knew he would take my secrets to the grave; it's not like I could hide when we live together back home.
He also knew that even though I might let me anger slip through the net when he was around I still would never hurt him, not after everything he's done to help me.

"Okay dude you need to chill out, I know you are struggling but you can't let anyone else see you like this, you know you have neighbours right" Nate always spoke with logic behind his words and I knew he was right.

"I know I know but I just can't help it, it's like my emotions are a completely separate part of me now, part that I can't control" I walked into the kitchen and fished out 2 beers from my fridge, with a quick snap of my fingers the tops came off and I walked into the living room handing 1 of the bottles to Nate as I slumped into my arm chair. As we discussed my plans over the rest of a 6 pack the nerves began to settle.

I knew Skylar and I knew she was miserable in the human world especially after how they treated her like a criminal, she was only a child but they sent her away, nobody ever really listened too her and nobody ever believed her;

I know in my heart that once she forgives me and hears what I have planned she won't hesitate.
"Okay" I turn to Nate with a new determination in my voice, "when do I get to meet this witch"