Futures Unseen (Chasing Titania #2)

Three's Company Too

I hadn't expected Sam to look so gorgeous when I came to pick her up from her room for a real date, my first one, that night. She didn't expect me to clean up so well either, but I didn't tell her I had Analeise and Nox, mostly Ana, to thank for that. I didn't expect her to hug me excitedly either. But the worst thing I didn't expect was Rodam to be there too.

"Sorry," Sam flushed. "I can' get him to go away. Fuck off, Rodam, ya miserable shite hawk."

Rodam signaled something quickly to her.

"Ye aren't goin' ta ruin my date, fecker," she crossed her arms. "Ye are goin' ta leave me and Silver alone."

Rodam got closer, signaling something which I took to be obscene. I quickly pulled Sam closer to me before she could explode in more nonsense words loud enough for fae in the next hall to hear.

"Look, Rodam," I spoke directly to him for perhaps the first time. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of your sister. I understand you may not see me that way, or perhaps it's because you're afraid I'm going to violate her in some way, but I promise I'm simply taking her out for dinner. If it really concerns you that much, I won't protest to you tagging along too."

"I certainly will-"

"Sam," I focused her attention on me. "It's fine. If he learns to trust me, this won't have to happen again."

Rodam narrowed his eyes, shifting between the two of us. He nodded. He was joining us after all. 

"Then it's settled," I shrugged, taking Sam's hand. "We'll go out. Follow me."

The walk there was quiet. I knew enough about Citadel from growing up to know which spots in the city to avoid. I knew which places accepted fae of all sorts; I knew which ones didn't. Whether or not they still did was a mystery to me. I chose to avoid them. Fear of anyone seeing my moonstone and outsing me was unbearable. I was weak. I didn't want to bring the Havisham twins into either. 

I had selected a restaurant I knew well. One that kept the bar in the other room for the fae who liked to drink a little more. One Nox liked to frequent when we were younger. The restaurant part was always quiet, peaceful. Conversations were abuzz but never in a volume that bothered the other attendants. Maybe that was magic. The hostess led Sam, Rodam, and me to a table with only three chairs. 

"Order whatever you like," I tucked Sam's chair in behind her. "It's on me."

Sam grazed over the menu on our table. "I knew what ye want, Rodam," she smiled, pointing to an option. 

He smirked, signaling to her. They knew each other so well. I was almost a bit jealous. I don't think anyone knew me that well. Not even Nox, as great as he thought he did. I had a best friend who barely knew me. I looked over my menu, picturing exactly what I desired to eat. I found the option and leaned back.

Our waiter came over to introduce himself. He was named Luciano. It wasn't until after he had taken our order and walked away from us that I noticed his feet were backward. He was a Curupira, from Zannikar, the jungle planet. He had smiled at me when he had seen my moonstone. So many fae came to Citadel for a better life only to find themselves discriminated against. Was it honestly any better?

"So," Sam swirled her glass. "When were ye born?"

"Dunno," I reached for her hand. She accepted. "I have celebrated my birth in Monarch. When I was in the orphanage, Grandmother had Zephyr look into it but don't quote me on that. It was Monarch thirteenth every year."

"We were born in Maydin, on the twenety-fourth," Sam grinned. "It was the werst year for our pop who missed our mother in the first plantin' week since she was attendin' ta us. Still managed ta get the farm goin' though."

"Was it the four of you?" 

"Course," Sam laughed. "We were a handful. Our parents had enough after us."

Rodam's voice wheezed when he laughed. I wasn't even aware he could make a sound at all. He was immediately embarrassed by the display, relaxing back into the angry demeanor that always came off him. The sound wasn't boyish at all, either. It was something foreign or strange. Rodam seemed disgusted at the sound. 

I thought then of how lucky Rodam was. I imagined a baby that made no sounds when it cried, or perhaps the sounds were unusual, quiet, or altered. Rodam was so lucky to have Sam. Without her, he probably would have ended up somewhere like I did. An orphanage where success was minimal. Where relationships were odd. Rodam had someone who understood him, who communicated what he thought to the world.

He thought I was taking that from him.

I felt a wave of regret. I acted higher and mightier because I thought this was an overprotective sibling ordeal. It was more than that. He was afraid I was taking away his voice.

"I had no idea you could make sounds," I spoke up.

He shook his head, crossing his arms. 

"Sometimes," Sam grinned. "Really got ta get him rollin' to hear anythin'. Rodam can make laugh sounds and cry sounds, but they don't sound very pixie-like. When we were tikes, someone bullied him for bein' a monster. I punched them. I wouldn' let anyone bully him but me."

I felt the need to change the subject. Rodam was getting more pissed off. We were dwelling on something he didn't appreciate. 

"Worst scar you have from your childhood, go," I began.

"I can answer for Rodam and myself, I suppose," Sam took a swig of her drink. "Our pop taught us how ta hone our Gift, Wulver, because he 'imself was one. Wulvers are basically able to turn into wolves in our world. Rodam got stuck ina fence once, tore up his leg pre'y bad. Couldn't cry for help, but for some reason, I knew he was hurt. I led our pop to get him. Our pop was too big for the fence. I went after him, of course. Scratched up my side pre'y nicely. Got both of us back to our pop. He tended to our wounds. Got some interestin' scars out of it."

"I have a scar on my upper arm for being tossed down a dried-up well. Grandmother had to come and pull me out. Some pixies had been bullying me for being small. I should be glad they didn't pull off my moonstone and harass me for not being a pixie. The rope and spool still on the well had caught me on the way down. Grandmother fixed me up quickly. She sat me on her lap and told me about how I was made to be this way for a reason. That all fae like me were small for a reason..." I tapered off as Luciano set down our food. 

"Ye don't hold it against us that we're pixies? Or pixies in general? Or Lala for bringin' back yer Grandmother during that fight?"

"No," I picked up my silverware, setting my napkin across my lap gingerly. "I couldn't do the same thing they've done to me. I don't hate pixies in general. I am...justly afraid of them, is all. Grandmother said I was too nice for my own good, but that was the right thing to do. I don't resent you guys either. You've been kind to me, accepting. As for Lala, I'm not sure if I am wary of her anymore for that. I've actually been trying to seek Grandmother's spirit, but I wouldn't want her to bring it up again. Not how she is now."

"Yeah, Lala is a tad scary now," Sam gave me an uneasy smile. "It's not any of our faults, though. She was a nutter ta begin with. Rodam has seen her and Ne'malla fight Titania-knows how many times now."

We ate our food. I couldn't get Rodam to laugh again as hard as I tried. We got dessert too. I felt lucky. We were having fun. Rodam was quiet when we walked back to Delta Ace. We dropped him off at his room first.

"Hey," I touched Rodam's arm. He didn't move back. "I'm not going to take her from you, I promise. I've realized today that without Sam, you would have ended up a lonely kid in an orphanage, as I did. But you have her. Sam is your voice. I don't intend to steal that from you."

He signaled something back at me. Rodam disappeared into his room after that.

"What did he say?" I asked.

"He said, we'll see about that," Sam sighed. "I'm sorry for my miserable brother, Silver."

"It's okay," I strolled with her back to her room. "We'll be all right, regardless."

"I love ya," Sam hugged me when we reached her door.

I gave her a sweet goodnight kiss. We lingered a bit too long, but it was welcome. 

"I love you too," I rested on her shoulder.