The Hanes Enigma

Chapter Three - Euclea Hecklby: The Third Thought

Nova Theasphreyei

My hands shake slightly as I reach out for the wooden corner. This is exactly the type of thing I shouldn't be doing. I'm already sneaking out in the middle of the night. No one knows where I am, or that I've even left. I have no protection. What if whatever is inside here is dangerous

I decide to at least get it out of the water. If I don't open it, it can't be too bad. I can reevaluate my decision to open it once it's out of the water.

I tug on the corner to gauge the weight and whistle slightly. There's no way I can lift it. What the hell is in this thing?

I flinch back as the box bobs in the water by itself. Did I hear something? It was muffled... But it definitely sounded like a person.

I curse, steadying myself and letting vines grow from my hands. They slither around the box and clench tightly as I pull with all my might, desperate to get whoever the hell this is onto stable ground. As the friction increases, I grunt from the strain of effort it takes.

As the box crunches onto the small pebbles I hear a bump from the inside. It's weak, but it's clear. There's definitely something in there. Someone.

My decision suddenly made for me, I claw at the box. It barely even shifts. I see nails hammered into the top and pull at them. All I manage to do is slit my own thumb, shrinking away with a hiss. The weak beat from inside the box subsides and I'm panicking now. With the box that low in the water, it must be practically full inside. Whoever this was is almost definitely struggling for air. I grit my teeth and put my expected prissiness aside. I grab hold of the nail and tug. It digs into my flesh but I just grit my teeth and bear it.

"Nova! What the hell are you doing?!" Euclea's voice. Shit. Oh well, questions later.

"There's someone in here, just help me get it open!" I shout over my shoulder.

Euclea runs next to me and sticks her knife in the small slit between the panels of wood. She pushes hard on the handle and it jogs the nail enough for it slide out. We repeat the process with the other two and then Euclea sits on the top of the box, putting her heels into the slightly larger gap we'd managed to create before pushing with all of her might. The wood snaps and a small rush of water tumbles out of the box, along with a very unconscious faerie. I gasp, my hands automatically covering my mouth and my eyes wide.

"He's half dead, Nova..." Euclea looks at me worriedly.

I purse my lips and crouch next to the boy, putting my ear to his mouth. He's still breathing, thank fuck. Barely, but that's better than not breathing at all. "Let's get him inside. He'll catch pneumonia if he's out here for too long..."

"If he hasn't already... Do you know how long he was in there?" The faerie frowns as she crouches across from me.

"Euclea, I don't even know who he is. I know nothing!..." I grit my teeth and sigh. "Help me with him. We'll fly back to my window, okay? Be careful of anything broken."

"Wait, what?! Hell no. We'll take him to the infirmary and then the medical team can look after him." Euclea chides me.

"So they can chain him to the bed as he heals? And then I get bars put on my window because I snuck out? No." I chuckle and shake my head before gently sliding my arms underneath the boy's.

"You.. You're actually gonna-..."

"Try to save his life? Yeah." I glare at her.

"Or I think I'll tell your parents and kill two birds with one stone. Why were you out here in the first place, Nova?." She glares back.

"I'll explain once he's inside, dry and his wounds have been tended to. Which you will help me with, otherwise I might have to gently remind my parents whose job it is to make sure I don't leave my room at night. Good luck ever getting a job again with a bad reference from the Theasphreyei's." I raise my eyebrows challengingly and Euclea grits her teeth.

"Wow, what a great friend."

"I could say the same thing. Now, help."

Without another word, the faerie picks up his legs from underneath his knees and we both jump into the air.

"Are you gonna give me some answers now?." Euclea snaps bitterly as I sigh, leaning back onto my armchair in fatigue.

"I just need some space for myself sometimes..." I shrug.

"You've done this multiple times?!" She glares, eyes slightly wider than her usual glower from disbelief.

"Reasonably frequently. And I have a 100% success rate of staying alive despite that." I smile.

She rolls her eyes at my joke and yet I see the corners of her mouth twitch. "But it's dangerous! You should have told me where you going, at least."

"Then you would have stopped me from doing it." I turn my attention back to the boy, running a hand gently down the blanket that now adorns his frail figure. "Who do you think he is?..." I ponder aloud.

"A threat to your safety." Euclea purses her lips when I 'tsk' her.

"Really, though. What could possibly have happened to him to get him like this?" My hand wanders to his still damp hair and I carefully shift a few damp tresses away from over his eyes.

"Nova, can we at least take some precautions? Just until we can be sure his intentions aren't malicious." Euclea puts a hand on my shoulder.

I laugh at her words. "Yeah, getting beaten half to death and nailed inside a box which is then dumped into the ocean and happens to drift to Theasphreyei shore really sounds like he has malicious intent." I deadpan.

"Mock me all you want but at the end of the day, I'm your bodyguard. If you won't let me tell your parents you sure as hell will let me tie him to the freakin headboard." She glares.

"Don't let Hollis hear you." I smirk and she thwacks my arm lightly.

"Please, Nova. Just let me do this." She begs with her eyes and I sigh, nodding.

"Okay... Not to the headboard. He has a sprained wrist and a dislocated shoulder so I'd prefer it if you didn't fumble about with his joints and hurt him even more... Tie loosely around his wrists and then those to the legs of the bed. Then go get some sleep. We have to act like nothing's out of the ordinary tomorrow." I look down grimly at the unconscious boy.

"Where will you sleep?" Euclea questions as she begins to tie the boy up as I asked.

"I'll take the armchair tonight... Tomorrow I'll work on getting a spare mattress or something in here... Probably complain that mine isn't cushy enough so I want to double layer them or something? I'll make it up." I shrug, watching as Euclea nods and goes to leave.

"Lea... Thank you. You're a good friend." I smile. The faerie returns the gesture and nods before leaving the room.

I look back at the faerie on my bed and bite my lip nervously. I really hope he'll make it.