Chapter 10
“My dad’s name is Zain.” Chase repeated.
“As in the Dark King Zain?” Jennsen asked, completely shocked.
“Is there any other?”
“Actually there are three, but that’s beside the point. I didn’t know that Zain had kids.”
“Oh come on, he’s the king of the Dark Court and he’s been around for a long time, it isn’t really that farfetched.”
“You have a point, but still, it’s weird.”
“Why?”
“He isn’t really the fatherly kind.”
“You’re telling me.”
“Do you have any contact with him?”
“Yeah, once a year or so, but I do see my grandmother a lot.”
“Morgana?!” She asked surprised.
“Yeah, why do you seem so surprised?”
“She’s the last faery I’d expect to care about her Halfling grandson, no offence.”
“You’d be surprised; she’s actually big on family.”
“Now I’ve really heard it all. I was under the impression that she became totally bitter after the former Dark King left her for a blonde bimbo from the Summer Court.”
“She’s still taking it pretty hard, but she’s not bitter, though she has every right to be, because not only did he leave her for someone else, he also cheated on her with the old Winter Queen and had a child with her.”
“Hell, Cronus is a bastard; then again most males, both human and fae, are.”
“Only halfling males are the exception.” He said with a charming smile.
“Yeah, I doubt that.”
“Ouch, that hurts.”
“Get used to it, cuz I love dissing males.”
“Why?”
“Cuz you’re all a bunch of lying, good for nothing, self-centred, heartless, two face bastards, who only think with their male parts and don’t care who they hurt to get what they want.” She replied in one breath.
“Wow, who hurt you that bad?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Ok then, can I ask you something?”
“Does it involve men?”
“No.”
“Then go for it.”
“What court are you, usually it’s easy to tell; like for instance Ryan and that other faery that is always with you are Summer, but with you it’s really hard to see.”
“I am part of the Summer Court, but I have the power of Dark and Winter in me as well.”
“How?”
“No one knows.”
“Where you born like that?”
“No.”
“Then with power where you born with?”
“I wasn’t born a faery, a hundred years ago I was human.”
“How did you become a faery?”
“Another thing I don’t want to talk about.” Jennsen knew that if Chase knew what Ryan was or why he was interested in Layla he would only interfere and you couldn’t let that happen.
“I didn’t even think that it was possible to turn a human into a faery.”
“But unfortunately it is.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to join me for a drink?”
“Hell, why not? Let’s go drink away all our sorrows.”
****
Ryan felt like a monster; he had taken away Jen’s virginity, there by taking he last bit of innocents. Even though he was just as drunk as she was, he felt like it was his fault. Hell, it is always his fault; it’s his fault that Jen lost her mortality and it is his fault that she lost her innocent, no wonder she hates him and no wonder she doesn’t want to be his queen.
Before he could think of more ways he ruined Jen’s life, his phone rang and the caller ID said that it was Jen calling him; “Hey, I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me again so soon.”
“Hey Ryan, it’s Chase.”
Jealousy flared up in him; “Why do you have Jen’s phone?”
“Cuz I’m with her at the Rock ‘n Rolla and she had a little too much to drink, had a mini breakdown, is now in a corner crying and refuses that anyone help or touch her.”
“And you think she’d let me help her?” He said sceptically.
“Well, if you can’t do it then I’ll just call Zain.”
“No need I’ll be there.” He said and hanged up.
It took him less than ten minutes to get to the human bar, where Jen was curled up in a corner and the fire which usually burned within her was absent.
It made his heart drop to think that he is the cause of all her pain; “Jen, let me take you home.” He said gently, offering her his hand.
Unlike he expected she took his hand without resistance, but her tears didn’t stop, so he swept her off her feet and carried her to his car; “How did this happen?” He asked the human boy who was following them, as Jen fell asleep in his arms.
“I don’t know, one moment she was fine, and then she stared at some girl and burst into tears.”
“What did this girl look like?”
“I didn’t pay attention to it.”
“Ok then, you may go now.”
“No, I’m worried about her.”
“There is no need; she’s in safe hands now.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You allowed this to happen; clearly you are not capable of taking care of her.”
“She is the last person that needs taking care of and even if you were with her nothing would’ve changed. She is in pain, but she bottles everything up and she finally just erupted.”
“I know more than anyone that she is in pain.” He said bitterly.
“Then help her deal with them.”
“How can I do that, if I’m the cause of her pain? Should I let get away from her, should I leave and never talk to her again?” Even as he said it, it broke his heart
“No, that would only make it worse.”
“And how would you know that?”
“Just look at how quickly she accepted your help in there, she needs you as much as you need her.”
“I need to get her home.” He said putting her in the back seat and got into the driver’s seat, driving away before the boy could reply.
“I’m sorry.” Jen whispered as they took off.
“I’m should be the one saying sorry, Jen.”
“No, I was being a bitch and I didn’t need to bring it up again.”
“You did nothing wrong.”
“What I said is making you suffer, I can see that.”
“I deserve to suffer.”
“No you don’t, it wasn’t either of our faults. We were both equally drunk and there is nothing more to it.”
“How can you be so sure that I wasn’t aware of what I was doing?”
“Because I know you and I know that you wouldn’t do that to anyone.”
“So what happened in the bar?”
“I saw my sister’s great granddaughter.”
“How do you know it’s her?”
“Every now and then I check up on my sister’s family.”
“And you’re sure it’s her.”
“Yes, I checked in on them four years ago, when her Sight kicked in.”
“Did she see you?”
“I don’t know.”
He didn’t even have to ask her why it bothered her so much to see the human child; if his calculations where correct that the girl is now seventeen, the same age Jen was when she turned, which means in less than a year yet another generation of her family will pass Jen and ten to one the girl reminds Jen of herself before she was changed. All of this just made Ryan feel even guiltier.
“Does this mean she’s in town?”
“Yes, I overheard her telling Matt the bartender that she moved here with her mother.”
“Will you go to them?”
“Yes, but I’ll keep my distance from them. I don’t want to freak them out.”
“What if the girl enrols in our school?”
“Then I’ll have no choice but to tell her, cuz I don’t want her to be scared of us.”
“Will she believe you?”
“If she doesn’t I’ll just show her the picture of me with my sister, she’ll believe me then cuz her mother looks like my sister when she was younger.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s going to hurt you.”
“I know.”
“I wish we weren’t stuck in this town.”
“Hey, that no way to talk about the place where your-could-be queen is.”
Ryan just kept quiet, for he knew that Layla wasn’t his queen, it was Jen, but if he told her that would go against their deal and she would leave, and that was something he couldn’t bear to see.
“Good boy.” Jen said with a smile.
“So how’s the weather back there?” He asked, changing the subject.
“Oh, you’re such a loser.” She said hitting him on the back of his head.
“Hey, that hurts.” He complained.
“Man up.”
“You’re cruel.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere.”
“You’re something else.”
“So I have been told.”
Ryan sighed; “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re a loser.”
“How so?”
“You should be making up an excuse to go and see Layla.”
“One, I had to come and get you, and two, I don’t have an excuse.”
“I’m going ignore number one, but as for two, say you have trouble with the math homework.”
“Are you kidding me? A five year old can do that homework.”
“Not a human five year old human, in fact most human adults have trouble with it.”
“But it’s so easy.” He complained.
“Stop whinging baby, swallow your pride and call her as soon as we get home.”
“This sucks.”
“You have been spending far too much time with human teens, cuz you’re starting to sound just like them.”
“And you’re starting to sound more and more like a mother.”
“No I’m not.” She protested.
“Yes you are.”
“No, I am not, now eyes on the road and drive slower.”
Ryan raised one eyebrow and stared at Jen; “Shut up Ryan!”
“Whatever you say mom.”
“I bite.” She warned.
If it were anybody else who said that he would have laughed, but he knew from personal experience that she does bite, and hard; “I’ll be quiet now.”
“Thought so.”
***
Jamie snuck back into her room through the window. She had to be extra quiet than before, because she couldn’t afford to get caught tonight; not only did she sneak out to a bar, but she ran into a faery and if her mom found out she’d be dead.
She was caught by surprise when her light was switched on and her mom was sitting on her bed.
Busted.
“And where did you go young lady?” Jamie could hear that her mom was pissed.
“I just wanted to meet someone before my first day of school.”
“Where did you go to do that?”
“Nowhere important.”
“Jamie!”
“The Rock ‘n Rolla.”
“A bar?!” She asked outraged.
“I didn’t drink anything I swear.”
“It doesn’t matter, a bar is dangerous.”
“Nothing happened.”
“It could’ve!”
“But it didn’t.”
“You’re grounded.”
“No, please mom. I need to make friends and socialise if I’m going to survive.”
“That’s not my problem.”
“Well it should be, since it’s your fault we had to move.”
“Don’t speak to me like that!”
“If you didn’t attract the attention of that faery, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“There was nothing I could do to prevent it.”
“You could’ve been a better actress.”
“Now you’re being unreasonable.”
“So are you by grounding me.”
“You did something wrong.”
“So did you!”
“Not intentionally.”
“Your bad thing was the cause of my bad thing.”
“Why do you have to make me feel guilty?”
“Cuz it’s your fault.” Jamie felt bad about hurting her mom, but she couldn’t stop; her feelings where coming out and she couldn’t stop them.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry I’m such a bad mother! I’m sorry for ruining your life! I’m sorry for provoking that damned faerie!” Jamie’s heart sank as her mom burst into tears.
“Mom, you’re not a bad mother.”
“Yes, I am.”
“No, I’m the one being a brat, please don’t cry.” She said embracing her mom.
“Oh baby, I know it’s hard to make friends when you’re Sighted, but please promise me that you won’t go looking for friends in bars and clubs. People like us need real friends more than anyone else.”
“I promise mom.”
“I love you, sweetheart.”
“Love you too, mom.”