"What are you?" I manage to find my voice, truthfully not sure if I wanted to know.
"I did not want it to come to this. You're not ready for the truth yet. Man he's going to kill me." David rakes his finger through his snow white hair twirling around his scepter furiously with his other hand.
Twirling it into a sheath on his side, he grumbles something else in the language I heard earlier before vanishing to stake out the island.
Left alone my eyes travel to the peaceful lapping waves. Up close and personal the loss crashes back on me. Did Sammy have some cool ice girl to save him? I doubt it but I choose to cling to the hope. Drowning in the ocean is far worse than Saint Jonathan's Rehabilitation Center for Troubled Men. I should have never gone with him that night. I knew he was trouble when I realized he escaped but he was my brother so I thought, why not?
"Say something... Please." Startled, I twist around to see David frowning deeper than usual, arms cross, concern plastered all over his face. I never heard him return, that was new.
"The island clear?" I can only imagine how raw and puffy my voice sounds as I wipe the streak of salt water off my face.
"Yes, for now. Are you okay?" Really, true, genuine, concern edged his voice for the first time.
"Just thinking of Sam." I cough, clearing my throat. I glance back towards the water, calmed by the sound of the lapping waves. "Do you know where he is?"
"Listen, I know it may be a lot for you too take in. I was under orders to simply watch over you, but then you found yourself alone in the ocean and attacked by púki's. It's okay to take a minute to process everything." He crosses the sand to crouch down in front of me. His words sound almost rehearsed. How often did he rescue mortals?
"So you don't know where he is?" I pull my legs tighter against my chest.
A long silence passes between us, I raise my head to catch David glaring accusingly at the ocean.
"So he is gone." Saying it out loud helped to make it seem real.
"Not necessarily." David mumbles, looking like he wanted to kick himself for offering some comfort. "Some things in this world are too wild for an average human to comprehend, but the world's still a big mysterious place. Anything is possible, I'm living proof of that, no?" That was the most reassurance I've heard from him. It's true, the world is a strange place and Ice Prince over there is indeed proof.
My hope for Sam being alive skyrockets again but somewhere deep down I think I would have rather accepted the fact that he was dead instead of lost and confused somewhere with something better or worse.
"Those things... thee um, fire troll, demon things. Are those type of things everywhere?" I ask, hoping they weren't. Sammy was clever but that doesn't mean he's a match to something so supernatural.
"Fire trolls?" That caught David's attention, not amusement so much as concern. Did I know something he doesn't? Did he not see them streaking through the forest? They were frozen, he knew they were they're. Was it something I wasn't supposed to be able to see?
"What exactly did you see out there Marcy?" The concern seeped into his voice. Confused I close my eyes trying to recall exactly what I saw. This is my chance to prove that I may not be a helpless average human being like he thinks I am.
"They were short, troll looking. They wore snakeskin caps and set the things they touch on fire." I state slowly, peeking to see how well I did.
David watches me calmly, giving me nothing to go on. A sinking feeling that I could have made it all up hits me, but what else could I have seen?
"No, you might be a little dehydrated. The natives like to dress up to scare off newcomers. They set the forest on fire." David laced his finger to explain the misunderstanding. I narrow my eyes at him not buying it.
"I know what I saw, and it was not that." I press, hoping he would change his story this time. Maybe it was my mortal hope that maybe he was not the only mystical person in the world and David was lying to me.
"I am the only one like me, what you saw were natives." David's accent deepens, none that I have ever heard of in California, foreign maybe?
Liar. Anger courses through me at the fact that he's lying. Why won't he tell me? Because i'm a mortal girl? Growling I push off the sand to storm off into the ocean to cool off. I allow the waves to crash over me, letting me get closer to the last place I saw Samuel.
"Please get out of the water, you're going to freeze to death." The icy cold annoyance was back. Turning my back to him I stare off into the crystal blue sky. Not a cloud in sight. The summer sun does little to warm the frigid waters.
I deserve to freeze, freeze like I should have froze three days ago, frozen in the ocean like Samuel, as cold as David's ice scepter.
"Do not make me go out there and get you." The sharp command was meant to be taken seriously. I ignore him, I don't need this.
"Are you going to tell me the truth?" I bark back. I might as well use myself as a bartering tool if I plan on dying anyway. Force his hand to learn some answers since he believes he is under orders to protect me.
"I am telling you the truth, þú ókunnugt stúlka." That caught my attention, I twirl around to give him a look. The water fighting my movement.
"Excuse me?" I snap back, confused. That was the first he directly yelled at me in his weird language out loud. "English please?"
Kicking up sand on his way to the ocean he takes a tentative step into the water, freezing it instantly. Sliding across the water top on the bed of ice he scoops me up out of the water and glides back to shore to toss me roughly back onto the beach.
Sand clings to my wet clothes getting everywhere.
"Are you always this short tempered?" I snap, crossing my hands turning my back to him on dry land, freezing.
"You're calling me short tempered storming off to freeze to death in the ocean what is wrong with you?" The coldness no longer evident as his temper flairs to match mine. He grabs my shoulder to spin me around to look at him.
"Why can't you just admit that they were fire trolls out there and not natives. I am not stupid I saw what I saw, your an Ice Prince there has to be something different and you're afraid to tell me. Why?" I say quickly, losing my anger to fear at his ice dagger look. Slowly withdrawing his grip he backs away to stare at the ground.
"I... can not. I'm not at liberty to discuss anything of this sort with you." He grumbles, fidgeting with his gloves again to stare at his slowly melting ice on the ocean.
"Explain?" I repeat softly, afraid he might lash out or quit talking. I finally have something to go on I did not want him to stop dropping subtle clues. "I can handle the weirdness. I know I had a moment panic but I'm okay now. Netflix has prepared me for this moment." I state firmly. It was David's turn to cast me a weird look.
"Hvað? How does that help?" He ask catching himself, I can't help but laugh at his underestimation of my knowledge of the unknown through my many many long nights of watching TV.
"I am not going to be one of those people who freak out at the unknown." I assure him, forcing myself to stand up on the beach. "Minus earlier." I mumble under my breath.
"Listen, Marcy. I am literally under oath by my hire to give you as limited information as possible except when it may interfere with your well being. Currently you are out of harm's way and I am physically unable to answer your questions. I am sorry, but I broke an oath once In my life and this is much simpler to follow." David pleas standing right along side me.
"So unless my life is in danger right?" All I caught was that I had to put myself in harms way to get information. That and wondering who makes an oath like that.
David tilts his head in confusion before I race off into the forest and scale the first capable palm tree. Expert tree climber Marcy Montgomery at your service.
I perch on the top branch, swaying in the wind.
"What the hell are you doing?" David shouts recovering from the initial shock of me taking off so fast. Angrily marching up to the tree he glowers up at me through the branches.
I swing upside down retrieving a nice, plump. looking coconut.
"Get down from here now." He growls losing his cool.
"No! You tell me what I want to know or I'll jump." I threaten wiggling my butt to find a nice comfortable way to leap thirty feet. "My lifes in danger you have to tell me." I love loop-holes.
"You idiot, I'll just climb up there and get you." Biting off his gloves he grips the base of the tree using ice to freeze himself in place.
"Oh no you don't." I pelt the coconut at his body missing his head and nailing him in the leg. Hissing through the pain he releases her grip on the tree and sticks his landing.
I swing down to grab another coconut for the ready. Growling he smacks the tree sending a frozen line up freezing the remaining coconuts milk.
"You just made my ammo stronger." I thank him throwing the only non frozen one to the ground and grabbing another.
"I am not telling you." He growls casting me an evil eye.
"Okay, then i'm jumping." I wiggle and leap, catching myself on a low hanging leaf as he hollers out in panic.
Maybe I wasn't ready to die yet. My arms groan from supporting my weight as I hang above the ground watching him calmly.
"Okay, chill. Damn. What do you want to know?" He hollers out quickly not wanting to chance me leaping the remaining twenty feet. I scurry back up my tree and perch back at the top. At least I caught his attention.
"Was I correct in what I saw?" I ask, tilting my head, hanging on with one hand ready to let go if need be.
"Correct is a relative term." His mumble barely audible through the wind blowing.
"Ill let go." I assure him, releasing two fingers and tipping forward.
"Fine, yes theoretically what you saw is correct which call for some concern." He shouts up.
"What do you mean?" I ask confused. Is it one of those things that a mortal see but it isn't technically the correct thing.
"It's more complicated than that. Púki eldur are trolls who use the power of illusion through fire to appear as a person's worst fear. Dress up as snakes you get giant serpents. They were most likely just expecting me, not you, so you saw them as what they truly are. Well that's not exactly it. To a normal mortal all you should have saw was a forest fire. Appearance is everything." David reluctantly explains closing his eyes so he did not have to look at me.
"So why did I see it?" I question resting against the giant leaves.
"I have no idea, but it might explain why I was hired to protect you when he realized you were missing." At last he answered honestly.
I lapse into silence, absorbing what this stranger had thrown my way. Even that small synapses of information is hard to process. There is an entire world going on right under our nose.
I watched the shows where it happens but it in no way compares to the fact that it was real and happening to me. How many other kinds of powers or monsters are there in the world?
"I was afraid of your silence. This is exactly what he told me not to do. 'Tiss too much information for one child to take in." He mocks in an Irish accent that reminds me of my father.
I can picture him sitting on the porch swing, gun loaded, ready to shoot whoever took me when I return. He must be so worried, but he had a house and a job that he had to take care of. It only makes sense he would hire somebody to rescue me.
"I'm okay, just processing." I reply distracted, gazing directly at the full wrath of the blazing sun. I cast a look down at David through the large spots dancing in my vision. He had regloved his hands and was sulking around the tree, worried.
Letting the beams of the sun warm my soaked clothes for a few more silent minutes I hop out of the tree. I got as much information as I could handle at the moment. Still I couldn't help but wonder one more thing.
"Is David even your real name?" Davids abrupt laughter from my question combined with me safely on the ground brightens my jumble thoughts. It was a stupid question, I know, but it got him to stop sulking.
"Of everything that you forced me to tell you, this is what you want to know?" The incredulously in his voice makes me laugh. If you can't laugh at your own stupidity then what should you laugh at?
"Technically no, but for security reasons it is. Still what could possibly make you question that?" I groan inwardly. I just wanted one question that I could possibly have a reasonable answer like, yes Marcy it is my real name don't be so silly. So much for consistence. He frowns at my mopey look.
"This was not what you want to hear."
"Not really cupcake." I chuckle at his upset face. "Chill D', so um what are we going to do. The giant fireball in the sky won't stay up forever."
"I can't fly to the mainland. Too much undercover government surveillance floating around. Even flying to this island was a risk and were in BFE." That makes two of us who believes big brother is always watching.
"We're going to have to set up camp here and watch for now, come on." Getting up he vanishes into the thick foliage. Casting one more sorrowful look in the direction of the ocean I attempt to follow his trail. A crushed leaf here a footprint there, I don't know what either of us would do if I did not know how to track.
"A vulnerable skill even if you're not a hunter," As my papa would say.
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