Finley got to her feet with a groan, clutching at her swollen stomach. She winced as she straightened up before heading out of the lounge room, where she'd been resting for the last few days. Harley had been very strict on her instructions, one of which being no climbing the stairs. So Finley had resorted to the couch rather than spending her nights in the uncomfortable infirmary bed.
She'd felt rather helpless over the last few days. Her body was so exhausted and sore that the slightest activity seemed to affect her. Harley had been running around at her every demand for days but now Finley wanted some independence back. She hobbled out of the lounge room and towards the kitchen. She could smell the freshly baked muffins from a mile away and her stomach rumbled with hunger.
As she entered the kitchen she spotted Harley. Her head was buried in the oven as she pulled another tray of muffins free. The kitchen was a mess, batter and remains of the ingredients scattered across the counter. Not to mention the mounds of bowls and dishes in the sink. Harley spun around placing the tray on the bench with a smile plastered across her face.
Finley moved further into the kitchen and it was only then that Harley noticed her. "Finley!! What are you doing up?" She asked alarm in her sweet voice.
Finley shrugged taking a seat and reaching for a muffin. Harley frowned swatting her hand away before she even got close.
"You should be resting," Harley complained. She ran a hand through her blonde hair before huffing. "I should have expected this I suppose, I know you don't like to do what you're told."
Finley grinned at Harley's disapproving glare. "I'm fine besides I rested for three days. I can't lie around forever."
Harley looked at her for a few moments before sighing, "Fine, but no training and the stairs are still off limits. We don't want your stitches coming loose."
Finley debated the proposal for a moment before agreeing. "Okay. Now can I have a muffin? I'm starving."
Harley picked one of the muffins up and handed it over. Finley grinned before taking a bite. The flavor was immediate and she sighed in relief. It was good. She was aware that Harley was watching her curiously.
"Should I bother asking about Kade?" She questioned. Finley froze slightly mid bite before swallowing. She hadn't heard a word from him since their fight. He hadn't come to visit, he hadn't called and hadn't texted. She supposed it was her own fault. She'd made him leave. She shook her head muttering under her breath, "There's nothing to ask about."
"Why hasn't he come to see you?" Harley asked softly her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She was moving the remaining muffins out of the tray and onto a wire rack so that they could cool.
"He doesn't have to. It's not his responsibility," Finley shrugged. She took another bite of the muffin trying to do her best to hide her disappointment.
Harley stopped what she was doing, her blue eyes searching Finley's face. "Why wouldn't he come? I saw him the night you got hurt, he was a mess. I just figured he would want to see you."
Finley downed the rest of her muffin before standing up. Her stomach ached but she ignored it. "We had a fight okay. He won't be coming back around for a while."
Finley turned and headed back out of the room not daring to look back. She could hear Harley's footsteps as she followed. "What was the fight about?"
Finley frowned and sighed turning around to face Harley.
"I don't want to talk about it okay? It was my fault and he left and he's not coming back," Finley replied.
Harley was silent for a few moments before she nodded. "Okay."
Finley moved towards the entry grabbing her jacket off the hook. "I'm going out, I'll be back later."
She grabbed the door knob and turned it. The fresh air washed in and Finley took a deep breath.
"Finley," Harley said causing her to stop, "He loved you. He'll come back."
She said nothing, there was no point. She knew that Kade wasn't coming back. Not unless she gave up her hunt for Arlin. But she couldn't do that. Not until she knew the truth and maybe not even then. Without a word she headed outside and into the sunshine.
~
The sun was warm against Finley's face as she made her way down the street. The sky was a pretty blue colour with big white fluffy clouds. Her eyes scanned the sky watching the birds fly around happily. What she wouldn't give to be one of those birds, free of all the mess that she'd gotten herself into. Maybe Kade was right. Maybe her search for answers was hopeless and she was just going to get herself killed. She didn't know what she should do. She wanted to know the truth. She wanted to know everything about what had happened to her parents and her brother. She wanted revenge. But she didn't want to lose everyone else who cared about her in the process. Maybe she was risking too much.
The old brown building loomed up in front of her. The bricks looking worn and torn from the weather over the years it had stood there. Vines traced up the side across the bricks only making the building appear older. The neatly placed letters above the door was the only modern thing about the building. The library had been there for as long as Finley could remember. She had gone there many times to find a quiet place to study or read. It has become almost like a second home to her.
She pushed the glass door open and the smell of books filled the air. The library had three floors. The first was full of computers where you could search for books or use for studying. The second floor held all the books, each placed in the appropriate place based on the author's name. And the third was full of tables and little booths where you could sit quietly and study. Finley made her way up the stairs and to the third floor, stopping only briefly to grab a textbook of one of the shelves.
She took a seat at one of the booths and opened the textbook ready to take notes on the small notebook that she'd grabbed on the way out. She scanned the pages in silence, jotting down anything important for her upcoming assignment at school. She'd completely forgotten about it and as a result she now only had the weekend to finish it.
She didn't know how much time had passed but by the time she'd finished the textbook she had three pages of notes written down. She stood up hauling the heavy book with her and headed back downstairs for another. There were more people moving around within the shelves now and Finley had to squeeze her way behind one lady so that she could get past. She slid the book back onto the shelf and scanned the others in front of her.
"Finley?" A soft voice asked curiously. Finley turned her head searching for the voice. Her eyes settled on Kailee, the fairy that Aiden had known. Her pink lips smiled at her and her unusual violet eyes looked happy. She crossed the distance between them. "I thought that was you."
"Hi Kailee," Finley replied smiling back at her, "What are you doing here?"
Kailee tugged at her white blonde hair tucking a strand behind her ear. "I help out here on my days off. A friend of mine owns the place."
"Oh," Finley answered, "I've never seen you here before."
Kailee nodded, "We only just became friends." Something in the way she said it indicated that they were more than friends. Finley smiled glad that at least one of them had moved on since Aiden's death.
"So how are you doing?" Kailee asked, her eyes scanning Finley's face. "Have you gotten any closer in your search?"
Finley frowned shaking her head, "Not exactly. We figured out that Arlin is a warlock but not much else."
Kailee nodded her eyes darting around the room once before settling on Finley's face. "I might be able to help you. There are archives here on family trees especially supernatural ones. Maybe we can find some more information about his family."
Finley's eyes brightened and she nodded eagerly, "That would be great."
Finley followed Kailee through the library and down into the basement where there were piles of boxes full of books. Kailee searched through the boxes for a moment before pulling out a large book and plunking it onto the table. "This one is the warlock's book. We just have to find his family."
Together they began to search through the pages skimming the names carefully. "Here it is," Kailee said her finger poised over the name Shade. Finley moved closer and her eyes began to move across the names. She spotted Arlin's almost immediately and noted that both of his parents were dead as well as his younger sister. She wondered what had happened to them and why he had turned into someone so horrible.
"He has a nephew," Kailee said pointing to one of the names on the page, "Based on his birthday he's only thirteen so he'd still be at school."
"Is there a way we can find out what school he goes to?" Finley asked curiously.
Kailee was silent for a moment thinking. She tore her eyes away from the book and met Finley's eyes. "Most warlocks go to Caster High if they live around here. We could search the school's database and see if we can find his name."
Finley nodded, excitement running through her. If she could find Arlin's nephew then she had some leverage. Surely he would know where Arlin was. They headed back upstairs to the computers and after a quick search the results revealed that Matthew Shade did in fact go to Caster High. Finley grinned jotting down the address. She turned to Kailee. "Thanks for all your help."
"You're welcome," Kailee smiled back, "Do you want me to come with you?"
Finley shook her head, "No it's okay, I'll be fine on my own."
Kailee nodded although something told Finley that she was hesitant in her answer. They said their goodbyes and Finley headed out of the library and towards Caster High.
~
The high school was only a short distance away and Finley found herself arriving rather quickly. The sound of a lunch bell began to ring as Finley approached the front gates. The large iron gates were black with intricate metal that had been sculpted into spikes at the top. A crest was melted onto the middle with the letters 'C' and 'H'. They creaked as she pushed the gates open and slipped inside. Finley could feel the magic that hung in the air around the school. It was heavy and thick and she found herself fascinated by the intensity.
The dirt crunched beneath her feet as she walked up the path towards the office. The building itself looked like it had come from another time. Its large pillars seemed to glimmer in the sun high in the sky. The cathedral like building had stained glass windows each with its own unique design. The architecture was elegant and ageless. It was beautiful and Finley found herself entranced by its magnificence.
She pushed the wooden door open and headed inside and was surprised by how different the inside was. It was modern, not one aspect was vintage like the outside. There was a man at the front desk with a bunch of papers in his hands. On the outside he looked like any other human, blonde hair and green eyes. He was wearing glasses and a suit and had an aura of authority around him. If Finley didn't know better she would have mistaken him for human rather than what he truly was. But she did know better. She could see his warlocks mark peeking out from beneath his sleeves. The scales were rather obvious if you looked closely. She approached him and his eyes darkened. It was obvious that he knew she wasn't a warlock.
"Hello there," she said stopping in front of the man who was a least a head taller than her, "I was hoping I could locate a friend of mine. He goes to this school."
The man looked at her with distaste before placing the stack of papers he was holding on the desk in front of him. "I'm afraid you will need to wait until after school little girl."
Finley frowned at him. "It's an emergency. I need to speak with Matthew Shade."
The man's eyes widened in surprise and he seemed slightly surprised. But he nodded glancing over at his computer for a moment before turning back to her. "You'll need to wait until after lunch but then Matthew has his class in D block. I'll escort you there."
Finley smiled before agreeing. She moved over to the waiting seats while she waited for lunch to finish. Finley's eyes scanned the wall glancing over the pictures that hung there. They were class photos going back at least a hundred years. The uniform had changed numerous times over the years and Finley couldn't help but smile at the old fashioned robes that the students had once worn.
The office door opened but Finley didn't bother glancing over. She was too entranced with the photos. It wasn't until the figure sat down beside her that she looked over. The man was giant, taller and stronger than anyone she had ever seen before. He was dressed completely in black the only aspect of his body visible was his face. His dark skin was a complete contrast to his bright blue eyes that seemed to glow unusually. There was no indication as to what the man was but something told Finley that he wasn't a warlock.
The man at the office desk glanced over a scowl forming on his face. He rose from his seat and walked towards them. "Excuse me sir? Can I help you?"
The large man beside her grumbled. "No!" He barked out. Finley flinched from the sound but made no move away from him. There was something about him that was unsettling. The office man looked surprised but simply moved back to his desk and sat down. His eyes watched the other man carefully as the room fell into silence.
As the bell began to ring Finley stood up and waited for the office man to approach. "I've contacted Matthew's class. They are going to send him up here," the man said.
"Thank you," Finley replied excitement building in her chest. She was finally getting somewhere. This could be her chance to find some answers. She had been waiting for answers ever since she had found her brother's body. She was confident that Arlin's nephew would have some answers or at least know where Arlin was.
She paced across the quiet room, her shoes making clicking noises on the tiled floor. She was aware that the strange man was watching her from his chair. Her phone began to buzz loudly and she fished it out of her pocket quickly. She was slightly surprised to see Kade's name pop up. She answered the phone on the third ring, "Hello?"
"Hey Finn," Kade's voice was low, "I wanted to-" He paused almost like he was trying to figure out what to say. There was a long silence and Finley wondered if he was even going to say anything.
"Where are you? I wanted to talk to you," he finally answered. Finley frowned in confusion. Why did he want to talk to her? He had made himself clear the other night. He didn't want to see her if she was still looking for Arlin.
"I'm out at the moment Kade," she replied glancing out the office door. She could see Matthew approaching from across the courtyard. His head was down as he walked and all she could see was a mass of black hair.
"I'll come meet you," he said the desperation evident in his voice. Finley sighed running a hand through her curls.
"Kade this isn't a good time. Can I call you back when I'm finished," she asked.
There was a moment of silence before he answered, "Okay Finn," he said a hint of disappointment in his words. She didn't hang up straight away. There was something in his voice that made her hesitate. She felt bad ending the call but when she turned back around Matthew had almost reached the door. Her excitement peaked and she shoved her phone back into her pocket.
Suddenly the strange man who had been sitting down was beside her grabbing her arm forcefully and dragging her around the corner. She gasped in surprise before shoving him away. "What the hell!" She yelled, her voice echoing in the small room.
The man didn't seem at all concerned by her actions. His voice was calm as he spoke. "Finley," he began and she was slightly surprised that he knew her name, "I work for Mr Shade. He instructed me to come speak with you."
Finley was speechless. Why would Arlin send someone to speak with her? She stood in complete silence standing at the massive man in front of her in confusion. "Arlin has agreed to meet with you but you must leave the boy alone."
Finley froze her mind whirling over what she was being told. She had a chance to see Arlin in person. She glanced past the man towards where Matthew was. He was no older than thirteen and he didn't look likr he had any part in the horror that his uncle had committed. Finley sighed already knowing her answer. If there was a chance of meeting Arlin then she had to do it. She turned back to the man. "Okay take me to Arlin," she answered.
The man nodded and gestured for Finley to follow him. They left the school in a dark car and headed towards an unknown destination. Finley's heart was pounding as the realization set in. After all her searching the moment she had been waiting for had finally arrived. She was going to meet Arlin Shade. The one who had taken so much from her. And yet she felt upset in a way. She shouldn't be doing this alone. She wanted Kade there with her but she knew that he didn't want to be put in danger any longer. She had to do this on her own.
The car came to a stop outside a restaurant and Finley's eyes scanned the outside of the place. Bright coloured paint and signs were hung on the outside and there was a cute little array of flowers lining the windows. It wouldn't have been a place that she had suspected to find Arlin Shade. The car door was opened for her and she stepped outside, the cool evening air hitting her as she exited.
The large man closed the door behind her. "You go in alone," he said in a monotone voice, "Arlin will meet you at Table 8."
The man turned without another word, getting back into the car and driving away. Finley had no way of backing out now. She took a deep breath and pulled the door to the restaurant open.
~