(I submitted this to @elsewhereuniversity , but I wanted to also post it over here, since this is my actual writing blog.)
“You’re so fucking weird, you know that? You and your damn friends,” he said, his smirk belying the fact that he and I both knew what he’d done. “Hell, everything is weird in this place. I don’t even know why I ended up here in the first place. Some bullshit about my mom’s great aunt promising to pay for my whole four years if I came here. Might as well if it’s a free ride, right?”
He shrugged and crushed the now empty beer can in his meaty hands, the same hands that left marks all over Katie’s body. I felt my fists ball up at my sides and my blood turned cold.
“Why do you wear this?” I asked, trying to feign idle curiosity as I reached for the iron disc dangling around his neck. “Surely you’re not superstitious.”
“Naw, man,” he scoffed. “Somebody gave me that when I moved into the dorm, and I guess I’ve just never taken it off.” I popped the chain with minimal effort and slipped it into my pocket. He barely even noticed.
“You’re not scared, are you? You don’t really believe what people say, do you?” I was baiting him and I knew it.
“What, that some weird kid with a funny haircut is gonna drag me off into the woods? Yeah, right. What the fuck ever,” he snorted.
“Make sure if they ask for your name, you say it really clearly and slowly,” I told him quietly, leaning close to his sweaty, drunken face. “Sometimes they don’t hear our words very easily.”
He blinked numbly for a second and then laughed out loud, spraying me with spittle in the process. Then he shook his head and stumbled out the the back door and into the dark night.
The next day’s twilight approached as I sat on a bench outside the library. Chad hadn’t been seen all day, not that anyone was surprised. And unlike some others that had been Taken, no Replacement had been offered. It seemed everyone was simply grateful for the removal of a problem.
No sound was made as the creature sat down next to me, the dying light of the sun causing its glamour to shimmer slightly. “I suppose you expect a thank you,” I offered, rather than bothering with a greeting.
“No, child, it is I who should be thanking you,” it pointed out, the click of its blinking eyes making me twitch. “Rarely has anything been so simple. You practically offered him up on a plate.” It grinned at me then, multiple rows of teeth barely visible, but enough to unnerve anyone other than me.
“He didn’t deserve his life any longer,” I muttered. “He hurt her.” I knew I should feel bad about what I’d done, but the truth was, I felt nothing.
“Your rage is admirable, but it’s only due to your love of another. Why, Halfling, do you love these base creatures so much?”
“I can’t help it,” I sighed. “They’re not all like him… most are decent and kind, and they have the capacity to do such great good.”
It sniffed in disdain, unable or unwilling to see my point of view. But then again, no one knew what it was like to be me.
It had been 19 years since They had let my mother go, stumbling out of the woods and back into the middle of campus with me already growing in her belly. She was never solid after that, always too quiet, too easily startled. But she loved me fiercely, told the best bedtime stories, and quietly taught me the ways of the Gentry.
I knew what I was very early, and lived with the silent knowledge of my difference. I saw things others didn’t, knew things when I shouldn’t, and spent too much time playing alone. The thin-limbed, shy child, with eyes too big that seemed to know too much. Elsewhere University seemed to be the only place I could go and feel truly accepted.
So now I sit on a bench with one of Them by my side, wondering what sort of deal my father made to make them let my mother go. Was he important? Powerful? Or had he sacrificed himself in some way for her? Not only did They let her live, They let her remember. That was rare.
“Come with me,” it implored. “Come to where you truly belong. Your power is great, and you should be with your people.”
It wasn’t the first offer I’d received. They coveted my ability to walk between the worlds seamlessly. I could be very useful to Them.
They almost had me at the age of twelve, when mean girls had me ostracized and shunned in my tiny middle school. But I knew They didn’t love like my mother; their tricks and games were merciless, and I would be killing the only good within me if I ever said yes.
I stared back at it, no answer crossing my lips. I knew better than to anger Them, but neither would I accept. Finally, it let out a sigh.
“Very well, then,” it said, fluidly rising to its feet. “Until next time…”
“Stay away from Katie,” I warned.
“Careful, careful, Halfling. You cannot save them all.”
I stared back at its golden eyes, never blinking. Something in mine must have told it there were consequences behind my warning. One foot in either world also allows one access to everyone’s weaknesses.
“As you wish,” it finally nodded solemnly. “There are plenty of others to choose from.” It turned and walked toward the trees, its outline fading into the falling darkness as it went.
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