“Oh, saving her isn’t enough? Well, how about because I was just like her. A witch.” My mom looked at him curiously. Makwa realized he’d caught her attention and considered furthering his argument but didn’t find that route entertaining enough. “I’ve got this thing I do with my tentacles—” Brandon’s hands slammed over my mouth from behind. Makwa gave a muffled laugh as I forced him back down.
“He’s not going away,” I said to my mom forcefully. She eyed me in the rearview before her eyes slid to take in something else.
“What the fuck is in the back of my car?”
20
Ispread my wings out widely, giving them a stretch as I sat on the roof. The stars were hard to see, just a few tiny blinks in the dark blue sky above me. It never really got truly dark here. Never really got truly quiet either, not the way the mountains would.
All the sounds were different too—cars, people, blenders, washing machines. Once again, I’d stumbled into a new world. It wasn’t quite the same this time around. I knew of this world—seen it in movies, heard about it, caught glimpses. Being in it and watching it on a screen wasn’t really the same though.
I blew out the smoke and snubbed the end of my cigarette in an ashtray someone in Ava’s family had left out for me. They weren’t too happy when they found the edges of burnt-down cigarette butts littering their garden and collecting in their gutter.
At first, I smoked in the house but apparently, that was the wrong thing to do. Ava’s mother chased me with a shoe while sputtering threats, and although I found it hilarious, she did not.
My wings twitched as a breeze blew by. I sighed, dropping off the edge of the roof to land in the backyard. Quickly, I tucked my wings back in and tried to ignore the urge to stretch them out and collect wind. All things considered, not being able to fly was a small price to pay for being here with everyone. I also couldn’t leave their property. No one thought it safe. I had no desire to roam, not yet anyway, so it was no big deal.
I went in through the backdoor. The house was quiet, everyone was mostly asleep. My boots dragged dirt in from the garden onto the rug and I looked down with a groan knowing I’d get an earful. Everything was so goddamn clean here.
I’d never been more surrounded by others in my life and because of that, never been happier. I felt warm, the house glowed. Honestly, I even enjoyed it when I got shit for dragging in dirt. Maybe that’s why it kept happening.
Amador stepped into the living room, having come down the stairs. Caspian’s father had been staying in Ava’s mother’s room. It appeared they were rekindling their relationship in a biblical sense.
He was wary of me, or maybe just curious and confused. I wasn’t sure but this was the first time we’d been alone in a room together and I didn’t want to linger. I’d already gone through the headache of befriending one nokken and the prospect of doing that all over again sounded unappealing. Especially when I knew the outcome wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining or pleasurable. Plus, I wasn’t sure the man liked me all that much.
He stopped when he saw me. I tipped my hat and tried to move past but he leaned in and inhaled then grabbed at my duster and tugged it down. His eyes flashed, reflecting light as he eyed the bite mark.
He spoke something in Spanish. I’d never learned that one thoroughly and my memory of it was mostly absent. The settlers who spoke it didn’t stay long in West Virginia or maybe they just didn’t come around my parts much.
“How is this possible?” He finally asked in English, letting me go and stepping back. He rubbed his mouth and looked at me. You know, if that’s what Caspian would look like when he was older, I surely didn’t mind. They looked a bit like brothers, more than father and son. Or twins displaced by time. Apparently he was much older than he appeared. Nokken didn’t live and die like humans, thank god.
“Ava,” I said and he winced, mashing his fingers into his temple. The answer seemed to satisfy him though, he nodded like it made sense. He looked me up and down with narrowed eyes. I could tell he wanted to say something but I heard Ava and pushed past him.
Everything hadn’t been all sunshine and rainbows since getting back. I heard her crying out as I reached the bottom of the stairs. We’d expected this week might be harder on her. Brandon was spending it with his sister.
It was the first time he’d been away from us since we came back a month ago. We’d holed up together here, slowly becoming functional again. Brandon and Ava had it the worst. Caspian and I were different though and Makwa was an entirely different beast altogether. He had his own traumas but none of them involved what happened last month.
Caspian and I had to help Ava and Brandon. They ended up clinging to each other more than the rest of us, curled up in each other’s pain and slow recovery, their relationship developing. We weren’t out of the woods yet… figuratively.
However, a month had at least seen them acting more like people again. And a month had proved Brandon could mostly control his beast. He had to be smart about it—avoid meat while human, let himself shift every couple weeks.
He had insisted it was time he visited his sister for more than a few hours though. We’d all agreed on a week, no more. Any longer than that and we didn’t trust him away from Ava. His hunger was a permanent resident even if it was manageable since Ben’s death and subsequent consumption.
I followed Ava’s cries, half-flying, half-running up the stairs, and barreling into the room.
“Ava!” Caspian said, curled up with her in bed where I’d left them. I chucked my clothes as she startled awake. She thrashed and cried out for Brandon then called out for all of us as if we were in danger or worse. It broke my heart.
I slid in behind her, wrapping a wing around all of us.
“It’s fine, Ava. We’re fine,” Caspian said, grabbing her wrists and holding her still. She sucked in a breath and finally came to, her eyes clearing. She looked at us both before burying her face in Caspian’s chest and crying.
The door creaked open and Makwa slipped in. Ever since his final soul-eating hurrah in the mountains he’d been able to comfortably maintain himself outside of Ava all night. His leather poncho brushed his thighs as he strode next to the bed. I pulled my wing back some and he leaned over Caspian to twirl Ava’s hair in his fingers.
She kept her face buried in Caspian’s chest but grabbed Makwa’s hand, twisting her fingers with his. They rarely had to speak aloud to communicate. They just knew one another. Understood what the other was thinking and what they needed before they needed it.
I wasn’t sure where he went at night, the ghost slinking around the halls at night. He wasn’t used to people, the same as me. However, unlike me, he didn’t enjoy it. I figured at night he just found some quiet, dark place he felt comfortable being alone in.
Ava fell back asleep and Makwa slunk away without a word, his dark eyes flicking to both of us before turning and leaving. A tentacle dashed from his back and twirled around the doorknob, opening it for him. He closed the door back after he left.
