Chapter 3

I wake up to the sound of an enormous bang and three men cursing. Morning has broken then. Leaping up and charging from my room into the kitchen I see someone has knocked down the entire stack of pans I had left for someone to put away. Lucien, Silas and Bren all look at me as I lean against the door frame, eyebrows raised. I look at the pans on the floor and back to the boys.
"He did it!" Bren and Lucien gabble pointing to Silas. Sighing and pleased that the house wasn't blown up, I cheerfully say a good morning to each of them as Lucien ends up being the one to pick everything up. I call the first shower as I listen to the boys half argue, half joke around downstairs as they make a mess or as they call it breakfast. That's the thing with living with three young men, they think all the food in the house must be used in some breakfast sandwich. I sing to myself, letting my voice grow more resonant as the water flows, I hardly care if anyone hears me this morning. I might sing terribly on purpose to see how they like their morning being disturbed with ear splitting noises.
When I emerge back downstairs, I see the kitchen is sparkling and they have made me breakfast.
"Right either someone's has died, is dying or you've done something." I frown.
"Ah," Bren begins and I brace myself "Well the thing is, we were all just playing Magicka last night when erm, one of us who will be unnamed so that Lucien doesn't get into trouble left his cigarette burning and it fell out the ashtray and well... you can see." Bren removes the oh so brilliantly placed cushion to reveal a huge burn mark in my new white sofa. I swear it is just like living with the Three Stooges.
"To avoid one of you mysteriously disappearing beneath the patio, put the cushion back and I will try and sort it later." I suggest. I smile to show I'm not as pissed as I'm pretending to be. This is how we live, all of us are fairly accident prone and I'm used to glasses being smashed, plates being dropped and such things. If I didn't secretly love them all for their clumsy nature as a group, they wouldn't be living here. I practically face plant my breakfast, living with three men has another advantage, I don't care if I eat like a lady, if I'm hungry, I'm gonna eat it as fast as I damn well want.

After how awkward I felt after last night, I'm anxious to see Kiros later because no doubt I will, he usually finds me every day and depending on what mood we said goodbye the night before, I always really look forward to whatever we get up next or become worried we "need to talk" about something. The worst times are when you need to talk but don't. He'll be normal with me because he always is but if I'm worried or upset, I can't be normal with him and if I then feel like I'm being silly to talk about it, we can get frustrated. I can smile and say I'm fine but I'm no grand actress, he sees right through me. Suddenly those nerves of "what's going to happen this time" take over me and I'm not hungry anymore.
Me and Kiros were once unstoppable, we told each other absolutely everything and there wasn't a single problem we couldn't deal with together, he was always the first person I wanted to go to and vice versa, we understood exactly what the other wanted or needed even if we didn't know ourselves. Just recently, I haven't quite known what to say and when I've tried to offer my advice, it sort of goes unnoticed and Kiros does whatever he planned to do in the first place, it's like he doesn't trust what I say can help him anymore. So I have started to worry and panic and get generally paranoid that things are about to fall to pieces around me.
I decide I don't want to hang around the house today, it's our first proper warm day since I can't remember when so I go to my bedroom, find my book (which I swear moves by itself) and I lightly open my doors that lead on to the balcony. I close my eyes and let the sun greet me gently, I feel my wings automatically unfurl and without concentrating, I lift from the ground and open my eyes. By pure habit, I head straight for my tree. When I land, I smile to myself and let out a sigh.
I read for what could be decades, I read until I begin to see the sun lowering and then put down my almost finished book. As I watch the sun sink, I sing softly as it sinks in I have spent possibly eight hours in the same position and now my back is shouting at me for it. I pull myself to a stand, pick up my book and decide I need to go somewhere different. I fly off and decide to stop at home first. Putting my book on my bed, it will probably be somewhere else when I go to look at it again and flutter downstairs for some food. Bren, Silas and Lucien are sat playing Magicka at the table.
"Hi boys!" I stick my chest out and waltz towards them, wings and all in my usual attempt to throw one of them off. They all grunt a hello back and Bren suddenly stops and stares at me.
"Who have you been with?" He asks eyeing me beadily.
"No one!" I shoot back, "What makes you think that?"
"You have leaves in your hair." He says. I gripe at my head and sure enough about half a dozen leaves fall out, "Come here!" Bren scolds as he picks out all the little bits and pieces of tree that have befriended my hair while I've been in another world. I explain I was sat in a tree for most of the day and now my muscles are paying for it. Bren tuts at me fondly and sits back down when Silas asks if he's finished pruning me like I'm a garden bush, I had enough leaves in my hair to be one after all. I make my way into the kitchen and put on a pan of water, we might not have all the gadgets the human world does but thank the lord we had the sense to have indoor plumbing and gas and electric ovens. I secretly make three mugs of tea and take them in to the boys. Silas looks up at me like I've grown a second head for being generous and made them a drink.
"What? I can't be nice to you once in a while?"
"Well all you usually do is shout 'rent' at me." Lucien says.
"Well if you paid it, it wouldn't have become my catch phrase" I return.
"True. Well thanks for the tea honey." Lucien smiles, suddenly as sweet as pie. I roll my eyes and take a seat next to him while I wait for the water to boil. I've asked how the game works so many times and time and time again Bren, Silas and Lucien have all explained it to me but I still don't get it so I resolve to watch them play just to have some living company. They don't say much to me as they play, entirely focused on the game as though their entire lives depend on it. Cute.

After dinner, I holler a goodbye at the boys who are still in the same places, holding their cards like wax models at a flipping Magicka museum. They all grunt at me to acknowledge I was even there to begin with. One day I'm going to come home and find three skeletons holding some cards and empty tea mugs surrounding them. I grab my warmest jacket and use it this time, Kiros won't be here to lend me his this time. I spread my wings through the slits in the coat and take off. I make my way to the nearest sea front, it is completely night by the time I arrive. I see splashing among the waves. I have never given the merpeople a reason to be unwelcome, if I ever decide to come here, I have often brought a gift. They like land objects, I don't bring something every time but more often than not I will bring something. I sit on the damp rock and wait and see if they will approach.
They don't always but again, they are often curious to see who is visiting. I have the gift of insight and can at times see into the near future but all merpeople can see years into the future. They will almost never tell you what is to come but they will hint or reveal very small snippets if the price is right. I asked them once what was to become of me and Ethan when I had a crush on him when we met. They told me to stick with him and sure enough if I hadn't, I wouldn't be here now, I will forever owe him for teaching me to have the confidence to spread my wings alone, for taking me to the places where I met the friends I have now... although I met Kiros through Aurora. Me and Ethan never became anything more than friends although in our immature youth we fooled around, but they were cryptically correct in saying that by standing by him, which hasn't always been easy, will be rewarding.
I'm beginning to think that they are no mood to be social tonight but then a little hand reaches up and tickles my foot, I squeal and withdraw it quickly, I hate having my feet tickled, it has to be the most horrible sensation in the world. I peep over the rock and see little Maggie grinning at me. She is a seven year old mermaid already of high standing, she's third in line to rule after her father and grandfather. But Maggie is a sweet child who doesn't think of herself as anything but a little girl. Her father doesn't approve of our friendship and only tolerates it because I am "a pure-blood" which isn't something I'm comfortable with, that he tolerates me because of my blood status. The nicest half or quarter blood or less could approach and he would greet them with such hostility it could intimidate almost anyone, heck, he intimidates me although he has never approached me, I'm sure he would if he had something to say.
"Hello your Highness." I say and I bow my head. Maggie is a child but she is of royal standing and you have to respect that. She giggles at me and bows her head back, bobbing up and down in the frozen water, her blue skin shining with water, it makes me cold just looking at her but of course merpeople are created to withstand the cold temperatures.
"What are you doing here?" She asks, head to one side.
"I don't know," I reply, "Just wanted to come and watch the moon and the sea together I expect. How are you?"
"I'm okay, Teagan nabbed my seashell bracelet earlier but my speed is getting so much better! I caught up with her in like a second..." I half listen politely hardly having a clue about the names Maggie reels off at me. She's at the stage where she kind of talks at you rather than to you. Maggie gabbles barely drawing a breath for a good ten minutes and finally she ends with "By the way, your friend was here earlier."
"My friend? Which one?"
"That one with the blue wings, he had a pure silver mirror to exchange for a glimpse of what's to come, he was really nice to me. He gave me the mirror but then I guess he changed his mind because before we could talk to him, he flew off. Weird guy."
"Hmm, that is a little strange." For as long as I've known him, Kiros has had a curious if nervous interest in his future but he has never given the payment and then backed out before. I haven't seen or heard from him today. It's quite unlikely and for some reason, it unsettles me a bit.  Kiros is not acting right at all. First he's eager to get away as soon as the opportunity presents itself, then he doesn't show up all day and now this. It's not sitting right. I take a while to listen to Maggie as she talks about what she's been doing until her father, Michael calls her away. Quite relieved to have an excuse to leave, I wait until Maggie has gone under the water, as you never turn your back on royalty and I unleash my wings so violently they strain and I cry out from pain and frustration.
Gingerly testing them to make sure I won't sustain a bad injury and fall during flight, I take a deep breath and soar straight towards the tree but for fear of actually running into Kiros, I head for home.
Virtually colliding with my balcony door, I stop just in time before going head first through the glass and opt for using the handle to get inside, I leave the door open and lie on my bed, my brain aching from wanting to know what is troubling my friend so and why he won't let me help. I hear a thick rush of air from outside my window after about half an hour.
"Vi, are you here?" It's Kiros. It sounds urgent, my head snaps up from my pillow.
"Come in." I say wearily, normally me and Kiros meet on mutual ground, we so rarely visit one anothers homes and only do so when it absolutely cannot wait. "I heard you went to the merpeople, Maggie likes her mirror."
"That's good, I had a question but decided I wanted to find out when the time was right, just in case I didn't like what was to come."
"What did you want to know?"
"It doesn't matter." He says. Kiros sits on my bed next to me, I'm still lying down but I'm looking at him intent on discovering any kind of hint as to what is on his mind.
"I wish you wouldn't do that!" I growl. Kiros's expression changes into annoyance at me for snapping.
"What??"
"Well you know, you make a hint at something and then oh dear, we can't talk about it! Don't bother if you don't want to tell me!" And just like a child I fling myself back down on my pillow determined not to even look at him.
"It was you who mentioned the merpeople, Violet! It's not your business really is it?"
"Well... it used to be." I say. The room goes so deadly silent for a minute, my hurt over his sudden departure last night and worry over what could be wrong is making me childish and I know this but I can't let it lie. I'm upset and I want him to see this. I want him to see that when he goes distant, it unsettles me.
"What does that mean?" Kiros asks, his voice is now a mixture between trying to be soothing but irritation at my attitude as well.
"It means a couple of months ago, I wouldn't have to ask, you would come to me and whatever it was we would decide together the best plan of action. As I would with you. Every problem we ever faced, we could fix it because that's what we did, people envy me and you, Kiros. They are so bewildered that all we have to do is talk for ten minutes and bam! Everything's okay now. But... well... you're keeping secrets from me now. Why did you come here if you didn't want to tell me?"
"I'm not obliged to tell you every detail of my life. I just wanted to see how you were. If you'd had a good day, what's wrong?"
"You! Go away, Kiros. Leave me alone, please." I say it defeatedly, I don't have it in me to fight him. It takes too much out of me, it's better if he just goes.
"If that's what you want." Kiros shrugs, I don't look up but I hear him go to my balcony and leave. Tears sting my eyes. I don't know why I couldn't just be happy to see him. To shrug it off. But something is wrong. I can't ignore that. I wanted Kiros to say he wasn't going anywhere, that he was sorry, although for what exactly I wasn't sure. But you know when you tell someone to go away sometimes, it means you want them to come a bit closer, it's a defense thing, almost like a test to see what they will do and if they stay, you become either grateful that they saw this or irritated that they didn't listen. The kind of situation where you don't know what you want until they have decided to stay or go. In this case, I wanted Kiros to stay.
I want to get up and chase after him, tell him to come back, we'll eat junk and I'll tell him about all the cheesy rubbish that I wish for in my book. He'll laugh at me and call it all a load of rubbish and I'll be offended but will be able to agree and laugh along at least. When I can't stay awake anymore, I will chuck him a pillow and my blanket, I'm always safer when Kiros stays. Not that a werewolf and two angels aren't bodyguard enough.
I don't get up. I don't even move, the cold air makes me shiver but even then, I don't stand up to close my door. I just lie on top of my bed, insisting on frowning and not crying, some tears spill over but I wipe them away so angrily I scratch my face and swear. Kiros is just being awkward and stubborn I decide. I will for him to come back so we can have this conversation again, only this time I won't bring up the things that will obviously cause a fight. But I know, he won't be coming back tonight. I consider going to find Ethan but I took up enough of his time last night. I'd feel bad and irritating if I kept doing it. I choose to keep this fight to myself.
After what feels like hours, I reluctantly get up to close my door and without undressing, I slide into bed, I leave my make up on, I don't even bother brushing my teeth. I just close my eyes so I can sleep and forget I feel so awful inside.