Everything Becomes Clear

2nd chapter of my book, Faery. This one swaps to 3rd person, as each chapter in the book will swap between 1st person, (Nathan's point of view) and 3rd, (anyone's.) Sorry about the confusion!

After Freya and Nathan were taken by the strange people, silence had descended on the group. They walked solemnly down the dark, damp streets and alleyways of London, their heads hung low and their hoods pulled up. The only sound was the pitter patter of rain drops thundering against the tarmac and the only light was the orange glow of the street lights, and the distant twinkling lights of the London Eye. The stars were not visible in the black sky, because the city generated so much light itself, the glittering pin-pricks in the night sky had vanished to the naked eye.

                Freya felt sick. Her stomach twisted itself into knots and seemed to unravel itself at random moments, creating dizziness and nausea even though they were only walking on flat ground. She clung to her brother’s arm tightly, ignoring the soaking fabric of their clothes. They kept their distance to Hazel and Levi, always walking at least a meter behind them. Up ahead, they heard Hazel and Levi murmuring inaudible things to each other.

                Every time Freya glanced up, she caught Nathan glaring at them. She clutched his arm tighter, his warmth a comfort. This was unlike Freya; it was rare she showed any affection to him. But it was while she was walking she realised that the old life was gone and that there was no going back. Her mum had made it sound it sound as if they would never see her again. It reminded Freya of books she had read. Where the hero’s lives would take a drastic change and nothing is the same afterwards.

                They walked for what felt like hours, but eventually the rain subsided and became a mild drizzle. After a bit, they stopped at a road, outside a tall hotel. “This is the spot.” Hazel said, just loud enough for them to hear. She and Levi put down their strange bags, and sat down against the building, while Hazel hugged her knees to her chest. Freya watched with curiosity.

“What’s in the bags?” she asked, gesturing to them. Nathan stepped protectively in front of her, just in case. Hazel smiled.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” She said, patting her bag fondly.

“What are we waiting for?” Nathan asked, but his voice was harsh. Freya tightened her grip on his arm still.  Levi didn’t answer, but looked at a watch on his wrist. “Any minute now...” he muttered. As if on cue, an old Mondeo turned the corner and stopped in front of us. Someone else opened the door and stepped onto the pavement.

                He was a chubby guy, with a small head, a large body and a splash of blonde on his scalp. He looked around the same age as Levi, possibly older, but old enough to drive. “Guild of?” he asked.

“The Descendants.” Levi replied. The guy nodded, tossed him the keys and sauntered through the revolving doors of the hotel. Freya stared blankly at Levi, wondering what on earth just went on between them. Heaving himself up, Levi exhaustedly got into the driver’s seat and slammed the door behind him. Hazel followed, taking the passenger seat. Freya was just about to walk forward, but Nathan held her back, hesitating.

Levi looked up from the ignition. “You might as well come inside.” He said. “It’s raining, it’s night time, it’s a long way home and your mother will most likely send for us to pick you up again if you go back. That is if she is still loyal and hasn’t forgotten who she is.”

“Why should we believe you?”

“Why would your mother send you away with complete trust in us?”

                Nathan opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again. “She might not have been our mum,” Freya suggested.

Levi chuckled. “What are you suggesting? That we kidnapped your mother and hired a double? Because if that’s what you think, it’s about as likely as if we wanted to send you off to some alien planet to be tested on or something.”

                Freya’s eyes widened. Noticing this, Levi said seriously, “I’m joking. Look, if you come with us, we’ll prove to you that we’re telling the truth.” He started the engine. Nathan hesitated. Freya could tell he was tempted by the warmth and security of the car and to be honest, so was she. But she knew that Nathan was having second thoughts.

                When he finally spoke, it was very wary and careful, like he wasn’t entirely sure. “Fine. We’ll come.” And he pulled Freya by the arm towards the back seats. Levi grinned as they got into the car. “But that doesn’t mean we’ll trust you.” Nathan added as they strapped themselves in.

 

After that, there was more silence. Freya asked questions, but they always responded with things like ‘you’ll find out soon enough’ or ‘wait until we get there. After a bit, she sensed that Levi was getting irritated with her, so she gave up. It was a long while before they arrived at Kings Cross train station. When they got out of the car, they were greeted by a tall, glamorous woman with short black hair, red lipstick and heels. “Guild of?” Levi asked her.

“The Descendants.” She answered. Levi handed her the car keys and hurried off to buy some tickets, Hazel at his side. Freya looked up at Nathan, expecting him to say something, but they had no choice but to follow. Freya watched with interest as Levi purchased four first-class train tickets, shooting a flirtatious smile at the woman behind the counter, who blushed. She didn’t see where they were headed though.

                Instead, she took a look at their surroundings. She had been to Kings Cross before, but the bustling atmosphere of it never failed to excite her. It was a huge, long building, busy with throngs of people walking to and fro. A glass roof overhead revealed the black night sky and she was surrounded by brick walls.  It was very tall, a massive structure with railway tracks running through and through. Voices of many different languages boomed over the loudspeaker, but were drowned out by the talking and chatting and everybody. On the walls were large electrical display boards, displaying train times and important news. To Freya’s right, was the open-air plaza, with a cafe and gift shop. A few stalls were dotted around the place, people buying and selling coffee and tea-time food.

                Freya was looking round in awe, before she felt a tight grip on her arm. She turned to see Nathan. His eyes were worried. “Come on,” he said, tugging at her sleeve gently. “I didn’t know where you’d gone.”

                Nathan dragged her through the crowds, before shoving her onto a train and boarding himself. He pulled her down the carriage until they reached a booth where Hazel and Levi were sitting. Levi sighed with relief, as Hazel said, “See? I told you they’d come.” Nathan reluctantly slid down next to Levi, but he was far less grouchy than earlier. Freya took a seat next to Hazel, relieved to be out of the cold.

                “You guys should get some sleep.” Levi spoke. “We’ll wake you up when we get there.” Get where? Freya thought, but her tiredness preceded her. She yawned her agreement, her head lolled onto Hazel’s shoulder, and her eyelids flicked shut.

 

Freya awoke to someone pushing her shoulder. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and looked up to see Levi shoving her shoulder saying, “Wake up!” Feeling groggy and dull, Freya stretched her arms and mumbled something. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hazel waking up Nathan, far softer than Levi did to her. Other passengers were just waking up and some were collecting luggage from the overhead racks. Outside, the windows were pitch black and Freya guessed they weren’t in a tunnel. The bright lights of the train were blinding and the head rush as she stood up didn’t help her dizziness. As if feeling sick wasn’t enough.

                Leaning on Nathan’s shoulder, the group exited the train as swiftly as possible, emerging on a small, deserted platform. The train wasn’t that busy, after all, who would want to go from London to some tiny village in the middle of the night? Levi had thick bags under his mahogany coloured eyes, as did Hazel. It must have been awfully tiring staying awake all that time. Overhead, stars glittered in the night sky. Freya would have gasped, (living in the city you don’t see the stars that often) but she was so exhausted she couldn’t move her mouth.

                Funny how sleeping on a train can make you even more tired than you were before you fell asleep. They limped towards the small station building, hurried as fast they could in their state towards the exit and waited outside in the car-park. Levi took off his long coat and held it above their heads to shield them from the rain.

                They waited in the cold, until Levi said, “It’s here,” as a flashy looking convertible came into view. A middle-aged businessman-like guy in the driver’s seat wound down the window and asked, “Guild of?”

“The Descendants,” Levi finished, once again. The whole strange greetings routine confused Freya, but she decided not to pursue the matter. Instead of leaving, the guy stayed in the car and waited for the rest of them to get in. Levi got in the front and Freya, Nathan and Hazel were crammed into the back seats. Freya’s head swarmed with questions, but she was too tired and her brain wasn’t functioning properly. She closed her eyes, but couldn’t get to sleep. No matter how exhausted she was, she was far too excited.

                The nausea from earlier had disappeared and Freya no longer felt homesick, scared and angry. She was slowly starting to trust these people and felt a sense of welcoming and belonging with them. Feeling more open, Freya had lost all the negative feelings and was now only excited. It was like the feeling you get when you leave to go on holiday in the middle of the night, to somewhere foreign or exotic, like Spain, or France, but times a million. Thrill and anxiousness bubbled inside her and she couldn’t help but open her eyes and take a peek, at nothing in particular, as long as she didn’t fall asleep.

                Heck, she wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep had she wanted to! She wanted to ask so many questions but knew they wouldn’t be answered. That and she didn’t want to break the silence that hung over the car. The only sound was the soft breathing of the people surrounding her. Freya wouldn’t want to wake them up just to ask a question. She could only imagine where they were being taken.

                Peering out of the window, Freya took note the fact that they were driving along a small, bumpy country lane. She couldn’t see much further than the stone wall in the darkness, but she guessed in the daylight there would have been lush green fields stretched out over the hillsides. It was all very strange to Freya; she hadn’t been to the country much, and it was odd not having the sound of cars honking and people chatting through phones, even during night. The only light was the headlights illuminating the road before them. Wind-screen wipers were swinging back and forth to wipe the rain droplets from the window.

                After a bit, they joined a main road and took a turning which revealed a sign that read, ‘Welcome to Alderton’. More cars joined them and Freya watched eagerly as houses and cottages started to gather as they drove further into a village. She leaned forwards and whispered in the driver’s ear, “Where are we?”

“A village called Alderton, in the North York Moors National Park.” The driver hissed back, keeping his eyes on the road, the fatigue obvious in his voice. Freya nodded and turned her gaze back to the road. Alderton was a small village, with a stream running through it. There was a small, yet beautiful church, a little hill with a sign outside it saying, ‘Alderton Primary School’ and a small cluster of houses and shops. On the edge of the village was a thick forest, but in the blackness you couldn’t see further than the first few trees.

                Half-expecting the car to stop outside every building they drove by, Freya watched as Levi woke and started waking up everybody else. But rather than stopping, the car drove on through the village, until it took a turning and disappeared onto a small, deserted road that was headed into the woods.”Where are we going?” Nathan yawned, stretching his arms out.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Levi replied, watching tiredly from the window.  There were a few evergreens dotted here and there and the amount of trees slowly started to thicken until they were submerged in the woods. The driver stopped by the edge of the forest, as the road took a turning and headed away from the trees. Levi and Hazel got out of the car and Freya and Nathan decided they should too.

                A cold gust of wind hit Freya hard; after being in a stuffy car that long she wasn’t used to sudden exposure to the chill cold. She hugged her arms tightly and shivered, grateful for the extra warmth of her jacket. The group waited until the driver had wordlessly driven off, the back of the convertible disappearing behind the wall. “Right then,” Levi said, clapping his hands together enthusiastically. “This way,” and he turned and expertly climbed over a stile in the wall, waiting for them on the other side, the border of the woods. Hazel followed just as elegantly. Freya looked up at Nathan, who shrugged and clumsily fell over the stile and somehow managed to end up in a heap on the floor on the other side, much to Levi’s amusement. Freya giggled and climbed over it herself, enjoying the new sense of adventure.

                All tiredness gone, Freya followed the group as they trekked into the woods beyond the wall, the dirt path they were walking upon slowly disorienting until it became no more than a certain walk full of manoeuvres through the trees upon dead bits of composting leaves and twigs. The darkness was scary and Freya was glad of the company. Every shadow, every movement seemed to jump out at her. Every time someone snapped a twig everybody jumped and looked around frantically, but then someone would always say sheepishly, ‘Sorry, that was me.’

                Freya felt excited and thrilled, but utterly lost at the same time. Had she been alone, she would have had no idea where she going, especially in the dark, but Hazel and Levi seemed to have a pretty good idea of where they were headed. How they knew this, or how they could see in the dark, Freya honestly did not know. They walked until her legs ached, but the trees did not lessen and it felt like something in the air was thickening every second.

                Finally, they reached a clearing. The moonlight shone down onto the long grass, giving it the effect of ripples on water as the blades were swaying animatedly in the wind. It was still dark " the night seemed to stretch on forever. In the middle of the clearing however, was a huge, old, country house, four-storeys high with balconies, pillars and windows. It was full of life, welcoming lights shone in the windows, black silhouettes illuminated in the silver rays of the moon were busy running and doing things around the bottom. Freya gasped, Nathan gaped, Hazel smiled and Levi breathed, “We’re here.”

                Nothing else mattered to Freya anymore, she felt a feeling of belonging she had never felt anywhere before and all that was on her mind was the house. She raced towards it as fast as her tired legs would carry her, a large smile plastered on her face, ignoring the cries of protest from Nathan. She could sense Hazel and Levi were close at her heel, as Hazel’s sweet laughter rang in the air, like a thousand tinkling bells. The house got bigger as she neared it, and she could feel her heart pounding against her chest. She wasn’t sure whether it was because she had been running, or just pure excitement.

                However, she stopped around five meters away from the house. It’s enormity was condescending and vast and Freya had never felt so small. She froze and stared up at the tall building. She didn’t notice when Hazel and Levi came up behind her, panting, closely followed by Nathan. “HQ,” Levi panted. “This,” he pointed up to the massive house, “is HQ.”

                Then he started walking towards the entrance, saying ‘hi’ to a couple of people he met along the way. Freya and Nathan followed him and Hazel with interest, giving a few shy waves to people. “What do you think, then?” Freya asked Nathan.

“I’m not quite sure. I think we’re in safe hands though,” he whispered back. The front of the manor house had marble steps ascending up to large double doors, pillars rising up on either side. The entire place was just as lively as it would have been during day. Levi rapped his knuckles against the wooden door, waiting for an answer. It was opened by a tall but old man, with short, neat, silver hair and a twirled moustache. His blue eyes twinkled in the starlight and Freya couldn’t decide whether he looked like the seriously strict or mischievous type. When he spoke, his voice had a broad Irish accent. “Levi! Come in, come in! And Hazel as well, my gosh, you two look frozen! Levi, I thought I’d told you, you don’t need to knock. Have you completed the mission?” he asked, beckoning them inside.

                Freya’s eyes darted round the room, surveying every detail carefully. The interior looked like an old Victorian house, with pale blue walls with flaking paint and creaky wooden floorboards. Gas lamps glowed a strong, bright light and in the corner a fireplace was crackling. Freya rushed over to it, and instantly started warming her hands. She sighed as the warmth of the hearth rushed into her hands, heating up the cold blood. The old man chuckled. “Very eager, I see! They’ll be excellent.”

                Levi nodded. “Yes sir, two new recruits, adopted by Agent Foster.” He reported. Freya froze. She slowly turned around and stared at Levi, her eyes showing perfectly clear the shock and surprise she was feeling. “What did you say?” Nathan whispered, backing away. The old man walked up to him, hands behind his back and a thoughtful expression on his face. “Don’t worry, lad. Everything will be clear shortly.”

                But Nathan was defiant. Freya watched with horror as he bit back, “Why? Why do we have to wait? I trust you, yeah, but all they’ve ever done is put us off. Why can’t you just tell us? What did you say?”

The old man paused, before saying, “I think you better sit down.” He gestured towards the sofas in front of the flames. Clenching his fists, Nathan sat down next to Freya, Hazel and Levi sitting down on the sofa opposite with the old man. “We better start with introductions. My name is Hector Thorne, I’m the leader of this society and I suspect you know Levi and Hazel. Now your names are?”

“I’m Freya, and he’s Nathan,” said Freya. Nathan nudged her in her ribs. Hard.

“Charmed. Now, this old place is Guild of the Descendants Head Quarters. What is the Guild of Descendants, I hear you ask. Well, you better prepare yourself. The Guild of Descendants is a secret society that dates back to Victorian Times and our sole purpose is to gain knowledge.”

                Nathan choked back a disgusted sound. “Knowledge? Is that it?”

“Not just any knowledge. Our aim is to discover a new race, a new species. A race of what we believe is Faeries.”

“Faeries? You’ve got to be kidding me.” Nathan turned his gaze to the fire. Freya squeezed his hand gently.

“Yes. Faeries. I’ll give you time to let that sink in later, but for now, you need de-briefing. About a hundred years ago, a scientist named Edgar Aubrey discovered some DNA in a forest. Experimenting further, he discovered that the DNA went against the physics of our world and his suspicions about a Faery race were confirmed. With this knowledge, he began conducting illegal cloning experiments with the DNA he found, and grew faery clones. Unfortunately, rather than being able to conjure magic like he suspected faeries might do, the clones were mainly human, with a tiny spark of magic they would not be able to control.”

“Why should we believe you?” Nathan argued, the irritation in his voice was clear.

“Because, Nathan and Freya Foster, you are faery clones yourself.” Freya’s heart practically stopped then and there. It was a ridiculous concept, but the serious tone in Hector’s voice and the crackling of the flames in the hearth made it sound so real and believable. Even Nathan didn’t speak. Hector continued, “Your mother was a clone herself and a well-respected agent of this facility. Agents can retire anytime they please after ten years active service. As a child, they are brought up with a retired agent, often with siblings and receive the Call when they are thirteen.

                If with a younger brother or sister, as in your case, the younger sibling gets the Call the same time as their thirteen year-old brother or sister, regardless of their age. This, young Foster children, is your Call. I would leave it there, but there is far more to explain. Hazel will fetch you a hot chocolate. Any questions so far?”

                Hazel got up, as Freya and Nathan glanced at each other. Neither knew what to say. “Umm... say what you’re saying is true... what about school? If knowledge is so important to you, why do you kick us out of school?”

Hector laughed. “School, my boy? I thought I’d told you, ‘Knowledge is Power.’ What we’re trying to say is new knowledge is power. What is the point of learning when you’re learning things that have already been learnt? Besides, I thought you young people nowadays would much prefer a life of adventure and no school!”

                Hector stopped as Hazel came in, with a tray of delicious-smelling hot chocolates. She handed them round carefully and when Freya received hers she mumbled ‘thank you’ and sipped at it. Freya was overwhelmed by excitement, as something inside her told her that what Hector was saying was really true. Nathan was far less eager to accept the news though. The hot chocolate was hot and creamy, a bubbly froth and marshmallows sprinkled across the top. It warmed Freya right down to her toes.

“Now that’s all settled, I’ll carry on.” Hector started. “Our agent’s jobs are to search for clues, DNA, anything that could bring us closer to the discovery of faeries.”

“You mean you’ve been going at it for a hundred years but you still haven’t discovered them yet?” Nathan asked incredulously.

“Yes. But we’re very close.”

“So if you do clone, where and why do you do it? And how?”

“In a basement, below this house. We do it because of the clone’s faery nature; they’re much more trustworthy than humans and wouldn’t give this precious secret away. A clone takes nine months to grow, and is born as a baby who ages as a normal human would do.”

“We have belly buttons though. How do you explain that?” Nathan challenged triumphantly.

“You’ve been reading far too much science fiction, lad. In the cloning vats, babies are grown with an umbilical cord, just like any other. Anyway, after further experiments, our scientists found that there is a substance, that we call ‘Magic’. It is no Earth material, but it would be most close to a gas if it was one. Thanks to tests, we’ve noticed that it hangs around in places that show significance in medieval times, the Middle Ages. It’s at its strongest in forests and woods, which is why our base is here. Very secluded as well.”

“Are there any similarities among the clones?”

                “Yes, in fact. A mysterious fact is that all clones have brown eyes, in many different shades. No-one knows why, maybe it’s a faery thing. Back to my last point, Magic hangs around in places of importance in medieval times. This includes castle ruins, markets, old buildings, forests, lakes, etcetera. So our cloned agents would search these places, and try to bring us closer to discovery, or at least find a theory. One theory is that Magic used to be common in England, (hence the stories and faery-tales,) and that something happened in medieval times which caused faeries to disappear from our lives, dismissing themselves as myth.

                But science tells us that there might be a border, between the faery world and ours, that is weakest where Magic is strongest. We think that somehow faeries cut themselves off from the rest of world, and are still living on Earth, just a parallel version. They might be escaping through portals where the border is weakest and leaving their DNA out of sight and in the places where the Magic is strongest, before fleeing back to where they came from.

                So your job is to somehow find them. We will explain further in the morning, and give you a tour. But for now, Levi and Hazel will show you to your dorms. Training will begin in the morning. Goodnight.” Hector finished his long lecture, heaved himself up, sauntered off and left Freya and Nathan completely awe-struck and shocked.

                “I... am utterly confused.” Nathan managed, but he was completely shaken, as was Freya.

Levi grinned. “You’ll get used to it. My Call was three years ago, when Hazel was ten. She’s one of the youngest to have gotten their Call.” He said. Nathan and Freya didn’t reply.

 “Come on, guys. You must be exhausted. Perhaps you should sleep on it. Nathan, you’re with me in the under eighteen boy’s dorm and Freya, you’re with Hazel in the girls’.” Levi pulled Nathan up and dragged him away up one set of stairs, while Hazel held out her hand for Freya. “You okay?” she asked. “It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?”

                Freya gratefully took her hand, glad to have someone to talk to. “I’m fine. I think.” Her head was swimming, and she felt dizzy. They talked while Hazel led her upstairs. “What was in the bags then?” she asked.

“Oh, these?” Hazel looked at her bag. “These are bows and arrows. We tend to use what we think is the preferred weapon of faeries, from proof we have found in forests. We carry them in bags because people just think we’re going to Archery class or something, though we don’t take them for abroad missions. We have other Head Quarters in different countries, like France or Germany. Now, in the morning we’ll get fresh clothes and things you need. But for now, you should rest. Be careful not to wake the others, though,” she pressed a finger to her lips to show what she meant, while she quietly opened the door at the top of a staircase labelled, ‘Girl’s Dorm’.

                Hazel led Freya inside where in the darkness Freya could just make out rows of beds, and the only sound was the gentle snoring of girls sleeping. Hazel led her down the long room and stopped towards the end of the room. “Here’s your bed. Sorry you haven’t got any pyjamas, but hopefully your clothes at the moment will do for now. I’m in the bed opposite if you need me. G’night.” She whispered, before heading towards a bathroom at the far end, to get ready.

                Not knowing what else to do, Freya kicked off her shoes and slid down under the sheets, her jeans not the most comfortable sleepwear. The duvet was warm and crisp, and the feather pillow was soft and to seemed to bend to her will. She wanted to think about so many things, but the bed was so comfy and her eyes were so droopy, it wasn’t long before she fell into a deep sleep.

Author's Note

Next chapter up! Please review! :)

Reviews

[Pyrokinflame]

Brilliant, I really enjoyed this! A very long read but, well worth it! Thanks for putting this up. Can't wait for chapter three!