Chapter Eight
I rubbed my eyes, staring at my phone. They should be here any minute. I’d warned the Goodwin’s there were complications in rescuing their daughter and she wasn’t the same. I wasn’t sure how much they believed me. There was a lot of misinformation on Fae out there, so they might just think their daughter now has the ability to talk to animals or something. Rather than pushing eighty and only having a few years left to live.
A wrinkled old hand patted mine and I looked up at Marilyn. She laid on the hospital bed, looking a bit worse for wear than last night. She was having trouble adjusting back to human food. She had my sympathies, as I had to adjust to the same thing when me and Kasten moved to the human world. Human food just wouldn’t taste right. It wouldn’t taste right for a long time. The withdrawal symptoms could get pretty bad too. I patted her hand back.
“They’re almost here. They just parked.” Marilyn gave me a wan smile and nodded. She reached over and grabbed a notebook, which was already filled with scribbles from her asking me about how I found her, and what had happened since she’d been gone. When she learned she was gone for about a day in the human world, she nearly choked.
But for now, she was turning over to a fresh page and getting her pencil ready to write. She was thrilled to be back in the human world, and excited to see her parents again. I just hoped they felt the same way.
As for me? Well, I spent the last couple of hours on phone calls with my clients, answering texts, and attempting to sleep. Oh, and I ate some breakfast, but hospital food always made me queasy. It wasn’t the food itself, as I’ve had far crappier from all the airports I’ve been to. No, it was more about the environment. The sanitized décor and floors. The smell of bleach. The constant chatter from the hallway and other rooms. How quiet the voices were when they talked.
Hospitals aren’t my favorite places. I’d take a crowded airport filled with loud travelers as they practically yelled over the din any day of the week. At least in airports, people weren’t afraid to express themselves. Everything here, even the air, felt suppressed.
The turning of a doorknob caused me to whip my head up from the doze I was slipping into. I hopped up, out of the chair, just in time for Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin to come in.
At first, they seemed excited. Then as Mr. Goodwin took in the withered form of his daughter, he offered a pinched smile. “Our mistake. It seems we’ve got the wrong room.”
He started closing the door, but before he could I asked, “Are you the Goodwins?” This was my first time meeting my clients in person. But I looked them up online and found pictures of them before I accepted the job. I always research my clients before-hand, to ensure they are who they say they are. I’d made too many enemies over the past few years to trust every person who says they’ll pay me.
Mr. Goodwin froze midway through closing the door. “Yes? I’m sorry, do we know you?”
“I’m the detective you contacted to find your daughter. And this is…” I trailed off as the Goodwins took in their daughter from the entrance.
Mrs. Goodwin took a cautious step inside. “Marilyn? Is that you?”
Marilyn nodded from her spot on the bed. Then her eyes darted away, as if she couldn’t bear to look at them. I guess it was one thing to be told your entire life passed by in one Earth day, and another to see proof of it. Marilyn probably gave up hope of ever seeing her parents again while she aged into an old lady inside that cage. But now they were here, and nearly twice as young as her.
Mr. Goodwin turned towards me, his face turning red. “What the hell is this? This isn’t our daughter.”
“She is your daughter Mr. Goodwin. I tried to tell you she aged on the phone but you didn’t want to hear it.”
“No, you listen to me! Our daughter turned eighteen a week ago, so I don’t know what you’re trying to pull but if you don’t want a lawsuit on your hands you’ll go out and find our real daughter right now!” He panted, out of breath from screaming at me. I stayed calm. I faced far worse than him last night.
“Mr. Goodwin, this is your daughter. Our contract stated I was to bring her back to you alive, and here she is. While in the Fae Realm her aging accelerated, and you were lucky I managed to get her out of there at all. In addition, I’m charging you for the tools I lost while bargaining for your daughter. You’ll receive my bill in your email.”
“What?!” His face somehow got even redder, but a commanding tone from the other side of the room stopped him in his tracks.
“Jerry, shut the hell up.” Mrs. Goodwin didn’t yell exactly, but her tone said that if Mr. Goodwin didn’t shut his mouth right there and then, she would do something far worse.
He looked at her shocked. “Betty? Why-“
“Watch what you say in front of our daughter.” Mrs. Goodwin had him fixed with an icy glare that could freeze over hell. Marilyn looked down in shame and wrote in her notebook.
She held it up. I’m Sorry Dad was written on it, and I could see the exact moment Mr. Goodwin’s heart broke.
He went to her side. “No… I’m sorry Marilyn. I shouldn’t have yelled in front of you.”
I took this chance to get out of the room and let them reconnect. If Mr. Goodwin wanted to yell at me later he could, but now wasn’t the time. Marilyn has been through enough already.
I’d contact the Goodwins tomorrow. Maybe they’ll even let me say goodbye to Marilyn before I leave L.A. But for now, I had my own family to get back to.
I opened up my phone, and called Kasten. “ Hey Kasten, is that offer to let me stay a few days still good? I could really use a hot meal and a shower.”
He chuckled on the other end. “For you Sammy, you’re welcome anytime.”
Another voice broke through the other end. “Who is that?” They sounded like an older female, probably human. I sighed.
“Oh, Kasten, you’ll never change.”
I bit into the chicken dog, which was just a strip of chicken on a hot dog bun with all the fixings on it. Kasten had his own chicken dog, and a bit of relish dripped down his chin. He wiped it off with his napkin, and I leaned back, enjoying the sun.
We were in a park near the historical district, and it was something of neutral ground for both Other and humans.
A couple of kids, at least two or three Fae, one of the Good Folk, and the rest human were playing together on the playground equipment. Their parents lingered around the edges, hesitant to interact with anyone outside their species, but the children didn’t even seem to register they were all different. They just ran around playing freeze tag.
A century ago, a sight like this would’ve been impossible. It was only since the leaders of all four courts, and other leaders in the Other signed the peace treaty with humans and each other in the 1950’s that this could happen. Now the two cultures were beginning to blend at the edges.
Sure, there were bad Fae. Fae who tricked a young girl and forced her to sing her life away. But there was also Fae like Kasten and those who lingered at the edges of the playground, watching their children run and jump around with others, looking just as nervous as the human parents. It could be tough to remember that in this job.
I polished off the rest of my chicken dog and leaned back on the bench, enjoying the heat and the sun. Maybe the day would come that there was no difference between Fae and humans. But until that day arrived, I was always going to have plenty of work.
I scrolled through my email on my phone. Lots of people offering me jobs. But it’s been a long time since I took a vacation and spending a few days with my dad would be relaxing. I just finished a big stressful job anyway. I went to close my email when I saw one email that made my heart jump into my throat.
It was from my mother. My birth mother, who I haven’t seen in a few years. My finger lingered over the email, hesitant to tap it.
“What’s wrong?” I almost jumped and looked over at Kasten in surprise. I sort of… forgot he was here.
“It’s…” The word nothing sprang to mind, but I was hesitant to say it out loud. I already confided in Kasten about my family. Maybe it would be alright to get his advice. And it would feel nice to have a more normal conversation about it.
“You know how I sort of cried the last time I visited you?”
He nodded, not willing to interrupt me and possibly change my mind about talking to him.
“Well, it’s because when I found my birth family, they were really surprised. They didn’t realize they’ve been raising a Changeling, and my…” What should I call the Fae girl Kasten replaced me with in the cradle?
“The official term is your familiar. But… in less formal terms, you can call her your sister.” Kasten offered, but neither of those terms sounded right for the girl who was identical to me, yet different in every way.
I shook my head. “I don’t think either of those work, but I ruined her life. She learned she was a Changeling, and she just…” I took a shuddery breath. “Her fiancé broke off their engagement. She got fired from her job. I’m pretty sure a lot of her friends left her. And I just…”
I did the only thing I knew how to do. I ran. I couldn’t deal with the whispers, the stares, my family tiptoeing around me, trying to deal with their entire lives imploding on them. I ruined everything for them. When the girl wearing the same face as me told me to just leave… I did.
And I’ve been running ever since. From job to job. One country after the next. I got caught in Japan during the pandemic, but there were always problems with yokai there so I actually built up quite a few savings.
I had plenty of money, I was well-traveled, and had a job I liked immensely. Yet, the true problem was I had no one to share it with. No wonder I decided to pick the job that would bring me back to L.A. and Kasten. The last few years of my life were the loneliest I’ve ever felt.
I felt a familiar hand curl around my shoulders as Kasten pulled me in for a brief hug. “I’m sorry Sammy. I wish things would’ve gone differently.”
I know he did. I know he regretted switching an abandoned Fae baby with me. That was why we left the Winter Court and came to the human world when I was twelve. Maybe regret wasn’t the right word. He didn’t regret raising me. He regretted taking me from a loving family. I was just happy I ended up with Kasten because I doubt many Fae could love a human child that was not their own. Most humans kidnapped end up being more like pets to the Fae. I could’ve ended up like Marilyn. It didn’t excuse him, particularly since such “exchanges” were illegal under the treaty. But at least someone in this world loved me.
I shook my head, trying to chase the maudlin thoughts away. “A-anyway, I’ve got an email from my birth mother. I was debating whether or not I should open it.”
Kasten leaned back to his side of the bench. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he looked out over the park, with its strange mixture of Other and human. “You should answer her. Maybe your introduction didn’t go how you hoped, but I’m sure she’d still want to get to know the daughter she birthed. Perhaps things are better on their end and they’re more prepared to welcome you into their home.”
I nodded. Then I clicked on the email. As I read through the email, I stilled.
Kasten noticed I was troubled. “Sammy? Did she say something bad because if she did—”
I put my hand up to stop him. “No, no it’s not that…” I was still trying to process what was in the email she gave me.
I took a deep breath and told him the truth. “She said my sister has died. She invited me to the funeral, and…” I took another deep breath. “She thinks it had something to do with the Fae so she’s hoping I’ll investigate.”
Kasten drew in a sharp breath. “Oh. He looked down at his hands, than back up at me. Let’s head home so we can pack.”
“We?”
“I’ve already lost you once. I’m not going to lose you again. Particularly to some Fae who’s already murdered a Changeling.”
“I can take care of myself. You know that.”
He nodded. “I do know that. You’ve just proved that. But I’m not just going to let you go to your sister’s funeral alone. Please. Let me be with you this time. Don’t run away.”
Much good running away has done me. Rather than fixing my sister’s life, it seems to have robbed her of one. “Thanks Kasten. You’re right. No running this time. I’ll look up plane tickets to Maine on our way back.”
We got up and began to walk towards the apartment. With every step, a vow seemed to burn its way into my mind.
The Fae had a law for such things. An eye for an eye, blood for blood. I would find whoever did this to my sister who wasn’t my sister.
And I would extract my price.
The End
