1.11 - A Visitor from the Realm

After her encounter with James, Illdrid began to distance herself. Each morning, she waited until Shae went to work before getting out of bed, and she'd head back to her room as soon as she heard the carpool dropping Shae back off each evening. She was too depressed to talk to her sister; she was certain she had made a terrible mistake. But it didn't matter now. James wouldn't talk to her, either because he was still too or out of some misplaced need to protect her.

Life wasn't much easier for Shae. She wasn't taking to her new age state well, and it was even harder not having someone to talk to. So on a day off, she hopped in a taxi and went to Scarlet's Tattoo and Salon. Maybe a new look would make her feel younger, more refreshed.

Unfortunately, Scarlet couldn't take the time away from playing tag with the newspaper delivery boy to give Shae a makeover, so Shae took it upon herself. She tried on some clothes, played with her hair, and somehow came up with a look she liked. It was ethereal and fae-like. It reminded her of home.

It was Dagon's birthday. He pondered this idea while staring at his sleeping brother. What would it be like to exist in a different body, to be too big for his crib? He was happy about one thing - larger limbs meant he'd be able to open doors, explore the outside world. Ever since that day in his stroller, he just longed to be outside.

There was cake, this time. But it was the second birthday in a row his mother was not in attendance. He couldn't figure out why she wouldn't leave her bedroom while Aunt Shae was around. And she was so quiet lately. He missed hearing her laugh. Maybe he'd develop a better vocabulary with his bigger limbs. Then he could ask her for himself.

The sparkles were comforting as the roved over his body, stretching it into its new form.

Dagon got his wish; he did develop a much larger vocabulary. But first order of business was cake. He stared it down, pensively. This was the largest piece of solid food he'd ever been allowed to eat. He took a nibble from his fork and frowned. He'd heard such good things about cake. But nothing about it was natural; it was so processed, full of chemicals. The television was always blaring about the dangers of chemicals. Was his aunt trying to poison him? Dagon thought it would be best to ask. Then he'd seek out his mother.

"The cake! It's poison! Full of toxic chemicals! Why, Aunt Shae, why do you want to kill me?!"

Shae stared down at her nephew in concern. His response to the cake was disconcerting, to say the least. But then she smiled. Perhaps he had more Fae in him than she thought. "Sorry, hun. We'll buy you organic foods from now on. You know, back in the Realm, we only ate the finest nectar from the oldest trees. Maybe one day, we'll go back there. It's so...beautiful."

Dagon rolled his eyes at this Realm talk. He didn't understand it. What he wanted to know more about were his current surroundings. "Right, organic food sounds nice. But what about the water? How I can be sure the water is safe. And the television told me that the cars are causing pollution, and something about carbon footprints. It was really complicated."

Shae threw up her hands in exasperation. This was one weird kid. And he didn't even seem to care about their homeworld. "Don't worry, runt. Everything will be okay," she swiftly changed the subject before he could go on about saving the planet, "Why don't you check out your bedroom? Your mother and I have had this surprise planned for the past couple of months and it's finally finished!"

Dagon's eyes lit up. "My room? Not the baby's room?" He turned around and dashed toward the door his aunt was pointing toward.

It was everything he could have wanted. The colors mimicked the outdoors. And there was an easel. He instantly fell in love with his beginner's painting set and decided to put it to use right away. Aoife, meanwhile, seemed to be rather fond of his new toys. Dagon didn't mind, though. She could have him, for all he cared. All that mattered was the shiny new easel. All thoughts of seeking out his mother's companionship vanished as he put brush to paper.

The following day, Dagon went to school for the first time. When he came home, he immediately sat down to do his homework. He didn't like it very much, but his teachers told him it was very important. He just wanted to get it finished so he could make more art. Dagon also noticed that his mom was finally out of her room at the same time as his aunt. Maybe she was feeling better.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. And the strain was hitting Shae especially hard. They bickered the entire time she was fixing the computer and Illdrid was teaching Aoife to walk. Shae decided she didn't want to stick around for Illdrid's foul mood the following day. She didn't have work, so she decided it was time for another makeover.

When she got to Scarlet's Salon, there was a strange man just hanging around in the lobby. "You!" he proclaimed, his blue eyes piercing her skin. Her heart thudded. Was he some sort of crazy murderer?

"Me?" Shae squeaked, taking a step backward. She was close enough to the door to run if she needed to.

The man sensed her panic and chuckled. "Yea, sorry. Didn't mean to alarm you. I'm Patrick."

Shae smiled hesitantly and mumbled, "I'm Shae."

Patrick's eyes lit up. "It is you! Some weird guy with flappy wingdoodles stopped me in the street and asked me if I'd seen you. Or rather someone with your description. I wasn't actually sure it was you until you told me your name."

"Uh, thanks," Shae stuttered as she walked away toward the stairs. Her mind was reeling. Had another Fae been abolished from the realm? A full-blooded Fae? She pictured a freckled face, light brown hair, green eyes...capable hands. She started to blush as she rushed toward the salon area.

Scarlet was nowhere to be found again, so Shae helped herself to a little bit of makeup. She felt eager and giddy, full of anticipation and a fair amount of anxiety. As she stepped away from the mirror, she decided she was going to walk home.

 Simultaneously, Illdrid was also examining herself in a mirror. She wasn't getting any younger, and the regret that had been eating away at her these past couple of months wasn't doing anything to make her any happier. Maybe it was time to leave James in the past and move on with her future. She had two healthy sons, an adorable niece and a loving sister. She really owed all of them an apology.

Evandrus didn't need an apology. He was getting all the love he needed from his brother's toy robot. It wasn't quite as warm and squishy as his mother, but it was just as fun.

 Shae took a shortcut through the park, and there he was, standing by a bench. He had clearly attempted to assimilate, but his clothing choices were a rather unfortunate combination. "Drest!" Shae exclaimed, walking right up to him. "What are you doing here?"

Drest raked his fingers through his hair. He'd been searching for Shae for the better part of a week. And here she was, right in front of him. "I've been looking for you," he said.

  Shae smiled. "I had gathered as much. Apparently you're asking total strangers about me. What's this all about? Have you been abolished from the Realm too?!"

Drest grinned impishly. "They couldn't kick me out if they wanted to. I'd just keep coming back. I'm like the plague. Just can't get rid of me."

Shae nodded, barely paying attention to his attempts at humor. "Right. But what are you doing here? The whole point of the Realm was to keep prying human eyes away."

Drest sighed, "Alright. To your place, then. There is much to discuss."
_ _ _ _ _

Cliffhanger? Bwahahaha! So, let's see, how is the challenge doing? Every chance she gets, Illdrid is playing her guitar. So her obsession is going quite well. We've got 3 out of 5 kids. In case it wasn't obvious, Dagon's traits are Loves the Outdoors, Artistic, and his newest one is Eco-Friendly. I randomize all the kids' traits, so I have no idea who the heir will be. But it probably won't be Dagon. He actually TECHNICALLY fails the multi-cultural roll. However, since he's a different culture than all the other kids, I'm just going to keep going with it.