Kaye awoke suddenly to the sounds of an 84' Chevy Cavalier peeling of her driveway; spitting rocks that in turn ricocheted off her grandmother's ceramic flowerpots. She grunted and tried to roll-over only to find that her right arm was completely asleep, and thus a notable hindrance to the desired movement.
"Have a good night Mom," she said with slight disdain.
Grabbing her right elbow, she supported it enough to sit up and untwist herself from the clutches of the faded pink comforter wrapped around her ankles. She ran her fingertips over her violet eyes, remembering only afterward that she never removed her makeup from the night before. Her old mattress creaked with the suggestion of any sort of movement and she felt the distinct imprint of metal springs through her gray sweatpants. Glancing over to the red glow of her decade-old alarm clock, she snorted.
"Fuck. I'm going to be late."
Newly instilled with at least some semblance of energy, she rolled off the mattress and stretched her lithe body. Her feet were stiff from walking so far the night before. Kaye approached her solitary window and parted the matching pale pink curtains. The tire tracks were still visible in the driveway. She squinted upward and observed that the sky was clear, allowing only a few small clouds to mar its visage. Kaye unconsciously raised her hand and grabbed the fleshy lobe of her ear, running her fingers along its edge. Normal human appendages. The glamour was still intact. Yet, she could distinctly feel a burn as the smoke from her mother's preparatory cigarettes coursed into her lungs. She swallowed. The glamour would have to hold up just a bit longer. It was 10:35.
"25 minutes," she whispered closing the curtains.
Stumbling over an empty bottle of rum and an obscure pile of dirty clothing, Kaye made her way to the bathroom. As the fluorescent light flickered on, she stood in front of the mirror and let the faucet run over her hands. Dark circles plagued her under-eyes, and navy eyeliner dripped from beneath her lashes. A substantial sized bruise began to form above the arch of her left eyebrow. She sighed and touched the area gingerly with her dampened hand.
"Fuck, Corny."
Her mischievous friend and confident had become all to curious about the Faerie world since Kaye had discovered her true identity. Although he had vowed never again to be in such a helpless, degrading situation, recently he had stumbled into the clutches of a few unsavory members of the Unseelie court near the graveyard entrance to the kingdom. He returned in one piece; with nothing more than a few strangely-placed scratches and symptoms suggesting a massive hangover. Yet Kaye knew the dangers of an overzealous curiosity- especially since the solitary faye were currently outside any circle of government. Images of Nephamael momentarily swam through Kaye's mind. She pushed them away. Seven years of Freedom. And it was all her own doing. She shook her head. No. She could not keep living her life this way.
Kaye had accompanied Corny to the Faerie Realm the night before, as he had said he was going with, or without her. From what she remembered, they had become caught in the middle of a quarrel between two rather well-muscled male faeries. Kaye was well aware of the nature of those bound by the Unseelie Court. They were ruthless and derived simple pleasure from the agony and suffering of the helpless.
Pushing the previous night's events into the back of her teaming mind, she concentrated all her energy- forcing it into the tips of her slender fingers, and delicately brushed her hand across her face. Upon opening her eyes, she was pleased to see the circles had vanished leaving only a dark line of shadow beneath her lids. The bruise, although not completely gone, was barely noticeable; at least to the human eye.
Exiting the bathroom, she grabbed a pair of faded jeans from her doorknob and a tee-shirt from the aforementioned pile on her floor. The navy blue shirt proudly proclaimed "Ithaca is GORGES." To this day, Kaye still had no collective clue how the garment came into her keeping. She merely added it to the file of unexplained occurrences that had recently overflowed from the addition of current events. Pulling her combat boots on, she tucked her jeans into them and laced them up only half way before grabbing a coat and flying (although not literally) out the door.
Walking down the road, Kaye couldn't help but acknowledge the tiny, but violent faces peering at her from the edge of the woods. If she strained, she could hear their tiny claws rip at the leaves that concealed them. They wouldn't dare approach her. Regardless of their true nature, no member of the solitary faye would be willing to incur HIS wrath for even the most dire of purposes. Kaye ran her hands through her hair and deposited them into her coat pockets. Steam rose up from the damp asphalt and danced around the passing vehicles. The cool night air felt soothing against her skin. She had been trapped beneath the glamour for some time now and wanted nothing more than to allow it to slide off her body like hot running water. A soft breeze brushed her cheek suggesting a possible rain shower. "Just let me get there, then do what you will," she said speaking to the clouds now inhabiting the previously clear night sky.
As the park came into view her steps became noticeably quicker. A large willow came into sight and her lips curved into a secretive smile. Just as she reached the sanctuary of its long, reaching branches, the first drop of rain fell landing on the toe of her boot. She had no idea what time it was. Was she late? Early? Perhaps he had left already, impatient with her lack of punctuality. She glanced at the imprint her foot left in the newly trimmed grass. They had saved each others lives, yet she still had so many questions concerning their relationship. He was, at times the definition of ambiguity. Yet others, when she expected him to be indistinct, he was dangerously blunt. He entranced her. He scared her. He comforted her. She leaned against the soft bark of the tree and closed her eyes, allowing the damp wind to whisper reassurances into her ears. She hadn't seem him in almost three weeks.