"NO! NO! NO! NO!" Elias had ahold of the thin shift she had been given at the auction house and was pulling on it. "NO! NO! NO! NO!" Clara was struggling against him with all of her might.

"You're filthy. You need to take a bath."

"I can do it my self. I know how to take a bath."

"But do you know how to use this one? I will help wash you off. Come on now, stop being a skittish kitten." He gave another tug.

"I SAID STOP!" Images flashed through Clara's mind, images she wanted desperately to forget. They were of the hospital. Particular people who worked the night shift at the hospital. "NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Elias let go of her and stepped away. Clara took several deep breaths, trying to reminder herself of the here and now, even if it didn't make sense. She heard the sound of running water, and turned to see Elias filling up the tub. He sprinkled herbs and flowers into the water, and faced her as steam began to rise from the warm water out the window. "Immerse yourself completely, or else you'll take a chill. Come out when you've warmed up." He set a towel and change of clothes on a nearby stood, then left and closed the door behind him. Before disrobing, she locked the door to the bathroom. She gingerly stepped into the tub, and sighed as the heat seemed to melt her tension away. She couldn't ever remember having such a nice bath.

She took a glance around the room. It was clean, polished. Most importantly:

It was private.

She had never had this kind of kindness. It certainly wasn't what she expected from someone who went around purchasing people at sketchy auctions. Still, he had known her for all of 5 minutes, and yet he had already shown her more thoughtfulness than any person she had encountered. But maybe that was just proof that he was just another fantasy her mind had created.

"Oh dear~! Just when I thought something smelled appetizing." Clara quickly ducked beneath the water and shot a worried look to the door. She was sure that she had locked it. The door remained closed, but she could have sworn that she had heard someone. "Isn't it a cute human girl!" The voice was now directly behind her. She whipped her head around to face her assailant. Sitting on the windowsill were three small creatures. They wore no clothes. Instead of feet, they had talons with sharp claws. On their shoulders sprouted green feathery wings. They also had Strange antennae and red eyes.

"Fairies." Clara clamed down once she realized that her visitors weren't real.

"Well, fairies is the term you humans always seem intent on using for our kind." The one with bright green hair spoke up. She evidently was the leader of their group. "There are so many other names that you could use though, sweetie."

"That's right! You should call us your Neighbors."

"Or your Good Friends."

"Hey! You're a Slay Vega, aren't you?" Clara wondered why her mind got stuck on such a peculiar word. "Taking a Slay Vega for an apprentice. That silly Thorn Mage, sometimes I wonder just what he's thinking." The fairy, or good neighbor, gestured to Clara. "Dear thing, sweet as honeyed wine. More valuable than a treasure chest. More precious than the most beautiful fairy flower. Adorable. Our bright, unfortunate mage. We will give you all the help you need. We'll help look out for you, beloved. Just say the word." The neighbor flew close and gave her a peck on the cheek. With a giggle and a smirk that belied a mischievous nature, they flew back out the open window.

How strange they were, and what strange choice of words they had.

"Clara." Elias' voice echoed on the other side of the still closed door. "Are you all right? Not overheating, I hope."

"I'm fine! Don't come in, please!" She quickly drained the tub and grabbed the towel that had been set out for her. Once she had dried off, she pulled on the extra set of clothes that had been given to her. She had been left a yellow-ish button up shirt that was big enough to fit three people inside of it. The green pants that had been left out were also monstrously oversized, but a belt with holes all the way down its length had also been left. She put on the belt and rolled up the bottom of the pant legs so she wouldn't trip on them, and unlocked the door.

She found the staircase that led downstairs easily enough. She smelled something that smelled good baking. She followed her nose and found the kitchen. Pulling something out of the oven was a lady. She wore a pink dress and bonnet that would have fit in better in Victorian times, and her hair was pulled up out of the way. When she noticed Clara looking at her, the lady in pink wordlessly pointed to something behind Clara. Clara turned around and saw a nicely furnished living room. Sitting on a plush red chair was Elias, perusing the contents of a book. He was no longer wearing his long robe, but he was still dressed nicely in a crisp white shirt and a black vest. Sitting on the table in center of the room was a veritable feast. Clara felt her mouth begin to water, and clutched her stomach as it rumbled loudly. Upon hearing the noise, Elias looked up from his book. "Ah, Clara. Come sit down." Clara did as she was told and took a seat on a plush couch with the food set out before her. The lady in pink entered the room with a tray. She set a freshly cooked meat dish on the table before handing Clara a glass of steaming tea. "Have some food and drink. I imagine it's been a long day." He then gestured to the food.

Clara stared at the food, not knowing where to start. She honestly couldn't think of a time where food seemed so appetizing. The lady in the bonnet began cutting into the meat dish, and putting it on a plate for Clara. 'He's going through a lot of trouble to make me feel welcome', Clara noted. She picked up a fork and a knife and stuck a bite of the dish in her mouth. The moment that it touched for tongue, Clara sighed and shoved some more into her face. This was the first time she had eaten something that actually tasted like it was suppose to be ingested. She went to try some more of the food that was sitting on the table, but from the corner of her eye, she saw Elias watching her. She had never had a reason to study etiquette, so she didn't have the best manners, but Clara knew that eating like a pig wasn't the best way to make a good impression. With all of the daintiness she could muster, Clara set her utensils down and wiped her mouth with a napkin. She tried a sip of the tea. It was bitter and she didn't like it that much, but she figured that it would be rude to say so when he was going to such lengths to make her feel welcomed. She glanced at Elias and saw that he was still observing her.

"You look like you have a great many questions. In lieu of a bedtime story, ask a question and I will do my best to answer."

Directly questioning her hallucination. This would be fun. "Do you know about the fairies in the bathroom?"

He cocked his head to the side, as if trying to discern what she meant. "Ah. You must mean the aerials. I am not surprised they came to greet you. They are attracted to anything new and shiny."

Clara was pretty sure she had never heard the word 'aerials' before. Her mind must be really good at coming up with strange words. "And what are you? You said you are a mage. Is that true?"

Without a moment of hesitation, he replied, "Yes. It's true." He glanced over to an empty cage that sat on the table and held out his hand. Without anyone touching it, the latch on it opened, and sparks of ember appeared out of nowhere. The sparks drifted through the air to Elias' outstretched hand. With a burst of brilliant flames, the sparks burst into a flaming bird. A phoenix. Clara could swear that she felt the heat of the flames against her face. He made his point quite clearly and quite dramatically.

"And what did you mean by apprentice?"

With a snap of his fingers, the bird once again smoldered into ashes and returned to its cage. "I mean apprentice, my little puppy."

If this vision kept up, she was going to have to insist on a new nickname. His answer didn't quite clear up in what sort of capacity of an apprentice she would be. "Why me?"

"For your unique abilities, they are exceedingly rare and I was lucky to find you. Because you are a Slay Vega."

He was taunting her illness again, but after 20 years of living with it, she could ignore it. Clara instead chose to focus on the latter half of his answer." I keep hearing those words. What do they mean?"

"The best comparison I can think of is a queen bee. You, or rather, your kind, Slay Vega, have the ability to attract and bind all manner of things. Specifically, fey creatures." As he explained, Clara discreetly tried tasting some more of the food. "Think of fey beings as worker bees. They are drawn to their queen whether she can see them or not. Not everyone of your kind can see them, and it is not necessarily a blessing." Elias paused, as if waiting for a response from her. She knew not everyone saw them, and she certainly knew it was a curse. She kept silent. When he saw that she had nothing to add, Elias continued. "Fey bring ill luck as often as good. What they may intend as generosity and kindness does not always translate as such in the human world. However, to be favored by them means that you will never be without assistance. You need their aid to perform magic, so their attraction to you is not without its benefits." Clara watched as a red salamander like creature made a nest for itself in the fireplace, and a wooly troll like dog curled up on her lap and fell asleep. How she wished that they weren't attracted to her like they were. Maybe then it would be easier to pretend that she didn't see them. "You may not think it now, but I suspect that you may become a great mage someday. That said, I won't force you down a path which you don't wish to take."

Clara eyed him, a spark of hope lit up in her chest. "You mean I can do whatever I want?"

Elias chuckled, and Clara felt the small spark of hope at a taste of freedom die. "Well, no. However, you may think things over. Becoming a mage is just one of many possible paths."

"That is to say, I have the power of choice?"

Elias studied her intently, and Clara wondered if the hope in her voice was too eager. "Yes." He stood up and placed a hand on her head. "As my apprentice, you are like family to me now, which means that you can depend on me."

"Family?" Like 'home', the word was strange and wonderful.

From out of his pocket, Elias produced a necklace. It was a simple brown string tied to a beautiful round green stone. "This is an adder stone." With a gloved hand, he moved her long blond hair out of the way and tied the jewelry around her neck. "The hole in the middle of the stone eroded naturally in the bottom of a river. It will help to protect you. Wear it always." When he was finished, Clara held the stone in her hand, and watched the dazzling sheen of light that bounced off of its surface. Behind her eyes, Clara felt tears forming, and did her best to blink them away. "Come here, Silver." The lady in pink entered the room from the kitchen. "You must be tired, why don't you turn in now. Please show her to her room." The lady nodded, and Clara followed her. She was led upstairs to a small room. It was well furnished with a dresser and a bed. Many shelves were hung on the walls. On the far side of the room, a desk with many drawers and a chair sat, a small seater sitting on its surface near the bed. An empty curio cabinet sat in the corner, waiting to be filled with trinkets and knickknacks, of which Clara had none.

"A hot bath. My own bedroom?... Home … Family..." Before she realized it, her exhaustion caused Clara to drift off to sleep.