Hi all! I know I`ve been gone for a little bit from this story, but I promise it is for a very good reason. I`ve been working on another project, one that you guys will hopefully be seeing soon! (I will say, very hesitantly sometime in the summer). This next chapter is a part of this project which will expand more on a situation that is described here (so if you`re interested, stay tuned!).
This one is pretty long, so I`ll stop talking (or writing lol) and let you get into it!
Hope you enjoy!
Mara couldn't believe that she had said yes. She had promised herself that she wouldn't do this to herself again. After Zzyxx had opened and she had almost died, Mara had decided she didn't want anything more to do with this world. Evil had already taken most of her family and her home.
It had been a slow but steady process of no longer involving herself in the Knight`s business and saying no to more and more missions. Specifically ones that took her anywhere near any magical preserve, especially Fablehaven. And when she and Elise had started dating, Mara felt even more inclined to a normal life, even buying an apartment with Elise in Los Angles, near where her father had relocated to. Elise still was active in the Knights, and visited Fablehaven every few months, bringing back updates on the others and well-wishes from them. But Elise knew that it pained Mara to hear about Fablehaven, even though she had never explained why, but Elise knew her all too well and stopped giving her updates. And for the first time, Mara content, her life was normal, or rather, as normal as it could be knowing what she did, and that was what she wanted, wasn't it?
But then again, all of her friends were Knights, and she didn't know if she could ever forgive herself if she left and abandoned all of them.
So when Stan himself had called her, specifically asking for her assistance at Fablehaven, she couldn't find it within herself to say no. She and Elise had met up with Trask and Berrigan in New York and taken the long drive with them back to Fablehaven.
As they had approached the gate, something within her heart had squeezed, and Elise seemed to notice, reaching over and taking her hand, smiling at her. Mara appreciated the support, but nothing could make the sinking feeling in her heart go away.
It had been so long since she had seen any of them, especially Stan, Ruth, Hank, Gloria, Dale or Seth and Kendra. Periodically, she and Elise would have dinner with Warren, Tanu, Vanessa and some others if they were in town, but hadn't made any effort to reach out to the others.
When they had stopped at the gate, Dale was sitting on a four-wheeler waiting for them. With a gentle smile, Dale got off the four-wheeler and opened the gate, coming around to the driver`s side window and Trask rolled down the window. He peered inside the car, eyes sweeping over the inhabitants of the SUV and when his eyes had landed on Mara, he seemed to be a little confused at her presence. He had smiled at her nonetheless and had greeted them cheerfully.
Dale motioned them inside and Trask drove up the long driveway to the main house, which despite all the time since Mara had seen it, looked the same. On her other side, Berrigan stilled and she realized that Berrigan had never seen the house.
"Damn. How big is this place?" Berrigan muttered and Mara suppressed a smile at the comment.
"There`s a mansion down the road too."
Berrigan shook his head disbelievingly as the car rolled to a stop and they all got out, stretching their legs, and in Elise`s case, groaning that her joints ached from being in the car so long. Mara found herself grinning at Elise`s antics, as she and Trask began to unload the car.
Dale came racing up behind them on the four-wheeler, jumping off and helping them with their bags, carrying them into the foyer of the main house. The inside of the house was the same as ever, the wood obviously newer, but still in the same style that it had been since she had last seen it. Now though, piled by the door were what she assumed to be Kendra and Seth`s shoes and jackets and as they walked down the hallway to the rest of the house, she saw even more evidence of two teenagers living there full time, pictures of Kendra, Seth and two satyrs she vaguely recognized from the dinner at Living Mirage grinning, posing together in the pouring rain. There were other pictures, of Seth in a football uniform, Kendra wearing a black pencil skirt and white blouse, holding a blue ribbon. There was another picture of Kendra and Bracken, his arm around her, Seth`s head popping in between them making a face. Stan, Ruth, Gloria and Hank made several appearances, along with Vanessa, Dale, Warren and Tanu, even Trask and Elise in one of them. Mara wasn't in any of the pictures, and she tried to remind herself that that was what she wanted all along, to be left alone.
As they arrived at Stan`s study passing the kitchen where whatever was cooking smelled very good, Stan stood, a smile on his face.
"Welcome back!" Stan greeted them enthusiastically, clasping their hands and gesturing for them to take a seat. Mara found a seat on the arm of a couch next to Elise, Trask and Berrigan settling in beside Elise.
Stan got right down to business, settling in his chair and folding his hands on top of his desk. "I`m afraid there isn't much I can tell you about this threat we are facing. We only know the bare minimum about it, but you all are the best of the best," Stan leaned forward, looking grave. "I am asking for your help in this matter. You have all been amazing assets not only to the Knights, but all friends to Fablehaven. We don't know what kind of threat we are facing, but something big is coming. And if there are any of you that wish not to be a part of that, I`ll personally get you a flight out of here as soon as possible." Stan`s eyes swept over all of them, seeming to rest on Mara for a split second longer. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze as she considered his words.
Mara glanced over at Elise, who also looked conflicted and then at Trask, who looked impassive and at a curious Berrigan, squirming with his seemingly boundless energy. Stan sighed softly, seeming to pick up on the tension in the room and leaned back in his chair.
"I know it`s only been a little over year since Zzyxx and I also know that some of you have shown some desire to take a break from all of this, but to tell you the truth, the reason I called you here is because I trust you. My family trusts you, and we need all the help we can get. I don't want to pressure you into anything, and this is not an order, but please, consider it."
"What kind of threat?" Mara asked softly. Stan shifted, reaching into his desk drawer and pulling out a file.
"There have been disappearances throughout Fablehaven. Creatures of all size and type have been disappearing, all without a trace. No one can find them, and there is no logical explanation for where they`ve gone. There have been similar accounts all around the world, just last week, 2 unicorns living in the Living Mirage sanctuary disappeared. The problem has spread to all corners of the globe, and even some of our own Knights are going missing as well. The outside world hasn't noticed yet but we predict that they will soon. We`ve already had 13 disappearances in the last 4 months." Stan handed the folder to Trask who looked over what was inside, his expression somber and sad. "Kendra has been in contact with the Fairy Kingdom, and there are creatures going missing there as well. There`s already been one death so far. A unicorn. He went missing, and they found him dead in a meadow and no one knows what happened to him."
Stan surveyed them sadly, and though Mara felt terrible for the missing people, she couldn't help the thrill of curiosity and excitement that shot through her stomach at the prospect of such an interesting mystery. But this was exactly the kind of thing that Mara had to avoid if she ever wanted a chance at normal life. But… Stan was a friend. A good friend, and so were all the others, could she really just abandon them?
"Well, why don't we take a few days to think about, maybe do some light investigating and then we`ll make our decisions?" Trask suggested quietly, breaking the silence that had settles over the room.
Stan perked up a little, "Of course, of course. We have rooms set up for you in the mansion and tomorrow we can all meet and talk about the problem. Kendra and Seth have done some interesting research about this."
Mara nodded her consent along with the rest of them, and they all stood, letting Stan lead them out to the kitchen. Ruth and Gloria were standing in the kitchen, talking as Ruth laid out pieces of bread on a cookie sheet and Gloria tossed a salad. The two women greeted the group happily, and as Ruth hugged Mara, she felt something inside her squeeze. No one had hugged her like that, like a mother had since… well, best not to think too much about that.
All of a sudden, a pair of feet clattered down the stairs, and Seth Sorenson bounded into the kitchen. His hair was curly and wet and he wore a pair of shorts and a tank top. His eyes glittered beneath his mop of hair.
"Grandma? Have you seen my sword?" Seth asked loudly. His voice was deeper than it had been the last time Mara had seen him. He was taller too, and looked much older, he had gotten leaner and his face had thinned too, giving him a more mature look. He no longer had the look of unbridled wildness she had always associated with Seth. There was something wise and even sad in his expression that made Mara`s heart squeeze again; how was it possible that little Seth Sorenson had grown up so much?
"No Seth, and don't be rude, we have guests." Ruth chided, gesturing towards Mara and the others. Seth looked to where she had pointed, seeing them for the first time. His face broke out into a smile and his eyes twinkled, and for just a second, it was like she was looking at the same Seth Sorenson who had smiled at her brilliantly when the griffins had picked them up while they were in Wyrmroost even though they were being taken against their will.
"Hey guys! It`s good to see you! And oh hey! Mara, haven't seen you in a while!" Seth stepped forward, spreading his arms in her direction. Mara felt her lips tug into a smile as she crossed her arms, teasingly, refusing his hug. Seth`s arms dropped but his smile remained in place as he greeted the rest of them.
From the counter, Gloria stepped in, a gentle hand on Seth`s arm, "Do you know where your sword is?" She asked. Seth`s face dropped into a thoughtful scowl as he shook his head.
"Hm. I don't know. Maybe Kendra does…?" And without warning, Seth ran to the doorway of the kitchen and bellowed up the stairs.
"KENDRA HAVE YOU SEEN MY SWORD?" Seth`s shout made Elise laugh as she and Trask took a seat at the breakfast bar and Mara had to resist a chuckle.
"NO YOU IDIOT. DID YOU LEAVE IT BY THE POND?" Kendra`s voice echoed down the stairs distantly. Seth perked up, running to the sliding glass door, shouting a thanks over his shoulder to Kendra and a warning to his grandmothers that he was heading to the pond.
"Take your sister with you!" Ruth called after him and Mara heard him pause in front of the stairs, clattering up them.
"OKAY!"
"And stop yelling!" Gloria scolded.
"OKAY!" At this, Gloria shook her head, laughing a little under breath as if to say I give up.
Throughout the exchange, Mara hadn't noticed Warren, Tanu and Vanessa walk into the kitchen from the front door. Tanu poked his head in to greet them before heading upstairs to shower. Like Stan, his eyes lingered on Mara a second longer than everyone else and there seemed to be something sad in his eyes as he left. Warren was, of course, the same as ever, with wicked jokes and a beaming smile.
Mara had always admired Warren for his humor and his bravery, and had even liked him a little before she had gotten together with Elise, and she was happy to note that Warren didn't focus on her, or seem surprised by her presence, greeting her cheerfully.
Vanessa however, looked much different than when Mara had seen her a few months ago. Mara had always known Vanessa to be perfectly put together, even while she was imprisoned. Makeup always done, hair always straight and expression always calm and emotionless. Now, Vanessa barely wore any makeup and her hair was wavy and windblown. Mischief danced in her eyes and though Vanessa, had never been Mara`s type, she looked much better this way, and much happier. Vanessa had given her a small smile, eyes narrowing ever so slightly as they nodded to each other. Mara knew that Vanessa was naturally suspicious and probably was wary of her sudden presence at Fablehaven after being gone for so long.
Their conversation was interrupted once again, by the thundering of not only one, but two pairs of feet on the stairs. Kendra and Seth were having a fast conversation, talking about people that Mara didn't recognize the names of and as they reached the kitchen, Kendra spotted them at the breakfast bar, calling a hello, and breaking off her conversation with Seth.
Kendra grinned at each of them, but when her gaze reached Mara, she had a strange look in her eyes, but she continued smiling anyway.
"Hey guys! It`s good to see you!" Kendra had barely gotten the words out until Seth had called for her from the deck door. Kendra rolled her eyes, and turned to follow her brother, shouting a good-bye over shoulder.
"Dinner is at 6:00! If you aren't here, we start without you!" Ruth shouted after the siblings, getting vague hollers of agreement in response.
Out of the large window in the kitchen, Mara could see the Sorenson siblings running in the backyard, Kendra chasing her brother both laughing breathlessly as they ran into the woods without any hesitation. A few fairies had drifted over to them, either because they were interested in Kendra and Seth`s antics or because of some sort of attraction to Kendra for her fairy abilities, Mara wasn't sure. She had never known much about Kendra bring fairykind, and had been shocked when she had first found out, but never asked how it had happened. She and Kendra had never been too close, especially not after the first time they had met, so Mara had never gotten any real answers.
At approximately 6:00 after Mara, Trask, Berrigan and Elise had been shown to their rooms in the newly restored mansion that Gloria and Hank lived in with their children and some other guests at times, they were back at the dinner table, listening to the sound of Kendra and Seth hurrying into the kitchen, dropping into their chairs right in time for dinner. It was then that Mara was able to get her first real look at Kendra.
Kendra had grown up a lot. She, like Seth was now taller and she had cut her hair to just above her shoulder blades since Zzyxx and whether it was the light makeup she was wearing, or the way her face had thinned out, or the way that her eyes looked like those of someone much older, who knew and had seen too much, Kendra looked older. She looked tired.
But as they sat down to eat, a casual conversation took over the dinner table as they discussed Dale`s recent birthday, Trask`s new promotion in the NYPD and Mara and Elise`s apartment. Eventually the conversation turned to Kendra and Seth as their grandparents asked about school, another like Warren or Tanu occasionally chiming in. As Seth bragged about his A on his chemistry test, Kendra looked over at with a gentle, proud smile, that made her look like a proud parent. Mara accidentally made eye contact with her, and before Mara could drop her eyes, she saw the same strange look that Kendra had had earlier when she had first seen them.
The conversation turned to Kendra and Seth`s parents and Mara could see Elise itching to ask about them, as they were nowhere to be found on Fablehaven.
"Where are they anyway?" Elise asked casually, ignoring Mara`s elbow in her side.
"Onw uh twip." Seth tried to respond, but his mouth was so jammed full of food, his words came out garbled and hard to decipher. Kendra smacked his arm, answering for him.
"They`re on a trip in northern Canada right now." Kendra replied, taking a long drink.
"For what reason?" the question tumbled out of Mara`s mouth before she could stop it, but Kendra looked unfazed.
"They took jobs as travel bloggers, so most of the time, they`re on trips for their companies blog. Taking pictures and checking out local attractions and things like that mostly." Kendra and Seth did not seem to find any of that strange, that their parents were gone most of the time, but as Mara considered, they did have both sets of their grandparents living with them.
Elise nodded quietly and dinner was finished in relative quiet, Kendra, and Seth with a little prompting from his sister got up to do the dishes. Mara offered her help, but Seth waved her off, insisting that guests didn't do dishes the first night. It was a rule that Mara might have known if she had shown up more.
As the night ended, Mara had barely thought about the real reason they were there, the unpleasant thoughts coming to her as she laid down besides Elise as they always did. After an hour of tossing and turning, Mara found that she could no longer convince herself that eventually, she would get to sleep, so, she got up as silently as possible, shrugged on a jacket and slipped her feet into her shoes and went out of her room and down the stairs of the mansion, trying not to wake anyone and even though most of the rooms she crept past were empty, you could never be too careful.
Walking was a habit that Mara had taken to right after Lost Mesa had been destroyed, and everyone she had ever known, except her father had been killed. It was a night she thought about a lot, and when those memories got too close to the surface, mostly at nighttime and she had started walking. It had been a suggestion from her therapist, that Trask actually had urged her to meet with. Therapy had helped with the nightmares and the flashbacks, as had medication, but she still walked a lot.
When Mara walked she never had an exact destination in mind, but tonight she did, as she headed down the main road to the main house. She circled around the back of the house to the backyard, and headed up to the pool. The main house seemed impregnable, somehow, even after having been destroyed many times, it was always rebuilt. It seemed safe, and reminded her that things could be rebuilt. Always.
But, as Mara neared the pool, she could see a figure sitting on the porch of the house, holding something, and just as she was going to turn and head back to the mansion, the figure stood suddenly, stepping onto the yard, the lights on the porch illuminating the person`s face. It was Kendra, and she held the end of a thin silver chain.
"Hello? Who`s out there?" Kendra called out, voice hard and cautious. If it were anyone else, Mara would have stayed absolutely still, waiting for them to lose interest and would have hightailed it back to the mansion, but figuring that she wouldn't be able hide long from Kendra who could see extremely well in the darkness, she stepped forward.
"It`s alright, it`s just me." Mara responded lowly, walking up the path to the porch. Kendra relaxed slightly, stepping forward a little more.
"Mara? What are you doing here?" Kendra seemed confused, eyes narrowing a little,
"Couldn't sleep." Mara kept her voice low.
Kendra nodded, giving her a small smile, stepping back onto the porch. For a moment, they stood in awkward silence, neither moving. Honestly, Mara wasn't sure what exactly to say, especially to Kendra.
But then, Kendra smiled more, perking up a little, "Do you like hot chocolate Mara?"
For a moment, Mara just stared at her uncomprehendingly, before nodding.
"Good." Kendra turned and slipped inside and Mara stepping forward hesitantly, and took a seat on the step of the porch. Kendra returned from the inside of the house, a thermos wedged between her arm and body, two mugs in hand. Kendra took a seat next to her on the stairs, handing her one of the mugs, setting the other on the step beside her and poured hot chocolate into it. Kendra exchanged mugs with Mara, filling the empty one, and set the thermos on the step next to her. The hot chocolate made Mara feel heavy and sleepy, something that she was grateful for.
"Sometimes I can`t sleep either," Kendra`s quiet voice pierced the darkness, making Mara look up at her. "Ever since Zzyxx…" Kendra cut herself off, turning to Mara with an incredibly sad smile. "Well, I`m sure you know."
Mara nodded, eyes focusing on how her hot chocolate swirled slowly and how it warmed her hands which were tightly clasped around the mug. She wasn't sure why she chose to say the next words she did. Perhaps it was the hot chocolate which warmed her stomach, or darkness, which acted like a blanket, settling on top of them, or the slight wind that reminded Mara of the winter, that in a few short months, was coming, but either way, Kendra had shared something with her, and it seemed only fitting to give her something in return.
"After my mother died, it got hard to close my eyes for more than an hour at a time, so I started walking when I would have nightmares."
Mara felt Kendra still beside her, and she felt Kendra slide a little bit closer to her, before she spoke again.
"Your mother was a wonderful woman. They all were." The words made Mara`s stomach clench, and she remembered how her mother had cooked all morning in anticipation for the arrival of the Knights. She had been so excited, Mara recalled, her mother had always loved playing host. Mara had been less than excited. Just when she had gotten used to Tammy and Javier living with them, now, new Knights were there just to try the same thing again. She had expected the two men that rode in the bed of the truck, had been a little surprised at the teenage boy who was also in the bed of the truck, but he had looked capable enough, and had been utterly shocked at the presence of the young teenage girl who had jumped down from the cab of the truck, who looked around curiously, who held no weapons and looked all too young and naïve to anywhere near a magical preserve.
Little did she know that Kendra would end up being the one who had killed the Demon King, and that the teenage boy who had stuttered, ended up being a demon.
After Thronis`s griffins had found her hiding in a cave, cradling her broken arm, Seth had been the one to gently fill in the gaps. Gavin was Navarog, and he had eaten Dougan, and now he was dead. Kendra had been dropped off by the silvery dragon she had gotten a glimpse of earlier, and after a long conversation between the two, Kendra had spoken to them all, informing them of what had happened. Her voice hadn't shook at all, and she hadn't cried or flinched, even when she told them what Navarog did to Warren. She had looked Mara right in the eyes as she told her that Navarog had been the one to release Chalize, who had then killed everyone in Lost Mesa.
"Do you ever think about him?" Mara asked the question without a single thought and before she had clarify, Kendra spoke up, seeming to understand exactly who she was referring to.
"I used to a lot. Now… not so much. I was so ashamed for so long, that eventually, it just became something I had to accept or else it would eat me up."
"Why were you ashamed?" Mara asked, turning to Kendra sharply.
Kendra considered the question, taking a contemplative sip of chocolate. "I wasn't ashamed of him. Not really. More of myself."
"Did you love him?" That was something Mara had wondered about, how he and Kendra had flirted, even overhearing a conversation between him and Seth where Navarog had admitted that he cared deeply for Kendra.
Kendra bit her lip, "I don't know. Sometimes I try and convince myself it was just a shallow crush, but other days…" Kendra met Mara`s eyes. "I think I did. And that`s what I`m ashamed of. Because in some way, no matter how small, I`m to blame for what happened, especially to you."
Kendra`s eyes were so extraordinarily sad, and tired. They looked like the eyes of someone so much older, not a teenage girl, and reminded of the way that Kendra had looked when she had told her that Navarog had caused Lost Mesa to fall.
"None of it was ever your fault. I never blamed for it," Mara offered. "Any of you. And that's not the reason why I haven't been here either."
Kendra hadn't asked about Mara`s absence, but she figured that it would come up sooner or later. Better sooner and only in front of one person than all of them.
"Why did you come back Mara? I mean, Elise told us that you were taking a step back from all of this, but…" Kendra shook her head slightly, trailing off.
"Stan called me. Specifically, and asked for my help, and after everything all of us have been through together, I couldn't say no."
"You shouldn`t have." The words were barely above a whisper and made Mara turn back to Kendra. She looked up at Mara.
"I don't know what`s coming Mara, but whatever it is, it`s not good, and if you really don't want to be a part of this life anymore, don't let us stop you from being happy. Whatever`s coming is dangerous, really dangerous, and I think you deserve to know that no one will think any less of you if you leave all this behind."
Those were the words that Mara had truly been waiting for, for a long time. For someone to officially let her off the hook, and to tell her that it was alright to not want to be a part of Knights, or any of this anymore. But still, something deep inside her rebelled at the idea of leaving, and for a long time it was quiet, watching as bugs chirped and a few fairies fluttered lazily across the night sky.
"Is that why your parents aren't here?" Mara finally asked.
Kendra smiled slightly, "You caught that didn't you?" Kendra considered her a moment. "No one will admit it, especially not them, but yes, I think so. They always have been so blissfully ignorant, choosing to ignore the sometimes, quite obvious signs. And then they were thrust into this life so abruptly, they never even had a choice." Kendra turned to Mara directly, pain obvious in her eyes. "They wanted Seth and I to leave this all behind, to move away to a different town with new names and forget everything that`s happened, but we couldn't do that. We refused to do that, so they made the decision to take jobs as travel bloggers and spend most of the year in other places, far away from Fablehaven."
"I`m so sorry." Mara couldn't help but feel a lump build up in her throat. Her parents had always been so supportive of Mara and what she had wanted with her life, and she felt terrible for Kendra and Seth that their parents didn't.
"It`s alright," Mara looked up at Kendra disbelievingly and Kendra chuckled a little. "Well, it actually kinda sucks but it`s getting easier."
"Good." The two sat in silence, finishing their hot chocolate just as Mara`s watch told her it was nearing 3:30 AM. Mara nudged Kendra who had leaned against the railing of the porch, who stirred sleepily.
"You should get to bed." Mara helped Kendra up, both standing on the porch together.
A smile tugged at Kendra`s lips. "You should too."
Mara laughed, surprised at how easy it felt. "Yeah, I should."
Kendra took Mara`s mug, and picked up the thermos, shuffling over to the door as Mara headed down the steps, on her way back to mansion, thinking of her warm, comfortable bed waiting for her when she got back.
"Mara?" Kendra`s soft voice made her turn back.
"Yeah?"
"I`ll see you tomorrow." Mara smiled and gave Kendra a firm nod, turning and heading off into the darkness. As she looped around the house, the porch lights went off and Mara hurried back to the mansion.
When Mara finally got back to her room, she slipped into bed quietly, trying not to wake a sleeping Elise, and found with her belly full of hot chocolate, her mind empty and her heart surprisingly light, it wasn't at all hard to get back to sleep.
I hope you enjoyed that, and again, thank you for your patience with me. As school ends quite soon, I will definitely have more time to update and will be sticking more directly to my twice a month schedule. If you guys have any prompts for me, or ideas you`d like to see from me, leave them in a review and I`ll try and make them happen!
Thank you to Nacho Cheese Man, Jesus saved even me, FairyGirl22 and Wolf Lover 27 for the support and everyone else for your support! It truly means so much to me.
Happy Memorial Day my friends, and to any veterans, or active service members, or the families of those who are or have served, thank you for fighting for us. No words can ever truly encompass how thankful I am to all of those people.