So...we went from one-shot, to three-shot, to God knows how many shots! This won't be a long story, but apparently, it's longer than three chapters.
Anti-Cosmo prided himself on having an IQ of 180. His massive intelligence allowed him to think his way out of any situation. Okay, most situations.
First, it had been that fateful night. He had been a new graduate from the Anti-Fairy Academy, and he and his older brother, Anti-Schnozmo, had been sharing an apartment. Anti-Schnozmo had already gone to sleep, while Anti-Cosmo had taken to some light reading (curse his insomnia). It was a cool night, so Anti-Cosmo had left the window open a crack. Now, he wished he hadn't. Maybe then he wouldn't have heard the unfamiliar yet annoyingly high-pitched voice calling his name. Maybe then he wouldn't have poofed outside, wondering who was calling him. Maybe then he wouldn't have met...
Anti-Cosmo shuddered at the memory. Clarice Chambers: a Xye by birth. Tall, slim, and inhumanly pale, like any other Xye. Despite that, even Anti-Cosmo had to admit that she was pretty. At least, she would have been if she looked a little more human. At speeds only a Xye could manage, she had him by the throat, cutting off his oxygen, and pinned to the apartment building. He would have transported himself away, but his wand was on the ground and just out of his reach. She had told him that she'd been watching him and that she was impressed with his intellect. She thought that he would make a powerful ally, so she turned him.
He had loved her. At least, in his Xye-form, he loved Clarice. Anti-Cosmo had loved her and loved being a Xye, like her. The speed, the strength, and the immortality. Not like the alleged 'immortality' that anti-fairies had. Xye had true immortality. They didn't have diseases, they weren't killed by injury or poison, and they couldn't grow old (of course, neither could anti-fairies). They had weaknesses - bright lights and loud noises - but those didn't kill them unless they were exposed for too long. At the time, Anti-Cosmo had absolutely adored being a Xye.
Now, the memory made him want to throw up.
Ten years. Ten years, he had went beyond the normal anti-fairy brand of mischief and chaos. Ten years, he had been truly evil. Ten years, he had been a real monster.
He had hurt, killed, and - he shivered - eaten a lot of people. It wasn't the stolen lives of fairies, pixies, and the rare human that bothered him. Okay, they bothered him, but not nearly as much as the anti-fairies. He had killed his own species. Eaten his own species. Anti-Cosmo hugged his churning stomach and took deep breaths to calm himself and keep himself from being sick. It wasn't technically cannibalism, since he hadn't been an anti-fairy at the time, but that didn't stop him from hating himself.
"You okay?" a thick Southern accent asked. Anti-Cosmo hadn't heard her come out of the restroom. "Ya look pale."
Anti-Wanda. The one who restored him to his original form was another anomaly in Anti-Cosmo's life. His Xye 'friends' had taken the life of her mother, but Anti-Wanda wasn't mad at him. She had been visibly shaken, but she hadn't seemed the least bit angry with him. Instead, she was forgiving and friendly toward him. It was mind-boggling.
"Anti-Cosmo, are ya okay?" she repeated, concern etched into every part of her.
Anti-Cosmo couldn't stop himself from saying, "You know, I don't understand you."
Anti-Wanda shrugged. "I don't understand much."
"What I mean is, you're rather..." Strange? Compassionate? Forgiving? "You're different than most anti-fairies."
Anti-Wanda pursed her lips and tilted her head, like a curious toddler. "Ya mean 'cause I'm stupid?" Anti-Cosmo opened his mouth to protest. "It's okay. I'm fine with being stupid. But, you never answered my question. Are you okay?"
He was anything but okay. He was guilty, confused, and a little nasuseous. "Why don't I help you back to your bed?" he offered, noticing the way she leaned against the wall for support.
"Not 'til ya answer my question," she said firmly.
"I'm fine," he lied.
Anti-Wanda shook her head. "No, ya ain't. I can tell, 'cause when I came out here, ya looked like you was gonna barf." She jerked her thumb toward the restroom. "Well, the toilet's all yours." When, Anti-Cosmo didn't move, she smiled softly. "It's okay if you don't wanna tell me why you're sad. We all got secrets, and I don't wanna pry into yours. That said, you can talk to me. I promise to listen and not tell nobody. My sister tells me all her dirty little secrets. Like when I caught her sneaking condems into my ex-boyfriend's- Whoops!" She laughed. "I probably shouldn't have said that!"
Anti-Cosmo couldn't help laughing a little himself. It was amazing. Never, in all his years of existance, had he met someone so...sincere. She was sweet, she was thoughtful, and she was clearly content with who she was, much more than anyone else he knew (himself included). He found himself studying her. She had a black eye, and her blue curls were unruly due to...recent events. That said, she was pretty and would likely be even prettier when she recovered. Her teeth were crooked, but they seemed to compliment her, somehow. Anti-Cosmo had never seen another anti-fairy without red eyes before, so he felt something like a kinship toward the pink-eyed woman.
He wouldn't have to bare his soul to her, he reasoned. He would just have to tell her what was upsetting him, and then they could both move on with their lives.
Having made his decision, Anti-Cosmo half-smiled. "Well, you can't very well lean against the wall all day. Why don't I lead you back to bed? Then, we'll talk."
Anti-Wanda nodded, and Anti-Cosmo gently wrapped her slender arm around his shoulders, supporting some of her weight. Anti-Wanda's hair tickled his cheeks, and he felt a little more than flustered when she leaned her head against his shoulder. Anti-Cosmo didn't realize how much he liked the feel of his skin against hers, until she let go of him, sitting herself on the edge of her bed. Anti-Cosmo sat next to her and immediately felt her rose-colored gaze locked on him. He met her eyes and wished that he hadn't. Not only were her eyes - other than the injured one - beautiful, but her gaze was so...intense, for lack of a better word. It was like she wasn't looking at him but instead staring inside of him, reading all of his imperfections and judging whether or not he was worthy of her.
Anti-Cosmo shook his head clear. He was over-thinking; he had a habit of doing that.
Still, he couldn't ignore her presence beside him. She was being patient, and he would have to reward her with answers.
"All you need to know," Anti-Cosmo hesitantly began, "is that I did some bad things as a Xye. Well, anti-fairies do a lot of bad things, but you know what I mean."
Anti-Wanda shook her head. "I do not."
Oh, Lord, please don't make me say it, Anti-Cosmo prayed. "W-well, Xye are much more evil than anti-fairies, so their actions are..." He couldn't find the right word to describe the true evil of a Xye, so Anti-Wanda offered a suggestion; she gave a thumbs-down and blew a raspberry. Anti-Cosmo stifled laughter. Her behavior was silly and childish, but the smile on her face suggested that it had been her intension to make him laugh, and it worked. "Yes, that's exactly what their actions are."
Anti-Wanda shrugged and kept smiling. "Everyone does stuff they ain't proud of."
"I know, but..." Anti-Cosmo thought it best to leave it at that. Perhaps he'd explained himself enough.
He must have, because Anti-Wanda nodded in understanding. "Yeah. Xye are pretty bad creatures. You must have murdered a lot of people." A shadow of grief darkened her eyes, and her smile seemed forced. "Anti-fairies included."
Clarice was the one who killed Anti-Wanda's mother, but that didn't stop Anti-Cosmo from feeling even worse. "I-I know apologies won't do any good, but-"
"It's okay," Anti-Wanda said gently. "It wasn't your fault. Y'know, my mama used to tell not to dwell on the bad stuff but to focus on the good things in life."
Anti-Cosmo considered what she was saying and smiled. "Sounds like your mother was an intelligent woman."
Anti-Wanda grinned suddenly. "I don't know where I got my stupid from."
They both laughed at that, and Anti-Cosmo, once again, was awe-struck by her. What she lacked in intelligence, she made up for in personality. Her laughter died down, but she kept smiling at him, and he smiled back. Something about her was so comforting. She was a strange anti-fairy, but that's why Anti-Cosmo was so intrigued by her. Moreover, she was aware of her strangeness and seemed to be perfectly comfortable in her own skin. That type of person was hard to find.
His thoughts were interrupted, when Anti-Wanda's full lips parted in a huge yawn. "I'm gettin' sleepy," she said seemingly to herself.
Anti-Cosmo nodded in understanding. "You've had a long day. Why don't you rest?"
Anti-Wanda stretched. "Nah. We can still chat, if you want."
"No, you should get some rest. Besides, I feel a lot better now." And, he did. As vague as he had been, a weight had been removed from his shoulders. Not only that, but there was just something...right about being with her. "Thank you for listening."
Anti-Wanda yawned again and snuggled under her sheets. "Think nothin' of it, Anti-Cosmo. Just tryin' to help."
Anti-Cosmo couldn't wrap his mind around how kind she was. It was rare enough to find a harmless anti-fairy, but her? The only explanation Anti-Cosmo could think of was that her fairy counterpart was incredibly wicked or, at the very least, strict. Perhaps the reason for her kindness didn't matter.
As she drifted off into the nightmare realm - or perhaps dream land, since she didn't strike him as someone who would enjoy nightmares - Anti-Cosmo realised that his heart was beating a little faster than usual. He floated back into his own bed, wondering just when his pulse had increased in speed.
So, Anti-Cosmo's point of view, huh? My original plan was to write another story, meaning this story from his point of view, but I realized that I'd basically be copying my own story. Oh, well. Review!