Dim evening sunlight peered through the glassless windows and scattered across the floor of the gray wooden shack in lazy rays. The golden light glazed over the old splintered wooden benches and rusted metal tools, carelessly strewn about, coating the entire room in a muted golden sheen. A young woman sat just beyond the rays in the shadow, her hands working quickly with pieces of twine before her.
A grunt echoed from a large man sitting against the wall adjacent to her.
"That's not how ye throw a net you goon," a reel of rope came flying at the young woman's head, which she artfully dodged her eyes fixed on the net she had spent an hour straightening and carefully knotting, "Yer never gonna learn girl." The smile was easily heard in the man's voice, his yellowed teeth peaking from behind a broad mustache and unkept beard.
The young woman clicked her tongue in response, her nimble fingers pulling and weaving the rope of the net with expertise, she had to get this finished as quickly as possible. "Is there anything else you'd like to add before you leave Adder?" She called from her kneeled position, her silken hair tied in a tight braid that she absentmindedly adjusted and tossed over a shoulder.
A snort.
"That'll be it for the day." The large man lifted himself from his seated position, the wet squelch of his boots echoing in the room as he stood, "though I'd suggest yer workin too hard and should git home to check on that sister of yers, but yer foolish head'll never listen to a wise old man."
This time a snort from the woman.
"Duly noted." A dismissal. Adder shook his head, rolling his large shoulders beneath his faded grey parka.
"Ye know the ole boss isn't gonna care if ya leave before the sun goes down," the man stated, his burly arms crossing over his chest, "I've been here nearly thirty years and he hasn't fired me."
"Miraculously," The girl replied nonchalantly, her fingers tying up the last of the knots in the net, keep it even, keep it tight-"and unfortunately some of us can't afford to lose the job. There." Tying the final knot the young woman held up the net to Adder, showing off her handy work.
"Well?" She questioned, her large violet eyes raising and glancing towards the tall old man almost expectantly. Adder had been the one to teach her how to tie a net, he had also been the person to tell her when she was screwing up one.
"Perfect as always Miss Celeste," Adder replied with a chuckle, his broad mouth breaking out into a smile, "though if ya don't mind me saying you'd be better suited for a bride with that pretty face of yers."
Celeste scowled and rolled her eyes before narrowing them towards the man, "Does your idiocy know no bounds?"
A chuckle.
"Guess not," Adder watched as Celeste rolled up the net with expert hands and stuffed it into a burlap satchel filled with countless other nets, "just figured a pretty young woman such as yerself might want to eventually leave this hell hole of a fisherman's life."
"Are you offering me a proposition?" Celeste quipped a small smile tugging at the edge of her lips, her equally soaked boots squishing as she strode across the shed burlap sack in hand, the smell of fish and the sea an onslaught against her nose. The golden rays of the sun had dissipated from the room leaving the old shack feeling hollow.
"Mother above no," Adder said with a breathy laugh, "Ye know how mad Martha'd be? I'd be dead before the idea even left my head."
Celeste chuckled in response as she shoved the satchel of nets onto the top shelf of an old rickety cabinet. Running the sleeve of her shirt across her forehead she wiped away the damp condensation from the humid room. Hopping down from her perch she used to reach the high shelf she began rummaging through another bin, one filled with tackle and line. She only had one more net she had to finish before she could be on her way for the evening.
"Your wife is a fool for not disposing of you," Celeste replied as she dug around in the bin, her voice slightly muffled from inside the container, "She could find herself a nice young merchant man. Easier on the eyes and exponentially easier on the nose."
A cackle escaped Adder's lips as he shook head in agreement. "You're mighty correct about that one."
"Of course I'm right." Straightening from the bin Celeste pulled out several long pieces of twine, she inspected their length and strength, "Speaking of your lovely wife," Celeste drew, making her way back to her position in the corner of the shack twine in hand, "shouldn't you be headed home? You've been stalling leaving for the last hour and a half."
Adder looked sheepish at that and turned to face the window, the wood around it swollen and warped from years of exposure to the humidity. "Well I was hopin ye'd get out of here at a decent hour there isn't much sunlight left to work by…." Adder's voice trailed off his crinkled eyes focused on the distance. Turning he faced Celeste once more, "How's that momma of yer's doing?"
Celeste's hands paused briefly at the question catching her off guard. Swallowing hard she slowly she went back to work. "She's…..still here." Her voice was strained as she answered, her posture going ridged. Why would Adder want to talk about this of all things?
"Martha said she saw ye and Miss Anelisse headed to the apothecary few nights ago," Adder ran an idle hand through his grey beard, "lady drives a mighty hard bargain since she's the closest thing we've got to a healer for a hundred miles."
"She needed the medicine," Celeste murmured, her voice having gone soft, "what choice do we have but to the pay the price."
"You've got none," Adder replied, watching the girl work with soft eyes, her hands moving slower this time, "that lady doesn't deserve either of ye girls."
"Mind your business," Celeste replied sharply as she quickly readjusted her braid again her eyes shooting daggers at the old man, "we do what we have to do." His hands rose in surrender.
Walking towards Celeste Adder looked down at the young woman as she worked, her thin bony frame evident beneath the tattered white shirt and black pants she wore, her spine peeking through. How long had it been since she'd eaten adequately? Everyone at the fisherman's reef took home fish in the evening, enough to feed two people if you stretched it but not three and Adder knew full well who got most of that food.
"Yer gonna turn into dust one of these days if ye don't put some meat on those bones," rummaging in his pocket Adder pulled out a small leather satchel, "here ya goon, a present from me'n Martha."
Celeste looked up confusion on her face as she took in the kind old man she worked with dangling a leather satchel above her head.
"What's that?" Celeste asked suspiciously as the old man shoved the satchel into her hands and folded them around it.
"A gift."
Uncertainty filled Celeste as she carefully opened up the pouch and felt her jaw slacken, "Adder," she said almost breathlessly, "I will not—"
"Yes, ye will," Adder said, shoving the satchel back at the young woman, "You and yer kind are barely hanging on and yer the only one floating yer bunch. Take it and don't argue girl, you wouldn't wanna piss off Martha."
Resilience flashed across Celeste's eyes, she knew how desperately they needed the money but to take it from Adder-"But your trip to the main land-"
"Can wait," Adder replied, "It won't take long to rebuild it up again, Martha will get to see her fields of flowers." It was decided. Celeste felt her shoulders slacken, even for all of her hard work it never seemed to be enough. She hated handouts and favors.
"Don't go lookin so sad ye goon," Adder said, his hand patting the young woman on the head, "The ole boss man doesn't pay ye near what he pays the rest of us. Ye work harder than the lot of us combined. So take that there and go get yerself some food and new boots," A glance towards the old worn leather boots, too small and fraying at the edges, "and for the life of ye don't tell that momma of yers."
"Thank you, Adder," Celeste bowed her head in thanks before pocketing the money, with that she'd be able to get Anelisse a new pair of boots as well, "Someday I will pay you back every copper you and Martha have given us."
"I know girl," Adder smiled at the girl before stretching his arms above his head, "but until then take care of yerself," Adder finally turned to exit the old shack, his accented voice calling back to her "You want me to walk you home?"
"No," Celeste replied, her hands having dropped the twine, she could finish the net in the morning, "I can manage myself. Thank you."
Another snort. "Stubborn girl," Adder pulled at the old wooden door, its hinges creaking and groaning, as he tugged it free from its swollen frame, "make sure ye stop by some time and see Martha, she's been askin about you-also girl, yer ears are showin." With that Adder stepped out onto the pier that the shack sat on and disappeared into the noisy array of gulls.
Celeste lifted a finger to find that her delicately pointed ears were indeed poking out of her carefully braided hair. Cursing she readjusted her braid once more, mindfully concealing the heritage she fought daily to conceal from the wary fisherman.
It had been that way for the last thirteen years carefully hiding what she so clearly was.
Not that it did her much good.
Straightening her frame she rubbed at her sore spine, she'd been kneeling nearly all day working on the nets. The waters had been too rough that morning to go out and catch so they'd been holed up in the wretched shack waiting on the cursed storm to stop raging. They'd been having to go out farther and farther to be able to find fish, so on stormy days like this it wasn't feasible to leave the dock lest risking the entire crew.
Hanging up her hooking tools Celeste scooped up her old worn pack and grabbed the two meager pieces of bread and small chunk of cheese one of the other fishermen had left from his lunch saying it was nothing but gull food. Celeste felt that familiar cramping hollowness in her stomach; for her, it was to be dinner.
Shoving open the old wooden door Adder had disappeared through Celeste was met with the salty scent of the ocean, the powerful stormy breeze dancing across its surface billowing her hair. Turning she pulled the old warped door shut.
Some good this lock does, Celeste mused as she clamped the old rusted thing shut, it's pin barely holding it together. She turned and faced the ocean, the grey sky painted in storm clouds and the sound of thunder clashing in the distance, strange for the season.
Making her way up the pier she began the long trek back to the other shack she had come to know as home. The home that had become her own when she'd washed up on the shores of this desolate coastal town, Vanica, all those years ago lost, injured and confused. Everyone had adamantly avoided her, her fae heritage evident with her ears, an ominous sign in a village full of isolated humans.
She'd be fortunate that Anidre, a former Child of the Blessed, had found her and taken her in, agreed to raise her alongside her own child, otherwise she knew she'd have been left for dead.
Walking down the old cobblestone road, Celeste kept her eyes forward watching the local children scuttle home for the evening, their voices echoing with laughter in the streets. A pang strummed through her chest that she ignored as a bright-eyed girl ran up to her and waved her greeting. Marrien, Celeste remembered as the girl quickly shot past her giggling and a young boy, James, came chasing after her laughing. Siblings.
Celeste smiled and waved slightly at the two, knowing full well their mother would be angry if they dallied and stopped to talk to the local fae resident. It'd happened before, and Celeste had no desire to see the children punished like that again.
The main street of the town was lined with old wooden buildings whose once vibrant paint was chipping and faded from the relentless sun and the strong winds of the ocean beating against it. She watched as the shop keepers closed for the evening, some sending her small smiles but most just glaring, making small signals with their hands to ward against her.
She bowed her head respectively towards those acknowledging and mindfully ignored the rest.
It was well known that many humans still weren't fond of the fae, especially in small secluded towns were few ever came and even fewer left.
Making her way past the main street she hiked mindlessly into the rural area of the island, the buildings fading into foliage, and thought of the things she would finally be able to buy with the money Adder had given her. Anelisse needed a new dress and boots, wearing ones that were clearly too small for her adult frame.
She also thought of the small paint set sitting in the window of the quaint art shop, something that Anelisse had been eyeballing for the better part of the last few months. Paints were something that Anelisse hadn't had the luxury of having in years, ever since the money had ran out and they'd been left in total poverty.
To say they were poor was an understatement. Anidre's husband had died a few years before Celeste had shown up on the island and had left Anidre, a dreamer with a vague mind, to raise a little girl on her own and with no means to provide for her other than the small savings that had been left for her in her husband's passing.
When she had taken Celeste in there had barely been enough food to go around and the savings was dwindling. When the money and food finally ran out Celeste decided to take it upon herself to help, so she learned to fish. At first her catches were few and far between but then Adder saw her one day trying to cast a line and decided to help her, coming out in the evenings to show her the tricks of the trade.
Before long she had found herself working at the fisherman's quarters gutting fish for coppers a day thanks to a certain old man's insistence. When she'd gotten older and they realized how strong she was, and how fast she could move and tie knots she was finally permitted to join the rest of the men on the ocean front fishing, for the same pay she'd always had.
A few measly coppers a day.
It was better than nothing and beat out scraping the guts out of fish before they were sent to the market.
Surmounting the hill, she soon found herself in front of her home, smoke billowingly lazily from the chimney and the soft feminine humming echoing from inside.
Anelisse.
Celeste reach forward and opened the door with intentional loudness alerting her younger sister inside. Her preternatural silence had always been unnerving to Anelisse so she had learned to make a point of letting her sister know where she was.
Stepping inside she was met with sight of the said beautiful blonde sitting in front of the fire, her hands working quickly as she repaired one of the old shredded curtains, her long fingers moving swiftly and smoothly.
"Welcome home," Anelisse called sweetly, her beautiful heart shaped face lifting to face Celeste, silvery eyes glinting in the fire and thin pink lips spreading into a relieved smile, "I'm glad to see you're okay, I was worried about you on the ocean with this weather."
"We didn't go out," Celeste replied, her voice a softer alto compared to Anelisse's sweet soprano, "the water was too treacherous with storm raging on the coast, I made nets all day."
Anelisse stood, setting her sewing aside and straightened her old ragged dress as she rose from the old rocking chair.
"Come sit, I will get you some water," Anelisse quickly scuttled for the makeshift kitchen, ignoring Celeste's pleas to sit down. Celeste watched as her sister fetched one of the broken porcelain cups from the kitchen, humming all the while, her lithe feet seemingly dancing across the dirt floors.
Celeste shook her head and kneeled next to the fire, shoving her cold hands near the flames absorbing the heat that she could from it.
"Here," Anelisse offered the cup to her sister upon her return, "You should drink." Anelisse plopped down next to Celeste and propped her head in her hands watching her sister.
Celeste drank the cool water quickly, not realizing her thirst until the water hit her parched throat. Setting the old porcelain cup aside she pulled her pack from her back and began rummaging around for the bread and cheese. Pulling the bread out she watched her sister's eyes light up as she handed the larger chunk over to her.
"Thank you," Anelisse said as she took the bread, carefully concealing her obvious hunger, "No fish for today I assume?"
"No," Celeste said looking towards the side, guilt wrenching her gut, the fish had moved away from the coast in recent years and it was no longer possible to go out and just cast a line any longer, "we should have some tomorrow."
"It's okay," Anelisse reassured as she bit into the bread, eating slowly, "how was your day?" This was the routine, Celeste would return from the fisherman's wharf to be greeted by her sister and asked about how her day was, prodding for any details she could get and trying to make light of even the most mundane tasks.
On good nights Anidre would join them sitting in the old rocking chair listening as her children prattled on.
"Droll," Celeste replied, valiantly ignoring the piece of bread and cheese still sitting in her pack as her stomach turned over on itself, "How is she?"
Anelisse stopped her chewing briefly before swallowing, "She hasn't woken much today, it's only been murmuring. I was able to give her some fish broth left from yesterday but otherwise nothing." Anelisse looked sadly towards the dirt floor, "I do not know what to do."
Celeste offered a hand out towards her sister, a sign of comfort and understanding. Anelisse took the outstretched hand and held it tightly, her other hand shoving bread into her mouth.
"You should eat," Anelisse said from behind a mouthful of bread, "Momma won't be eating that tonight and you need it more." She looked guilty at the remaining bread in her hand, Celeste squeezed her hand diverting her attention.
"Don't you start feeling guilty," Celeste said nodding her head towards the bread, "eat." Anelisse slowly nodded.
Anelisse had always come first, that was the unspoken rule Celeste had set for herself, Anelisse then Anidre and if any remained she would take it. Rummaging in the pack Celeste handed the cheese to Anelisse before rising from her seated position.
"Where are you going?" Anelisse asked watching Celeste move towards the small separate room at the back with sad eyes, the answer self-evident.
"To check on Anidre."
Opening the door on silent hinges Celeste walked into the dusty room, the same old wooden decorations nailed carefully into the wall, a room that had once been the sanctuary of a very happy family. A small broken bed sat in the center of the room, it's brass frame curved in the shape of vines and rusted. It was occupied by a small unmoving lump.
Walking towards the center of the room Celeste lowered herself gently onto the small mattress, the old soil colored quilt wrapped tightly around the small lump of a woman.
With gentle hands Celeste pushed the peppered hair away from the woman's sweat drenched, fever clearly racking her body.
"Semour?" The woman called hoarsely, her glazed eyes darting back and forth, searching, "Love is that you?" Celeste took Anidre's hand and squeezed gently, her heart aching as she watched the woman who had shown her kindness call out for her lost love.
"No Anidre," Celeste replied, rubbing soothing circles on her hand, something that had been done for her once long ago when she was unwell, "it's just me. It's just Celeste." The woman's clouded amber eyes cleared momentarily as she took in the young woman sitting with her.
"Celeste." Anidre said with a smile, her wrinkled hand coming up to cup Celeste's face, the warm hand pressing against her cold cheek, the same hand that had held her fevered face that night all those years ago when she'd been brought back to this house soaking wet and barely alive.
The same night she had thrown away all ties to the fae realm and swore she would never return, no matter the cost.
"My beautiful fae child, my gift from the Mother for my diligence to the fae lords," Celeste felt herself cringe internally as she watched Anidre's mind real back to her once ridiculous worship of the high fae, high monsters is more like it she thought ruefully to herself, "do you hear the music? The immortal fae ringing," A soft, breathless giggle from the woman "how blessed I was to have gotten you my child."
"Yes Anidre I'm here," She rested her hand over Anidre's, "Are you thirsty? Hungry?" She felt her stomach tie in a knot but forced it down willing it to cease its complaining, "what can I do?"
The woman paused staring blankly off into the distance before she leaned her head back against the pillow, her eyes suddenly glazing again, "Semour? Love?"
"No Anidre," Celeste whispered, "it is still just me." The woman's hand slackened.
Celeste gently pulled Anidre's hand from her face and laid it across the woman's stomach who had abruptly fallen back into a deep sleep.
This illness, seemingly unknown to anyone, had taken Anidre in its clutches nearly a year ago and her condition had only declined, worsening with each passing day and no tonic or herb had seemed able to break the clutches of the strange sickness.
Tucking the covers around Anidre once more Celeste stood from the bed and crept silently back into the main room, the sun now having fully set and the fire the only light in the room.
"Well?" Anelisse questioned, her eyes watching the fire, "anything?"
"She spoke of your father," Celeste replied, noting that her sister had eaten only half of the chunk of cheese she had given her, "then fell back to sleep." Anelisse nodded her head gravely, tucking her knees up under her chest and staring blankly into the fire.
Lowering herself back onto the floor Celeste pulled the bread from her bag and began eating it, the cramping in her stomach easing. Anelisse quietly handed the other half of the cheese to Celeste before curling herself next to her adopted sister.
"You're going with me to the market tomorrow," Celeste said as she stared into the fire eating her bread slowly, the wind tearing at the broken shutters, "we're going to buy you some new boots and that set of paints you've been eyeballing."
She felt Anelisse shift, her silver eyes focusing on her, "what do you mean?" Her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Adder and Martha gave me money," Celeste said quietly, her eyes trailing towards the satchel of silver and copper hidden carefully in her bag, "He refused to take it back so we best make use of it while we have it."
"Truly?" Anelisse said, her eyes unexpectedly sparkling for once, "you mean there's enough to get paint?" Celeste nodded her head, she knew the money should be saved but for Anelisse she'd be willing to risk spending the few extra coppers, she needed the happiness, now more than ever.
Celeste could hear the smile in Anelisse's voice as she spoke to herself, "I'm going to get to paint tomorrow," Nuzzling down Anelisse once against propped herself against her sisters side, "You've always taken such good care of Momma and I, I do not know what we would have done without you Celeste."
Celeste felt a pang rattle through her chest at those words. She opened her mouth to refute the claim of her sister but noticed Anelisse had already slipped into a deep slumber, her long fingers curled into Celeste's shirt.
That night Celeste dreamt of beautiful paintings and of a beautiful woman with golden hair.