Ch. 85: Explanations

CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE:
Rachel~
We got home after our trip to the snow and I sighed contentedly as I flopped back onto my bed. It was so nice to go on a trip, but home is where my bed is.
My sister threw her bag on her bed and went back out to the living room, likely to fire up our gaming system. I didn’t even need to get up to know my mom was already unpacking. After a few beats I got up to do the same. While I was putting things back in the bathroom I picked up the bottle of pain medicine I had packed. I hadn’t used any of it on the trip. Oddly, I hadn’t had a single migraine out there. Good news. Maybe that trip really did help me in all kinds of ways.
I tossed my clothing in my laundry hamper to be dealt with tomorrow (most likely), and went to put my book on my nightstand. I’d almost finished it but since it was the last book in the series I was slowing down my pace. It has always been hard for me to let go of a world I’ve gotten so attached to.
After putting my duffle bag back in the closet, I flopped down once more on my bed and closed my eyes. My phone chirped. It was likely Sean and I didn’t want to deal with it right now. He had been messaging me like crazy through my whole trip and yesterday was the last time I had replied. I was keeping things short, one word replies or thumbs up emojis. I couldn’t handle more than that. He was driving me nuts. Everything he messaged me was a question about what I was doing or who I was with. God.
My phone chirps again. Three times in a row. Groaning, I pull my phone out to briefly see four unread messages from Sean. And one from Ally. I opened Ally’s message.
<<From Ally to Rachel>>: Hey lady, hope you’ve made it home safely. I was wondering if you have any time later today or tomorrow to hang out? I’ve had a lot going on and really need to talk with you.
Poor Ally. I’ve been such a crap friend lately. Was she still looking for Kyle? And Kyle, I hadn’t been thinking about him lately. Why? That doesn’t seem like me. I thought back to the last weeks of school and for some reason everything was so… Sean focused. Was I just some girl losing herself in a relationship? I winced and felt a migraine coming.
Oh, man. Not again. I got up to take a pain pill from the jar I had just put away a few minutes ago.
<<From Rachel to Ally>>: Yeah we’re home safe, thanks. And sure, I’d love to. I’m free today and tomorrow, what’s best for you?
<<From Ally to Rachel>>: My mom can give me a ride today - see you in like an hour? Is the park okay?
I agreed with the plan and went to fill my mom in. She was happy to see me reconnecting with Ally.
I headed out about half an hour later. I walked up the staircase on the mountainside, down the hill, and all the way down to Donna’s. I walked inside, lowering my hood which I had needed to pull up during my walk to keep my ears warm. After perusing the aisles I decided on a Skor bar and two hot cocoas, then paid and kept on down to the park. I made it to a bench and put down the cups, using my cup to keep my hands warm. It was definitely not as cold as it had been in Lake Tahoe, but there was still a chilly wind this time of year here.
Ally showed up a couple of minutes later and I waved at her mom when they pulled up. She started walking my way when someone else came around from the side. Red hair blowing in the breeze, I held in my squeal. Kyle!
I was grinning when they walked up, and I immediately opened my arms to give him a hug.
“I’m sorry, I would’ve brought another one if I’d known you were coming,” I said, gesturing to the bench table. “My god, where have you been? Are you alright?”
The pained look on his face gave me pause and he looked at Ally.
“I’m sorry, I’m bombarding you,” I added, feeling like I was pushing him too much. “You can share or not share whatever you like. I’m just so glad to see you.”
“It’s okay. Well - I’ll get into all that later. We have some stuff to talk about before that though…” he said, looking back and forth between the two of us.
Well now I was worried. I don’t know what I expected Ally needed to talk about, but this looked very serious.
“Let’s sit,” Ally suggested.

Kyle~
I breathed out and looked at Ally. She’d known Rachel longer, and it seemed only right to have her lead this conversation.
Ally began with talking about discussions she and Rachel had had in the past about paranormal things and magic. And here we go. I swallowed.
Ally breathed out a soft breath and then said quickly, “It’s real. It’s all real, Rachel.”
We watched her face for any pushback but just saw confusion.
“Kyle and I, we’re… not exactly human,” she said after a moment.
“Uh-,” Rachel said, then looked to the side and exhaled. “I’m sorry? What do you mean?”
Ally motioned to me and I held out my hand to Rachel.
“Do you trust me?” I asked her.
She looked at my hand, at Ally, and then at me. After a few seconds she swallowed and put her hand in mine. I let my power ebb. Just a little. A controlled amount to start with.
She watched my hand intently as it glowed a soft blue hue.
“What is that?” she asked in awe.
I let a little more power move to her, enough to make her sleepy. She wavered a bit, and then I eased it all back and let go.
She watched my arm and noticed my eyes, which must be glowing in a matching tone at this point, until my magic retreated back inside me and the world returned to normal.
“Kyle is a member of the Fae. He’s a special kind of Fae, his abilities are all about sleep and dreams,” Ally explained slowly.
Rachel looked back and forth between the two of us and she shook her head a bit.
“I’m sorry, it’s just - how is this all real?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” I prodded, feeling like there was something more.
“You said it’s all real, right?” she asked in Ally’s direction, before turning to me again. “I think I know that… but I haven’t been able to say it - I don’t even know how.”
Ally reached across the table and squeezed Rachel’s hand. We gave her some time to process.
“What is Vance?” she asked us, eyes darting between us. “Did you know what he was doing?” Her eyes misted.
“I don’t know, Rach. Really. You think he’s not human?” Ally continued to hold her hand.
Rachel looked down at their hands and then continued.
“That whole time when he was stalking me, cornering me. I literally couldn’t fight back. And when I tried to tell someone, anyone, what was going on - I couldn’t. Like my voice, my mouth wouldn’t work. That whole time… I wasn’t in full control of my body,” she pulled back her hand and dropped her face into her palms, letting a few tears slip.
Ally and I glanced at each other, but neither of us seemed to know what being she was describing. It sounded like a vampire with the control stuff, but that couldn’t be right. Vamps made Fae’s hair stand on end.
“I can do something too,” she said, her voice deeper from crying.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
She recounted the attack Vance had made in her garage. How he snuck up on her, attacked her. How she realized it wasn’t all real and forced it to end. How she defeated him.
“Succubus - he called himself a Succubus,” she said slowly as if remembering a bad dream.
I mean it really was a bad dream.
“I think I’ve heard of those,” I said, my mind whirling. “Demons. But they feed on s-”
Ally looked at me with her eyebrow raised but I just looked away.
“Oh god,” Rachel said as what I tried to stop myself from saying clicked.
“I didn’t realize they could manipulate reality like that… it almost sounds like he put you in a dream or nightmare,” I added, trying to refocus.
I looked at Ally but she just looked lost.
“Sorry - I’m racking my brain here,” she said when she noticed we were both watching her. “I’m thinking about what you did, Rach. I mean clearly, that’s not human. So you’ve got to have something going on. It almost sounds like a witch power, but I really don’t know. I’m going to have to consult my grandma…”
Rachel looked confused, knowing Ally’s grandma had passed.
“Oh,” Ally said, noticing. “Her essence, it’s in here,” she pointed to her amulet. “My grandma was a Witch, my mom and I are part witch. Witchlings.”
Rachel just opened her eyes.
“Is that anything like warlocks?” she asked us after a beat.
I was immediately worried. “Rachel, do you know a warlock?”