The Change

[Change, when it comes, cracks everything open. - Dorothy Allison]

She woke up to the sound of her own breathing. As her eyes adjusted to the bright, almost blinding, blackness that surrounded her, she knew everything had changed. The nothingness she felt inside was all consuming, her emotions in turmoil, while she fought for control of her heart, trying to slow the racing inside her chest. Thump, thump, thump, it continued.

Brushing back the thick mound of mahogany hair that had fallen into her face, she strained her eyes to see into the darkness, but no shapes or forms were clear, not a single point of light existed. Just blackness. She’d never felt more alone.

Her mind flickered back and forth over the events of the past few days but couldn’t seem to focus on any one thing; one point which signified this change which had come on so suddenly. Her mother had died. Her father had disappeared. She’d lost all contact with her remaining relatives.

Suddenly, there was a clamour of sound from somewhere in the house and she knew that the time for change had come; she just didn’t know what that change would be. Yanking back the covers, she threw herself from the bed, stumbling slightly as she caught herself crookedly on the hard wood floor.

She lurched for the door handle and violently slammed the door open, continuing into the dimly lit hall.

The sound of a loud crash from down the stairs had her running full speed for the staircase and almost rolling on her way down. It seemed that grace would continue to elude her on this day. She reached the landing, having jumped down the last three stairs, and found herself in the centre of yet another hallway. Only a few steps from the living room: the source of all the sound.

The closer she came, the more distinct the sounds became and in between the occasional jolting sound of something shattering, she could have sworn she heard voices. And at only two steps away, where she hid in the shadow of the doorway, she knew that’s what they were. Voices crisscrossed, fighting for dominance in what appeared to be some sort of argument. There seemed to be one man and two women.

“You cannot just leave him here and expect –”

“Oh yes I can! He’s my son and I’ll do what I –”

“Now just wait a minute, Ordena. He’s my son too and I –”

Their banter was broken by the entrance of a fourth party, one whose voice held a kind of boredom that existed from having heard the others argue endlessly for a very long time.

“As fun as it is to hear you all go at each other’s throats like this…like always” he added, with a slight undertone. “I thought you might want to know that there’s someone listening to you all at the door.”

A sudden hush overcame the room and Acacia couldn’t help but sense that all the attention of the unwelcome guests in her home, was now drawn to where she hid.

The silence was such that she swore the sound of a pin dropping would have seemed like a clap of thunder.

“Come out, my dear, we mean you no harm,” The first woman, the quieter one, spoke. Her voice was low and tranquil, it settled deep into Acacia’s bones and a sense of serenity settled over her.

“Hush, Avani! You’re putting these ridiculous notions in her head! Perhaps now she even believes we’d consider such a thing!” The other woman who she assumed was the one they called Ordena, scolded, her tone reprimanding and her voice more high and trilling than the previous one. It grated on Acacia’s nerves.

Despite these claims, she had no intention of leaving the dark corner where she hid. They would have to drag her out themselves. Though she herself scoffed internally at the idea, her petite 5’3’’ frame wouldn’t pose a serious challenge to anyone. She’d never been one to put up a fight anyway, never needed to.

“Will the both of you please desist?!” The last of the arguing group chimed in, the male this time. “There are easier ways to do this,” the volume of his voice lowered considerably on these last words. Another sound followed, one that sounded suspiciously like the click of a human’s fingers and suddenly Acacia no longer had any control of her body. Her feet slid out from underneath her and, there was no other way to describe it, dragged her into the room where the intruders now stood.

They regarded her with varying degrees of interest.

“Honestly Aedàn,” Ordena sighed, her voice retaining its high pitch. “Was that completely necessary? Look at her, she’s scared half to death.” She shook her head remorsefully. Acacia stood glued to the spot, sure her eyes were the size of dinner plates at what she’d just experienced. Had he just clicked his fingers and she’d been forced into the room?!

“I’m sorry, Ordena, but sometimes such things must be done. If I hadn’t done them, we wouldn’t be in the company of…I’m sorry what’s your name, sweetheart?” he looked at her expectantly.

“A – Acacia,” she stammered, feeling her knees weaken.

“Acacia!” Ordena exclaimed joyously, clapping her hands together. “What a bea-u-ti-ful name!” She dragged the word out, making each syllable distinct. “It sounds slightly like mine, doesn’t it? Oh how exciting!” She clapped again, if possible, her voice seemed even higher-pitched now that Acacia stood closer.

Acacia could feel the expression on her own face as it changed. Was this woman imbalanced? It certainly did seem like the case. The others must have noticed the alteration of her features as well.

“Yes, dear, she is always like this,” the other woman – Avani – spoke up again, her composure unruffled, like she’d seen and become accustomed to many years of Ordena’s enthusiasm.

She used this new proximity to glance around at the trio. The two women were polar opposites. Ordena was short, almost as short as Acacia was, and stout, with dark skin and clear green eyes; the kind of green that was untainted by blue or brown, but pure. Her face appeared in a constant state of happiness, with laugh lines around her eyes and dimples when she smiled.

Avani, on the other hand, was as tall and thin as Ordena was short and stout. Her willowy figure seemed to go on forever and her face held the quiet grace of her voice and a timeless kind of beauty. Her only unusual and undoubtedly extravagant feature was her fiery red hair that stood in stark contrast with her pale skin and deep brown eyes. Her face held no lines. Acacia received the impression that she didn’t laugh often.

The man stood between them, his face slightly more troubled than that of the women, as he regarded her. She felt exposed at the scrutiny she was receiving, and she had no idea why he would stare at her so obviously. His probing gaze made her feel underdressed in her pyjama pants and tank top.

Looking again, she could tell that he was obviously related to Avani. They shared the same skin tone and tall figure. However, while she was graceful, he was lanky. His hair was a blonde-straw-like colour and cut short. His eyes were a deep chocolate brown, very similar to his sister’s, and set in a face full of sharp angles and planes. If she hadn’t been paying such close attention to his face, she never would have seen his lips move as he murmured a few words to the women around him.

“This is going to cause a bigger problem than I’d anticipated.” She’d also never have known what he’d said unless she’d spent countless days sitting in the back of a classroom full of loud and inconsiderate students who didn’t care at all about whether or not they were disturbing the students who actually wanted to learn. Her lip-reading abilities were very well developed as a result.

She needn’t have worried about what he meant, because apparently his sister was lost in the same confusion.

“Why’s that, Aedàn?” She asked, her eyes flickering between Acacia and her brother.

“The problem won’t be for us…as much, but more for Fiero,” he replied, attempting to keep his voice down. “And if it does cause a problem for him…ultimately it may be a problem for us too.” Acacia understood nothing of what was going on. What would cause a problem for who?

“You’re making no sense, brother…what would cause a problem for Fiero?” Acacia was able to pick up on the impatience leaking into Avani’s voice, and her brother must have noticed too because he dropped any pretences and answered her more clearly, just not clearly enough for Acacia to understand.

“LOOK at her, Avani. Do you not realise how that could pose a problem? We don’t want him distracted from the ultimate goal and with her looking like she does…I can’t help but worry…”

Avani’s brow furrowed as she glanced at Acacia again but she clearly saw none of the cause for concern her brother did. “Oh honestly, I don’t think that will be a problem. Look at your son,” she gestured towards the fifth figure in the room, the one whose existence Acacia had forgotten. “Does he look like he’s at all enthusiastic about this plan? I think it’ll be difficult enough to get him to cooperate, let alone break the rules!”

Aedàn seemed to consider this for a moment, glancing at his son once and then nodding, apparently satisfied with his sister’s words.

This reminder that there was, in fact, a fifth person in the room, drew her attention to who was clearly the youngest member of the group, the boy that stood with them, and presumably the one who pointed out her existence in the first place.

His dark, almost black eyes regarded her calmly. He looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. It unnerved her.

“This is our son, Fiero,” a mother’s affection leaked into Ordena’s voice as she gestured proudly towards him.

“So?” Acacia questioned, disdain creeping into her tone at some unmet expectation which even she couldn’t comprehend.

Fiero’s eyes flashed briefly with an emotion she couldn’t place, before resuming their original state.

“So?” Fiero’s mother had obviously picked up on the discontent colouring her tone and her own voice rose in pitch to levels Acacia was unaware existed in the natural realm. “So you had better get used to seeing him around, and start acting civil towards him since he will be staying with you!”

Acacia’s mind blanked out momentarily before Ordena’s words really sunk in and the word burst from her mouth unexpectedly: “What?!”

“That’s right,” the words came from Aedàn this time as he watched her reaction. It didn’t take much to figure out that she was not pleased by this turn of events.

“What do you mean staying with me?!” The volume of her voice increased with every word till she was nearly shouting. “What gives you the right to decide? And who are you anyway? You come barging into my house in the middle of the night and now you think you have the right to tell me that your son is staying with me? No,” she shook slightly with exhaustion, the lack of sleep creeping up on her. “No I don’t think so.”

Each reacted differently to her outburst, Avani’s eyebrows had risen to high they almost disappeared into her hairline. Ordena stood with her mouth wide open, gaping, while Aedàn merely watched with an almost smug look on his face. Fiero appeared indifferent.

Aedàn was again, the one to speak. “I’m afraid there has been a misunderstanding of sorts, Acacia. I apologise for springing this on you but since you seem in the dark, so to speak, allow me to fill you in. You see, your father and I agreed to this arrangement a few months prior to your birth. Admittedly I would have assumed he would inform you but it appears that my old friend forgot to pass on this vital information before his…disappearance.” To most people it would have meant nothing, but in that short pause, Acacia knew that this man knew more about her fathers’ disappearance after the death of her mother, than he was letting on. Before she could question him further about this, she needed a few more things cleared up:

“You agreed to what, exactly? Why is your son going to live here?”

“Why, for you to find him a partner of course!” Ordena chimed in, as if this should have been the most obvious thing in the world. Acacia felt her own jaw drop open as if unhinged from her face.

“You…what?!” she sputtered, words didn’t seem to be able to form coherently. They were lost somewhere on the way from her brain to her mouth.

“It’s your duty, dear, as a hybrid, to take on the role of Eros.” The name Aedàn uttered meant nothing in her head.

“Cupid, or Kāmadeva, depending on your beliefs. Matchmaker, Intermediary. I’m sure these words mean something to you,” Acacia could see the three of them growing frustrated, but she still failed to see what she had to do with any of this.

“Why me? What do you mean, a hybrid?”

“Simply, that your father is a supernatural, one of us, and your mother is a mortal, a human. It is your duty as a hybrid to take on this responsibility and help one supernatural find happiness. Now, normally the hybrid and the supernatural would be chosen at random, but since your father and I have been friends for such a long time, we decided to, shall we say, tweak the rules a little.” He appeared to be mighty pleased with himself over what he believed was an ingenious plot. She was not so convinced.

“What is a supernatural anyway? My father never did anything like what you did earlier, click his fingers and summon things to his side,” Acacia couldn’t help the skepticism leaking into her voice. She’d always been cynical and it was simply too much to ask her, or anyone for that matter, to believe this so easily.

“A supernatural is bound by law to not reveal himself to his offspring should the offspring be a hybrid. It was wrong, against our laws, for your father to marry your mother in the first place. Their union was not condoned by our council because it was not arranged by a hybrid but by their own will. That is why your mother died at such a young age and your father, though he knew the day would come because of his actions, was unprepared. That is why we need you to help our son so he does not fall into the same desperate situation your father did. You must be the one to arrange his union with a human.” By the time Aedàn finished speaking, Acacia’s head was spinning. Too much. It was all too much. Her father wasn’t…human? Her mother died because he married her when some supernatural council didn’t allow it? It was all too overwhelming.

“Aedàn perhaps you should give her a moment to digest all this information. It’s such a late hour and she appears to be exhausted.” Avani finally spoke up after seeing the slight shake in Acacia’s knees and the distressed expression on her face. The girl was a mess.

“Yes, maybe you’re right, why don’t you sit down for a moment?” Aedàn took a step towards Acacia as if to place a hand on her arm but Acacia couldn’t help but flinch away. Nonetheless, the idea of sitting was much to appealing to pass up, so she placed on foot in front of the other, mechanically walking for the couch before collapsing in a heap. She couldn’t seem to keep her composure.

“Are you sure she isn’t going into shock?” Ordena whispered.

“No, she’ll be fine. Just give her a moment.”

And, surprisingly, she was. The torment didn’t entirely leave her eyes, but she was regaining control, accepting the truth and the unavoidable fact that there was nothing she could do to change it now.

“Now that you’re settled, perhaps you’d reconsider the prospect. Should you help our son, you will be helping a future hybrid avoid the fate you have yourself experienced,” Aedàn offered, keeping his distance from her. He knew this would be a tempting opportunity for her, and her unwillingness would most probably help her power act that much faster. He didn’t want them spending more time than necessary together. He could see the spark for the flame before it was lit. No, he couldn’t risk his son and Acacia spending too much time together. “Are we agreed?” He asked, stretching his hand forward carefully, gauging her reaction.

The determination was unhidden in her eyes. She knew what she had to do, no matter how much she despised the prospect, there didn’t appear to be much of a choice for her in the matter.

Timidly, she reached her hand forth and felt it become enclosed in Aedàn’s much larger one. The deal was sealed.

And, as mysteriously as they had appeared, the three supernaturals disappeared to leave nothing in their wake, as if they’d never been there at all. All that remained was the boy who she’d never even looked at properly till this moment.

She flickered another glance at the boy and was struck at the number of unmistakable similarities between him and his father. From the unremarkable straw-coloured hair that obscured his eyes down the sharp planes of his face that led to a tall and lanky frame. There was certainly nothing unusual about this boy…except perhaps his eyes. Acacia found her own eyes drawn back up towards them unwillingly. They sat in his face like two black holes and again, they were staring into hers completely carelessly. She found she couldn’t look into them for long, but that was fine. She didn’t want to anyway. Or that’s what she told herself at the time.

Looking away she saw the piece of paper which fluttered as if caught by a breeze, to the floor. On it were only ten words:

The one rule of the Eros: Thou shalt not befriend thy charge.

Acacia scoffed once at the notion before scrunching the paper tightly in her fist and dumping it in the bin on her way back to her room, sure that when she woke up in the morning she’d realise this was all nothing but a bad dream and she would never have to see that infernal Fiero or his crazy family ever again.