The Dark Trials I - Ch. 02

Chapter 2

They all stood in the office as Sam inspected the handprint, his brows furrowed.

"It looks like it belongs to a wraith," he finally said.

"A wraith?" Valerie asked.

Sam nodded. "It's a dark fae. You said you don't feel any pain from it, so I'm guessing it's from the Night Court."

"How can you tell?"

"If it was from the Autumn court, you'd feel dizzy. If it was from the Winter court, it would feel like ice. But darkness would feel like nothing... at least until you feel more of your energy draining out of you."

He let go of her arm and left, telling them he'll be back with the antidote. Valerie watched him go, shuddering when she looked at her arm again. She turned back to John.

"So that means faeries are involved? But why faeries and why did they take that girl?"

John stayed silent for a moment.

"I can't really tell you much, but she's half-fae herself," he said.

Valerie stared back at him. "Why didn't you just tell me what she was?"

"This is a strictly need to know mission, Valerie," John sighed. "Besides, what she is wouldn't have interfered with what you needed to do."

Valerie wasn't so sure about that, especially now, but said nothing. They waited until Sam came back, giving her a vial of orange liquid. Valerie took it, opening the cap and sniffing.

"... What is it?"

"Just orange juice mixed with crushed lilies. Drink up."

Valerie cast a suspicious glance at him, but he laughed.

"Come on, I wouldn't lie to you about this."

Grimacing, she tipped back the contents, drinking it in one go. Almost instantly, she felt energy rushing back into her and shuddered again. She'd barely noticed it had been seeping out. Looking down at her arm, she saw that the handprint had vanished.

"Better?" Sam asked and Valerie nodded back as she handed the empty vial to him.

"Now then, tell us everything you saw," John ordered.

Valerie told them everything, even showing them the notes she'd taken along with drawings of what she'd seen.

"Is this stick figurine meant to be the girl we're looking for? Why isn't she curled up?"

Valerie rolled her eyes at Sam, earning another laugh in turn. A flicker of a smile showed on John's face before he went back to looking serious.

"Do you remember anything else?" John asked.

"No... that's all I remember."

"Right. Now that we have a lead, we need you to try again. Don't worry," he said, seeing her worried expression. "You will not be going in alone. Bryce will give you a tonic that would stop your visions until she can be there to guide you through them and protect you from the wraith."

Valerie swallowed but nodded. Despite their secrets, she could trust this plan at least.

"Dismissed."

Sam turned to walk out, Valerie following. At the door, she turned back to John.

"Will you at least tell me her name?"

John hesitated, his fingers tapping on his desk. "Her name's Sooyoung. That's all I can tell you."

That gut feeling smarted again, rooting her to the floor. There were things she desperately wanted to know.

"Come on, Val. We've got work to do," Sam said quietly. Sighing internally, she followed him out.

Back at the front desk, she stared around at the normalcy of everything. All the people who'd never know what she'd just faced mere hours earlier. She forced herself to act normal all over again, as if she really didn't belong to a whole secret organisation working behind the scenes of this small clinic.

"Oh, thank God you're back!" the older receptionist, Edith, chirped up as Valerie sat down in her chair. "It's been so busy without our star receptionist here!"

Valerie laughed along with the other young receptionist, Sandra. But inside, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It wasn't her fault that both of them worked as slow as snails. Whenever it was just Wendy and herself, or even herself alone, she managed just fine. But being stuck with Sandra and Edith was a whole other nightmare.

Taking a breath, she settled back into the old, struggling pace between the two of them, working to hold onto her sanity until her shift ended. At the very least, it distracted her from everything that had happened this morning.

***

"Hi Ma!"

"Hi sis!" came the greetings from her brother and sister instead. Her sister, Violet, appeared in the main room. Her brother, Vince, remained holed up in his room as usual.

"You know we're here too, right?" Violet laughed.

Valerie smiled back, shaking her head. "Where's mum?"

"In the garden, where else? Anyway, I made pasta for dinner. Go get some."

"Okay."

She made her way to the kitchen as her sister left to go back into her room. As she dished up some of the food, she stared outside at her mother. She was standing in the garden, watering the grass and flowers. Valerie put down the bowl of pasta and went to join her.

"Hi," her mum greeted, smiling. "Did you eat yet?"

"I just got home, ma," Valerie said. Walking over to the jasmine bushes, she touched a few of them, feeling herself relax as their smell floated towards her. As if they were reaching back.

"And I guess you're going to stick yourself in your room right after," she stated tiredly.

Valerie sighed and walked back to her mum, a bit of guilt seeping in. Was it really her fault that she liked to unwind in the quiet of her room after work? But she had to play the part of disgruntled daughter right now.

"Ma..." she groaned. "Come on, I need peace and quiet after work."

"Hmph."

Neither of them said anything else after that. Hating herself, Valerie walked back inside, forcing the pasta down as she thought about everything. Sam had told her Bryce will meet with her at a secluded cabin in a couple of days, the plan being that she'd tell her family she was going on a three day trip with her. At the very least, her mother knew Bryce even if they hadn't spoken much. Then again, the thought of possibly facing the wraith one more time had her stomach sinking.

So looking forward to that, Valerie thought drily.

Her sleep was thankfully dreamless that night, though she did miss her rendezvous with her mystery man.

***

"Alright," Bryce said, her purple hair braided back. "Now you can drink this."

She handed a vial of yellow liquid to Valerie. Valerie held it up to eye level.

"Let me guess. Lemonade with some kind of plant and nothing else."

Bryce smiled sweetly. "You need to be more trusting, ya know. These really are what we say they are. It was meant to just be crushed lilies you have to eat up to counteract the wraith, but we just made it a little easier to swallow."

"... Right."

After drinking it, Valerie lay on the bed, Bryce sitting just by her head.

"Okay, close your eyes. I'm going to guide you through the visions now."

Valeries glanced all around the darkened room. It was daytime outside, but the curtains were closed, casting everything in shadow. No candles or incense. It would just be her lying here, listening to Bryce's voice. Swallowing again, she forced her eyes to shut.

Bryce began speaking, voice soft and low. She told her to imagine herself back in that room. Valerie tried to but kept faltering, her mind simply refusing to go back to that dark, frightening place. After several moments, she gave up and sighed. Sitting up, she looked back at Bryce.

"I can't," she said. "I just can't do it."

"I'll be right there with you, Val," Bryce said. "You'll be warded by both the tonic and my magic."

"But what if all that fails?" Valerie asked. She knew it was irrational, but she couldn't help the fear that coursed through her.

Bryce took hold of her hands. "If - and only if - it does fail, I'll pull you right back. Trust me. Besides, we need to do this for Sooyoung. Need to get her away from that creature."

Valerie took a sharp breath. Sooyoung. The girl who was suffering through God knew what right at this moment. Bryce was right. They needed to do this.

She lay back down and closed her eyes, determination chasing away her fears. Bryce began speaking again. The dark dungeon reappeared and Valerie slowly looked about her. There she was. Sooyoung, lying down on the cold floor, her breathing shallow. Valerie thought she looked more bloodied than before. She scanned the rest of what she could see. No sign of... whatever that wraith was supposed to look like. No other creature in the room, really. Still, Valerie didn't let her guard down.

And she was right not to.

The creature appeared - a white skinned, bony looking thing with long, white hair and sharp blue eyes. It walked through the door it had opened, sniffing the air. Valerie jumped back as it swiped its long fingers through the space right next to her, as if it had tried grabbing her again. Even if it hadn't made contact, Valerie's heart raced. In the next second, her eyes snapped open, looking up at Bryce.

Bryce looked back down, worry flickering on her face. "That thing..."

"What is it?"

Bryce stared back, then shook her head and chanted again. Valerie sensed the ward around her thickening.

"Don't worry. That thing feels stronger than any other wraith, but I just made the ward more powerful. You should be okay now."

Valerie wasn't too sure about that, but the image of Sooyoung pulled her back. Again, she closed her eyes. The wraith still stood there, looking around the room, but didn't seem to sense her this time. Valerie watched for a few seconds before it finally left.

***

Bit by bit, over the course of those two days, they finally managed to gather enough clues. The lake that the cabin stood by. The woods behind it. Valerie travelled further, finding a highway nearby. All the way to a town that stood about a fifteen minute drive away. That was all they needed.

After relaying everything to John, Dr Noora and Sam, the organisation finally made its move.

***

Valerie stood by Bryce outside the cabin, chewing her lip anxiously. Moments later, there they were. The poor, bloodied girl being led out by Sam, who had his arm around her shoulders. And then, the wraith following behind, chained but grinning. He spotted her and grinned wider. Valerie shivered at the sight.

"Pft, all that posturing for nothing," Kim said, her arms crossed. "Dark faeries, I swear to God..."

"You're not bothered by this?" Valerie asked, bewildered.

"Of course it bothers me. But it doesn't scare me anymore."

Valerie turned back just as the wraith was tossed into the rear of a van with very tinted windows, still grinning at her. She didn't think she'd ever get used to this. Following Bryce, she went to a different car with John driving. Sooyoung sat next to her in the back, wrapping a blanket around herself. She didn't speak for the entire ride back to their official HQ, but Valerie couldn't blame her.

***

"Here," Dr Noora said gently. She handed a warm, steaming cup of tea to Sooyoung.

The girl was in deep thought but jolted at the sound of Dr Noora's voice. A moment later, she took the cup and thanked the doctor, daintily taking a sip. They gave her a few more moments. Valerie watched the still dazed girl who avoided looking at any of them. She'd wanted to be here, and Dr Noora had allowed it. Next to her, Bryce remained uncharacteristically silent.

"Sooyoung, I know you've been through a lot," Dr Noora said. "But we need you to tell us what happened. It's very important. Please let us know everything right from the start of all this."

At first, Sooyoung only continued to sip her tea. None of them spoke while they waited. Finally, she looked up at Dr Noora.

"I was... in the Summer Court when I heard rumours of something happening in the Night Court. How supposedly their Queen was up to something, but no one knew what," she started, then took another sip of her tea. She clutched it tightly in both hands as she continued. "I didn't think much of it. Those dark fae are always up to nothing good, aren't they. But then, I came back to the human realm. I went camping, then while I was hiking through those woods, I found something strange by a tree and dug it up. It was some kind of tablet with glowing runes on it. It was like it spoke to me. Told me to hide it, get it far away from that place. So, I packed everything and ran. When I showed it to a friend, he panicked and told me to reach out to your organisation. And to be the one to travel by boat. He wouldn't tell me why, but I trusted him. Turns out, that was a big mistake. He was actually the wraith that kidnapped me. Was just playing with me."

Sooyoung's hands shook, her eyes filling with tears. She clutched the cup even tighter.

"It wasn't long before the other dark fae found me. Laughed as they sank the entire boat and made me watch while all those innocent people died. Then, that thing took me, and the others got away with the tablet. I-it showed me my friend's body... did t-things to me right next to-"

She stopped speaking abruptly. Shocked silence followed. Valerie's eyes had blurred with tears that streamed down her face. She made no move to wipe them. Bryce looked furious and disgusted. Dr Noora reached out slowly, patting Sooyoung's shoulder. When she didn't flinch away, the doctor rubbed her back slowly. She took the cup from the girl's hands and put it down on the table.

A moment later, Sooyoung hugged the doctor, sobbing loudly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so stupid-"

"No. Don't blame yourself for any of this. None of this is your fault," Dr Noora said, her hand running over Sooyoung's hair.

Valerie swallowed, watching the scene as she finally wiped her tears away. A soft knock sounded at the door, then John stepped inside, followed by Sam. Bryce turned to them, grimacing.

"How'd you go with that thing," she said, voice thick with disgust.

"Not far. It... killed itself before we could get anything useful out of it."

"What?!" Valerie whispered. All this... for nothing. But the other four agents only looked grim.

Dr Noora sighed, still holding Sooyoung in her arms.

"We need to get Sooyoung somewhere safe for now. Until we can be sure no one else is going to come after her. Bryce, can she stay with you?"

"Definitely," Bryce answered. She smiled warmly. "My house is warded against those things. You'll be safe."

Still shaken, Sooyoung nodded mutely and straightened. With a last glance at Dr Noora, she followed Bryce out of the room.

"What happens now, though?" Valerie asked.

Dr Noora answered. "We track down the others. Our other agents have already swept the cabin and found energy traces we can use. You, Valerie, will not be needed for this part. Dismissed."

Valerie merely stood there, frowning. She didn't know what it was, but something didn't feel right.

"Yes?" Dr Noora asked, snapping her out of it.

"It's just... something feels out of place..."

"Out of place how?" Sam asked.

"... I don't know."

The other three shared a look. John rubbed the top of his head.

"Well, as usual, come to us if you do see or find something."

Valerie wanted to say more, but she just didn't know what. There was something just at the edge of her mind that she couldn't quite grasp. Putting that thought away for now, she merely nodded and left.

***

"Ma... I'm home..." Valerie called out. Going to her room, she placed her suitcase next to her door and looked around. So impossibly mundane, given what had happened in the last two days.

When she went out to the kitchen, she found her mum at the sink, washing dishes. Her mum glanced at her, smiling.

"How was your trip?"

"... Fine."

"Just fine?"

"I mean, it was... pretty good. I'm just tired. Gonna eat dinner and go to sleep."

"Hmph."

Her mum looked away. Guilt gnawing at her all over again, Valerie sighed and went to check on her siblings. Right where she'd left them - in their rooms. She joined her mother on the couch, the both of them eating dinner silently as they watched a movie. Afterwards, Valerie went to bed.

She stared up at the ceiling, wondering about her life now. Sooyoung's face, crying and apologising for everything that wasn't her fault. Valerie wondered if she had any family or friends looking for her, or if she'd ever see them again. Wondered if she was close to any of them, despite what she was. Half-fae beings were known to mostly be outcasts in society, both fae and human alike.

She thought about her own family. All the things she'd never be able to tell them. The growing distance between all of them. A hollowness yawned wide inside her and tears stung her eyes. Will it be like this for the rest of their lives? All over again, she thought about the people they'd known. The ones who'd distanced themselves after dad's death, quietly walking out of their lives as if only her dad had mattered.

***

That night, she re-appeared on that beach. It was nighttime, but no moon in sight. Only darkness, though she could still make out the lines of the usual palm trees around them. Warmth seeped into her as she felt him hug her from behind.

"I missed you," he whispered. All she could do was lean back into him.