Letting Go

I drift back to consciousness slowly, hearing lowered voices.

"They all knew better than to call. You've been so distant since you got out. Mom still cries when we talk about you in front of her. She thinks she's lost her little boy. Everyone misses you."

"I still come home every once in awhile."

"We miss the old you. It's like your body comes home, but your mind is somewhere else. Before you got caught up in all that crap, you smiled every once in awhile. I can't remember the last time I saw you happy. Except when you were with Prasia-"

"I don't want to talk about that right now."

"I really am sorry, Glen."

"Just... it's over. Forget about it. I have something bigger to worry about now."

I shift, trying to get comfortable again and go back to sleep, but a hand shakes me. "Saige? Wake up, we're almost home."

Wait. Home? My eyes open, and I put a hand up to shade them from the intense sunlight. What in the world? Where am I?

I sit up too fast, and shriek, almost falling off the... carriage? Glen's arm snakes around my waist, and he pulls me against him. "Relax. Look around."

Blinking, I obey, and my body goes cold. I must be dreaming. I am dreaming. There's no way on the world that there would be purple clouds anywhere. I laugh sharply.

"What's so funny?" Guy asks.

"My dreams usually aren't this whimsical," I giggle. "This is definitely new."

I watch he and Glen exchange a long look, but quickly turn my attention to the scenery.

Bright green grass that all seems to be one length blurs as we speed past, along with flashes of colors that I assume are flowers. The road we travel on is made of smooth, shiny golden-looking pebbles, from what I can tell. The air is light and sweet-smelling, and I stuck in deep mouthful of it happily.

I feel a very deep connection with this place... like I've been here before. But of course I haven't been here before. It's just a dream.

A pinch makes me jump, and I rub my side, glaring at Glen. "What was that for!"

"If this was a dream, that wouldn't have hurt, now would it?"

Frowning, I look around again. Then I look him over. He looks the same, down to... the blood stain on his jeans from when he wiped it off his stomach.

"Oh my gosh," I breathe, my blood freezing as I go still. "Where are we?"

"This is where you were born," Guy informs me carefully, his voice overly soft. "We aren't on Earth anymore. This is Tulca."

My mind goes on overload, and I finally just sink down in my seat, bending over and putting my forehead on my knees. I pull up the hood of my jacket, tucking in all my hair.

"Saige..."

I don't answer. I'm never going to speak again. If I hadn't tried to save Glen at the carnival, I'd still be at home, happily hiding from the world. He would've been fine, since he heals like an "alien" should. This is all my fault.

As soon as possible, I'm ditching them all and jumping off a cliff.

It seems like hours have passed when the carriage draws to a stop, and I hear shuffling as they get out. A hand touches my back.

"Come on, Saige. We're home."

No... you're home.

But I lift my head, observing the scenery now. We're in a long, unpaved driveway that leads up to an enormous house. The mansion is butter yellow, with black accents. It looks very inviting, and very expensive. The yard is even more impressive, bright and well tended, and covered in fruit trees.

I push my hood back and look down at my clothes. My black ensemble looks very out of place for such a beautiful place, and I look back down the driveway way, wishing I could leave.

Glen tugs on the end of my sweater gently, looking up at me. I look back at him in misery, silent.

He sighs, and takes my hand, pulling me down from the carriage. For the first time, I see the stress and nerves in his eyes. He's not any happier about going in there than I am.

"It'll be fine. We'll be fine. Okay?" It sounds like he's saying this as much for his benefit as for mine, so I do my best to look strong. For him. He reaches down to touch my face, his eyes softening for a moment, before he pulls back and they go blank again. "Come on."

I follow him up the driveway and into the house. It's warm inside, and I breathe out in relief as I continue to follow Glen, keeping a safe distance behind him. At one point, he turns to see if I'm still here, and I keep my eyes on the ground.

We walk through several hallways, until we reach a big brown door. The sound of a very large group of people comes from behind it, and my heart jumpstarts in fear. Glen stops, taking a few breaths. He's just as scared as me. And this is his family. His shoulders square suddenly, he pushes the door open, and we walk in.

All the voices go quiet almost at once, everyone turned towards us. Or really, towards him. There are people of every age, old to infant, everywhere. It's overwhelming, but nice to see. A small group parts towards the left of the room, and a middle-aged woman walks through, a man behind her.

The woman is a little taller than me, with light lavender hair and eyes, with a kind and hopefully expression on her face. There's such wisdom in her eyes, I'm startled. She doesn't seem like a normal middle aged woman. She doesn't seem younger than me. But... she must be. No one is as old as me... right?

"Glen? It's been so long since you've visited. We've all missed you, honey."

Her eyes fill, and she reaches up with a hand to touch his cheek. I expect her to hug him, as I can tell she wants to, but she pulls away, as if she can't do any more than that. As if she knows he won't let her.

Before she can say anything else, the man behind her speaks up.

"Who's the pretty little lass behind you, son? It's very rude not to introduce her." His accent, distinctly sccotish, surprises me.

Glen turns to me, and clears his throat. "Well... this is Saige."

"She doesn't seem to be from around here," the woman says, observing me. "Who is she to you, Glen? A... a friend?"

Glen's face colors slightly. He looks very attractive when he blushes. He has a hard time looking at anyone, so he stares at the floor. "Not exactly, mother..." he mutters, sounding dead.

"Well spit it out, son. Who is the lass? And what is she? She can't be Namai, she's too small. I've never seen anything like her. Not since..." He squinting at me, his deep, black eyes seeming to cut through to my very soul. "Not since the calm war of '34 when the Sirens went awry. Those disgusting things were all over the place, influencing people left and right. They were so small, and bendable-could fit just about anywhere. They'd catch you when you'd least expect it."

Now he steps towards me, his eyes focused on mine, gleaming with suspicion. "Do ya' speak, lass?"

Nervous, I look to Glen, not intending to speak in the least. He looks wary, and on guard as he inches towards me smoothly. "No, she tries to avoid talking if she can. Saige is... different, father. You'll be amazed at what she's been through. How she's been living."

He stands in front of me now, facing his father directly. The bigger man's eyes narrow now.

"I didn't ask you any of that. What are you hiding, lad? What is the young lass? Do you even know?"

"I do. But I want you to keep calm until everything is explained."

"You're naught to tell me this girl is a Siren, lad. I promised your mother I would never kill in this house, but so help me if you've brought one of those demons on this property, that promise doesn't apply anymore."

Glen leans slightly forward, in an attack position. "I won't let you hurt her. Yes, Saige is a Euphora Siren, father."

There's exactly thirty seconds of silence, before war breaks out. His father lunges at me, Glen lunges back at him, and they engage in a fight. My arms are grabbed from behind, and jerked up until I'm surprised my shoulders aren't dislocated. Punches and kicks are thrown at me. But still I keep my mouth shut, even when my hair is yanked upwards, and a blade presses against my throat. There's yelling from all sides as people curse at me and call me the most vicious names I've ever heard, and then more shouts from those telling the angry ones to stop. Glen and his father are still engaged in battle, but it's ever more evident that his father has even more training than he.

Finally, Glen breaks away from him, and rolls to his feet to scream at his family.

"HAVE ANY OF YOU BARBARIANS NOTICED THAT SHE HASN'T SAID ONE SINGLE WORD IN HER DEFENSE? SHE HASN'T EVEN SCREAMED! LET MY MATE GO OR I SWEAR TO ALL THATS HOLY I WILL SLAUGHTER EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU THAT LAID A FINGER ON HER!"

Everything goes silent again, and I'm dropped suddenly. My head hits the floor with a loud crack, and I only now do I scream, my hands gripping my skull.

Hands are instantly over mine, and I whimper, jerking away instinctively, and my hands move instantly to protect my face. But then I hear the only voice that I need to hear, close to me as he touches the back of my head with careful hands while trying to move my hands from my face.

"Saige? Saige, look at me. It's going to be okay, but you have to look at me so I know you're not too hurt."

I don't even have time to dwell on what he just said, as another wave of pain rolls through my head. "I can't," I hiss through my teeth.

"Why not?"

"Because then i'll cry, and I don't cry," I whimper. He's quiet for a half second before speaking again.

"If this room is not empty in five seconds, you'll wish a rouge Siren was here to put you under anesthesia before I kill you because it will be painful. Go."

I hear a flurry of footsteps lasting not even two seconds before it's quiet once again. The unbearable pain in my head has dulled somewhat, but it still feels awful. Glen tries to detached my hands from my face again, and this time I let him, but I won't open my eyes.

I hear his sharp intake of breath, and my skin aches where he runs his fingers over different places on my body. I feel him lift the hem of my sweater and feel for broken ribs as gently as possible, and I hiss, trying to hold in the sob at the back of my throat. He pauses.

"Nothing is broken," I manage. "Just bruised. I should know-i've had lots of broken bones. I'll be okay."

"I would believe that a lot easier if you would open your eyes and look at me."

Forcing most of the wetness back, I open my eyes, finding myself staring into his tie-dyed ones. A few drops of moisture escape anyway, and he wipes them away. I can feel him relax. I look away, embarrassed.

"It's okay to cry. You deserve to, after all of this. I understand."

I shake my head a fraction to not disturb my skull. "No one understands," I say quietly. "I didn't want to live through all this. I didn't ask to be a freak and live for two hundred and thirty years when some people I knew didn't make it past fifteen. Even eighty years don't compare. All you children think you understand everything but you don't. No one ever will."

Glen moves some hair out of my face, and the purple in his eyes darkens a little. "There's something you should know. I should have told you before now... "-he takes a breath, running a finger over a long, dark scar on the left side of his neck. I've seen him do it a few times before. It must be a nervous or stressed movement for him. "Guy and I are two hundred and seventy two years old."

My thoughts disappear as I try to determine whether he's joking. But he's not finished.

"My mother is five hundred and sixty two, my father is five-hundred and eighty-four. My grandmother is nine-hundred and two, and my grandfather is the same age, plus three months." He shrugs. "True, the children on earth don't understand. But we aren't on Earth anymore and we do know how you feel. You aren't alone anymore. You never were."

Tears are starting to collect in my ears, and I attempt to sit up. He puts a hand on the back of my head and helps me. Once up, I put a hand on either side of his face and look all over his features.

"You're how old?" I ask in amazement.

"Two hundred and seventy two. Forty two years older than you, Saige."

My heart swells with joy, and I pull him to me, hugging him as tightly as possible.
I'm not alone! I'm not the oldest anymore! I might just have a chance to be normal.

Glen is stiff, but when he sees I'm not letting go, he puts his arms around me. He rubs the spot on my head for a little while, and the pain recedes to a dull throb. When I can think straight again, I pull back.

"Did you call me your soul mate?"

His face closes off. "No."

"Yes you did. I heard you-"

"You hit your head extremely hard, Saige."

Irritated, I break away from his hold fully. "I know what I heard, and I want you to start giving me some answers. I was just attacked for no reason, an I think I deserve to know exactly what's going on. Why do you hide from everyone? You have a family that loves you, but your mother knows that she can't even hug you. Your mother, Glen. Do you know how lucky you are? Do you love her?"

His eyes have gone hard again. "That's none of your business, Saige. I suggest you focus on your own problems."

I open my mouth to object, but his glare stops me. Unexpected fear hits me hard, and I close my mouth again, swallowing.

It's not safe here.

Quickly, I leap to my feet, ignoring my injuries, and bolt for the door. My hand is around the knob when an arm wraps around my middle, holding me back.

"Let me go," I cry, fighting even as my whole body protests in horrible pain.

Glen holds me still with effort, leaning down to speak in my ear.

"Saige you're going to hurt yourself. Please calm down, I won't hurt you."

"Right. Your whole family wants me dead, and you were furious when you found out I was a "siren". That's why you hate me. So just let me leave, so you can go on with your life!"

He sighs, pulling me away from the door gently. "Saige, you wouldn't last two days here on your own."

At this, I stop fighting him. The deepest sense of sadness takes over me. No one wants me...

His answer wasn't that no, he doesn't hate me, or anything comforting like that. No, his argument was that I won't last long by myself on this planet. Meaning that he'd let me leave if he thought I'd be fine.

"Saige, that's not what I meant," he breathes, and I stiffen. Did he hear what I was thinking?

"Yes. And that isn't what I meant. I wouldn't let you go even if you could survive."

I turn in his arms, glaring at him. "You're lying. You hated me since you first laid eyes on me. Why won't you let me go to not survive? Why are you even pretending to care?"

He looks ready to run for the hills himself at this question. But I grab hold of his shirt with both hands. "I will not give up until I get an answer. I'm not going to let you push me around, or scare me. You won't hurt me. I don't know why, but I know that. Now answer me."

His eyes flash white for a second, startling me. His hands close around my wrists, removing them from his shirt.

"Look, I don't know if you've really realized this, but we are not on earth anymore. There are rules that we follow here. You will not make demands of any man. Especially your mate."

Mate? "I knew that's what you said! What are you talking about?"

Rigid, he glares at me. "Our races are similar. I am Namai, you are Euphora. Rarely, two sets our genes are so compatible, it's almost like the two individuals were made specifically for one another. When we first saw each other, our bodies recognized the other as our perfect match, and pretty much tried to force us together. That's why you felt the burning that night."

I feel cold. "How did you stop it?" Do I even want to know the answer?

He looks down at his hands. "The males of both our species obtain the ability to form a bond with females when we reach puberty. That's what your body wanted. To be joined to me. So...I did."

He shakes his head slowly, still not looking at me. "That's why I can't let you go. Once bonded, the two can't be separated. We have to be together for life. We're practically married. I care about you and want you safe without conscious effort. That doesn't mean I have to actually like you. I was supposed to be alone forever. If I hadn't agreed to go your stupid planet with Guy, this wouldn't have happened!"

He turns suddenly and kicks a chair. The chair flies into the wall, breaking into a million wooden pieces. "So yes... I guess I hate you for it. But at the same time"-he turns to me, looking frustrated and confused-"I can't get you out of my head."

With that, he shakes his head as I to clear it, and his eyes go back to their normal state of blankness. "Do you think you can wait here while I go talk to my family?"

Not wanting to be anywhere near them again, I nod, and he walks to the door. He looks backstage me before he's all the way through. "Don't unlock it for anyone but me or Guy, understand? No one."

"Okay."

"I'll be back as soon as I clear some things up."

"Glen?"

He stops again, looking back. I twist my hands together, an look at the ground.

"Don't... don't hurt anyone. And... be careful," I whisper, hoping he can't hear the nerves in my voice.

When I don't hear anything, I look up to see that he's waiting for me to meet his eyes. He nods. "I will."

Then he's gone, and I'm left to myself. I look around for somewhere to sit, and spot the tiny fragments of the chair he threw, almost a powder now on the hardwood flooring. I go over and push it all into a pile, before dusting my hands off and going to curl up in the window seat. Practically married?

Why do these things always happen to me...