See Me

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

UNFORTUNATELY, THE TALES ABOUT Fae dancing all night were truth. They didn’t leave until dawn, which meant I couldn’t run off to console Cassidy when she left the party. As McKale and I finally headed to his, I mean our room, I peeked in at Cass but she was already asleep.

I’d awoken the next morning with a start in McKale’s arms, sunlight seeping through the drapes of cloth. Trying not to wake him, I slipped my dress back on and quietly left the room. But when I got to my old hut Cassidy wasn’t there. I ran around the nearly empty village. It had to be close to noon, but most of the Leprechauns were still sleeping after being danced to exhaustion the night before.

Panic began to rise as I burst back into my new room and found McKale sitting on the edge of the bed rubbing his eyes. He looked up at me blearily.

“I can’t find Cass.”

Without a word he dressed and we both ran. No need to discuss where. We headed to Clour land.

We were both breathing hard as we splashed through the shallow part of the stream, my dress getting soaked at the bottom despite my efforts to hold it up. Finally, at the edge of Clour land we found her. She must have heard our loud approach, but she didn’t turn to look at us. She leaned against a tree, one arm around it, watching as Rock, Blackie, and the blond twins gathered sticks and twigs at the other edge of the forest.

“I’ve been debating whether or not to say goodbye,” Cassidy said to the air.

I came up to her side and put a hand on her shoulder. For once, she wasn’t even crying. I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind and rested my chin on her shoulder. She rested her hands on mine and turned her face enough for us to press our cheeks together. I had to shut my eyes against a wave of emotion.

I had no words—no method of taking this pain from her.

A shout from the Clour boys made us look again. Blackie and the twins were playing around, but Rock wasn’t joining. He tossed his sticks onto the pile and sat on a log, staring out at the trees.

The poor guy looked… depressed.

McKale stepped up next to us, his eyebrows drawn together as he watched his friend from afar.

“He’s not forgotten ye, Cass. Perhaps he does no’ have the exact memories, but look at ‘im. His soul remembers. He knows he’s lost somethin’.”

Cassidy sniffled, and her tears came now. McKale drew back as if he’d said something wrong, and I rubbed his arm to tell him he did okay. Then I held Cass tighter.

“Sweetie,” I said. I needed to be real with her. “We can introduce you to him again. You can have your goodbye, but it’s not going to be easy when you remember and he doesn’t. It might make it hurt even worse.”

“I know.” She wiped her eyes and sucked in a breath. “I spent all night thinking about it. I don’t think I can handle him not remembering. I know I have to go back home and finish school. I know I have to go to college or start working with Mom and Dad next year. I keep telling myself Ronan is just another ex-boyfriend who I’ll eventually stop thinking about.”

But he was so much more than that.

I heard her swallow. “It’ll be okay, right, Sissy?”

“Yeah, chickadee. It’ll be all right in time.” Inside I was cringing. I knew Cass, and I knew she would be hurting for a long time. She had many bygone boyfriends, but she hadn’t loved any of them. Only Rock. Only the boy who wouldn’t remember.

“Come on,” I whispered. I moved to her side and took her hand. She let me lead her away.

“I’ll be ‘round in a bit,” McKale said. I gave him a grateful nod as he turned to seek out his Clour friend.

“Wait!” Cassidy said. Her eyes were wide. “I have to try. I have to see. Just this once.”

Her eyes pleaded with me, and I nodded. I would not stop her. “Just… be careful what you say. He might be feeling confused and I don’t want you to accidentally make things worse for him.”

She agreed, and the three of us walked through the trees.

Blackie noticed us first. “Oy! Lads, we have guests!” He ran a hand through his hair and grinned at us as the rest of the Clour rushed out of the rundown cottage.

Cass’s hand was cutting off the circulation to my fingers. Rock was slowly standing. Looking between the three of us. We greeted the Clour boys, who weren’t nearly as boisterous as usual. Like McKale and I, they kept glancing furtively between Cassidy and Rock.

Rock stepped up, pale.

“Feeling ill, mate?” McKale asked him with concern.

“Aye. ‘Tis a strange feeling about. Bad magic or somethin’. Can ye feel it?”

“Aye,” McKale whispered. “I can.”

Rock shook his head, then looked straight up at Cassidy. All movement stopped as they locked eyes. And then Rock turned to McKale and said, “Have ye been hiding the lasses from us? Afraid the ole Clour charm will steal ‘em away?” This was asked half-heartedly, and even the chuckles from the other Clour were weak.

Cassidy slumped and my heart sank.

“’Tis been a busy summer,” McKale told him. “This is Cassidy Mason. Cass… this is Rock.”

“Hi,” she said softly.

The look on Rock’s face as he watched her was pitiful, like his mind was frantically trying to grasp at something right out of reach. His entire summer had been spent with Cass—that was a lot of memory to take. As grateful as I was to the Summer King, I was also angry that he addled the mind of a young man in such a dangerous way.

Rock pressed two fingers to his temple and closed his eyes. “Me head…”

“You should have a lie down, mate,” McKale said, reaching out to steady him. Rock nodded and hung his head, heading indoors.

“It makes it worse for him to see me,” Cass said with sad realization.

“Should we try to remind ‘im?” Blackie asked. “A bit at a time—”

“No.” Cass’s voice was strong. “I’m afraid it’ll strain his mind. I need to just… stay away.”

We looked around at each other, at a loss, awkwardness and discomfort spreading. Cass turned from us and rushed away, tearing into the trees. I would have chased her, but I was sure she needed some time to herself. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“We still have three more weeks before my family goes home,” I said. “This is going to be hard.”

They all nodded. It was strange and wrong to see the Clour forlorn.

“Take care of him, ‘kay?” I said to the guys.

Again they nodded, and McKale escorted me away, back to Leprechaun land.

Three weeks passed in a dizzying mix of joyful love with McKale, and sorrowful silence with Cassidy. She had changed—matured overnight. Not once did she try to see Rock after that day on Clour land. She woke early every morning to help with chores, spent afternoons devouring classics from her AP summer reading list, and went to bed early each night. I actually missed the carefree, spontaneous, giggling girl who’d come to Ireland with me.

On another note of drastic change, Mom and Dad had spent the last three weeks on Clour land helping the boys till the land for a late summer garden, fixing up the cottage, and teaching them to do basic things to better care for themselves and their home. Dad had even talked Brogan into allowing the Clour to begin helping with Shoe House responsibilities again once they were gone. He said the boys needed more responsibilities to feel like men. They were young when the Fae had cursed their clan. The older generations of Clour who’d caused all the problems were now gone. Dad wanted these boys to have a second chance to be better than their ancestors.

On my family’s last morning I sat behind Cassidy french-braiding her wet hair while she finished reading Pride and Prejudice. My stomach had been hurting for days at the thought of them leaving. I loved McKale and would follow him anywhere, but I was going to miss my family like crazy. Especially my sister—my best friend.

Cass closed the book with a sigh just as I snapped the rubber band into place.

Someone knocked quietly on the door before pushing it open. Mom and Dad stood there, dressed for the day. Cassidy and I stood.

“Listen,” Dad said. “We need to go into town to return the tech stuff and van and get our rental car back. We’d also like to get some things for Robyn—necessities to hold her over here for a while.”

I nodded at that. There were several things I wanted to stock up on.

“And, um…” Dad swallowed and Mom slid his arm through his, encouragingly. “We were thinking of inviting McKale and Ronan to come along. But only if that’s okay with you.” They looked at Cass.

Her face stayed neutral, but I saw her chest rise and fall faster. “Okay.”

An hour later Cassidy and I were holding hands and turning the corner around the back of the village. Our hands were sweating, but we didn’t let go. The front of the white van came into view and then we stopped in our tracks. McKale and Rock stood there, waiting for us, looking so cute with anticipation. They both looked clean, with haircuts and shaven faces.

McKale’s face lit up when he saw me, filling me with familiar, welcome tingles and forcing a smile to my lips.

Next to him Rock gave a rueful grin to Cassidy. “There ye are again. I was beginnin’ to think ye were only a figment of me imagination and dreams, I was.”

Cass gave a nervous laugh and blushed. “No, I’m real.”

Rock grinned at McKale, then at my sister and I. “So, we’re goin’ on an adventure today, aye? One last day to try and win the heart o’ me best mate’s sister. I’d best take advantage.”

Though his words were playful, there was something almost cautious about his demeanor, as if he still felt strange in her presence although he was clearly drawn to her.

Cass crossed her arms and pursed her lips to hold back a smile. “I should warn you that I’m kind of hard to win over.”

I covered my mouth to hide a snort and McKale came to my side, nudging me with his shoulder and giving a chuckle.

“Is that right?” Rock asked, sidling closer to her. “Well, I’ll take that as a challenge, Cassie-lassie. We’ll see if yer no’ in love with me by the end of this outing.” He winked and pulled away, causing Cass to blanch and flush. I bit my lip.

Dad ambled up carrying a speaker and the guys rushed to help him.

I watched Cass stare at Rock and thought to myself that she was way ahead of him. I think Rock’s heart was way ahead of his mind, as well. For once I didn’t want to tell my sister to be careful. I wanted her to enjoy this day and this boy.

One at a time, Dad, McKale, and Rock carried equipment to put in the van, and each of them gave us a wink in passing. Cassidy and I broke into laughter and it was so good to hear her humor that my eyes watered.

“Come on,” I said, pulling her arm. “Let’s grab some stuff.”

Our steps were lighter than they’d been in over a month as we jogged to the equipment pile and took armfuls of “human magic.”

I looked at the technology that’d saved us, and my sister walking in front of me, and the guys joking with Dad at the van. I marveled at how things worked themselves out.

Mom had walked up to see us off, kissing us goodbye. She would stay behind to pack. All around us Leprechaun people were filing out and holding hands, watching us in gratitude. My heart overflowed.

Cassidy stood next to the van with Mom, smiling. So pretty. McKale passed me, going back for the last bit of gear. I jumped and squealed as he pinched my butt and laughed under his breath. Some of the Leprechauns giggled at this show and I shook my head, blushing.

Yes, the Fae were stronger. They could force us to work for them. Force us to bind with strangers. They could alter our minds and take our memories. But they couldn’t take away our will to live or our choice to love. We would endure, and then we would die, but our hearts would be full along the way. I pitied the Fae with all their power and beauty and their lack of love.

I wouldn’t trade places with FFG for anything—nay, not even for all the pots of gold in the world.