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I arrived at Thea’s apartment, only to find the door slightly ajar. She better not left it open again while showering.
Carefully, I knocked and waited for a moment, before pushing into her flat. It felt intrusive, but if she was in trouble, I didn’t want to stand in the hall wasting time.
“Hello?” I called, realising I wouldn’t get an answer back.
The wooden floor shrieked under my feet and a dull thud drew my attention to the side. A shadow appeared from behind the couch, one with whiskers and vacant eyes. Bàs.
“Hello, kitty.”
“Hgggggghhh!” he hissed, his eyes flashing white.
“You’re right, I shouldn’t have said that,” I quickly admitted, holding my hands up to sign I meant no harm. “Where’s Thea?”
The massive catzel stared at me, impatiently swatting his tail on the floor. “Meow.”
“Okay, don’t help.” I ventured further into Thea’s house, making sure to push the door in the lock. I didn’t want anyone else coming in behind me.
Now that I was no longer under threat of being attacked by her companion, I could hear the sound of running water. Was she showering with the door open again?
My cheeks heated when I remembered what I saw the last time she came out of her bathroom, wrapped in just a flimsy towel and with her hair cascading down her shoulders. Water dripping down her legs, her peaceful expression before the surprise.
I gulped and quickly turned my back to the bathroom, just in case. I didn’t want her to think I was some weird pervert creeping into her flat so I could catch her half-naked. That was just... wrong.
“Bàs, come sit with me,” I said to the catzel, clicking my fingers to lure him into the sitting area. My usual seat would have me facing the bathroom, so I chose the opposing couch where Thea always sat. I hoped she wouldn’t mind me awkwardly sitting here, but I didn’t want to wait in the hallway. That was just as creepy.
Maybe I shouldn’t have shown up early for our weekly meeting, but there seemed to be a disconnect between what Wind Children and Fae seemed to consider ‘early’. What I thought was perfectly on time, Thea seemed to call early. What I thought was late, she would argue was perfectly on time.
I’d remember that for next week.
The water turned off and there was shuffling behind me. The door sighed as it released the steam and I could hear her bare feet dart over the wooden floor. There were more indistinct noises and ruffling of towels. The sound of her drying herself off and getting dressed was strangely intimate, even though I couldn’t see a thing.
I closed my eyes, which didn’t change anything, but it felt like the right thing to do. This way I gave her the opportunity to decide when she was ready to engage with me. Hopefully, that made up for the fact that I’d intruded on such a private moment.
I waited, even when the couch dipped and I could sense her presence. She didn’t say anything, but that was not unusual. Instead, she seemed to study me for a moment.
A soft hand tapped me on the shoulder and then, and only then, I opened my eyes. The darkness shifted and changed into lighter spots before the world gained focus. Thea had sat down just on the other end of the couch, her wet hair confirming what I already knew.
I smiled at her and waved. “Hey.”
She looked a little amused. “You. Early.”
“I think we have different customs, early is right on time for me,” I explained. “And you need to start locking your doors. I walked right in.”
Thea sighed and gestured to Bàs. “He. Stop.”
“He let me straight in.”
“Bad.” She repeated the gesture to him, articulating her gesture. “Bad.”
Bàs flattened his ears and crawled under the table, his eyes wide with guilt. He wrapped his big tail around himself and meowed softly.
“I’ll just get here a little later next time,” I quickly interjected. I didn’t want Bàs to take the blame for me barging in.
“Good.” She gestured to my bag. “Homework?”
“Yes, I finished my homework,” I replied, realising I should probably be signing. I reached for my bag with one hand while trying to sign with my other hand. It took me an occupied hand to realise I couldn’t form the word work without both, an inconvenience most people probably didn’t talk about.
I finished unpacking my bag and handing her the worksheet before I could sign the word. “Homework.”
“Let’s see.” She studied my answers, her face still rosy from the shower. Her eyes flitted over the paper, her eyelashes dancing like butterflies on her cheeks. “Good.”
“I tried my best, but it’s been an interesting week, I guess.”
“How so?”
“Remember how I told you about Wind Children and being summoned last week?”
“Yes.”
“I’m just really nervous. I haven’t been sleeping well,” I admitted. “I guess I’m just terrified of what Grandmamma is going to say. I know she’s going to disown me, and you know what, I think I’m okay with it. It’s just... It’s still terrifying. She’s a hard woman.”
Thea nodded, a faint smile appearing on her lips. “You want this?”
“I want this?”
“Ready?”
“For what?”
“Sure.”
I groaned. “I don’t understand, go slow.”
She sighed and grabbed hold of one of the notepads from the end table. She scribbled something on the pad and handed it to me together with a second pen.
«Are you sure you’re okay with being disowned?»
I stared at her question, the pen hovered above the paper hesitantly. «I think so.»
She took the notebook back and wrote under my answer. «What are you planning on doing next?»
“Well, I’ll still be on track of becoming a Valkyrie, so I’ll have that. Plus...” I gestured around me. “This. At least, I’d like to.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” I stared at her, hoping she didn’t think it was ridiculous. “I was thinking, maybe this could be the start of better Valkyrie-Banshee negotiations.”
Her smile grew wider. “That. Good.”
“Yes? You think it’s a good idea?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
That affirmation flamed the fire in my belly. I didn’t often get encouraged for my ideas, but if Thea approved, maybe that meant I’d found something worthwhile.
“Once I’m no longer the Heir, I’ll have so much more time on my hands. I think it would be cool if we—”
I stopped talking as I noticed her eyes glazing over. Was I boring her?
No, she didn’t look right. Something was happening.
“Thea?”
She rose from the couch, her face all of a sudden expressionless and hollow. She walked past me to the window, not even acknowledging my question or presence. Bàs crawled from under the table, his ears and eyes zoned in on her. He joined her in the light, his tail tightly curled around her ankles. The sun played with their shadows, blurring the lines of where the world ended and they started.
The two stood there for a moment, frozen in time.
A strange feeling tugged on my heart but before I could explore it, Thea turned back around. Her face was still emotionless as she stared past me, into the nothingness. Black smoke emitted from her nose and through her lips, forming dark clouds that hung over her like thunder. Her eyes rolled back into her skull, only to come out completely darkened too.
She stood there for just a moment in terrifying grace until she opened her mouth for the first time and then, she screamed.