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Chapter 30: Thanksgiving Disaster
Fear and Anger
Ian was still silent and still holding the money his father had handed him as we pulled into the driveway to our house and got him out of the car. We got inside and I headed with Ian to my room and laid him down on my bed and threw a blanket over him.
"Try and rest" I said to him wanting to go downstairs and talk to my dad but I heard a soft voice say
"Stay"
I turned and sat on the side of the bed Ian was laying on and I wrapped one arm around his shoulder. He was shaking terribly... then the tears started and through the blanket I was wrapped in the sounds of desperate sobs. My heart was breaking for him all over again.
From downstairs I could hear yelling. I think my dad must have been on the phone. I could hear him all the way up here so he must have been shouting at the top of his lungs. Suddenly I heard a crash and feet pounding up the stairs. My door opened and my father emerged.
"You two stay here and do not for any reason leave the house got that, police, fire, end of the earth you keep your butts inside!" my dad commanded to which I could only mutely nod I had never seen my dad like that.
I leaned down and gently took Ian's hand and opened it taking the money out and setting it down on the table and the put a gentle kiss to his temple
"I love you Virgil, there is only you and me, and there is no gay or straight, only the lit path before us. The path might be long and hard but I swear I'll help you through it, you'll never be alone." I whispered
"you need... a new line" Ian said between sobs looking up at me and I could see the tears leaked from his eyes and his whole body convulsed as violent sobs ripped through his body and he started coughing.
"Ian you need to stop you're making yourself sick" I said
"I wish I was dead" I heard him sob
"No" I said "Ian... I"
At that moment I knew the truth and how long I had tried to deny it. Or rather how WE had tried to deny it. It felt like the world was pulling us apart but in that moment my heart knew what I had known all along.
"Ian I Love you" I said
Ian stopped crying and fell silent and his shaking calmed.
"Please never say you wish you were dead" I said "since the moment I saw you I knew you and I were meant to be together. I thought you were one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen. I know you're hurting, but the thought of you dying is too painful to me." I said
I looked down and saw Ian's bright blue eyes in tears the water making them sparkle like a thousand diamonds. I leaned down and helped Ian sit up and pulled him into a hug and I felt him wrap his hands around me and run his fingers through my hair.
Just at that moment I heard someone come into my room and I looked up and saw my mom standing in the doorway giving me a weak smile. She was wiping her own tears from her eyes.
"You're awake good" she said
"Thanks Mrs. Farrell" Ian said pulling away from my shoulder
Mom sat down on Ian's other side and gave him a warm motherly hug "You're going to be staying here for awhile until things get settled down alright?" she asked watching Ian just stare at her dumbly
"What's going to happen?" I asked
"Well that's the tough part, there are many different options right now..."
"I'm going to go back and let him send me to the conversion camp" Ian said and like lightning my mother moved
`SLAP'
"Mom!" I shouted as I watched my mom slap Ian hard across the face. He put his hand to his face instinctively and stared at her wide eyed.
"I'm sorry, but you needed to snap out of it!" she said to Ian snapping him out of what trance he was in "that's not an option, how long have you been like this in fear, afraid, always hiding?"
"Years" he muttered
"And you want to go back to that?" she asked "Think of all that has happened in the past few months, to you, to my son? Is it worth throwing all of this away?"
"No..." he said
"Good I'm glad we got that settled, let's move to the table... dinner is ready" she said
Slowly we got up and I took Ian into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face.
"I look like shit" Ian said glancing at the mirror
"Still beautiful to me" I said giving him a smile as I wiped the water from his red puffy eyes. He smiled back softly and I gave him a supporting hug. We got downstairs and I noticed my sister was just finishing setting the table. I hadn't even noticed her when we came in.
"Hey Nix, this is Ian" I said introducing them
Nixie obviously had arrived while we were at the game from UMASS where she is finishing up her degree is Music Education. Honestly we had never gotten along very well but she is my only sibling and I love her. She looks just like me has the same hair same eyes and same build. For a long time people asked if we were twins.
Nixie turned and gave me a smile
"Hi" She said to Ian "call me Nix or Nixie"
Ian smiled and looked at me
"She looks like you" he said
"EXCUSE ME!" Nix said loudly "But he looks like me! I came first!" she joked and Ian smiled.
"Nixie, could you give your father a call and see where he is?" mom asked
"Sure mom" she said grabbing the portable and started dialing
Ian gestured to me that he didn't know who Nix was
"That's Nixie my older sister who's been in college for music" I said
"Nixie?" Ian asked
"Laura Phoenix Farrell" I said
"Did I do something wrong?" Nixie said as she came over to the table "he'll be here in a couple of minutes" she added to mom who just nodded and took her seat at the table
"No I was explaining you name" I said
"Yea Nix or Nixie, I was never much of a Laura and Phoenix is just too long" she said
"So does that mean your middle name is actually Raven" Ian asked
"Yup" I said with a smile and then frowned "you mean you actually doubted me?"
"Not anymore Raven... not anymore" Ian said
"Good" I said just as the front door slammed open and a very pissed off dad came in holing several bags and a few boxes of things. Setting them down gently he moved to the table and smiled a little
"Sorry I'm late" he said "Shall I begin grace?"
"We're having grace this year?" Nixie asked "ow" she said has her mom kicked her under the table
"Dear Lord, thank you for giving me this wonderful family, thank you for my son and daughter, thank you for this life and all the wonderful things in it. Thank you for diversity and tolerance and most of all thank you for strength and love. Lastly thank you for sending us Virgilian who in his short time here inspired us and shown us the strength of love and what this day really means... amen"
Ian choked back a tear but managed to say "Amen" With the rest of the family
"Ian I took the liberty of collecting most of your school things, clothing and memento's from your room and brought them here. I'll be honest and say that the rest of them will probably be here by the end of the week" my dad said sadly running his hand through his hair. (I got that nervous trait from him)
Ian simply nodded
"Also he asked for me to give you this" Mr. Farrell pulled out a locket and handed it to Ian
"This was my mother's" Ian said swallowing hard "It is a pendant of Saint Cecelia"
"The patron saint of music" Nixie chimed in
"Yes, she wore this as she was our church organist...she died a few years ago to breast cancer" Ian lowered his eyes "why did he give this to me?"
"Your father is a complicated man, he lives under strict Christian teachings but he loved your mother with all his heart and she loved you with all her heart... well at least that's what he told me. I have retrieved the forms necessary for us to look after you as temporary guardians until which time this either resolves or it becomes permanent. Your father has signed them for me." He said taking out a set of papers in his pocket and handing them to Ian
"Thank you" Ian said
"Virgilian... Ian... I know this may be hard for you to understand right now, but someday you`ll look back on this moment and realize this was the point when everything became better" Mr. Farrell said raising his glass "let's eat"
After dinner we went up to my room and I was surprised to see a second bed added with a new nightstand. Ian sat down on the new bed and just stared off into nothing.
"Ian?" I asked "are you alright?"
"I honestly don't know, I feel like I've made a huge mistake but at the same time I feel pretty good. I just really don't want to be a burden on your folks" Ian said looking up at me.
I looked into Ian's crystal blue eyes and leaned down for a tender kiss. Stroking his hand through Ian's red-brown hair he snaked his arms around Ian and held him close pulling him to lie down on the bed.
I was a bit surprised when Ian's motions became more aggressive and instead of snuggling like we had done before Ian's hands took on a life of their own and snaked down to the clasp of my pants.
"What are you doing?" I asked slightly alarmed at Ian's forwardness
"Raven... I love you"
I ran his thumbs across Ian's face and rubbed it tenderly
"I know what you want, but it's going to have to wait till I can speak with Jay" I said and Ian frowned but I continued "Ian... I am in love with you not Jackson" I said giving him another kiss "I won't let anything happen to you, you're family now and I know you don't know them very well but my family always sticks together especially when times are bad"
I moved to get up off the bed and I watched as Ian snuggled into the blankets and before I could whisper goodnight he had fallen asleep and I walked over to Ian's bed and pulled the covers over him and giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze.
I walked over to my bed when the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. It was my magic inside me warning me something was nearby and I felt an icy chill run through me. I looked out my window and saw nothing. I came away from the window and glanced around my room but the feeling didn't ease.
I slowly climbed down the stairs and managed to avoid whoever was in the kitchen and made it to the back deck and slid outside. I walked down the cold path to my rock and I felt my breath seep out of me when I saw a figure come out from its hiding place.
"Hello Raven" it said
"Jay" I breathed "what are you doing here?"
"We need your help" he said
"It's been days since anyone has been over here Jackson, I think you should leave" I said
"I know you're upset, but we have work we need to do." He said
"And what about me, I have a life, a normal human life. I don't want to be whatever it is you are." I said
"This is difficult for me" Jay said leaning back against my rock "I never thought I would be having this conversation with anyone but you're acting entirely emotionally and over reacting."
He struck a nerve and I fell silent
"As I said, we need your help" Jay said seriously "I know things have turned out badly and that playing with your feelings might have not been the best idea, but we do care about you Dustin and we can help you with your magic."
I wanted to tell him that Clayton and Casey had already asked for my help, and even offered to help me as well but I held my tongue and waited to hear what he had to say.
"I don't even know who..." I trailed off "or even what you are" I said "the best part is you can't even tell me!" I shouted
"I don't need to" he said looking at me "you already know."
"No I don't" I said "Trust me I'd tell you if I knew"
"Dustin, your magic inside you knows, but you're just unwilling to accept it and use it." he said "once you do, everything will become clear."
"I don't even want this!" I shouted at him "you did this to me!"
I saw his face darken considerably
"I have done many things, but make you magical was not one of them" Jay said "Our Goddess Ada chose you and gave you her powers. We found you and have been struggling all year to figure out a way to communicate with you."
"Well you can take my power, I don't want it!" I said
"That's not possible, and even if it were your power is far too strong" he said
My mind reeled
"What do you mean too strong?" I asked
"You are probably the strongest..." he fell silent unable to speak but he continued on... "I have ever seen, and I have met a fair few, with only one exception."
"I can't help you" I said
"You must" Jay said
"I don't even know you" I said and suddenly Jay closed the distance between us and he took my hands in his.
"Dustin, My Anam Cara please..." he pleaded "Use your magic and tell me what you see." Jay said taking my hands and placed them over his heart. I pushed my magic outward and I felt the chill push out of my fingers and I forced my magic into him.
I watched him for a minute and I was surprised as my magic wrapped around him and I noticed that it was like he was encased in some sort of image that was wrapped around him. I started pulling at the image and it started to dissolve. Slowly his features changed and finally they stopped and I gasped.
He looked almost the same, he was a little taller and his shoulders broader and more muscular, but he was lean like a runner but the most notable change was to his face where his green eyes became even larger and his ears grew till they were nearly nine inches in length, and I knew in that instant what Jackson and all of the Gallants were.
"Elves" I managed to say and Jay smiled
"We are born looking like human children, it is meant to protect us. When we reach adulthood we take on our natural form. This is usually around the age of twenty three" Jay said "I developed my powers early because I am also A Hand of Ada. When we reach maturity we have enough control over our magic to retain our human shape should we wish it"
"Clayton" I said as a one word question
"Is also and Elf and is mature enough to maintain his human shape" Jay said
"...And your water walking?" I asked
"Elves are light-footed it's one of our powers" he answered
"Then what am I?" I asked
"You are something entirely different" Jay said "you are the one I've been looking for this whole time" he smiled
"What are you talking about?" I asked
"Let me tell you then, let me take you back to how it all began, because my story is different than the others. I didn't come from this place" Jay said
"Then where did you come from?" I asked
Jay paused and took a deep sigh
"Dustin, I'm going to tell you everything..." I heard and then he began telling me a story that would eventually change my life forever.
The next 7 chapters will be an interlude covering the back story of Jackson and how he ended up where he is at present. Hope you enjoy. After the interlude only one more 10 chapter part to go!
Cailen