//------------------------------// // - Chapter 2 - A Necessary Meeting - // Story: Uncharted: The Fae's Eden // by Longstrike09 //------------------------------// From the start, our journey seemed destined to bring us into contact with them. I call them Fey, for they fit no other description. Beings of magic, sorcery, and trickery bringing us in with honeyed words and shiny gifts. But be they Fey, Fell, or Demons of the deep, it matters little now. We have made powerful enemies, and they desire only our destruction. We thought our initial task a daring feat of exploration, to circumnavigate the known world. Now we know all too well the hopelessness of our current journey.  The world is too small to hide from those that hunt us.  When nothing I know can be trusted anymore, where do I turn? The stones we were instructed to find gave us power, but that power drove Thomas to madness, and that madness to death. We had grown dependent on these magical gifts to keep Her at bay, but now they are a signal flag. We are perpetually tracked, hunted. Many of the men do not dare to sleep. Some no longer can. Desperation has led us to seek help from a New-World shaman. Their legends may hold the key to breaking our curse. Francis Drake “So is this your daughter?” Nate tried not to move as the now enthusiastic and flustered designer took multiple measurements. Nate looked over to Cassie, who was making a face at the fruit water they had been served when they entered this spacious fitting room. It had couches. The walls went almost to the ceiling, letting fancy lighting take up the space between rooms. Quiet muttering told him they weren’t the only ones there today. “Yeah, uh, Cassie say hi.” “Sup.” Nate gave her a pleading look. She just smiled mischievously and stuck her tongue out at him, then turned back to stare at the water. Miss Pommel just chuckled quietly, circling Nate. “I have to say, it’s a little refreshing to see someone my age in here for once.” Cassie’s eyebrows shot up even higher. “Huh?” “I’m actually a high school student, but I intern here on afternoons to get ready for an apprenticeship.” She walked over to a large shelf on the far wall and grabbed a notepad and measuring tape. Nate went to lift his arms, but she gently pressed them back to his sides. “Huh,” Cassie responded, sounding impressed. She still turned back to the water, though. “Keep staring,” Nate said, “It might do a trick.” Cassie glared up at him, putting on her best unimpressed face. “It’s water pretending to be fruity.” She said, a little loudly. “Thank you!” came a response from the next stall over. “See?” she said, triumphant, “I’m not the only one! Right friend?” “You said it!” came the response. She sounded young, maybe about Cassie’s age. Her voice clashed wildly against the setting though. Whoever she was, this was not her arena. “At least you aren’t getting stuck with a thousand- Ow!” “Whoops! So sorry, darling.” Now that voice fit here. Like a glove. But also a little young. Was this a trade school? “Now shush! Let’s not disturb the other patrons.” A couple more grumbles we cut off with a muted ow. Nate just chuckled quietly. Miss Pommel nervously shifted from foot to foot next to him, casting glances over the wall. “I’m so sorry about that Mr. Drake-” “Naw, don’t be,” he said, “Is it a busy day today?” He looked over at Cassie, still trying to give her a look, but she was distractedly looking at the wall they shared with the other customer. “Oh, uh, actually you’re our only appointment for the afternoon,” she said, setting down her tape measure. Nate laughed, “You would make friends with ghosts, Cassie.” Now he was the one getting a look. Miss Pommel nervously laughed along, “Ah, well, yes. That was actually the owner. She needed to use the shop for some last minute costume repairs.” Cassie shifted to look at her, eyebrow raised. “How old is your boss?” “She’s only a year older than me.” “Bull-” Nate threw the hardest glance he could at Cassie, “-llllhhmmmm” Miss Pommel just smiled excitedly and offered Nate a well-cushioned chair. “She is a prodigy in modern fashion. She’s been winning competitions since her middle school days and accepting commissions almost as long. All while still in school!” Leave it to James to always know the rising talent, Nate thought. He glanced over at Cassie to see her reaction… aaaand she was upside down in her chair, on her phone. Yes this was boring, but this was also a very fancy and most likely gossipy place. “Cassie,” he sighed. “Go and… walk the showroom or something.” “Thank you,” she said, feigning exhaustion. She flipped onto the floor and disappeared through the heavy curtains. Nate shook his head slightly. He loved her to death, but she was just such a teenager right now. Nate’s phone buzzed gently. Using his free hand, he saw Elena sending a picture on the family chat. He tapped it impatiently. For the amount he paid each month you would think a picture would download faster. A hundred and forty four. There were a hundred and forty four tiles on the ceiling of the dressing room, and zero signal. Cassie was ecstatic to be out of there. This place was not her style. Everything had frills, or sequins, or both, and were made of materials she couldn’t even pronounce. She walked past some of the displays, footsteps padded by the thick carpet, confused at how intricate some of these dresses were. Give her a swimsuit, shorts, and boat shoes and she’d be three miles out to sea before she could even get one of these things on. Her phone buzzed softly. It had only taken getting halfway out of the store to get signal again. She glanced at her phone, only one bar. So much for internet browsing. Even her mom’s picture wasn’t coming through. Cassie sighed and let the soft jazz wash over her. At least the music was relaxing. Nothing else had been so far this trip. Dad freaking out over a journal, a sudden trip to DC, and now trapped in a dress shop way fancier than anywhere she’d ever been before. And to top it all off, she’d be trapped in the hotel all day tomorrow. As the minutes wore on, she couldn’t help but dread the rest of this trip.  Stupid journal scaring everybody.  She sat on one of the display pedestals, trying to use her phone with the little signal she had. The curtain in the back rustled, pulling Cassie out of her thoughts. A bunch of high school girls walked out of the back, chatting quietly. “Well at least he was laughing!” “Still, dear, this is hardly the place for your off-hand comments.” “Hey, I didn’t start it this time!” Well, hello dressing room neighbors, you don’t look anything like I imagined, she thought. She recognized the first girl by her voice. She’d somehow dyed her hair a literal rainbow, and dressed and looked ready to run a marathon. The dark haired girl she was arguing with was apparently the owner, based off of her voice, and she looked it too. She was about as girly as you could get. Surprisingly, there was a third girl with them, currently face first in a book and actively ignoring the other two. She had also managed to dye her hair crazy colors, this time in purples. “Start it or not, darling, we are guests here, and we shouldn’t bother paying customers.”  Cassie snorted loudly, “Yeah right. You all were the best part of... whatever that was.” Shop owner girl stopped in surprise, causing the book girl to run into the back of her. “Ha! See?” said the rainbow haired girl, “Told ya’ they wouldn’t mind.” The owner took a deep breath, obviously annoyed with the other, and turned to smile at Cassie. A surprisingly real smile considering. “Well I’m glad you enjoyed our charades,” she said, glaring at the other girl, “We do try and make everyone feel comfortable here.” “Your internet could use some work,” Cassie said, waving her phone. Book girl looked up, “Don’t you get signal in here?” “Yeah, like one bar.” Book girl looked confused, but the rainbow haired girl spoke up, “Not all of us have a super phone like you, Twilight.” Book girl, Twilight, paused then shrugged, turning to Cassie, “Well it’s nice to meet you! I’m Twilight.” The owner suddenly perked up, “Oh where are my manners! Rarity, at your service.” Rainbow hair pointed to herself confidently, “And I’m Rainbow Dash. Dash for short.” Wait what? That was her name? Cassie thought. That’s awesome. They all looked at her expectantly. “Oh! Uh, hi. I’m Cassie. Cassie Drake.” Dash and Twilight suddenly lit up. “Oh my gosh, really!” Dash said, running up to her. Cassie scooted back reflexively as Dash rushed over to her. “You’re Cassie Drake! The youngest, most successful treasure hunter of our generation! You’re like, a real life Daring Doo!” Twilight hovered over Dash’s shoulder, obviously eager to join in. This was definitely a strange feeling. Normally it was her Mom and Dad getting all this attention. Then again, when was the last time she’d been out with kids close to her age? Wait, Daring Doo? She laughed a little. “Oh yeah, those movies,” she laughed a little, remembering her Dad’s running commentary on the action. Not to mention the many comparisons he made to his own crazy stories. And the fact that he knew the person the movies were based off of. “They were books first,” Twilight grumbled, “And they left out a lot.” “So?” Dash said, “They were still awesome!” She turned back to Cassie getting more excited. “So tell me, I’ve gotta know. Is that anything like what real treasure hunting is like?” Cassie had anticipated this. Her experience was nothing like the movies, but her Dad on the other hand, well, his stories were just as unbelievable, if not more so. She opened her mouth to say so, but then suddenly remembered the rule. Her eyes flicked to the curtain, which lay still. “Uh, kinda,” she said, quickly trying to come up with a good explanation. “I don’t get to do much still. I’m ‘Too Young’ to do most of the stuff, but there are definitely a lot of exciting moments.” Eager head nods practically begged her to say more. She peeked at her phone. Mom’s picture still hadn’t downloaded. Well, she wasn’t doing anything else. “All right, so this one time we were looking for this ancient ruins in the jungles of India...” It was really nice, for once, telling her stories to people. They were so genuine when asking her questions. A lot of them really good questions too. Ones that meant they understood a lot of what she was saying. Twilight pretty much figured out the tablet puzzle she was explaining before she even finished! And put it in historical context! She grinned as she told the story about her Dad almost dropping a solid gold bust down a chasm right after they opened said puzzle. Even Rarity had joined in the conversation to laugh and joke about everything. Cassie glanced at her watch, and was shocked to see how much time had passed. “Wow, how long does it take to get a suit?” “Well, dear,” Rarity started, “Miss Pommel is designing it for him. We don’t do anything less than perfection here, and perfection takes time.” Cassie pursed her lips tightly. If they didn’t get going soon, things in the mall would start closing before they could get there. She glanced back at the curtain, wondering if she should go ask how much longer it would take. “Oh, shoot!” Twilight said, tapping away at her phone, “Pinkie is wondering where we are. And Granny is asking if we need a ride.” “The mall isn’t going anywhere,” Dash said, eagerly waiting for the next story. Cassie perked up. It would be a hard sell for Dad, but if she could swing it… “Oh you all are going to the mall too?” Twilight looked up hopefully, “Yeah! We’re actually meeting up with the rest of our friends there. We just had to fix a few things here first.” She looked to the other two quickly, then added, “Want to come with?” Cassie looked back at the curtain again. Well, nothing ventured… “Hang on a sec.” Cassie quickly walked back to the curtain and found the fitting room.  “Hey Dad?” she said, peeking into the curtain. He was currently standing on a box, multiple pins sticking out of the hems near his feet. There went the easy answer. “How much longer will this take?” she asked, gesturing to his hems. He raised an eyebrow at her, obviously already on to her. Seriously, she couldn’t hide anything from him. He looked down to the designer, Miss Pommade?, and she looked back up to her. “It will probably be about an hour still,” she said, putting on her best smile. The one that said, I’m really sorry, this isn’t what you want to hear, please don’t be mad. “Right,” Cassie said, bracing herself, “So you know the girls that were in the room next to us? They’re going to the mall right now too. Can I go with them? I’ve got my phone, and you can find us when you’re done here.” Dad’s brow furrowed. Was he actually thinking about it? That would be a first. “Which girls are you talking about?” “Mr. Drake?” a voice said from her side. Twilight pulled the curtain a little farther to stand next to Cassie. He looked at Twilight, recognition flashing in his eyes. Had they talked to him after she left? “Oh she means you all. Hello again!” He tilted his head, smiling slightly. Twilight smiled back, “We heard you both were going to the mall, and, well, we are too!” Dad nodded, brow still furrowed. Twilight chuckled nervously. “And well, we’re getting picked up by one of our friend’s grandma, and she’ll be with us the whole time, and… uh,” she stumbled over her words, getting more and more flustered. A shout came from down the hallway, “Cassie’s really cool and we want to hang out!” Cassie looked back to see Rarity shushing Dash. Dad laughed, “Wow, haven’t scared them off yet? That’s a new record.” Cassie felt her face get hot. Yeah, fine, she wasn’t exactly the most social person with girls her age. It’s not like he traveled the world as a kid, never staying in one spot for more than a month. She looked up at him to retort, but stopped when she saw him frown concernedly. “You’ve got someone looking out for you all?” he said suddenly. “Yes!” Twilight said excitedly. What… He fired off a bunch more questions. Schedules, places, how many people there’d be, how they’d get there. Is he actually thinking about this? Cassie thought, not daring to hope. He paused for a second, brow furrowed again. Then he nodded, narrowly missing headbutting Miss Pommel. “Alright. Have fun Cass!” He smiled at her encouragingly. “Just make sure to keep your phone on you, alright? And send me a text when you get there. I’ll catch up in a bit.” Twilight turned to beam at her. Cassie looked behind her and saw the other two smiling and giving each other a thumbs up. “I… wow, alright Dad! See you in a bit!” She quickly turned back to the other girls, confused but excited. “How in the world did you convince him?” she said, walking with the girls out of the store, “That’s the first time he ever let me go anywhere!” Rarity laughed, “There’s nothing quite like being responsible that helps adults trust you.” “And having adult supervision,” Twilight added, texting quickly. “Yeah,” Dash said, bumping Cassie’s shoulder, “He could see how awesome we are. Now let’s get to the mall!” She walked up to the curb and looked both ways expectantly. “How long till Granny gets here?” Twilight craned her neck over the traffic on the road. “She said she’s on her-” Tires squealed as the brightest short bus Cassie had ever seen came careening around the corner, coming to a rest perfectly on the curbside. The van was painted all kinds of bright colors, multiple distinct symbols accenting the rainbow trim. She almost didn’t know where to look first. It wasn’t the hippiest bus she’d ever seen, but man, it was certainly up there. The bus doors opened up to show a frustrated old lady. “Gosh, darn lights changing way too quickly here! Not ‘nough time for even a prize bull to get out th’ gate!” Old frustrated country grandma. Cassie smiled. And she thought this trip was going to be boring. “Well wat’cha wait’n for girls! Hop in!” The three girls quickly moved to get in the bus. Cassie followed behind, stepping up through the door. The grandma looked her up and down, then smiled gently. “Cassie, right?” “Yes ma’am.” Cassie replied. Ma’am? Where did that come from? Stupid Cass, be normal. She scoffed loudly, but still smiled broadly. “Ain't no ma’am here. Just call me Granny Smith. Or just Granny.” Cassie just nodded, to be safe. Dang it, why was she getting nervous now! They already liked her… she thought. They wouldn’t invite her if they didn’t like her. CALM DOWN! She jumped as Dash put a hand on her shoulder and dragged her around to the front bench. “You’re with me! You gotta tell me the rest of the India story.” Dash looked positively ecstatic.  A small thump on the seat back showed a suddenly anxious Twilight peeking over. “Uh, your, uh, phone fell out of your pocket.” She reached out with Cassie’s phone in her hand. Cassie slapped her suddenly empty pocket. “Wow, I didn’t even hear it fall out.” She said, gratefully taking her phone back. “Yeah, well, uh, I saw it falling and uh,” Twilight paused, fumbling over her words, “Caught... it before it hit the ground.” Why was she so nervous about that? She looked around at the other girls. Dash had a strangely smug grin on her face, while Rarity was glaring at Twilight. Weird. “Well, nice reflexes!” Cassie said, as nonchalant as possible. Twilight just sighed and opened something in her lap. Dash suddenly was muffling laughter. “What-” she started, but a $5 bill came flying from Twilight. Dash’s hand shot out and grabbed it faster than Cassie could blink. Did… did Twilight lose a bet? By catching her phone?  “What?” she repeated. “We gett’n outta here or are y’all gonna flop all over the seats? Get those belts on!” Granny called from the front. A small chorus of clicks came in response. Cassie looked around again at the girls. “Oh don’t mind them dear,” Rarity said from the other side, “Though they could have waited until later to settle things.” Dash just burst out laughing, and another thump and a groan came from Twilight. Well, her new friends were definitely weird, she thought with a smirk. And Dad thought she scared everyone else away. Ha!  The bus rumbled to life, and tires squealed as they tore out of the parking spot into traffic. Dash whooped loudly, and Cassie joined in laughing. After the bus settled down, Dash turned expectantly towards Cassie. She stole a moment to look at her phone, brow furrowing. Mom’s picture still hadn’t downloaded? A tight turn tore her out of her thoughts as Dash had to save her from flying into the aisle. Worrying about poor signal could wait, she actually had friends her age on a trip for once. She planned on enjoying this.