Book of the Hidden (23 page)

     
"How did you guess? What happened?"

     
"You were outside your apartment, in the parking lot. There was a guy who tried to mug you. There was shooting, and a bullet hit you in the stomach."

     
There was a pause while Seth tried to remember. He then looked at her as though she was out of her mind. "You healed me."

     
Vivian nodded, crossing one leg over her other nervously. "Yes, I did."

     
"So, I'm a.... Witch?"

     
"Yeah...."

     
Without any warning he reached over grabbing the back of her head pulling her forwards, and her lips collided with his. He pulled back resting his forehead on hers, and whispered "thank you." He then lied back, and keeping his eyes on hers asked, "are you going to change me back?" Seth questioned.

     
"That decision is up to you. Even as leader, I am in no right to tell you what to do." Vivian responded.

     
"No, but you are now. Vivian?"

     
She looked up from the floor she had been staring at.

     
"Do you want me?"

     
The four words hit her, and her breath caught in her throat. It was time for some truth. "Yes."

     
Seth smiled, softly touching her hair. "Why didn't you say that in the first place?"

     
"I lost most of what I considered my family. I didn't want to lose you."

     
"Well I'm here." He kissed her lips a last time before he lied back, and drifted off to sleep again.

     
Vivian stood in front of her full length mirror, smoothing out the sleek material over her stomach. She wore a ruffled, sparkling blue dress, matching heels with straps wrapping themselves around her legs, her hair pinned up, strands falling about her face. A blue Amaryllis was stuck above her right ear. She picked up her bouquet of long stemmed Amaryllis' off of her dresser. She was never one to care a great deal about how she looked, but looking in the mirror she was astounded that she could clean up so well. She had not dressed up for a good occasion since.... Never.

     
There was a knock at her door before it creaked open, and Seth's head bobbed in mid-air. "You ready?"

     
"Yep," she went towards the window until Seth walked in, and started coughing excessively.

     
"I wouldn't do that if I was you. Jean said if you get your dress dirty.... You get the idea."

     
Vivian laughed, and took Seth's hand. Looking over at his ironed suit, and tie, she smiled appreciatively.

     
They went out through the front door of the Underground, and into the forest the long way with everyone else. Vivian grabbed a handful of her dress holding it to her side, picking it up off the ground above her ankles. Seth held onto the crook of her arm to keep her from falling. Why did Jean make her wear these uncomfortable, unreliable shoes?

     
"Flint is so nervous. I think he drank a gallon of water this morning," Seth made small talk.

     
Vivian stumbled over a twig, wincing as it poked through the shoe into her foot. Luckily the hose didn't rip. "Not that I've had much experience with pre-wedding jitters, I'm sure he's fine."

     
"Oh he's fine, but Jean has him nervous. Keeps telling him if he messes up...."

     
Nodding Vivian moved closer to Seth. Jean must have nagged him too as she could feel the nervous heat from his body heating her arms.

     
"You look very beautiful," a rough, unusually calm voice came from her left. Caelum trotted up beside Vivian, straight-back, and proud. The centaur had put a vest over his masculine chest. "The stars are in your favor tonight."

     
Vivian smiled, she loved the centaurs with their commonly absent minds towards everything but the stars. "I hope they're in my sister’s favor tonight as well."

     
"Most certainly so Ms. Vivian."

     
Seth and Vivian went their separate ways into two opposite bushes hiding a circular area. When Vivian walked through the bush she saw Jean in a sleeveless white dress that flowed to her feet, the flowered cut veil lying over her hair that curled a little at the ends.

     
"You look so beautiful Jean," she hugged her sister.

     
A full-length mirror also stood in the small circle, and Jean anxiously looked into it. She sighed, and looked over her shoulder. "One day it will be your turn."

     
"But today's yours." Vivian picked the bouquet of Star Gazer Lilies off the ground, and handed them to Jean.

     
She smiled, and hugged Vivian again. She nervously ran her hand over the flowers.

     
Further out, came the lovely noise of someone stringing a harp
harmoniously.
That was Vivian's cue. "Here we go...."

     
Vivian walked out of the bush, and saw Seth waiting. Linking arms, they walked down a narrow path of dirt, temporarily made for them. Ahead was the Silver Reflections, and Andry's in black, standing wise and serious in front of it holding an ancient book in his hands, the Book of the Hidden. His fair hair excelled against the pool, it lying over his shoulders, his pointed ears sticking visibly out.

     
On either side were benches, so white they could have been seen through the thickest forest. Each of the benches was filled with their families. On the left in the front row was her mom, proudly beaming. The rest of the bride's side was filled up by the people closest to her in the Underground.

     
On the other side, all in human size, was Flint's family, smiling happily. A few of the elders did not smile however, not even smirked. They had a sour expression on their faces like they had bitten their tongue and tasted the flavor of copper blood. Vivian wasn't surprised by their reaction. In their time, interbreeding species was strictly looked down upon, usually the people who fell in love with someone not of their kind was cast out by the family. But days have changed, the elders just didn't change with them.

     
Vivian diverted her eyes back to where they were supposed to go. When Vivian and Seth reached the end of the aisle, they separated ways on either side of Andry, Seth standing behind the hand-twitching Flint.

     
The harp then changed tunes, playing the traditional Bridal Chorus. Flint's three-year-old niece Alyssa appeared from behind the brush, smiling in a green dress that swept around her. She carried a wicker basket filled with white rose petals, and she started down the aisle, taking a handful at a time, dropping them in an arc in front of her.

     
Then Jean and their dad emerged from behind, linked at the elbows. Her dad smiled, but was still apprehensive. He never grasped the fact of his daughters being witches as easily as their mother. She noticed his eyes did not even look at Andry or Flint, or anyone for that matter. He kept them straight out and beyond the forest, afraid of staring at the many creatures that surrounded him, and not being able to stop.

     
Vivian could hear his sigh of relief when he reached the end of the aisle, and took his seat beside his wife. Inwardly, she grinned. At least he hadn't fainted.

     
Jean was glowing, her eyes bright, taking Flints hands with her own. He couldn’t take his eyes away from her. When Andry began speaking of love, eternity and fate, both their eyes shined with tears of happiness.

     
Vivian noticed there were tears in her own eyes, not at the traditional words, but at the couple she kept her gaze on. They were the vision of love that saw through so many differences. Everything in the wedding was traditional, because Jean deserved something normal, but unlike so many humans, they wouldn't divorce, she was positive about that. Bonds were taken seriously in the Underground, people remained true to words. Even Astrid had.

     
The glittering rings were slid onto the left ring fingers. Then something in Fairy tradition was done. Flint reached into his pocket withdrawing a black pouch. Inside something glowed glittery of silvers, blues, and purple. He dipped his finger into the substance, and rubbed it across Jean's chest where her heart was. The glitters caught the light from the sun peeking above the trees.

     
Jean reached in the pouch taking a dab of glitter on her hand, as Flint undid his button down shirt enough for her to run the glitter on his chest, over his heart too.

     
And then they kissed, sealing the bond.

     
Thunderous claps exploded in the circle of the woods. Vivian clapped along, her throat tight, and her eyes straining against tears.

     
From the other side of the kissing newlyweds, across from her, she saw Seth. They both smiled at each other.

*****

     
The reception naturally took place in the circular room of the Underground. Music, cheerful voices, and the clinking of glasses echoed off the walls, making the party seem much larger than it was, though it was pretty large, even though a small portion of the Underground creatures showed.

     
By the large table of food set aside, like it had been for the ball, celebrating Maeve's birthday, was Vivian's mom, her nose wrinkled at the array of different smells the food had cast.

     
"This is awful Vivian," she exclaimed as her daughter stood beside her.

     
"Different types of creatures eat different things."

     
"But at a wedding?"

     
Vivian shrugged, "they have to eat."

     
"You know, if you ever decide to leave and come home, you can."

     
"And you know, if you ever decide to move here, you can. Mom, I'm happy here, I'm with my own kind."

     
Her mom nodded understandingly.

     
"Where's dad?" Vivian asked as she picked up a slice of vanilla cake.

     
"He's in the corner staring at his hands," she laughed.

     
Vivian nodded giving a quiet chuckle. She speared her cake with a fork, taking a bite. The cake melted in her mouth, smooth and delicious. The Brownies went all out when preparing.

     
"He'll never get used to this."

     
Her mother sighed giving a backward glance in the corner of the room. "No, he won't. But he understands, that's what’s important."

     
Vivian put down her plate and hugged her mother. "Thanks for everything."

     
Mrs. Evans smiled.

     
Jean quickly walked over to Vivian taking her hands. "Come on, dance," she twirled her around, slightly stumbling, she turned and ended up in Seth's arms, his hands gripping her waist. She looked into his eyes for a moment before staring back at her sister. Jean was staggering around, the gray concoction the Brownies stirred up making her a bit drunk, but it was a lot safer than mortals alcohol.