THE LAST CIRCLE OF DOMINION

BY

KAI STORMHAVEN

Prologue – Probable Cause

1995 Orick, California

Officer Randall flipped his lights on as he pulled up behind a posh black 1975 Camaro with tinted windows. Nothing pissed him off more than tinted windows. Unable to see if a driver was worth harassing was an automatic qualification for harassment in Officer Randall’s modus operandi. Plus, he loved flipping his lights on and knowing the immediate spike in fear most people felt when they discovered the 5-0 was on their ass.

Pulling out his new tint meter, Officer Randall swaggered up to the driver window with his right hand resting on his sidearm. The driver had only lowered the window a small crack, with their license, registration, and proof of insurance card already sticking out the window.

“Please lower your window,” Officer Randall said curtly as he took the proffered material.

“May I have your badge number and name please?” an older woman asked as she lowered her window another inch.

Great…some stupid lawyer. Probably has one of those portable phones.

Letting his tone grow colder, he gave the woman his badge number and name, which she wrote down on a legal pad. With a frown, he decided to check her information before interrogating her more. She was definitely outside of the demographic of people he was interested in harassing.

“Dispatch, I need plates run for 2 7 9 urinate, rectal, nuisance, for a 10-37” Officer Randall radioed when he returned to his car. Technically, he was supposed to radio dispatch before he approached the driver.

“Very funny, Randall,” Susan rasped back dryly. “Remember what the captain said about using proper phonetic spelling on the radio from now on.”

“Fine…Union, Robert, Nora,” Officer Randall griped into his radio. After some bored citizen with a police scanner took offense to their department’s less than polite phonetic alphabet, the captain had made a point of making everyone on the force practice the proper phonetic scheme.

“1975 Camaro registered to an Alican Moore,” Susan spoke after a moment of radio silence. “No prior record. Insurance is current. What was your PC?”

“Tinted windows,” Officer Randall replied shortly.

“10-4,” Susan’s voice had the professional tone that Officer Randall had come to recognize as her way of conveying disapproval.

Getting out of his cruiser, Officer Randall walked up and handed the information back to the woman.

“I’m going to need you to lower your window more to test the tint,” Officer Randall told the woman firmly.

She lowered the window another five inches without replying. As he slid the tint meter over her window, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. A young woman was walking down the opposite side of the street. She had some kind of goofy hat with earflaps and a pair of rose-tinted glasses.

He glanced back at his meter and grunted irritably. Thirty-five; right at the edge of legal tint.

“Thanks for your time, ma’am,” Officer Randall said distractedly. “Drive safely.”

Without a word, the woman rolled up her window and drove away.

“Bitch,” Officer Randall muttered under his breath. His heart wasn’t in it though. His mind was already focused on the girl as she passed him on the other side of the street. This was much better than some dried up old hag.

“Excuse me, miss,” Officer Randall said curtly as he marched across the street to confront her. “We’re conducting a search for an escaped felon in the area. Can I see your ID, please?”

She paused as he stepped in front of her, and he had a moment to get a better look at her. She was shorter than he had realized, probably not even five feet. The part of her face that wasn’t obscured by her goofy hat and glasses hinted at very striking features. Large breasts were prominent even under the thick white jacket she wore. Her feet were adorned with an odd pair of green boots that stopped just below the knee. Her toned thighs were covered in thin white leggings that made his pulse quicken.

“I’m sorry, did I make a wrong turn somewhere?” the girl asked in a musical voice. “I thought this was still America. I haven’t made a point of carrying my papers with me for over half a century.”

“Unless you would like to be charged with obstructing justice, I suggest you produce some identification,” Officer Randall said belligerently. “Lose the hat and glasses.”

“Which part of the fourth amendment did you misunderstand while going to cop school?” the girl asked with a contemptuous twist of her mouth. “I’m guessing it was most of it, since it probably required a degree of literacy. What kind of moron do you take me for? There aren’t any prisons in the area for a felon to escape from. Why don’t you go find another law-abiding driver to harass? I’m sure there are more cars with tinted windows that are probably hiding several kilos of unlawful substances you need to inspect.”

Officer Randall had tried to break into her tirade several times, but she had just spoken louder each time he tried to interrupt. With a growl, he grabbed her arm and pulled out his cuffs. A split second later, he found himself doubled over into a fetal position as a blinding white pain erupted in his groin. He let out a pitiful howl as he hurriedly un-holstered his pistol.

He looked around from his fetal position for the source of his near castration, fully intending to put a couple slugs in the little bitch. He swung his head around in every direction without spotting her. With a pathetic groan, he rose to his knees and peered up and down the road. She had vanished without a trace. There was no way she could have run away that fast; the closest trees were almost fifty feet away from the road. He continued scanning the area with his gun half-raised, convinced she was hiding in the short grass somewhere. After almost five minutes of half-crawling, half-staggering around, he gave up and went back to his car.

With a vicious curse, he realized his legs were wet with a significant amount of blood. She must have had sharpened metal on her boot tips to have caused so much damage.

“Dispatch, I need an ambulance at North Lake Road,” he groaned into his radio’s mic.

Chapter 1 – The Ring

2024 Orick, California

Harmony sighed as she finished unboxing the last of the dishes. Now all she had left to unpack was the winter clothing, which would be needed quite soon if the cooler temperatures were any indication.

“Aunt Harmony, can we go exploring after dinner?” her ten-year-old niece asked excitedly. Aurora hadn’t started sprouting yet, her head barely coming to Harmony’s chest. Her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail that reached the middle of her back. She had long dark eyelashes that should have been illegal. Her dark brown eyes were sparkling with eagerness as she waited for Harmony’s response.

“Sure, Aurora,” Harmony replied with an indulgent smile as she observed her dark-eyed niece. “Just make sure and get your jackets from the winter box.”

“Grandma said there’s a giant wall in the forest that nobody’s ever been inside of,” Aurora’s eleven-year-old sister said with a determined grin. “I’ll bet we can find a way in!”

Serenity had definitely sprouted. She was only a few inches shorter than Harmony’s unusual height, just under six feet. Aside from her height, she could have been Aurora’s twin.

“I’m sure we can, Serenity,” Harmony laughed, getting caught up in their excitement. It never ceased to amaze her how fascinating the world was to young minds. “We’ll just walk around it.”

“You can’t walk around it, silly,” Serenity said reproachfully. “It’s a big circle. Grandma Norella says it goes on for miles and miles.”

“Ooooh…” Harmony gasped in mock amazement, her hazel eyes shining. “I’ll bet there’s all kinds of treasure hiding inside of it!”

“That’s what we think too!” Aurora nodded eagerly. “I’ll bet there is a whole bunch of Spanish gold inside of it.”

“Well of course it would have to be Spanish gold,” Harmony said dryly.

Aurora squinted at her suspiciously for a moment as she tried to figure out if Harmony was teasing her. She finally settled for agreement, spinning around and running for the last of the moving boxes.

“Were you just being sarcastic, Aunt Harmony?” Serenity asked disapprovingly. “Our teacher told us sarcasm is the refuge of a bitter mind.”

“Well, I definitely have a better mind, so I guess I was being sarcastic,” Harmony replied with a straight face.

“Bitter not better, silly!” Serenity corrected her, stamping her foot for emphasis.

“Why would I have a butter mind?” Harmony asked in mock confusion. “Oh, I see; you’re saying people who are sarcastic have fat brains.”

“Bitter!” Serenity shouted, stamping her other foot. “Bitter, bitter, bitter!”

Aurora came running back into the kitchen with two jackets, throwing one of them to Serenity as she climbed onto one of the bar stools. “Who’s bitter?”

“Serenity said she wants some lemons to go with her dinner,” Harmony told Aurora with a shrug. “She’s got an even more bizarre appetite than a pregnant woman.”

“She’s lying!” Serenity gasped in amazement. “I can’t believe you just lied, Aunt Harmony!”

“I’m an author,” Harmony told her with a wink. “We’re given artistic license when it comes to telling the truth.”

“What does that even mean?” Serenity demanded indignantly.

“It means that while in this universe you may have meant something else, I was pretending that we were in another universe where you meant you wanted lemons with your dinner,” Harmony explained innocently.

“But there’s only one universe,” Serenity declared. “Otherwise, it would be called an omniverse.”

“Who told you that?” Harmony asked curiously.

“It was on YouTube,” Serenity replied.

“Well, if it was on YouTube, it has to be true,” Harmony nodded sagely.

“You’re being sarcastic again!” Serenity said accusingly.

“That’s because I have a butter mind,” Harmony replied with a wink. “And with a brain as fat as mine, I can be as sarcastic as I want.”

“You can be so infuriating, Aunt Harmony!” Serenity complained crossly.

“So, I’ve been told,” Harmony replied agreeably. “If you take notes, you’ll be pros before you know it.”

“Why would we want to be pros at infuriating people?” Serenity demanded in exasperation.

“Because it’s a lot of fun,” Harmony replied with a smirk. “Can’t you see how much fun I’m having?”

“I’m telling Grandma that you lied,” Serenity threatened.

“Who do you think taught me how to do it so well?” Harmony asked with a raised eyebrow.

Serenity stood spluttering for several seconds, and then folded her arms and narrowed her eyes in a manner that would have been stern, if she were a decade older. Instead, it just looked adorable.

“I’m telling Grandma that you called her a liar,” Serenity stated huffily.

“Okay,” Harmony replied amicably. “I’ll make sure and tell her you called her an old bag.”

“But I didn’t!” Serenity objected in confusion. When Harmony just kept smirking at her, her eyes grew wide in sudden understanding. “You’re going to lie!”

“Don’t forget, we call it artistic license around here,” Harmony corrected her with a wide grin.

“You’re unbelievable!” Serenity shrieked, glaring at her sister as Aurora started giggling.

“Now you’re getting the hang of it,” Harmony nodded in satisfaction. “All liars are unbelievable by default.”

Serenity glared at her for a moment before settling for an affronted silence. Harmony shook her head in amusement as she started preparing dinner. She had only gained custody of her nieces a couple of days ago, and it was proving more fun than she had imagined. It was the only silver lining to her sister’s untimely death several months ago. Her nieces had been living with their grandmother while Harmony tried to decide if she could handle being their guardian. At twenty-three years old, she felt woefully inadequate to take care of two girls on the verge of becoming teenagers. Leaving them with her ill mother weighed on her conscience enough that she eventually gave in and shouldered the responsibility.

Her deceased sister had been a decade older and a no-nonsense person with little patience for humor. She had even less patience for lying and had raised her daughters with a strict moral code where everything was seen as black or white. Harmony felt that it was her duty to broaden her nieces’ horizons before they were taken advantage of by the many jackals in human form throughout the world.

If I have a little fun at their expense, well, that’s just a burden I’ll have to shoulder, Harmony thought with a martyr’s resolve.

By the time they finished eating and were preparing to go exploring, Serenity had forgotten that she was giving Harmony the silent treatment. The two girls were running into the forest behind their two-story house with reckless abandon before Harmony could even get off the back porch. With a grin, Harmony ran after them. Her long legs ate up the ground quickly and she easily caught up to them. Long blonde hair flew behind her as she sprinted around the sparse underbrush. Enormous redwood trees were mixed in with the smaller pine trees.

After fifteen minutes of zipping through the trees, the girls were finally slowing down to a more acceptable pace. The giant redwoods were becoming more prevalent as the smaller trees disappeared. She noticed the large redwoods had branches that started at the base of the tree. She had only seen redwoods where the branches grew higher up the trunk. The low branching redwoods appeared more frequently as they moved deeper into the forest.

Harmony glanced at what she could see of the horizon calculatingly as the sun sank behind some clouds. They probably only had another half hour of good light left. She looked at her iPhone’s GPS app, making sure it was marking their progress with breadcrumbs so that they could find their way back to the house.

“Wow!” Serenity exclaimed in amazement. “It’s humungous!”

Harmony put her phone away and looked up to see what they were so excited about. Then she saw the wall and gasped. It must have been four hundred feet tall! Most of the enormous redwood trees around it were at least a couple dozen feet shorter. In a state of bemusement, Harmony slowly approached the giant wall. Who in the world would build something so massive in the middle of nowhere like this?

When she reached the base of the colossal structure, she reached a hand out to feel the surface. It was as smooth as glass. It had flecks peppering it that almost looked like granite. She pulled out her small pocketknife and experimentally tried to score some of the surface loose. The steel blade didn’t even scratch the hard material. With a frown, she picked up a rock and tried pounding the butt of her knife against the surface of the wall. After a few taps, the blade of her knife snapped in half. Curiouser and curiouser.

She pulled out her iPhone to take a few close-up pictures. As she slid the unlock button on her iPhone’s touchscreen, the screen suddenly flickered, then winked out. Just bloody great. Now I have to find my way back without breadcrumbs.

“Aunt Harmony, I can almost see over the top of the wall!” Aurora shouted excitedly from somewhere up high.

Harmony felt a sudden chill as she looked up and spotted Aurora several hundred feet high in the branches of one of the taller redwoods.

“Aurora, get back down here before you break your neck!” Harmony shouted urgently. She could tell the branches Aurora was on were getting extremely thin.

“It’s okay, I climb trees all of the time,” Aurora shouted back down reassuringly.

“I think you should come back down,” Serenity called up to her sister from where she was perched about halfway up the tree.

“Listen to your sister, Aurora!” Harmony shouted insistently. “We are in a very bad place for a medical emergency.”

“Fine!” Aurora sighed dramatically. “You guys are being babies though. I could climb this thing blindfolded- “

She cut off with a startled yell as a loud cracking noise reached Harmony’s ears.

“Aurora!” Harmony shouted in alarm, hurriedly scaling the lower branches.

“I’m okay…” Aurora shouted in a much less confident tone. “Um…I think I might be stuck though.”

Harmony felt her heart skip several beats as dozens of horrible outcomes flashed through her over-active imagination. “Hold on honey, I’m coming up.”

“I think you better hurry,” Aurora called back down. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.”

Harmony panted as she quickened her pace. She wasn’t sure if her heart was beating so fast from exertion, or fear. The bark on the trees was so enormous that she was able to easily use it like a rock-climbing wall. She passed Serenity and kept moving as fast as she could. It only took her a few minutes to reach a point where she had a clear view of the situation. Aurora was hanging from a branch that looked way too small to support her weight, with one arm hooked around the branch while her other hand grasped another small branch.

“My arm is starting to slip, Aunt Harmony,” Aurora quavered, her voice tight with anxiety.

“You look like you could use a hand,” a melodic voice noted cheerfully from several branches below Harmony.

Harmony looked down in surprise as a young woman quickly zipped past her like a squirrel up the tree. It was now dark enough that she couldn’t make out any of the girl’s features, aside from a mass of brilliant long red hair. Harmony watched in amazement as the girl scaled the last fifty feet separating her from Aurora like an Olympic gymnast. A faint smell of flowers had appeared as the girl passed her.

The girl calmly walked out onto a small limb just below Aurora and reached up to grab her niece around the waist.

“You can let go now,” the girl told Aurora confidently. “I’ve got you.”

“There is no way that branch will support both of you,” Harmony said nervously.

“Nonsense,” the girl replied dismissively. “I need you to trust me, Aurora. Now let go.”

“Okay,” Aurora took a deep breath and released the branch she was holding.

Harmony cringed as the small branch the girl was standing on bowed slightly as she lowered Aurora down. Somehow, the branch remained unbroken as it supported their combined weight.

“Now just wrap your arms and legs around me and we’ll head back down,” the girl instructed Aurora calmly.

Harmony watched in astonishment as the girl somehow balanced perfectly on the small branch while Aurora complied. She must be part squirrel!

“All right, let’s blow this popsicle stand,” the girl said with a grin in her voice.

As Harmony watched open-mouthed, the girl began hopping down the branches like she was walking down a stairway. She finally snapped out of her astonishment when the girl passed her in a blur of gravity-defying leaps down the tree. The girl was only slightly larger than the tightly clinging Aurora.

Harmony hurriedly began descending the large tree, shaking her head in disbelief at the impossibility of the situation.

“Who is that?” Serenity asked in bafflement when Harmony caught up to her. “And where did she come from?”

“Didn’t she pass you on her way up?” Harmony asked in surprise.

“I didn’t see anyone,” Serenity replied blankly.

Harmony frowned as she looked down at the ground that was still a good seventy feet below them. The girl and Aurora were chatting at the base of the tree.

“Come on, let’s get back down,” Harmony said after taking another deep breath. She could still feel adrenaline coursing through her system from the intense fear that had filled her heart just moments ago. Her arms and legs felt like jelly when she finally neared the bottom, due to a mixture of fatigue and spent adrenaline.

The girl had her head tilted upward as she watched them descend the last dozen feet. As soon as Harmony reached the ground, she pulled Aurora into a tight embrace.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again!” Harmony gasped as she felt tears of relief spill down her cheeks.

“I promise,” Aurora said contritely as she patted Harmony’s back comfortingly. “I’m sorry, aunt Harmony.”

Harmony took a deep, shuddering breath and turned to thank their rescuer. With a frown, she did a full three-sixty turn as her eyes failed to locate their heroine.

“Where did she go?” Harmony asked in confusion.

“She’s right here-“ Aurora broke off as she realized their mysterious rescuer was nowhere to be found.

“Hello?” Harmony called out uncertainly into the darkening landscape.

Silence.

“Where is she?” Serenity asked as she jumped down the remaining few feet from the lowest branch.

“She just vanished,” Harmony replied in puzzlement. “I saw her two seconds ago, then she was gone.”

“Maybe she flew away,” Aurora suggested, looking into the sky.

“What do you mean?” Serenity asked curiously.

“I thought fairies could fly,” Aurora answered uncertainly.

“What makes you think she was a fairy?” Serenity asked doubtfully.

“She had pointy ears like a fairy,” Aurora replied with a shrug. “Who else has pointy ears?”

Harmony frowned, remembering the strange points that were sticking up through the sides of the girl’s hair. It had been too dark to see clearly, so she had just assumed it was unruly hair. There’s no such thing as fairies. Might as well bring elves and Santa Clause into the picture while we’re at it.

“Come on, let’s get home,” Harmony said briskly.

Aurora and Serenity grudgingly gave up their search of the darkening skies and followed her back toward the house. Holding her breath for luck, Harmony pulled out her iPhone and held the power button down for a few seconds. A small apple appeared on the screen as the phone came back to life. Thank goodness for small mercies.

Her nieces remained unusually quiet as she used the flashlight on her phone to help light the way back to the house. The breadcrumbs on her phone’s map were still present, or they would never have found their way back in the dark woods.

“I think this calls for some ice-cream,” Harmony declared as they walked through the back door.

“You mean rice-cream,” Serenity corrected with a roll of her eyes.

“It tastes just as good as the real thing,” Harmony said with a shrug. “And you don’t have to feel bad about torturing cute cuddly cows when you eat it.”

“I wouldn’t mind torturing a cow if it meant real ice cream,” Serentiy muttered just loud enough for Harmony to hear.

Harmony shook her head but didn’t say anything.

As they sat under the dim light at the kitchen bar eating rice-cream, Aurora kept absently looking out the window. The full moon was cresting the trees, giving the forest a magical appearance as moonlight cast shadows beneath the branches.

“What are you looking at, honey?” Harmony asked curiously.

“I was just hoping to see the fairy flying around,” Aurora replied vaguely.

“Sweetie, fairies don’t really exist, except in movies and books,” Harmony said gently.

“What if she lives inside of that big ring?” Aurora murmured, as if she hadn’t heard Harmony. “What if it’s a fairy ring?”

Harmony just sighed and let it pass. She’ll get over it in a few days.

“How did she know Aurora’s name?” Serenity asked suddenly.

“She probably heard us shouting it,” Harmony shrugged.

Serenity didn’t look convinced.

“Come on, let’s get you girls ready for bed,” Harmony said as they finished their dessert. “School night.”

That was all it took to get their minds off of fairies. After several half-hearted objections, the two girls reluctantly began the nightly bedtime routine.

After both girls were securely deposited into their bedroom, Harmony sat down at the desk in her bedroom and opened her laptop. Time to see what we can find out about that crazy wall.

It took almost five minutes of narrowing her search queries to even find any references to the enormous structure. Very few people even knew of its existence, with most of the information supplied from local Native American legends. Most of the legends were spawned by the Kalapuya tribe and passed on by neighboring tribes after the majority of the Kalapuya were wiped out from European plagues. Significant language barriers between the Kalapuya and the other tribes in the region made the legends even more difficult to interpret and understand.

According to the legends, a Chepi, which was the Native American equivalent of a fairy, was the caretaker of magical creatures that once inhabited the Americas. After eons of coexisting peacefully with humans, the Elders of the largest tribe in North America betrayed the Chepi and began using the magical creatures they protected in rituals to steal their magic. The only way a Chepi could reproduce was to bind herself to a mortal man and bear his offspring. The first child always inherited the mother’s powers and was given the charge to protect the magical creatures in the land from evil spirits. The evil spirits longed to steal their magic so they could take on mortal form. Once in mortal form, the evil spirits would deceive the human tribes and initiate rites of human sacrifice to feed their twisted spirits and gain more power over the spirit realm.

The Kalapuya claimed one of the eldest of the Chepi found humans repugnant and refused to bond with them. Since Chepi only became mortal after bonding with humans, this Chepi remained in a state of perpetual youth. When all the other Chepi in the land were deceived and their first-born children sacrificed to evil spirits, only the Chepi known as the Eldest remained. She gathered all the remaining magical creatures in the land and kept them safe from the Elders in her circle of dominion. All the other circles of dominion in the land had decayed and been destroyed when their Chepi died. Only one circle of dominion remained, proof that at least one Chepi still lived.

Rubbing her tired eyes, Harmony closed her laptop and flopped down onto her bed with a sigh. I can’t believe even these natives believe in fairies. I guess some superstitions are just too good to keep on one side of the world.

Chapter 2 – God of Mischief

Harmony glanced at her laptop’s clock as she finished a chapter in her latest novel. She had started writing novels at age sixteen to relieve her boredom at school. One of her teachers had caught her working on her novel when she was supposed to be taking notes for a lecture. Instead of reprimanding her for not paying attention, he had asked for a copy of the novel to read. The next day, her teacher had told her she needed to find an agent and get published. It had taken three years to find one, and an additional two years to get published. She had written seven more novels by then, with one of them becoming a New York Times Bestseller.

Her novels had been like a portal to another world, where she could escape the soap opera of high school. She didn’t have to worry about cliques, backstabbing frenemies, or boys constantly trying to get her to go out with them. She had immersed herself in her fantasy worlds to the exclusion of everything else. She had discovered that wearing over-the-ear headphones while she typed away on her laptop was as good as a sign saying, ‘STAY AWAY’.

Harmony looked at the clock again as she rubbed her temples. Time to pick up the squirts.

Closing the lid on her laptop, Harmony let out a ferocious scream as she stretched. The first time her nieces had heard her stretching scream, they had nearly shot through the roof in fright. Sure, she could have stretched without the bestial shriek, but it just wasn’t as satisfying.

Grabbing her jacket from the coat rack by the front door, she began humming as she walked down to the county road in front of their house. She had just finished setting her music room up perfectly for studio recording and was anxious to start laying down some new tracks. With a name like Harmony, she was destined to have a knack for composing music. Collecting and learning to play new instruments was something of a hobby for her. She had just acquired a lyre before moving into the new house a few days ago, and she was itching to try it out.

As soon as she reached the county road, she broke into an all-out sprint toward the bus stop where her nieces would soon be arriving. It was only a mile away, so there was no point jogging such a short distance; she preferred to puh herself.

The school bus arrived at the customary stop at the same time she did. Aurora and Serenity were the first to get off the bus. Harmony waved at the old man who drove the bus as two other students exited behind Aurora and Serenity. He smiled at her with a small shake of his head. He thought people who enjoyed running had something wrong upstairs.

“How was school?” Harmony asked perfunctorily as they began walking toward their house.

“Mr. Summers said we should talk to the local Native American tribe about the fairy ring,” Aurora replied with a challenge in her dark eyes.

Harmony groaned inwardly. It had been just over a week since Aurora’s adventure in the redwood tree, and she was still obsessed with fairies. Now her superstitious teachers are helping to fuel the obsession. Just great.

“Your Grandma is coming over for dinner tonight,” Harmony informed them. She wasn’t about to get into a pitched battle about mythical creatures when time would handle that particular battle on its own.

“Does that mean we get to eat real food tonight?” Serenity asked contentiously.

“Define real food,” Harmony replied calmly. “Are you referring to food that has been injected with enough hormones and antibiotics to shame a hypochondriac and turn you into a nymphomaniac?”

“What’s a nymphomaniac?” Serenity asked, automatically latching on to the one word that would be the most uncomfortable to discuss.

“Ask Grandma,” Harmony replied brusquely.

“Why won’t you tell me?” Serenity asked truculently.

“I consider it a matter of responsible parenting to always leave the fun questions for the grandparents,” Harmony answered with a smirk.

“Why are you smirking?” Serenity asked suspiciously.

“It’s called grinning maliciously, not smirking,” Harmony smirked.

“What’s the difference?” Serenity asked doubtfully.

“One uses more facial muscles than the other one,” Harmony replied with a shrug. “I’m too lazy to use more than the bare minimum.”

“Sometimes I think your sense of humor borders on deranged,” Serenity informed her as she readjusted her backpack.

“I’m way past the border,” Harmony assured her with a deranged grin.

“Who’s that?” Aurora asked, nodding at a person walking down the street toward them.

Harmony glanced up to see a young woman casually strolling in their direction. She was wearing an odd assortment of clothing, to be sure. It had been a while since Harmony had seen anyone wearing one of those goofy trap hats with the earflaps. A few wisps of auburn hair were peeking out from underneath the hat. The girl had a thick white jacket, white leggings, and knee-high green boots. To top it all off, she was wearing large rose-tinted sunglasses. The visible part of her face revealed lightly blushing cheeks, full red lips, and a delicately sculpted jaw line.

“Let me pull out my crystal ball and see what name pops up,” Harmony replied, exaggeratedly raising her hand in front of her face as if she was looking into something.

“One of these days you are going to say something that isn’t laced with sarcasm, and the world will end,” Serenity growled irritably.

“Some superheroes get to shoot lasers out of their eyes,” Harmony sighed wistfully. “Me? I get stuck with sarcasm as my superpower.”

The girl was smiling as she approached them, as if she had been listening to their conversation. Apparently, those earflaps don’t impede her hearing.

She nodded at them in a friendly manner as she passed them, seemingly unconcerned with the pair of pre-teens staring her down the entire time. Harmony nodded back with an amiable smile, trying not to grin wider as she stared at the absurd hat. The girl certainly looked developed enough in the chest deparment, but she was barely taller than Aurora, and that wasn’t saying much. There was a faint smell of exotic flowers as the girl passed them. It tickled something in her memory, but she couldn’t place it.

“You were supposed to ask her who she was,” Aurora said reproachfully once she was well past them.

“How was I supposed to know you wanted me to ask her for her name?” Harmony asked defensively. “Sarcasm is my superpower, not telepathy. Besides, what does it matter?”

“What if she’s the fairy?” Aurora asked with a sigh. “Now we’ll never know.”

“I didn’t see any wings,” Harmony noted with pursed lips. “And I definitely didn’t see any fairy dust trailing behind her.”

“Well maybe she’s hiding her wings in her jacket,” Aurora pointed out as if it should be obvious. “And she was hiding her ears with the hat.”

“All good points,” Harmony nodded approvingly. “And she had those large, tinted glasses on that could have been hiding fairy eyes. I suppose I should have asked her name.”

“Duh,” Aurora rolled her eyes. “Of course you should have asked her name.”

“I realize that now,” Harmony nodded thoughtfully. “Her name would have revealed everything, because…because…hmm…”

“What?” Aurora prompted expectantly.

“Well, I can’t remember why knowing her name would have given her secret identity as a fairy away,” Harmony admitted with a bashful grin.

Aurora looked stumped as her brain kicked into overdrive to find the reason.

“Don’t pay any attention to her, Aurora,” Serenity told her sister with a spiteful glare at Harmony. “She’s just toying with you.”

“There’s nothing wrong with toying with someone,” Harmony said in an injured tone. “People like toys, or they wouldn’t be so popular.”

Sometimes Harmony worried that her overdeveloped sense of humor would be detrimental to her relationship with her nieces, but she always consoled herself with the fact that teenagers were experts at finding things to dislike no matter how you behaved around them. After all, she had been a teenager not so long ago herself and remembered exactly how unnatural it was to just get along with your parents/guardians.

XXXXX

Harmony’s mother had barely walked through the front door before Serenity was tattling on her for being a liar. Harmony just ignored the reproachful looks her mother kept sending her way as Serenity and Aurora informed her of every naughty thing she had said or done. It wasn’t until Serenity asked her what a nymphomaniac was that it became more than disapproving looks.

“Where did you hear that word?” her mother demanded, appalled.

“Aunt Harmony,” Aurora and Serenity said at the same time.

“Harmony!” her mother sighed in exasperation. “At least pretend to be an adult for once in your life.”

“Oh, well, as long as it’s only for pretend,” Harmony shrugged and nodded agreeably.

“And none of that passive-aggressive nonsense either!” her mother admonished sternly.

“Do you two want to know how your grandma met your grandpa when they were twelve?” Harmony asked her nieces brightly.

Her mother’s face turned bright red in embarrassment. “Don’t you dare try blackmailing me!”

“A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do,” Harmony replied regretfully.

“What happened?” Aurora asked interestedly.

“Nothing!” her mother responded adamantly. “Your aunt is just making things up again.”

Harmony raised an eyebrow at her mother but said nothing.

Her mother was several inches shorter than her but had the same long blonde hair as Harmony, though hers was streaked with grey. She had once had a lithe and athletic build like Harmony, but she looked more skeletal now as she struggled with Multiple Sclerosis. Harmony frequently had to quell sudden storms of rage at the universe for what it had done to her mother. If there actually was an afterlife with a divine arbiter, Harmony was going to punch them in their sanctimonious face.

“What’s all this talk about fairies anyway?” her mother asked in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

“I’m glad you mentioned that,” Harmony said with a thoughtful frown. “I’ve been researching some of the local Native American legends. However, the natives who were responsible for the legends are extinct, and the neighboring tribes could barely communicate with them because of language barriers. Since dead languages are your specialty, I thought you might be interested in trying to make more sense of them than the few experts familiar with this tribe have been able to so far.”

“Which tribe?” her mother asked, her eyes coming alight with sudden interest.

“The Kalapuya,” Harmony replied, knowing that she had probably mangled the pronunciation.

“They were one of the largest tribes in the region for quite a while,” her mother said thoughtfully. “What legends in particular were you interested in?”

“I was actually just trying to find out more about who the architects of that monstrous wall were, but the only thing I could find even mentioning it were those Kalapuya legends,” Harmony replied with a frustrated shake of her head. “You would think something so unusual would have drawn archeologists like a magnet.”

“Only a few people have tried to study it, but they claim anything electronic malfunctions when you get near the wall,” her mother said musingly. “I’ve never been there myself, but I’ve always wondered what hides behind those walls.”

“Why don’t they just fly a helicopter over it and drop someone in?” Harmony asked in puzzlement. “Or if that is too expensive, just get some rock-climbing gear and scale it.”

“I told you, electronics malfunction near the wall,” her mother replied patiently. “The first time they tried flying over it, they nearly crashed when their engine started failing. As for climbing it, even diamond tipped spikes can’t penetrate the surface. They have no idea what the material is, and they can’t even take samples. Not to mention, it isn’t just a single wall. There is a large moat between the first wall and the second wall that is almost three hundred feet across. When they used special ladders to climb the first wall, they couldn’t get to the second wall.”

“Why couldn’t they get to the second wall?” Serenity asked in a hushed voice.

“Because as far as they can tell, the moat is bottomless,” her mother replied with a mysterious smile. “Every time they tried to take a depth reading, the lines just kept sinking until they ran out of line. Since they can’t put ladders down into the moat to get to the second wall, there is no way to get inside of it. Someone even tried parachuting down to it, but a wind came out of nowhere and blew them away from the ring. Someone tried shooting a harpoon across once, but they couldn’t get the spear to anchor into anything on the other side.”

“Why aren’t there government agents all over this thing if it is so difficult to get into?” Harmony asked skeptically. “There’s no way they wouldn’t be studying this around the clock.”

“Because they don’t know about it,” her mother replied simply. “It’s on private property with no access roads, so it isn’t widely known. It’s been nearly forty years since the team of explorers first encountered it and tried to get in. They didn’t have internet back then, so their story didn’t get published to every corner of the world. It looked like it might get more attention for a little while, but then the team of explorers just packed up and left and refused to talk about it with anyone.”

“Wait, it’s on private property?” Harmony asked with a frown. “So, we were trespassing?”

“It’s on your property,” her mother replied dryly. “Didn’t you look at the boundary of the property after you inherited the house?”

“Wait, what?” Harmony spluttered. “Grandma Dotty owned all of this property? I thought it was just up to the fences.”

“Her mom purchased just over a thousand acres when they migrated out here,” her mother explained. “That’s why you have one of the only places outside of the national parks full of redwoods.”

Harmony worked her mouth soundlessly as she tried to comprehend all the land she had unknowingly inherited.

“Now you know why there is so little information about the ring,” her mother said helpfully. “Your grandmother is the one who hired the group of explorers to try and get into the ring in the first place. She refused to talk about the ring after the explorers left. I’ve always wondered what happened to make her stop investigating it.”

“I think this is getting unnecessarily mysterious,” Harmony declared as she stood up. “Let’s see what Google Earth can see inside of it.”

She fetched her laptop from her bedroom and came back down to the front room. Her nieces and mother crowded around her at the end table as she pulled up Google Earth and began zooming into the site.

“Looks like it jams cameras as well as electronics,” her mother noted thoughtfully as the area where the large ring should have been just showed a large black blob.

“That can’t be right,” Harmony frowned. “I must have the wrong area.”

“Your house isn’t even a mile away from it,” her mother disagreed. “You’re in the right area.”

Harmony spent the next few minutes zooming in and out of the map, sure that the giant ring was hiding somewhere else. With a frustrated sigh, she closed the lid of her laptop. Google had never failed her before. She felt cheated somehow. Maybe I’ll give Google a call and lodge a complaint. Yeah…right.

“What did the Kalapuya legends say about it?” her mother asked curiously.

“Oh, just a bunch of superstitious nonsense,” Harmony snorted derisively. “They claimed some ancient fairy had gathered up all of the magical creatures in the land to protect them from a bunch of evil Shamans.”

“Interesting…” her mother said slowly. “Do you ever wonder how so many mythical creatures appear in legends from cultures all over the world? After all, the Native Americans had no contact with the European and Asian continents until recently, yet they have legends of dwarves, sprites, elves, dragons, and many other mythical creatures from Eastern hemisphere mythology.”

“So, you think fairies might be real too?” Aurora asked excitedly.

“At my age, you stop believing anything is impossible,” her mother replied with another mysterious smile.

“Mom, would you cut it out?” Harmony asked irritably. “Aurora’s already convinced a fairy saved her from falling out of a redwood tree. She doesn’t need you encouraging her with such childish superstitions.”

“Why would she need to be saved from falling out of a redwood tree,” her mother demanded sharply.

Harmony groaned inwardly. Way to go mouth.

After reluctantly retelling her mother about their adventure near the wall, Harmony braced herself for the imminent lecture on responsible parenting. Her mother surprised her though.

“Did she talk to you at all?” her mother asked Aurora curiously.

“Yep,” Aurora nodded eagerly. “She said I had a pretty smile, and that I should take good care of Aunt Harmony.”

“She did?” Harmony asked in surprise. She knew the girl had spoken to Aurora while the two of them waited for her to reach the bottom of the tree, but she had never gotten around to asking what she said.

“Uh huh,” Aurora nodded with an impish smile. “I told her I would do my best, but that you were a little crazy sometimes. She thought that was pretty funny. She also said she thought we were awesome for not eating animals.”

“You told her I was vegan?” Harmony asked in surprise.

“Nope,” Aurora shook her head resolutely. “I didn’t say anything about it.”

“Great, now I have to worry about adolescent stalkers as well,” Harmony sighed resignedly.

It had been a relief when her mother finally left after dinner. She had been sure her mother would support her in dismissing the fairy obsession, but she had been gravely disappointed. If anything, her mother had just kicked the hornet’s nest.

XXXXX

After meeting Aurora and Serenity at the bus stop the next day, a familiar figure appeared as they began walking back to their house. The girl with the funky hat was crouched off to the side of the road with her hand outstretched toward something in the long grass.

“Ask her what her name is this time!” Aurora hissed insistently.

“Fine,” Harmony sighed, rolling her eyes in defeat. “But if she doesn’t turn into a fairy after we say her name, you have to promise me you’ll stop obsessing over fairies.”

Aurora nodded absently and Harmony sighed again. As if…

As they drew closer, Harmony saw that the girl was offering some nuts to an extremely overweight squirrel.

“Are you sure that furball needs more padding?” Harmony asked critically. “He looks like he could survive at least another five winters without eating another thing.”

The girl burst out laughing as the squirrel started chattering angrily. It was staring right at Harmony, as if it had understood exactly what she had just said.

“He’s a she actually,” the girl replied in a melodic voice that was naggingly familiar. “And she is extremely pregnant and needs all of the handouts she can get.”

“Fine, I take it back,” Harmony replied with a rueful smile. “I’m Harmony, by the way.”

The girl stood up, still chuckling slightly. “I’m Rhapsody. Nice to meet you.”

“Do you live around here?” Harmony asked curiously. She had told herself she would stop being anti-social after moving, but still hadn’t found the motivation to go meet any of her new neighbors.

“All of my life,” Rhapsody replied, smiling as if there were some kind of joke in her answer.

“Do you always feed all of the wildlife in the area?” Harmony asked with a glance at the squirrel.

“Just the nice ones,” Rhapsody nodded. “Some of them are too ornery to bother with, so I stick to helping those who are worthy of compassion. Natural selection doesn’t result in empathy very often, so I try to encourage it when I see creatures capable of exhibiting such traits.”

Harmony blinked, trying to readjust her assessment of the girl’s age. She spoke in a manner more mature than a young teenager. Maybe she is older than sixteen after all.

Serenity and Aurora were watching her in fascination as she continued placing small nuts into the pregnant squirrel’s outstretched hands. A lightning bolt couldn’t have drawn their attention away from the unusual girl.

“So do you know of any fairies who live in the area?” Harmony asked with an indulgent nod at her nieces. “My nieces are convinced one lives inside of that giant ring.”

“I’m afraid I haven’t met any fairies around here,” Rhapsody replied carefully. “I’ll certainly let you know if I see any though.”

Harmony studied the girl curiously. There was something so familiar about her voice, but she just couldn’t place it.

“Do you go to the local high school?” Harmony asked curiously.

“I was home schooled,” Rhapsody replied with another smile that hinted at some kind of inner joke.

“Cool,” Harmony nodded absently as she wracked her brains to remember where she had heard that musical voice before.

“Go get some rest, Cleverantonitaflora,” Rhapsody told the large squirrel when it had consumed the last of the proffered nuts.

“She has a name?” Harmony asked with a wide grin.

“They all do,” Rhapsody replied with a shrug. “If you just say, ‘hey squirrel’, every squirrel in the forest thinks you’re talking to them.”

Harmony nodded in bemusement. She names the squirrels. Sounds like some pretty crazy home schooling.

“It was nice to meet you,” Rhapsody told them with a genuine smile. “I’ll see you around, I’m sure.”

“I’m sure,” Harmony agreed good-naturedly. It wasn’t exactly hard to run into the same people in a town with a population of two thousand people.

As she passed them, Harmony caught a whiff of some kind of floral scent. It triggered a sense of nostalgia for spring, green meadows, and flowers. Harmony nearly called out to her again to ask where she had found such a lovely fragrance, but when she turned around the girl was gone. Weird.

After walking for a few minutes, Aurora cleared her throat.

“I told you she was the fairy,” Aurora stated smugly.

“Because her name is Rhapsody?” Harmony asked in amusement.

“No, silly,” Aurora laughed. “She can talk to animals.”

“So can I,” Harmony said dryly. “I just don’t have a clue what they are saying back to me.”

“Well, she does,” Aurora said confidently.

“I’m sure she does,” Harmony replied with a resigned shake of her head.

“She rescued me from the tree,” Aurora said pointedly.

“I don’t think that was the same girl,” Harmony replied doubtfully.

“What do you mean, it wasn’t the same girl?” Aurora asked disbelievingly. “She had the exact same voice!”

Harmony frowned as that nagging sense of familiarity finally found its mark. It was the same voice. That scent! It was the same floral scent as well.

“And…she’s home schooled,” Serenity declared triumphantly. “She was raised in the woods with magical creatures, so of course she was home schooled.”

“You heard her admit she wasn’t a fairy with your own ears,” Harmony said firmly. “Unless fairies make use of artistic license, of course.”

“She didn’t say she wasn’t a fairy,” Serenity disagreed with an excited gleam in her dark eyes. “She said she hadn’t met any fairies around here. That’s because she’s the only one! There aren’t any other fairies to meet.”

Harmony remained quiet for the remainder of the walk back. She said she had been homeschooled, past tense. Is she even a kid at all? If I could see under that damn hat and glasses it would be a lot easier to assess.

XXXXX

Harmony kept her eyes peeled as she sprinted to the bus stop the next day. She hadn’t passed Rhapsody on her previous runs to the bus stop, but the strange girl had still managed to be fairly close on the walk back to the house. Unless Rhapsody had been sprinting as well, Harmony should have passed her on the mile-long run to the bus stop.

As she arrived at the bus stop breathing heavily, she glanced behind her. Still no sign of Rhapsody. When she turned around, Rhapsody was casually walking the same direction that Harmony and her nieces would be going on their return to the house. Where in the world did she come from? I’ve been watching the road the whole way.

“Hey, Harmony,” Rhapsody nodded in greeting as she joined them on their walk, much to the delight of Aurora and Serenity. “How’s life in the hinterlands treating you?”

“Just swell,” Harmony replied dryly. She cursed her sarcastic tongue as Rhapsody’s lips twitched slightly in amusement. She wished she could see past Rhapsody’s rose-tinted glasses. She was positive a whole world of mischief was hiding behind those damned shades.

Harmony unobtrusively inhaled a deep breath through her nose, noticing once again the floral scent that triggered nostalgia of all things spring. She had never smelled a perfume or soap that was anything like it. This girl was just full of mystery.

“How are the locals treating you and Aurora?” Rhapsody asked the two girls expectantly. “You haven’t run into any bullies, have you?”

“No, everyone is really nice!” Serenity replied brightly. “They are a lot friendlier here than they were in Phoenix.”

“Where do you live?” Harmony asked curiously. She had to force herself to stop staring at the small woman as she tried to find any indication of her age.

“Not too far from your house,” Rhapsody replied easily. “I love listening to the music you compose, by the way.”

“You can hear me playing at your house?” Harmony asked in chagrin. “I’m sorry; I’ll try and keep the volume down from now on.”

“Just when I walk past your house,” Rhapsody assured her. “You better not turn the volume down. You have a real talent.”

“Thanks,” Harmony said awkwardly. She had always been too self-conscious to play in front of people when she was learning a new instrument, and now she had an unexpected audience. “Do you play any instruments?”

“All of them,” Rhapsody replied with a mischievous grin. “The didgeridoo is one of my favorites though. It drives my neighbors crazy when I play it on Winter Solstice. Scares the crap out of them.”

Harmony chuckled at the visual. “Yeah, the didgeridoo definitely has an interesting sound. I still haven’t tried playing one yet.”

“I’ll have to bring mine over sometime for you to try,” Rhapsody said with a grin. “It requires quite a different technique than your typical woodwind.”

Harmony glanced sideways at Rhapsody. She hadn’t taken the small woman seriously when she claimed to play every instrument, but she was obviously somewhat familiar with at least a few.

“How old are you, if you don’t mind my asking?” Harmony asked hesitantly.

“I lost track after twenty-seven trillion seconds,” Rhapsody replied with a straight face that was marred slightly by her twitching lips.

“Right…” Harmony drawled slowly. “Exactly how many years does that equate to?”

“Do I look like a calculator to you?” Rhapsody asked impishly.

“You certainly are good at avoiding answering questions directly,” Harmony noted with a raised eyebrow. “What do I have to do to get a straight answer out of you?”

“So, you like them straight, huh?” Rhapsody asked with a suggestive eyebrow waggle.

Harmony glared at Serenity when the little imp snorted derisively.

“Not likely,” Aurora giggled, waggling her own eyebrows at Harmony suggestively. “Our mom always told us Aunt Harmony was about as straight as a corkscrew.”

Harmony rolled her eyes, cursing her sister’s ghost.

Rhapsody suddenly froze in mid-step as her head swiveled toward the forest. Harmony glanced into the trees without seeing anything to warrant such intense scrutiny.

“Azeban, what are you doing out here?” Rhapsody demanded exasperatedly. “I told you not to follow me.”

“Who are you talking to?” Harmony asked in puzzlement.

“The raccoon,” Aurora pointed at a very guilty looking raccoon that was perched on a tree branch a dozen feet in the air.

“You have a pet raccoon?” Harmony asked doubtfully.

“Not exactly,” Rhapsody replied with a resigned sigh. “Azeban, get your furry butt back home right now!”

Azeban began making a series of chirping noises that Harmony had a feeling were complaints.

“Whining won’t win you any sympathy from me,” Rhapsody declared sternly. “Chickcharneetalaponia would love nothing better than to haul your big butt home and drop you in the lake. Don’t make me call her.”

Azeban immediately scampered down the tree and took off into the forest at a dead run.

“You and your names,” Harmony said in amusement. “Do you have some kind of fetish for words over five syllables?”

“That was only seven syllables,” Rhapsody told her with a small smile. “Ikle Chikle Chicary Chan Hornaman Gornaman Dustio Willopy Wallopy Chineo has twenty-four syllables, and that’s only because I shortened it.”

“And which creature bears that impressive name?” Harmony asked curiously.

“She’s a crow,” Rhapsody replied with a fond smile. “But she’s the most beautiful crow in the world.”

“They all look the same to me,” Harmony shrugged.

“Not her,” Rhapsody said firmly. “She’s special. She sparkles with every color of the rainbow.”

“Did you rescue her from an oil spill?” Harmony asked curiously.

Rhapsody must have found that amusing, because she immediately broke into peals of laughter.

“Did I say something funny?” Harmony asked in bafflement.

Rhapsody just nodded without elaborating. Harmony shook her head ruefully. This girl is almost as crazy as I am.

“Would you like to come in for a little while?” Harmony asked as they reached her house.

“Maybe another time,” Rhapsody replied, her lips still quivering with mirth. “I better get home before anyone else starts getting into mischief.”

“Would you like a ride?” Harmony offered with a gesture at her small Honda.

“I prefer walking, but thanks anyway,” Rhapsody declined with an appreciative smile.

“See you later then?” Harmony asked tentatively.

“Count on it,” Rhapsody nodded.

Harmony smiled to herself as Rhapsody waited for them to walk up the long driveway to her house before leaving. As she opened the door, she glanced back to wave, but Rhapsody was nowhere to be seen.

“That girl has a real knack for disappearing,” Harmony muttered under her breath, but not quietly enough.

“That’s because she’s a fairy,” Aurora told her matter-of-factly.

Harmony just shook her head without saying anything. On a sudden impulse, she pulled out her iPhone and Googled seconds to years and typed in twenty-seven trillion. Just over eight-hundred and eighty-two thousand years old. She sure does age well. I wonder what her secret is.

Before going to bed for the night, Harmony flipped her laptop open and did a Google search for Azeban. According to Wikipedia, Azeban was one of the many trickster gods the Abenaki tribe believed in. Unlike most trickster gods, Azeban was considered harmless, lacking the malicious tendencies inherent in most of the other trickster gods. He was said to take the form of a raccoon.

That girl obviously knows her Native American mythology.

Chapter 3 - Juno

“Hurry up, Aurora,” Harmony yelled into the house from the back porch of her house. “We’re going to be late for the movie.”

It took several more minutes before Aurora finally exited the house, looking extremely satisfied. She had spent all day Saturday working with Serentiy on something in the craft room that was “top secret”. They had banned Harmony from coming near the craft room until they were finished. Her nieces, who normally jumped at the chance to see a movie in the theater, had fought tooth and nail to stay home when she had told them she had purchased tickets to the Saturday night show. They had ultimately convinced her to exchange the tickets for Sunday so that they could continue working on their secret project.

“So, are you going to show me what you two have been working on when we get back?” Harmony asked as they got into her Honda.

“No,” Aurora said at the same time that Serenity said, “Definitely not.”

Harmony blinked, taken aback. “You’re going to leave me dying of curiosity?” Harmony asked in a hurt tone.

She watched the two girls exchange glances in her rearview mirror before Serenity answered.

“Let’s just say that it will be fairy cool,” Serenity stared at her expectantly.

“Huh,” Harmony said flatly as she stared back at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Did you see what I did there?” Serenity asked, grinning.

“She made a pun,” Aurora informed her, also grinning. “Because it sounds like very cool.”

“Ooooh,” Harmony said, her eyes going wide. “You were being punny.”

“You ruin the pun if we have to explain it,” Serenity told her tartly.

“I’m fairy certain that it didn’t need any help from me,” Harmony replied with a wink. “You just keep working on those puns and they’ll be fairy funny in no time.”

“Mine was better,” Serentiy muttered disdainfully.

“It was,” Aurora agreed, patting her sister’s hand reassuringly.

The drive to town was ten minutes from their house. Trees lined both sides of the road, making it feel like they were driving through a tunnel. There were a few of the giant redwoods along the road, but nowhere near as many as there were around their house. Her grandma Dotty had left the will of the two-story home in Harmony’s name, much to several of her cousins’ chagrin. Harmony had moved her Grandma Dotty into her apartment for the last four years of her grandmother’s life, refusing to allow her aunts, uncles and cousins to move her to a nursing home. She had never understood how people could dump their own parents off with a bunch of strangers to take care of in their twilight years. After all the years her grandmother had spent raising her children, it seemed like a slap in the face not to reciprocate.

Her mother had also spent a lot of time helping her care for Grandma Dotty, even though she was dealing with her own illness. After her grandmother’s death and the revelation of her will, her cousins had accused her of scamming the family for her own profit. Several of them had demanded that she sell the large house and divide the money up equally. It made her physically ill to watch her own family turn into vultures as they tried to swoop in and claim anything worth more than a few dollars. The will had been very clear, however. The house and everything in it went to Harmony, including the car and the remainder of her grandmother’s savings.

“Deer!” Auror and Serenity shrieked in unison, snapping Harmony out of her morose thoughts. She slammed on the breaks, barely dodging a fawn that had jumped out in front of her. Harmony felt her heart hammering with adrenaline as she watched the fawn suddenly realize that its suicide attempt had failed. It bounded out of the road and joined its mother.

“Stupid stupid stupid deer!” Harmony growled in exasperation. “Haven’t humans been driving cars long enough for natural selection to have taken care of all of the stupid deer yet?”

“You’re in the middle of the road,” Serenity informed her as she craned her head to make sure no cars were coming from the sharp turn in front of them. “Natural selection is going to take care of us if we don’t move.”

Harmony pushed on the accelerator, but nothing happened. Great, the car stalled.

She pushed the start button, but nothing happened. “I didn’t even hit the stupid thing, why is the car being so lame?”

“What if someone comes around the turn?” Serentiy asked nervously.

Harmony put the hazard lights on and tried to put the car in neutral, but since everything was electrical and the car wouldn’t start, nothing happened.

“I’m going to go around the turn and flag the next car down,” Harmony turned in her seat to inform them.

Aurora and Serentiy’s eyes suddenly grew wide with terror. Harmony jerked her head back to the front to see a logging truck come hurtling around the turn at 65 mph. Time seemed to slow down as she saw their inevitable doom. Even if the logging truck braked and swerved, it would still hit them.

The logging truck suddenly shifted sideways, as if a giant hand had pushed it. It swerved all over the shoulder as it flew past them. Every time the swerving trailer came swinging toward the car it was as if it hit an invisible barrier and bounced back. As the end of the logs on the trailer passed them, the driver finally slammed on his brakes. Smoke filled the air as burning rubber squealed deafeningly across the road. Miraculously, the truck came to a stop without jack-knifing or losing any logs.

“You sure are good at finding trouble,” a familiar musical voice spoke so faintly that she wasn’t sure if she imagined it.

Harmony jerked in surprise when there was a loud clunking sound, and then the car popped into neutral. Harmony snapped out of her daze as the car started rolling backward. She quickly turned the steering wheel until she rolled onto the shoulder of the road.

A man with a long black beard and wearing overalls was walking toward her from where his semi-truck was now parked on the opposite shoulder a thousand feet down the road. His face was beet red and his expression livid.

Harmony slowly opened her door and exited the vehicle, her hands shaking violently. She stared at the long black lines in the road made by the semi-truck’s tires, still smoking with burnt rubber.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing parking in the middle of the damn highway?” the man bellowed at her when he was within arm’s reach. His breath stank of onions and beef jerky.

“I swerved to dodge a deer, and my car stalled,” Harmony answered, her voice quavering. “I couldn’t get it to start again, and it wouldn’t go into neutral without starting.”

The man glared at her, taking deep breaths as he tried to get his own emotions under control. “It’s a damn miracle you survived. A freak gust of wind nearly tipped me over and pushed me to the shoulder right before I hit you.” He looked at her car, now on the shoulder. “I thought you said it wouldn’t start?”

“It won’t,” Harmony told him, still trembling. “It just suddenly lurched back a second ago and started rolling backward.“

“It just magically rolled backward,” the man asked her, squinting suspiciously. “You a little funny in the head or something?”

“You saw it happen too, right?” Harmony asked her shell-shocked nieces through the window.

They both nodded vigorously.

“See, I’m not crazy,” Harmony told the man defensively, though without much conviction.

“Here’s a suggestion from me,” the man said with a frown. “In the future if you see a deer, you hit that sucker. Swerving into the opposite lane is a whole lot worse than smashing into a deer.”

The man stared at her for a moment longer, then, without another word, turned and walked back to his truck.

Harmony slowly got back into her car, trying to calm her frazzled nerves. She took a deep breath and pressed the start button. The car turned on.

“Okay, shall we see if we can get the rest of the way without incident?” Harmony asked her nieces with false cheerfulness.

They nodded vigorously again, and she pulled back onto the road, this time keeping her eyes peeled for deer.

She had never given much truck to guardian angels, considering it was religious mumbo jumbo, but she was having difficulty explaining how they were still alive. What were the odds that a giant gust of wind would blow the truck off course from plowing into them at the last second? Then there was the time it was swerving toward them as it passed on the shoulder and appearing to hit a barrier of some sort before it could hit them.

Get a grip, coincidences happen all the time. I just need to count myself fortunate that this one happened in my favor.

By the time they finally arrived at the theater their nerves had calmed, and they began their normal banter again. As they walked past the front of the car, Harmony stopped as something caught her eye. Right on the front of the hood of her car there were two small impressions that looked like handprints, as if someone really strong had pushed the car.

Aurora and Serenity followed her gaze, then gasped as realization dawned.

“Those are handprints!” Serenity said excitedly. “I’ll bet it was Rhapsody who saved us!”

“I’m sure we just got bumped by the semi-truck when it was flying past us,” Harmony disagreed weakly.

They both turned to stare at her skeptically, then pointedly looked back at the hand-shaped imprints.

“Weird coincidences happen all of the time,” Harmony said defensively. “People sell grilled cheese sandwiches on eBay when it looks like a mythical historical figure. This is the same kind of thing. Now come on, or we are going to be late.”

Her nieces shared a look that clearly said she was in denial before following her.

XXXXX

After watching the matinée at the theater, Harmony was browbeat into stopping at a pet store. Her nieces insisted they just wanted some supplies and not an actual pet.

“Have you ever wondered about the vagaries of our language?” Harmony asked them as they walked down the cat aisle.

“What are you talking about?” Serenity asked in confusion.

“Why do we call domestic animals pets?” Harmony asked musingly. “Pet is what we do to them, not what they are. How many people get a pet gold fish and actually pet it? The name just doesn’t fit the scenario.”

“Going to the pet store rolls off the tongue a lot easier than going to the domestic animal store,” Serenity pointed out. “Is this what you spend your time thinking about?”

“They could have come up with a specific name for pets that wasn’t a verb and a noun,” Harmony insisted. “We could have called them sniffers or something.”

“That’s an awful name,” Aurora said distastefully.

“And it’s still based on a verb,” Serenity declared smugly.

“Well, come up with a better one,” Harmony retorted defensively.

“Pets,” Serenity replied in sync with Aurora.

Harmony glared at the two of them. “What are we looking for, anyway?”

Serenity made a show of searching the aisle before pointing at a cat bed. “There it is. We want this cat bed.”

Harmony scowled down at it, her mind racing. “Did you two find a stray cat?”

“Nope,” Serenity denied as Aurora shook her head.

“What do you want a cat bed for then?” Harmony asked in puzzlement. “You’re both too big for a cat bed.”

“It’s a secret,” Serenity replied firmly.

“Top secret,” Aurora added, her eyes sparkling with intrigue.

Harmony stared at them silently for a few seconds. If they had found an animal to take in, she wanted to make sure it was safe and that they took care of it properly. Seeing how engaged they had been the last two days was a good sign that they were adapting to the death of their mother. She didn’t want to ruin a chance for them to find purpose and hopefully, happiness.

“Okay, fine,” Harmony gave in with a sigh. “Anything else? No? Let’s get out of here then. The smell of the reptile cages is making me see green.”

XXXXX

Harmony sat in her study in a lounge chair with her laptop trying to get past her writer’s block. She absently tapped the arm of the chair as she tried to focus on her current fictional adventure story, but her thoughts seemed to be playing ping pong in her head with the recent events. Her study usually had a calming effect on her nerves and gave her the mental comfort she needed to write her novels for hours on end. Not today. She kept having flashbacks to the semi-truck nearly extinguishing her nieces’ lives. She had barely had custody of her nieces for a little more than a week and Aurora had almost died twice and Serenity once. At his rate, how would they survive the rest of their childhood in her care? It had already taken two miracles to save them; she wasn’t sure how many more the universe was going to hand out.

She was distracted by an odd sound. It sounded like a mixture of a cat and a puppy. The sound started with a meow but ended in a whine. She creased her brows as she tried to match the sound with anything in her internal catalog of zoological sounds. Nope. Nothing.

She stood up, intent on finding the source of the strange noise. Looking out the study window she saw her nieces casting around a makeshift fishing pole with a string on one end and some feathers tied to the end of the string. The long grass around them broke apart as a ball of bright green fur darted across and snatched it up in what looked like tiny hands. It was difficult to make out any details due to the creature being almost completely covered in long fur. She would have guessed it was a cat that someone had dyed green except its odd shape. It was an almost perfectly spherical shape and about the size of a soccer ball. There were two long cat-like ears poking out of the fur, right above a small face that was more reminiscent of a lamb than a cat. The oddly dexterous hands were barely visible through the length of the fur.

The creature held up the feathers it had captured and made more of those strange sounds that were a mix of a meow and a dog whine.

“Nice job, Juno!” Aurora exclaimed enthusiastically. She knelt and stroked its fluffy form affectionately.

Harmony squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She reopened them and peered at the creature. Nope, it still doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever heard of. This explains what they wanted the cat bed for, I guess.

She pulled her phone out to take a picture of the ball of fur, but as soon as she pointed the camera its way, the creature made a nervous chittering sound and quickly disappeared into the long grass. Aurora and Serenity looked around warily as the creature raced off into the trees. Harmony stepped away from the window before they noticed her.

“Hey Siri, what kind of creature is the size and shape of a soccer ball, is extremely furry, and has opposable digits?” Harmony asked her phone doubtfully.

“The creature you're describing sounds like a fictional or mythical animal rather than a real one. However, it could be imagined as a fantasy creature, resembling a small, round, extremely furry mammal, possibly with a resemblance to a fictional creature from stories or games like "Furby" or similar. In reality, no such animal exists, but it's a fun idea for a creative concept!” Siri replied.

“Seriously?” Harmony sighed in exasperation. “So much for AI knowing everything.”

Harmony frowned as she weighed her options. She could confront the two of them and demand to know where the creature had come from and why it was here. That might backfire though, considering they had explicitly told her it was their secret. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem dangerous. Maybe Rhapsody would know what it was and if it was dangerous. Of course, she would have to get a chance to ask Rhapsody without her nieces overhearing, or they would know that she had discovered their secret. Kids needed their secrets, and she didn’t want to spoil their fun. She was pretty sure that only primates had opposable thumbs, so maybe it was some species of monkey? Bright green monkey…yeah, why not.

XXXXX

Harmony wiped her sweaty brow with the back of her gloved hand as she stood up from her kneeling position in the garden. She had decided to prepare it for winter and see if she could plant some wheat while the girls were at school. The garden was in a fenced quarter acre plot to keep the deer out. There were raised beds in need of some attention after years of disuse and a line of fruit trees near the bottom that needed trimming.

She could remember when she was Aurora’s age working in this garden with her Grandma Dotty. It seemed like a lifetime ago after the stressful events that led to her becoming her nieces’ guardian, yet in some respects it seemed like it had just been yesterday.

“What’re you growing?” a familiar voice asked curiously from a few feet away.

Harmony jumped about a foot and dropped the spade she had been holding as she spun around to find Rhapsody watching her with an amused smile.

“You need to wear a bell or something,” Harmony declared as she let out an explosive breath. “My nerves are too high-strung for all of these sneak attacks.”

“You really are high-strung, aren’t you?” Rhapsody noted with a grin. She reached down and picked up the spade Harmony had dropped and handed it to her.

Harmony stared at her silently, her brain short-circuiting. Rhapsody wasn’t wearing her goofy trap hat. Instead, she wore a kind of headband that covered most of her ears. The glasses she wore were a lot smaller than the giant ones she had been wearing during previous meetings. She could see why Rhapsody wore such large glasses now, as the smaller glasses failed to completely cover the girl’s enormous eyes. There must have been some kind of major genetic variation in her genes to have such inhumanly large eyes. Her waist length red hair tumbled down her bare shoulders, contrasting beautifully with a green summer dress that stopped at mid-thigh. She was showing enough generous cleavage to make Harmony hastily look up into her large eyes. She was completely and painfully flawless.

Harmony started getting dizzy and realized she was holding her breath. She hurriedly took a breath. Rhapsody looked like a fairy tale princess, right down to the large eyes and small nose. She knew she was staring, but try as she might, she couldn’t stop herself from gawking at the transformed woman.

“You okay?” Rhapsody asked in sudden concern, stepping forward and placing a delicate hand on her arm.

“Um...yeah,” Harmony managed to mumble. She mentally grabbed herself by the scruff and shook herself vigorously. “Yeah, sorry about that. You just looked so different that it took me a minute to process it. Aren’t you freezing?”

“It’s still 55 degrees out here,” Rhapsody said with a shrug that pulled Harmony’s attention back to the generously displayed cleavage. “That’s nice and toasty to me. Is that wheat you’re planting?”

“Yeah, I wanted to try making homemade bread with all homegrown ingredients,” Harmony replied weakly, forcing her eyes to look back up at Rhapsody’s face. “Just to see what food tasted like that wasn’t full of additives. My mom thinks I’ll hate it because we’ve become too accustomed to preservatives.”

“I have a feeling that you’ll like it,” Rhapsody said confidently.

“What are you up to today?” Harmony asked Rhapsody curiously. “Is there anything I can do for you, or was this just a social call?”

“Just a social call,” Rhapsody replied pleasantly. “I wanted to get to know Harmony better. I heard that she’s an author and has great taste in music. She sounds pretty fascinating, doesn’t she?”

Harmony blushed at the odd compliment. “Is she normally spoken to in the third person, or is that just something Rhapsody does?” Harmony asked dryly.

Rhapsody laughed delightedly, the sound bringing butterflies to Harmony’s stomach. “She’s an author, so I just wanted to get into the spirit of literary convention,” the small woman said lightly.

“Would you like to come in?” Harmony asked nonchalantly, willing herself not to blush.

“Sure, I’ve always wondered what the inside of this house was like,” Rhapsody answered, eyeing the two-story house admiringly. “It’s such a beautiful house.”

“Thank you,” Harmony murmured, feeling self-conscious. She kept the house pretty clean, but if she had been expecting a visitor she would have gone nuts deep cleaning it.

Rhapsody began walking ahead of Harmony toward the front door. Harmony couldn’t stop herself from staring again as the small woman gracefully, even sensuously walked ahead of her. Even though she was short, her legs were very long in proportion to the rest of her body, and her hips swayed from side to side as she walked at a leisurely pace up to the door. When she was almost to the door she looked over her shoulder where Harmony was staring at her undulating hips in fascination.

“Where did you move here from?” Rhapsody asked, her lips curling as she saw Harmony’s eyes jerk toward her face.

“Phoenix,” Harmony replied with a mental curse at her traitorous eyes. Her cheeks had started burning shortly after Rhapsody arrived and didn’t seem to have any plans to stop.

“I hear there are a lot of hot people there,” Rhapsody said with a dimpled smile.

“You are almost as punny as Serenity,” Harmony noted with a chuckle. “Would you like a tour of the house?”

“Definitely,” Rhapsody replied with an eager nod. “I want to see where you keep the bodies.”

Harmony shook her head ruefully at Rhapsody’s antics. “They’re in the garden now,” Harmony informed her apologetically. “I just finished wood chipping them when you arrived.”

“Wow, next level,” Rhapsody laughed, causing the butterflies to erupt in Harmony’s stomach again.

“So, this is the entryway,” Harmony deadpanned as they stood in the small room separating the front room from the front door.

“No kidding?” Rhapsody gasped in mock astonishment.

“And here we have the front of the room,” Harmony continued in a formal voice as they walked into the front room. It was large, with furniture scattered throughout the open space. A group of 4 bubble sofas were arranged around a coffee table. “As you can see, my grandma was partial to bubble sofas. She always said the point of furniture was to be comfortable, not fashionable.”

“Bubble sofas?” Rhapsody repeated curiously. She swayed over to one of the single bubble sofas and sank back into it, her hands behind her head. “Wow, she was right.”

Harmony felt her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth as she stared at Rhapsody. She was half-curled into the sofa with her long hair flared out behind her. Her long legs were on full display as her dress cinched up almost to her waist and the bodice of her dress threatened to overflow. She looked so appealing that Harmony’s mind short-circuited again.

“I could get used to this,” Rhapsody purred, her voice sending shivers down Harmony’s spine. “These chairs fit me like a glove.”

Harmony thought her face had been red before, but now she felt her neck, ears, and entire head burn hotly at the imagery Rhapsody induced with her words. Was she doing this on purpose?

“I wanna get up and see the rest of the house, but I think I’m going to need help,” Rhapsody declared with a deep sigh that moved all sorts of things in her dress. “Can you pull me up please?”

Harmony had to remind herself to breathe again as she nodded mutely and walked over to Rhapsody. She offered her hand to pull her up and Rhapsody grasped it tightly. Her hands were small and slender, but her fingers seemed inhumanly long. Rhapsody pulled hard on Harmony’s hand as she attempted to pull herself up. The unexpected strength threw her off balance and she tumbled forward onto the waiting Rhapsody.

Rhapsody had maneuvered herself as Harmoney fell so that Harmony’s face landed between her breasts. She had fallen forward to where her knees landed on the edge of the sofa on either side of Rhapsody so that she was straddling the other woman. Harmony froze as the smell of spring flowers filled her nostrils. Unlike the pleasant and relaxing aroma she had become accustomed to, the smell up close was far more intoxicating. Rhapsody was still holding her hands, which were now raised up behind the small woman’s head. She hurriedly attempted to pull her hands back to place them on the couch to pull herself up, but Rhapsody was a lot stronger than she looked. Her hands didn’t budge, and her attempt to raise her upper body so that she wasn’t face-planted in Rhapsody’s breasts resulted in her knees slipping off of the couch so that she was lying fully on top of the other woman.

“Well, this is comfy,” Rhapsody purred, her tone playful. “I suppose I can be your pillow, if I must.”

Rhapsody finally released her hands and lowered her own hands down to Harmony’s head. She ran her fingers through Harmony’s hair with a murmured, “so soft.”

Harmony felt electric shocks radiate away from Rhapsody’s fingers as they gently stroked her scalp. She shivered uncontrollably as the intimate touch triggered a burning warmth in her core. She knew she must look absolutely ridiculous. Her knees were now on the ground, with her upper body draped over Rhapsody on the couch, her hands still stretched above her own head and resting near Rhapsody’s head. She ordered her arms to move back down and push her off of the other woman, but instead, her fingers found Rhapsody’s scalp and began mimicking the intimate massage she was receiving from Rhapsody. After a moment of shocked disbelief at her own limb's betrayal, she managed to pull them down beside Rhapsody’s chest and push herself up, her face so red with embarrassment that she felt like she might just pass out.

“I’m so sorry, Rhapsody,” Harmony blurted out in a half-panic. “I’m really not trying to act like a total deviant. I’m chronically clumsy and live my life from one awkward experience to the other. I swear it was an accident!”

She knew she was babbling but couldn’t seem to make herself shut up. She stared at the other woman imploringly, her eyes begging for understanding.

Rhapsody was still laying where Harmony had knocked her back when she had fallen on her. Her hair fanned out around her in a wide halo. Her tank top had slipped up to reveal smooth skin and a flat stomach. The skirt had been pushed up to her waist on her outer-right thigh, showcasing her long, glorious legs. Harmony started getting dizzy again and realized she was holding her breath. Why the hell do I hold my breath when I get excited? So freaking lame!

Rhapsody’s face was a mixture of regret and amusement as she stared back at Harmony, making no move to cover herself up. Harmony’s overactive imagination immediately began over-analyzing every micro-expression and formulating the worst possible conclusions.

She’s regretting ever coming over here, I can see it in her eyes, Harmony thought franticly. “Listen, I’m really not a creep, okay? I know that’s how I’m coming across, but I really am just a clumsy idiot.”

Rhapsody’s lips curled up at the corners as she observed the flustered Harmony. “Did it look like I was complaining?”

Harmony stared into Rhapsody’s playful eyes uncertainly. Unable to stop her treacherous eyes, they roamed over the ripe form of the other woman, drinking in her perfection. She gave herself another shake, wincing at how she must look. Thank goodness Rhapsody just seemed to find her roaming eyes amusing and didn’t seem to be taking offense.

“Okay, how about the rest of the tour,” Rhapsody suggested with a wink. “I mean of the house.”

Harmony let out a hysterical laugh, then quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment, darting a surreptitious look at Rhapsody. The small woman was watching her with the same fond amusement as before, her lips curled up in a way that made Harmony ache inside. Those lips are way too expressive.

Harmony led her into the kitchen, stopping to get a badly needed drink of water. When she turned around from the sink, Rhapsody was right behind her, in her personal space. She gasped, attempting to step back. Her foot immediately hit the cabinet behind her, and she began windmilling as she started tilting backwards. Rhapsody grabbed a fistful of her shirt and pulled her forward, arresting her backward momentum. Rhapsody’s hands were suddenly on either side of her waist beneath her shirt, steadying her. She felt another explosion of heat flash through her body as Rhapsody’s delicate hands cupped her waist firmly.

“You really are the clumsiest person I’ve ever met,” Rhapsody smirked up at her, hands still cupping Harmony’s waist. “I’ll bet you keep your guardian angel working overtime.”

“You have no idea,” Harmony sighed dejectedly.

“Oh, I do,” Rhapsody murmured almost too quietly to hear.

Harmony stood there awkwardly wondering if she should start moving again. She couldn’t make herself move away so long as Rhapsody’s hands were on her waist - it felt too damn nice. And she didn’t want to be rude…yeah.

Rhapsody gently squeezed her waist twice before letting go, making her stomach tense up and an involuntary giggle erupt out of her.

Rhapsody glanced back up at her with a sly grin on her face. “Oh, so you’re ticklish, eh?”

“Extremely,” Harmony admitted awkwardly. “Probably due to being so high-strung.”

“You know, what you need is a good massage,” Rhapsody announced firmly. “Anyone as high-strung as you are needs regular massages to get those muscles loosened up before they mess up your spine. Do you ever get massages?”

“No,” Harmony shook her head, feeling uncomfortable as she began leading Rhapsody up to the stairs. “I’m too ticklish for massages.” That wasn’t the real reason, of course. She just couldn’t bring herself to engage in something that seemed so intimate with a stranger. She knew it was ridiculous, but the thought of a stranger's hands massaging her muscles made her skin crawl.

“Nonsense,” Rhapsody snorted derisively. “You just have to start out with a lighter touch and then increase the pressure once your muscles can tolerate it. Maybe you should stick to getting them from someone you know well, so that it’s not weird for you.”

“Are you secretly a masseuse?” Harmony asked with a raised eyebrow as they began moving up the stairs. Sometimes she would swear the other woman could read her mind. There were too many times where she would answer what Harmony was thinking rather than what she was saying.

“Not secretly,” Rhapsody laughed, her sparkling eyes doing strange things to Harmony’s insides. “Though it’s mostly non-humans that I give massages to, so it’s a little different.”

Harmony blinked, trying to picture Rhapsody giving racoons and squirrels massages. When Rhapsody started giggling, she looked over at her suspiciously. Is she reading my thoughts?

“Sorry, I was just thinking about some of the old people that live nearby,” Rhapsody said quickly.

“So, this is the girls’ room,” Harmony gestured in the open doorway at a room that was clean on one side and cluttered on the other. “You can tell which side is Aurora’s by the clutter. Serenity is a bit of a clean freak, like me, so she keeps her side immaculate.”

They could have had their own rooms, but after their mother’s death, neither of them liked to sleep alone.

She led Rhapsody around the banister toward the study. She felt a growing sense of uneasiness as they came closer to her bedroom. Nothing special had ever happened in there yet, but with the way her body was reacting to Rhapsody, the thought of being in her bedroom with the other woman filled her with a mixture of excitement and dread. The dread was mainly due to her own ignorance and ineptitude. Even if she ever did end up with another person in her bed, it would probably be a boring and unfulfilling experience for the unlucky partner. It wasn’t like she didn’t have ideas or fantasies that she could bring to the experience; it was just that she was too self-conscious to ever act on any of them. She found it easier to imagine what it would be like to have an intimate relationship with Miss Right, without having to worry about ruining the reality of it due to her timidity. She was so hyper self-conscious when it came to intimacy that she had no doubt that she would clam up and ruin the experience for the other person.

“This is the study, where I get to make crap up all day long,” Harmony gestured grandly at the medium-sized room. It was covered in bookshelves and a few pieces of comfortable furniture. There was an old writing desk with an antique office chair that was surprisingly comfortable. Large windows allowed light to fill the room and afforded a beautiful view of the redwood forest beside the house.

“So, this is where you put your marvelous brain to work spinning out stories like endless golden thread,” Rhapsody murmured with a look of wonder on her beautiful face. “This place really is special. I’ll bet your clumsiness is to balance out some kind of karmic balance. You have a tendency to put some of your characters through hell.”

Harmony stared at Rhapsody in shock, her eyes wide. “You’ve read my novels?”

“Many times,” Rhapsody nodded with a pleased smile. “I adore your creativity more than you can imagine.”

“Oh,” Harmony said faintly, feeling a slow flush working its way up her chest and moving inexorably toward her neck and face. She didn’t have anything she would consider X rated in her novels, but some of them were pretty close. She never intended to actually meet anyone who had read her novels in real life. She felt like an inner piece of her character had been revealed to the other woman, a very private piece. Oh god, here comes that damn blush.

Rhapsody was staring around the study, pointedly not noticing Harmony’s scarlet face. Harmony made a point of leaning over her desk, trying to hide her burning face. She hoped Rhapsody really was older than she had first thought. Some of the content in her books was definitely not made for teenagers. She felt fairly confident the other woman was an adult, at least. She was just too mature and knowledgeable to be an adolescent. Her face certainly looked older, now that Harmony could see more of it. She might even be close to Harmony’s age.

“In The Chosen, where did you get the idea for the main character to be so pure?” Rhapsody asked curiously.

“I was going through a phase where I wished humans were better people,” Harmony mumbled with an uncomfortable shrug. “I was trying to think of what life would be like for a human that was unreservedly dedicated to helping others all of the time. Riah was my idea of the ultimate selfless human. Well, half-human, as it turned out.”

“She’s one of my heroes,” Rhapsody confessed with a shy smile. “I totally fell in love with her personality and outlook on life.”

Harmony felt a pleased smile sneak onto her face before she could stop it. Riah had been her favorite character too, the pinnacle of human decency. Though…there were some pretty risqué scenes in that novel, including a three-partner relationship that had more than one erotic scene. She took a deep breath, willing the damn blush to bow out and leave her face to make a fool of itself without the peanut gallery to cheer it on.

“Can I come watch you write sometime?” Rhapsody asked hopefully. She bit her lower lip as she stared at Harmony eagerly. She’s pushing all of my damn buttons! Did she get a cheat sheet from somewhere?

“Um…sure?” Harmony stammered tentatively. “It’s pretty boring. It’s just me sitting here typing.”

“Sitting here typing and creating characters, worlds, and stories like a god,” Rhapsody corrected her with a pointed look. “Who wouldn’t want to watch a god in the act of creation?”

“I think that’s the first time I’ve been compared to divinity in a non-insulting manner,” Harmony snickered.

“That is a shame,” Rhapsody told her quietly, walking up to stare into her eyes. “You are amazing, Harmony. I mean that.”

Harmony stared into Rhapsody’s tinted glasses, feeling a strange warmth spread out from her stomach into the rest of her diaphragm. She realized she was smiling and blinked in surprise. How could this woman make her feel so damn awkward while simultaneously making her feel so comfortable and accepted?

“Thank you, Rhapsody,” Harmony smiled back at the unusual woman warmly.

“What’s next?” Rhapsody asked expectantly, moving toward the door with a sense of eagerness. Was she excited to escape the study?

Harmoney followed her out and moved down the hall, suddenly remembering that the next room was her bedroom. Her face flushed before the thought even finished, and she cursed her bashful nature. She was a totally chill person in almost any scenario. She could make small talk with the best of them. She was unflappable in almost any kind of situation, but put her on the path to possible intimacy, and she began to flop around like a fish out of water.

“So, this is my bedroom,” Harmony gestured at the open door, making no move to enter. “Pretty boring place.”

Rhapsody walked past her and into the room, ignoring Harmony’s mixed signals. Or perhaps she was just listening to the signals she wanted. She studied the large master bedroom, noting the enormous California king sized bed with a wicked grin.

“Things must get pretty wild up here for you to have that big of a bed,” Rhapsody teased, eyeing the enormous bed with a calculating look. “I’d imagine you could get at least ten people on that bed.”

“You’d be surprised just how much a single person cand take up,” Harmony snorted a laugh. “Aurora and Serenity occasionally crash in her for the night when they are scared. They both turn into pinwheels and twist around the bed all night.”

Rhapsody threw back her head and laughed, a sound filled with joy. Harmony stared at the mirthful woman, wondering what else she could do to make her laugh. She felt like she was seeing something special, just out of sight, when she heard that golden laugh.

Rhapsody looked around at the rest of the room, noting the desk with a laptop on it and a few recliners. There was a vanity with a large mirror right next to a large walk-in closet. Rhapsody walked over to the large vanity with a curiously reminiscent look on her face. She gently lifted a pair of acorn earrings from a small cushion and held them up with a delighted smile. “She actually kept them. What a dear she was.”

Harmony walked over to stare at the acorn earrings, then at Rhapsody’s delighted expression. “You recognize those earrings?”

“I gave them to Dotty a long time ago,” Rhapsody informed her with a gentle smile. “She was such a wonderful woman. I wish she could have stayed longer. It’s not the same here without her.”

Harmony felt her throat tighten with emotion as she stared at Rhapsody in a new light. “You knew Grandma Dotty?”

“She was a dear friend,” Rhapsody spoke tenderly, her eyes full of memories. “I can’t tell you how happy I was that she chose you to be her successor. It’s almost like being with her again, being with you. She didn’t write fictional novels like you, but she did write a lot of poetry. She wasn’t as polished as some poets, but what she lacked in academic acumen she made up for in passion.”

“She wrote poetry?” Harmony stared at Rhapsody wonderingly. “How did I never know about her writing poetry?”

“She was extremely shy,” Rhapsody smiled indulgently, giving Harmony a very direct look. “She needed an outlet for all of that passion and desire. Poetry is where she found that outlet.”

Harmony stared at Rhapsody, emotions racing across her face as thoughts raced through her mind. She spoke like she had known Grandma Dotty for a long time, like an old friend. She knew how futile it was to ask Rhapsody how old she was, but she couldn’t stop herself from asking again.

“Rhapsody, how old are you really?” Harmony asked softly. She stared into the tinted glasses, hoping that she could get a real answer out of the beautiful woman this time. She needed something, if for no other reason to make her stop feeling like an old creep when she was admiring the beautiful woman.

Rhapsody stared back at her in silence for several seconds, her face pensive. “I’m older than you, Harmony. Can you accept that, at least?”

Harmony felt her pulse quicken at the admission, feeling a small weight fall away from her conscience. She nodded slowly as a small smile, unbidden, lit up her features. Rhapsody’s returning smile felt slightly predatory.

Rhapsody gently set the acorns back down on the small pillow, then gestured for Harmony to sit on the vanity bench.

“What?” Harmony asked, eyeing the bench suspiciously before meeting Rhapsody’s determined eyes again.

“Sit,” Rhapsody commanded, her firm tone softened by the hint of a smile as she waited for Harmony to comply.

Harmony felt butterflies erupt in her stomach as she hesitantly obeyed the older woman. She stared back at Rhapsody through the mirror, suddenly self-conscious as the small woman met her gaze with a confident smile. Rhapsody raised her hands up above Harmony’s head in the mirror and wiggled her fingers meaningfully, then brought them down on Harmony’s shoulders and begin kneading. Harmony arched her back instinctively as she felt the pressure on her shoulder muscles.

“You can squirm all you want,” Rhapsody told her with a sanguine smile. “But we’re going to loosen these muscles if it’s the last thing we ever do.”

Harmony’s face flushed with color as she felt the small woman’s hands squeezing into her flesh, firm, yet gentle. She had never been a physical person, rarely receiving hugs or other physical signs of affection. Her mother had tried to show her affection, but working two jobs and always running low on sleep made displays of affection increasingly rare as she aged.

Having a person physically touching her was odd enough after a lifetime of minimal physical contact, but to have it done in a way that felt so good...it was a level of intimacy she wasn’t prepared to deal with. She let out an involuntary moan of pleasure as she felt Rhapsody’s thumb dig deeply into her shoulder blade muscles. She flushed a brighter shade of red when she heard the erotic sound that had escaped her mouth, her muscles becoming tense.

“If you tense up, I’ll just have to dig in deeper,” Rhapsody told her conversationally. “Now stop that. Relax and let your inhibitions go. If I don’t hear a moan of pleasure when I’m giving a massage, then I feel like I’m not doing it right.”

Harmony felt like she was being steamed as her entire body lit up like a Christmas tree. She tried to relax her muscles, but the thought of another embarrassing moan escaping her lips had locked her muscles up no matter how she tried to relax. Rhapsody observed her steadily for another minute before stepping back and making a peremptory gesture for her to stand up.

“I’m sorry, Rhapsody,” she apologized in a mumble, feeling a sense of shame at wasting the beautiful woman’s time.

Rhapsody observed her critically for a moment before grabbing her hand and towing her toward the bed. Harmony’s legs tried to stop as her brain started melting down, but the smaller woman was surprisingly strong. She easily pulled Harmony along, in spite of her legs objections.

“Lay on your stomach,” Rhapsody commanded her peremptorily, gesturing at the bed.

Harmony didn’t move. She couldn’t if she had wanted to. Her brain had disconnected from the rest of her body as what was left of her consciousness swam in a sea of mortification and anxiety.

Rhapsody walked around behind her and wrapped her hands around Harmony’s waist again, steering her the rest of the way to the bed and firmly pushing her forward until she was laying on her stomach. Her breath came in quick gasps as her anxiety warred with desire. Rhapsody ignored her obvious internal battle and sat down on Harmony’s back with her knees to either side of Harmony’s waist. She leaned forward and began digging her thumbs into Harmony’s shoulder blades.

“That’s better,” Rhapsody murmured with a smile in her voice. “Not nearly as tense now. We’ll turn you into a puddle of goo before we’re done.”

Harmony felt heat flood her body at Rhapsody’s words, her breath coming faster. The feel of the other woman’s thumbs digging into stiff muscles was a new kind of ecstasy. Another moan escaped her lips before she realized it, eliciting an approving grunt from Rhapsody.

“Yeah, we’re going to need to do this regularly or you’ll just seize back up again,” Rhapsody declared in a sanguine tone. “It would be a shame for all of this effort to go to waste.”

Harmony shivered at the thought of this becoming a regular activity. She was in shock that any of this was even happening. She was in her bedroom with another woman sitting on her back, giving her a massage. The possibility seemed so ludicrous that Harmony was half-convinced that she was imagining the experience.

She had made peace with the idea that all of her romantic engagements would be imaginary, a much preferrable arrangement than the awkward nature of interacting with real people. Somehow, Rhapsody had bullied her way right through all of Harmony’s walls and mental paper tigers until she was in a place she would never have imagined herself. Maybe she had just needed someone that would take charge the entire time? Someone that would see through her self-doubt and reservations, pushing her to reach new limits.

By the end of the hour, she really did feel like a puddle of goo. Rhapsody had the hands of a goddess. She had finally stopped blushing at every pleasurable moan that escaped her lips as the small woman dug her thumbs and fingers into her knotted muscles. Rhapsody’s encouraging sounds of approval had overcome her embarrassment, and she had finally surrendered herself to the experience. Rhapsody finally stood up as the alarm for Harmony to pick up her nieces began sounding on her iPhone.

“You did good, Harmony,” Rhapsody told her in tones of immense satisfaction. “We’ll get his mental wall broken down in no time.”

Harmony slowly stood up, a small smile on her face as she regarded the other woman. “Thanks, Rhapsody. I never thought I would feel something so wonderful in real life.”

Rhapsody smiled mysteriously as she began moving toward the door. “There’s more than massages in your future, young lady.”

XXXXX

Harmony awoke to shrill screams coming from the other end of the house. She jumped out of bed and bolted down the hall toward Aurora and Serentiy’s room. The screaming just kept going on and on, terrified screams on the ragged edge.

Heart pounding, Harmony burst through the bedroom door and found Serentiy trying to shake Aurora awake. Aurora was curled into the fetal position and screaming until she ran out of breath, pausing only long enough to fill her lungs full of air again.

Harmony rushed over and tried to pull Aurora upright, but the small girl just squeezed into a tighter ball. Serenity was in tears as she helplessly tried to shake her sister awake, calling her name and telling her she was safe.

Not knowing what else to do, she curled herself around Aurora and began humming one of the melodies she would sing to them when they were babies, hoping to provide a cocoon of warmth and security. After almost a minute, Aurora finally subsided into terrified moans and whimpers.

Harmony felt a flash of white-hot rage as a tear slid down her cheek. She wished she could have been stronger when her nieces needed her the most. The night of her sisters murder was burned like a brand into her memories. She remembered her sister texting her to come over and take the kids after a fight with her husband had escalated. When she had arrived ten minutes later she had heard Aurora and Serenity screaming inside. She had immediately called the police and run into the house. She had run through the front room and into the bedroom at the back of the house. She had found David, their father, holding Aurora by the hair with a knife to her throat. His wife, Harmony’s sister, was laying on the ground in a puddle of blood. There were stab wounds all over her body and her throat was slit.

Aurora had a slice across her bicep from where David had slashed her. Serenity was kicking his leg over and over and screaming for him to let her sister go.

“It’s not like I haven’t already crossed the line,” David said in a dead voice. “I can do whatever I want now.”

“Put. Her. Down,” Harmony had told David through gritted teeth.

When he had seen her, he dropped Aurora and leered at her. “I’ve had my eye on you since the day your sister showed me your picture. I’ve got nothing left to lose, so I can finally do whatever I want.”

He had rushed at her, but when his foot hit the puddle of blood on the hardwood floors, he had slipped and crashed head first into the doorframe. As he groggily rose to his feet, the police burst through the front door and started shouting.

“Back here!” Harmony had screamed through rage and tears.

The police had tazed him immediately. While they were cuffing him, Harmony rushed back and tried to pick Aurora up and get her out of the room, but the small girl had started screaming in fear and tried to get away from her. With Serenity’s help, she had finally gotten Aurora to calm down enough to wrap a shirt around her arm where David had slashed her.

It had seemed like hours before the EMT arrived, though she knew it had only been about five minutes. She and Serenity had gone in the ambulance with Aurora to the hospital, numb with shock at the loss of their mother. David had always had a temper, and it wasn’t the first time Harmony had needed to fetch the kids and keep them at her apartment for the night. Harmony had used every ounce of persuasion she possessed to try and get her sister to divorce David in the past, but he had cowed her years ago and she had given up the fight.

Aurora and Serenity had been getting mental health help since that fateful day, but Aurora still had night terrors at least once every week or two.

Harmony pushed her tears back, knowing she needed to be strong for her nieces. They just needed to take it one day at a time until those traumatic memories were overwritten with better experiences.

An odd sound, somewhere between a cat and a puppy, startled her out of her thoughts. The strange green creature had jumped up onto the bed and pushed itself into Aurora’s face, it’s tongue licking her tears.

Aurora took a long shuddering breath and finally woke up from her waking nightmare. She looked at the ball of fur with a smile and took another shuddering breath.

“I love you too, Juno,” Aurora told the furball in a doting voice.

Chapter 4 – A night of pain

Harmony waved at the bus driver as Aurora and Serenity quickly descended the short steps. There had been no sign of Rhapsody on the road in either direction so far during her walk to the bus stop.

The smell of spring and flowers was suddenly filling her nostrils.

“How was school?” Rhapsody’s voice asked from right behind Harmony.

Harmony whirled around in startlement to find a grinning Rhapsody standing a few feet behind her. The goofy hat and rose-colored glasses made her humorous expression even more comical.

“Where did you come from?” Harmony blurted out before she could stop herself.

“Well, I’m pretty sure it had something to do with my parents,” Rhapsody replied with a thoughtful frown. “Either that, or I was hatched from beneath the world tree with the cabbage patches.”

Harmony snorted in amusement. It was a lot more difficult to see Rhapsody as some kind of magical fairy when she sounded so much like a contemporary young adult. It wasn’t until the small woman left that her imagination noticed all the other peculiarities.

“Are you going to walk home with us?” Aurora asked Rhapsody hopefully.

“Why not,” Rhapsody answered with a friendly smile at Aurora. “I’m already going that direction anyway. You doing okay?”

Aurora missed a step, then smiled quickly. “Yep.”

Rhapsody watched her with what looked like sympathy, and Harmony suddenly wondered if she could hear Aurora screaming in the night. If she could here Harmony play music, she definitely would have heard Aurora’s night terrors.

They had only been walking for a few seconds before Rhapsody suddenly veered off the road and crouched down with a delighted cry.

“Kwammanga domandaro, what are you doing out here?” Rhapsody asked in obvious delight.

Harmony walked over to see what had captivated Rhapsody’s attention. As she looked over Rhapsody’s shoulder, she let out a startled oath and hurriedly held her arms out to keep Aurora and Serenity from getting any closer. Standing on its hind legs in front of Rhapsody was a very curious looking porcupine.

“Rhapsody, you’re going to turn into a pin cushion if you don’t leave that thing alone,” Harmony warned the small woman.

“Don’t mind them,” Rhapsody told the porcupine with a wry grin. “They’re from the city.”

The porcupine snorted in a very human like manner before rolling onto its back in front of Rhapsody. She casually reached out and began rubbing its soft underbelly. It began making sounds that almost resembled a human toddler speaking gibberish. It sounded eerily like a kazoo. Serenity and Aurora were pushing against Harmony’s arms as they tried to get a closer look.

“What is it?” Aurora asked in fascination.

“It’s a porcupine,” Harmony replied distractedly. She didn’t know much about porcupines, but she was pretty sure they didn’t just let strangers walk up and start rubbing their belly. “Stay back; they have barbs on their quills that are extremely painful to remove.”

“It seems pretty friendly,” Serenity said with a silly grin on her face.

“She’s friendly to anyone who is friendly to her,” Rhapsody informed them with a doting smile at the very talkative porcupine. “You can pet her if you like; she would never harm anyone who wasn’t trying to harm her.”

Against her better judgment, Harmony lowered her arms and let Aurora and Serenity get closer. Aurora tentatively reached out and patted its soft belly. As it continued making kazoo-like noises, Aurora’s face split into an ecstatic grin. Serenity slowly knelt and began petting it as well, the silly grin never leaving her face.

Harmony stood tensely, ready to snatch her nieces back at the slightest hint of aggression. After a minute of hovering protectively over her nieces, she slowly relaxed.

“Let’s show them what a good dancer you are,” Rhapsody suggested merrily as she rose to her feet.

Aurora and Serenity stood up as well, watching in delight as Rhapsody began a goofy little dance, swaying with her hands in the air. The porcupine immediately stood up and began imitating her, with its hands raised in the air as it swayed from side to side in a hypnotic dance.

“How in the world did you teach it to dance?” Harmony asked in amazement.

“No teaching necessary,” Rhapsody replied with a laugh. “They do it all on their own when they are young. They’re very social creatures, so if you start doing something they think is interesting, they’ll try to imitate it.”

“Why didn’t they ever teach us about these interesting little facts in school?” Harmony asked petulantly. “I certainly would have paid more attention in wildlife biology if they showed us stuff like this.”

“Your schools are focused on integrating children into your modern way of life,” Rhapsody answered with a hint of sadness in her voice. “There isn’t much use in knowing about the behaviors of a porcupine when you are being trained to spend your life in an office of one kind or another. Your learning is geared toward teaching individuals to specialize in a specific skill set, without bothering to teach them about the other species who inhabit your world. You would be surprised at how many people couldn’t differentiate a cow from a deer.”

Harmony found herself nodding in agreement. Even though she was no wildlife boffin, she knew enough about animals to understand that they could feel pain and sorrow, as well as happiness. It was the reason she had chosen to become vegan. If a human could survive from agriculture alone, why bother enslaving and eating other species? Just because they taste good? Her overdeveloped conscience would never allow her to ignore the unspoken suffering of other species for the sole purpose of adding a little variety to her diet. Her mother did love to ask her why she didn't mind harming plants though. Her only reply was that at least she was trying. It helped that the plants didn’t scream when they died. If they ever evolved to have vocal cords, she would probably starve.

“So, is this the kind of stuff you learn when you are home schooled?” Harmony asked curiously.

“You could say that,” Rhapsody replied with a shrug. “You would be surprised at how much a person can learn about the world around them when they quietly observe it without trying to interfere.”

Harmony glanced at Rhapsody with pursed lips. She seemed to vacillate between a typical teenager to a battle-hardened veteran of human nature. Harmony couldn’t decide if she was sixteen or sixty, or somewhere in-between. She had to remind herself that the other woman was older than her. Her face flushed slightly as she remembered the events that had led up to that revelation.

“How did you learn to talk to animals?” Aurora asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.

“By watching how they talk to each other,” Rhapsody replied with a smile at Aurora. “People think communication must involve verbal speech, but most animals rely on a mixture of body language that is merely accented by audible cues. For instance, if you stare into the eyes of a dog, it takes it as a challenge for dominance. If the dog accepts your dominance, it will lower its eyes. If it rejects your dominance, it will snarl, bark, and sometimes attack you. If you want to avoid confrontations with vicious dogs, just make eye-contact with them and then lower your eyes. In most cases, the dog will take it as an act of submission and leave you be. Sometimes you have to lay down on the ground an expose your belly and neck to it in order to appease it, but I wouldn’t suggest that in most cases.”

“How did that raccoon understand what you were saying yesterday?” Serenity asked with a puzzled crease to her brow. “You were speaking plain English the whole time.”

“People often think animals don’t have the ability to understand complex languages because they are unable to talk back to us,” Rhapsody explained as she nodded to the porcupine in farewell and continued walking. “Most animals don’t have lips, tongues, and teeth capable of mimicking human speech, but that doesn’t mean they don’t understand it. Some species are more adept at pattern recognition than others, but all species require at least some degree of pattern recognition to survive. There is more to Azeban than meets the eyes though, so you might consider him a special case.”

“Why?” Harmony asked dryly. “Because he is the anthropomorphic personification of a Native American deity?”

Rhapsody turned her head to look at Harmony with a small smile tugging at her lips. “Define deity.”

Harmony blinked at the unexpected response. “A deity is a god.”

“Go on…” Rhapsody’s smile widened slightly. “What is a god?”

“A misogynistic prick,” Harmony replied before she could stop herself. “Or in the case of Azeban, just some spirit that likes to play tricks on people for fun.”

“You should get along well with him then,” Serenity muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

Harmony grimaced when Rhapsody started laughing with way too much enthusiasm. When she finally recovered from her laughing fit, her face turned serious again.

“So Azeban isn’t really a god, so much as an advanced state of consciousness exhibiting the image of a raccoon?” Rhapsody prompted.

“Sure,” Harmony replied with a shrug. “That’s a long description for a spirit, but I suppose it fits the bill.”

“Consciousness is dictated by perception,” Rhapsody said, her tone serious. “We already know organic substances like mushrooms can alter your perception of reality. Powerful or focused electromagnetic currents can also alter your perception. Those are two distinct methods for altering the way your consciousness perceives the world in which your body inhabits. Does it stretch the boundaries of reason too far to suggest that a race of beings consisting of structured energy matrices exist and can influence your perception? While you perceived a raccoon getting scolded, a person capable of perceiving his true state would see something quite different than a raccoon.”

“When scientists can weigh, measure, and study such a being, I’ll accept it as a reasonable suggestion,” Harmony replied with a cynical smile. “So far, science hasn’t found anything to even hint at the existence of a spirit.”

“Except consciousness,” Rhapsody corrected with a raised eyebrow. “There is not a single neurologist on this world that can definitively prove that consciousness resides solely in the brain. Sure, they can observe all the sensory data being processed by the mind, but the organic ingredients that make up your brain lack any definable method for how consciousness is generated. Without such evidence, the possibility that our bodies are merely hosts for an intelligent parasitic entity is still on the table. Without these parasitic entities inhabiting our bodies, we would lose all form of higher consciousness and operate purely by instinct.”

“You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?” Harmony asked with an approving nod. “Maybe you should put your ideas in book format.”

“It helps to pass the time,” Rhapsody shrugged.

“All eight-hundred and eighty-two thousand years of time?” Harmony asked slyly.

“Eight-hundred and eighty-two thousand, six-hundred and fifty-two years, to be exact,” Rhapsody grinned impishly.

“Right…” Harmony drawled, slowly shaking her head. “Come on…how old are you really? You can’t be as young as you look with all that knowledge banging around in your head. I would swear you aren’t a day over eighteen. How much older than me are you really?”

“Well, you know what they say,” Rhapsody replied whimsically. “You’re only as old as you feel.”

“If that were really true, I would have grey hair,” Harmony declared sadly. “So, you really aren’t going to tell me how old you are?”

“You didn’t believe me the first time, why would you believe me the second time?” Rhapsody replied pointedly. “I’m pretty sure I heard somewhere that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results.”

“You just defined Aunt Harmony in a nutshell,” Serenity commented with a snicker. “Insanity is her domain of choice.”

“Hey, it’s thanks to nutjobs like me that you have interesting novels to read, instead of boring textbooks,” Harmony retorted defensively. “If only sane people wrote books, nobody would ever enjoy them.”

“Just remember that sanity is determined by a demographic of similar people,” Rhapsody told Serenity. “The further your personality diverges from the most popular state of behavior in society, the more psychologists will consider you crazy. In essence, that means sane people are just replicas of each other without anything interesting to set them apart, while crazy people are unique. Sane equals boring, insane equals fun. Any questions?”

“So, are you crazy too?” Aurora asked Rhapsody thoughtfully.

“I invented crazy,” Rhapsody grinned. “How many sane people dress in such an inspired assortment of clothes?”

“Just the ones with wings and pointed ears to hide,” Harmony supplied with a chuckle.

“So, what made you want to move out here to the middle of the forest?” Rhapsody asked curiously, as if she hadn’t heard Harmony’s comment.

“Humans,” Harmony replied with a disdainful shake of her head as they began walking up the driveway to her house. “I’m fairly certain there was some kind of accident when I was delivered to a world populated by humans, because I really can’t stand most of them.”

“Way to get her going,” Serenity groaned apprehensively.

Rhapsody stared at her for several moments of thoughtful silence before speaking. “I’m sorry for the pain you suffered that caused such a jaded view of the world.”

Harmony nearly stumbled in surprise. The sympathy in Rhapsody’s tone almost had her in tears in its sincerity. Harmony was no stranger to sympathy, especially after her sister’s violent death, but she had never experienced an instant warming in her heart when someone expressed comfort before.

When she finally felt confident enough that she would be able to speak without blubbering, she cleared her throat and addressed their mysterious guest.

“Would you like to join us for dinner?” Harmony asked Rhapsody hopefully. She wasn’t really sure why but having the paradox of a woman around just felt comfortable in a way she couldn’t define.

“I would love to entertain you during dinner,” Rhapsody replied with a mischievous grin. “I’ll pass on the food portion though; I’m on a rather odd diet.”

“Most of my food is gluten-free and vegan, if that helps,” Harmony informed her.

“It doesn’t, but thanks anyway,” Rhapsody replied with a smile.

“Well, then, I’m going to get dinner started,” Harmony said briskly. “Sorry to leave you at the mercy of my nieces. It should only take about fifteen minutes.”

Serenity and Aurora were ecstatic to get Rhapsody all to themselves. Harmony smiled in amusement as Aurora immediately began asking about the rainbow-colored crow Rhapsody had mentioned the last time they had talked. She tried to work quietly as she made dinner so that she could hear the story.

“Her shortened name is Ikle Chikle Chicary Chan Hornaman Gornaman Dustio Willopy Wallopy Chineo,” Rhapsody began in a fond voice. “You can call her Ikle Chikle if you like. Quite a while ago, she and her kind saved our world from annihilation.”

“What happened?” Aurora asked curiously.

“There was a very big explosion in space from a star,” Rhapsody replied with an odd note in her voice that Harmony couldn’t quite place. “You see, when a star reaches a certain stage in its development, it passes on to a new state of being and leaves the physical realm behind. When this happens, enormous amounts of energy are released that travel at the speed of light. Your scientists call this energy a gamma ray emission. The same thing that happens to food when you cook it in a microwave happens to any living organisms on inhabited worlds from gamma ray emissions. Since this lethal form of radiation travels at the speed of light, most worlds’ inhabitants never even know that they are in danger before they are dead. Fortunately for the people of this world there was a wide array of inter-dimensional races that could travel faster than the speed of light. Native Americans called us…I mean them, Spirit Walkers, because they could separate their consciousness from their bodies and visit other worlds. During one such visit to the Communion Realm, Ikle Chikle discovered that a star near this world had transitioned, leaving behind a powerful gamma ray emission that would destroy everyone on earth. She had many worlds that she called home, but earth was her favorite, and she couldn’t bear the thought of it being obliterated at such a young age. She informed the rest of the higher species on earth of the impending threat, and they held a week-long council to find a way to save the earth. In the end, Ikle Chikle took every last member of her species into the skies around earth, forming a loose dome. Before the event Native Americans called The Great Fire in the Sky, all crows were rainbow colored, and they didn’t flap their wings to fly. They had very specialized cells in their bodies that absorbed and transformed the planet’s electromagnetic radiation. This transformed energy was re-broadcast from their antenna-like feathers, creating an ion cloud that repelled them from the planet’s positively charged surface. They planned to use their specialized ability as a shield to absorb the radiation from the incoming gamma rays. Their plan was highly successful, but their specialized radio cells were burned out of their bodies from the magnitude of the gamma ray energy. The ion cloud that once wrapped them in the color of the rainbow like the Northern Lights was gone forever. Now, they simply appear as pure black creatures, but their heroism and sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

“I thought you said Ikle Chikle was still rainbow colored?” Serenity said with awe in her voice.

“She is a spiritual entity that takes form as an avatar of her choice, which happens to be that of the original crow,” Rhapsody replied solemnly. “If you have ever seen pictures of the Northern Lights, you will have a small idea of how beautiful she is when in flight. The Ancient Greeks called her the Phoenix, but historians lost the true account of how her legend came to pass. She isn’t reborn from the ashes of her former body; the entire world was given a second chance at life after her race was scorched from the gamma ray emission. Crows once produced a song of such sweetness that it inspired entire generations of poets, but after the Great Fire in the Sky their beautiful voices were damaged to what you hear now.”

Harmony realized that she was standing, unmoving in front of the stove. She hurriedly turned the stovetop burner on and continued preparing dinner as her mind churned with questions. One thing was certain: Rhapsody really wasn’t as young as she had initially thought; not with the sheer amount of knowledge knocking around in that small head of hers. She had harbored a few doubts when Rhapsody had claimed to be older than her, but she was growing more certain that it was true as she learned more about the enigmatic woman. What kind of life has that poor woman endured to make her fabricate such vivid fantasies?

Harmony had not missed the slip-up where Rhapsody had almost included herself in the group of Spirit Walkers. But what an imagination! Gamma ray bursts? Radio cells? Whether she is actually crazy or just purposefully living in a fantasy land inside her mind, this girl needs to be writing some of these ideas down in story form.

Harmony recognized the feeling she had been experiencing around Rhapsody now: compassion. She had always been the daughter to bring wounded animals home to nurse back to health. For someone as obviously intelligent as Rhapsody was, something traumatic must have happened to make her become so completely absorbed in her fantasies. Like her need to assist wounded animals, Harmony felt compelled to find a way to help Rhapsody find her way back to the real world.

“You sure you don’t need some help?” Rhapsody’s voice asked from right behind her.

Harmony let out a startled squawk as she spun around from the counter with a knife still in her hand. “You really need to stop doing that!”

Serenity and Aurora were giggling up a storm from where they stood in the entryway to the kitchen. Rhapsody stood less than a foot away, grinning up at her mischievously. Harmony had a wild urge to snatch those damned tinted glasses off her face in retaliation. As if reading her mind, Rhapsody took a step back, the cheeky smile never leaving her face.

“What, offering to help?” Rhapsody asked innocently. “I know some people get uptight from being offered help, but I’ve never seen a reaction quite so intense.”

“Sneaking up on me!” Harmony growled reprovingly.

“Someone is a little high-strung,” Rhapsody noted teasingly. “We’ll have to work on that some more. We have a homemade drink that I’ll bring over sometime to help you chill out a little bit.”

“Let me guess,” Harmony replied dryly, fighting down a blush at the thought of another massage. “You have a recipe for butter-beer.”

“Naw, this is much better than that swill,” Rhapsody said dismissively. “One taste and you’ll never want anything else to wet your whistle ever again.”

“Wet my whistle?” Harmony asked in amusement. “I haven’t heard anyone under the age of eighty use that term before. Do you live in a retirement home or something?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes,” Rhapsody replied with an infectious giggle. “I think they might object to that term though.”

“Okay, kiddos,” Harmony addressed her nieces. “Dinner is served. Spaghetti and asparagus.”

“This isn’t spaghetti, Aunt Harmony,” Serenity disagreed with evident distaste. “This is spaghetti squash.”

“What was the first word?” Harmony asked sweetly.

“Squash,” Serenity replied truculently as she flipped the noodles around in the bowl.

“Spaghetti!” Harmony corrected brightly. “You’re just hesitant because it has the word squash in it. For some reason kids get triggered by the word squash.”

“Cause that’s what you do to bugs,” Serenity declared disgustedly. “You squash them.”

“I do no such thing,” Harmony denied indignantly. “That’s barbaric.”

“Well, most people do,” Serenity muttered, still poking at her spaghetti squash.

“That would be a total waste,” Harmony said as Serenity hesitantly put a forkful into her mouth. “Their dried corpses add too much flavor in squash to waste by squashing them.”

Serenity froze in the middle of swallowing, then glared at Harmony as she finished swallowing. “You’re vegan. You wouldn’t use them in food.”

“I wouldn’t eat them in food,” Harmony clarified with a raised eyebrow. “But you two aren’t vegan, so why waste such a good source of protein?”

“Because bugs are gross!” Aurora answered with a disgusted look.

“Have you ever tasted them?” Harmony asked pointedly. “Maybe they are good.”

“I haven’t tried dog crap either,” Serenity declared. “Some things are just self-evident.”

Rhapsody burst out laughing, “I think she’s got you there, Harmony.”

Harmony shrugged with a wink. “I’m still pretty far ahead.”

“Oh, are you keeping score?” Rhapsody asked in amusement.

“You’re damn right I’m keeping score,” Harmony declared with a nod. “She’s almost a teenager and will never be wrong again soon. I have to get a decent head start before I’m wrong by default.”

Rhapsody laughed a warm, rich laugh that seemed to brighten the room. It was that special laugh that made her feel like there was something beautiful, just out of sight. It made Harmony want to find more things to make her laugh like that.

Harmony finished her dish quickly and started cleaning up. Rhapsody tried to help, but Harmony chased her back to the table.

“You didn’t even eat anything,” Harmony said indignantly. “You aren’t allowed to help with the cleanup.”

Rhapsody snorted a laugh but sat back down to talk with Serenity and Aurora.

Harmony quickly cleaned up the dishes before returning to the dining room.

“Why don’t we adjourn to the front room,” Harmony suggested. “It’s a lot more comfortable.”

“Rhapsody’s going to read our palms!” Aurora told her excitedly. “Come on, I want to see how old I’m going to live.”

Harmony raised an inquiring eyebrow at Rhapsody as she followed her nieces to the front room.

“What, you don’t believe in palmistry?” Rhapsody asked with a lopsided grin. “We really need to work on this aura of skepticism you’ve wrapped yourself in.”

“Good luck with that,” Harmony replied with a shrug as she sat down on the couch.

Rhapsody knelt on the floor in front of the couch before an expectant Serenity. Without a word, Rhapsody reached out and pulled Serenity’s hands closer for inspection.

“Hmm…” Rhapsody murmured, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “That was certainly unexpected.”

“What?” Serenity asked eagerly.

“Your left hand is almost completely different from your right hand,” Rhapsody answered, pursing her lips as she continued studying Serenity’s palms. “Typically, your left hand indicates your potential, and your right hand shows what you have done with that potential.”

“So, is that a good or bad thing in her case?” Harmony asked with a raised eyebrow.

“All good,” Rhapsody replied with an impressed smile. “It indicates you have taken your single talent and multiplied it many times over.”

Serenity’s grin grew by several orders of magnitude at hearing this. “What else does it tell you?”

“I’ll warn you right now that most of what you have probably heard about palmistry is just parlor tricks,” Rhapsody told her seriously. “The lines in your hand don’t tell the future, they merely show who you were, and who you have become. By understanding where you are in correlation to where you have come from, it is possible to make general predictions of where you will go from here.”

“Okay,” Serenity nodded in understanding. “So, what can you predict based on the differences right now?”

“Your left hand says that you were once very naïve and easy to take advantage of,” Rhapsody replied as she continued intently studying Serenity’s palms. “Your right hand tells me that this is no longer the case at all. You were once very shy and self-conscious, but you are very outspoken and opinionated now. This circle in the lifeline on your right hand shows that you have recently experienced a tragedy of some kind. Judging by the depth of the impression, it was a very poignant tragedy. The most notable changes in your right hand have occurred after the tragedy, which would indicate that this change has been a catalyst for positive improvement. I’ve noticed that some of the times I’ve grown most in life were the times when the most terrible things happened to me.”

Harmony had been on the point of interrupting as the act of a simple palm reading turned into something that might be damaging to her young niece’s psyche, but as Rhapsody finished speaking Harmony closed her mouth. Is she really giving Serenity a palm reading, or just helping to build her self-confidence? Somehow, she either knows about their mother, or has made some educated guesses.

Harmony remained quiet as Rhapsody finished reading both of her nieces’ palms. As far as she could tell, Rhapsody was just giving the two girls a badly needed therapy session to give them a sense of hope and self-worth. She had to once again reevaluate the small woman as Rhapsody accomplished what months of professional therapy had failed to achieve for her nieces. Aurora and Serenity were both grinning from ear to ear as they inspected their own palms when Rhapsody had finished.

“Your turn,” Rhapsody informed her with a mischievous smile.

“No freaking way,” Harmony replied dryly. “Do you have any idea where these hands have been?”

“A pretty good idea, actually,” Rhapsody replied with a knowing grin as she sat in front of Harmony and lifted her hands so that she could see the palms. Harmony felt her face heat up at her words and wished for the millionth time to have an off switch for blushes.

Harmony was startled at how long Rhapsody’s fingers were. Almost inhumanly long. Nonsense. They are just humanly long.

Rhapsody stared at Harmony’s hands silently as Harmony’s demeanor changed from humorously tolerant to growing awkwardness. A small blush appeared on Harmony’s face as Rhapsody traced the lines with a frown. Serenity and Aurora started fidgeting as the silence stretched out.

Rhapsody let out a tremulous sigh and stood up. She wrapped her arms around Harmony, pulling her into a soft embrace. “I’m so sorry, Harmony.”

Harmony stiffened as the whispered words hit her like a freight train. All the sorrow she had hidden away since her sister’s death, since her mother’s illness, and since her own father’s abandonment when she was a child, suddenly burst like a damn. She found herself suddenly sobbing in between wails of grief as Rhapsody held her tightly.

She had tried to ignore all off the loss, the feeling of abandonment, and the dread of future loss. Rhapsody had pulled it out of her like a surgeon excising a tumor with her quiet words. She buried her face in Rhapsody’s shoulder as she finally let her grief out. She had been so afraid to let her nieces see her grief; afraid it would somehow make their own grief worse.

Now, in the small woman’s embrace, she felt a sense of warmth and safety envelope her. It allowed her to finally purge the sorrow that had been burrowing inside of her like poison. The refreshing smell of spring flowers had been filling her nostrils as Rhapsody embraced her, giving her an odd sense of renewal.

She felt her nieces hug her as well as they wept their own tears. She wasn’t sure how long they stood there grieving in each other’s arms. A growing warmth began to envelop her as she finally let her grief run its course.

Eventually, she pulled away from their embrace, smiling through the tears.

“Thank you, Rhapsody,” Harmony took a shuddering breath. “I think I really needed that.”

“Any time, Harmony,” Rhapsody replied with a smile that was like the sun coming up.

Harmony fetched a box of tissues and then she and her nieces spent some time trying to clean the aftermath of their emotional storm.

“I want to read your palms,” Serenity said suddenly, looking at Rhapsody intently.

“Perhaps another time,” Rhapsody replied firmly.

Harmony’s hands were moving before she even realized what she was doing. She snatched Rhapsody’s wrists and turned them over to look at the small woman’s palms. It took her a moment to figure out what she was seeing. There were thousands and thousands of tiny lines covering the surface of Rhapsody’s palms, each so finely detailed that Harmony was sure a magnifying glass would reveal even more nested lines inside of the more prominent lines.

Rhapsody gently pulled her hands back as Harmony gaped at what she had seen.

“Wow!” Serenity gasped in amazement. “You have tons of lines on your hands. And they’re so tiny! Does that mean you’ve had a lot of experiences?”

Rhapsody nodded wordlessly, watching Harmony with a calculating expression.

Harmony was almost never speechless. It just wasn’t in her nature. However, as she stared at the small woman less than a foot away from her, the ability to articulate completely deserted her. Okay, so she’s got five billion lines on her palms…how long of a life would a person have to live to have so many lines? What am I talking about? Lines are just freaking lines!

“Earth to Aunt Harmony,” Serenity said grinningly. “Do I need to get Houston on the line?”

“Music,” Harmony muttered, standing up abruptly. “Right. Let’s go play in the music room.”

Rhapsody followed her in silence. Aurora and Serenity were still comparing their palms to each other excitedly as they slowly followed the two adults.

Two adults. Yeah, right…I’m starting to think Rhapsody might be the only adult here. Harmony thought to herself with a quiet sigh.

When she ignored the deceptively young appearance of the other woman and focused on the content of her words, it was much easier to imagine Rhapsody as an adult. Harmony had always felt like an intelligent person for her twenty-three years of life experience, but Rhapsody had a way of making her feel like an infant getting her first glimpse of the world outside of the womb. She felt like a war was raging inside of her mind, with her skeptical nature fighting an uphill battle against her slowly blossoming sense of wonder and credulity.

“Holy ectoplasmic SpaghettiOs's!” Rhapsody declared as they entered the music room. “This place rocks!”

Harmony looked at Rhapsody suspiciously. It was almost like she could sense Harmony’s inner struggle, and went out of her way to make inane, adolescent comments that no self-respecting adult would ever think to utter.

Her medium-sized studio was filled with cellos, violins, guitars, keyboards, a variety of drums, and a shelf full of woodwind and brass instruments. There was a small sound room with a thick glass panel separating it from the rest of the studio.

“Let’s see what you’ve got, kiddo,” Harmony said with a grin. “I seem to remember you saying you play every instrument.”

Rhapsody tilted her head slightly as she looked back at Harmony with a small smile. “Which instrument would you like me to start with? Kiddo.”

“The violin!” Aurora answered for her enthusiastically. “That’s my favorite.”

Rhapsody nodded once and then walked over to the small violin stand. She unzipped her white jacket and then completely removed it. She was wearing a spaghetti strap tank top that made it clear she was fully developed. Memories of Rhapsody in her summer dress flashed through her mind, short-circuiting her brain again. She stared at her hourglass figure and long, graceful neck. A wealth of brilliant auburn hair that had been covered by her jacket now flowed down to her waist in cascading sheets, almost seeming to glow. Harmony felt her cheeks redden as she realized she was staring slack jawed, just like her nieces. Rhapsody was beautiful in the fairytale sense of beauty. Harmony had forgotten just how beautiful the small woman was. She wished she could take the goofy hat and glasses off her head so they could finally see what she really looked like in her full glory.

Rhapsody picked both the violin and bow up with a professional looking flourish and then settled the violin between her chin and shoulder.

Harmony couldn’t stop an involuntary shiver as the first sequence of notes began resonating throughout the studio. The melody was filled with a haunting beauty that easily surpassed anything she had ever hoped to compose. She wracked her mind to find a match for the melody but came up blank. Is this an original composition?

After playing through the first verse, she began singing in accompaniment to the violin. What had been poignantly beautiful before was now transcendental as her voice meshed into a perfect harmony with the violin’s bittersweet melody. The words she sang were either made up, or in a different language. When she finally finished and lowered the violin, Harmony realized her cheeks were damp with tears.

“Wow,” Aurora breathed in awe. “I’ve never heard anything so beautiful! Did you make that?”

“Yep,” Rhapsody replied with a gratified smile. “It was designed for another instrument, but it still sounds good on a violin.”

“I’ll say,” Harmony declared fervently. “That was amazing!”

“Thanks,” Rhapsody replied, the ever-present blush on her cheeks burning a deeper red. “Any instrument in particular you want me to try next?”

“Do you play piano?” Serenity asked tentatively.

“I play everything,” Rhapsody replied, shooting a knowing grin at Harmony as she walked over to the keyboard and sat down. “Although I am rather new to piano, relatively speaking.”

Harmony listened raptly as a song of unparalleled beauty filled the room like a warm breeze on a cold winter day. Rhapsody began singing again, her voice weaving an elaborate tapestry of sound as it courted the melody line of the piano.

There had been several times in Harmony’s life when a musical piece was so moving that it left an indelible impression on her mind. All the previous moments of musical transcendence paled in comparison to what Rhapsody was producing so effortlessly as her hands and voice caressed the keyboard.

The next hour was filled with inhumanly beautiful music as Rhapsody demonstrated her virtuosity with almost every instrument in Harmony’s studio. It was far better than any concert Harmony had ever been to; the intensity of emotion and sublime beauty could never be equaled in such a rowdy environment. She no longer doubted Rhapsody could play every instrument. She handled each one like an old friend, with no hesitation or doubt.

“Do you ever record any of your music?” Harmony asked curiously as Rhapsody placed the new lyre back onto the shelf.

“No, I don’t have the equipment for that kind of production,” Rhapsody replied wistfully. “One of these days I’ll get a computer and try one of those music programs for recording multiple tracks.”

“Well, it just so happens that I have all of the necessary equipment for layering tracks in my studio,” Harmony informed her lightly. “I spend two hours of every day from 10am to 12pm in town working at a women’s shelter, so you are more than welcome to use the studio while I’m away. Of course, you can use it while I’m here as well, but you won’t have to worry about me bugging you during that time.”

“Why thank you, Harmony,” Rhapsody’s smile was so bright that Harmony would swear she could feel the warmth shining out of her. “I might just take you up on that. I’ve had a gazillion ideas for how to mix the different melodies with the other instruments for quite a while now, so that would be a lot of fun.”

“Me casa es to casa,” Harmony said with a smile, trying to identify the odd warmth Rhapsody’s smile caused to flood her body.

“Muchos gracias, mi bella anfitriona,” Rhapsody replied in perfect Spanish dialect.

“You speak Spanish?” Harmony asked in surprise.

“sí, señora bonita,” Rhapsody replied with a grin. Her grin suddenly vanished, and her head tilted slightly in a manner that was far too cute.

“What’s the matter?” Harmony asked concernedly.

“Nothing,” Rhapsody replied after a moment of silence. “I should probably get going though.”

Harmony opened her mouth to object, but the doorbell interrupted her. “Who in the world could that be?”

“I’ll get it!” Aurora declared, running for the stairs.

“No, I’ll get it!” Harmony shouted after her firmly. “Don’t open that door yet!”

Harmony ran down the stairs after Aurora and sighed in relief as she found her niece waiting for her at the unopened front door. She had too many bad memories from living in the big city to let her nieces open the door without knowing who was outside. She looked on the small flat screen monitor next to the door that her surveillance system was connected to and rolled her eyes. Her mother was just raising her hand to ring again when Harmony unlocked and opened the door.

“Mom, would it kill you to call ahead before you visit?” Harmony asked irritably.

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” her mother replied primly. “I need to talk with you alone.”

“Girls, go get ready for bed,” Harmony told her nieces firmly.

“Are you kidding?” Serenity demanded in outrage. “We’re not done talking with Rhapsody!”

“I didn’t say go to bed,” Harmony replied patiently. “I said go get ready for bed. That’s code for ‘I need some privacy to talk to your grandma’.”

“Okay…” Serenity acquiesced slowly. “As long as we still get to visit with Rhapsody.”

“Who is Rhapsody?” her mother asked curiously.

Harmony looked back toward the stairs as she realized Rhapsody hadn’t followed them down. The small woman was nowhere to be seen. The warm presence she had noticed when Rhapsody was in their home was still burning brightly, so she was probably still upstairs. Hopefully she’s still in the studio.

“She’s the fairy,” Serenity replied matter-of-factly. “She’s the one who saved Aurora from the tree.”

Harmony grimaced as her mother raised an inquiring eyebrow. “She’s the one who saved Aurora, but there is still some serious debate regarding her status as a non-human. I would appreciate a little objectivity on your part for a change.”

“Don’t be snide,” her mother admonished her with a frown. “Run along Serenity and Aurora; I need to talk to your aunt.”

Harmony sighed resignedly as her nieces dashed back up the stairs, undoubtedly to the studio to find Rhapsody. “So, what’s so important that you needed to drive out here to tell me instead of just calling me?”

“David has been released from prison on a technicality,” her mother replied bleakly. “According to the DA, he was talking about getting his girls back before he even stepped outside of the front door of the prison.”

Harmony felt like someone with steel-toed boots had just kicked her in the gut. The bastard responsible for her sister’s death had been looking at a life sentence. How could they have let this psychopath out after his own daughters testified against him?

“I need a gun,” Harmony said absently as she tried to push the terror away before it consumed any chance of intelligent thought. “Serenity and Aurora won’t be safe as long as he’s alive and free.”

“You don’t belong having a gun with those girls under the same roof,” her mother replied with a disapproving grimace. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small box. “I did bring you a tazer though. It’s already charged. Are your surveillance cameras still working?”

“The front room, porch, and back door cameras are working,” Harmony replied dully. “The one monitoring the road stopped working a couple of days ago, after a seagull landed on it.”

“That should be good enough,” her mother replied, taking a deep breath. “I brought you a second cell phone as well. If I see you calling my phone from this number, I’ll know David is at your house. Keep it with you at all times.”

“Thanks, mom,” Harmony said with a defeated sigh. “How could they let that piece of excrement back out? What kind of messed up court system do they have in this stupid state?”

“That’s our justice system at work,” her mom replied in disgust. “Locking up children as terrorists while letting homicidal maniacs use the penitentiary’s revolving door to get back out onto the streets.”

“Everything okay?” Rhapsody asked in concern as she came down the stairs. Harmony noticed with a sense of disappointment that she had once again donned her white jacket.

“Not exactly,” Harmony replied, unable to hide her anxiety. “Aurora and Serenity’s father was just released from prison on a technicality. There is a good chance he’ll try to take them away from me. They testified against him during his trial in the death of their mother, so he probably has a lot of unsavory plans for them.”

“Well then, we’ll just have to make sure that he doesn’t get them,” Rhapsody told her with more than a hint of steel in her musical voice.

“So, this is Rhapsody?” her mother asked, studying Rhapsody’s strange clothing curiously. “I understand that I have you to thank for saving my granddaughter’s life.”

Harmony watched Rhapsody closely as she waited for the small woman to respond. She had made a point of not asking Rhapsody if she was the one who had saved Aurora from the tree a week ago.

Rhapsody just smiled and shrugged. “I think that might be exaggerating a little bit. Harmony had already almost reached Aurora when I arrived.”

“If fifty feet is your idea of close…” Harmony said dryly. “Even if I could have reached Aurora in time, I would never have been able to get her down without getting us both killed in the process. I’m still not sure how you managed to balance on that limb while holding Aurora in your arms. She’s nearly as tall as you, and probably heavier to boot.”

“Just one of those skills you learn when you are homeschooled,” Rhapsody replied nonchalantly. “I’m going to go fetch some reinforcements. I’ll be back soon.”

“Rhapsody, I don’t want to immerse you in our troubles,” Harmony said awkwardly, causing Rhapsody to pause at the door. “Especially if you might get hurt in the process.”

“Don’t worry about my safety,” Rhapsody replied grimly as she continued exiting through the front door. “Worry for his.”

The sense of impending violence in Rhapsody’s departing form was unnerving. Despite her diminutive form, Rhapsody suddenly seemed closer to ten feet tall.

“How old is she?” her mother asked curiously.

“Twenty-seven trillion seconds,” Harmony replied with a snort of amusement.

“I beg your pardon?” her mother said blankly.

“That’s what she told me the first time I asked her how old she was,” Harmony replied dryly. “I Googled it when I got home, and it’s approximately eight-hundred and eighty-two thousand years. I’ve tried to get her real age, but she’s a master at avoiding direct answers.”

“That’s quite the interesting wardrobe she has,” her mother noted thoughtfully. “She seems to be hiding behind a mask.”

“Maybe,” Harmony nodded pensively. “I think she might actually be older than me.”

“You’re kidding!” her mother said in surprise. “She’s probably not even out of high school.”

“That’s what I thought at first too,” Harmony agreed. “But she keeps talking about things that are so far out of my depth that I can barely keep up with her. Add the fact that she’s a virtuoso with every single instrument I have, and there’s just no way she could have learned so much in so little time. She’s either one of the world’s most brilliant adolescents, or she’s older than she looks by quite a bit. She told me she was older than me when she visited the other day and...” she broke off as her face flushed at the memory of what happened that day.

Her mother’s eyebrows shot up as she observed her blushing daughter. “Oh, so you’ve gotten to know her that well, huh?”

“I wish,” Harmony muttered, then flushed a deeper shade of red. “She just gave me a back massage. You know me--I don’t do well with physical contact.”

“Or you just need the right person,” her mother noted with a mysterious smile.

Harmony tried to retort with something flippant, but for the second time that day, words failed her. She sighed, a small smile appearing on her face. “Yeah, maybe so.”

“What’s that perfume she is wearing?” her mother asked curiously. “I’ve never smelled anything like it before.”

“I have no idea,” Harmony shrugged. “She always smells like spring and flowers though.”

“I’ll be interested in getting to know her,” her mother said musingly. “She sounds like a fascinating character.”

“That she certainly is,” Harmony replied with a fond smile. “Would you like some tea?”

“Yes, please,” her mother answered with a grateful smile. “I could use a little something to calm my nerves.”

As they entered the kitchen, there was a deafening crash from the front room. Harmony rushed back into the front room to find her front door hanging on one hinge and the doorframe in splinters. The six-foot six-inch form of her murderous brother-in-law, David, was stalking toward her with a nine-millimeter handgun pointed at her head.

“Where are my daughters,” he demanded with a maniacal gleam in his blue eyes.

“Get out of my house!” Harmony shouted with far more confidence than she felt. “I don’t know what kind of moron let your crazy ass out of the slammer, but I can guarantee you’ll be going right back there after trespassing on a private residence with a deadly weapon.”

“You’ve got five seconds to fetch my daughters,” David growled as he pulled the hammer back on his pistol. “Then I’m going to decorate the walls with your brains.”

Harmony felt the last dregs of fear drain from her system as the inevitability of her death loomed in front of her. “Do it, you piece of shit!”

“I’ll give you to the count of three to get out of this house,” Rhapsody’s voice announced from somewhere behind David. “If you’re still here when I reach three, I can promise you a night of more pain than you can possibly imagine in that pathetic excuse of cellulose you call a mind.”

David spun around to stare at Rhapsody, his lip curling in disdain. “Get lost, you stupid bitch, before I add your brains to the walls as well.”

Rhapsody was walking toward him calmly without a trace of fear on what was visible of her face. “One. Two.”

With a snarl, he raised his arm and then pistol-whipped Rhapsody on the side of the head. Instead of crumpling to the floor from the force of the blow, Rhapsody’s head barely even moved. Her hat was the only part of her head that was disturbed, with the earflap getting flipped up to reveal a very pointy ear.

“Three,” Rhapsody said quietly. There was a sudden blur as the small woman punched him in the ribs quicker than Harmony’s eyes could track, each punch emitting a loud cracking sound. Then her booted foot connected to his groin hard enough to make a squishing noise. Somewhere in the blur of punches and kicks, Rhapsody had also disarmed him and tossed the pistol onto the ground.

David fell to the ground, curled up into a fetal position as he howled in pain. Without a word, Rhapsody grabbed a handful of his long, greasy hair and began dragging him toward the front door as if he weighed no more than a ragdoll. He let out another scream as he grasped her wrists while she dragged him out the front door.

“Harmony, would you mind calling the police?” Rhapsody asked calmly from just outside the front door. “I’ll have a little talk with David while we wait for them to arrive.”

Harmony was still standing with her mouth hanging open in shock as her nieces came pounding down the stairs at a dead run.

Her mother was already calling the police on her cell phone as Aurora and Serenity rushed into the kitchen with terrified expressions on their faces.

Harmony pulled them both into a tight embrace as her mother hastily explained the situation to the dispatcher.

“What happened?” a trembling Aurora asked shakily.

“Your dad broke into the house,” Harmony replied as she stroked their heads comfortingly with each hand. “Rhapsody came back and beat the crap out of him. Everything is going to be okay. The cops are on their way here.”

“Where’s Rhapsody?” Serenity asked in a frightened voice.

“She’s just out front having a talk with your dad,” Harmony replied with a shuddering breath.

Another piercing scream made the three of them jump.

“That was just the third joint on your pinky,” Rhapsody’s voice said calmly. “There are twenty-seven more joints left to crush if you don’t start paying attention to what I’m telling you. If the justice system fails to put you where you belong when you get out of the hospital, I want you to remember what will await you here if you ever come anywhere near Harmony’s family again. So far, you have four broken ribs, with one of them puncturing your lung. The doctors will need to amputate what’s left of your manhood. The lucky part for you is that you still have your arms, legs, hands, and feet. If I ever see or smell you again, I’ll make sure that none of those things ever functions again. This is cervical vertebrate four right here. I’ll do the same thing to it that I just did to your pinky’s third joint if I even get a whif of you again. This will result in quadriplegia, which means you will lose the use of all of your limbs and require a ventilator to breath for the rest of your miserable life. You seem like a really stupid person, so I hope for your sake that they lock you up for a long time. Otherwise, I have a feeling that you’ll show up again and I’ll have to follow through with my promise.”

As Rhapsody finished speaking, the sound of sirens could be heard growing closer quickly. Harmony gently released her nieces and walked out to the front porch. David was still contorted in a fetal position, with Rhapsody sitting next to him, one of her tiny hands clasping the spine on the back of his thick neck.

“Do you understand what I’ve told you?” Rhapsody asked in a patient tone.

“Go to hell, bi-, “ he broke of as she increased the pressure on his spine. “Yes! Yes, I understand, for god’s sake!”

“Not god’s sake,” Rhapsody corrected grimly. “Your sake.”

A police car rolled up the drive and came to a quick stop as two uniformed officers jumped out with weapons drawn.

“He’s no longer a threat,” Rhapsody called out to them as they cautiously approached the loudly groaning form curled up on the porch.

“What happened?” one of the cops asked warily.

“This guy broke into my neighbor’s house with a gun and tried to abduct her children,” Rhapsody replied calmly. “I was visiting when he broke the door down, and was able to overpower him before he could shoot anyone. His gun is on the floor near the kitchen.”

The first cop went inside to retrieve David’s gun while the second cop squatted down to inspect the groaning man.

“What did you do to him?” the cop asked curiously. “Is he going to need an ambulance?”

“I broke a couple ribs and kicked him in the nuts pretty hard,” Rhapsody replied with a shrug. “He’ll definitely need an ambulance; one of the broken ribs punctured his lung.”

“What did you hit him with?” the cop asked with a frown.

“These,” Rhapsody replied, holding up her balled fists. “They’re meaner than they look when you piss them off.”

When the cop looked at Harmony doubtfully, she nodded. “I’ve got the whole thing on video from our surveillance system. She punched him in the chest four times and then kicked him in the family jewels. I heard his ribs crack with each punch.”

“Damn…” the cop muttered in awe. “I’ll have to see your video feed. How did his gun get in the kitchen?”

“That’s where she beat him down at,” Harmony replied with a half-grin. “Then she dragged him out here by his hair.”

The cop stared at Rhapsody’s small form disbelievingly as his partner rejoined him with the discarded gun. “I think I’ll have to see that to believe it.”

Harmony nodded and stepped back into the house to rewind the surveillance data while the cops called dispatch for an ambulance. She quickly downloaded the video segment to her iPhone and walked back onto the porch.

“Here it is,” Harmony said, offering her phone to the first cop.

Harmony blinked when she realized the porch camera had recorded the audio. Crap, I hope Rhapsody’s little ‘talk’ with David doesn’t get her in trouble.

The cops were shaking their heads in amazement as they watched the video. Their looks of incredulity turned to nervousness as they listened to Rhapsody threaten David with the loss of his limbs if he ever came back. When the video finished, they both looked around warily.

“Where did she go?” the cop asked in surprise.

Harmony frowned as she looked around the darkened landscape. She hadn’t seen Rhapsody leave, but the small woman was nowhere to be found. “She’s got this disappearing act she does occasionally. I have no idea how she does it, but one second she’s there, and the next she’s gone.”

“We’re going to need to question her further,” the cop said with a frown. “What’s her name, and where does she live?”

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you very much with that,” Harmony replied with a wry smile. “I only know her first name, which is Rhapsody, and I have no idea where she lives. This was her first time visiting my house. I met her a few days ago along the highway, where I walk to the school bus stop to pick up my nieces.”

She spent the next half-hour answering questions about David’s relationship to her nieces, as well as his status as a former convict. One of the cops walked around the perimeter of her yard, trying to find the elusive Rhapsody.

“Call us immediately if you run into your friend again,” the cop said, handing her a card. “We have some questions for her that need to be answered.”

“Is she in trouble?” Harmony asked worriedly.

“That depends on whether your former brother-in-law can get his hands on a good lawyer,” he replied gravely. “The first part of the incident was obviously self-defense, but when she broke his finger after he was obviously out of action it turned into a case of assault. If his attorney doesn’t see that portion of the surveillance video, she should be in the clear.”

“That bastard already murdered my sister and got away with it,” Harmony growled angrily. “He better not get another get out of jail free card.”

“As far as I’m concerned, we’ve only seen the first portion of the video,” he replied blandly.

“Thanks,” Harmony said with a grateful smile. “I’m really not relishing the thought of having to look over my shoulder everywhere I go for the rest of my life.”

“That guy would be insane to come back here after what happened tonight,” the cop said ruefully. “Personally, that girl terrifies me. Makes you wonder if she is some kind of former CIA child assassin or something.”

“Nothing would surprise me about her at this point,” Harmony sighed tiredly. “Thanks for all of your help.”

“Anytime,” he replied with a friendly smile. “Here’s my card. My personal number is on the back as well, if you’re interested.”

His partner cuffed him on the back of the head. “Come on Romeo.”

Harmony tittered awkwardly and waved as they left.

Harmony went back into the house, grimacing at her destroyed front door. She would need to have a contractor come fix it in the morning.

Her mother was sitting with Serenity and Aurora on the couch with an arm wrapped protectively around each of them. Her nieces were finally coming out of their shock.

“Where’s Rhapsody?” Serenity asked anxiously.

“Probably up in one of the trees behind the house,” Harmony replied absently. She was fairly certain Rhapsody was still nearby. The warm presence that accompanied the small woman was still permeating the home. It made her feel safe, knowing her tiny protector was nearby if more trouble found them. I’m so pathetic; I can’t even keep my nieces safe on my own.

“How are you doing?” her mother asked with a searching look.

“Exhausted,” Harmony answered truthfully. “I feel like I’ve just run a marathon.”

“Do you think Rhapsody’s okay?” her mother asked worriedly. “David hit her pretty hard with that pistol.”

“I have a feeling it didn’t even bruise her head,” Harmony replied vaguely. She had been trying to convince herself that the pointy ear beneath the earflap had been a trick of her imagination, exacerbated by an adrenaline overload.

“Don’t tell me that you’re becoming a believer,” her mother said in surprise.

“Just my eyes playing tricks on me with all of the excitement,” Harmony replied curtly.

“Why, what did you see?” her mother asked curiously.

“Nothing,” Harmony snapped irritably. “Because there was nothing to see.”

Her mother thankfully let the issue drop. She was already questioning her own sanity. She certainly didn’t need her mother encouraging her to take a vacation from her senses.

Serenity and Aurora ended up sleeping with her for the night, too frightened to sleep in their own beds. It made her thankful for the California king-sized beds, even if she never shared them with anyone. She wondered if having Rhapsody give her a back massage in bed counted as sharing her bed. Her mother stayed in the guest room on the first floor, and for once, Harmony was glad to have the extra company in her house.

She stared at the ceiling for over an hour as her restless mind refused to give in to her exhausted body’s need for sleep. The sound of quiet singing had her frowning in puzzlement as she tried to force her mind to shut down. Her mother wasn’t known for singing, so she was pretty sure it was coming from somewhere else. She tilted her head as she tried to identify the origins of the calming melody. It seemed to be coming from just outside of her window. Before she could work up enough motivation to go investigate, the soft voice lulled her racing mind into a state of blessed slumber.

Chapter 5 – Fairy Dreams

Harmony felt a sense of disorientation as the lullaby pulled her down past the point of normal sleep and into what felt like some kind of out-of-body experience. The notes of the lullaby were like a tether to her consciousness as it led her deeper into a world of fantasy. She could still feel her sense of objectivity and sense of self, which were usually the first things to go in her dreams.

She stared around at half formed ideas and imagery curiously. She had tried augmented reality glasses at an airport once. This seemed oddly similar, but more realistic and with an emotional attachment.

The lullaby led her back in time to her memories of several days previous, except that now she was watching herself from the third person. She had just picked up Aurora and Serenity from the bus stop. They were walking past Rhapsody on the road that first day, but instead of wearing a trap hat, sunglasses, and jacket, Rhapsody was wearing the green summer dress that went to midthigh and displayed a generous amount of cleavage. Her hair spilled over her shoulders and down to her waist in cascades of auburn sheets. Iridescent fairy wings of light emerged from her back. Her face was the most striking feature. She had enormous lavender eyes much more reminiscent of an anime character. The irises were large and had what looked like Sanskrit symbols circling the outer edge. Her face looked like it had been sculpted by angels, with an innocence and openness that reached right into your heart.

The scene changed again, now showing a few days later when Rhapsody had spoken to Azeban. Once again, Rhapsody appeared in her fairy form to Rhapsody’s dream eyes. When she looked to where the racoon had been following them, she gasped. In place of the racoon was a complex web of light and energy that pulsed like a strobe light. She could feel the consciousness of the entity known as Azeban, recognizing it as so much more than a racoon. It held a kind of power, or more accurately, influence. It saturated the area around them so strongly that she couldn’t believe they hadn’t felt it in the real world.

As she became aware of the influence of Azeban, she also became aware of the same power emanating from Rhapsody. However, in Rhapsody’s case it seemed to go on as far as the eye could see. Azeban’s power was like a candle to Rhapsody’s raging wildfire. Rhapsody’s influence seemed to be linked to something in the distance, in the direction of the giant rings.

Harmony watched her past self as she bantered with Rhapsody, totally oblivious to the glorious fairy’s true nature.

Rhapsody glanced in her direction and winked.

Harmony stared in stunned silence at the transcendent being. In this dream state it seemed so obvious that Rhapsody was more than she had appeared to be in the waking world. Harmony felt like an idiot for her stubborn refusal to accept the reality of what was in front of her. She felt an odd desire to get down on her knees and worship Rhapsody as she walked past. As the thought flitted through her head, Rhapsody’s gaze locked onto her dream self. She smiled and it was like a thousand sunrises. Harmony’s mouth was dry as she stared at the beautiful creature.

“I don’t want your worship,” Rhapsody told her with a rueful shake of her head, auburn hair dancing with the motion. “I want your love and friendship.”

Rhapsody stepped closer to Harmony until they were nearly touching. Rhapsody’s head was a few inches below Harmony’s shoulder. Rather than crane her head back to look up at Harmony, she slowly levitated into the air as her wings glowed a little brighter. They stood eye to eye as Harmony stared into those mesmerizing eyes with wonder.

“You’re safe with me, Harmony,” Rhapsody told her gently. She pulled harmony into warm embrace. “I’ll always keep you safe.”

XXXXX

Harmony jerked awake to the sound of someone inexperienced playing her drum set in the music room. Muffled booms and crashes reverberated throughout the house. She let out a rueful sigh, wondering which of her nieces had decided to become a drummer.

As she stood up and stretched with a bestial shriek, a flicker of her dream danced fleetingly through her mind, too ephemeral to hold onto. She knew it had been an amazing dream. She could still feel a golden glow of well-being filling her like liquid optimism. It had something to do with Rhapsody, but she couldn’t remember what. The thought of Rhapsody was like an electric shock coursing through her system, and a sense of longing filled her. I wonder when we’ll see her again.

The sound of inexperienced drumming stopped for several seconds. When the sound of drums resumed, it was a catchy beat that made her want to bounce. She frowned as her sleepy brain failed to make sense of how her nieces had improved so much in a few seconds. As she listened to the complex beat of the bass and snare drum while a complex sequence of staccato pings on the ride cymbal became more sophisticated than she was capable of, her brain finally slid into first gear. Rhapsody?

She quickly got ready for the morning, donning some Levi shorts and a tank top that left a few inches of her flat stomach visible. She scowled at herself as she stopped at her vanity for the fourth time to quadruple check herself. Her long blonde hair was artfully tied up in a loose bun, with several strands falling in front of her cheeks.

What the hell is the matter with me? I don’t need to get all dolled up for Rhapsody! She’s just a friendly neighbor with the hands of a goddess and the face of a fairy tale princess. Goddamnit!

She finally forced herself out the door and down the stairs to the first floor. One of her nieces was playing the drums now, but instead of just making a racket, it sounded like they were starting to hold a basic beat, barely. Is Rhapsody giving them drum lessons? How in the world did she convince them to try and learn?

Harmony had been bugging her nieces to pick an instrument to learn since they moved in with her, but they had staunchly refused her offers to teach them. As she drew closer to the studio in the back corner of the house, she slowed down as anxiety swelled up in her stomach. She was looking for another mirror before she realized what she was doing. She stopped herself with a muttered curse and began walking back to the studio. She went into the back entrance that led into the control room. She had spent considerable time and money designing the sound room to get the acoustic absorption and diffusion of sound just right for recording. She held her breath as she tried to quietly slip into the control room, feeling a bit like a of a stalker as she attempted to watch their lessons unobserved.

The control room was dark, the computer and lights off. She quietly closed the door behind her and walked up to the thick, soundproof glass to watch. Serenity was sitting behind the drum set, slowly playing a simple beat with the bass drum and snare. Her lips were moving silently, as if she were counting out the tempo. Feeling even more like a creep, Harmony flipped the monitor on, a speaker that was connected to a mic in the sound room.

Rhapsody was standing just behind Serenity, tapping her foot to the beat. She was wearing an odd headband that covered her ears and forehead. Her crimson bangs were artfully flowing down either side of her face. Her thick main of silky hair was tied back into a loose ponytail, flaring wide partway down her back. Harmony started seeing spots and cursed her stupid lungs as she quickly inhaled a lungful of air. Rhapsody wasn’t wearing her tinted glasses, but she was in a location that remained too dark to see her eyes clearly. Even so, Harmony felt her heart hammering in her chest as she observed the beautiful woman. She was wearing a tank top that showed a generous amount of cleavage and shorts that were just long enough to be decent, but only barely.

Excellent job, Serenity,” Rhapsody’s musical voice congratulated the dark-haired girl warmly. “You’re doing a wonderful job with your timing. Are you ready to add a little bit of complexity now?”

“I think so?” Serenity answered tentatively. She looked back at Rhapsody with a grin. “I can’t believe I’m playing the drums!”

“Aunt Harmony’s going to be sarcastic again,” Aurora announced matter-of-factly. She was standing next to Rhapsody, holding one of her hands with a look of excitement on her young face. “She’s been bugging us to learn something for days now.”

Rhapsody laughed, a warm, rich sound that filled Harmony’s abdomen with butterflies. “Not the sarcasm!”

Serenity and Aurora giggled, carried away with Rhapsody’s infectious laughter. Harmony realized she was smiling as she watched them, a goofy smile that she definitely would have been sarcastic about if she was in her right mind.

“I know I’ve said it a hundred times already, but you have the prettiest eyes in the world,” Aurora told Rhapsody in a voice filled with childish wonder. “I wish you didn’t have to wear your glasses most of the time.”

“Don’t you worry,” Rhapsody responded with a reassuring hand squeeze. “It won’t be too much longer before I can stop wearing them. Okay, Serenity, now you need to tap the high-hat with every beat. It’s okay if you mix them up, that’s totally normal. You’re naturally coordinated, so it won’t take long for you to master it.”

It took her a few minutes to stop hitting the bass drum and snare simultaneously as she tried to add her third limb to the mix, but she eventually managed it. She continued for several more minutes, growing more confident as she trained her muscle memory.

Harmony felt a deep swell of gratitude to Rhapsody. Her nieces had put on such brave faces in the months since their mother’s death, but she knew they were still devastated inside. They had both adored their mother. When David had stabbed their mother to death, Aurora had jumped between them to try and protect her, receiving a large gash on her bicep. There was an angry red scar where the knife had cut her, resulting in some muscle damage.

Harmony had been hiding behind a facade of sarcasm and wit as she attempted to become a responsible guardian, but the truth was that she was absolutely terrified. She was so inadequate to the task of not just raising her nieces but helping them through the mountain of trauma they still had to deal with. She felt like a blind captain trying to navigate a ship through a dark ocean filled with hidden icebergs as she tried to guide them through their emotional turmoil. She knew the potential for hitting an iceberg and ruining their lives was always close by, just out of sight. The thought of her being the cause of her beautiful nieces’ lives falling apart kept her awake with the cold sweats at night. The idea that she might have someone else to help her with the task was something she didn’t dare to hope for. As she watched Rhapsody patiently instruct Serenity while she held Aurora’s hand, she couldn’t completely crush the glimmer of hope from dancing across her thoughts with tantalizing allure.

She had been worried that her nieces would take the fairy obsession too far in their dealings with Rhapsody, ending with more emotional grief when they finally realized she was just a human. As she watched Rhapsody patiently and affectionately instruct her nieces while doling out compliments and encouragement, she realized the small woman was probably far more equipped to deal with the grieving girls than Harmony herself was. She was a mixture of playful older sister and supportive life coach, with a generous helping of mystery added in for good measure.

As she stared dreamily at Rhapsody, her thoughts awash with how amazing the small woman was, she felt a sudden jolt of alarm as she found the smaller woman looking at her. She was sure she wasn’t visible in the dark control room, and she couldn’t make out Rhapsody’s eyes clearly, but she was suddenly sure that the other woman was looking right at her. The crimson-haired siren winked at her. Winked! Was her mind playing tricks on her? She opened her mouth to say something before she remembered they couldn’t hear her through the soundproof walls.

“What did I do to deserve such a wonderful person in my life,” Harmony murmured with a wistful smile. “What constellation did this beautiful star fall out of?”

Rhapsody’s face suddenly snapped up to look at her in shock. Harmony saw a hint of lavender in Rhapsody’s large eyes as they widened in surprise. Could she hear her? There was no way she could hear Harmony through the soundproof walls. Something else must have caught her attention, probably something that was on the control room’s outer wall.

Rhapsody’s lips suddenly curved into an amused smile. Harmony felt her oxygen running low as she stared at those expressive lips, completely entranced. What would it be like to touch those lips with her own? Just the thought sent a wave of heat coursing through her system as strange sensations in embarrassing places vied for attention.

After nearly blacking out, Harmony reined in her amorous thoughts, mentally slapping herself for nine kinds of fool. Having Rhapsody find her passed out all over the mixing boards would be a great way to start their day. What the hell is wrong with me? Who the hell holds their breath when they are excited?

After setting Serenity on a new technique to master, Rhapsody took Aurora over to a violin and began giving her instructions on how to tighten and hold the bow. She helped her adjust the violin under her chin until it was perfect. Then she had her practice bowing without using the fingerboard. Harmony marveled at what a good teacher Rhapsody was. Has she taught students before? How can she be so damn good at everything?

Harmony let out a happy sigh as she spent the next half hour watching her nieces receive private lessons from an expert musician. The thought made her frown in sudden consternation. Everything with Rhapsody had been solidly one-sided. They really needed to find a way to give back to the beautiful woman. She felt a grin split her face as an idea formed. She didn’t notice Rhapsody fumble the violin, too engrossed in her plans for Operation Reciprocate.

At the end of their session, Serenity and Aurora were beside themselves with glee at having learned so much in their first lesson. Harmony had to admit, they really had learned a lot for just one lesson. She knew her nieces were smart, but she suspected a large part of their success was due to the instruction they received, and who they received it from.

“We can’t let Aunt Harmony know that we are learning to play anything,” Aurora told the other two with an excited grin. “We’ll keep practicing every day until we get good. Then, in a few months, we’ll play in front of her like it’s totally normal! I’ll bet she’ll be so surprised she won’t even be able to say something sarcastic!”

Rhapsody burst out laughing delightedly, her voice filling the air with joy. “Aurora, that’s brilliant! We’ll have to make sure that she doesn’t ever see you playing.”

Harmony gasped as Rhapsody’s head turned to face her as she spoke meaningfully. She can see me!

“That’s just the control room,” Serenity informed Rhapsody when she saw her staring at Harmony.

“Do you have to put your glasses back on?” Aurora asked regretfully as Rhapsody slid her glasses back onto her face. “Aunt Harmony’s not around.”

“I just like the world looking rose-colored,” Rhapsody told her with a dimpled smile that arrested Harmony’s breath again. “Here, try looking for yourself.”

She handed the rose-tinted glasses over to Aurora, keeping her head turned away from Harmony.

“Oh wow!” Aurora exclaimed, looking around the room in wonder. “Serenity, you have got to try these! Everything is so bright and beautiful.”

Aurora handed the glasses over to Serenity, a goofy smile on her face. As soon as Serenity put the glasses on, she gasped.

“Holy freaking cow,” Serenity shouted in delight. “These are amazing!”

“I thought you two would like them,” Rhapsody grinned as she pulled her fingers through her thick mane of hair and stretched, back arching.

Harmony finally remembered to breathe, her heart hammering in her chest. She’s doing that on purpose! She’s got some kind of Harmony cheat sheet, I know it!

“Okay, my virtuosos,” Rhapsody breathed out explosively as she finished her stretch, lips twitching. “Let’s go make some breakfast. I can hear your stomach’s growling the alphabet.”

“What do you eat?” Serenity asked curiously. She quickly added. “If that’s not a rude question.”

“Promise to keep it a secret?” Rhapsody asked in a breathy whisper that made Harmony’s spine tingle.

The two of them nodded eagerly. She leaned down close to their ears and whispered something too quiet for the mic to pick up. Their eyes went wide, and they stared at her in awe.

“You are so freaking cool, Rhapsody” Serenity exclaimed with a wide smile. “I seriously can’t wait for Aunt Harmony to get to know you better. She’s going to be so blown away.”

“You and me both,” Rhapsody smiled softly.

“Do you like Aunt Harmony?” Serenity asked shrewdly as they started walking toward the exit.

“Of course I like her,” Rhapsody snorted a laugh. “What’s not to like?”

“I mean romantically,” Serenity’s pitch went lower as she waggled her eyebrows at Rhapsody. “She likes girls, you know.”

“What would you two think if I said yes?” Rhapsody asked with a crooked smile.

“I think that would be the best thing ever!” Serenity effused with a wide smile. “She’s so in over her head right now. She needs all of the help she can get.”

Rhapsody’s golden laughter faded away as they exited the studio. Harmony finally turned the light on to the room. The now-dark sound room made the lit-up control room window more like a mirror. When Harmony saw the goofy grin on her face, she tried to scowl, but try as she might, she couldn’t stop grinning.

Chapter 6 – Road Trip

Harmony quietly exited the control room and listened for the sound of voices. She smiled as she heard Rhapsody talking with her nieces in the kitchen. She quietly walked back to the large entryway near the front door, intent on going upstairs to fetch her laptop so that she could begin working on Operation Reciprocation. As she stared at the front door, her brain finally reconnected the previous day’s memories with her consciousness. How had she totally forgotten about David breaking into their house and his subsequent beatdown by Rhapsody? She stared at the front door stupidly as her brain continued reconnecting the previous day’s events. Wasn’t her door destroyed? It had been kicked down, along with a sizeable portion of the frame. Yet, here it stood, as good as new, as if it had never been kicked down at all.

Did yesterday really happen? Am I losing it?

She suddenly remembered that her mother had spent the night as well. Instead of going upstairs, she walked over to the guest bedroom and quietly knocked. It was nine in the morning, and her mother was an early bird. She should have been awake already, especially with the drums playing. A sound room could only do so much. She was about to knock a little louder when she hesitated. Maybe her mother had a difficult time falling asleep last night and she needed the extra rest. If it hadn’t been for her little songbird singing her to sleep, Harmony would have been up all night.

She looked up the stairs, pondering whether to get her laptop and start shopping. She heard Rhapsody’s glorious laugh and decided she would indulge in both options. She quickly ran upstairs and grabbed her laptop and then returned downstairs and went to the kitchen.

Rhapsody was wearing a goofy denim apron that had always just been for decoration. She was whisking some kind of batter at speeds Harmony would have been hard-pressed to match. Aurora was in front of a pan on the oven while Serenity was washing off some grapes. A quick perusal of the counters revealed the flour, potato starch, vanilla, and almond milk had been used in whatever Rhapsody was making.

Their backs were all to her as she moved toward them. She quietly set the laptop down on a table and grinned as she felt a sense of karmic justice smiling down on her. The apron covered the front of Rhapsody while leaving her back completely open. Her revealing shorts made it hard for Harmony to focus as she crept across the floor. She was sure the other woman would hear her heart hammering in her chest and turn around to see who was playing the drums. She consciously forced herself to breathe as she stared at Rhapsody’s long, toned legs. Those things should be licensed. They’re a hazard to be showing off so cavalierly.

She was a step away from Rhapsody, reaching out to grab her shoulder and shout BOO!

“Good morning, Harmony,” Rhapsody greeted her pleasantly without turning around. Her hand was still inches from Rhapsody’s shoulder when the other woman spoke. She let her hand drop with a defeated sigh.

Serenity and Aurora both whirled around to look at her in surprise. Serenity’s eyes narrowed as she studied Harmony.

“Were you trying to sneak up and scare us?” Serenity asked with a raised eyebrow. She had just learned how to raise one eyebrow a few days ago, and she was using every opportunity to show off her new skill.

“Guilty as charged,” Harmony admitted sheepishly. “Unfortunately, some people have eyes on the back of their heads.”

“That would be pretty gross,” Serenity declared with a look of disgust. “Ew, now I can’t get the image of someone with eyes on the back of their head out of my mind.”

Rhapsody laughed her golden laugh as she regarded Serenity with amusement, inadvertently setting a swarm of butterflies loose in Harmony’s abdomen. Rhapsody had her rose-tinted glasses on, hiding what Harmony was convinced would be the most beautiful eyes she would ever see. Why else would she be so determined to hide them? Rhapsody handed the batter to Aurora as she turned to face Harmony. “I really like how you got into the breakfast theme this morning, Harmony.”

She watched Harmony expectantly, her lips curving ever so slightly at the edge.

Harmony glanced at the crepe pan in front of Aurora before returning a steady gaze to Rhapsody. “Really, Rhapsody? Creeps?”

“What?” Aurora asked in confusion, looking between the two of them with a questioning expression.

“Well, Aurora,” Rhapsody explained, her lips curving into a dimpled smile. “Your aunt was creeping up on us while we were making creeps.”

“Creeps?” Aurora repeated, with a frown. “They’re crepes though... oh!” Her face split into a grin as she turned to Harmony. “You really were getting into the theme of breakfast, weren’t you?”

Harmony closed her eyes with a resigned expression. “I’m being punished for something, aren’t I? Some transgressions from a former life?”

“The punishment hasn’t even started yet, young lady,” Rhapsody informed her archly. “We’ve been working on some punny jokes for you later. Serenity assured me that you adore puns.”

Harmony glanced at Serenity, who stared back at her innocently. “I heard you attempting to make puns on the way to the movies.”

“I feel like I’m outnumbered here,” Harmony complained, her expression plaintive. “I wish your grandma would wake up already. Maybe she’ll back me up.”

“I’ll bet she just needs a little extra sleep today,” Rhapsody stepped up close to her and craned her head to stare up. “Hmm...this isn’t going to work. Where is that step at?”

Aurora stepped off a step stool and slid it toward her with a foot.

“Thank you, Aurora,” Rhapsody smiled gratefully.

She moved the step right in front of Harmony. Harmony watched her suspiciously as she slowly stepped up onto the step. Instead of only reaching Harmony’s chest, now she reached her chin. Rhapsody sighed in mock exasperation as she stared up at Harmony.

“Well, if there aren’t any stools tall enough for me to stand eye-to-eye with this giant, I’ll just have to improvise,” Rhapsody declared, her smile growing slightly. Harmony had never seen lips so expressive, so capable of making fine-tuned adjustments that could add so many hidden meanings.

Rhapsody put her hands on Harmony’s shoulders, her smile growing larger a moment before she jumped into Harmony’s arms and wrapped her legs around her waist. Harmony was so shocked that she froze as she felt Rhapsody’s body pushing firmly against her own, their breasts squished together. Harmony’s brain short-circuited as Rhapsody embraced her tightly, wrapping herself tightly around Harmony.

“The things I gotta do to get a hug around here,” Rhapsody murmured playfully.

Serenity and Aurora were giggling at the unexpected display, probably more at the stupefied look on Harmony’s face than anything else.

Rhapsody placed her lips against Harmony’s ear and whispered, “breathe.”

Harmony inhaled a lung full of air, feeling her heart race at a dead run. She tentatively wrapped her arms around Rhapsody, allowing the smaller woman to ease her arms around Harmony’s neck as Harmony held her up. There was a lot more than butterflies playing with her insides now. She realized Rhapsody weighed practically nothing. Either her own body was a lot stronger than she remembered, or Rhapsody was full of helium. She weighed just enough to be noticeable in a very distracting way, while not heavy enough to be a strain.

“It occurred to me the other day that you don’t get nearly enough physical contact with other people,” Rhapsody observed, leaning back so that she could look at Harmony, only a hint of a smile on her lips. Lips that were so close to her own lips right now. They looked so soft and inviting, ripe for the kissing. “So, from now on, you’re getting hugs on a regular basis. You’ll never know when you’re going to get hug-tackled. It could be at any moment of any day... or night. Eventually, physical contact will seem so normal to you that all of your anxiety will float away like a wish on the wind.”

“Um...I, uh...think that...um,” Harmony tried to articulate something intelligible, but every time more than two words formed, she would feel Rhapsody’s body push into her in just the right way in just the right places to derail her thoughts. Her breath would catch, and heat would erupt out of places she wasn’t prepared to deal with. “So, um... yeah.” she finished lamely.

Rhapsody stared into her eyes, her expression like velvet. There was no hint of her smile now. She reached up with both hands and softly pushed some stray hairs back behind Harmony’s ears, her touch like molten silk. She leaned forward again, her lips brushing Harmony’s ear and sending a violent shiver through her system. “Breathe, Harmony.”

Harmony let her breath out slowly, the act causing another flash of heat to erupt from somewhere down below and her breath to catch once more.

“Breathe,” Rhapsody whispered again, her lips hovering right near her ear. She tried to breathe, but the overwhelming stimuli flooding her senses made it look more like panting gasps. “That’s right,” Rhapsody purred into her ear in an approving tone that was little more than a whisper. “Just keep breathing.”

Rhapsody leaned back, her lips curving into a pleased smile as she observed Harmony. “I’ll admit, this is funner than I thought it was going to be, and I had high expectations.”

“Yeah?” Harmony asked breathlessly.

“I suppose we should start with the breathing exercises,” Rhapsody mused, her smile dimpling as she spoke. “Let’s start with breathing. Take a deep breath and then let it out.”

Harmony started to do as instructed, but as they both drew in deep breath and she felt their breasts squish together, her breath seized up

“Breathe,” Rhapsody whispered softly, her breath blowing across Harmony’s cheek and causing another shiver.

Harmony wasn’t sure if she was in heaven or hell. The embarrassment was taking a backseat and leaving desire in center stage. She vaguely reflected on how impossible her situation would have been with any other person. She really did need someone that would see through her insecurities. Someone who could gently but firmly push through her walls. She doubted anyone existed that could walk the knife edge of bold but gentle the way Rhapsody did. As she thought of the amazing woman in her arms, a warmth of a different kind flushed through her body. She felt safe in Rhapsodies small hands, in a way she had never dreamed possible, even in her own fictional literature. A small but powerful part of her heart slowly woke up in the warmth of her realization. She stared back at Rhapsody with

something nobody had ever seen in her eyes before. Trust.

“That was pretty good for day one,” Rhapsody told her softly, her lips curving into a satisfied smile. “You’re safe with me, Harmony. I’ll always keep you safe.”

The warmth she had felt before was but a seed compared to the tsunami of love that suddenly flooded her heart. She felt like she had heard those words before, maybe a dream? The words were true; she could feel it with a conviction that went soul deep. She pulled Rhapsody forward into a loving embrace, feeling truly safe for the first time in her life.

“First crepe’s done!” Aurora crowed, holding up a plate for them to see. “Who wants the first one?”

“I’ll take it,” Serenity offered, casting side-long glance at the tangled bodies of Rhapsody and Harmony. “Looks like they’ve already moved on to dessert.”

Rhapsody began to shake in her arms as she laughed, her face still resting on Harmony’s shoulder. Harmony snorted a laugh, eyeing Serenity with a smile. Her niece blinked when there was no sarcastic retort forthcoming. She smiled back at Harmony, then winked and gave her a thumbs up. Harmony nearly dropped Rhapsody as she broke into peals of laughter. Apparently, she had some wingmen to help on her conquest.

Rhapsody leaned back and gave her a peck on the forehead before relaxing the grip her legs had on Harmony’s waist and dropping to the floor. “I hope you brought your appetite.”

Harmony flushed, and she cursed her treacherous thoughts.

“Your other appetite,” Rhapsody clarified with a roguish wink.

Serenity covered her hand with her mouth and quickly turned away, her shoulders shaking. Aurora made no effort to hide her mirth, giggling as she flipped a crepe over.

“You’re pretty good at flipping those crepes, Aurora,” Harmony complimented her niece, trying to pretend that her burning face was just a trick of the light.

“Mom used to make crepes with me on weekends,” Aurora commented in a bright voice that was only a little brittle. “It got super messy when I was learning how to flip them. Mom always said cooking was like life, and that if you use the right ingredients, it can be delicious. I know it’s a metaphor thingy, but I’m not sure what you would refer to as the right ingredients in life.”

“Good friends, loving family, good music, and good books,” Harmony suggested, her eyes gentle. She walked over and rested her hand on Aurora’s back fondly. “Your mom always loved coming up with new adages and maxims. She used to have a journal that she would write them down in when she was in high school. I remember getting in trouble for reading it because grandma thought I was reading her diary. I suppose I should confess that I was looking for her diary when I found the adages.”

“What did you want her diary for?” Serenity asked curiously.

“It was pretty silly,” Harmony answered with a sheepish grin. “I was only seven years old at the time. I was curious what it was like to fall in love, and I thought teenagers wrote stuff like that down in diaries. I was hoping to see what all of the fuss was about.”

“And you found her adages and maxims instead, huh?” Rhapsody mused with a tiny curve of her lips on one side. “I think you might have found more insight to her thoughts in a book of personal adages than a diary.”

“That certainly turned out to be true,” Harmony shook her head ruefully. “I found her diary a few years later behind her old dresser. She had already graduated high school and started college by then. I was Aurora’s age.”

“You read someone else’s diary?” Serenity demanded, her face a picture of moral outrage.

“If you found my diary laying around, would you read it?” Harmony asked pointedly. “Don’t just answer before thinking about it. Imagine I’ve moved out and you found my diary under a bed. What do you do? Be honest.”

Serenity opened her mouth to answer with a look of self-righteous judgement on her face, but when she saw Rhapsody watching her keenly, she deflated. “I guess I would read it.”

“What kind of stuff did you find in it?” Aurora asked hesitantly. “Am I old enough to hear about it?”

“Mostly hopes and dreams for boys she was crushing on,” Harmony replied carefully. “She had a little trouble finding...good partners. Near the end of it, she talked about wanting to have a family and how she wanted some girls. I got kind of fixated on that idea myself, after reading it. She made the idea of motherhood sound so romantic and wonderful that I got swept up in her enthusiasm.”

“Did you still want to have a baby before we moved in with you?” Serenity asked quietly. She was staring at her empty plate as if it were the most fascinating thing in the house. Harmony could see the carefully controlled fear in her niece’s eyes, fear that the two of them had robbed Harmony of a chance to have a family of her own. She felt a wave of love for her niece. She had such a heavy emotional load already, and here she was worrying about Harmony’s future.

“Goodness, no,” Harmony scoffed with a wry smile. “I got over my desire to raise children when the two of you were born. Do you know how many dirty diapers I changed, or how many times I got stuck watching Finding Nemo? I feel homicidal rage every time I see a clown fish now.”

Serenity and Aurora erupted in a fit of giggles at her words. Serenity grabbed another crepe as Harmony loaded one up for herself. Serenity looked at her shrewdly as she sat back down.

“You’re not just making use of artistic license again, are you?” Serenity asked, her tone serious. “You really didn’t want to have your own family?”

“I’m the proverbial cat lady,” Harmony gave her nieces a lopsided smile. “I’ve never been what you would call relationship material, and I certainly wasn’t going to try raising a child alone. I practically lived at your house until you were seven, Serenity. It was all your mom and I could do to keep you two alive and healthy with two of us trying to keep tabs on you.”

“I remember you used to be with us all of the time,” Aurora commented cheerfully as she flipped another crepe. “Why did you go away?”

Harmony felt a pang of sorrow at Aurora’s words. Would things have been different if she had continued being like a second mom to her nieces? Would their mother still be alive? She could sense the hurt in Aurora’s question. She had worried that her nieces would feel abandoned and blame themselves. She could practically feel Serenity listening for her reply with the same worry.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there for you more,” Harmony sighed sadly. “With Great Grandma Dotty’s declining health and Grandma’s MS issues, I had to make some tough decisions. Sometimes I think I made the wrong decisions. I couldn’t let Grandma Dotty get dumped in a nursing home like so much bother. She did need a lot of care for the last four years of her life. I wish you could have come to see her more. Even in poor health, she was the most amazing and kind woman. I missed you two so much. I turned into a high-strung basket case of nerves worrying about you all of the time. I wish I could have found a way to do things differently and been a larger part of your lives for the last four years.”

“Dad said you were just doing it to try and steal the inheritance,” Serenity said softly. “Mom was really upset that he was accusing you of scamming Grandma Dotty and the rest of the family. Dad really wanted to get rich from her inheritance. He talked about all of the things he was going to do when he sold the land and cabin. When Grandma Dotty passed away and all of the inheritance went to you, he just lost it. He said he was going to do horrible things to you.” Serenity’s eyes had filled with tears as she finished. She pulled a hand up to her mouth as a sob escaped.

Harmony moved over to her and crouched over where Serenity sat at the table, hugging her as she felt her own eyes fill with tears. “I’m so sorry, Serenity. I wish I could rewind time and find a way to have been there for you over the last four years. I know it doesn’t mean anything now, but I am so, so sorry. I love you, Serenity. You too, Aurora. You’re the most amazing thing that ever happened to me and I don’t regret a single second that I spent with you. Let’s spend the rest of your childhoods making happy memories, okay?”

Serenity clutched Harmony’s arm like a lifeline as she wept, hugging it to her as she sobbed. Rhapsody took the spatula from Aurora and gestured for her to join her sister and aunt, squeezing her shoulder as she passed.

Aurora placed her hands on top of Serenity’s, offering her sister her support as her own eyes glistened with unshed tears.

“You don’t have to worry about me anymore,” Harmony told Serenity softly, kissing the top of her head. “Rhapsody is here to protect me. That creep isn’t ever going to get past her.”

Serenity let out a half snort half sob as a weak smile appeared on her face. “Yeah, that’s true.”

“Is that breakfast I smell?” Harmony’s mother called out as she sleepily entered the kitchen in her pajamas. The guest bedroom’s only purpose was for her mother, considering how unlikely she was to have any other guests over for the night. She had talked her mother into leaving a few changes of clothes and pajamas for unexpected stayovers.

She finally noticed them and her eyes grew concerned. She walked over and began clucking around like a mother hen as she inspected the three of them.

“We’re just offloading some grief, Mom,” she told her mother with a wan smile. “This won’t be the last time by a long shot.”

Her mother studied her intently, clearly sensing a psychological shift in her daughter. She was interrupted by a musical voice.

“Good morning, are you ready for some crepes?” Rhapsody asked her cheerfully. “The kettle’s on the burner if you’d like some tea as well.”

“Oh!” her mother jumped when she realized she had overlooked Rhapsody. She stood studying Rhapsody for a moment, taking in the headband and casual clothing. Her gaze lingered on the tinted glasses, curiosity filling her eyes. “Sorry, Rhapsody, I didn’t see you. Yes, thank you. These crepes look wonderful. Don’t trouble yourself with the tea, I can take care of that.”

“Nonsense,” Rhapsody steered her firmly back to her family’s table. “You go relax with your family. Harmony was just telling them stories of growing up with her sister. I didn’t realize how big of a part of Serenity’s and Aurora’s lives Harmony was before they moved out here. I knew she had a big heart, but hearing just how much of her life has been spent trying to care for other people really puts it into perspective.”

“That’s my Harmony,” her mother agreed with a fond smile. “Always trying to take care of everyone else.”

“I am not,” Harmony insisted as her face flushed red and her shoulders hunched self-consciously.

Her mother and Rhapsody laughed at her reaction, the two of them sharing a knowing look before Rhapsody turned back to the stove.

“How are you feeling, Mom?” Harmony asked, concern in her voice as she observed her mother critically.

“I’m feeling wonderful,” her mother replied with a genuine smile. “I haven’t felt any pain at all this morning, and I even forgot to bring my medication when I came over yesterday.”

“Really?” Harmony frowned as she studied her mother. She really did seem to be doing well, with no sign of the pain in her eyes that Harmony could usually find hiding just around the edges. “How long are you staying? I can run over to your house and get it.”

Her mother glanced over at Rhapsody curiously as the small woman flipped a crepe, then looked back at Harmony. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Like I said, I’m feeling wonderful. I thought I would just play it by ear and see how things go before I make any plans. What are your plans for the day?”

Harmony frowned, not liking the idea of her mother not having her medication if she started to go downhill. Seeing her mother’s sparkling eyes, full of more life than she had seen in over a decade, convinced her to just leave it be. “We didn’t have any plans so far. Oh, that’s right, I did have some plans.”

Harmony walked over and retrieved her laptop from a small table against the wall and then returned to sit with her family. She opened it up and showed her mother and nieces what she had in mind. She opened a text app and typed her idea out so that Rhapsody wouldn’t overhear them.

“That’s a great idea!” Serenity and Aurora beamed at her. “How long will it take?”

“We could go today,” Harmony replied, glancing at Rhapsody as she poured some hot water into a mug of tea. “Assuming we can convince her to come with.”

“You leave that to us,” Aurora grinned confidently. “We’ll convince her.”

“Convince me of what?” Rhapsody asked with an amused smile.

“So…Rhapsody,” Serenity began with a look of forced casualness. “What do you think about going into town with us?”

Rhapsody observed Serenity thoughtfully, her lips pursed in a way that looked just right for…

Harmony mentally shook herself and let out the breath she was holding, receiving a brief glance of amusement from Rhapsody. Damn her and her observant eyes!

“Okay, sure,” Rhapsody nodded slowly, a hint of a smile on her lips. “It’s been quite a while since I’ve been into a city. It should be interesting.”

“How long?” Harmony’s mother asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.

“I went with Doddy once,” Rhapsody replied with a reminiscing smile. “She hated going into the city and convinced me to keep her company. I think that was the year before she went to live with Harmony.”

“You knew my mom?” Harmony’s mother asked in surprise, her eyes fascinated.

“She said they were pretty good friends,” Harmony told her mother with a smile at Rhapsody. “Did you know Grandma Dotty wrote poetry? Rhapsody was telling me about how she used to love writing poetry. I’m kind of excited to learn more about Grandma Dotty now that I know Rhapsody knew her so well.”

“I knew she had a book of poetry, but I didn’t know she wrote her own,” her mother answered, her eyes intrigued. “My Mom was kind of a closed book most of the time. She wasn’t very good at letting her hair down.”

“Yep, that was Dotty,” Rhapsody agreed with an amused chuckle. “She was a tough nut to crack, but what a beautiful heart she kept hidden inside of that rough exterior.”

Her mother was staring at Rhapsody peculiarly, her eyes full of repressed emotion. “I would love to hear more about my mom sometime. I feel like I missed out on a large part of her life. I’ve always regretted not getting to know her better, and now it’s too late.”

“Well, I certainly have a lot of stories about your mother that will keep you entertained,” Rhapsody told her with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “That woman was worthy of her own book, with all of the adventures she had.”

Harmony blinked as she analyzed Rhapsody’s words. How long had she known Grandma Dotty? She talked about her like she had observed her throughout her entire life, but she couldn’t have known her for much longer than Harmony, even if she was a little older than Harmony. Just how much older than me is she? Maybe whatever crazy diet she’s on makes her age a lot slower.

“Well, I happen to know an author that would probably love to turn those stories into a novel,” her mother said with an indulgent smile at Harmony.

“Sounds like a pretty fun project to me,” Harmony agreed with a grin. Anything that meant more time in Rhapsody’s company sounded great to her. Rhapsody glanced at her with an unreadable look on her face as she brought the tea over to Harmony’s mother. Harmony quickly closed the laptop to keep Rhapsody from seeing what they were looking at.

“Are you sure there isn’t anything we can get you to eat?” Harmony asked Rhapsody worriedly. “I’m concerned you aren’t getting enough food.”

“She’s fine, Aunt Harmony,” Serenity assured her confidently. “When are we going to town?”

Rhapsody sat down next to Harmony at the large table. Harmony felt a thrill of excitement at the other woman’s proximity. Was this what it felt like to be attracted to someone? Harmony had felt what she thought was attraction when she had seen a pretty faces on attractive women, but it was nothing like this. Is this why people get so sappy and write poetry or songs? She had written about romantic interludes in her fictional novels, but she realized that she had been clueless about just how intense this feeling of attraction could be.

Rhapsody leaned over and put her lips against Harmony’s ear, causing waves of heat to erupt in the most embarrassing places. “Breathe, Harmony,“ Rhapsody whispered softly, her lips brushing up against Harmony’s ear. Harmony shuddered as what felt like an electric shock coursed from her ear and down her spine.

Harmony took a deep breath, willing her face to look normal and her lungs to function independently. Did other people stop breathing when they got excited? What the hell was her problem? The whole point of the autonomic system was that it took care of itself. Why was it failing her so badly?

Her mother was watching her with a look of amusement as she sipped from her tea. “I see you still have that breathing problem when you get overwhelmed.”

“It’s kind of adorable,” Rhapsody commented with a dimpled smile. “And it’s fun to remind her to breathe.”

Her mother laughed delightedly, much to Harmony’s discomfiture.

They finished eating and Harmony began cleaning up. She tried to chase Rhapsody away, citing the age-old rule that the cook isn’t responsible for cleanup, but the other woman ignored her and continued to clean up. Harmony welcomed the help, since it meant more time in close proximity with Rhapsody. They bumped into each other enough that Harmony suspected Rhapsody was doing it on purpose. Each time their hands brushed together she would feel an electric shock and her breath would catch. Occasionally, Rhapsody would grab her hand to stop her and look up into her eyes before instructing her to breathe, a playful smile on her lips.

They finished the cleanup and Harmony started the dishwasher. She had never enjoyed cleaning so much.

“Okay, shall we brave the roads and go to the city?” Harmony asked brightly.

“Which car do you want to take?” her mother asked, eyeing Rhapsody speculatively. “I’m pretty sure Rhapsody and the girls will easily fit in the back of either car, but mine is definitely more roomy than yours.”

“Let’s take Grandma’s car,” Serenity said quickly, sharing a wary glance with Aurora.

“Oh yeah, you probably don’t trust mine anymore, do you?” Harmony asked with a sigh.

“Why not?” her mother asked, her eyes sharpening.

Harmony groaned internally. She was going to get a lecture.

“We almost got run over by a semi!” Aurora told her excitedly. “But someone saved us and knocked the semi-truck out of the road before it could hit us.”

“Harmony?” her mother raised an eyebrow questioningly. “What happened?”

“Some stupid suicidal deer jumped in front of us the other day on our way to the movies,” Harmony answered sourly. “I barely dodged it, but the stupid car stalled, and we were stuck in the other lane in front of a sharp turn. Before I could get out and go flag someone down, a logging truck flew around the bend and almost hit us. There was a big gust of wind that knocked his truck over to the shoulder before he hit us, though. I don’t think the girls trust my car anymore, or my driving.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Aunt Harmony,” Serenity told her reassuringly. “It was that deer’s fault.”

Her mother was looking at Rhapsody with a look of gratitude. Harmony glanced back at Rhapsody curiously, wondering what had elicited her mother’s reaction. Rhapsody stared back at her innocently and shrugged.

“Okay, your car it is, Mom,” Harmony decided with a sigh. “Besides, we need the extra storage space.”

As they walked out to the car, Serenity and Aurora dragged their grandmother over to look at the front of Harmony’s car, where two handprints were pressed down into the hood. Her mother raised an eyebrow at her after observing the imprints. Harmony scowled back at her, feeling her internal skeptic rear its belligerent head. When her mother saw the look in her eyes, she rolled her eyes and moved over to her own car.

They all piled into her Mom’s Honda Pilot, with Rhapsody in the middle of the bench seat between Serenity and Aurora, much to their delight. Harmony sat in the front with her mother, feeling a pang of jealousy that her nieces had Rhapsody to themselves instead of her.

“How’s your latest novel coming along?” her mother asked as she started driving down the long driveway. “Did you get that new contract finalized yet?”

“It’s going really well,” Harmony answered with a pleased smile. “I’ve always enjoyed writing, but this one’s been more enjoyable than any of the others for some reason. I think I just really like who the character is growing into. It’s always fun to see how they evolve. This one has surprised me a lot, that’s for sure. As far as the contract, I just finished signing everything. They weren’t happy that I refused to do book tours and interviews, but they know I’ll start self-publishing if they try to force it.”

“What concessions did your agent get out of you?” her mother asked with a faint smile.

“I told them I would produce good books in a timely manner, and they had to deal with the rest of it,” Harmony shrugged with a wry smile. “It’s not like marketing books is anything like it was before internet and audiobooks took over the industry. They don’t need me to go talk my books up or let them pry into my personal life to garner interest in what I’ve written. All they really need are lots of five-star reviews, because that’s all most people are looking at when they’re looking for a book these days. As long as an author writes a four to five-star story, none of the other stuff matters anymore.”

“I don’t know about that,” her mother disagreed with an amused twinkle in her eyes. “You’ve got quite the cult following on social media, with a lot of people who want to know all about you. I saw one theory that you’re a middle-aged overweight man living in his mother’s basement.”

“Ew, social media,” Harmony cringed and shuddered ostentatiously. “My agent tried to convince me to host an official social media channel a few months ago. Nobody cares what I have to say in the real world. It’s my stories they want.”

“I think you’d be surprised,” her mother smiled indulgently. “A lot of people mistake your shyness for mystery and think you are part of some magical secret society.”

“People will believe anything,” Harmony shook her head dismissively. “That’s the guilty pleasure of fantasy fiction. You get to suspend your disbelief for a little while and enjoy the wonder of a magical world where a single individual can change the world. Some people just can’t turn their disbelief back off when they finish reading and accept that the world is a cold, hard place where magic is just an idea and good rarely wins, while evil thrives.”

“That’s a pretty bleak view of the world,” her mother noted sadly.

“Why do you think I like to write so much,” Harmony smiled wistfully. “I wish there really were heroes powerful enough to do all of the things I feel so powerless to do. It’s why people love religions. They feel content with the knowledge that good will eventually prevail and evil punished. We like to delude ourselves; it’s human nature.”

“So cynical at such a young age,” her mother sighed, and Harmony could feel the sorrow radiating out of her mother. “I’m sorry things have been so rough for you, Harmony. You should have been out playing with friends and enjoying your youth, but you got saddled with so many problems at such a young age that you never even tried to go explore the world and enjoy life.”

“What are you talking about?” Harmony objected, her face incredulous. “I had a wonderful life. I had a warm place to sleep, food to eat, and a loving mother and sister. I had my books, which I’m going to be brutally honest, rate up there with family on my attachment list.”

“Very funny, Harmony,” her mother snorted a laugh, glancing back in the rearview mirror. She continued speaking quietly when she saw the rear passengers engrossed in conversation. “I know you spent most of your teenage years helping Melody take care of those two angels. They probably don’t remember, but I do. I know who spent all of their time taking care of those two when Melody couldn’t make herself get out of bed for months on end from crippling depression. You’ve spent your whole life taking care of people, and I just wish you would have had a little more time to be a kid and enjoy being taken care of instead.”

“It’s not in my nature,” Harmony told her mother softly. “I’m not really happy if I’m not taking care of someone. You make it sound like I had to struggle to take care of those two when they were younger, but those were the happiest years of my life. I absolutely loved every second of the time I had with them and wouldn’t change a thing if I had it to do over. The only thing I would have done differently is take them with me when Grandma Dotty moved in with me. Either that, or I would have poisoned David.”

Harmony noticed the silence in the back and turned to see her nieces staring at her. Serenity’s eyes filled with tears as she stared back at Harmony. Harmony smiled back at her tenderly, letting the love she felt for them show in her eyes. Rhapsody was smiling at her with such warmth that it triggered an immediate flush. Having that kind of a smile from the beautiful woman felt like a promise of wonderful things to come.

The silence was broken when the three girls all spoke at once. “Breathe!”

There was the sound of Harmony expelling her breath, followed by a choir of giggles from the back as all three of them were overcome by mirth. Harmony began sheepishly laughing as well. Her mother had a fond smile as she shook her head ruefully.

“I suppose it makes it easy to know what you’re thinking about,” her mother noted with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Button it, Mom,” Harmony ordered as her cheeks fought to return to normal.

“I mean, it’s kind of flattering when you think about it,” her mom continued relentlessly. “How many people can say they cause that kind of a reaction in another person.”

“Mom!” Harmony wailed plaintively. “Please stop!”

Harmony didn’t dare to look back at Rhapsody. At least, not until she had some time to oxygenate her blood a little more.

Chapter 7 – Soon Enough

The traffic slowed as they neared Eureka, coming to a complete stop a minute later.

“I didn’t think a place as small as Eureka had rush-hour traffic like this,” Harmony muttered as she stared at the cars and semi-trucks parked around them on the four-lane divided highway.

“It’s a weekend, so this wouldn’t be rush-hour traffic anyway,” her mother pointed out. “Maybe there was a wreck or there is construction.”

Harmony’s phone began buzzing. She pulled it out of the door pocket and unlocked it. “There’s an Amber Alert. Maybe that’s why the traffic is backed up. Maybe they’re searching vehicles.”

“An Amber Alert?” Aurora repeated questioningly.

Harmony grimaced as she responded. “It means someone has been kidnapped. Law enforcement sends an alert out to all cell phones in the area in hopes that people will keep an eye out for the missing person and call the police.”

“What does she look like?” Rhapsody asked intently. There was no sign of a smile on her delicate features. Her expression reminded Harmony of the previous night, when she had beat the crap out of David.

“She’s twelve, has shoulder-length brown hair, braces, and brown eyes,” Harmony read the description. “Her name is Leslie.”

Rhapsody remained silent as Harmony stared at the picture posted. “It says she was last seen walking downtown with her older sister, who is also missing.” She passed her phone back and let them see the picture.

The traffic began to inch forward as they waited. The mood in the car had grown somber as they slowly moved forward. Her mother glanced in the rearview mirror with a questioning look in her eyes. Aria turned to see what she was looking at, but her nieces and Rhapsody were just staring ahead.

“Do you mind if we make a detour to the beach while we are here?” Rhapsody asked them, her face still as close to grim as Harmony had seen it.

“Not at all,” her mother replied quickly, her eyes flashing up to the rearview mirror and back to the road quickly. Harmony frowned as she stared at her mother. Why had she looked relieved?

It took another ten minutes before they passed the roadblock, where uniformed police officers were quickly searching each car before letting them proceed. The policeman had asked them where they were going and where they were from before letting them leave. I hope they catch the bastard and shoot his balls off.

“Can we turn here?” Rhapsody asked as they neared an exit.

Harmony’s mother nodded and took the exit, frequently looking back at Rhapsody expectantly. Harmony glanced back at Rhapsody curiously as she continued telling Harmony’s mother which roads to turn on for the next ten minutes. Harmony had opened her mouth to ask how Rhapsody was so familiar with the city several times, but the words died on her lips when she saw the look of grim focus on Rhapsody’s face.

“Stop!” Rhapsody called out sharply, staring at an old modular home with a fenced in property. Harmony’s mother immediately stopped the vehicle.

“What’s the matter?” Harmony asked in alarm.

“I just saw the girl in that picture in that house,” Rhapsody answered as she unbuckled her seat belt. “Call the police. Stay in the car.”

She opened the door to leave but stopped as Harmony called out to her.

“Rhapsody, just wait for the police,” she begged her desperately.

“It could be too late by then,” Rhapsody replied grimly, closing the door behind her.

“She’ll be okay,” Aurora told Harmony confidently as her mother called the police. “You remember what she did to my dad last night.”

Harmony watched Rhapsody scale and jump the fence in less than a second. She began running toward the house, and she was fast. She didn’t even slow down when she reached the front door. She slammed into it with her shoulder, and it burst in like it was made of kindling. Harmony felt like her heart was in her mouth as she watched her disappear into the house.

“911, what is your emergency?” the dispatcher asked brusquely.

“We just saw a girl that was in an amber alert inside of a house down by the beach,” her mother told the dispatcher, quickly giving her the address. “Can you please send some officers over here? And some ambulances.”

“Is somebody hurt?” the dispatcher asked quickly.

“If not yet, then soon,” her mother replied grimly.

There were several gunshots from inside the house. Harmony felt like her stomach was going to burst through her chest as she debated getting out and running to Rhapsody’s aid. She didn’t want to become a liability, which she knew was all she would be in a fight.

There was more gunfire, this time sounding like a machine gun. The house suddenly lit up incandescently, making the noon-day sunlight seem dim in comparison.

“What the hell was that?” Harmony cried out in fear.

“She’s fine, Aunt Harmony,” Serenity told her reassuringly. “It’s the other people who you should worry about.”

“Is that gunfire?” the dispatcher asked urgently.

“Yes,” her mother replied tersely.

“Are you in a safe location?” the dispatcher asked concernedly. “The police are on on their way. Move your vehicle away from the residence.”

“Yes ma’am,” Harmony’s mother put the car back in drive and moved a few thousand feet down the road.

“I’m going back for her,” Harmony declared in a quavering voice.

“No, Harmony!” her mother snapped, her eyes hard. “You stay here. Rhapsody can handle herself.”

“Ma’am is there somebody else trying to enter the residence?” the dispatcher asked tensely.

“Yes, she’s already gone inside to free the girls,” her mother replied with a sigh. “That’s why I requested the ambulances.”

“Ma’am, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is that you leave this to law enforcement,” the dispatcher stressed in an urgent voice. “You’ll be putting the victims in danger and making it harder for law enforcement to determine friend and foe.”

“I understand your concern,” her mother replied in a placating voice. “However, there were concerns that law enforcement wouldn’t arrive in time. The only people still moving will be friendlies when they arrive.”

The sounds of sirens quickly grew louder as several police cars raced up to the residence. The police exited their cars and stood behind their vehicles, guns trained on the residence. One of the policemen began speaking through his PA.

“This is the Police!” the voice blared loudly. “Come out with your hands behind your head and lay face down on the ground.”

More police cars began showing up as they waited. Several ambulances parked further down the road, well clear of where any gunfire might take place. The police broadcast their message for the inhabitants to come out of the house several more times over the next ten minutes. An armored SWAT van rolled up and crashed through the fence. It drove right up to the house and parked by the front door. The SWAT team fired several tear gas cannisters through the windows. As tear gas poured out of the open door, the team began charging through the door with weapons trained in front of them.

Harmony flinched as the door to the car opened and Rhapsody climbed in. Where had she come from? Harmony had been watching the house the entire time, and there had been no sign of anyone leaving the house.

“Are they… okay?” Harmony’s mother asked, trepidation in her voice.

“They’re fine,” Rhapsody assured her with a sad smile. “They were a little roughed up, but I took care of them. There were fifteen in total. They were using this as a staging site, where they shipped them off to other facilities for processing and behavioral training.”

Harmony was staring at Rhapsody with tears of relief in her eyes. She longed to hold the small woman in her arms and never let her go. Rhapsody’s lips turned up at the corners when she looked back at Harmony, her expression conveying a sense of reassurance and comfort.

“What about the ones responsible for abducting them?” Harmony’s mother asked, her mouth twisted with distaste.

“I hope they make better choices in their next lives,” Rhapsody replied solemnly.

Harmony’s mother grunted in satisfaction.

“Ma’am am I to understand that your companion has left the residence?” the dispatcher’s voice asked crisply.

They all looked at her mom’s phone in consternation as they realized the dispatcher had stayed on the line with them.

“No, I’m no longer in the residence, Teresa,” Rhapsody answered the dispatcher. “Thank you for sending the police to help.”

Rhapsody nodded at Harmony’s mother, and she ended the call.

“Shall we continue to the beach?” Rhapsody asked brightly. “I think the waves on my feet would feel marvelous right now.”

“That sounds pretty marvelous to me,” Harmony’s mother smiled her agreement as she put the car back in gear and drove away.

As Rhapsody sat back in between Serenity and Aurora, she was given some awkward seat hugs as the two of them tried to hug her around their seatbelts. She laughed and affectionately patted their heads before pulling her seatbelt on.

Harmony took a deep, shuddering breath. She closed her eyes as she let her breath out and a few tears leaked down her cheeks. She had felt confident that Rhapsody could handle any threat thrown at her, but when she had heard so much gunfire, she couldn’t stop a small part of her mind from gibbering in terror. Now that she had found such a special person in her life, the thought of losing her filled Harmony with soul-eating dread.

It only took ten minutes to arrive at the beach. Harmony had spent most of it trying to dry her eyes and pull herself together. Her mother and nieces had never doubted Rhapsody for a second. She wished she could turn off the part of herself that turned her into anxious nervous Nelly. Much of the four years she had spent taking care of her Grandma Dotty had consisted of frequent waves of anxiety as she worried about her nieces being left in the hands of their horrible father and frequently depressed mother. When she hadn’t been worrying about her nieces, she had been worrying about her grandmother’s failing health. The more she had gotten to know her grandmother, the more attached she had become. It had been a rough year, losing her grandmother and sister in quick succession.

They pulled into a park next to a large amphitheater that had access to the beach. Harmony got out of the car and stretched, letting out her bestial scream before she remembered she wasn’t in the privacy of her home. Several other tourists spun around to stare at her in startlement. She covered her eyes with her hand as she groaned with embarrassment. Rhapsody walked up next to her with an amused smile curving her expressive lips.

“We should warn your nieces to be careful out here,” Rhapsody told her with an expression of faux concern. “It sounds like there might be a wild beast on the loose.”

Harmony shook her head ruefully, though she couldn’t help smiling. Being this close to Rhapsody after being separated in the car for the last hour had buoyed her spirits immensely.

Her nieces raced past them and ran onto the boardwalk that led to the amphitheater. She looked down at Rhapsody with a challenging grin.

“Race ya,” she offered, grin widening when Rhapsody nodded eagerly. Too late, she remembered how fast she had just seen Rhapsody run when she stormed the human trafficking house. They were both running, Harmony at her top speed, when Rhapsody suddenly poured on the speed and left her in the dust. Harmony stared in disbelief as she witnessed what must have been a record sprint. She remembered how light Rhapsody was when she had been in her arms. Could being that light add that much of a speed advantage? Apparently so.

It didn’t take her very long to reach the amphitheater where her nieces and Rhapsody were waiting. The little siren wasn’t even breathing hard when Harmony reached her. There were a few other people admiring the view and posing for pictures. Harmony realized she hadn’t taken any pictures of her nieces since they had moved in with her. When they were younger, she had taken pictures religiously. She had wanted to have a lot of photographic evidence of the silly things they did so that she could show it to their future romantic interests. As she thought of those pictures, a brilliant idea occurred to her. She had thousands of pictures and videos in her iCloud drive with them and their mother. It was time to put together a slideshow and relive some of those wonderful memories with her nieces. It would be fun to show Rhapsody too.

“Who’s up for some frolicking in the waves?” Rhapsody asked with an impish smile.

“It’s so cold at this time of year though!” Harmony objected plaintively.

“We don’t have to go swimming in it,” Rhapsody assured her with a playful smile. “We can just get our legs wet.”

“Okay, I’m game,” Harmony grinned, feeling a warm fuzzy in her abdomen as she stared at Rhapsody’s playful smile.

They quickly made their way down to the beach and stepped into the shallow waves. Harmony had remembered correctly; it was definitely still cold. She squealed as the first wave washed over her knees. She ran back to the shore as another wave threatened to go even higher. Rhapsody was smiling warmly as she watched Harmony from a few feet closer to shore. Harmony froze as she saw the beautiful sight of her crimson-haired goddess, up to her knees in the ocean. Her hair was blowing to the side of her head in the stiff breeze, rippling like a banner. Rhapsody moved toward her, that warm smile never leaving her face. She reached out and took Harmony’s hand and pulled her downward until she could put her mouth near Harmony’s ear.

“Breathe,” Rhapsody instructed with a teasing smile.

Harmony let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She laughed at herself, shaking her head ruefully.

“I have something for you,” Rhapsody told her with a secretive smile.

Harmony looked her up and down curiously. “What?”

Rhapsody grinned, then launched herself up and wrapped her arms and legs around Harmony. Harmony gasped in surprise, quickly catching her balance. She could feel Rhapsody’s wet legs and feet on her bare back. Her heart thundered as she stared at the beautiful face just inches away from her, full red lips smiling at her provocatively. She felt heat rush through her body as Rhapsody’s body molded itself against her own, her perfect breasts squeezed against her own breasts. Rhapsody leaned her head forward and put her lips to Harmony’s ears.

“Breathe, Harmony,” Rhapsody whispered huskily. She ran both hands up the base of Harmony’s neck through her hair until her fingers were pressing against the scalp at the back of her head. She began softly massaging Harmony’s head, receiving an immediate moan of pleasure. She bit her bottom lip as her face flushed in embarrassment.

“Nobody can hear you over the sound of the waves,” Rhapsody told her in the same husky whisper. “Now moan for me, or I won’t think you like it.”

Harmony thought her body would combust from the heat flushing her system. She gasped at the intensity of the sudden surge of longing that assailed her body. Another moan escaped her mouth without permission as she felt the hands of a goddess expertly kneading her scalp. She closed her eyes as the waves of pleasure washed through her body in harmony with the waves at her feet. Tingles radiated down her spine and up her scalp as Rhapsody explored her head with sensuous fingers. It felt so intimate that she nearly opened her eyes to make sure nobody was watching. There was something about the motion and intensity of the other woman’s hands that turned it into an erotic experience. Every minute or so she would feel Rhapsody’s lips brushing her ear like a feather and instructing her to breathe. After five minutes of bliss, the reminders became unnecessary as Harmony’s breaths came in short, excited gasps. What was this goddess doing to her? Was it really possible to bring someone so much pleasure just from kneading their head? She decided it was, if that person was Rhapsody.

Their moment of intimacy ended abruptly when a freak wave crashed into her and knocked her over. She tried to spin to land on her back and break Rhapsody’s fall, but the waves mercilessly pushed her down on top of the other woman.

Rhapsody’s legs released their hold on her waist as they fell, and the two of the plunged into ocean. Harmony struggled to get to her feet, grabbing at Rhapsody to pull her back up.

“I’m so sorry--” she broke off as she heard Rhapsody giggling with delight. The laughter was so infectious that Harmony found herself laughing with the other woman. She looked down at her soaking Levi shorts and tank top. Her long blonde hair was completely saturated. She was already shivering from the cold as she began to slog her way up the beach, Rhapsody’s hand in hers. She noticed Rhapsody’s hair barely looked wet at all.

So not fair! Harmony thought bitterly. Her hair is waterproof!

As they reached the sandy beach, Harmony turned to face Rhapsody, teeth chattering. She froze as she viewed the other woman. Rhapsody’s shirt was plastered to her chest, leaving nothing to the imagination of what lay beneath. Rhapsody stepped up closer to Harmony and looked her up and down, her gaze pausing on Harmony’s chest. Her lips spread into a slow, sensuous smile as she looked back up at Harmony.

“Breathe, Harmony,” Rhapsody ordered, an appreciative smile on her lips as she stared at Harmony’s chest.

“It’s getting a bit nipply out here, isn’t it,” her mother noted dryly as she joined them.

Harmony creased her brows as she looked at her mother uncomprehendingly. “Nipply? You mean nippy?”

“Nope,” her mother shook her head once, a mischievous smile on her face. “I meant what I said.”

Realization dawned, and Harmony looked down at her chest. With a cry of chagrin, she quickly folded her arms over her chest as her face flushed a deep crimson. Rhapsody made no move to cover herself.

“There’s nothing wrong with being female,” Rhapsody informed her dryly, her lips forming an amused half-smile. “Guys go around topless all of the time, and nobody complains about their nipples showing.”

“I do,” Harmony disagreed through chattering teeth, earning a laugh from the other two women.

“Have you had your fill of the ocean yet?” Harmony’s mother asked Rhapsody, her lips still twitching.

“I do believe I have,” Rhapsody admitted with an appreciative smile at Harmony. “We better get this popsicle back to the car before she catches hypothermia.”

“Aren’t you cold?” Harmony asked in amazement. The small woman showed no indication that she was cold in the least.

“It’s one of those homeschooled tricks we learn,” Rhapsody told her with a playful smile. “We just ignore the cold.”

“That’s not how biology works,” Harmony objected as she began walking back to the car with the two of them. “If your organs drop below a certain temperature, your body makes you shiver to warm them up.”

“Exactly,” Rhapsody smirked up at her from where she walked next to her. “I just told my organs not to drop below a certain temperature. Problem solved.”

“Do you have frequent conversations with your organs?” Harmony asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Only when I want to have an intelligent conversation,” Rhapsody answered with an impish grin.

Aurora and Serenity saw them leaving from further down the beach and raced toward them, grins of delight on their faces.

“Those two are too damn cute,” Harmony murmured through her chattering teeth, an affectionate smile on her face. “I still can’t believe they got so big so fast.”

“Their lives certainly improved when they came to live with you,” her mother noted with a mixture of sadness and pride. “I used to never see them smile or laugh.”

Harmony felt a stab of guilt at having abandoned them for the last four years of their lives. Hearing how miserable they had been made it clear that she should have found a better way to split her time between Grandma Dotty and her nieces.

“I heard a saying once that stuck with me,” Rhapsody commented thoughtfully. “The greatest art requires both darkness and light to create depth.”

Harmony glanced at the other woman suspiciously. Is she reading my thoughts again?

She knew Rhapsody wasn’t, but sometimes it sure felt like she was. Reading thoughts was a fictional ability, and Harmony had a solid grasp on what was fictional and what was real.

Harmony’s mother looked over at Rhapsody and then over to Harmony. “Don’t go blaming yourself for David being a miserable bastard. Don’t get hung up on the past and second guess everything you’ve done in life. Just take what you’ve learned and move forward.”

Harmony smiled as she shivered. “You’re sounding pretty wise, Mom. Maybe you should start your own book of quotes.”

Her mother rolled her eyes and smacked her shoulder. “I was having a serious mom moment there, and you spoiled it.”

Aurora and Serenity caught up to them and started giggling when they saw the two soaking wet women.

“Did you two go swimming on purpose?” Serenity asked doubtfully, eyeing the two of them with a mixture of amusement and sympathy.

“There was this freak wave that came out of nowhere and knocked us into the water,” Harmony chattered bitterly. “I think we pissed off Poseidon or something.”

Her nieces both looked at Rhapsody expectantly.

“Maybe Poseidon just wanted to see you in a wet shirt,” Rhapsody suggested with a wink.

Aurora, Serenity, and her mother laughed way harder than the comment justified. Harmony frowned at them as she tried to think of an inside joke that could justify their mirth.

Rhapsody received more than a few stares as they walked back to the car, making no attempt to hide her more salient points from observation. Harmony probably did more staring than all of the other people combined. The way Rhapsody’s shirt molded itself to her form was a special kind of torture. Rhapsody would stop every twenty feet and remind her to breathe. She tried to just stop peeking, but her treacherous eyes always found a reason to look over at Rhapsody, which sent her into a tailspin as her overactive imagination began imagining scenarios where she did more than just look at her very pointed proclamation of womanhood.

“There's an ice cream shop over there if you all want to get a treat,” Rhapsody pointed at a small building a thousand feet down the boardwalk.

“No thanks,” Harmony declined firmly through her chattering teeth. “I’m going to the car to get warm.”

“I can take the girls to get some ice cream while you two get warmed up,” Harmony’s mother offered, winking at Rhapsody.

“Yes!” Serenity and Aurora exclaimed at the same time.

“Real ice cream too!” Serenity smiled beatifically. “Not rice cream.”

Harmony’s mother handed her the keys, giving her an amused smile before splitting away from her and Rhapsody.

“That was a great idea, Rhapsody,” Harmony congratulated the other woman gratefully. “Those two love going out for ice cream.”

“It might not have been entirely altruistic,” Rhapsody murmured with a small smile.

Harmony looked at her questioningly. Her eyes were inevitably drawn lower, and all other thoughts scattered from her head. How could she be so perfect?

“Breathe,” Rhapsody whispered with a slow smile.

Harmony sucked in a breath, feeling a sudden twinge of fear that she might just be defective. She hadn’t felt like she had a hard life, despite what her mother suggested. So where had this breathing complex come from? She didn’t remember having it before meeting Rhapsody, but her mother made it sound like an issue she had experienced before, when she was overwhelmed.

She unlocked the car and reached for the driver side door, but Rhapsody’s hand gently closed on her wrist and pulled her hand away from the door. Instead, she opened the back door and gestured for Harmony to get in the back bench seat.

“We need to turn the heat on though,” Harmony objected weakly.

“I’ll turn the heat on,” Rhapsody assured her with a playful smile. “Move along.”

Harmony let herself be pushed into the back seat, her heart pounding as her imagination ran wild. She had just sat down on the bench, shivering from more than the cold, when Rhapsody straddled her, knees on the bench on either side of Harmony. She looked into Harmony’s panicked eyes and her lips curved into an alluring smile. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Harmony. Harmony gasped as she felt the hard nipples she had been daydreaming about push into her own. She let out an involuntary moan of longing as the sensitive region was firmly squished against her tightly. All thoughts of the cold vanished as heat flooded her body. If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn their clothes were actually steaming.

“Breathe,” Rhapsody instructed her softly, her lips brushing her ear in a familiar manner. Harmony gasped a breath, which pushed her chest out and intensified the already erotic sensation. She shivered as the intense sensations swept through her body like electricity. Was this what everyone experienced with intimacy? She felt something building down below as her short gasps rubbed her sensitive erogenous regions against Rhapsody’s at increasing frequency.

“We can’t have that yet,” Rhapsody whispered with a smile filled with the promise of fulfillment. She leaned back, ending the growing pressure that threatened to push Harmony over the edge. “You really are sensitive, aren’t you?”

Harmony let out an explosive breath, her eyes wide with arousal as she fought to pull herself back from the brink. “You’re a shameless tease,” she accused, as she slowly regained control of her lust. It was difficult, with the gorgeous goddess still straddling her and wearing a smile that promised future delights beyond her imagining.

“Look on the bright side,” Rhapsody looked her up and down. “You’re all dry now.”

Harmony blinked, looking down at herself in shock. She really was dry. Had they really generated that much heat? Was that even possible? Well, clearly it was possible, or they wouldn’t be dry. Rhapsody smirked down at her, trying to break the rules of non-fiction with her seeming-telepathic ability. She slowly slid backward off Harmony, the action so sensual that she required another reminder to breathe.

“I think I hear the others coming back,” Rhapsody noted with a wink. “Thanks for drying me off, Harmony.”

Harmony looked out the windows for her nieces and mother but gasped when she saw the windows covered in steam. “Was that from us?”

“Do you really have to ask?” Rhapsody giggled, her lips forming a wicked smile.

The side door opened, and Serenity peered in with her hands covering most of her eyes. “Is it safe to come in?”

“Yes, it’s safe to come in, you goose,” Harmony sighed in exasperation.

“It just seems to be a bit... steamy in there,” Serenity pointed out, still peeking through a tiny crack in her fingers.

Harmony tried to think of a clever retort, but what could she say? She settled for a look of refinement and dignity. “Yes, it’s safe to come in, Serenity. I was just getting dry.

“Is that a new colloquialism for one of your books?” Serenity asked archly. “Getting dry?”

“Since when do you know what colloquialism means?” Harmony demanded with an aggrieved expression. “I’m gone for a few years and you’re suddenly Miss Smarty Pants.”

“You know I’m eleven, right?” Serenity asked patiently.

“I didn’t know what colloquialism meant when I was eleven,” Harmony declared defensively. “Hell, I know adults who don’t know what that means.”

“Name one,” Serenity challenged, her eyebrow shooting up.

Harmony stared at her, speechless for the nth time that day. She finally stood up with a huff and began moving for the door. “Michael Porter.”

“And who is Michael Porter?” Serenity asked doubtfully.

“Just some guy that doesn’t know what colloquialism means,” Harmony muttered as she pushed past Serenity.

“Is this Michael Porter a real person, or a character from one of your books?” Serenity asked pointedly.

Harmony didn’t deign to answer, walking around the car and entering the front passenger door. Aurora and her mother had been waiting a dozen yards away, waiting for the all-clear from Serentiy. They strolled back over when they saw her exiting the car and moving to the front. Harmony absently brushed a lock of hair behind one ear, then gasped as she realized her hair was just as dry as her clothes.

“What’s the matter?” her mother asked curiously from where she had just entered the driver side.

“My hair’s dry,” Harmony murmured, staring down at her long hair in bemusement. “My hair takes forever to dry.”

“Well, we were gone for quite a while,” her mother noted with an amused smile. “And the place sure does look steamy. I’m assuming you did something to generate a lot of heat to get those clothes so dry.”

Harmony’s face burned as her mother stared at her with a knowing expression.

“We were just snuggling,” she insisted defensively.

“Of course,” her mother responded agreeably. She started the car and began backing out of the space. “We had a different name for it in my day.”

Harmony buried her face in her hands and moaned despairingly. “Not you too.”

Her mother drove them back up into town in blessed silence, aside from the whispering in the back where her nieces and Rhapsody sat. The whispers were occasionally interspersed with giggles, and she would have sworn she heard her name at least once.

She felt her personality reassert itself as they arrived at the Music Mart. Harmony struggled to repress a grin as she waited for Rhapsody to exit. This was her chance to give something back to the angel that had entered her life and changed everything for the better. She worried the small women would refuse the gifts, or think she was trying to pay her for spending time with her nieces. She just needed to stop overthinking it.

Rhapsody exited the car with a dancer’s grace and joined her with an unreadable expression. Harmony immediately began second-guessing herself. What if she already had all of these things? Or what if she didn’t have anywhere to put them? As her thoughts began a downward spiral, Rhapsody took her hand and began pulling her toward the store.

All thoughts of self-doubt vanished as warmth flooded her body, starting from the hand being held by Rhapsody. The woman’s small hand felt so reassuring and pleasant that she forgot to worry about what people would think of her holding someone else’s hand. She had always been so self-conscious at the thought of holding another person’s hand in public that she had worried it would be one more thing to make a possible partner avoid her.

The store was small, but dense with instruments. There were electric guitars hanging from hooks and percussive instruments tucked into whatever space they would fit. It only took her a few minutes of browsing with Rhapsody at her side to find what she was looking for. She had seen it in the online catalog and prayed that it wouldn’t get purchased before they arrived. It was a Gibson ES-335 semi-acoustic guitar. She grinned when she found it and quickly flagged an employee down to unlock it for a test drive. She snorted with amusement when they required a damage deposit before being allowed to play it. If she hadn’t planned to buy it, she probably would have walked away. After charging five hundred dollars to her card, the employee unlocked it and handed it to her carefully. She handed it straight over to Rhapsody, an expectant grin on her face.

“I can’t wait to see what she plays this time!” Aurora declared excitedly to Serenity and Harmony’s mother.

“I seem to recall that you play every instrument,” Harmony watched her eagerly, excited to hear one of her beautiful songs again.

Rhapsody laughed her golden laugh as she watched Harmony fondly. She sat down on a stool and rested the cutout on her thigh. Harmony’s breath caught as she began plucking a haunting melody, her fingers moving up and down the fretboard like they were frictionless. The sounds she produced were transcendent. Harmony had never tried any recreational drugs, but she remembered reading about the effects of Ecstasy and imagined this must be as close as a person could get to that feeling without drugs. She felt like her heart was filled with a glowing warmth that spread out into the rest of her body in waves. The musical goddess reached deep inside of her core and planted the seed of hope in the garden of her soul.

Harmony wiped tears from her cheeks as the beautiful woman finished her song. Rhapsody was watching her with an affectionate smile on her exquisite face. She couldn’t believe something as simple as metal and wood could be made to sound so divine.

The two employees and a few customers stood close by, their eyes wide and shimmering with unshed tears. When Rhapsody stood up and handed the guitar back to Harmony, the spell was broken. Her impromptu audience clapped loudly, their faces bright with the hope her song had instilled.

“That was amazing,” a middle-aged guy with a mullet enthused as he walked up to them, grinning manically. “Did you make that yourself?”

“Yeah, a while back,” Rhapsody nodded, folding her arms self-consciously. “It sounded really good on that guitar.”

“Damn, I’ll say!” he exclaimed brightly. “Do you have any professionally recorded labels yet? I would absolutely buy anything you made.”

“Not yet, she doesn’t,” Harmony answered with an indulgent smile. “But she will soon.”

Rhapsody raised an eyebrow at her, one corner of her lips twitching.

“Okay, let’s go bag this so we can get the rest of the stuff,” Harmony said eagerly as she walked up to the employee that had unlocked the guitar for them.

Rhapsody received several additional compliments while Harmony paid for the guitar and a small amplifier. She grabbed a full-sized keyboard as well. She was happy her nieces had come in as well. She put them to work carrying some of the accessories.

As they were exiting the store, a tall, lithe man with dark hair and a face that would have been home in Rivendell entered. When he spotted Rhapsody, he blanched and bowed deeply. Rhapsody sighed plaintively, looking around anxiously. She seemed worried to be seen with such a weirdo.

“It’s an honor, Divine One,” the man spoke hoarsely. His hands were shaking as he remained bowed.

“I think you must have me mistaken for someone else, good sir,” Rhapsody spoke in a tone cold enough that Harmony half expected frost to appear.

“Apologies, Div- Ma'am,” the man stuttered, remaining in his bow.

“You’re going to ruin your back if you stay bent over like that,” Rhapsody noted critically. “I would suggest moving right along.”

The man rose a few inches and went further into the shop, still partially bowed. There was a young couple near the door behind them that had observed the whole thing. They were watching Rhapsody curiously. The four of them continued to the car.

“There sure are a lot of weirdos around these days,” Harmony muttered irritably. Having someone interrupt Operation Reciprocation and potentially sour it for Rhapsody made Harmony feel a little over-protective. The next lunatic to accost her fairy tale princess was going to get the sharp side of Harmony’s tongue.

Rhapsody’s lips turned up at the corners slightly and Harmony let out a relieved breath. Maybe her day hadn’t been ruined after all.

“Okay, one more stop,” Harmony announced as they loaded everything into the car. “I’m afraid we’re going to be stuck going to Walmart. They don’t have any computer stores in this town.”

“It’s all coming from the same place,” her mother pointed out with a shrug.

“Yeah, but it’s like going into a prison every time I have to go to a Walmart,” Harmony sighed in exasperation, rolling her eyes. “Except instead of people being locked up, they lock up all of the merchandise, so you have to track down a prison guard to secure the release of any goods.”

“You’re sure an odd duck,” her mother declared with a shake of her head.

“Quack quack,” Harmony quacked derisively.

They drove to Walmart without any further incidents. Harmony felt a pang of worry at the idea of leaving all of the musical instruments in the car. As much as she mocked Walmart for locking all of their merchandise up, they had good reason. Her mother noticed her worried expression and offered to stay in the car while they went inside.

Rhapsody fell in beside Harmony, the nieces following behind them. Harmony wondered if she could get away with holding Rhapsody’s hand. Rhapsody had taken her hand before going into the music shop, but maybe she didn’t want a super clingy person hanging on to her hand all of the time? She resolved to not be the clingy, needy person in a relationship. As the thought fired off in her head, she felt a thrill excitement and disbelief. The idea that she would ever be in a relationship with a real person still seemed too ludicrous to be real. Of course, she had no idea if Rhapsody considered her a relationship or a friend. It certainly felt like something more serious than a friend, but the beautiful woman was so gregarious that Harmony wasn’t sure she wouldn’t treat a regular friend with the same kind of intimacy.

Harmony felt a small hand take hers as they drew closer to the store entrance. She felt a silly grin on her face and had struggle to reign it in.

As soon as they entered the store, the weirdness began. One of the customers entering the store behind them gasped. Harmony turned to look at him curiously and found a twenty-something guy staring at Rhapsody with a look of recognition on his face. There was a woman with him that was staring at Rhapsody with look of concentration, as if she were trying to remember where she had seen her.

“Hey Aunt Harmony, it’s one of your books!” Aurora exclaimed as they passed a book display case with Harmony’s latest best-seller stacked up on it. “At least, it’s got the same picture we helped you pick out for your book.”

“What a waste of paper,” Harmony declared in a disapproving voice. “Nobody reads paper books anymore.”

“I didn’t know your books were so popular,” Aurora commented as she flipped through the book experimentally. “Why does this have someone else’s name on it?”

“Because a smart author never writes under their real name,” Harmony explained, tugging Aurora to get her moving again. “We write under Pen Names. And no, we don’t still use pens.”

“You might want to be more discreet,” Rhapsody murmured quietly. “Unless you don’t mind people knowing who you are.”

Harmony felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she quickly looked around. The couple that had come in behind them were surreptitiously trying to take a video of them while trying to appear to be videoing each other.

“Come on, Aurora,” Harmony ordered briskly, stepping up the pace.

“I want to get a copy of your book,” Aurora announced brightly. “Can we get one on the way out?”

“Sure, Aurora,” Harmony agreed with a forced smile.

“Aurora, don’t talk about Aunt Harmony being the real author in public,” Serenity told her quietly. “We don’t want a bunch of psychos stalking her.”

“Do you think they really heard Aurora and made the connection?” Harmony asked Rhapsody quietly.

Rhapsody nodded firmly.

“Well, I suppose they didn’t hear anything but my first name,” Harmony spoke confidently, trying to convince herself more than anything else. “There’s got to be a million Harmony’s around.”

Rhapsody squeezed her hand reassuringly, causing a jolt of electricity to fire up her arm and right to her lips.

“What are you grinning about, Aunt Harmony?” Aurora asked suspiciously.

“I’m just excited to be here with all of you,” Harmony shrugged, reeling in her grin something less obvious.

They reached the electronics section and Harmony quickly flagged down an employee to unlock a laptop for them. She purchased it swiftly and they headed toward the exit. Harmony noticed more people staring at Rhapsody in fascination as they walked. She could understand their interest; she was gorgeous. However, there seemed to be more than normal attraction. When they neared the exit, a couple of sixteen-year-old boys with a girl ran over to them, grinning excitedly.

“Can I get a selfie with you?” the first one, a dark-haired and long-limbed boy, asked excitedly.

“Why do you want a selfie with her?” Harmony asked suspiciously, her temper warming quickly as she prepared to defend Rhapsody from more weirdos.

“She’s the one that took all of those child-trafficker scum down earlier today, right?” he asked with a bright smile. “That was freaking righteous the way you blasted them with some kind of light bomb. And that bastard that you beat down and dragged him out by his hair... that was badass. Are you really bulletproof?”

There were a few more people gathering around curiously, watching Rhapsody in awe.

“Listen, kids,” Harmony spoke firmly, her voice curt. “I think you have us mixed up with somebody else. We need to be going, so if you’ll excuse us.”

“I think the cops are looking for you too, so you might want to apparate, or whatever it is you do to vanish,” the boy warned them helpfully.

“Well... “Harmony murmured as she increased her pace. “We got everything we needed, so let’s get the freak out of here and go back to the forest. I’m sorry about that video I gave the cops when you beat David down. I would never have given it to them if I realized they were so damn unprofessional. It sounds like one of the idiots uploaded it to YouTube.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Rhapsody assured her with a dimpled smile that froze Harmony’s breath. “I’m more worried about all of the suitors you are about to have falling all over you now that your identity is out.”

“I’m not that popular,” Harmony objected with a frown. “I mean, you get some oddballs in cult followings, but they usually live in their parent’s basement and won’t be able to bug us out in our sanctuary.”

“On the book that Aurora was holding,” Rhapsody began, her lips pursed. “What does Number One Bestseller mean?”

“That’s just nonsense,” Harmony shrugged nonchalantly. “It just means it was a poor selling week for other books when mine happened to be a good selling week.”

“Is Aunt Harmony famous?” Aurora asked Rhapsody with a mixture of disbelief and excitement.

“She’s about to get extremely famous,” Rhapsody answered cryptically. “Sorry about that, Harmony.”

“Huh?” Harmony stared at Rhapsody uncomprehendingly.

“You’ll see soon enough,” Rhapsody sighed, looking at her sympathetically.

Harmony felt a sense of alarm at the look of sympathy Rhapsody was directing at her. What the hell was going on?

Her thoughts derailed as Rhapsody slid her arm around Harmony’s waist and leaned into her as they walked. Her hand had gone up the back of her shirt and she was gently rubbing the muscles between her shoulder blades.

“Breathe,” Rhapsody told her with an affectionate smile.

When they reached the car, her mom looked pale and shaken. As soon as they were in the car, she handed her phone to Harmony and quickly left the parking lot, looking around warily.

“What’s going on, Mom?” Harmony asked quietly, not wanting to frighten the girls.

“Rhapsody is making headlines after your video found its way online, courtesy of the local cops, no doubt. The human trafficking house had a closed-circuit surveillance system that recorded Rhapsody’s take-down of the bastards from earlier today. Apparently, the cops here aren’t any better than the ones back at home, because someone uploaded it to YouTube. It shows her kicking ass like she did to David, but with twenty armed guys this time. It also showed that one of the girls was killed when Rhapsody arrived, but she was alive when the cops finally went in and found them. They also leaked the dispatch recording, so we can’t really say we didn’t know anything about what happened in the house after we made the 911 call. I’m starting to think there is an agenda or something.”

“Well, we have one other problem too,” Harmony told her mother with a grimace. She looked back to make sure Aurora and Serenity weren’t paying attention. They were playing Would You Rather with Rhapsody, giggling hysterically at whatever she had chosen. “Aurora saw some of my books inside and asked me why I wrote under a different name. There was already a couple videoing us because of Rhapsody. So, my anonymity is a thing of the past.”

Her mother suddenly started laughing, her eyes full of delight.

“What?” Harmony asked in surprise.

“It turns out the ones that think you are part of a magic secret society are probably going to think they were right, once they tie you to Rhapsody,” her mother explained, her lips still quivering.

“Well, they’re in for a big disappointment then,” Harmony chuckled with a rueful shake of her head.

“Sure they are,” her mother said with an indulgent smile. “Sure they are.”

Chapter 8 – Ghost Fingers

They had barely left the parking lot before several police cars rushed past them and into the Walmart parking lot. Their lights weren’t on, but there were five separate cars. Harmony was pretty sure they didn’t drive in packs like that unless they were on the hunt for someone.

“Looks like they’ve got someone at their department watching social media,” her mother commented with a frown. “I suppose we left just in time.”

“I’m surprised they didn’t recognize our car,” Harmony said in surprise. “They must have a record of it by now.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” her mother agreed, glancing back at Rhapsody in the rearview mirror. “Or maybe we’re just invisible.”

Harmony gave her mother a level look. “You say the oddest things sometimes.”

Her mother nodded agreeably. Harmony looked at her more closely as she drove. Unless her eyes were playing tricks on her, the gaunt cheeks and haggard appearance Harmony had grown used to seeing on her mother was absent. She actually looked healthy.

“How are you feeling,” Harmony asked curiously. “You seem better than I’ve seen you in years.”

Her mother sighed happily, a pleased smile on her face. “I feel better than I’ve felt in years. It makes the world a whole lot more beautiful when pain’s not coloring everything a dull grey.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful, Mom!” Harmony exclaimed with a radiant smile as relief flooded her system. “I’ve been so worried about you, especially without your medication.”

“There aren’t words to describe how grateful I am to feel so wonderful,” her mother marveled, staring into the rearview mirror with tears in her eyes and gratitude in her smile.

Harmony glanced back in time to see Rhapsody wink at her mother. Aurora had taken one of her hands in both of hers, while Serenity had claimed the other. Rhapsody smiled at her, expressive lips quirking to one side as she shrugged her shoulders. Harmony felt her lips smiling back at the arrested woman before her brain had a chance to give the command.

Rhapsody had been the most wonderful thing that happened in her nieces’ lives since their mother died; maybe ever. Harmony felt warmth spread out from her center as she watched the three of them. Rhapsody seemed to have a natural affinity for children, showing a patience and gentleness that warmed Harmony’s heart to witness.

The hour-long drive back to their house was peaceful. Harmony couldn’t help thinking it was like the calm before the storm. She felt a sense of guilt at the trouble she was causing Rhapsody. The beautiful woman had been defending Harmony when all of this nonsense started. She couldn’t help feeling responsible for embroiling the other woman in her troubles. She should have been more adamant about leaving David to them. Of course, she would be dead if Rhapsody had left them to fend for themselves. She knew that, intellectually, but she couldn’t stop herself from feeling like she had failed Rhapsody in some manner.

She wished she could have spent some time learning things like self-defense and gotten serious with martial arts. The problem was that when push came to shove, she just couldn’t bring herself to actually harm someone, even in a controlled setting. She had tried a martial arts class once and realized she couldn’t stand to see someone get hurt, let alone be the one who hurt them. She was cursed with an overpowered sense of empathy and couldn’t stop herself from feeling the pain of others. Places like hospitals were her worst nightmare. She had a defective imagination and couldn’t stop herself from imagining what the pain must feel like, so much so that she felt the pain herself. She had visited an ER years ago so that she could better describe the atmosphere in one of her novels. It had been a mistake. There had been a child with a broken wrist who was rushed in while she wandered the waiting area. The bone had been sticking out of his wrist, along with part of the muscle. The child had been screaming so loud that she thought her ears would bleed. As she stared in horror at the bone and muscle jutting out, her mind immediately decided to imagine what it must feel like. She still flinched at the remembered pain the experience had triggered. It had been an embarrassing twenty minutes as she tried to reassure a nurse that she wasn’t actually hurt. Tears had streamed down her face as she cradled her arm, making it hard for the nurse to believe that she was unharmed. He had looked at her like she had two heads when she explained what had happened.

Seeing her mother in constant pain was a draining experience. Her mother was well aware of her defective brain and went to great lengths to hide her pain. She had eventually convinced Harmony to see a neurologist. After some testing, she was diagnosed with mirror-touch synesthesia and told that she should avoid places where people experienced pain, such as ERs and violent contact sports.

So, she was stuck being a liability, helpless to protect the ones she loved from the villains of the world, like David. The only time she hadn’t experienced the pain of another was when Rhapsody had wrecked David. Was that because of her hatred of the man? Had she lost all sense of empathy for him due to her dislike, thereby overriding her brain’s twisted way of looking at the world?

She wasn’t sure if the same disorder was responsible for her pleasure centers, but it seemed likely. Reading a steamy romance novel was usually enough to send her over the edge all by itself. She had learned to avoid watching movies that had any kind of action and romance. Between the pain from the frequent violence and the pleasure from the intimate scenes, non-animated movies were one of the more embarrassing experiences she avoided at all costs. She didn’t experience the same level of empathy for animated movies. Apparently, her brain didn’t identify as well with animations.

“I’m a little worried about the girls when they return to school,” Harmony told her mother worriedly. “If we’re about to get thrust into some kind of social media spotlight, I’m concerned about how the other kids might interact with them.”

“I don’t know about that,” her mother answered with a reassuring smile. “They might just be the center of attention for a while and experience a little popularity. Having a mysterious famous aunt and even more mysterious powerhouse of a friend could be a good thing for them.”

Harmony stared out the window doubtfully as trees flashed by the side of the road. From what she remembered of high school, popularity turned people into self-absorbed asshats who were willing to do whatever the rest of the cool crowd suggested to maintain their status.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the chirping of her phone. She glanced at the callerID, almost sending it to voicemail before she saw her agent’s name. She groaned, wondering what new surprises awaited.

“Hello?” Harmony answered the phone cautiously. She felt a moment of paranoia. What if someone had spoofed the phone number and it wasn’t really her agent?

“Hi, Harmony,” Jason greeted her in a cheerful tone. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“We’re currently in-between bad times right now,” Harmony replied dryly. “What’s up?”

“Well, I was just curious about all the hype on social media,” he said carefully. “I hate to be the one to have to tell you, but your anonymity has been compromised. I just saw a viral video of you in a Walmart telling your niece that you use a pen name so that people won’t know who you really are. I’m not sure it would have gone viral enough to matter if you hadn’t been with this Rhapsody character as well. I’m not really sure what to believe with all of the claims on social media, so I thought I would just call and get the story straight from the horse’s mouth. Not that you have a horse’s mouth, of course.”

“If you saw the videos, you should know everything that I know,” Harmony sighed in frustration. “Damn those cops.”

“Well, for a start, who is this Rhapsody person that beat up your brother-in-law?” Jason asked curiously. “All we see in the video is that she’s at what I assume is your house, and that she has god-tier fighting skills.”

“She’s just my neighbor, Jason,” Harmony told him simply. “She was doing what any good neighbor would do, lending a helping hand for a neighbor in trouble.”

“What about the human trafficking incident earlier today?” Jason asked skeptically. “Were you just being good neighbors again?”

“Yes, actually,” Harmony confirmed firmly. “We were going to town to do some shopping when we received that amber alert. We decided to go to the beach while we were at the coast and just happened to pass the house where that girl was taken. Rhapsody saw her as we were passing by and decided to try and help. You know how quickly an abduction can turn into a homicide. She didn’t want to risk somebody getting killed before the cops arrived, so she took action.”

“And therein lies the mystery that has made these videos so viral,” Jason told her expectantly. “Taking your brother-in-law apart was mind-blowing, but still plausible. Storming a house with over twenty armed gunmen and killing all of them without a weapon, then bringing a girl back to life-- those are things that go beyond the realm of good neighbors and into the realm of supernatural.”

Harmony laughed in delight. “Are you really falling for all of the hype, Jason? You’re an agent for fiction authors. Surely you recognize the line between reality and fantasy when you hear it, don’t you? I haven’t seen the videos, but I can assure you that there is a totally logical reason why a girl might have appeared dead and then appeared to come back to life later. And as far as twenty gunmen, I don’t see how the numbers change very much since they were in a house. It’s not like they were in a big open courtyard with all of them training their guns on her.”

“When you explain it like that, it does seem a little more prosaic,” Jason admitted slowly. “I don’t know, maybe you’re right, and this is all just the normal hysteria that the internet excretes like a slug.”

“Thanks for that visual, Jason,” Harmony said weakly.

“On the bright side, you had a massive spike in book sales due to all of the publicity,” Jason told her with obvious enthusiasm. “I got a call from Brian at the publisher. He was trying to get me to enlist your help in capitalizing off all the publicity. I told him you had already done the hard work by getting him those viral videos, so to speak.”

“I’m still freaking out inside at the loss of my anonymity,” Harmony admitted in a quiet voice.

“I’m really sorry it worked out like this, Harmony,” Jason sighed regretfully. “I don’t know what your expenses look like, but I would suggest a fenced in property with lots of surveillance and alarm systems. Some nice big dogs wouldn’t hurt either. That should take care of anyone tenacious enough to get past the fences.”

“They’d have to get past Rhapsody first,” Aurora called out from the back seat with a confident grin. “And that’s never going to happen.”

“I believe it,” Jason laughed easily. “Well, I better let you go. I just wanted to get a bead on what was going on. I’m kind of embarrassed that I actually fell for internet hype like this.”

“Anytime you want a nice, cold splash of skepticism, you know who to call,” Harmony told him dryly. “Goodbye, Brian.”

“You know, if you ever get tired of authoring, the government will probably hire you to provide explanations to things like UFOs and other unexplained phenomena they don’t want the public to believe in,” her mother commented with an amused smile. “You could have had him doubting that the sun rises in the east with a little more time.”

“Nonsense,” Harmony retorted with a frown. “I’m just reminding him to stay grounded and look for simple explanations instead of fantastical explanations. Occam's Razor.”

“I think it’s going to graduate to Harmony’s Razor in the near future,” her mother predicted dryly.

“Or she’ll reverse direction, and it will be called Harmony’s Epiphany,” Rhapsody suggested, a mysterious smile on her lips.

They were almost home when Harmony remembered they would need to drive to Rhapsody’s house to deliver the equipment they had purchased for her.

“Rhapsody, where do you live?” Harmony asked curiously, excited to hopefully see her mysterious neighbor’s house.

“I’ll drop her stuff off when she leaves,” Harmony’s mother offered quickly, not looking over at Harmony. “I have to go back to my house tomorrow morning anyway. You should spend the time until then getting her set up on the computer and trying it out.”

Harmony frowned as she stared at her mother. Why didn’t she want Harmony to see her house? Had Rhapsody told Harmony’s mother something that she thought would disturb Harmony? She turned in her seat to look back at Rhapsody questioningly. Rhapsody stared back at her blandly, her face giving nothing away.

“Is there a reason you don’t want me to see her house?” Harmony asked her mother pointedly, narrowing her eyes as she waited for an excuse.

“Did you want to go drop Rhapsody off right now?” her mother returned with an amused expression. “I just thought you might want to spend a little more time together.”

Harmony’s face flushed at the thought of more time with her goddess. Her imagination went on a joyride as it imagined the possibilities. She started seeing strange spots in her vision before her mother finally reminded her to breathe.

“I guess that answered my question,” her mother chuckled wryly. “We need to get you something akin to a pacemaker that reminds you to breathe when it detects you going too long without a breath.”

“I eventually remember,” Harmony muttered in embarrassment, not daring to look back at what she was sure would be a smirking Rhapsody. “I just have to start seeing spots for a minute.”

They pulled into the long driveway that led to her house and Harmony felt another thrill of excitement. She could finally be closer to Rhapsody than a car-length away.

As soon as they were out of the car, Rhapsody walked over and jumped into her arms, grinning mischievously. Harmony felt a flood of passion explode in all the right places as she stared into Rhapsody’s tinted glasses, then down at her luscious lips. They looked so soft and red, and so kissable.

“Remember the new rule,” Rhapsody told her playfully. “Hugs any time of day or night, anywhere.”

“I’m a slow learner,” Harmony gasped in a breathy voice. “So it might take me a long time to get this physical contact thing down.”

“I’m a patient teacher,” Rhapsody assured her, lips curving up slightly. “And we have more time than you could possibly imagine.”

“Oh, you’re going all mysterious on me now, huh?” Harmony stared at the tinted glasses, wishing she could see the beautiful eyes behind them.

“The real mystery is right in front of me,” Rhapsody told her softly, her lips moving so enticingly. “You really are a puzzle to me, Harmony Fay Conifer.”

“Me?” Harmony blinked in surprise, then laughed ruefully. “There’s no mysteries here. I’m about as boring and plain as it’s possible to get.”

“Is that so?” Rhapsody murmured quietly. She brought a hand up to her own cheek and slowly drew a pattern on it with slow, sensual strokes. Harmony felt her synesthesia react to the other woman. The sensation of soft fingers drawing on her cheek sent a shiver down her spine. Her lips parted and her heartbeat increased as the mirrored sensation woke up the sleeping beast within her.

Rhapsody stopped drawing on her cheek and the sensation on Harmony’s cheek vanished. “You don’t seem boring to me, Ms. Conifer,” Rhapsody spoke in a voice full of fascination as she studied Harmony. “I’ve never seen anyone like you. And you are absolutely not plain.” She finished with a derisive snort, investing the word with disdain.

Harmony stared at Rhapsody in shock. Had Rhapsody figured out that she had a broken brain? Panic filled her thoughts as she began imagining the inevitable disgust Rhapsody would feel when she discovered just how broken her brain was. She had been falling under the beautiful woman’s spell as the idea of being with someone special overruled her reason. She had just wanted to experience something wonderful; something impossible. Now, as she remembered the reason she had never been able to experience relationships before, she realized that she had been deluding herself over the last few days. She felt like she had swallowed a glass full of mercury as a heavy weight settled into her stomach. She blinked rapidly as her eyes grew watery, and she hurriedly attempted to release Rhapsody and make a run for it. The other woman’s legs held her captive, however.

The smile was gone from Rhapsody’s face, replaced by a look of concern. She grabbed the sides of Harmony’s face with both hands, forcing her to look into her glasses. She could see the small woman’s large eyes faintly through the tinted glasses, as if the tint had somehow lessened. Those large eyes stared into her own intently as Rhapsody held her face firmly.

“I’m not letting you get away that easily,” Rhapsody told her in a firm but gentle voice. “Don’t give up on something wonderful before it has a chance to happen out of fear. I’m not exactly normal either, you know? Give two misfits a chance to find happiness, okay?”

Harmony stared into those impossibly large eyes, mesmerized. The tinted glasses made her irises look violet and vibrant. Even as faint as they appeared, Harmony was entranced with how beautiful they were. More beautiful than she had imagined. They stared into her soul, begging to be given a chance. Harmony felt her heart rate increase again as she dared to imagine opening her heart all of the way up and giving it a chance. The thought terrified her so much that her knees began to shake. She didn’t think she could survive the pain of a broken heart, not with the way her heart worked. She stared into Rhapsody’s gorgeous eyes fearfully, unable to commit but unwilling to walk away from what she knew would be her only chance for love in life.

“I love you, Harmony,” Rhapsody whispered, her eyes showing a vulnerability that twisted a knife in Harmony’s soul. “I’ve spent so much time getting to know you through your books, but it couldn’t prepare me for just how amazing you are in person. Please, Harmony. Please give me a chance.”

Harmony shivered as the naked hope in Rhapsody’s voice and pleading eyes held her soul captive. She could see how much walking away would hurt the small woman. She realized that she would risk anything to keep the beautiful woman free of that kind of pain, even her own heart.

She slowly nodded as tears leaked down her cheeks. She would try, for Rhapsody. Her heart fluttered with sudden excitement as she finally stepped over the edge of the metaphorical cliff and began her freefall into unknown skies.

Rhapsody’s sudden smile was radiant, flooding Harmony with happiness. She felt a wave of dizziness from the whiplash of emotions. She had almost run away from this divine creature. She would have withered like a dying plant and faded away if she had given up this chance, knowing it was only going to come once.

Rhapsody stared into Harmony’s eyes as she slowly leaned forward until her lips were touching Harmony’s. She felt a lightning bolt of passion explode within her heart as she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. Rhapsody’s lips were even more pleasant than she had imagined. So soft and sensual, still expressing so many emotions even as they explored her own lips. She let out a low moan but didn’t even notice as the passion shut everything else down. She felt the synesthesia flood her mind with sensations as she experienced the kiss from both sides. She whimpered as the overload of sensations pushed her closer to the edge.

Rhapsody pulled back before she got too close. The feather-light woman leaned back and smiled with an expression of euphoric joy, staring into Harmony’s eyes delightedly.

“I must have done something right in my last life to end up with you,” Rhapsody murmured silkily. She looked down at Harmony’s lips and then back up to her eyes. She looked around and a wry smile appeared on her face.

Harmony had been seeing in tunnel vision for the last few minutes, unaware of the world around them. She finally returned to reality and noticed her mother and nieces watching them. Her mother had tears in her eyes and a look of joy on her face. Her nieces just looked like they were there for the show, watching with interest.

“Maybe we should continue this in a more… private setting,” Rhapsody murmured quietly, a dimpled smile suddenly on her face. “In the meantime, I want to play with the stuff you purchased today. Let’s go set it up and have some fun!”

Harmony laughed indulgently at the excitement in Rhapsody’s voice. She felt like Operation Reciprocation was a success. More than that, she felt like her life might move into a chapter she had marked off-limits. Her fear was still present, fear that the other woman would lose interest when she came to know the real Harmony.

She had found a place of happiness in life before she had met Rhapsody, living through the characters of her novels. She had thought it would be enough. It would have been enough, before she had a taste of what could be, if only she dared to step over that proverbial ledge. Now that she had that taste, a return to living through her characters would be hollow and unfulfilling. She craved contact with Rhapsody like a preacher craved meaning.

Harmony followed Rhapsody over to the car to start unloading equipment, feeling rippling waves of tingles course through her body as she finally unlocked the part of herself that she had hidden away deep in her soul.

Rhapsody picked up the keyboard and amplifier like they weighed nothing. It was a full sized keyboard with weighted keys and wasn’t light. Harmony marveled at how someone so small of stature could be so damn strong. She found it extremely attractive.

“Did you try to do a runner, Aunt Harmony?” Serenity asked her quietly as she helped Harmony gather the cords, mixer, and laptop box.

Harmony couldn’t look at Serenity when she answered, feeling a growing sense of embarrassment at having put such an emotional show on in front of her nieces and mother. “Yeah, I did,” she admitted guiltily.

“Why would you run from Rhapsody?” Serenity asked with a puzzled frown. “Isn’t she perfect?”

Harmony sighed, not wanting to have this conversation, but unwilling to shut her niece down. “She’s too perfect for me,” she finally murmured as they started walking toward the house. “I’m terrified that when she gets to know the real me, she’ll leave in disgust. I’m kind of weird, Serenity. A lot weirder than you could imagine.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re overanalyzing things,” Serenity told her critically. “I’ve known you my whole life, and aside from being sarcastic, you seem pretty normal.”

“So do serial killers,” Harmony noted dryly. “There are parts of ourselves we keep hidden from everyone else. Everyone does. Those hidden parts don’t stay hidden when you open your heart to someone. I’m just scared of what she’ll do when those hidden parts come to light. I had accepted the life of a single person and made my peace with it. I put up a lot of walls, and it’s scary to take them back down. I hate being vulnerable more than just about anything else.”

“Is that why you’re such a skeptic about everything?” Serenity asked in sudden realization. “Because deep down you don’t trust anyone or anything?”

“Are you sure you’re eleven?” Harmony asked Serenity suspiciously. “This conversation is way above your paygrade.”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Serenity smirked up at her. Her face lost its humor as she looked at Harmony in a new light, her eyes showing pity. “What was it that made you stop trusting people? Or is that secret?”

“You’re pretty darn smart, Serenity,” Harmony answered with an affectionate smile. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually.”

Serenity opened her mouth to continue but looked into Harmony’s eyes again and closed her mouth. “Okay, have your secrets.”

They went back to the studio and found Rhapsody plugging the amplifier in to a power strip. Harmony put the keyboard stand up and glanced over where Serenity was just leaving, having delivered her load of cables and a piano bench

“Hey, Serenity,” Harmony called out with a grin. “Let’s see if your muscles have grown as much as your intellect. Can you help me get the keyboard onto the stand?”

“Is it really that heavy?” she asked doubtfully, eyeing it with a frown as she joined Harmony.

“It is to me,” Harmony answered defensively.

Harmony lifted one end while Serenity lifted the other. Serenity grunted in surprise when she felt how heavy it was. She backed up to get a better grip and her foot got caught in a cable. She tried to free it, but her other foot got stuck as well. With a startle yelp, the keyboard slipped and landed on her knee. She let out a pained shout and quickly lowered it back to the ground before hobbling over to a chair, hissing in pain.

Harmony cursed as she felt the radiating pain in her own knee. She quickly sat down on the ground and stretched her leg out. She began telling herself that it wasn’t really her leg that was hurt over and over. It never helped, but she was convinced that she could brainwash herself eventually.

Rhapsody swiftly moved over to Serenity and crouched down to inspect her knee. Her niece had tears in her eyes as she groaned in pain.

“I learned a trick for how to fix knee pain once,” Rhapsody told Serenity soothingly. “Are you ready?”

Serenity looked at her hopefully, nodding as she winced. Rhapsody put both of her hands over Serenity’s knee and pushed sharply. Serenity gave out a startled gasp, but almost immediately smiled in wonder as she moved it up and down without any pain.

“Thanks, Rhapsody!” Serenity exclaimed effusively, throwing her arms around her and squeezing her tightly. “You are the best!”

“Any time, Serenity,” Rhapsody smiled briefly.

She turned to look at Harmony, concern on her face. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Harmony assured them confidently, forcing the wince out of her voice. “I’m just hanging out, being awesome.”

Rhapsody frowned and moved over to kneel beside her. “What can I do to help?”

“Did you get hurt too?” Serenity asked in surprise. “What happened?”

“No, I’m fine,” she lied, smiling reassuringly. “I didn’t get hurt at all.”

“Why are you sitting on the floor then?” Serenity asked suspiciously. She walked closer and crouched down in front of Harmony, next to Rhapsody. “Are you making use of artistic license again?”

“No, not at all,” Harmony insisted, her expression earnest. “I’m totally fine.”

“Okay, do you want to help me get the keyboard back up then?” Serenity asked with a raised eyebrow.

She knew she would be hobbling if she stood up and tried to move the keyboard, so she gestured at Rhapsody. “Let’s see if we can talk the graceful one into putting it up there.”

“I don’t feel insulted by that comment at all,” Serenity declared with a glower.

Rhapsody hesitantly stood up, her eyes still on Harmony. It was strange how she could see the other woman’s eyes through her tinted glasses now. They used to be opaque, completely blocking any view of her eyes. It was probably just different lighting.

Rhapsody’s lips quirked as she stood up and stepped over to the keyboard, easily lifting it as if it weighed nothing. Serenity grinned as she watched the great feat of strength, expecting nothing less of the small woman.

Serenity moved closer to Harmony, inspecting her for injuries. Harmony stared back at her innocently, which was a mistake.

“Why are you playing the innocent act?” Serenity demanded suspiciously. “The real Aunt Harmony would say something sarcastic if she wasn’t hurt.”

“I was being sarcastic about being innocent,” Harmony explained with a wink. She just needed to buy another five minutes for her mind to realize that it was running on bad code. She cast about for something to distract Serenity with and nearly asked her to show off how much she had learned on the drums. Just as she opened her mouth, she remembered it was supposed to be a secret.

“What?” Serenity asked, eyeing her distrustfully. “You just started to say something and changed your mind. What were you going to say?”

Harmony started laughing, a helpless laugh that she couldn’t turn off as her bossy niece tried to order her around.

“What are you laughing at?” she demanded, scowling down at her.

“I’m sorry, Serenity,” Harmony gasped as tears formed in the corner of her eyes. “It’s just one of those silly laughs that you can’t stop, no matter how hard you try.”

Serenity squinted at her in a manner that was probably meant to be intimidating, but it just made Harmony laugh harder. She rolled onto her side giggling. Her laughter cut off immediately as she gasped in pain where her knee touched the floor. Serenity was kneeling next to her in an instant, inspecting her knee for damage while giving her a look that promised retribution later.

“Where does it hurt?” Serenity asked, her hard gaze at odds with her gentle probing fingers as she felt around Harmony’s knee. “Did you hurt your knee too?”

“No, I just bonked it on the ground kind of hard while I was laughing,” Harmony lied, wincing as she realized how transparent she sounded. “Okay, I know that was pretty bad. Give me a minute to think of something more reasonable.”

Rhapsody walked over and knelt down behind Harmony. She pulled Harmony back so that she was leaning back against Rhapsody’s chest. Her thoughts went out the window as she felt the soft but firm breasts pressing into her back. Serenity saw her expression and rolled her eyes.

“Breathe, Aunt Harmony,” Serenity ordered in exasperation. “And get a good lung full of air so you can tell me first, what you hurt, and second, why you are trying to hide it so much.”

“I think it is safe to say that your nieces aren’t going to think less of you for this,” Rhapsody whispered into her ear. “You’re safe here, Harmony. I’ll always keep you safe.”

Harmony felt warmth flood her at the haunting words. She was almost positive that she had heard those words in a dream. She relaxed, sinking further back into Rhapsody as she stared at Serenity warily.

“Do you remember how I said everyone has their secrets?” Harmony asked Serenity carefully. “Well, this is one of those uncomfortable and deeply embarrassing secrets.”

“Oh,” Serenity frowned looking down at Harmony’s unblemished knee. “Being clumsy is that embarrassing to you?”

“I didn’t get hurt,” Harmony sighed tiredly. “You did.”

“Clearly, you did as well,” Serenity said pointedly. She lightly tapped Harmony’s knee, eliciting a gasp of pain. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do it that hard!” she apologized contritely. “But my point stands.”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” Harmony said reluctantly. “I got hurt because you got hurt. It’s imaginary.”

Serenity looked at her skeptically before looking up at Rhapsody. She felt the small woman nod and Serenity’s expression changed from disbelieving to excited. “Are you telling me that you can feel my pain? Like a psychic?”

Harmony’s shoulders started shaking again as she laughed at Serenity’s immediate leap to a conclusion that was fictional. The jiggling sensation against her back as she laughed short-circuited her mirth as she felt an immediate surge of pleasure from her own sensitive regions. She quickly stopped moving before she made a complete fool of herself.

“My brain is just broken,” Harmony told her reluctantly. “It’s all in my head. I just imagine I’m feeling it, but I can’t stop myself from imagining it. That’s why we can’t watch non-animated movies.”

Serenity stared at her silently for several painful seconds. She wondered if it was a mistake to tell her niece. She was their guardian, and they had already dealt with two parents who were sick in the head. One with crippling depression while the other had severe anger issues. Now she was going to have to worry about an aunt with even crazier mental issues.

“So, you feel pain if you see an injury or someone get hurt?” Serenity asked curiously. Her eyes grew distant for a moment before sharpening on Rhapsody. “Or it’s any feeling, isn’t it? That’s why Rhapsody was doodling on her cheek before you smooched.”

“Serenity, you are way to freaking clever for my own good,” Harmony declared weakly. “Don’t you miss anything?”

“We got good at reading people’s micro expressions, since Dad would fly off the handle at the drop of a hat,” Serenity explained with a shrug. “We learned to keep an eye on body language.”

Harmony felt another pang of guilt at not spiriting her nieces away from her sister’s house when she had started taking care of her Grandma Dotty. Those were things no child should have to learn.

“It’s not your fault,” Serenity interrupted her guilt trip. She was watching Harmony with concern in her eyes. “It wasn’t your job to take care of us, it was theirs. Just because Dad was a failure at his job doesn’t make you responsible for his shortcomings.”

Harmony was startled again at how intelligent Serenity was. She worried it was a result of the tense environment she and her sister had to endure, forcing them to miss out on much of their childhood.

“So… can you feel when I do this?” Serenity asked, her eyes fascinated.

She began drawing on the back of her hand. Harmony shivered as she felt ghostly fingers drawing on her own hand and wrist. She nodded reluctantly, feeling a sense of shame at revealing her mental disability instead of keeping it a secret. Her nieces needed a sense of security and stability right now, not uncertainty and questions about the mental competency of their guardian.

“Why would you be embarrassed about something like that?” Serenity demanded indignantly. “This is seriously one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life! Seriously! I can’t believe you didn’t tell us about this before!”

Harmony blinked, taken aback. She squinted at Serenity suspiciously. “Did you not just hear the part about my brain having a major malfunction? Mirror-touch synesthesia is not cool, it’s borderline insane. I can’t go to the hospital, watch action or romance movies, learn or watch martial arts, or any of the other things normal people can do. I don’t think you understand how serious this is. I don’t just have a mild case either. They said it was the most extreme case they had ever seen.”

She was babbling and she knew it. She hadn’t been able to talk about it without anyone but her mother, and it had obviously been building up in her mind for a while now.

“It might not seem cool to you,” Serenity retorted with a scowl that was struggling not to turn into a grin. “But to me, it’s like being told I have a super hero for an Aunt. If you think it’s something terrible, you’re looking at it in the wrong light, Aunt Harmony. You have a freaking super power!”

Harmony sighed in defeat. If Serenity had to live with this kind of a mental handicap, she would discover just how not cool it was. But on a brighter note, she wasn’t freaking out in a bad way. Not yet, anyway. Harmony smiled faintly as she thought of what Serenity had said. Maybe she would try to look at it in a different light. If nothing else, it would make life less anxious for the girls if they didn’t have to worry about her dreading the effects of her curse all of the time.

“So, why can’t you watch romance movies?” Serenity asked tentatively.

Harmony felt her skin flushing as heat rose up from below and spread out on her neck and face. “Cause it’s embarrassing,” Harmony muttered uncomfortably. “And most romances are about a dude and a chick. I don’t want to feel some guys hands and lips all over me.”

Serenity erupted into delighted laughter, staring at Harmony in fascination. She felt her back pillows shaking as Rhapsody tried to stifle a laugh. Harmony unconsciously folder her arms over her breasts to hide the effects of the mirrored stimulation.

“Can I tell Aurora about it?” Serenity asked in her most wheedling tone. “Please?”

“I knew that telling you meant telling her,” Harmony responded with a shrug. “I have a feeling I’m going to get tickled a lot in the near future.”

Serenity’s answering grin was huge. She immediately reached under her armpits and began trying to tickle herself.

“That doesn’t work,” Harmony informed her, rubbing her armpits with a wince. “Cause you can’t tickle yourself and my brain seems to know that. It just feels sore.”

“It does feel sore!” Serenity agreed in wonder. “I think there’s more to this psychic angle than you know. What if you really are feeling the sensations going on in my brain?”

“I’m not,” Harmony assured her with a wry smile. “If I close my eyes so that I can’t see you, it doesn’t work.”

“Oh,” Serenity frowned for a moment before a determined smile lit up her face. “I’m not giving up on the psychic thing yet though. Just because you have to see it doesn’t mean there isn’t something else going on too.”

“Okay, you do the psychic thing,” Harmony snorted a laugh, watching Serenity fondly. She was taking this a lot better than she had expected.

Harmony frowned as she felt someone drawing on her knee. Except, she wasn’t looking at anybody that was drawing on their knee. She felt a moment of blind panic. Was she going to start having random tactile hallucinations now too?

“Did you feel that?” Serenity asked hopefully. She had turned around to gather up the cords that had dropped when the keyboard fell. But her back had been to Harmony, obstructing her view.

“What did you do?” Harmony exclaimed, feeling her panic settle slightly. Maybe it had been a peripheral vision thing.

“Oh nothing much,” Serenity answered around a grin. “Just proved that you are psychic. What did you feel?”

“I don’t think you drawing on your knee proves that I’m psychic,” Harmony disagreed dryly. “I’m sure I saw you with my peripheral vision or something.”

She felt fingers draw lines across her stomach and to her navel. She gasped at the unexpected sensation, staring at Serenity’s back in shock.

“So, do you have another super power that lets you see around corners too?” Serenity asked smugly. “Because I was definitely not visible just now.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Harmony objected weakly. “If I felt what people did when I couldn’t see them, I would never stop feeling sensations.”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t just drawing on my tummy,” Serenity revealed with the same smug grin. “I was thinking of you watching me draw on my tummy.”

Harmony gasped, her mind racing to find the logic that could allow such an obvious violation of the laws of physics. Maybe she was just subconsciously guessing what Serenity was about to do. Maybe she could hear enough of the motion for her subconscious to reconstruct the scene so that it was like seeing it. The fact that she was currently thinking of Harmony watching her do it would just be a coincidence. Coincidences happened all of the time. They were coincidentally breathing the same air, after all.

She felt fingers drawing on the underside of her breasts and jerked her head up to stare reprovingly at Serenity. Her niece, however, was facing her, and her hands were not being used. The ghost fingers slowly moved higher up her breasts, triggering an immediate blush.

“Rhapsody?” Harmony asked in a breathless voice.

“Yes, Harmony?” Rhapsody asked innocently, her musical voice sending tingles down her spine.

“Um, are you, um,” Harmony’s mouth opened to ask her if she was fondling her breasts, but just the thought of asking shut her lungs down. The sensation stopped and she felt Rhapsody’s hands on her back. At least, she hoped they really were on her back.

“Breathe, Harmony,” Rhapsody commanded her in a sensual whisper.

Harmony let out a breath, her heart hammering wildly in her chest at both the erotic teasing and the sudden implications that what she felt wasn’t limited to what she could see. There had to be a logical explanation. Maybe… maybe… shit, what the hell is going on? I can’t even fudge a half-assed explanation!

Rhapsody’s chest bounced against her back as the other woman laughed, violating the laws of non-fiction again.

“Knock knock,” Aurora called out as she entered the studio slowly. “Is it safe to come in?”

Harmony couldn’t stop a hysterical giggle from escaping her throat as she imagined a world where her nieces would have to ask that question. She never thought it would exist.

Chapter 9 – Trauma Dreams

"This mic came with a USB type-B cable,” Harmony grumbled discontentedly, glaring balefully at the mic. “This thing must have been on the shelf for a long time. Anyway, you plug it into the USB A port on the back of the keyboard here so that you can use the keyboard’s speakers or have fun with the vocoder effect. This bad boy just happens to have a slot for D batteries, so you won’t even need to be near power to play if you feel like playing somewhere away from your house.

“Ah yes, power,” Rhapsody murmured thoughtfully, tapping her long slender finger to her lips.

Harmony was almost certain that Rhapsody didn’t intend for it to be provocative, but as she felt the sensation of a ghost finger gently tapping her lips, it became very provocative. Her breath caught as her sensitive lips tingled with what felt like a promise of things to follow.

Rhapsody blinked, then looked down at her finger and grinned sheepishly at Harmony. “Sorry, I forgot what that would do to you.”

“No, it’s fine!” Harmony assured her quickly, feeling that old fear of being a burden return. It whispered that her broken brain would be a nuisance of epic proportions to anyone in a relationship with her. “You don’t need to worry about anything like that. Just pretend like you never knew I was retarded and carry on as if I wasn’t.”

Rhapsody’s face firmed as she stared at Harmony with a level gaze. “Harmony, please don’t ever say anything like that again,” Rhapsody spoke in a quiet voice that was filled with pain. “It hurts me to hear you talk about yourself like that. Yes, I get the irony.”

Harmony stared back at Rhapsody in chagrin. She would walk on hot coals to avoid hurting the diminutive woman. “I’m sorry, I just... it’s just... I don’t know, it’s just how I think of myself. I’m not trying to be offensive; I’m just being brutally honest.”

“I know I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me getting your self-esteem back to healthy levels,” Rhapsody acknowledged with a gentle smile. “If we’re being brutally honest, I’ll tell you what I see when I think of you. I see a young woman who has been hurt so badly that she can’t see the brilliance that shines out of her own soul. She’s convinced herself that the light has been extinguished, instead of realizing that it is so bright that it is blinding her. I see a young woman full of radiant love and selfless devotion. She’s so worried about her perceived faults that she doesn’t comprehend how endearing those traits are to the people who love her. If I didn’t know better, I would suspect she was an angel in disguise. She fills me with mystery and wonder, with a drive to be a better person and prove that I’m worthy of her love. That’s who I see, Harmony Fay Conifer. I love you, and I never want to hear you talk bad about this angel that’s stolen my heart. Don’t you dare tarnish the honor of this beautiful creature, because she deserves so much better.”

Harmony’s eyes had grown wide as Rhapsody spoke, filling with tears that pooled in her brilliant blue eyes before cascading down her cheeks. Rhapsody stepped forward and leapt into her arms. Harmony felt her walls start to crumble as tears of wonder and love weakened the foundations. The devil that sat on her shoulder telling her how worthless she was had been drown out by the musical voice of her goddess. As the mental blocks she had built to protect herself began to fall, she gasped as new memories flooded into her mind, memories she had locked away to stay sane. She gasped as the horrors she had forced herself to forget, suddenly plowed through her mind like a herd of angry bulls.

She found herself transported twenty years in the past. There her father was, wearing a lab coat with the label “DAD” stitched onto it. All of the walls in the rooms were a dull white with enough lights to make shadows nonexistent. She was crying as she sat in a restraining chair with electrodes attached to her head, neck, stomach, and feet. Her head was held in place by plastic brackets molded to fit her head perfectly and keep her from moving at all. There were tubes going into the back of her head and into her brain. There were two small tubes, one pushed through the inner corner of each eye. They went through her orbit cavity and into her anterior communicating artery, where they slowed or sped up the flow of blood to her brain. She remembered them talking about it, stuck in a cast of plastic restraints for hours at a time and unable to move while they added chemicals directly to the blood in her brain. She remembered her mother, melting down in tears when she saw her child undergoing medical experimentation. Then the night her mother showed up with law enforcement and had her father arrested for falsifying the symptoms in his daughters to justify medical experimentation. Most of all, she remembered the pain of years of unnecessary procedures where they refused to sedate her because they needed her conscious for the tests. It was more pain than she could handle without her mind breaking, so she had shut it away.

“You’re okay, Harmony,” her mother’s voice was saying soothingly. “You’re safe.”

She realized she had been screaming herself hoarse as she relived the hell of her early childhood. Rhapsody was sitting on the floor, holding her head in her lap with an expression of horror and rage. Her nieces were behind her mother, tears streaming down their faces as they watched her with terrified expressions.

As Harmony slowly reoriented her mind, she felt tears building up behind a dam. She took a deep breath to speak, but all that came out was a wail of grief and pain as the dam broke and tears flooded down her cheeks. She began hyperventilating as she tried but failed to get enough oxygen. Her nieces’ eyes stared at her in stark terror. Rhapsody laid a hand on her forehead.

“Peace, Harmony,” Rhapsody whispered softly. She felt a wave of calm fold over her like a warm blanket on a snowy winter night. Her breathing returned to normal, and her tears slowed.

“She needs rest,” Rhapsody told them gently. She stood up and bent over, easily picking Harmony’s much larger form up. She carried her out of the studio and up the stairs to her room. Harmony stared at the beautiful mane of red hair as a sleepy lassitude tried to pull her into sweet oblivion.

“Thank you, Rhapsody,” Harmony rasped, her voice raw from screaming.

Her nieces and mother had followed them up to Harmony’s room, their teary eyes watching her fearfully.

“It’s okay,” she croaked with a sleepy smile. “I’m fine now.”

It would have been more believable if her eyes weren’t still producing silent tears that leaked down the sides of her cheeks and onto her pillow. She tried to shut them off, but she could still feel horrors waiting just around the corner. She knew they would be waiting for her in her dreams. She had unlocked her own Pandora’s Box. Looking at her beautiful goddess, she realized that it was worth it. There was no price too high to pay to be with this angel.

Rhapsody’s lips curled up slightly as she brushed Harmony’s hair out of her face with her fingers. Those beautiful fingers, so graceful and long. She felt like a silly poet when Rhapsody was around. She could describe her beauty for hours without running out of descriptors. She reflected that her Grandma Dotty did just that.

Her nieces tentatively came over and climbed onto the giant bed, wanting to be close to Harmony so that she could feel their love.

“We’re here for you, Aunt Harmony,” Aurora laid her hand on Harmony’s shin supportively.

“I know you are,” Harmony whispered tiredly. “You’re my angels.”

“Rhapsody, is she going to be alright?’ Serenity whispered fearfully in a barely audible voice.

“She’ll be better than alright,” Rhapsody assured them in a gentle tone. “She’ll be whole. She needs to process some grief and pain from long ago that she’s had locked away. You’ll see another side to your beautiful Aunt. She is going to be so much fun.”

XXXXX

Harmony woke up confused. Was she in her bed still? Was she even awake? She looked around her hazy room and decided she must still be asleep.

“Hello, Harmony,” Rhapsody greeted her warmly from where she had just appeared. Except she had wings and no glasses, scarves, or hats.

Harmony suddenly remembered the first dream she had where she saw Rhapsody in her true form. The memories came crashing back, both the memories of Rhapsody and the memories of her childhood. Rhapsody held out a hand, and the memories took on a more physical form.

“We’re going to see these memories without the powerful emotional attachment,” Rhapsody explained as more memories lined up like film. “That way it won’t break you.”

“Thank you for coming here with me, Rhapsody,” Harmony told the fairy with a grateful smile.

“Anything, for you, Harmony,” Rhapsody smiled at her with her heart in her eyes.

“I can’t believe I’m still holding out in the waking world,” Harmony shook her head in amazement. “I know you can read my mind. Somehow, I’ve made an exception for it and accept it as a thing that you do, but not really. I’m such a goof.”

“The hottest goof I’ve ever seen,” Rhapsody declared, looking her up and down approvingly.

Harmony laughed, her cheeks coloring as she stared back at the gorgeous fairy. “How much longer is my stubborn mind going to hold out, do you think?”

“Two more days,” Rhapsody answered confidently, her lips curving into a mysterious smile.

“What happens in two days?” Harmony asked curiously.

“I don’t want to ruin the surprise,” Rhapsody answered airily. “It’s going to be pretty awesome though.”

“Can you see into the future?” she asked Rhapsody intently, her eyes fascinated.

“Of course not,” Rhapsody scoffed with a twinkle in her gorgeous eyes. “It hasn’t happened yet. You can predict that the sun will rise tomorrow, and it will probably happen. I just have a little more information about events in the world, so my predictions might get a little more detailed and look like I can see into the future.”

Harmony stared at the beautiful fairy. Her beautiful fairy. The thought sent shivers of delight down her spine. She couldn’t imagine how much knowledge must be in her pretty little head. She was at least thousands of years old, probably older. How much had she witnessed in her lifetime, both good and bad? It was a wonder that she was so cheerful and full of life with so much sorrow behind her. Harmony was pretty sure she would have lost faith in humans long ago and done something permanent to them.

Rhapsody stared back at her, listening to her one-sided musings with a patient smile. She had so many questions for her fairy, but she knew this wasn’t the time. Maybe she could ask them in two days, when she was apparently going to finally give up her role as a skeptic.

“Okay, I’m ready, I think,” Harmony let out a long breath that trembled as she psyched herself up for what she was about to see.

“Okay, Harmony,” Rhapsody smiled at her with compassion in her eyes. “I’ll be right here beside you the whole time.”

Harmony nodded with another grateful smile. Her hazy bedroom vanished and was replaced by a hospital room. She was only two years old but could clearly remember the scene in front of her. She was on her mother’s hip, standing next to a hospital bed. Her sister was eleven and was covered with medical equipment. Her mouth had a tube going into it, along with additional tubes going up into her nose and into her stomach. It was all her mother could do to keep her from crying at the scary sight of her sister.

“We’ve been given permission to move her over to our lab,” a man she recognized as her father told her mother excitedly. “I’m sure we’ll make a lot more progress on figuring out what is wrong over there and get her fixed up as good as new.”

“I hope you’re right,” her mother murmured worriedly, her face creased with worry. “It’s so hard to see her like this. Harmony is such a trooper, but she isn’t happy about seeing her sister so transformed.”

“Yes, well, she’ll have to get used to it. At least for a while,” her father declared, and there was a light in his eyes when he said it that was terrifying.

Her mother glanced over at him with an unreadable expression. Her face held no real warmth for the person she had married and had sired two of her children.

“What is it that you plan to do over at the lab that can’t be done here?” her mother asked in a voice full of reluctance.

“We have a lot more equipment, state of the art prototypes that aren’t available to anyone else,” he replied, and the excited gleam was back in his eyes. Her mother noticed it as well.

“You aren’t losing sight of the fact that we’re trying to heal our daughter, not test out fancy new equipment, right?” she asked in a voice full of warning.

“Of course,” he snorted derisively as his eyes lost any hint of warmth. “I don’t need you badgering me about how to be a proper father. You’re damn lucky that I am their father and that they have this chance at all.”

Harmony’s mother ground her teeth as she stared back at him, her eyes full of frustration.

The memory faded and a new one began. She was laying on the kitchen floor shaking so hard from a seizure that her head smacked the tiles until blood appeared. Her mother turned around from the stove and her eyes widened in horror. She rushed over to Harmony and lifted her off the floor. She quickly rushed outside of their large house and ran to the neighbor’s house. She pounded on the door, screaming for help as she tried to calm the shaking Harmony. A middle-aged woman answered the door hesitantly. She gasped when she saw Harmony’s mother and the blood all over her arm where Harmony’s head had smeared it. She drove the two of them to the hospital, her eyes wide and terrified.

Her next memory was waking up in the facility her father owned. She was covered in tubes and wires coming out of her neck, eyes, nose, and mouth. She remembered the horrible feeling of being so thirsty and not being able to swallow due to the tubes in her throat. It was torture, never ending pain that she would have happily ended her life to escape. She felt a small hand clasp her own hand. She let out a breath as she looked down at Rhapsody. She remembered why she held her breath now. She had done it to stop the pain that breathing caused with all of the tubes in her throat. She would hold her breath for as long as she could, sometimes passing out for a short period. It must have been a holdover from her memories when she felt intense emotions.

Rhapsody leaned into her arm, offering her support as the memories continued.

Twice a week they put her through a device similar to shock therapy, except this connected directly to her brain and made it feel like she was being shocked in different parts of her body. They had a program monitoring the rapid shocks, mapping the locations throughout the body that reacted to the different signals in duration and intensity.

They had just reached the memory she had been dreading. Along with simulating the feeling of being shocked, they had been simulating other sensations as well. The weeks they experimented with fire were like being in hell, condemned to suffer with no hope of escape. Her skin was perfectly healthy, but it felt like it was on fire. They kept her in a soundproof room, operating computers from other rooms remotely. They didn’t have to hear the agonizing screams of someone burning alive with no hope of finding solace with death.

Every few weeks there would be several men in suits who would accompany the scientists in to observe her. They had cold, emotionless eyes that were as terrifying as the manic look in her father’s eyes when he would tell her that she was making the world a safer place. They never said anything. They just looked at a tablet the lab technician or scientist was holding.

The memories continued for over a year, a never-ending nightmare of being treated like a lab rat. She idly wondered if her hidden memories had influenced her decision to become vegan. Being treated with clinical detachment as you were tortured for data was something no creature should have to suffer.

The worst part was seeing her mother. She was so devastated each time she came to see Harmony and her sister, Melody, that it broke her heart. She was four years old when her mother showed up with dozens of police officers and medical staff from surrounding hospitals. Her mother had spent much of their childhood wracked with guilt for not preventing the actions of her husband. He had been slipping bath salts into their food for weeks before their seizures. Their mother had found the container in his study when she became suspicious. She became even more suspicious when he tried to prevent her from visiting. Up to that point, she had spent hours each day with them, mostly when they were asleep. She had spent six months trying to gather evidence and start a criminal lawsuit. Harmony could only imagine the amount of gaslighting her mother had endured before she broke through the lies.

Her father had received funding from several pharmaceutical companies, as well as black budget money from three-letter agencies. Harmony never discovered what they were really trying to accomplish. After learning some of the history of medical experimentation carried out by the government, she was sure it wasn’t in anyone’s best interest.

The memories finally ended, leaving her mentally exhausted. She couldn’t believe that anyone, let alone a father, could do such horrible things to other people; to children. Now she knew why her mother always claimed her father had abandoned them. It would have been kinder than explaining the truth.

She wept new tears for her sister. She had been given such a raw deal in life. Not only had she been subjected to the same treatment, but she had also been older and remembered. Her sister’s extended bouts of severe depression made more sense now. To add insult to injury, her sister had ended up with a horrible excuse for a human as her husband. He had always been angry or irritated about something. He had treated Melody like something he had stepped on, and his daughters not much better.

“It’s time for you to have some real sleep now,” Rhapsody told her gently.

The world faded away and she was back in her bed. Rhapsody was still there with her. The fairy laid down in the bed sideways and laid an arm across Harmony’s abdomen. She stared into Harmony’s eyes, twin orbs of love and compassion.

Harmony smiled as tears leaked down her cheeks. “I’m so glad I met you, Rhapsody. You’ve made my world sing with color.”

“You’re very special, Harmony,” Rhapsody told her softly. “Forces of great power have tried to extinguish your light for fear of what you will become. They failed. You have an indomitable spirit and a will to match it. You have a long, amazing life ahead of you.”

“Are you really a fairy?” Harmony asked sleepily, resting her hand on top of Rhapsody’s on her stomach.

“You’ll see in a few days,” Rhapsody smiled her mysterious smile. “Why do you ask? Do I not look like what you expected fairies to look like?”

“No, that’s not it,” Harmony murmured drowsily. “I just feel like there’s something more to you. So much more that I can’t comprehend it. Are you a goddess for real?”

The bed shook slightly as Rhapsody laughed. “No, I’m not a goddess, Harmony. There are no such things as gods or goddesses.”

“I beg to differ,” Harmony mumbled lazily. “You’re my goddess.”

“There are entities who pose as gods,” Rhapsody remarked with a disapproving frown. “They had nothing to do with creation or any kind of divine law. They are just like Azeban, intelligences that seem powerful and wise to humans, but are just as petty and childish.”

“Hmm,” Harmony smiled slightly as she opened her eyes again to stare into Rhapsody’s mesmerizing gaze. “So, you’re the next level up from gods. Or maybe many levels up.”

“I’ll give you a tiny hint,” Rhapsody whispered, her lips curving up slightly. “I’ve told you where I came from before. You thought I was joking, but I was actually telling you the truth. I’ll tell you in a few days if you haven’t figured it out.”

Harmony smiled ruefully, giving Rhapsody a reproachful stare. “We both know I’m not going to remember this when I wake up, so how would I figure it out before the two days?”

“You won’t,” Rhapsody admitted with a wry twist of her lips. “But now I can say I played fair and gave you a hint.”

“Who was that guy at the music store that bowed to you?” Harmony asked, finally catching one of the swirling thoughts flying just out of reach of her consciousness. “Was he really an elf?”

“Yeah, he was an elf,” Rhapsody acknowledged with a snort of laughter. They’re kind of a nuisance. You know how I told you in your last dream that I don’t want your worship, I want your friendship?”

“Yeah, I remember,” Harmony nodded slightly, feeling her eyelids droop. “I still want to worship you though.”

Harmony smiled as she heard Rhapsody’s golden laughter, a sound of such majesty and joy that the world seemed noticeably brighter every time Harmony heard it.

“Well, elves want to worship me and won’t take no for an answer,” Rhapsody growled in disgust. “They’re immortal entities and have been around long enough to understand how silly venerating someone like a god is. I could deal with it if they weren’t so weird about it. They’re like druids on crack.”

“How so?” Harmony asked, fascinated in spite of her drowsiness.

“Think of the different idioms of speech throughout the ages,” Rhapsody began, her lips mesmerizing Harmony as she spoke. “Now imagine a group of people that speak in High Chant. Now imagine that we’re talking about personality instead of language, and you’ll have a good idea of what elves are like. They make my teeth itch, and my hair hurt. You will absolutely understand when you spend more than a few hours with a group of them. They spend all of their time trying to think on a higher plane, but all it does is make them confused most of the time.”

“Do you know how surreal it is that I’m talking to a fairy about elves inside of one of my dreams?” Harmony asked with a smile just short of laughter. “What a beautiful place this world became when you entered my life.”

“Don’t forget that you’re a psychic too,” Rhapsody reminded her with a slow smile. “You’re in for some very enjoyable experiences, Harmony Fay.”

Harmony felt her pulse quicken, all thoughts of sleep fading away. Her lips parted as she began breathing faster under the smoldering gaze of the flawless woman next to her.

“Sorry, I’m getting ahead of ourselves,” Rhapsody smiled wistfully. “You really do need to get some sleep, or those memories are going to slip out of the slots they’ve been assigned to. We don’t want them having emotional attachment to you, or there will be trouble. How about I read you a story to put you to sleep properly?”

Harmony felt a flash of disappointment but quickly pushed it away. They would get their time, eventually.

“Which book?” Harmony asked curiously, forcing herself to relax and let her fatigue pull her back towards sleep.

“The Chosen,” Rhapsody decided with a smile. “I always think of you when I’m reading about Riah.”

“Okay,” Harmony sighed with a happy smile. “I know that I wrote it, but I love reading it as much or more than I enjoy other people’s novels. Does that make me a narcissist?”

“No, it just makes you a good author,” Rhapsody assured her with a squeeze of her arm. “Okay here we go.”

“Where is it?” Harmony asked, looking at her in confusion.

“It’s all in my head,” Rhapsody tapped her head for emphasis. “Now hush.”

Harmony closed her eyes as a contented smile lit her face.

“Riah stood up from her morning stretches and groaned contentedly...“ Rhapsody began, her voice soft and soothing as she read. Harmony didn’t make it past the first two paragraphs before she was asleep.

XXXXX

Harmony felt gentle fingers brushing her hair out of her face. She slowly opened her eyes, feeling a sense of disorientation as her dreams slowly faded. Her mother was sitting on the edge of the bed. It had been her hand brushing Harmony’s hair out of her face. She smiled when she saw Harmony’s eyes open. Her cheeks were red with tear stains and her eyes looked haunted.

“Hey Mom,” she greeted her mother with a groggy smile. “Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry you had to deal with those memories again, Harmony,” her mother grimaced sorrowfully. “I guess I had hoped they would never resurface. How are you feeling?”

Harmony thought about the question for a moment, mentally auditing her personality and mood. “I’m actually feeling really good. I’m a little fuzzy on everything after my breakdown. My throat doesn’t hurt anymore, at least. How are the angels?”

“See for yourself,” her mother responded with a wry smile and gestured at the other side of the bed. Her nieces were spread out across the other half, several limbs colliding with each other.

“As you can see, they still turn into pinwheels in their sleep,” Harmony spoke quietly in an attempt to not awaken them. This had to be pretty rough for them. “How long have I been asleep?”

“About twelve hours,” her mother replied with a sad smile. “Rhapsody said you would need it, but that I should wake you up in the morning.”

“Where is Rhapsody?” Harmony asked with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“She’s around,” her mother assured her with a warm smile. “She just has some responsibilities at home she needs to take care of. She said she would be back tomorrow morning, and that you were in for an epic adventure when she returned.”

Harmony’s lips formed a brilliant smile as she thought of her beautiful goddess. The deific word triggered a hint of a memory, something just out of reach. There was something about elves? It must have been a dream then, because this is reality.

“Harmony, you were too young for me to do this properly last time I had a chance,” her mother began, her eyes filling with tears. “I’m so sorry I didn’t keep you safe, Harmony. There were so many red flags I’ve realized in hindsight that I should have been far more suspicious about. I know words will never be enough, but I’m so sorry.”

Harmony pulled her mother into a comforting embrace. “Mom, you rescued me from literal hell. All I have for you is gratitude and love. So many mothers would never have questioned someone like Dad or would have been easily overwhelmed. I’ll never be able to repay you for rescuing me from that horror show. I just feel so bad about Melody now, knowing what she went through already, just to get stuck with that piece of shit. All the guys she dated were like that too. She never got to fall in love with someone worthy of her. I wish I could travel back in time and find her a Mister Right to make up for all the hell that she went through.”

Her mother shook in her arms, and it took her a moment to realize that she was laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Harmony asked suspiciously.

Her mother pulled away to look at her, cheeks wet with tears. She stared at Harmony with loving eyes and a wondering smile. “Even in your darkest moments you are always thinking of others. You really are an angel, Harmony. I’m so very proud of you. Despite all the crap this world has thrown your way, you have pushed right through it and kept your smile. You have such a wonderful heart. I can’t think of a better person in the world for those two girls to see as a role model.”

Harmony closed her eyes as tears leaked out of her eyes. She felt like a brazier had been placed in her chest as warmth spread throughout her body. She might have had a rough start, but she had spent the majority of her life in a loving family, with a mother who would batter down the gates of hell to save her. She dreaded the day she lost this guiding light in her life. She wished she were in one of her fictional novels and someone could cure her mother of MS.

“I’m going in to the doctor today to get an MRI,” her mother told her, as if she had been listening to her thoughts.

“Didn’t you have one a month or two ago?” she asked her mother with a worried frown. “Did something change?”

“Yes, Harmony, something changed,” her mother smiled, her eyes filling with tears again, triggering Harmony’s own eyes. “I think I’ve been healed.”

Harmony stared at her mother worriedly. “Mom, I know you have been feeling better for the last day, but I don’t want to see you get your hopes up and have them dashed. That would be pretty rough. You know it goes into remission sometimes.”

“Oh, I know,” her mother agreed wryly. “But you don’t go from feeling like I did three days ago to how I feel now if it’s just a fluke. Rhapsody healed me.”

She stared at her mother cautiously. She didn’t want to remind her that magical healings were fiction when she was clearly already convinced that she was healed. There was no putting the honey back in the jar. “I’m glad you’re feeling so good, Mom.”

Her mother laughed at Harmony’s walking-on-eggshells expression. “I know you don’t believe she’s really a fairy, Harmony. You’ll see soon enough.”

“You’re such a goose, Mom,” Harmony sighed in exasperation. “I’m well past the age of believing in fairy tale creatures and magic. I’ve been pretty damn close to Rhapsody over the last two days, and I did not feel any wings on her back.”

“It’s probably something magical,” her mother shrugged, a faint smile on her face as she observed her skeptical daughter. “I feel like the list of coincidences is getting a little too thick for Occam's Razor to slice through. I can tell you know that she can hear your thoughts. You know she carried you up here like you were a sack of flour.”

“What, she made a mess?” Harmony asked dryly. She ignored her mother’s observation about Rhapsody’s seeming telepathy. That was getting too difficult for Harmony to dismiss, so she ignored it. She didn’t really understand how gravity worked, but it still did. Maybe Rhapsody was good at reading micro expressions and reading people. She had heard of people that were so good at reading other people that they were nearly telepathic.

Her thoughts were derailed when she felt someone tapping on her back. She turned, a smile on her face as she expected to see Rhapsody sneaking up on her again. Instead, there was nobody there. She turned back to see her mother staring at her triumphantly, one eyebrow raised in a way that would make Serenity proud. She had one hand bent behind her back, where she had clearly been using it to tap on her own back.

“So, would you like to explain how you feel touch remotely even when you can’t see the person do it?” her mother asked archly. “I’m excited to see what you come up with.”

“I’m working on a theory,” Harmony assured her mother confidently. She had no idea what that theory was yet, but it would be a doozy.

“Let’s hear what you have so far,” her mother urged her eagerly, her blue eyes sparkling with suppressed mirth. “Maybe I can help you develop it further.”

“Well... you know how bats have echolocation?” she asked, pushing her brain into overdrive.

“Seriously, Harmony?” her mother asked incredulously. “You think you are using sonar to map the room around you to see behind people’s backs?”

“Dolphins do it,” Harmony pointed out defensively. “Maybe we have some kind of built-in sonar as well, but we just stopped using it and it only popped up in my genes because my brain got hacked.”

Her mother lost some of her playfulness at the reminder. “Well, that could explain the sonar, but why can’t you use it all of the time if that’s what you’re doing? Why does it only work if someone is triggering your synesthesia?”

“Maybe it’s always pinging out around me,” Harmony began slowly as she adjusted the gears in her brain. “But I’m not consciously aware of it unless the part of my brain that triggers the synesthesia notices it.”

Her mother stared at her thoughtfully, a smile appearing on her face. “Okay, you definitely did not disappoint. You should get a job working for the Men In Black as their PR spin doctor.”

“If the position existed, I’d take it,” Harmony declared airily. “I’ll always be here to poke holes in everyone’s superstitions and fantasies.”

Her nieces started stirring, mumbling sleepily as they looked around the slowly lightening room. Serenity was the first one to wake up all of the way. Her gaze sharpened on Harmony, and she rolled over several times until she was next to her.

“Are you okay, Aunt Harmony?” Serenity asked, her concern warming Harmony’s heart.

“I’m doing much better,” Harmony assured her with a sanguine smile. “Thank you for keeping me company. I love you and Aurora to pieces.”

Serenity wrapped her arms around her and sighed with relief. “Don’t you ever scare us like that again, do you understand?”

“I copy that, loud and clear,” Harmony responded in her best redneck voice.

“And don’t you ever speak in that redneck dialect again,” Serenity warned with a dangerous edge in her voice.

Harmony started laughing at her bossy niece, finding the growing confidence in her niece to be adorable.

“Are you laughing at me?” Serenity demanded incredulously, releasing Harmony to pull back and glare at her.

“Not at you,” Harmony denied quickly. “Just at the situation. Now run along and get ready for school. It’s Monday.”

“Ug!” Serenity groaned, rolling the rest of the way off of the bed. She sighed as she zombie-walked out the door. “I can’t wait for summer.”

“On that note, I better get ready to head into the doctor’s office,” her mother announced with her own groan as she stood up. “I was planning on staying the night here again, if that’s okay with you?”

“You don’t need to ask that, Mom,” Harmony scolded her in exasperation. “This is your house too.”

“Thanks, dear,” her mother smiled wistfully, her eyes concerned. “Just call me if you need to talk or anything at all, okay?”

“Okay,” Harmony returned her mother’s smile warmly. “Thanks Mom.”

Chapter 10 - Meltdown

Harmony felt another pang of longing for Rhapsody as she pulled into her driveway. It hadn’t even been a full day, and she was already feeling mopey without her Rhapsody fix.

She spent a few hours on weekdays volunteering at the local women’s shelter. She usually handled administrative tasks and childcare. She preferred childcare most days. Many of the children were suffering from as much trauma or more than their mothers. She enjoyed playing childish games like hide and seek or tag. She had lost count of the number of times she had been assigned the role of a lava monster in a game of The Floor Is Lava. Seeing a child leave their worry and anxiety behind and just have fun with regular children’s games was a beautiful experience that would never get old.

She held writing workshops for the women when there was enough interest in creative or technical writing. Volunteering at the shelter was a bittersweet experience. She couldn’t stop herself from growing attached to some of the people she had met, especially the children. It was always sad when they left, never to see them again. It left her feeling like she was missing a part of herself.

That feeling had lessened after her nieces moved in with her. She chuckled to herself as she thought of how much they had changed in the years she had gone without seeing them regularly. Serenity was only about four inches shorter than her own six feet. Aurora would probably hit her growth spurt in the coming months.

As she started walking toward her porch, she realized it was occupied. She recognized Eileen from an encounter at the grocery store the previous week. Her husband was a firefighter, if her memory wasn’t playing tricks on her. She was either partly or fully Native American. She had long dark hair and a thin figure. She had a pleasant face, the kind that made it easy to open up and talk about things you would normally keep private. Harmony would have to be careful with her.

Wondering what the other woman was doing on her porch, she approached cautiously. Eileen smiled down at her with a friendly wave.

“Hi, Harmony,” Eileen greeted her cheerfully. “I never got a chance to formally welcome you to the neighborhood. Tyee wanted to come too, but I told him he had to wait until you were more comfortable with us as neighbors. How are you settling in?”

“I never want to leave again,” Harmony smiled wryly as she approached the other woman. Was she supposed to shake her hand or hug her? Why did it have to be so damn awkward? Eileen took the uncertainty out of the equation by stepping forward and giving her a quick hug.

“I can understand that,” Eileen sighed, shaking her head ruefully. “With all of the trouble you’ve been getting into, I can see why you might want to stay put.”

Harmony grimaced inwardly. It was too much to hope that the locals wouldn’t have learned of their adventures. “Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?” she remembered her manners. “Or water, if that’s your thing.”

“I won’t turn down a cup of tea,” Eileen accepted her offer with a grin that made her look like a teenager about to get into trouble. “I hope you’ll forgive me a little snooping. Everyone knows I’m the busybody of the community, so they’ll be shaking me for information later. I would rather hear it from you than the internet.”

“Sure,” Harmony nodded as Eileen followed her inside of the house to the kitchen. “My agent called me on our way back from Eureka yesterday. I didn’t bother seeing what people were claiming online, since they always exaggerate everything so much to get a few more clicks.”

“I'm sure it didn't help that the cops leaked the footage from the incident here the other night,” Eileen added ruefully. “They shared the video with the firefighters, and one of them uploaded it.”

“I assumed something like that had happened,” Harmony acknowledged sourly. “The same thing appears to have happened in Eureka. I explained to my agent that there’s always a logical explanation if you take the time to look for it. He works with people like me that make up fictional stories all day, so I was kind of surprised to see him get caught up in the hype.”

“So, tell me about this Rhapsody character,” Eileen said, leaning forward with curiosity. “I thought I knew everyone in the area, but I’ve never met her.”

“Really?” Harmony asked with a puzzled frown. “She said she’s lived here her entire life. All eight hundred and eighty-two thousand years of it.” Harmony finished on a dry note.

“Huh?” Eileen asked, nonplussed.

“That’s how old she said she is,” Harmony replied, shaking her head ruefully. “Of course, she said twenty-seven trillion seconds. I had to Google it to find out how many years it was. She’s a master at evading direct answers.”

“Where did you meet her?” Eileen asked interestedly.

“We first ran into her out by that giant wall,” Harmony answered, rolling her eyes. “Aurora decided to climb one of those giant redwoods and got stuck several hundred feet up. I was still fifty feet below her when Rhapsody appeared out of nowhere and then scampered up the rest of the tree like she was part squirrel. After doing an Olympic-worthy balancing act on the limb below my niece, she pulled Aurora down and then literally hopped down to the bottom of the tree without using any hands, despite my niece wrapped around her like a second skin. That woman needs to join the Olympics.”

“Wow,” Eileen said in a distracted tone. “That was next to the stone rings?”

“Yes, and now my nieces are convinced that Rhapsody is some kind of fairy who lives inside the rings,” Harmony replied with a resigned sigh. “I had hoped they would get over their fairy obsession after a couple of days, but if anything, it has only grown stronger.”

“What color are her eyes?” Eileen asked cryptically.

“Beats me,” Harmony replied with a shrug. “She never takes those damned rose-colored shades off. Why do you ask?”

Eileen was silent for a moment as her eyes stared into the distance. “Just some legends from our ancestors. They claimed a small woman lived inside of the stone rings. My great-grandfather claims she used to visit with some of the people in his tribe before the Europeans showed up. He said she has lavender-colored eyes that have some kind of swirling pattern surrounding the pupils.”

“Please don’t tell me you think she’s a fairy too,” Harmony begged in a pained voice. She felt a moment of shock inside at Elieen’s words, remembering the few glimpses she had seen of the other woman’s eyes. They had been lavender.

Eileen blinked and smiled reassuringly. “Just idle speculation. However, her hat and glasses are rather interesting. About twenty years ago, one of the cops in the area claimed a girl matching Rhapsody’s appearance assaulted him with a kick to the groin that ruptured his acorns. He claimed he was just asking her for identification, but he had a reputation for harassing the teenage girls in the area, so most people didn’t buy that story. So, what other oddities have you noticed about your personal fairy? Does she speak all the human and animal languages like our legends claim?”

“Your legends say she speaks to animals?” Harmony asked slowly.

“Not just animals,” Eileen said with a grin, as if it were just a game to her. “She also speaks all the human languages. To her, they are just simple patterns, easily picked apart and reassembled.”

“Well, she does speak to squirrels, porcupines, and raccoons,” Harmony admitted reluctantly. “They certainly act like they understand her, but I’m pretty sure they are just pets that follow her around, rather than wild animals.” She didn’t mention the flawless Spanish she had heard Rhapsody speaking in the studio.

“Tyee, my husband’s great-grandfather, claimed that she had names for all of the animals she befriended,” Eileen said casually. “The common animals were always ridiculously long names. Most of the magical creatures had short names.”

“Did Rhapsody put you up to this?” Harmony asked suspiciously.

Eileen blinked in surprise. “Put me up to what?”

“Telling me these stories,” Harmony replied dryly. “That woman has an even more twisted sense of humor than I do.”

“I told you, I’ve never met her,” Eileen said calmly. “I take it that she has a similar naming scheme?”

“She has serious issues with brevity when it comes to names,” Harmony replied, still watching Eileen distrustfully as she pulled the kettle off the stovetop and poured hot water into a couple of mugs.

“I would be interested in meeting her sometime,” Eileen said thoughtfully as she accepted the offered tea with a grateful smile. “Does she come around much?”

“Pretty much every day,” Harmony answered, a goofy grin appearing on her face without permission.

Eileen tilted her head curiously. “I notice you refer to her as a woman, rather than a girl. Does that mean you believe she’s older than she looks?”

Harmony nodded slowly, her lips pursed as she stared into her tea. “I’m pretty sure she’s older than me by a good many years. She said she’s on some special diet and won’t eat anything I offer, even though I’m vegan, so I think whatever she eats must contribute to her youthful appearance. I remember seeing an interview with a raw food vegan who looked like they were in their thirties on their seventy-fifth birthday. It’s amazing what a proper diet can do for the body’s appearance.”

“What makes you think she is older than you?' Eileen inquired, clearly fascinated. Harmony remembered too late how easily this woman could lead a conversation around like a carrot in front of a horse. She had a manner about her that put you at your ease and made you feel like old friends.

“Well, mainly because of the sheer amount of knowledge in that pretty little head of hers,” Harmony responded, trying to monitor her words more closely for anything that might cause Rhapsody trouble. “She knows so much about everything that sometimes I feel like a baby in comparison. And, of course, she plays every musical instrument with a skill that is unparalleled. Nobody gains so much skill in less than three decades, and only then if they were rigorously trained throughout their childhood. She plays the most beautiful music you can imagine. Scratch that; more beautiful than you can imagine. I’m a hobbyist musician myself and like to collect new instruments that I can learn how to play. When she claimed she could play every instrument, I marched her over to my studio to prove it. And prove it she did.”

“She sounds pretty amazing,” Eileen commented thoughtfully. She absently pushed her hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ears. Harmony shivered as she felt ghostly fingers run through her hair and scalp. “Do you think I could meet her sometime?”

“Sure, she’ll be back in the morning,” Harmony nodded, with another goofy grin that slipped past her awareness. How was she going to make time go by faster? If this were one of her fictional novels, there would be a time portal she could step through and skip the waiting. The thought of being with Rhapsody again set her insides on fire with longing as she imagined those expressive lips saying her name. She blinked as spots began appearing in her vision.

Crap! Breathe! she missed having Rhapsody there to remind her. She let out her breath and sucked another one in, cringing inside as Eileen watched her peculiarly.

“Um, sorry about that,” Harmony apologized as her face rivaled a sunset. “I have to remind my lungs that they are supposed to work alone sometimes.”

“That sounds rough,” Eileen noted sympathetically, eyeing her curiously. “Is it dangerous? Could it happen in your sleep?”

“No, nothing like that,” Harmony assured her as another blush worked its way up her neck. She wasn’t about to tell her that it was when she got excited that she held her breath.

Eileen leaned back in her chair in a relaxed pose as she watched Harmony with interest. “So, you’re a musician, huh?” Eileen had a pleased smile as she observed Harmony speculatively. “If you’re ever up later than midnight, you can hear a small group of musicians playing from somewhere in the forest most nights. It’s beautiful beyond description. There are about five different people singing and playing a variety of instruments. We changed our sleep schedule to become night owls just so that we could enjoy it at night. Unfortunately, they haven’t played for the last few nights. Maybe they’ll be playing tonight.”

“Sounds mysterious,” Harmony noted in amusement. “Has anyone ever tried to go find this nocturnal band?”

“As far as we can tell, It’s coming from somewhere on that property behind your house,” Eileen responded with a helpless shrug. “We’d need permission from the owner to go trooping through their land.”

“Permission granted,” Harmony smiled wryly.

“You own that land?” Eileen asked in surprise, her eyes narrowing. “The land all the way to the ring?”

“Apparently so,” Harmony laughed ruefully. “I didn’t know that until a few days ago when my mom told me that Grandma Dotty’s mom had purchased a thousand acres behind the house, which apparently includes the ring.”

Eileen stared at her like she was a puzzle that was missing pieces. She opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. After a moment of awkward silence, she finally spoke.

“Did you’re Grandma Dotty ever tell you any... how do I put this... fairy tale stories?” Eileen asked hesitantly.

Harmony frowned as she rewound her mind to her earlier childhood. Now that her memories were back, she recalled several trips to her Grandma Dotty’s that she hadn’t remembered before. Her breath caught as she fell into the memory. It was her first visit to her Grandma Dotty’s after being saved by her mother from her father’s lab of horrors. She had been wearing a special helmet to keep her skull sealed shut due to the holes that had been drilled into it by her father. Her eyes were bloodshot and blackened. She had only been out of the hospital for a day when her Grandma Dotty had convinced Harmony’s mother to bring her out to her house. Her mother had argued vehemently against driving her anywhere in her fragile state. Her Grandma had been even more insistent that she come out immediately. Something in her grandmother’s tone had convinced her mother to bring her. Harmony frowned as she realized her younger self still had total recall of the horrors she had endured.

She was a complete wreck. Her mind had been teetering on the edge of insanity after a year of inescapable torture that left her body whole while her mind was ravaged. Her synesthesia had been even worse than it was now. Something as simple as her mother’s arm getting too much sunlight as they drove down the freeway would trigger her memories of being burned alive. She would scream in terror at the expected pain. It never came, but she had so many tactile triggers that nearly every stray sensation that she felt from other people sent her into hysterics. Her mother had not known the cause, and just thought she was reliving traumatic memories. It was a testament to her mother’s desperation when she agreed to bring her to Grandma Dotty’s, a three-hour drive. Her sister had remained in the hospital. Their neighbor had offered to stay with Melody, much to her mother’s relief. They didn’t have any other family to rely on.

After three hours of anxiety, her mother had finally arrived at Grandma Dotty’s. When her grandmother had seen her, with her helmet and blackened, bloodshot eyes, her eyes had filled with tears. She knelt and pulled Harmony into a loving embrace.

“Okay, Mom, what did I just spend three hours driving through hell for?” her mother asked in a voice of bone-weary fatigue and despair.

“Stay here,” Grandma Dotty ordered her daughter firmly. “There is some banana bread on the counter. Go eat and get some rest.”

“What are you doing with Harmony?” Harmony’s mother asked warily. She was at the ragged edge as she dealt with the aftermath of her daughters’ ordeals.

“I’m just taking her for a walk,” Grandma Dotty answered reassuringly. “Go on, Joline. Eat, and get some rest. You can trust me with your daughter.”

Her mother’s shoulders slumped, and she nodded wearily. As she left, Grandma Dotty picked Harmony up and carried her into the forest. She pointed out birds and deer as they walked. Her voice was soothing, filled with compassion and love. Harmony had felt safe for the first time in years as her grandmother carried her further into the forest. They reached an enormous wall that Harmony recognized now. As soon as her grandmother reached the wall, she set Harmony down.

“I’m going to shout for a friend to come out and play, so don’t be frightened,” her grandmother warned tenderly.

She cupped her hands to her mouth and bellowed louder than Harmony would have thought possible. “RHAPSODY!”

Harmony had stared at her grandmother in amazement. She hadn’t been frightened, having been warned ahead of time, but she was amazed that an old woman could bellow so loudly.

They didn’t have to wait long. The air rippled like a heatwave before a familiar figure stepped out in front of her grandmother. She looked exactly the same, except that she had no tinted glasses or hat. Large lavender orbs looked down at her with concern. She bent down and put her hand on Harmony’s shoulder, staring into her eyes. Rhapsody’s large eyes were filled with an ancient wisdom. As Harmony stared into those beautiful eyes, she felt a sense of disorientation and a tightness on the back of her head. The tightness was soon gone, and the pain she had barely noticed from the holes in her skull was suddenly gone. The pain in her orbit sockets where they had drilled holes to access the front of her brain vanished just as quickly.

“Can you make her forget the last eighteen months?” Harmony’s grandmother asked quietly. “I don’t think she’s going to maintain her sanity if she keeps those memories.”

“I can’t make her forget them entirely,” Rhapsody replied softly, her voice full of pity. “But I can partition them away until she is older and better equipped to deal with them. Let’s get rid of this thing first.”

Rhapsody had brushed her hand across the helmet and a moment later it vanished. There was a sense of vertigo, and then she was in her grandmother’s arms, walking back to the house. Her young mind had no memory of Rhapsody or the hell she and her sister had endured for that last year and a half. She only remembered that they had visited Grandma Dotty.

As soon as they entered the house and her mother saw her without her helmet, she had turned to face Grandma Dotty, her face blazing with fury. The fury vanished as she took a closer look at Harmony’s eyes and found them completely healed. She had rushed forward and dropped to her knees before pulling a surprised Harmony into a tight embrace, weeping in relief. She had felt all around the base of Harmony’s neck and head with a disbelieving expression. Wide-eyed and tearful, she had turned to Grandma Dotty.

“How?” She asked in wonder, more tears flooding down her cheeks as she pulled Harmony in tightly.

“It’s better that you don’t know,” her grandmother had told her. “I wish you could have brought Melody too.”

“So do I,” her mother whispered through her tears.

“Harmony!” Eileen’s voice snapped her back to the present. The other woman was staring at her anxiously, her eyes wide and close to panic.

Harmony blinked and took a long, shuddering breath. Her cheeks were raw from tears and her arms soaked from where the tears had landed. She cleared her throat in embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry, Eileen,” Harmony began, her eyes puffy from crying. “How long was I out?”

Eileen took a deep, relieved breath and let it out explosively as she stared at Harmony worriedly. “About two minutes. I couldn’t get you to respond at all, and you started crying like there was no tomorrow. Are you okay? What’s the matter?”

“I really am so sorry,” Harmony sighed apologetically. “I’ve recently recovered some memories of a traumatic period in my childhood, and I’m still struggling to deal with them. I’m sorry to put you through that, Eileen.”

“You’re fine,” Eileen assured her with forced cheerfulness. “I’m sorry you have to deal with something like that. Trauma can rear its ugly head in strange ways. Is it something you want to talk about? If it makes you feel any better, I am a licensed psychologist. I wouldn’t share anything you tell me with anyone else.”

Harmony studied Eileen's kind expression, remembering again how easy she was to open up to. No wonder she had gone into the field of psychology. With a face like that, she could crack the hardest shell.

“I wouldn’t know how to start,” Harmony found herself saying with a sigh. “It’s pretty unbelievable and more like something you would see in a movie.”

“How old were you when it happened?” Eileen asked gently, leaning back in her chair again.

“I was almost three,” Harmony responded, closing her eyes as she viewed the flickering images in her memory. “My dad was a scientist in medical research. He poisoned my sister and me to justify using us as lab rats in his facility. We had a lot of invasive procedures done to us, especially our brains. I was stuck there for eighteen months before my mom had enough evidence to have him arrested. They hurt me so much. It just seemed to never end, and death wasn’t even an option. Luckily, I didn’t remember it until yesterday.”

“My god, that’s horrible,” Eileen whispered in dismay. “What kind of father would do such a thing to his own children?”

“The worst kind,” Harmony sighed, feeling slightly better for having told somebody about her ordeal.

“Were you experiencing a recall event a few minutes ago?” Eileen asked sympathetically.

Harmony furrowed her brows as she remembered the memory. It was impossible. Rhapsody couldn’t have been the same age that long ago. Maybe she had a mom that looked just like her. Maybe her mom could step through shimmering portals. She reached up and felt the base of her skull, where she remembered the holes being drilled. There was nothing but bone there now.

“I think it must have been a fabricated memory,” Harmony murmured doubtfully.

“What happened?” Eileen inquired, her open face making it so easy to speak with her.

“I remember my mom bringing me here after I got out of the hospital,” Harmony frowned as she continued. “My grandma took me to the wall and met somebody that looked just like Rhapsody. Maybe her mother? She healed me and partitioned my memories so that I wouldn’t remember until I was older. That’s impossible though. I’m sure my four-year old mind was fabricating memories or something.”

Eileen smiled wryly, her eyes sparkling with emotion. “Flying used to be impossible. Moving faster than forty miles per hour would pull your face off your head. It’s never wise to claim anything as impossible. Who knows what else exists in this strange world of ours? I tend to look at the world as anything is possible and nobody knows anything definitively. That’s just my personal outlook on the world.”

Harmony stared at nothing, trying to make sense of the new memory. Could it all be true? Could Rhapsody really be some kind of fairy that had lived hundreds of thousands of years? Rhapsody had claimed to be good friends with her Grandma Dotty. Her memory clearly showed that her grandmother had known Rhapsody. Then there was that damn telepathy. There were only so many coincidences she could rely on to explain things before she started looking crazy, even to herself. Why was she so insistent about fantasy remaining fantasy? She looked across the table and met the patient eyes of Eileen. She was a psychologist, so maybe she would know.

“I’ve always had an overpowering need to delineate fiction from reality,” Harmony started in a hesitant voice, her eyes troubled. “I feel a driving need to shut down any attempt to legitimize events that belong in what I consider fiction. Why do you think I have such a strong compulsion to shout fake?”

Eileen steepled her fingers as she looked back at Harmony thoughtfully, triggering Harmony’s synesthesia. “While the memories of your mistreatment may have been blocked from your conscious mind, they were still present in your subconscious. Having so much trauma can lead a person to delineate boundaries in their worldview as a means of protecting themselves from future trauma. Trauma fundamentally disrupts our sense of safety and predictability in the world - it shatters our basic assumptions about how things work and what we can trust. When someone experiences trauma, especially early in life, it often involves a situation where reality became confusing, distorted, or unreliable. In your case, it likely resulted in a deep uncertainty about what's real and what isn't. The obsession with fact versus fiction is likely an attempt to regain control and create safety by establishing clear boundaries around what can be trusted. There may be an underlying fear that if you can't distinguish fact from fiction, you or your family will be vulnerable to manipulation or deception again.”

Harmony felt the explanation hit harder than she expected. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I just don’t know how to stop being such a skeptic. I’ve seen Rhapsody do so many unbelievable things, things that any normal person would immediately accept as magical. As soon as someone points it out though, the skeptic in me rises up and starts finding explanations for why something impossible is totally normal. I’m pretty sure my nieces and mom all know who and what she is and are just waiting for me to accept it.”

“What would change in your behavior toward Rhapsody if you suddenly accepted her as a fairy?” Eileen asked, her voice gentle.

Harmony opened her eyes and stared back at Elieen thoughtfully. “I’m not sure anything would change. I already love her more than words could describe. I don’t think accepting that she was extraordinary would change how I feel about her.”

Eileen’s eyes widened at Harmony’s admission. “Are you two an… item?”

Harmony felt her neck flush up into her cheeks as she stared back at Eileen. “Yeah, we’re an item.”

“Wow,” Eileen murmured in awe. “I never thought I would see the day Rhapsody would find love.”

“I thought you said you didn’t know her,” Harmony remarked, eyeing Eileen suspiciously.

“I’ve never met her before,” Eileen clarified with a small smile. “But she’s a very prominent individual in our legends. One of her titles is ‘The Unbound’, because she never wanted to be in a relationship with anyone. There must be something very special about you if that has changed.”

Harmony felt warmth spread out from her chest at Eileen’s words. She felt a goofy smile on her face and quickly covered her mouth. Eileen laughed at her reaction, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

“I understand you much better now, Harmony,” Eileen announced, standing up with a warm smile. “I’m glad I had a chance to get to know you. I’m not sure if it was your fairy that sent me over here, but I came because of a dream I had last night. I dreamed that I saw myself visiting you here, and there was something very important I needed to talk to you about. When I woke up, it’s all I could think of. We take dreams seriously in my culture.”

“I’m glad you came,” Harmony told her with a genuine smile. “I do feel better after talking about everything. Thank you for coming and walking me through the maze of my head. Maybe I can be a little more open-minded now that I have some idea of where my skepticism is rooted.”

Eileen gave her a farewell hug and walked over to a bicycle that Harmony hadn’t noticed. She should get some bikes for Aurora and Serenity. She didn’t think the two of them even knew how to ride a bike. Teaching the two of them to ride would be a fun activity to do with Rhapsody. She smiled at the way her thoughts automatically included Rhapsody for everything in her life now.

She had an hour until it was time to pick up the squirts from the bus stop. She decided to go play in her studio. If she ever wanted to become as good as Rhapsody with her instruments, she needed to get serious.

She received a text from her mother that she was on her way back. A second short text followed the first: I’m cured. Harmony’s hand flew to her mouth as tears filled her eyes. She knew her mother had gone in for an MRI. She had been anxious about her mother’s hopes being crushed when the scans showed the same lesions as before. She had not believed it possible for her mother to be cured. At least, not until she had a memory recall of her grandmother taking a four-year old Harmony to the rings and having her healed. Now, she could believe it.

She was left shaking and overwhelmed with such powerful relief that she worried she might pass out. Tears of joy and gratitude stung her already tearstained cheeks. She now knew who to thank for her mother’s recovery. Her mother must have known shortly after meeting Rhapsody what had happened almost twenty years ago, when Harmony had been healed. She wondered why her mother had never told her about the miraculous healing.

She sat down at her iMac and opened Logic Pro, preparing to record a piano track. The first file in the recent list was ‘Bringing Harmony to the Melody of Life’. She stared at the title in surprise. Had Rhapsody been here while Harmony was at the women’s shelter? She eagerly opened the file and stared at the track layout. There were over a dozen tracks. She eagerly pressed play.

Harmony felt tingles ripple through her body as the most transcendent music she had ever heard filled the studio with radiance. She was so moved that she started seeing spots and had to suck in huge gulps of air. Rhapsody had five tracks with harmonizing vocals that angels would weep to hear. There were no mistakes or moments of less than perfection. If there was a song that defined the creation of life, this would have been used for its source of inspiration. There was joy, sorrow, wonder, and above all, love intertwined throughout each measure of the song, blended so perfectly that it was more of an experience than a sound.

Harmony replayed the song as soon as it was finished. She put it on loop and just listened to it over and over. She sighed with bitter disappointment when the alarm to go pick up her nieces from the bus stop began chirping. She hurriedly copied the song to her iPhone and then hurried down her driveway. She sprinted down the county road toward the bus stop, determined to maintain her ritual of always running the mile to the bus stop.

The bus driver stared at her curiously as her nieces exited the bus. Normally, he gave her a rueful head shake or a disgusted look, making it clear what he thought of running.

“Is Rhapsody back yet?” Aurora asked as she descended the steps;

Harmony glanced at the bus driver, noting his keen interest in her answer. “How was school?” she asked instead of answering.

“Everyone wanted to know about you and Rhapsody,” Serenity answered with a mixture of pride and amusement. “Even one of my teachers asked me about her.”

“I’m sorry that you two had to deal with that,” Harmony sighed regretfully. “If you need some time away from school, we can take a sabbatical until things quiet down.”

“It was kind of cool,” Serenity told her with a small smile. “I’ve never been the center of attention like that. Everyone wanted to know if you were really the famous author everyone is talking about. The famous author that was in some kind of relationship with Rhapsody.”

“Yeah, it was kind of funny,” Aurora giggled, her eyes sparkling with life. “I had a boy ask me if you and Rhapsody were really human. He wanted to know why she hides her ears and eyes if she was human.”

“What did you tell him?” Harmony asked, feeling a sinking sensation in her stomach. She could already guess the answer.

“The truth, of course,” Aurora shrugged, a smile appearing on her face. “That she’s a fairy.”

“How are you feeling, Aunt Harmony?” Serenity asked with concern, seeming to remember the traumatic events of the previous night.

“I’m feeling better,” Harmony smiled reassuringly.

“What happened that was so bad that you made yourself forget?” Serenity asked hesitantly. “Do you feel comfortable talking about it?”

Harmony impulsively pulled her nieces into a quick hug. “You two really are the best, do you know that? I love you both so much.”

Serenity smiled back at her contentedly, soaking up the affection like a water-starved plant. “We love you too, Aunt Harmony.”

“Even if you are kind of crazy,” Aurora added with a grin.

“Aurora!” Serenity scolded her sister in mock exasperation. “You only joke about that if the person isn’t actually crazy.”

“Oh, now I feel much better,” Harmony commented dryly. “When did you two want - “

She broke off at the sound of an angry bellow in the trees next to the road. She instinctively pushed Serenity and Aurora behind her as she peered into the thick trees. An extremely angry looking black bear was moving toward them purposefully. Harmony did the only thing her terrified mind remembered to do when faced with a black bear; she raised her hands above her head and tried to look as large as she could and slowly started backing away, pushing her nieces backward with her hips.

The bear started stomping its paws on the ground and huffing. As Harmony continued slowly backing away, it began advancing at a brisk gait.

“Go away, you grouchy furball,” Harmony said firmly, proud of herself that her voice remained steady.

“Aunt Harmony…” Aurora began in a quavering voice. “I think we should run.”

“Do not run,” Harmony said forcefully. “It’s faster than us, and it will only encourage it.”

“It already seems pretty encouraged,” Serenity pointed out anxiously as it began moving toward them more quickly.

Harmony began waving her arms and cursing at it loudly. Instead of discouraging the beast, it broke into an all-out run, bawling loudly as it charged.

“What is it with you three and attracting trouble?” Rhapsody’s voice asked from just behind them.

Harmony jerked her eyes away from the bear to stare in shock at Rhapsody as she calmly walked in front of them. The small woman was in her trap hat and glasses again. Harmony looked back at the bear and sagged in relief as it came to an abrupt stop.

“You got a problem, Oscar?” Rhapsody called out to the bear challengingly.

The bear let out a pitiful whine and began backing away slowly.

“Yeah, you better keep walking, punk!” Rhapsody declared imperiously. “I’ll kick your flabby butt back into the last ice age if I catch you terrorizing my friends again.”

With a final snorted growl, the bear turned around and ambled back into the woods.

“Apparently four people are more trouble than Oscar wants to deal with,” Rhapsody noted with a smirk at the bears departing back.

“Oscar?” Harmony asked with a raised eyebrow as her heartbeat began slowing down from Mach five. She stared hungrily at Rhapsody, drinking in the sight of her savior. She felt a thrill of excitement that she didn’t have to wait until the next day to see her... her... girlfriend?

“Oscar the Grouch,” Rhapsody elaborated with a lopsided smile. “From Sesame Street, right?”

“A very fitting name,” Harmony agreed with a shuddering breath. “That was definitely a very grouchy bear.”

Before Rhapsody could say anything else, she was engulfed in a bear hug by an extremely relieved Aurora. Rhapsody’s expression softened as she gently ran her fingers through Aurora’s hair comfortingly. Harmony shivered as her synesthesia mirrored the sensation in her own scalp.

“I didn’t think you were ever coming back,” Aurora informed her tearfully.

“Where else would I go?” Rhapsody asked her gently. “This is my home, after all.”

Harmony looked up as a cop car slowly drove past. The grey-haired officer driving was frowning as he stared at Rhapsody. When she looked up and saw him, he slammed on his brakes and jumped out of his car.

“Here we go again,” Rhapsody muttered under her breath. “This guy just never learns.”

The grey-haired cop was striding up to them quickly with a look of fury on his face. His partner was hurriedly trying to catch up as he stopped in front of Rhapsody.

“You!” he hissed venomously. “You cost me my marriage!”

Rhapsody gently disentangled herself from Aurora and took a few steps back. “I’m afraid you have mistaken me for someone else, Turbo.”

“Then show me some identification, now!” he growled threateningly, pulling his pistol from its holster.

“I’m afraid I left my papers somewhere in the 20th century,” Rhapsody replied contemptuously. “Unless the fourth amendment is no longer valid, I don’t have to show you anything.”

With an enraged bellow, he raised his gun and pointed it at her chest. “It is you! You ruined my life, you worthless whore!”

“Easy, Randall,” his partner said nervously. “This is just a kid. The girl that attacked you would be over thirty years old by now.”

Several cars had stopped to watch, since the police car was blocking both lanes. One of the spectators had pulled out a phone and started recording.

“Bullshit, this is her!” he spat hatefully. “She’s got the same stupid hat and glasses.”

“Why don’t you go inspect that car’s windows or something?” Rhapsody suggested maliciously. “I’m pretty sure the tint is beyond the legal limit. Doubtless, they are hiding several kilos of illegal narcotics.”

With a maniacal shriek, he squeezed off a round at the same time that Rhapsody dropped to the ground. Before he could take another shot, his partner cannoned into him, carrying both of them to the ground.

“What the hell is the matter with you, Randall?” his partner demanded angrily. “Are you trying to get kicked off the force?”

“Get off me, goddamnit!” Randall roared, trying to shake his partner off. “I’m going to kill that bitch!”

“I think we best be on our way,” Rhapsody suggested, standing back up and herding Harmony and her nieces away from the furiously struggling cop.

“Stay where you are!” Randall’s partner shouted, grunting with the effort of keeping Randall from getting back up.

“So, your lecherous partner can use me for more live target practice?” Rhapsody asked sarcastically. “No thanks, I think I’ll just go play on a freeway instead.”

The four of them quickly made their way to Harmony’s house as the two cops continued wrestling on the ground.

“What was that all about?” Harmony asked suspiciously after they finally walked through her front door and moved to the front room. The walk home had been quiet. Harmony had just enjoyed being close to the other woman again.

Rhapsody sat in one of the armchairs while Serenity joined Harmony on the couch. Aurora climbed up on the large arm of Rhapsody’s chair, unwilling to let the small woman out of arms reach. Rhapsody smiled fondly at Aurora and pulled her down into the chair. They were small enough that they both easily fit.

“I suspect it has a lot to do with the low standards our local law enforcement office has when it comes to screening applicants for homicidal tendencies,” Rhapsody replied disdainfully.

“He seemed to have some history with you,” Harmony noted conversationally. She felt like she was so close to letting go of the chains binding her thoughts to a two-dimensional world of possibilities. She just needed to hear the right answers to finally embrace a world of color and beauty. “You ever run into him before?”

“I’m sure I would remember if I did,” Rhapsody replied with a shrug. “With an attitude like that, he would be hard to forget.”

Harmony continued staring at Rhapsody silently. For her part, Rhapsody ostensibly avoided looking at Harmony, looking around the house as if she had never seen it before.

“I had a visitor today that wanted to meet you,” Harmony informed Rhapsody carefully. “Her name is Eileen. Do you know her?”

“Of course,” Rhapsody replied with a nod. “She married Tyee’s great-grandson. She could definitely do worse.”

“She said she had never met you before,” Harmony continued probingly. “I told her you had lived here all of your life.”

“Just because she doesn’t know me doesn’t mean I don’t know her,” Rhapsody said with a half-smile. “Did she have anything interesting to say?”

“Apparently, she’s a psychologist,” Harmony answered, tilting her head as she watched Rhapsody. “She said she had a dream she was supposed to visit me. I’m glad she did. She helped me work through some confusing issues I haven’t been able to resolve on my own. I feel like I’m making progress with some of my more pigheaded personality traits.”

“You don’t have any pigheaded personality traits,” Rhapsody objected, her lips curving into an amused smile. “I haven’t heard you speak any pig Latin yet, and that’s always the first indicator of pigheadedness.”

Harmony snorted a laugh that wasn’t pig-like at all. “Well, I’m feeling like I’m close to some kind of mental breakthrough. Thanks for being so patient with me. Oh yeah…she also wanted to know what color your eyes were.”

“Did she now?” Rhapsody asked with a treasure cat smile. “How did school go for our new celebrities?”

Not going to answer the question about the eyes, Harmony thought to herself wryly. No surprise there.

“It was awesome!” Serenity exclaimed brightly. “Everyone wanted us to tell them everything about the two of you. Susan, one of the girls in my class, said her mom is totally obsessed with Aunt Harmony’s books and that she wants to meet her now that she knows who she is. I told her I couldn’t make any promises, because Aunt Harmony is kind of a recluse.”

“Mr. Owens couldn’t believe Aunt Harmony was really the author of those books,” Aurora told Rhapsody with a giggle. “She said Aunt Harmony was too young to have been writing that long. I told him how she started writing in high school and that she even let us help her with some of the stories, like the Lore Boar character. He thought that was pretty cool.”

Rhapsody grinned over at Harmony. “I always wondered where you came up with some of the more childish ideas in your stories. They added a nice twist and made them less predictable. I should have guessed these two would have something to do with it. Apparently, they have access to some of their soul memory”

“Any time I couldn’t think of what to do next, I just asked these two,” Harmony grinned back, feeling her heart overflow with warmth as she finally got to stare at those expressive lips. “They never disappointed. I tried to make the scenes sound natural, but there’s only so much you can do with a giant flatulent bore that sits with his legs crossed.”

Rhapsody threw her head back and laughed her golden laugh. Harmony felt like she might float away as warmth flooded her body. Oh, how she loved that laugh!

Harmony frowned as she rewound Rhapsody’s last comment. “What do you mean, access to soul memory?”

“Nothing important,” Rhapsody waved away her question.

“Oh yeah, I heard the song you put together in the studio today,” Harmony told Rhapsody with reverential respect in her voice. “I couldn’t stop listening to it on repeat.”

“Thanks for letting me use your studio,” Rhapsody replied with a self-conscious blush. “It was even more fun than I had imagined.”

“I’m dying to see you record your next song,” Harmony gushed enthusiastically. “I still can’t believe how amazing that song is. You have the most gorgeous singing voice I’ve ever heard. Did you take vocal training classes?”

Rhapsody’s face flushed bright red at the compliment, and she stuttered a few times before getting a reply out. “No, I just picked it up over the years.”

“I want to hear it,” Aurora announced eagerly.

Harmony pulled out her iPhone and started the song.

Her nieces listened raptly, their faces full of wonder as the beautiful song serenaded the front room with Rhapsody’s hauntingly melodic voice. As the song played, Rhapsody began tracing her lips with a finger. Harmony gasped as she felt the sensual touch. Rhapsody was staring at her with a small smile as she continued tracing her lips. Harmony shivered as her body filled with heat and longing. She longed to feel those lips beneath her own again.

“Breathe,” Rhapsody mouthed the word at her, the corners of her lips curving up on one side.

“That was amazing!” Serenity declared, wiping a single tear from her eye.

“Yeah, Rhapsody,” Aurora agreed fervently. “I thought Harmony was good, but you really put her to shame.”

“I’m going to second that,” Harmony agreed with a self-deprecating chuckle.

Rhapsody scowled at Harmony. “Don’t you dare try to belittle your musical talent, missy!”

“You’re an inspiration, Rhapsody,” Harmony told her sincerely. “You give me something to aspire to.”

Rhapsody’s face was like a sunset as she squirmed under the weight of so much praise.

“Where did you learn to play like that?” Harmony asked curiously. “And how long did it take you to get so good?”

“I just picked it up here and there over the years,” Rhapsody shrugged, her lips curving slightly. “I’ve always been fascinated with the magic in music. Its ability to reach deep into the soul is a special kind of magic.

Rhapsody trailed off as her head turned to stare at the closed door. Harmony looked at the surveillance monitor next to the door but didn’t see anything.

“Did you hear a spider crawling in Asia?” Harmony asked the distracted woman dryly.

“Your mom’s here,” Rhapsody replied, relaxing back into her armchair. “Her car has a very distinctive sound.”

“My, what good ears you have,” Harmony grinned.

“So nice of you to finally notice,” Rhapsody replied with a knowing look.

Harmony’s smile faltered as she stared back at the small woman uncertainly. Does she know I saw her pointy ears when David pistol-whipped her? God, she’s better than a politician at making nonspecific statements.

The temptation to snatch Rhapsody’s goofy hat off was almost irresistible. Before she could work up the nerve, her mother appeared on the surveillance monitor next to the front door. Rhapsody’s grin widened when Harmony continued staring at her suspiciously while Serenity answered the door, as if she knew exactly what Harmony was thinking. Harmony was pretty sure she did know exactly what she was thinking.

“Hello, Serenity,” her mother greeted her granddaughter in an uncharacteristically bright tone.

“Grandma, we got chased by a bear today!” Serenity announced excitedly. “Rhapsody chased it off before it could attack us though.”

“I did no such thing,” Rhapsody objected mildly. “He was just a big chicken and knew he was outnumbered.”

“A bear attacked you?” her mother asked Harmony anxiously as she followed Serenity into the room. “Did you contact the wildlife division yet?”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Harmony replied with a nod at Rhapsody. “I think Rhapsody put the fear of the light into him. Besides, the bear turned out to be a lot less dangerous than our local law enforcement.”

“Do you have some kind of magnet for trouble?” her mother asked exasperatedly. “What did you do now?”

“Don’t look at me,” Harmony replied defensively. “Rhapsody is the one they were using for target practice.”

“They shot at you?” her mother asked Rhapsody in shock. “What happened?”

Harmony related her version of the events, unable to keep the disdain out of her voice as she described Officer Randall’s behavior. When she finished, her mother looked at Rhapsody curiously.

“So, this cop thought you were the same girl that took his manhood twenty years ago?” her mother asked Rhapsody interestedly.

“That he did,” Rhapsody replied with a chuckle. “Apparently, wearing this style of hat and glasses was all that it took to implicate me.”

“You might want to get that hat looked at,” her mother noted with a small smile, pointing at a small hole right over Rhapsody’s forehead that Harmony had failed to notice. “You seem to have a new climate control vent there.”

Rhapsody just shrugged unconcernedly. “Proper ventilation is important in a hat.”

Everyone was staring at the bullet hole in Rhapsody’s hat silently. If a bullet had really entered her hat at that point, it should have gone right into her brain. Harmony shivered as a cold chill went down her spine. My god, she really isn’t human!

Before anyone could say anything, Rhapsody’s head swiveled toward the door again. A second later, she was on her feet and moving toward the kitchen.

“I just remembered I have to get back home,” Rhapsody called over her shoulder. “I’ll see you in the morning!”

Harmony hurriedly arose and tried to catch up to the hastily retreating woman, but Rhapsody was already out the back door by the time Harmony reached the kitchen.

“Harmony, there’s a news van in your driveway,” her mother informed her tersely. “Is there anything else you would like to tell me?”

“What?” Harmony asked in surprise, walking back into the front room.

Two reporters appeared on her porch, one with a camera on his shoulder. Harmony debated answering the door for a moment after they rang the bell. With a sigh, she finally opened the door.

“Can I help you?” Harmony asked the two men dubiously.

“I’m John Darier with Channel 5 News,” the man without the camera said, studying her curiously. “Are you Harmony Fay Conifer?”

“Why do you ask?” Harmony asked suspiciously.

“We had some questions regarding the incident that occurred here earlier this week with the girl named Rhapsody,” John replied with a false smile. He looked passed Harmony at her nieces and mother. “Is she here with you?”

“She just left,” Aurora announced from behind Harmony.

Harmony turned around and scowled at Aurora, shaking her head slightly with a meaningful look. Aurora blinked back at her uncertainly and then looked at the reporters with sudden understanding in her eyes.

“Do you know where she lives?” John asked Aurora in a voice normally reserved for toddlers.

“No, she doesn’t,” Harmony replied firmly. “I’m afraid we have some responsibilities that need our attention, so if you’ll excuse us…”

Harmony began closing the door, but John hurriedly put his foot in the way. Harmony’s eyes narrowed as she began reaching for the tazer she had put next to the door.

“What can you tell us about the incident that happened here the other night,” John demanded rudely. “Does Rhapsody have a history of violent behavior?”

Harmony pulled the tazer off the small table next to the door and brandished it in front of his face. “Do you want to see violent history in the making? Get lost, before I light your obnoxious ass up like a Christmas tree.”

John immediately backed away, with a wary look on his face as she closed the door all the way. He had probably been tazed before, to have such an instant reaction. I shouldn’t have warned the bastard. I’m sure he probably deserves it with an attitude like that.

“That was a novel way of handling reporters,” her mother noted mildly.

“I hate reporters,” Harmony grumbled. “They’re just a bunch of attention seeking presstitutes. At least I have the decency to call what I write fiction. Those sensationalist pricks couldn’t report real news if their lives depended on it.”

“Tell me how you really feel about them,” her mother replied with an amused chuckle. “So, what do you think about Rhapsody now?”

“Now as opposed to when?” Harmony asked blankly.

“Oh, come on, Harmony,” her mother said exasperatedly. “You saw the bullet hole in her hat. That cop didn’t miss her when he shot at her.”

“She dropped to the ground at the same time that he shot at her,” Harmony shrugged, her mind finally coming up with a rational solution to the dilemma. “If the hole was caused by the bullet, it probably just went in at an angle. Just remember, Occam’s Razor. Which is more likely; that she is a non-human, or that she just managed to dodge the bullet by the skin of her chin?”

“For an author who writes fictional novels for a living, you are sure cynical,” her mother informed her reproachfully. “How in the world do you write about so many fantastical concepts while remaining so skeptical about the possibilities in your own world?”

“There’s actually a very simple explanation for that,” Harmony replied matter-of-factly. “I realize how easy it is for the imagination to fabricate unrealistic fantasies in story format, so how easy would it be for people to misinterpret perfectly logical events in real life with the same unreal conclusions?”

“I would say that the evidence is growing pretty high against Rhapsody being a normal human,” her mother declared firmly. “First, you met her just outside of that giant stone ring. Serenity never saw her climb the tree, but she appeared right below you. Then, she performs an act of coordination I doubt you could find another human capable of imitating when she rescued Aurora and skipped down the tree branches. She hides her ears and eyes all the time and appears to be quite fluent with non-human languages. She looks like a young adult but has more knowledge in her head than most college professors. She has superhuman strength and speed, as you very well saw when she beat the crap out of David and dragged him outside. She saved you from a bear and then gets shot at by a cop who is convinced he met her twenty years ago. She took down twenty gunmen without a weapon. Am I missing anything?”

“She plays every instrument too,” Serenity added helpfully. “And Aurora said she had pointy ears the night she rescued her from the tree. She also knows how to disappear before you can blink twice.”

“Enough!” Harmony growled in frustration. “No matter how odd any of those things may seem, there are more than enough rational explanations for each instance that don’t involve mythical nonsense.”

“So, what would it take to convince you that she is something more than human?” her mother asked curiously.

“When I see her fly like Tinkerbelle and pour some fairy dust on my head, I might entertain the notion that she is a fairy,” Harmony replied acerbically. “Until then, she’s just a very unusual woman who knows her Native American mythology.”

“I know you don’t remember this,” her mother said quietly, her face subdued. “But she healed you after we got you out of that place when you were four. She healed me as well. The doctors are convinced there is an error in the scanning equipment. I know why you can’t open your mind to this. I’m so sorry that you have this to struggle with too, Harmony. I’m not going to push it more, because I know you can’t accept it right now. I’m going to trust that Rhapsody knows what she is doing.”

“You’re healed?” Aurora asked in growing excitement.

“I am,” her mother nodded with a warm smile at her granddaughters. “Thanks to Rhapsody.”

Aurora ran over and hugged her grandmother, her eyes full of tears. “I was so scared we were going to lose you like we lost mom.”

Serenity quickly joined her sister, hugging her grandmother with a loud sob of relief.

Harmony felt her own eyes grow wet with tears, having dealt with the same fear. She knew her mother was healed, and that Rhapsody was responsible for it. As soon as she tried to vocalize her change of heart, her throat froze up and she couldn’t do it. The little devil that had followed her out of her father’s lab would take control and deny the existence of anything magical in life. She pushed with all of her will to tell her mother she believed, but her mouth wouldn’t open to speak the words.

“It’s okay, Harmony,” her mother said softly, staring into her shimmering eyes. “I know.”

Harmony let out a choked sob and joined her nieces, pulling her mother into a tight embrace. She felt as if a knife had been removed from her heart as the certainty of her mother’s impending death evaporated like morning mist touched by sunlight. She would have her mom to help her raise these angels. She would get the chance to show her how grateful she was for the pain and anguish her mother had endured to raise her children in a home filled with love. Knowing what she had to endure now that she remembered her own tribulations only made her mother’s dedication more impressive.

Her mother rubbed her back comfortingly as she wept. “I know how hard you’ve tried to keep your fear of my condition a secret, Harmony. I’m so glad that I’ll be here with all of you for a lot longer.”

After a minute of shared catharsis, they were interrupted by another knock at the door.

She glanced at the surveillance monitor next to the door and grimaced when she saw more reporters on her porch.

“It must be one hell of a slow news week for all of these idiots to be investigating a case of domestic violence,” Harmony muttered irritably as she walked over to the door. She absently picked up her tazer again, just in case.

“May I help you?” Harmony asked the tall dark-haired man on the other side of her door in a barely civil tone. A blonde middle-aged woman stood next to him, with a camera on her shoulder.

“Hi, I’m Lars Smith with Channel 9 News,” the man announced with a toothy grin. “Are you Harmony Fay Conifer?”

“No, I think you have the wrong house,” Harmony replied shortly, already closing the door.

“You certainly look like the woman in the video we just watched,” Lars said quickly. “Do you know why Officer Randall was shooting at your friend?”

Harmony paused before closing the door all the way. Wow, that video can’t have been online for more than an hour. News sure travels fast these days.

“I have no idea why he was shooting at her,” Harmony lied. “He was probably high on something he confiscated from someone.”

“Do you know anything about the giant wall behind your house?” Lars asked, with a vague gesture into the forest.

“It’s big,” Harmony replied in a flat voice.

“Yeah, we noticed,” Lars replied with an easygoing laugh. “There is a team of geologists studying it right now, trying to figure out what it is made of.”

“How did they find out about it?” Harmony asked with a frown. “And they are trespassing.”

“Your feisty friend that has the blogosphere so fascinated has lured several investigators into the area,” Lars replied, his eyes watching her closely. “They discovered it while trying to find where she lives. Do you happen to know where she lives?”

“She lives inside the rings,” Aurora supplied helpfully.

“We don’t know where she lives,” Harmony snapped, slamming the door in his face.

“What is a blogosphere?” Serenity asked curiously.

“It’s where people pontificate about themselves to feel important,” Harmony replied sourly. “Aurora, please don’t add any more commentary when I’m talking with strangers; especially reporters.”

“I see you’re still making frequent use of artistic license,” her mother noted disapprovingly. “You can avoid giving them information without lying to them. It sets a bad example.”

“Don’t lecture me on lying,” Harmony retorted in dryly. “How many years did you tell me a fat guy flew around the world delivering presents and rabbits pooped chocolate eggs?”

“Don’t be petulant,” her mother chided calmly. “There’s a world of difference between telling fictional stories and outright lying.”

Harmony snorted derisively. “There’s not much difference when you fail to mention the stories are fictional.”

“You’ll have to forgive your aunt’s bitterness,” her mom told her nieces with a sigh. “She took the truth about Santa Clause pretty hard.”

“Is that why she doesn’t believe in fairies?” Aurora asked curiously.

“Part of the reason,” her mother replied sadly.

Harmony shook her head resignedly and began walking up the stairs.

“Where are you going?” her mother inquired.

“To get my laptop,” Harmony replied with a grunt. “I want to see what the hell is going on in the news that is turning this place into a freak show.”

After returning to the front room with her laptop, Harmony pulled up Google News. She didn’t even have to do a search for their town. Right at the top of the headlines was an article titled: Mysterious Wall in Northern California Baffles Experts.

A giant double ring of walls over four hundred feet tall and separated by a moat has geologists baffled as they try to decipher its material composition. The substance is so hard that not even diamond tipped tools can penetrate the surface. Adding another layer of mystery, anything electronic malfunctions when it comes within a dozen feet of the wall. An aerial survey crew nearly crashed when their airplane’s engines malfunctioned when attempting to fly over the massive structure. Satellite images are showing a large black blob where the rings are located. Conspiracy theorists and UFO hunters are flocking to the area, convinced that it is either a black government facility, or an alien base.

The giant rings came into the public spotlight after several YouTube videos depicting a small woman beating an ex-convict senseless after he attacked one of the local residents. Additional footage appeared online of the same woman, now known to be Rhapsody, defeating twenty armed gunman at a human trafficking staging house in Eureka, California a day later. She appeared to take direct gunfire without any indication that it affected her. In a scene more reminiscent of a Hollywood movie, she also burst into brilliant light, bringing what had appeared to be a dead victim back to life and healing all of the other victims. She was seen in the company of a woman named Harmony Fay Conifer, now known to be the elusive and secretive author of several New York Times best sellers. There are a lot of rumors flying around about the relationship between the two women and the secret world of magic they belong to.

Reporters were unable to locate Rhapsody anywhere near the small town of Orick, California but stumbled upon the unusual structures while searching for her.

One of the biggest questions on people’s minds is how such a massive structure could have remained hidden for so long. It sits in the middle of the giant redwood forest but is several dozen feet higher than even the tallest redwood. There are reports filtering in from surrounding towns that the military has taken an interest in the structure. Local residents in the surrounding area have reported dozens of camouflaged heavy equipment vehicles moving through their towns over the last twenty-four hours. Some people are speculating that the military plans to deforest the entire region around it to set up a base camp.

The second biggest question on everyone’s mind: who is Rhapsody? As I was writing this article, another video was uploaded with Rhapsody being attacked by a local cop. The video shows that there was not a bullet hole in her trap hat before the unhinged cop shot at her, but there is clearly a bullet hole after the shot. Unless her hat is bullet proof, the bullet should have gone right through her forehead. To add to the weirdness, the enraged cop claims that the same girl had kicked him in the family jewels over twenty years ago. He claims that not only does she look exactly the same, but she also taunted him with the same theme about the 4th amendment twenty years ago when he asked for her identification.

“So, is there anything interesting in the news?” her mother asked impatiently.

“Just a bunch of people without a life looking for a new source of entertainment,” Harmony replied distractedly.

“Let me see,” her mother said, reaching for Harmony’s laptop.

Harmony wordlessly handed it to her. No wonder the cop was so agitated. Rhapsody was pushing his buttons.

When her mother finished reading the article, she looked at Harmony and arched an eyebrow. “Looks like this place is about to turn into a circus.”

Harmony just grunted wordlessly. She stood up and walked out onto the front porch with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. There was a steady stream of traffic on the usually quiet county road. Even as she stood watching, a convoy of military flatbed trucks bearing bulldozers, logging equipment, and cargo containers drove past her house.

Her mother and nieces joined her a moment later and stared at the spectacle for several moments. Aurora was the first one to break the silence.

“What’s going on, Aunt Harmony?” she asked uncertainly.

“The humans followed me to my sanctuary,” Harmony replied with a dejected sigh. “God, I hope Rhapsody really is a fairy and can do something about all of this nonsense.”

There were several news helicopters flying around the skies as well, though they appeared to be staying well clear of the electromagnetic disturbance near the stone rings. Harmony usually avoided watching any television, especially the news, but she found herself going back into the front room and turning on the television.

They spent the next several hours watching an aerial view of the military unload and deploy all of their heavy equipment on the side of the road a few thousand feet from Harmony’s house. A spokesperson from the Whitehouse claimed they were just doing routine training in the area. It always surprised Harmony that the government even bothered with explanations anymore. It wasn’t like the masses had any power to do anything anymore.

The military had set up roadblocks to prevent anyone but local residents onto the small street, which was somewhat of a relief. Harmony had stopped answering the door after the tenth undercover journalist tried to convince her that he was with a government agency.

Aurora and Serenity were helping her prepare a fruit platter in the kitchen as the sun sank behind the horizon. The few soldiers willing to talk to the local residents had informed her that they were going to begin clearing out the trees in the area around the ring at first light. Harmony had been proud of herself for reaming calm as the young soldier shared the information. They’re destroying my backyard!

She knew enough about human nature and politics to realize how futile freaking out would be. Instead, she politely thanked the young man and tried to avoid thinking about the situation.

“Harmony, I think you should come see this,” her mother called from the front room.

Harmony brought the fruit platter out with her and set it on the coffee table. Her mother was standing on the porch, looking around the yard nervously.

“Do you normally get fog like this?” her mother asked with a shiver.

“I haven’t so far, but we are near the coast,” Harmony replied unconcernedly. “And it is getting colder now- “

Harmony broke off as terrified screams erupted from the forest next to her house. Aurora and Serenity were out on the porch a split second later, their eyes as wide as teacups as the fog began thickening and then rising off the ground. The screams of terror intensified as a sudden wall of fog rolled out of the forest and covered everything. The fog was so thick that she couldn’t even see the tip of her nose.

“What the hell is going on out there?” her mother asked anxiously.

“Rhapsody probably doesn’t want them destroying her forest,” Serenity answered matter-of-factly.

Harmony herded her nieces and mother back into the house. “Mom, stay here and don’t let Serenity or Aurora follow me. I’m going to see if any of those soldiers require medical attention.”

“Are you crazy?” her mother demanded, aghast. “You heard those screams!”

“They weren’t screams of pain,” Harmony replied calmly. “They were just terrified. Whatever is out there isn’t hurting them, it’s just scaring the crap out of them.”

“Harmony, please just listen to me for once and stay here!” her mother pleaded.

“I listened,” Harmony replied with a sardonic grin. “But I’m still going.”

Harmony hurriedly left before her mother could voice any more objections.

She blinked in surprise as she stepped onto the porch. Most of the fog had vanished. The military trucks that had lined the side of the road were nowhere to be seen. Harmony broke into a brisk jog down her long driveway until she reached the road. There were only a few wisps of fog remaining, but there was no sign of any military equipment anywhere along the county road. The full moon gave off more than enough light for her to safely sprint down the road.

She came to an abrupt halt when a squad of butt-naked men walked out of the woods next to the road. The whites of their terrified eyes were easily visible in the bright moonlight.

“What happened?” Harmony asked them cautiously.

“This place is freaking cursed!” a broad-shouldered man with dark hair declared in a quavering voice. “An ocean of fog came rushing out of the trees and disintegrated everything in its path!”

“Not everything,” Harmony noted pointedly. “You seem to still be here.”

“It melted all of our equipment, clothes, vehicles, pretty much everything but us,” another soldier replied with a shudder. “I watched an eight metric ton bulldozer melt into a puddle of goo in less than ten seconds!”

“Is anybody hurt?” Harmony asked, keeping her eyes on their faces.

“I don’t think so,” he replied uncertainly. “There was a team of scientists near the wall that we haven’t heard back from though. All their equipment went haywire a few minutes before the fog arrived.”

The squad of soldiers was calming down as they related their experience. Harmony pulled out her phone and smiled to herself when it turned on without any trouble.

“I’m guessing all of your phones are gone as well,” Harmony said, looking at their naked forms pointedly. “Would you like me to call someone to have some new clothes brought out to you?”

“That would be really awesome,” the dark-haired soldier replied sheepishly. “It’s getting kind of cold.”

Harmony wordlessly handed him the phone. A steady stream of naked men and a few women began exiting the forest as he began talking on her cell phone. It looked like a nudist colony out on a wildlife retreat as they staggered out to the road.

“You’re welcome to wait at my place until help arrives,” Harmony said reluctantly. As much as she detested the idea of a bunch of naked people occupying her house, her sense of compassion was too strong to leave them outside in the chill evening air. “I have some impressionable nieces I’ll need to lock in their rooms first though.”

The soldiers gratefully accepted her invitation. Two of their number began rounding up the other dazed soldiers and scientists before following Harmony back to the house.

“What happened?” her mother demanded worriedly as soon as she entered.

“First things first,” Harmony replied firmly. “Serenity and Aurora, go to your rooms and don’t come out until I come and get you.”

“Why, what’s wrong?” Serenity asked anxiously.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Harmony replied with a roll of her eyes. “I’m just worried about your virgin minds being scarred for life. Now go! No buts!”

“Would you care to clarify?” her mother asked when her nieces reluctantly went up the stairs to their rooms.

“The fog dissolved any inorganic substances that it came in contact with,” Harmony explained, unable to keep a mischievous grin from her face. “There is a whole company of nude soldiers freezing their nuts off outside. I invited them to come inside where it is warm until their superiors send them some new clothes.”

“Are you being serious?” her mother asked doubtfully.

Instead of answering, Harmony turned and opened the door. “You can come in now!”

A moment later, a line of about thirty bashful looking soldiers shuffled through the door, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Harmony led the five female soldiers up to the second floor and into her room and let them use her clothes. Despite some of them being significantly shorter than Harmony, they seemed more than happy to put modesty before style.

When Harmony walked back outside of her room, she found Aurora and Serenity standing at the top of the stairs with their mouths hanging open in shock.

“I told you two to stay in your rooms,” Harmony told them with a sigh. “Now stop gawking at the boys’ toys and get back to your rooms.”

“Aunt Harmony, why are their naked men all over the house?” Serenity whispered in horror.

“Because I wanted to start a nude art class, now get back to your rooms,” Harmony replied dryly.

Two of the female soldiers that had followed Harmony out of her bedroom chuckled at her comment.

“Go to your rooms, girls,” her mother commanded Serenity and Aurora crisply.

“Do all boys look that funny without clothes?” Aurora asked with a giggle.

“Now!” Harmony and her mother said at the same time.

“Fine!” Serenity sighed dramatically. “But you better tell us what happened in the morning.”

Harmony spent the next three hours depleting her kitchen of food for their “guests” while her mother guarded the stairs to keep her nieces from sneaking out of their rooms again. Harmony let out a relieved sigh when a military transport truck arrived with clothes for the nude soldiers. When everyone was finally gone, Harmony locked the doors and went immediately to bed.

Chapter 11 – The Ring of Dominion

Harmony awoke with a startled squawk as the blankets covering her were rudely jerked away. A grinning Rhapsody stood at the foot of her bed, with Aurora and Serenity giggling madly from the doorway.

“You planning to sleep all day?” Rhapsody asked with a cheeky grin.

“God, what time is it?” Harmony grumbled sleepily.

“You can call me Rhapsody,” the small woman replied impudently. “It’s already seven. Hurry and get dressed, there’s a cool trail I want to show you.”

“Seven in the morning?” Harmony complained. “But it’s so early!”

“You can’t sneak anything past this one,” Rhapsody observed wryly. “Come on, sleepy head. Let’s get out of here before more of those moronic reporters show up.”

“Where are we going?” Harmony grumbled as she groggily climbed out of bed.

“There’s a trail behind your house that I found,” Rhapsody replied brightly. “Since walking down your road is getting too dangerous, I thought we could try the trail instead.”

“Fine,” Harmony sighed with a small smile. “I’ll be ready in fifteen.”

“I brought breakfast with me,” Rhapsody informed her. “It’ll be waiting in the kitchen when you are ready.”

Harmony managed to nod in a zombie-like fashion as she robotically made her way to the bathroom. God, I hate mornings!

It took her sleeping brain a little while to recognize that Rhapsody was actually here at her house again. As the realization sunk in, she felt an electric jolt of energy and excitedly began searching her wardrobe for suitable clothing. She stared at another pair of Levi shorts indecisively for several seconds before picking a pair of soft white shorts that left her hips and thighs more tightly defined. She flipped through shirts for over a minute, second guessing herself every time she picked one. She finally settled on a spaghetti strap tank top that left a generous amount of cleavage visible. Feeling extra bold as she remembered Rhapsody’s comment about not being ashamed to be female, she went braless. She immediately felt self-conscious about the protrusions on her chest but forced herself to exit the room before she chickened out.

The first thing she noticed in the kitchen was a large cup of radioactive looking bright green liquid sitting on the table. A brilliant red fruit the size of a cantaloupe was sitting next to it.

“What the Dalai lama is that?” Harmony asked, eyeing the bright-green liquid suspiciously.

“I told you I had a recipe for a great drink at home,” Rhapsody replied cheerfully. She stared Harmony up and down with an appreciative smile. Rhapsody was wearing the same green summer dress she had worn the day she had given Harmony a massage. The sight nearly short-circuited her brain again. “This will perk you right up.”

Harmony blushed at the word ‘perk’, almost certain the other woman had used it purposefully. “Is there alcohol in it?” Harmony asked doubtfully.

“Why would I ruin a perfectly good drink with rotting refuse?” Rhapsody asked disdainfully. “This is much better than alcohol.”

“It’s really good, Aunt Harmony,” Serenity assured her, grinning broadly. “Don’t be a sissy.”

“I’m immune to peer pressure,” Harmony responded airily.

Serenity started making clucking noises and flapping her arms like a chicken. Aurora and Rhapsody both joined in, dancing around the kitchen like roosters on crack while crowing at the top of their lungs.

“Fine, I’ll drink it!” Harmony gave in with a laugh. “As long as you’ll stop making that horrible noise.”

The three of them immediately stopped crowing and gathered around the table, watching her expectantly. Harmony took a tentative sip. Her taste buds exploded in a state of pleasure that bordered on pain.

“Oh my God!” Harmony exclaimed in amazement. “I think I just had a foodgasm!”

“Harmony!” her mother snapped warningly.

Harmony ignored her, downing the entire cup. There was simply no way to describe how good it tasted. “This is better than chocolate! Like, a thousand times better!”

“I’m glad you approve,” Rhapsody grinned. “There are amino acids in it that activate a seventh flavor in your taste buds. Normally, your taste buds are only capable of detecting six flavors.”

“How do you make it?” Harmony asked greedily.

“It grows naturally,” Rhapsody replied, gesturing at the large red fruit on the table. “Most of this Yuccas Fitter is filled with liquid. You peel the stem off and pour the liquid into a glass. You can just drink it from the fruit too, if you want. It remains fresh for over a month, so I thought I would leave it here with you for the next time you need a pick-me-up, or know someone who does.”

“Yuccas Fitter?” Harmony repeated questioningly. “I’ve never heard of it. Where does it grow?”

“In my garden,” Rhapsody replied with a shrug. “I had to do a lot of crossbreeding to develop it.”

“So, you came up with the name yourself?” Harmony’s mother asked curiously. “Where did you come up with such an odd name?”

“It’s just an anagram for Ecstasy Fruit,” Rhapsody replied with a sheepish grin. “I know, totally cliché.”

“But quite accurate,” Harmony declared fervently. “I could so get addicted to that drink.”

“Just give it another fifteen minutes,” Rhapsody suggested with a mischievous smile. “You haven’t felt the effects yet.”

Harmony blinked and then looked at Serenity and Aurora. Her nieces were looking around the room dreamily, their irises almost half-again larger than normal. “What is it doing to their eyes?”

“It’s just expanding their consciousness,” Rhapsody replied innocently. “You’ll see soon enough.”

Her mother’s eyes were also beginning to change. In Harmony’s experience, it was usually the pupils that changed in size, not the irises.

“Come on, let’s get going,” Rhapsody urged them excitedly. “Now that your eyes are opened, this trail will look a lot cooler.”

“Did you really just give us some kind of psychedelic?” Harmony asked disbelievingly.

“Of course not,” Rhapsody replied dismissively. She grabbed Harmony’s hand and began tugging her toward the back door. “This is a lot more fun than a psychedelic.”

“You know this by experience?” Harmony asked dryly as she let herself be pulled along by the smaller woman.

Rhapsody just grinned without answering. Harmony was enjoying the feel of the other woman’s hand in hers. The smell of flowers that always surrounded Rhapsody seemed to be even stronger as she followed her out of the house.

Harmony blinked in surprise as they moved into the trees behind her house. She could have sworn there had not been a trail behind her house before that morning. The trail was wide enough for three people to walk side by side, with a canopy of pine branches a dozen feet high covering the trail. A faint breeze brought a pleasant scent reminiscent of lilacs in bloom. The redwood trees seemed even larger than normal.

After five minutes of walking through the enchanted forest, several elk began walking across the path with no hint of fear at their human neighbors. As they continued down the beautiful path, a variety of other creatures began appearing at regular intervals. Aurora and Serenity were beside themselves with glee as a grey fox sat on a log next to the trail and watched them curiously.

A few minutes later, they reached a small river with a giant redwood tree bridging it. Sitting on the center of the redwood bridge was a large mountain lion. Harmony immediately grabbed her nieces, bringing them to an abrupt halt. Rhapsody turned and looked at them with a lopsided smile.

“She’s not interested in humans,” Rhapsody told them reassuringly. “She’s just looking for a nice fat salmon for breakfast.”

“I didn’t think mountain lions ate fish,” Harmony’s mother said as she watched the large cat cautiously.

“They do occasionally,” Rhapsody replied as she climbed up the redwood bridge. “In a river with as many fish as this one, it is a much easier meal to catch than a beaver or raccoon.”

As Rhapsody continued walking toward the mountain lion, it flicked its tail in annoyance and then leaped onto a large branch at least a dozen feet above the fallen redwood. It casually walked the length of the enormous branch until it reached the far side of the river. With a loud huff, it sprawled out on the branch and watched them disinterestedly.

“Coming?” Rhapsody asked expectantly.

Harmony nodded wordlessly and began climbing the rough bark of the fallen tree. She was beginning to feel uncharacteristically optimistic as a warm glow began permeating her stomach. The green and brown colors of the forest took on a more vibrant shade as the warmth spread from her stomach to the rest of her body.

“I’m feeling a little peculiar,” Harmony announced hesitantly.

“That would be the Yuccas Fitter kicking in,” Rhapsody informed her unconcernedly. “Don’t worry; it won’t affect your motor skills.”

Harmony nodded vaguely as she began walking across the natural bridge. She felt noticeably lighter, as if she had shed at least half of her weight. Aurora and Serenity zipped past her in a blur as they caught up to Rhapsody. Harmony turned to help her mother up the side of the enormous redwood, only to find her mother already standing atop it behind her.

She felt an irrational urge to skip across the bridge as her mother walked past her without any sign of aching joints. She had to fight down a sudden desire to giggle as she watched the mountain lion yawn widely. I haven’t been this giddy since I was eight!

After climbing down to the opposite bank, a large rabbit sprinted past Aurora into the thick undergrowth next to the trail. Aurora immediately chased after it, giggling excitedly.

“Aurora, please stay on the trail,” Harmony called after her warningly.

“There’s a huge cave back here!” Aurora called back through the foliage. “You have got to see this!”

Rhapsody grinned back at Harmony and then walked after Aurora. Harmony glanced at her mother with a raised eyebrow.

“How are you holding up?” she asked her mother quietly.

“I haven’t felt this good in forty years,” her mother declared with a carefree laugh. “That Yuccas Fitter is worth its weight in gold, as far as I’m concerned.”

Harmony could only nod in agreement as she began following her mother into the thick foliage that Rhapsody and her nieces had disappeared into. They only walked a dozen feet before the underbrush opened up to reveal a cave at least twice her height. Her nieces were waiting with Rhapsody several feet inside of the cave. There was some kind of mellow glow emanating from inside the cave.

“What’s making it glow?” Serenity asked in puzzlement.

“Phosphorus,” Rhapsody replied absently. The small woman was walking further into the cave, with Serenity and Aurora following close behind her.

“What if there are bears inside?” Harmony asked nervously.

“There aren’t,” Rhapsody replied calmly. “I can smell a bear den a mile away. There’s nothing in here but fungus and us.”

Harmony cautiously followed them further inside. She was normally too claustrophobic to go inside of caves, but the warmth flooding her body had suspended her innate fear of enclosed spaces. Now that she had regained the memories of her time in captivity, she understood why she was so claustrophobic. The feeling of being trapped was a terrifying reminder of what had happened to her.

After a few minutes of following the small woman, Harmony looked back and realized the opening was no longer in sight. Taking a deep breath, she forged onward, hoping the effects of Rhapsody’s special drink didn’t wear off before they exited the cave. Rhapsody walked back and smiled at her reassuringly. She took her hand and pulled her further into the glowing cave.

“I’ll always keep you safe, Harmony,” Rhapsody told her softly.

Harmony melted as she heard the words, feeling an overwhelming surge of love for the other woman. Her fear of the cave vanished as she put her trust in Rhapsody.

It was like a walk through outer space. Millions of glowing dots adorned the walls and ceiling of the cave, providing just enough light to illuminate the ground in front of her. I wonder if I would be able to see this well in the dim light without that ecstasy fruit in my system.

After a few more minutes of walking, a dot of light began growing larger in the distance. She automatically sped up at the thought of finding an exit to the bizarre cave.

“Where do you think it comes out?” Aurora asked softly.

“One way to find out,” Rhapsody replied with a smile in her voice.

Harmony was right on Aurora’s heels as they exited the cave. She looked around in amazement at the enormous variety of trees in front of her. Most of them appeared to be in full bloom, but she had no idea what species any of them were.

“Are we inside the stone rings?” her mother gasped in amazement.

Harmony spun around and stared in shock at the giant wall behind them. There was a large hole in the wall where they had just exited. “No freaking way!”

“How cool is that?” Rhapsody asked with an excited grin. “This is probably the first time humans have ever been inside the Circle.”

“The Circle?” Harmony asked sharply. “I thought they were rings?”

“Same thing,” Rhapsody replied with a shrug.

“What does it matter?” her mother asked curiously.

“The Native American’s called this a Circle of Dominion,” Harmony replied, watching Rhapsody suspiciously. “Everyone else refers to it as a stone ring.”

“I fail to see the relevance,” her mother said with a frown.

Before Harmony could elaborate, Serenity and Aurora let out a squeal of delight. Harmony glanced toward them, and felt her jaw drop in disbelief. Walking under the canopy of foreign trees was a pair of unicorns, one brilliant white, and the other midnight black. Their horns shimmered with brilliant shades of green and red, just like the aurora borealis.

“Are those unicorns?” Harmony asked disbelievingly.

“Of course not,” Rhapsody snorted derisively. “There’s no such thing as unicorns.”

“What would you call them?” Harmony’s mother asked in surprise.

“Equineceritops,” Rhapsody suggested thoughtfully. “Or maybe Equinoceros. Which one sounds better?”

“Are you mocking me?” Harmony asked with a frown.

“Let’s just say I was agreeing with you in a totally unusual way,” Rhapsody replied innocently.

“You little weasel!” Harmony said accusingly. “You are mocking me!”

“How does it feel,” Serenity asked sweetly.

The two unicorns walked right up to Rhapsody and lowered their heads in a kind of bow. They were larger than typical horses, towering over the small woman by several feet. Rhapsody gently reached out with each hand and began stroking the sides of their faces fondly.

“I think they like me,” Rhapsody noted with a wide smile.

Serenity and Aurora were hesitantly edging closer, their eyes alight in wonder. Rhapsody nodded at them encouragingly, and they tentatively reached up and began imitating Rhapsody’s gentle strokes.

“How’s your skepticism meter holding up?” her mother asked with an arched eyebrow.

“It’s hiding under a rock right now,” Harmony admitted with a sigh.

As they gazed at the beautiful creatures in awe, the silence was interrupted by the most beautiful sound Harmony had ever heard. It was so poignant that tears began spilling, unbidden, down her cheeks. There wasn’t a definable melody, but a mixture of harmonics that seemed to vibrate through her physical body and reach deep into her soul. A moment later, a shimmering golden plumed crow wreathed in a flaring ball of red and green flame glided out of the air and landed in front of Rhapsody. It was nearly as tall as Rhapsody from where it stood on the ground in front of her.

“Is that Ikle Chikle?” Aurora asked in awe.

“It certainly is,” Rhapsody replied adoringly. “I told you she was beautiful.”

“That’s the understatement of the century,” Harmony’s mother said in bemusement. “So, she’s the Phoenix?”

“It’s all true then?” Harmony asked quietly. “The crows really saved our world from a dying star?”

“Transitioning star,” Rhapsody corrected with a grin. “Nothing ever dies. It just transforms into something else.”

“I don’t think you need the hat and glasses anymore,” Harmony said with a smile. As she said the words, she felt like an enormous weight lifted from her chest. Years of skepticism and bitterness fell away, leaving her breathless in sudden wonder.

“Finally!” Rhapsody breathed, her smile growing broader. Rather than removing them, her hat and glasses simply shimmered like heat waves and then vanished. Larger than human eyes stared back at her, filled with wisdom and love. Her irises were a brilliant shade of lavender. An orchid ring filled with what resembled Sanskrit surrounded her pupils on the inner portion of her irises. Delicate pointed ears poked through a crimson mane of silky hair that spilled across her shoulders, reaching below her waist.

The transformation was incredible. Without her costume, Rhapsody was inhumanly beautiful; literally. The four humans stood transfixed as they stared at the fairy in front of them. A moment later, an array of multilayered wings sprouted out from behind her, shimmering with the same colors as the Aurora Borealis.

“Wow,” Harmony’s mother whispered as a tear slid down her cheek.

“I told you she was a fairy!” Aurora declared triumphantly.

“Nobody likes a know-it-all,” Harmony retorted automatically.

“Says the biggest know-it-all in the world,” Harmony’s mother muttered under her breath.

Rhapsody’s musical laughter echoed throughout the clearing, filling Harmony with an indescribable joy.

“Come on, I want to introduce you to the rest of the family,” Rhapsody announced when she recovered from her laughing fit.

“Are we really the first humans to come here?” Harmony’s mother asked as they followed Rhapsody’s winged form deeper into the circle.

“Yep,” Rhapsody answered brightly.

“What made you decide to let us inside?” her mother asked quizzically.

“You were ready,” Rhapsody replied, smiling at the four of them fondly. “Until now, the human mind would have been incapable of accepting me for what I am. I don’t want humans worshipping me, and until now, that is how humans have reacted to our kind.”

“Why us in particular?” her mother asked shrewdly.

Rhapsody’s expression grew evasive, and her ever-present blush deepened slightly as her eyes flickered to Harmony and away so fast that she might have imagined it. “It just seemed like the right time.”

“Are you really the last fairy in the world?” Harmony asked quietly.

“I am,” Rhapsody replied with a sad sigh. “However, there are a few other species closely related to me that inhabit the European and Asian continents. You would refer to them as elves.”

“How do they remain safe from humans?” Harmony asked curiously.

“They rarely make themselves visible to human eyes,” Rhapsody replied briskly. “One in particular is actually quite hostile to any humans he comes across. Lochnar actually wanted me to exterminate the human race when they started sacrificing my kin. He really dislikes humans.”

“That makes two of us,” Harmony muttered darkly.

“I think he would actually like you,” Rhapsody chuckled dryly. “I’ve spent a lot of time trying to convince him to look at humans individually, rather than collectively. The last century has made that quite difficult though, as a result of all of the reckless technology humans have created that is destroying this world.”

“Where does he reside?” Harmony asked curiously. “If it’s not a secret, that is.”

“Chernobyl,” Rhapsody replied with a rueful shake of her head. “He’s responsible for the meltdown that occurred several decades ago. It was his way of ensuring humans stayed out of his territory.”

“What about all of the wildlife in the area?” Harmony’s mother asked with a frown. “Doesn’t he care about the local ecology?”

“Without Yuccas Fitter, you can’t actually see what the area around Chernobyl looks like,” Rhapsody replied. “He made sure that most of the nonhumans in the area were protected from the radioactive decay.”

Harmony shook her head in bemusement. Fairies? Elves? Magical creatures in giant stone rings? How in the world have our scientists not discovered any of these anomalies with the amount of technology we have monitoring the earth these days?

“Come on,” Rhapsody beckoned brightly. “I want to show you the rest of the place.”

Ikle Chikle launched herself into the air with another soul-piercing song of wonder as Rhapsody led them deeper into the enchanted ring. The small fairy was practically bouncing with excitement as she pointed out trees with glowing fruit that a botanist would sell their soul to get their hands on. Harmony followed their exuberant guide in a constant state of wonder as they passed shimmering Yuccas Fitter trees, Barnacle trees filled with flocks of some kind of nearly-transparent bird, Ferutter trees that were covered in blossoms that pulsed open and closed like a heartbeat.

After almost an hour of walking, Harmony gasped as she realized that what she had thought was a mountain was actually a reality-defying tree. It was enormous in a way that atoms were not. Her mind simply couldn’t comprehend that a living entity could be so huge.

“What kind of tree is that?” Harmony’s mother asked in stunned amazement.

“That’s Yggdrasil,” Rhapsody replied in an offhand manner.

“The world tree?” Harmony gasped in awe. “I thought it was a myth?”

“You also thought fairies and unicorns were myths, if I recall correctly,” Rhapsody grinned impishly.

“Is it true that if it dies, the world will die?” Harmony’s mother asked softly.

“In a manner of speaking,” Rhapsody replied with a shrug. “Every tree on this side of the world receives its circadian rhythm from Yggdrasil. If it dies, all the forests in the Americas will stop producing seeds. Without forests, this world won’t produce enough oxygen to sustain life. There’s a reason the Sahara desert is nothing but sand now. When my sister died, her circle died as well. When our circles die, the world tree also dies. Africa was my sister’s domain, so when she and her child were sacrificed it was the death nail for all flora in that part of the world.”

Harmony watched Rhapsody closely. She had talked about the death of her sister as if it was just a history lesson, but she could tell there was an undercurrent of intense emotion still running beneath the surface. She must have experienced unimaginable loss over the course of her long life. Harmony felt her heart break for the beautiful fairy as she realized just how much pain lay beneath the surface of her façade of cheerful exuberance.

“How high up does it reach?” Harmony’s mother asked in awe.

“Just under a hundred miles,” Rhapsody answered, glancing at Harmony with a soft smile. “The lowest satellites you humans put up in space are only a few miles above the top of Yggdrasil. Many of the meteor showers the world sees are the result of Yggdrasil and the other five remaining world trees shedding debris.”

“Didn’t you say there weren’t any other fairies left?” Harmony’s mother asked quizzically. “And that if a fairy died then their world tree would die too? How are there other world trees besides Yggdrasil?”

“I’m the eldest of the fairies,” Rhapsody explained. “I have dominion over more than one circle. Otherwise, this part of America would be the only place in the world where any flora could survive. There is a tree at both the North and South poles as well. If either of them dies, the world will die. They are responsible for maintaining the Earth’s electromagnetic field.”

“So, if you ever died, the world would end?” Serenity asked shrewdly.

“Yep,” Rhapsody replied cheerfully. “So, you better keep me alive, Serenity.”

Serenity hugged Rhapsody fiercely in response. A teardrop formed in Rhapsody’s large eye and fell onto Serenity’s head. A lock of Serenity’s black hair instantly turned a brilliant white. Rhapsody gently brushed her hand through Serentiy’s hair with a look of nostalgic fondness. Harmony felt her own eyes moisten at the heartwarming show of affection.

Harmony finall noticed that a lake was washing up against the world tree’s trunk. The lake was a rich shade of blue and had enormous lily pads sprinkled liberally across its surface.

“I could have sworn these stone rings weren’t large enough to contain a lake of that size,” Harmony muttered as she tried to match the blacked-out area Google Earth had depicted with the scene in front of her. “Or a tree this size. Why don’t they see these trees from all over the world if they go all the way up to low earth orbit?”

“Objects in a circle are larger than they appear,” Rhapsody told her with a mischievous grin. “Just like the passenger mirror on your car. You need Yuccas Fitter to see the trees from outside of the circle of dominion. Circles are like a wrinkle in physical reality, hiding most of what resides inside of them. Only humans who have spent a lot of time in meditation would be able to perceive a world tree from outside of a circle.”

Harmony tried to wrap her mind around the logical conundrum. It was almost as frustrating as trying to comprehend the origins of a first cause in the universe. Her troubled musings were interrupted by the sound of an airplane approaching.

“I thought people couldn’t fly over the rings?” Serenity said as she stared up through the foliage at a small plane passing over the wall with a trail of black smoke behind it.

“People can’t intentionally fly over it,” Rhapsody replied with a frown as she observed the small plane gliding toward the small lake. “Whoever’s flying that plane isn’t trying to get into the Circle on purpose.”

“Can’t you do something to help them?” Aurora asked worriedly as the aircraft quickly descended toward the lake.

“She’s doing just fine,” Rhapsody replied absently as the small plane glided onto the surface of the water flawlessly.

“Won’t it sink?” Aurora asked uncertainly.

“Undoubtedly,” Rhapsody agreed with a slight smile. “The mermaids will get her out of the plane though.”

“Mermaids?” Aurora repeated, her eyes going wide.

“Watch,” Rhapsody said, nodding toward the slowly sinking plane.

Harmony didn’t need to be told twice. She barely blinked as several heads wreathed in crimson hair bobbed out of the water around the plane. Shimmering arms that reflected the midday sun like mother of pearl pulled the planes’ door open as a raven-haired woman staggered out of the hatch and jumped into the water. A pair of shimmering arms wrapped around the floundering pilot and began pulling her toward the shore.

“What’s wrong with her leg?” Serenity asked with a frown as she watched the pilot ineffectually paddle her legs as the mermaids pulled her toward the shore.

Harmony squinted against the glare of sunlight reflecting off the lake. The pilot’s left leg appeared to end at the knee. “Did she get the injury from the crash?”

“Definitely not,” Rhapsody shook her head. “Most injuries that result in a missing limb involve at least a little bit of blood.”

Harmony raised an eyebrow at the cheeky little fairy. “You better hold off on the sarcasm in Serenity’s presence, unless you would like a lecture on buttery minds. Some of us only have human eyes and can’t see the rings of Saturn unaided.”

“Bitter!” Serenity growled in exasperation. “If your eyes are as bad as your ears, it’s no wonder you can’t see the lack of blood.”

“Touché,” Harmony nodded at her niece approvingly. “It’s good to see that you’re finally catching on to the art of sarcasm.”

Serenity rolled her eyes with a resigned sigh. Rhapsody caught Harmony’s eye and grinned sardonically before walking up to the shoreline.

The mermaids brought the pilot of the crashed plane to within a dozen feet of the shore before it became too shallow for them to swim. Rhapsody went out to the water and spoke to the mermaids briefly in a language Harmony didn’t recognize. Rhapsody bent down and pulled the woman up into her arms, cradling her as she walked back to the shore. It looked ludicrous due to the size difference between the two of them. Harmony remembered the ease with which Rhapsody had dragged David out of her house. She was one strong fairy.

Rhapsody gently set the woman down on the sandy beach as the others gathered around the waterlogged woman.

The woman’s long raven hair was plastered to one of the most beautiful faces Harmony had ever seen. If Rhapsody had not been around, it would definitely have been the most beautiful. Next to Rhapsody, however, she was merely pretty.

“What the hell is going on?” the woman asked in confusion. “Am I dead?”

“Why would you ask that?” Rhapsody asked in amusement. “Is this what you expected the afterlife to look like?”

The woman blinked in surprise. “Not exactly. I thought angels had bird wings, not fairy wings.”

“You think Rhapsody’s an angel?” Harmony asked with a loud snicker.

“Where am I?” the woman asked in bemusement.

“I take it you haven’t watched the news in the last forty-eight hours?” Harmony’s mother replied dryly.

“I make it a rule to never watch the news,” the woman said distastefully. “There’s enough negativity in everyday life.”

“What’s your name?” Harmony’s mother asked gently.

“Mystery,” the woman replied with an embarrassed shrug. “Most people just call me Misty though.”

“I like Mystery better,” Harmony’s mother told her with a smile. “What happened to your plane?”

“I have no idea,” Mystery replied with a defeated sigh. “It passed all the pre-flight checks. I was a little distracted when I took off though, so I may have missed something.”

“Distracted by what?” Aurora asked curiously.

Mystery blinked when she noticed the two adolescent girls watching her. “I just broke up with my boyfriend. It wasn’t pretty.”

“It never is,” Harmony’s mother noted sympathetically.

“So where, exactly, am I?” Mystery asked, studying Rhapsody’s winged form in fascination. “I’ve been flying these skies for over a decade and never seen a lake in this area.”

“Have you ever seen the giant stone ring from the air?” Harmony asked, a small grin fighting to grow larger.

“Of course,” Mystery replied with a frown. “I avoid it though, because my plane always has engine trouble when I get close to it; all of the local pilots know to avoid flying near it.”

“Well, you’re inside of the ring right now,” Harmony informed Mystery, her grin widening.

“That’s impossible!” Mystery declared with a perplexed frown. “There is no way a lake of this size could fit inside of the rings.”

“I’ve been revising my list of what’s possible today,” Harmony told her wryly. “Before today, unicorns, fairies, the Phoenix, and mermaids were ‘fairy tales’. Apparently, the laws of physics are looking the other way when it comes to fairy rings.”

“I wouldn’t say they are looking the other way,” Rhapsody disagreed. “What was it one of your authors said once? ‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic’. Humans are just barely starting to question what reality is. If your race manages to avoid destroying themselves, you will eventually understand that what appear to be physics-defying actions are perfectly law-abiding technological mechanisms.”

“What happened to your leg?” Aurora asked Mystery curiously.

“Aurora!” Harmony hissed in embarrassment. “That is not a polite question to ask a person.”

“It’s okay,” Mystery assured Harmony calmly. She looked at Aurora with a sad smile. “I got hit by a drunk driver when I was walking home from school during my senior year. They had to amputate everything below the knee when the infection got out of control.”

“Now you see why I hate alcohol so much,” Harmony growled, feeling a burning rage in her stomach at the thought of how much pain the beautiful woman in front of her must have endured through such an ordeal.

“How did the four of you get inside the ring?” Mystery asked Harmony as she continued studying the unusual landscape in fascination. “From the little I know about it, there isn’t an entrance on the outside.”

“Rhapsody, the woman with the wings, led us in here through a cave that probably doesn’t really exist,” Harmony replied with a nod at her fairy. “Of course, that was after she drugged us with a hallucinogenic fruit that grows on the trees here.”

“It’s not hallucinogenic,” Rhapsody objected indignantly. “A hallucination induces visions of things that don’t really exist. Yuccas Fitter just opens your mind to things your eyes can’t normally see.”

“I stand corrected,” Harmony replied dryly.

“So, you’re a fairy?” Mystery asked Rhapsody hesitantly.

“According to some legends,” Rhapsody admitted with a shrug. “I’ve been called much worse.”

“I don’t suppose you have something dry for her to wear?” Harmony asked doubtfully as Mystery began shivering.

“My bad,” Rhapsody grinned sheepishly. “I forget how sensitive to temperatures humans are sometimes.”

Rhapsody casually waved a hand over Mystery and a cloud of steam hissed out of the woman’s clothes. She was dry within seconds.

“That looks very familiar,” Harmony commented with a blush at the memory of their cuddle session in the car. “Is that why we dried so fast? How are you doing that?”

“You obviously don’t know your fairy lore very well,” Rhapsody replied matter-of-factly. “Fairies have control of all six elements.”

“All six?” Harmony asked with raised eyebrow. “I thought there were only four?”

“That’s because you don’t believe in spirit, and humans don’t recognize time as an element,” Rhapsody explained with a shrug. “Now you know better.”

Harmony snorted in amusement. “Indeed. Now I know better.”

“Speaking of time,” Harmony’s mother declared with a nod toward the quickly declining sun. “Shouldn’t we be getting back to the house soon?”

“I was thinking you could spend the night here,” Rhapsody began tentatively. “Most of the creatures who live here are dormant during the day. The Yuccas Fitter will keep you awake a lot better than coffee. It also resets your muscles and other processes that sleep provides relief for, so it’s not like you will suffer from sleep deprivation.”

“Are any of the creatures dangerous?” Harmony asked before she could stop herself. She wasn’t really worried for herself, but becoming her nieces' guardians had brought a whole new level of paranoia into her life.

“Really Harmony?” Rhapsody asked in exasperation. “Do you really think I would allow any harm to come to Serenity or Aurora?”

“Of course not,” Harmony muttered in embarrassment. “Forget that I asked.”

“That being said…” Rhapsody grinned playfully. “There are several species who would like nothing more than to make trouble for a group of humans. However, they won’t bother any guests of mine. After all, they are here as guests as well.”

“What kind of trouble?” Harmony asked suspiciously.

“Nothing fatal,” Rhapsody assured her quickly. “The leprechauns always thought it was funny to put people’s legs on backward or switch their left and right feet. The Baykok only preys on warriors, so you don’t have to worry about her. Taxti, colloquially known as The Deer Lady, only kills men, so she won’t be a problem. She’s definitely the life of any party though.”

“What’s a Baykok?” Aurora asked hesitantly.

“Some cultures call her Death,” Rhapsody replied with a roll of her eyes. “I don’t know who came up with the stupid idea that she carries a scythe, or that she transports people from the realm of the living to the realm of the dead. She does look like a skeleton with glowing red eyes though.”

“So much for sleep,” Harmony grunted.

“Hey, I told you nobody here would harm you,” Rhapsody said defensively. “They are actually quite interested to meet you. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks telling them all about the four of you.”

“Who else do we get to meet?” Harmony asked dryly, glancing at her mom. “Please tell me Santa Clause really is just a myth.”

“Of course he’s real,” Rhapsody answered innocently.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Harmony groaned loudly.

“Well, actually, yes,” Rhapsody giggled. “But I had you going for a second, didn’t I?”

“There goes your Christmas present,” Harmony growled acidly as her mother chuckled evilly.

“Can I cut in for a moment of lucidness?” Mystery asked with a pained expression.

“Yes?” Rhapsody asked, folding her arms calmly.

“Is there any way to retrieve my prosthetic leg from the plane before it finishes sinking?” Mystery asked plaintively. “I’m pretty sure the two of you won’t enjoy hauling my gimpy ass around any more than I will.”

“How about I just make a new one?” Rhapsody suggested with a twinkle in her lavender eyes.

“With what?” Mystery asked, dubiously looking at the exotic forest behind them. “I’m not sure a peg leg is my thing. Besides, the one that is sinking cost me a fortune.”

“I think you’ll like the one I make more than your old one,” Rhapsody murmured as she knelt down and began inspecting Mystery’s leg. “Harmony, can you please grab a Yuccas Fitter from the tree over there? She’s going to need her eyes opened up as well.”

“What are you doing?” Mystery asked with a perplexed frown as Rhapsody began running her hands in the air just above her missing limb.

“I’m having a talk with your leg,” Rhapsody answered distractedly. “I’ll let you know how the conversation goes when I’m done.”

Mystery cast a doubtful eye at Harmony as Rhapsody continued waving her hands over the empty air. Harmony just smiled encouragingly. She ran over to the nearest Ecstasy Fruit tree and grabbed one of the brilliant red fruits. She returned and watched in wonder as the fairy worked her magic.

After almost a minute without any noticeable change, Harmony noticed a static buzz slowly building in intensity. Sparkling blue and red lights began shimmering in the air around Rhapsody’s hands. Mystery gasped and her face paled.

“What’s the matter?” Serenity asked in concern.

“I can feel something!” Mystery responded in amazement. She reached a hand down to her deflated pant leg hesitantly.

“None of that,” Rhapsody said firmly, slapping Mystery’s hand away. “Unless you want your hand permanently fused to your leg, of course.”

Harmony watched in breathless anticipation as Mystery’s pant leg slowly expanded like a balloon. The static buzz grew louder as the pant leg expanded further toward the base. The sparkling red and blue lights began coursing out of Rhapsody’s hands, shooting into Mystery’s phantom leg like brilliantly glowing fireflies.

They all gasped as a fully fleshed foot slowly materialized in front of their astonished gazes. The sparkling lights faded away as Rhapsody stood up with a satisfied nod.

“That should work a lot better than the peg you were using before,” Rhapsody noted with a disdainful glance at the nearly submerged plane.

Mystery just stared silently at her new foot as she wiggled her toes and flexed her calf. After an entire minute of almost reverent observation, a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Am I really awake?” Mystery whispered in wonder. “Did I really survive that crash?”

“I’m afraid so,” Rhapsody informed her in mock regret. “You’re still stuck with the living for a while longer.”

“How can I ever thank you?” Mystery asked softly as more tears trailed down her cheeks.

“I think you just did,” Rhapsody replied gently. “Now come on; let’s go introduce the five of you to the other residents of the circle. But first, drink this.”

Rhapsody twisted the stem at the top of the Yuccas Fitter off and held it out to Mystery. The woman stared at Rhapsody for a moment before hesitantly taking the large fruit and drinking the bright green liquid. Harmony watched in fascination as Mystery’s irises grew larger. After she finished drinking, she stood up and tested her leg. Fresh tears appeared in her eyes as she walked around experimentally. Harmony blinked when she realized that Mystery was even taller than her own six feet. What is this, the league of extremely tall women?

“Okay, let’s go,” Rhapsody urged them with an eager grin as she started forward.

Chapter 12 - Yggdrasil

Rhapsody led them into a forest of exquisite beauty. Large trees filled with pink blossoms and bright red berries were evenly spaced, similar to an orchard. The ground was carpeted with pink flower petals that must have dropped from the trees. As the sun dipped further below the horizon the pink petals began to glow with an ethereal light.

Aurora latched onto one of Rhapsody’s hands, and a moment later Serenity hesitantly took her other hand. Rhapsody smiled down at the two of them, squeezing their hands reassuringly.

“This is the Lost Forest of Choill,” Rhapsody said softly as she led them through the pink floral forest. “They are the only breed of sentient trees, aside from Yggdrasil and the other world trees. They were being destroyed in Ireland a few centuries ago, so I brought them here. They are a gentle race, always striving to live in harmony with the other plant species around them.”

“Sentient?” Serenity asked slowly. “Like, they can think like humans think?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say like humans,” Rhapsody replied with a smile. “Humans are apex predators, having climbed the ladder of natural selection in a much more hostile environment. These trees evolved through a network of funguses that created a neural network among their root systems. They don’t think of themselves as individual trees. There are arrays within the root structure that separate their consciousness. So, these five trees here make up one mind, while those seven trees over there make up another mind. Due to their nature as rooted creatures, they have a very different view of life and the world around them. They enjoy seeing new things, such as you, walking among their branches. You’ll be the talk of the forest for weeks to come.”

Serenity and Aurora stared at the beautiful trees in fascination. Glowing petals occasionally fell from the branches around them, making the scene surreal in its beauty.

“Do they have any kind of tactile or visual senses?” Harmony asked in a hushed voice. She wasn’t sure why she was talking so quietly. The magical forest just instilled a sense of reverence.

“Mostly in their root structure,” Rhapsody answered at a normal volume. “They can feel pain when sharp things like axes penetrate their bark. They sense the environment around them via electromagnetic radiation disturbances, similar to echolocation.”

“I guess you really are going to starve, Harmony,” Harmony’s mother said lightly.

“What are you talking about?” Harmony asked distractedly.

“You’ve always said you are okay eating plants because you couldn’t hear them scream,” her mother reminded her in an amused tone. “Well, now you know some plants feel pain. What ever are you going to eat?”

Harmony scowled at her mom but didn’t reply. Rhapsody laughed at the look on her face, her eyes dancing with mirth.

“You could just subsist on a diet of Yuccas Fitter,” Rhapsody offered with a wink. “They have all of the nutrients you need to survive, after all.”

“Seriously?” Harmony breathed in a dreamy voice. “I am so ready to change my diet to Yuccas Fitter.”

“Then there is the added benefit that they stop you from aging,” Rhapsody said in an offhand manner. “One Yuccas Fitter will rewind your biological clock by one week.”

Rhapsody looked back at where they had halted in stunned silence with a playful smile. “What?”

Harmony shared a look with Mystery and her mom.

“She just casually mentions that she has immortality juice,” Harmony groaned dramatically. “You’re seriously telling me that if I drank one of those every week I would never age and die?”

“Well, you would never age,” Rhapsody corrected her. “You might die from a freak accident or something.”

“Wait a minute,” Serentiy said with a calculating look in her dark eyes. “You said it rewinds the biological clock by a week. Does that mean if Aunt Harmony drank one every day, she would be a kid again?”

“Not quite,” Rhapsody giggled mischievously. “It only rewinds the clock back to your prime age, which is usually about ten years after puberty. But that would be pretty funny to rewind Harmony back to a teenager.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” Harmony’s mother disagreed fervently.

Rhapsody’s unrestrained laughter derailed Harmony’s attempt to look affronted. It was so infectious that Harmony found herself laughing as well. She noticed that the glowing leaves seemed to brighten at Rhapsody’s jubilant mirth.

The forest abruptly ended as they arrived at the base of Yggdrasil. The enormous world tree didn’t have the same kind of bark that made up the trees Harmony was familiar with. Instead, it was a massive tangle of braided roots that formed the entire tree, intertwined in a web of complexity that was staggering. The base of the tree went on for miles in either direction. It was easily the size of a mountain.

As Harmony and the other visitors stared in awe at the immense tree in front of them, one of the strands of root about the size of a giant redwood folded aside to reveal an opening into the tree. A beautiful woman with dark hair and black eyes stood in the opening, a long divided dress revealing hooved legs and a very generous amount of cleavage. She had a seductive smile as she looked them up and down.

“So, these are your humans,” the woman purred, licking her lips sensuously. “They look absolutely delectable.”

“None of that, you goose,” Rhapsody chided the woman firmly. “You’ll scare them away.”

Aurora and Serenity had pushed in closer to Rhapsody when the woman appeared, looking apprehensive as their grips on Rhapsody’s hands tightened.

“Oh, sorry kiddos,” the woman apologized quickly, her seductive demeanor vanishing in an instant. “I just haven’t been able to use that line in so long that I was dying to use it again.”

“This is Taxti,” Rhapsody introduced her with a wry smile. “She’s a faun, but the Native Americans called her the Deer Lady.”

“Wow,” Mystery breathed, shaking her head slowly. “Just when I think it’s reached peak weirdness it gets weirder. Are there any fairy tales that aren’t true?”

“I’m pretty sure the gingerbread man was fiction,” Rhapsody mused, her lips pursed. “Oh yeah, Santa Clause was fiction too.” She finished with a sly look at Harmony.

“So, are you going to finish introducing us?” Taxti asked patiently.

“I’ll get there,” Rhapsody assured her. “This is Mystery. She just crashed her plane in the lake a little while ago.”

“Pretty crazy coincidence that she ended up here at this particular time, if you ask me,” Harmony noted quietly. “What are the odds?”

“This is Aurora and Serenity,” Rhapsody continued, ignoring Harmony’s observation. The two girls shyly waved at Taxti, who smiled a motherly smile at them.

“This is their grandmother, Joline,” Rhapsody gestured to Harmony’s surprised mother.

“How did you know my name?” she asked curiously. “I didn’t think we had ever mentioned it.”

“She plucked it from your thoughts,” Taxti explained, miming a hand plucking a thought from her head.

“Wait, what?” Harmony exclaimed, her face coloring a deep shade of red. “You can read minds?”

“Would you feel better if I said no?” Rhapsody asked Harmony with a wink.

Harmony’s brain went into overdrive as she tried to replay everything she had ever thought about Rhapsody. She had been pretty sure that Rhapsody had been listening to her thoughts, but to have it confirmed was more unsettling than she expected. She was pretty sure there had been some thoughts that would be extremely awkward to explain. How many of her erotic fantasies had the fairy witnessed over the last three days?

Rhapsody was watching her, a slow smile spreading across her perfect face. Harmony felt like she had been dropped into a volcano as her entire body turned bright red in mortification. The fairy pointedly tapped her lips meaningfully, her gaze full of promise. Harmony felt the firm tap on her own lips and started seeing spots as her oxygen depleted.

“Breathe,” Rhapsody chorused with Harmony’s mother and nieces.

The three of them erupted into laughter as Harmony sucked in a lung full of air. Mystery stared at her in confusion while Taxti joined the other three in their laughter.

“And this is Harmony,” Rhapsody finished the introductions, once she recovered from her mirth. She was watching Harmony with her heart in her eyes.

“Ah, so this is the one,” Taxti said, her eyes lighting up with eagerness. “She’s been talking about you so much that I feel like I already know you.”

Harmony blinked, looking at Rhapsody. The fairy smiled at her sheepishly through a blush and winked.

“Hey, I talked about the others too,” Rhapsody said defensively.

“Of course you did,” Taxti agreed amiably, her full lips augmenting a smile that couldn’t help but look alluring. “I’ll say no more about how you described her to me. Or how often you describe her to me.”

“Taxti,” Rhapsody facepalmed as her cheeks shamed a sunset. “I think you should just say no more at all.”

Harmony felt a warm glow at the revelation that Rhapsody found her attractive. Rhapsody had certainly made it obvious, but it was nice to receive confirmation.

“So, what do you do here in the ring?” Mystery asked into the uncomfortable silence that followed.

“What do we do?” Taxti repeated blankly. “I’m not sure I understand the question.”

“I think you may have just answered it,” Mystery murmured, looking at Rhapsody. The fairy shrugged, causing her wings to bounce slightly, among other things.

“We exist,” Rhapsody explained simply. “We do whatever we feel like doing at a given time. Sometimes, that means decades of research to increase our knowledge. Or perhaps spending a couple dozen centuries engineering a plant to produce a fruit that can open mortal eyes to the magic realm. Sometimes we fight evil when the world becomes imbalanced. We don’t have a schedule, like humans. We don’t follow a routine day in and day out.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have been born a human,” Harmony complained enviously. “Why couldn’t I have been born a fairy or other magical creature?”

“We aren’t born though,” Rhapsody informed her with an assessing look.

“What, do you just poof into being?” Harmony asked playfully. She made a poofing gesture with her hand to demonstrate.

“Not exactly,” Rhapsody replied, her lips curving slightly. “Do you remember how I said nothing ever dies? That it just transitions into something else?”

Harmony stared at Rhapsody silently for a moment before her eyes widened slightly. “You’re a star, aren’t you?”

“Nope, I’m a fairy,” Rhapsody replied teasingly. “But I used to be a star.”

Harmony felt a sense of awe flood her system as she stared at the small woman. She tried to reconcile that this beautiful creature used to be an actual sun. Her mind shrank from the immensity of the idea. She had known Rhapsody was special, but an actual sun? No wonder everyone felt the need to worship her.

Rhapsody stared at her disapprovingly as the thought occurred to her. She couldn’t help giggling at the expression on her fairy’s face. Rhapsody’s disapproving expression evaporated, and she smiled back at Harmony approvingly.

Harmony’s mother gasped at the revelation, while Mystery just stared at her in confusion.

“So, you used to be a Hollywood star or something?” Mystery asked, her eyes uncomprehending.

The stunned silence was broken up when Rhapsody and Taxti suddenly started laughing. Harmony’s own lips twitched at the thought as she looked at the mirthful fairy. Harmony’s mother took pity on Mystery and explained.

“They mean an actual star, as in, from outer space,” Harmony’s mother explained patiently. “When a star goes supernova, it is actually transitioning into a new form of life, according to Rhapsody.”

“I’m sorry, Mystery,” Rhapsody apologized. “I wasn’t laughing at you. I was just laughing at the thought of me reincarnating from a former movie star. Joline is correct; magical creatures are the result of transitioned stars.”

“How did you become a star in the first place?” Aurora asked curiously.

Rhapsody’s face grew solemn. “I’m afraid I’m not allowed to tell you the answer to that question, Aurora.”

“I’ve got so many questions,” Harmony’s mother stared at Rhapsody eagerly. “Is there a certain kind of star that transitions into fairies, and another that transitions into fauns or other magical creatures? Or is it just random?”

Taxti eyed Harmony’s mother greedily. “I really want this one, Rhapsody.”

Rhapsody sighed resignedly. “You’re doing it again, Taxti. They’re going to think I invited them here so that we could feast on their souls with that kind of behavior.”

“Well, I wasn’t thinking that before…” Harmony’s mother said dryly.

“It’s been a few centuries since Taxti has spoken to humans,” Rhapsody told them apologetically. “She’ll work on her manners, won’t you Taxti?”

Taxti was blushing with embarrassment. “Sorry, it just came out. Sometimes I get excited, and my mouth starts talking before my brain starts thinking.”

“Yes, we call that premature articulation,” Harmony smirked. “I suffer from the same problem.”

“Harmony!” her mother growled warningly.

“See, I just did it too,” Harmony told Taxti with an impudent grin.

“Premature articulation?” Serenity repeated with a puzzled frown.

“Just forget that your aunt said that, Serenity,” her mother said with a withering glare at Harmony. “That’s an order.”

“Did you start the party without the rest of us, Taxti?” a booming voice called from somewhere up above them. “You said you would come and get us when they arrived!”

“Oops,” Taxti muttered without much sincerity.

There was a loud whooshing sound followed by a huge gust of wind. Harmony looked up to see a dragon the size of Godzilla drop down from the higher reaches of the tree and hover nearby. It was too large to safely land without crushing part of the sentient forest. Her mind struggled to reconcile the size of the creature.

Aurora and Serenity’s grips on Rhapsody’s hands once again tightened as they stared up at the dragon of all dragons. Mystery was frozen in shock while Harmony’s mother stared up at it in awe.

“This is Nidhogg,” Rhapsody introduced the behemoth hovering above them. “He lives up in the higher branches.”

Harmony gulped as she looked up at Nidhogg, trying to get a grip on her instinctive terror. “Hello, Nidhogg,” she managed in a voice that only shook a little.

A head the size of her two-story house peered down at her. “You must be Harmony,” his voice boomed. “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“See,” Taxti winked at Harmony. “I told you she talked about you a lot.”

Rhapsody glared at Taxti, but before she could say anything another voice spoke up.

“So, this is the girl you’ve been visiting outside of the circle,” an almost skeletal woman with glowing red eyes noted approvingly. “She has a great soul. I think she’ll be perfect.”

“This is Harnketi,” Rhapsody introduced the emaciated woman. “She’s a Baykok. She doesn’t really eat the liver of warriors. She focused more on hunting down warriors who delighted in cruelty.”

“Hey, don’t forget about me,” a voice full of self-confidence called out from inside the opening to the tree. A short figure, about three feet tall, walked out of the opening behind Taxti. He wore an outfit made primarily of green. He had the traditional belt buckle and hat to identify him as a leprechaun. He walked right up to Harmony’s mother and offered his hand.

“My goodness, what a lovely sight,” the short man said warmly as he shook her hand. “I’m Declan, the best-looking man you’ll find in these parts.”

“You’re the only man in these parts,” Taxti noted with a snort. “And you’re only half a man.”

“At least I know which half I am, goat woman,” Declan retorted with a sneer. “Don’t you have a troll bridge to go patronize?”

“Not even five seconds and you two are at each other’s throats again,” Rhapsody sighed in resignation. “You couldn’t just put all that aside for one night, could you?”

“I really tried,” Taxti declared with a wince. “My mouth has a mind of its own though.”

“It’s the only part of you that has a mind,” Declan sniped maliciously.

“Come on, Declan,” Rhapsody begged winsomely. “Just try to get along for one night. Please? For me?”

Harmony’s breath caught at the display. Rhapsody looked so innocent and hopeful that she could have asked for the sun, and it would have been hers.

Declan seemed to think so too. His face softened and he harrumphed. “Alright, fine. I’ll do this for you, Rhapsody, because I respect you.”

Rhapsody impulsively hugged him, her small form only needing to bend down a little to do so. Declan’s face turned red as she pulled away and his eyes looked dazed.

“Are you taking them to the core now?” Nidhogg asked in his booming voice.

“Yes,” Rhapsody nodded. “Wish me luck!”

“I don’t think you’ll need it,” Harnketi said with a glance at Harmony and her mom. “They seem ready.”

“One way to find out,” Taxti said briskly.

“Okay, shall we go in?” Rhapsody asked them with a dazzling smile.

Chapter 13 – The Great Fairy

Harmony followed Rhapsody into the tree slowly, trying to take in everything. The walls and ceiling were rounded and wide enough for all of them to walk side by side if they wanted. The material that made up the walls reminded Harmony of fiber optic cables. Iridescent light streamed through tiny strands of braided roots, lighting the long hallway with a slowly pulsing warm light.

Taxti was the only one to accompany their group into the tree. She was talking with Harmony’s mother quietly from where they followed Harmony and Rhapsody. Aurora and Serentiy were studying the unusual walls with interest, entranced by the pulsing lights.

As soon as she had entered the tree a feeling of relaxation had fallen over her, almost like the effects of the Yuccas Fitter. There was something oddly familiar about the presence she felt from the tree. Watching Rhapsody as she led them deeper inside, Harmony had a sudden suspicion.

“Rhapsody,” Harmony spoke quietly so that only the fairy heard her. “The day that David broke into my house, I could feel your presence when you were there. It was more of a sense of warmth when you were in my house, which vanished when you would leave the area. I’m feeling something very similar in Yggdrasil. Am I imagining it?”

Rhapsody moved over so that she was next to Harmony before she spoke. “What do you think it means?” she asked, watching Harmony with a calculating gaze.

“You already know what I’m thinking, don’t you?” Harmony asked accusingly.

“No, I have to actively look at your thoughts to hear what you are thinking,” Rhapsody assured her. “I just want to know what you have come up with.”

“I was thinking that you and Yggdrasil aren’t separate beings,” Harmony said hesitantly. “That you are a projection of Yggdrasil.”

Rhapsody smiled triumphantly, grabbing Harmony’s hand in her excitement. “I knew you would figure it out,” Rhapsody declared proudly. “You write too much fiction to not make a connection like this.”

“So, I’m right?” Harmony asked with a raised eyebrow. She felt tingles shoot up her arm and down her spine as she felt Rhapsody’s hand in hers. She longed to be alone with her beautiful fairy and let her fantasies take over. As she realized what she was thinking, her face flushed scarlet, and she quickly looked at Rhapsody. The fairy showed no evidence that she had heard Harmony’s thoughts. Maybe she did have to focus on listening to hear her thoughts after all.

“You are one hundred percent right,” Rhapsody confirmed, squeezing her hand. “Remember when we talked about what spirits were, when we were discussing Azeban?”

Harmony nodded slowly. “You said that he was some kind of structured energy matrix who could influence human perception, or something like that.”

“Very good, Harmony,” Rhapsody congratulated her proudly. “Fairies are unique from other magical entities, because we are more advanced in our ability to manipulate our own energy matrices. We don’t just manipulate your perception to make you think you are talking to a physical person. We are able to actually create a physical form that we can inhabit. Fauns and elves are also capable of creating physical forms, but they have a hardcoded template they must use. Fairies are unrestricted in what physical form we choose.”

“So, you‘re shapeshifters,” Harmony noted wryly.

“The ultimate shape shifters,” Rhapsody agreed. “But our true form is the tree you are walking inside of.”

Harmony stopped dead, her eyes wide. “Wow. Doesn’t that feel weird, having us little peons walking around inside of you like ants? Or violating?”

Rhapsody snorted, pulling Harmony’s hand to get her moving again. “No, it’s not violating, you ninny. I swear, your mind goes to the weirdest places. And peons? Seriously?”

Harmony blushed furiously but couldn’t help laughing at the truth of the statement. “I’m an author, what can I say? We have wild imaginations.”

“That imagination is one of the things that fascinates me the most,” Rhapsody told her seriously. “Sometimes magical creatures’ imaginations can go stale, and life can get bland. When you live as long as we do you need to have imaginative companions to keep life interesting.”

“You mentioned that you are the fairy for all of the world trees,” Harmony commented, tilting her head curiously. “How does that work? Are you separate iterations of consciousness, or does the trees being physically separated not affect these kinds of things?”

“You really are as sharp as a tack, Harmony,” Rhapsody said admiringly. “In reality, there is only one tree. The root system goes all the way through the planet and connects us together.”

“So, I’m smaller than a microbe to you, aren’t I?” Harmony said musingly. “You span the entire planet and stretch out into space. My mind is hiding in a corner right now from the immensity of the thought.”

“One thing you will learn in the magical world is that physical size is completely irrelevant,” Rhapsody told her reassuringly. “Just imagine how big a video game world must look to the character inside it, and yet it is nothing but ones and zeros to you and fits in a box the size of a toaster. The physical world you see is no different. If you could step outside of it you would realize how miniscule something like a planet really is. Consciousness is where you will truly find the infinite.”

Harmony nodded slowly as she thought about it. Even so, it still weirded her out that she was talking to Rhapsody while simultaneously walking inside of her. She suddenly burst out laughing as a thought occurred to her.

“What?” Rhapsody asked, her lips curving in anticipation.

“I just realized that I really am a tree-hugger,” Harmony told her between giggles.

Rhapsody threw her head back and laughed golden peals of laughter. She floated up into the air and wrapped her arms around Harmony. “My beautiful tree-hugger.”

Harmony felt heat flush up from down below as she felt Rhapsody’s body pressed tightly to her own, amplified by her synesthesia.

“I’m still surprised at how sensitive you are,” Rhapsody murmured in her ear in a seductive tone. “We’re going to explore that sometime very soon.”

Harmony let out a small whimper as she felt tingles ripple out from embarrassing places. Her imagination started running wild as the press of Rhapsody’s body started a feedback loop that began to escalate her heightened state of arousal.

Rhapsody regretfully released her with a frustrated sigh. “I hate waiting, and I’m a tree.”

Harmony felt a stab of disappointment as Rhapsody floated out of her embrace. “You really are a shameless tease.”

“I’ve been waiting for this a lot longer than you have,” Rhapsody retorted playfully. “We’ll get there. We just have one more hurdle to get past.”

“Do you feel what I’m feeling when you hear my thoughts?” Harmony asked tentatively. The strange feedback loop she felt when her synesthesia kicked in made her suspect that it was a circular exchange of sensations.

“Yeah,” Rhapsody nodded, the ever-present blush on her cheeks flushing out to the rest of her face. “The synesthesia you feel floods back into me when I’m experiencing your thoughts. Telepathy isn’t accurately portrayed when people call it mind-reading. Thoughts aren’t like the pages of a book. They are the act of experiencing reality through your body. So, when I’m experiencing your thoughts, it includes those extra sensations. The first time it happened I was really shocked. It just added more mystery to the puzzle called Harmony.”

Harmony smiled in satisfaction, happy that she could inspire mystery in the fairy that she’d always found so mysterious.

They reached the end of the long hallway and entered an enormous room shaped like a cylinder. The center of the room opened into a giant chasm that must have been close to a thousand feet across. The root structure in the ceiling above it pointed down like a diamond and a brilliant white light was beaming down into the center of the chasm.

“Wow,” Mystery said in awe as they walked up to the edge of the chasm. Harmony agreed wholeheartedly.

There was not a handrail, but when they got within a few feet of the edge they felt an invisible pressure holding them back. You could       push into the strange barrier, but the further you pushed, the stronger the field pushed back. Aurora was the first one to decide it would make a great trampoline wall.

Harmony nearly called out for Aurora to stop running at the barrier full speed to get bounced back, but with a glance at Rhapsody she closed her mouth. Their host wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her nieces. She was finally learning to trust Rhapsody with their safety.

“What is this place?” her mother asked in fascination as she stared down into the seemingly bottomless chasm where the beam of light was travelling.

“This is a node,” Rhapsody explained as she stood watching them with barely concealed eagerness. “Every circle of dominion had a node in its world tree. They are connected at geometrical points throughout the world and create a web of energy that humans call ley lines. Most of the nodes are inactive since their tree was lost. However, the node still exists; it just has no power source.”

“What do these nodes and ley lines actually do?” Harmony’s mother asked in fascination.

“They bind the physical world to the magical world,” Rhapsody expounded. “Think of it like the frame of a house, or the skeleton of a creature. It is the anchor that binds the world in place so that it has form and dimension. Without it, the world would collapse in on itself.”

“Aren’t the missing world trees a big problem?” her mother asked with a frown. “I mean, if the world used to have a skeleton with dozens of bones, but only has a few now, wouldn’t that make it extremely unstable?”

Taxti let out a disgruntled sigh as she stared at Harmony’s mother with a hungry gleam in her eyes. Harmony could tell she wanted to say something, but that it would probably get her in trouble with Rhapsody again.

“Think of them more like broken bones,” Rhapsody replied, glancing at Taxti with a raised eyebrow before continuing. “The node sockets remain, but they are only receiving a trickle of power from the remaining working nodes. The magic field diminishes the further away you get from working nodes. There is a small trickle that keeps the flora alive in most places, but it doesn’t thrive. You could locate the working nodes on a satellite map easily by looking for the green areas of the world. Even with the lower magic levels, plants have adapted and learned to thrive in the arid zones. However, you are correct about it becoming unstable. We’ve made it work for the last eight hundred years, but it is getting more difficult each year. I use my power to keep the world in sync with the magic realm, but the arid zones, which is how I refer to the treeless nodes, are trying to evolve in a manner that is out of sync with the rest of the world. It is like a pressure that builds each year as it attempts to break free of my influence.”

“What will happen if it does break free?” Harmony asked warily.

“First, there will be a massive earthquake that cracks the land free of the root system,” Rhapsody replied, her tone clinical. “It would be felt as a 10.0 everywhere on earth, leveling every city and structure. The oceans would drain into the vacuum left behind, leaving nothing but large salt lakes behind. That would result in runaway thermal expansion as the world no longer had the oceans to cool the planet. The rain would all but disappear and there would be frequent electrical storms that would scour the surface of the earth with lightning bolts of immense power. The magnetic field would no longer be balanced, so the sun’s electromagnetic radiation would cook the earth. The planet would also stop spinning and the moon would almost certainly crash into it. There are a lot of other domino effects, but I think you get the gist of it.”

Everyone was staring at Rhapsody in horror as she casually described the end of the world.

“Will you be able to prevent that?” Mystery asked nervously. “Or is this inevitable?”

“I’ve been working on a plan to deal with it for a few hundred years now,” Rhapsody replied reassuringly. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

Mystery didn’t look reassured. Nobody used the phrase I’m sure it will be fine unless they wanted to doom themselves.

“How much longer do you think it would take to break away based on its current evolution?” Harmony’s mother asked with a troubled frown.

“Anywhere from twenty years to as many as two hundred,” Rhapsody answered with a small shrug. “It isn’t very easy to model, so I’m erring on the side of caution.”

“What’s your plan?” Serenity asked in a tremulous voice. Aurora looked as unnerved as Serenity sounded.

“Well…I have more than one plan,” Rhapsody said slowly. “The first one depends on other people, so it isn’t as concrete as I would like. My backup plan would work, but it will have its own drastic consequences.”

“Okay, I’m liking the sound of the first plan better,” Serenity said fervently. “What is it?”

Rhapsody looked at them with a searching gaze. She pursed her lips as she studied them for a moment before finally responding.

“Um, actually, I was kind of hoping for help from the five of you,” Rhapsody said tentatively.

They all stared back at her blankly. Harmony was the first to break the silence. She let out a relieved sigh, surprising the others.

“Sign me up,” Harmony said with an eager smile.

“Wait, what?” Mystery stared at Harmony and Rhapsody in confusion. “Sign you up for what? We’re just humans. What the hell could we possibly do to help you with a problem of this magnitude?”

Rhapsody smiled back at Harmony, a twinkle of mischief in her large eyes. “You’re right, Mystery. You are just humans. We need a lot more than a human to help with this plan.”

Harmony’s mother was the second person to understand. Her eyes went wide and she suddenly grinned. “I wasn’t all that attached to my current life anyway.”

Mystery stared at the three of them uncomprehendingly. Harmony gave her some slack though; the former pilot had not been hanging around Rhapsody as long as the others.

“Let me start with a little bit of history,” Rhapsody told Mystery gently. “My sisters and I had been on this world for hundreds of thousands of years. We kept everything in balance, ensuring that the magical plane remained firmly affixed and attuned to the physical plane. Eight hundred years ago that all changed. Humans had progressed technologically well beyond where you are today. That is mainly due to the ambient magic field being much higher in those days, when all the world trees were still alive. Humans used a mixture of magic and technology to build a thriving world-wide civilization. We fairies were very social and had regular interactions with the humans throughout the world. In order for a fairy to have a child, she must find a human companion. When they had a child it would become the new vessel of the world tree, the new fairy. The old fairy would age and eventually die.“

Rhapsody paused for a moment to make sure that Mystery was keeping up. Mystery nodded and Rhapsody continued.

“While world trees are sentient, they struggle to engage with the local inhabitants of a world due to the difference in size and lifespan. In order to better understand the world that they protected and maintained, the world trees would project an avatar into the physical world. That is what a fairy is. One effect of projecting an avatar is that it begins to shape the way that you think. An entity that would normally have been impervious to anything humans or magical creatures could do to it, now had a vulnerability. In this case, a group of greedy humans were approached by a spirit walker. A spirit walker is a magical creature that is able to travel to other worlds. This particular spirit walker had discovered a way to rob world trees of their magical power. It required a level of duplicity, using humans to secure relationships with the fairies. This spirit walker offered knowledge and power to a group of humans who formed a cult. This cult infiltrated the governments of the world in order to manipulate who would be chosen as the fairies’ companions, which was a great honor in their society. When the time was right, and all the fairies had been wed to companions and conceived a child, the cult took their lives. It involved a magic ritual that channeled the magic that would normally flow from mother to child to instead flow into the cultists. Unbeknownst to the cultists, they had been duped by the spirit walker. When they completed their ritual, all the power was channeled into the spirit walker. He knew this would result in the destruction of the world, but since he could move to other worlds he did not care.”

“But the world is still here,” Mystery noted with a frown. “How did you survive if he killed all of the fairies?”

“I was the eldest of the fairies on this world and was against the idea of becoming a companion to a human,” Rhapsody explained darkly. “I warned the others that it would make them vulnerable, but they had been changed by their avatars. They failed to see the dangers that indulging in physical relationships would pose to their roles as world trees. When they had children and their power and memories were passed on to their offspring, they believed they were safe from any magical backlash.”

“Let’s be honest here,” Taxti drawled with a smirk. “The Great Fairy didn’t join the others because she didn’t like the idea of being with a man, which is just plain weird.”

Rhapsody glared at Taxti, her face shaming a sunset. “That had nothing to do with it,” Rhapsody denied adamantly. “It was common sense.”

“You survived because you didn’t end up with a companion,” Mystery noted thoughtfully. “And that’s why the world didn’t end?”

“It almost ended,” Rhapsody answered grimly. “I spent the next century doing everything I could to stem the damage and keep the world from imploding. While humans don’t have much in the way of history from that long ago, some of your religions still have records of the fallout in their holy books. Worldwide floods, volcanoes erupting everywhere, earthquakes displacing entire nations like Atlantis, and a near miss with a gamma ray emission that would have been easy to deal with normally but required the help of other species to barely survive. It took me centuries to balance everything enough for humans to be able to start building civilization again.”

Mystery stared off into the distance as her mind tried to keep up with all the new details.

“So that’s your history lesson,” Rhapsody told her with a sudden smile, incongruous with the mood in the room.

“You said eight hundred years ago,” Harmony’s mother noted with a frown. “But those biblical events you are talking about happened thousands of years ago.”

“No, it was definitely eight hundred years ago,” Rhapsody declared firmly. “There are just too many secret societies among humans who have tampered with both your history and chronology for their own ends.”

“You sound like a conspiracy theorist,” Harmony told her with a smirk.

“Well, they aren’t theories to me,” Rhapsody replied dryly. “It’s just the way complex societies work. Hidden factions pulling the strings from behind the scenes is just a byproduct of human nature.”

“Okay, sure,” Mystery interjected with a frown, “but I still don’t understand what you think we can do about this imminent calamity.”

“Well, we have lots of dead nodes with no tree or fairy to maintain them,” Rhapsody said carefully. “So, we need some new fairies to take their places.”

“You want us to become fairies?” Serenity gasped in astonishment.

“Yep,” Rhapsody replied simply.

Chapter 14 - Transformation

Mystery looked poleaxed. She stared at Rhapsody with wide eyes as her mouth moved but no sound came out.

“I thought you had to transition from a star before you could become a magical being,” Harmony said, furrowing her brows. “Is there another way for us to become world trees?”

“Yes,” Rhapsody nodded, eying them thoughtfully. “I was really angry after my sisters were killed. I know revenge is petty, but I was also concerned for other worlds and their world trees, so I tracked down the spirit walker who was responsible. He put up a good fight but was no match for me in the end. I extracted the magic he had stolen and brought it back to earth. It is useless without vessels to channel it, however. I was planning to use you as the new vessels.”

“He was no match for you?” Harmony squinted at Rhapsody suspiciously. “Hadn’t he just drained a ton of magic from the other world trees here on earth? Wouldn’t that have made him a lot more powerful?”

“He was powerful,” Rhapsody admitted with a shrug. “Just not powerful enough.”

“Just how powerful are you?” Harmony asked curiously.

“She’s a god tier entity,” Taxti told them with a wink at the suddenly scowling Rhapsody. “The fact that she managed to save this world after every other world tree was lost is an insane display of power. This world was extremely fortunate that Rhapsody was here.”

“Is there really a tiered rating system?” Harmony’s mother asked Taxti doubtfully.

“Of course,” Taxti shrugged, staring back at Harmony’s mother through heavily lidded eyes. “We need a method to measure threats by, since protecting this world is one of our responsibilities.”

“What are the tiers?” her mother asked.

“Scrub, human, lion, dragon, demon, chaos lord, archangel, and god,” Taxti replied with another shrug that was slightly distracting.

“I always knew Rhapsody was the strongest,” Aurora informed them matter-of-factly.

Rhapsody smiled indulgently, absently pulling Aurora in for a quick hug.

“Now what?” Harmony asked anxiously. “When do we begin?”

Rhapsody and Taxti both laughed at her eagerness. Harmony’s mother was just as eager, her hands clasped tightly as she watched them keenly.

“It’s not an instant process,” Rhapsody informed them apologetically. “It will take years for your souls to transition and merge with the new roles. We’ll start here with an initiation. It rewrites the blueprints on your soul. Once the new blueprint is in place, it is just a matter of time for your minds to expand and learn how to use the new powers. There is an enormous amount of knowledge that will need to be instilled, but the bandwidth in your consciousness will increase significantly as well. During this time as a seed, you should just continue your normal lives until you reach your first growth spurt. Once that occurs, I will need to be with you at all times to prevent any mistakes. You will have a great deal of power that could hurt others around you unintentionally. I will teach you how to use this power safely and prevent any mistakes from hurting others.”

“Do we get to become fairies too?” Serenity asked hopefully.

“That is a choice that will need to wait a few more years before you and Aurora can make it,” Rhapsody told them gently. “You will also need Harmony’s permission. However, we can unlock your ability to use magic, which will help to prepare you for this role if you decide you want to when the time comes.”

Aurora and Serentiy had looked crestfallen, but when they heard they were going to be able to use magic, their eyes lit up again.

“Um…” Mystery stuttered, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “I think I might need more time to decide.”

“Of course, Mystery,” Rhapsody agreed immediately. “This is a lot to take in, and I wouldn’t want to rush you into a decision of this magnitude without time to consider it thoroughly.”

“I’m sorry; I understand that you’re trying to save the world,” Mystery said apologetically. “I’m just not sure I have what it takes. I need to do some soul-searching first.”

“I completely understand, Mystery,” Rhapsody smiled warmly. “We’ll return you to the other side of the circle. Should you decide you wish to go forward with the transition, pay Harmony a visit.”

“It was nice to meet you, Mystery,” Harmony grinned at the beautiful woman. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

“Thank you,” Mystery said with a grateful smile. She turned to Rhapsody, suddenly looking uncertain. Rhapsody snorted a laugh and floated up to her height, before pulling her into a hug.

“I won’t bite,” Rhapsody told her teasingly.

“I can’t thank you enough for restoring my leg,” Mystery said, her voice thick with emotion.

“You are very welcome,” Rhapsody told her gently. “Goodbye for now, Mystery.”

As Rhapsody finished saying her name, Mystery shimmered like a heatwave and vanished.

“Where did she go?” Aurora asked in shock.

“She’ll awake outside of the wall near the road in the morning,” Rhapsody told her reassuringly. “I’ve arranged for Eileen to pick her up.”

“I wonder what her hangup was,” Harmony wondered aloud.

“She has some unfinished lessons to learn in life before she’s ready to move on,” Rhapsody answered with a sigh. “I think she’ll be ready before too long though. She’s not as quick as you four, but she’s pretty smart.”

“How long have you known Mystery?” Harmony’s mother asked curiously. “I’m assuming you wouldn’t offer this opportunity to a person without certain qualifying character traits for such an important role.”

“It’s your souls that made me choose you,” Rhapsody answered affectionately. “I know you don’t remember your other lives or the things you have done that have shaped your character to who you are now. Someday you will also be able to analyze and interact with a person’s soul. The four of you are very special souls, which is why so many dark forces in this world have attempted to destroy you. If you could see the state of your soul and how brightly you shine, you would better understand why I have chosen you. Mystery is also very special. I’ve been watching her since she first entered this world, just as I’ve watched the four of you. There are certain rules that beings like us have to follow, limits we must obey. I had hoped to have Melody with us today. I’m sorry that I was unable to protect her.”

“You’ve protected us many times though?” Aurora pointed out, a note of pain in her voice. “Why weren’t you able to protect my mom?”

Rhapsody sighed, and Harmony felt soul-deep sadness emanate away from the beautiful fairy in waves. “I’m only allowed to act within a certain sphere of influence. If I overstep that influence, other entities as powerful as me will be allowed to ignore the governing limits we’ve all agreed upon as well. The result would be complete devastation if we removed our limits. There is an exception to the rule of limiting our protection. If we bond with another spirit, we are entitled to protect them with our full power. That can only happen when a spirit has fully matured in the body they inhabit and is consciously capable of accepting that bond.”

Aurora frowned as she struggled to understand Rhapsody’s words. “So did you bond with Aunt Harmony’s spirit, and that’s why you can protect us?”

Harmony blinked in surprise, then looked over at Rhapsody questioningly. Rhapsody stared back at her with love in her eyes.

“Yes, Aurora,” Rhapsody answered softly. “I chose Harmony. She didn’t have to fully accept me in order to receive my protection -- she just had to show interest. That gave me the ability to act on her behalf as well, since she is a mortal. A lot of restrictions I was subject to were removed for a short time.”

“How long is a short time?” Harmony’s mother asked warily.

“Tonight’s the deadline,” Rhapsody answered with a grin. “If she chose to remain mortal, I would have to relinquish my claim to bond her.”

Harmony felt a chill as she realized how much had been depending on her to make the right choice. If she had somehow rebuffed Rhapsody’s advances, all her protection would have vanished. Now that she could see her recent past through new eyes, she realized just how many times she would have died without Rhapsody’s protection. If she had left the Circle of Dominion as a mortal at the end of the night, she would almost certainly have died before morning. She marveled at how skillfully Rhapsody had handled their relationship. Harmony knew herself well enough to know that anyone besides Rhapsody would have failed to win her heart. The beautiful fairy had handled Harmony’s psychological profile with such precision that she still had trouble believing she was in an actual relationship with a real person. The probability of breaking through all of Harmony’s walls and getting the keys to her heart had to be astronomical. She realized that Rhapsody had bet the future of this entire world on Harmony accepting her.

“What was plan B?” Harmony heard herself ask faintly.

Rhapsody watched her with a complex expression. There was pain, determination, and love in that expression. “I would have ignored my limits and exercised my power without restraint,” Rhapsody answered in a regretful voice. “It would have invited conflict from other entities and would have resulted in the destruction of civilization again. Humans would have survived, but only barely. I would have taken direct control of the other world trees and fused them to my own roots. There wouldn’t be very many survivors.”

Harmony swallowed as she shared a look with her mother and nieces. “Do you know that feeling when there’s a comet on a direct course for Earth and you find out that a little asteroid smacked into it and knocked it off course just enough to miss the planet?” Harmony asked ruefully.

“Well, I didn’t until tonight,” Harmony’s mother responded dryly.

“Okay, enough beating around the bush, let’s make some fairies,” Taxti said eagerly. “I’m so tired of waiting to find some new friends who live longer than a century.”

Rhapsody rolled her eyes, which looked particularly dramatic with her larger-than-life eyes. “Fine. Is everyone ready?”

Excited nods were her only response. With a smile, she raised her hand and the beam of light in the center of the chasm suddenly became blindingly incandescent. “Let’s do this.”

XXXXX

Harmony tried to survey her surroundings, but all she could see was brilliant white light. She couldn’t even see her hands through the radiance.

She felt a strange sensation along the base of her spine that slowly moved up to her neck. It felt like someone was poking her lightly with a needle thousands of times a second, except that it didn’t hurt. The sensation spread out to all of the bones in her body until she felt like she was vibrating constantly. Her initial reaction was overpowering fear, as the sensations reminded her of the time she spent in captivity. Just as the fear began to overwhelm her, she felt her mind disassociate with her body, the sensations becoming no more than a buzz. There was a sensation of movement and then a sudden connection to something white hot and buzzing like high voltage. The heat didn’t affect her, but the buzzing made her feel like she was losing her mind. A moment later the buzzing was diminished to a whisper as some kind of limiter was placed between her and the burning energy.

She knew that the physical sensations she was feeling were the effects of a kind of soul surgery that was complex beyond her imagining. Her mind was fabricating sensory feedback for something that was non-physical. As the thought occurred to her, she suddenly wondered how she had made the connection. Is this part of the expansion of my consciousness? Making intuitive connections of much greater complexity?

Abruptly, her dissociative state ended, and she was back in her body. She gasped at the wealth of new sensations bombarding her mind. The blinding white light was no longer blinding. She had acquired a second sense of sight that viewed the world like a spectrograph. The wavelengths of light, sound, microwaves, and even higher frequency waves were suddenly visible to her. It was a distinctly different visual experience in her mind than normal sight, as if she was now using a multi-threading processor in a computer. She blinked as that thought occurred to her. Since when do I know anything about computers?

Her tactile senses were enhanced so much that when she touched her shirt she could identify each of the fibers and sense all the way down to the chemical bonds that bound their molecular structure together.

She suddenly became aware of the way she smelled. It was like her senses were coming online one at a time. She marveled at the rich flavor of information her mind was able to extract from something as basic as smell. She could tell what kind of soap she used, even what ingredients the soap was made from.

“Just about done,” she heard Rhapsody murmur. The words were the same as ever, but suddenly she could hear every decibel, as well as the precise pitch and timbre of Rhapsody’s voice. No wonder she can play every instrument! This is so cheating!

The brilliant light of the chasm suddenly winked out, leaving the mellow pulsing light of the walls. With her enhanced senses, Harmony could now see that the walls were made up of strands of fibrous cells and neurons. The entire thing was part of Rhapsody’s brain. She’s a giant freaking brain!

“I’m not a giant freaking brain,” Rhapsody told her tartly. “That’s just gross.”

Harmony laughed as she suddenly realized the visual it must have generated. “Okay, how about a planet sized thinking machine?”

“Now I’m a machine?” Rhapsody asked in an injured tone, her large eyes wide with hurt.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Harmony demanded, shielding her eyes. “It makes me feel like I’ve kicked a puppy.”

“How would you know what kicking a puppy feels like?” Rhapsody asked her suspiciously.

“Come on, Rhapsody, you’re killing me here,” Harmony laughed helplessly.

“So now I’m a murderer?” Rhapsody demanded in mock outrage.

“I think you better just stop talking, Harmony,” her mother advised in an amused tone. “You’re just digging yourself in deeper.”

Harmony tried to glare at her mother but gasped when she saw her. “Who are you, and what have you done with my mom?” Harmony demanded in amazement.

“What are you talking about?” her mother asked with a frown.

“Is that really Grandma?” Aurora asked doubtfully.

“I don’t suppose you have a mirror around here somewhere?” Harmony asked Rhapsody expectantly.

There were suddenly two standing mirrors in front of them. Her mother gasped as she saw the youthful face looking back at her. She looked like she could be Harmony’s sister. She was a lot shorter, but there were so many similarities that they could almost have been twins.

Harmony’s eyes widened when she saw her own image in the mirror. She had always felt comfortable with her appearance before, but now she was on another level. Her jawline had softened, her eyes were slightly larger, and her nose had shrunk. Her ears were slightly smaller too, which surprised her. Not only were her eyes larger, but they were also now a brilliant shade of lavender, just like Rhapsody’s. She didn’t have the same strange symbols around the inner part of her iris, just smooth, rich lavender.

“Shouldn’t I have fairy ears now?” Harmony asked as she admired herself.

“That will come in time,” Rhapsody informed her with an appreciative look. “But you are still a seed right now.”

“Do we have magic now?” Serenity asked hesitantly.

“Hold your hand out in front of you,” Rhapsody told her, demonstrating with her own hand. “You too, Aurora.”

“Okay,” Serenity complied, watching Rhapsody hopefully.

“Now think of a bright orb burning brightly in your hand,” Rhapsody instructed them. “Once the image is in your mind, you need to will it into existence. That means you need to make yourself believe it is there.”

Aurora and Serenity both stared at their hand, their brows creased in concentration. Serenity was the first one to have a bright ball of light appear in her hand. She gasped in amazement, her eyes wide and filled with delight.

As if triggered by Serenity’s success, Aurora suddenly had a matching ball of light in her hand. She giggled ecstatically as she moved it around.

“Nice work, both of you,” Rhapsody congratulated them with an encouraging smile. “You’re going to need to show some discretion when using magic. No showing off at school or in front of friends. You’ll need to keep your abilities secret until you are older.”

“Do we have those abilities too?” Harmony asked curiously.

“Yes and no,” Rhapsody replied cryptically. “You are seeds right now, and any power you use will deplete your growth factor. If you have something critical that requires magic, you could certainly do it, but otherwise I would suggest abstaining until you have sprouted.”

Harmony felt her lips twitch at the term “sprouted”. Rhapsody’s large eyes stared into hers, daring her to say something about the terminology.

“Welcome to the club,” Taxti told them with a radiant smile. She walked up and hugged each of them warmly.

Harmony couldn’t stop staring at Rhapsody. Now that she had these upgraded eyes, she could see so much more of what Rhapsody was. The avatar Rhapsody used to pilot her lesser consciousness was a thing of such beauty and power that it was mesmerizing. Watching Rhapsody with her second sight showed the fairy glowing brilliantly, dwarfing the bright light emanating off Taxti. More than that, Harmony could sense what she felt sure was Rhapsody’s spirit. It was a thing of such majesty and glory that she could see why other entities like elves would want to worship her. It was like the hottest part of a star had been condensed down until only the purest of its light remained, contained within the glorious fairy. 

As she tried to continue comparing Rhapsody to similes of power and beauty, the fairy zipped over to her in a flash, wrapping her arms around her neck and her legs around Harmony’s waist. She was surprised to feel her synesthesia kick in, mirroring the sensations Rhapsody was feeling. She had thought the overhaul of her soul and body would remove her synesthesia.

“No worshipping allowed,” Rhapsody told her in a seductive whisper, her nose nearly touching Harmony’s as she stared into Harmony’s lavender eyes. Her large eyes flickered down to Harmony’s lips, then back to her eyes. Slowly, she put her lips against Harmony’s and gave her a kiss more sensual than she would have believed possible. She quivered with sudden need as the synesthesia triggered a feedback loop.

Rhapsody pulled back, staring back at Harmony with desire-filled eyes. “I think it’s time to put that giant bed of yours to good use.”

Harmony was too wound up to make an intelligent response. She just quivered as she held Rhapsody in her arms, never wanting to let her go.

“Taxti, we’ll be back tomorrow,” Rhapsody told the faun in a distracted voice. “Can you give Serenity and Aurora some magic lessons and keep Joline company?”

“I think I could handle that,” Taxti purred eagerly, her eyes staring at Harmony’s mother appreciatively.

“Can you also have them meet with Declan to learn some of the guidelines of magical law?” Rhapsody asked, her eyes never leaving Harmony’s own eyes.

“Consider it done,” Taxti grinned eagerly. “Now get out of here.”

Rhapsody smiled as the two of them rippled like a heatwave and vanished.

Epilogue

Mystery grumbled sourly as a pair of hands shook her insistently. “You just woke me up from the best dream I’ve ever had,” Mystery growled groggily as she slowly opened her eyes.

She blinked as dozens of reporters stood around, their eyes gleaming greedily with eagerness. She blinked again after looking around and realized she was lying in a bed of ferns. “Where am I?”

“Your plane crashed on the inside of the fairy ring,” the dark-haired woman who had shaken her awake said hesitantly.

Mystery jerked upright with a gasp. “It wasn’t a dream?” She quickly looked down at her left leg and nearly fainted with relief when she saw that it was still healed.

“What did you see inside of the ring?” one of the reporters asked intently.

“More than you could possibly imagine,” Mystery whispered distractedly. “Where is Rhapsody?”

“Is Rhapsody the fairy?” a reporter asked, pushing a microphone toward her.

Mystery nodded wordlessly, feeling a sense of loss at the thought of the beautiful fairy. Her sense of loss only lasted for a moment after noticing her completely formed left leg again. She stood up quickly, euphoria flooding her system as she reveled in her newfound balance.

“What’s the matter?” the dark-haired woman asked with concern in her voice.

Mystery realized she was crying. She smiled hugely as she replied. “Rhapsody healed my leg. It was amputated below the knee twelve years ago.”

“How did she heal it?” one of the reporters asked in fascination.

“I have no idea,” Mystery replied with a wondering laugh. “There were lots of red and green sparks, and then it just grew back.”

“Were there any other fairies inside of the ring?” another reporter asked quickly.

“Not that I saw,” Mystery replied slowly. “I need to get home. Where am I?”

“We’re a few hundred yards away from the wall,” the woman informed her helpfully. “Do you need a ride?”

“I would be eternally grateful,” Mystery smiled warmly.

The other reporters were glaring daggers at the woman as she led Mystery to the road, where a small army of news vans were congregating like some kind of cancer.

“What was your name?” Mystery asked the woman as she walked easily through the thick foliage.

“Eileen,” The woman replied. “Thanks to all of the attention you’ve received from the media, I already know that your name is Mystery.”

“I didn’t realize a small plane crash was such a noteworthy event,” Mystery replied with a frown.

“It is when you crash inside of a fairy ring that nobody else can get inside of,” Eileen said with a chuckle. “There are literally thousands of people trying to find a way inside of the ring right now. Once the world finds out that you’ve been inside, you are going to be a very popular person.”

“I don’t suppose there is any chance of telling everyone I jumped out of my plane before it crashed and never made it inside the ring?” Mystery asked with a sigh.

“Not unless you want to go back and kill all of those reporters,” Eileen said dryly. “I promise I won’t tell anyone if you do. Those asshats have been harassing everyone in town for the last forty-eight hours.”

“You live here?” Mystery asked with a raised eyebrow.

“All my life,” Eileen replied with a nod. She looked at Mystery curiously. “Were there any other humans inside the ring?”

“Yeah, they were with Rhapsody when I crashed,” Mystery answered, trying to remember their names. “A woman named Harmony with her two daughters and mother, I think.”

“They are actually her nieces,” Eileen told her with a rueful smile. “She’s their legal guardian.”

“I thought she was a bit young to have two teenagers for daughters,” Mystery noted. “So, you know Rhapsody?”

“I’ve never met her, but Harmony told me a little about her,” Eileen replied thoughtfully. “She started visiting them a couple of weeks ago for some reason.”

“So, you don’t actually know her?” Mystery asked with a questioning look.

“I know of her,” Eileen replied with a shrug. “She’s been in our local legends for centuries. My husband’s grandfather claims he even met her when he was just a boy.”

Mystery struggled to make sense of the past twenty-four hours as Eileen drove her back to her house almost an hour away. The fight she had with her boyfriend before the fateful flight was almost forgotten as she tried to make sense of a world full of mythical creatures. In the bright light of the morning, it was hard to believe any of it had happened.

Then there was the problem of how she was going to make a living. After three years of running an air-tour business, she hadn’t even come close to paying the Cessna off. Without the remains of her plane to inspect the insurance company wasn’t likely to flip the bill for the remainder of her debt without a fight. This next month is going to be an absolute nightmare.

Mystery barely recognized her street as they pulled on to her road. There were news vans clogging the shoulder of every available parking space, including the entrance to her driveway.

“It looks like they beat us here,” Eileen noted dryly.

“Damnit, this is just ridiculous!” Mystery fumed as they stopped in the road in front of her house. “Can’t they go find some stupid celebrity to fawn over?”

“They already have,” Eileen said with a grin. “You.”

Mystery sighed in annoyance. “I’m going to call the cops and get some of these morons towed.”

“Good luck with that,” Eileen said with a snort. “The cops will probably be waiting in line to ask you questions as well.”

“Thanks a lot for the ride, Eileen,” Mystery said sincerely as she opened the car door. “Would you like to come in for something to drink or eat?”

“Thanks, but I’ve got to get home to my kids,” Eileen declined quickly as she gazed at the reporters lining the sidewalks like they were some kind of nasty parasite. “Have fun with the circus though.”

“Thanks,” Mystery muttered sourly as she closed the door and started walking toward her house.

She had to struggle through rank upon rank of obnoxious reporters to get to her front door, ignoring all of their insistent inquiries as to what happened to her inside of the fairy ring. All she wanted was a hot bath and a warm cup of tea.

“Hey baby, I was so worried,” her ex-boyfriend, Todd, said in a voice dripping with sincerity.

“What are you doing in my house?” Mystery demanded irritably. “I thought I made it clear that you aren’t welcome here anymore.”

“Oh, come on, Misty!” Todd replied plaintively. “Every couple has their spats. We can work through this!”

“Apparently we have very differing viewpoints on what a spat is,” Mystery growled angrily. She felt the blood vessel on her temple throb as the memories of the morning before her crash sharpened. “Coming back to my house to find you telling some cheap whore that you are only staying with the gimpy woman because she is a sucker for hard luck cases goes way beyond a spat, you piece of shit! Now get the hell out of my house before I call the cops!”

“You’re blowing the whole thing out of context!” Todd yelled back at her as his face turned an uncharacteristic shade of red. “She was just having a bad day and needed someone to make her feel wanted. I couldn’t tell her how I really felt about you without making her feel like a total loser.”

Mystery shook her head disbelievingly as she walked over to her phone and began dialing 911. Tod was always good at coming up with B-grade stories to cover his ass, but that was just pathetic.

“911, what is your emergency?” a woman’s voice answered briskly.

“This is Mystery Donovan, and there’s a man in my house who is refusing to leave,” Mystery replied tightly. “Can you please send someone to 490 Melrose in Lithia to have him escorted off of the premise?”

“Misty, come on!” Todd bellowed in outrage. “You are being absolutely ridiculous!”

“I’ll dispatch a unit immediately,” The dispatcher replied curtly. “Please remain on the line with me until they arrive.”

“Copy that,” Mystery responded without bothering to look in Todd’s direction.

“Do you know the name of the person in your house?” the dispatcher asked.

“Todd Acorn,” Mystery replied grimly. “My ex-boyfriend.”

“Stop being such a frigid bitch!” Todd shouted in frustration. “Hang up the damn phone and talk to me!”

The line suddenly went dead. Mystery turned around and glared at her former lover as he stood glowering at her with the disconnected phone cord in his hand. His blue eyes were wide and filled with. frustration.

“I already told you, there is nothing to talk about,” Mystery replied in an ice-calm voice. “Unless you want to spend some time playing soap-on-a-rope with someone named Tyrone or Bubba, I suggest you leave before the police arrive.”

“You know what?” Todd snarled as he took a step closer and punched the wall near her head. “I don’t give a shit. I’ve put up with your gimpy ass for three years and not a single day has gone by that I haven’t asked myself why the hell I stay. All you care about is your damned airplane and your worthless music. I used to feel sorry for you, but that stopped when I realized that even without your accident you

would have been a self-absorbed bitch. Good luck finding someone else willing to tolerate your crazy mood swings.”

He pulled his fist back again, his eyes filled with fury. As his fist flew toward her face there was a sudden wave of overwhelming malevolence that filled the room. It was wholly directed at Todd, who staggered back in sudden terror. As quickly as the presence arrived, it left, leaving Todd looking shaken.

He glared at her before he suddenly spun and stalked out the front door, kicking a display table with pictures of her family so hard that several frames fell to the floor and shattered. Just before he left the front porch, he turned around for one last barb.

“By the way,” Todd declared with a malicious glint in his eyes. “If all cripples are as bad in bed as you are, the world would be a better place without you.”

Mystery just raised an eyebrow as he waited for her to react. She refused to give him the satisfaction. With a derisive snort, he stormed past the wall of reporters that were lining the road in front of her house, intent on their conversation. He had clearly meant to humiliate her in front of the press, but all he had really done was kick a hornet’s nest with his last damning statement.

She calmly walked over and shut the door before carefully cleaning up the broken shards of her family pictures. The prick didn’t even notice that my leg was healed.

She frowned as she worked. Where had that malevolent presence come from? She would have assumed she had imagined it if Todd hadn’t looked so terrified. Was Rhapsody still watching over her, even here? She looked around her house, unable to see the spirit of Azeban as he watched her clean.

After she finished cleaning up the mess, Mystery went into her front room and sank into a plush chair. With a deep sigh, she laid her head back and closed her eyes. She still couldn’t believe she had actually been inside the rings; let alone the things she discovered there. There had been so many revelations, ranging from mildly bizarre to utterly terrifying, that she still questioned whether she had survived the crash. Maybe this was some kind of afterlife.

She tried to remember all the events of the previous night, but the longer she was awake the more dreamlike it became. The only memory that remained crystal clear was the jubilant face of Rhapsody as she led them around the lost forest inside the ring. The small woman had exuded an infectious energy as she flitted around them, her wings shimmering like the aurora borealis as her larger-than-life eyes sparkled with excitement.

A loud knock sounded from her front door. Sighing, Mystery stood up and walked over to the door, peering through the spyhole. She groaned when she saw her bother on the porch, looking harried as the reporters tried to get his attention.

She opened the door to let him in and he rushed past her, hurriedly closing the door behind him.

“Man, what a freakshow,” Michael exclaimed as he waved a hand toward the closed door. “You couldn’t stay out of trouble for three days, could you? I hadn’t even landed in Salt Lake for thirty seconds before I saw the news about your plane crashing. Are you trying to give me a freaking heart attack?”

He had pulled her into a fierce hug halfway through his tirade, his voice breaking.

He was five years her junior, with his 22nd birthday only a week away. He was several inches taller than her own 6’4” with jet black hair and piercing blue eyes. He had been handling the administrative side of her small flying tours business while she handled the flying. They had been operating for almost 2 years and business was just starting to pick up. She had been hoping to make enough to pay off her plane within the next year or two.

She pulled back to stare up at Michael with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. Leaning back on her left foot, she lightly kicked him in the butt with her right foot.

“What the hell are you doing?” Michael demanded indignantly as he looked at her fully functional right leg. He stared at it for several seconds before suddenly gaping. “That’s not your prosthetic! Holy fudge monkeys, I thought the news stories were exaggerated! Your leg really grew back?”

“Yep, it really did,” Mystery confirmed with another light kick.

“So, you really were inside that ring that melted all of the military equipment?” Michael’s eyes were wide with amazement. “Well spit it out. What was inside the rings?”

Mystery closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, her lips curling into a smile. “You seriously wouldn’t believe me if I told you. There were so many crazy myths running around that even I can’t believe it, and I was there.”

“Try me,” Michael said firmly.

“Well, the first thing I saw after I crashed my plane into the lake that is inside the rings was a dozen mermaids,” Mystery told him, watching his expression for the disbelief she knew she would have felt. “They pulled me to the shore where an honest to god fairy, wings and all, was waiting. Her name was Rhapsody, and she had some other humans with her who apparently live near the wall. I tried to convince them to get my prosthetic from the plane before it sank, but she just laughed and said she would make me a new one. I totally thought she was going to make me a peg leg or something. After a few minutes of magical sparks flying everywhere, my leg grew back.”

Michael was staring at her with wide eyes. He slowly blinked them several times before repeating, “fairy?”

“See, I told you that you wouldn’t believe me,” Mystery chuckled. “But it only gets crazier from there.”

“Wait a minute,” Michael held up a hand. “Did you say you crashed in a lake? That ring isn’t big enough for a lake to fit in.”

“You have no idea,” Mystery breathed, with a far off look in her eyes. “Apparently, it’s like a Tardis, and is bigger on the inside. It would have to be, considering that’s where Yggdrasil lives. It is as big as a bloody mountain and towers up above the clouds. I thought it was a mountain at first. Rhapsody said that all the fairy circles had world trees before they were destroyed. She said that’s where most of our mountain ranges came from.”

Michael squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them when a knock sounded at the door.

“It’s probably those damn reporters,” Mystery said with a sigh. “Maybe I can get enough to pay off my plane if I give them the full story.”

Michael was in front of her in an instant, grabbing her by the shoulders so he could stare down at her. “Don’t you dare tell the reporters about what you found inside the rings. Do you know what would happen if people knew Yggdrasil was inside of that ring? We’ll have half of the world camping outside of the fairy ring trying to get in. It would only be a matter of time until they figured out how to get inside.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Mystery smiled dangerously. “There’s a dragon that lives in Yggdrasil that’s nearly 500 feet tall. Not that it would matter, since they would never get past Rhapsody. Human technology is so far behind what Rhapsody can do that the entire world could unite and they would still never get in.”

Michael blinked and mouthed the word “dragon” in wonder. Mystery walked past him to her door and looked through the peephole. Two men in suits wearing sunglasses stood waiting on the other side.

She opened the door a few inches. “Yes?”

“I’m Agent Michaels,” the taller of the two told her curtly. “This is Agent Davis. We are with the NSA. We would like you to come with us please.”

xx