Chapter Text
I sat in my room waiting for the psychiatrist to bring my schizophrenia medication before I'm able to go socialize with the others that are stuck in this hell hole with me. I'm not saying I'm schizophrenic, however my parents unfortunately assume so - which is why I'm stuck here. Taking medication I don't need in these damn blue scrubs inside of a sterile room, being monitored at every step.
I sighed as I looked at the ugly ass scars that donned my arms. They were also on my torso, but to see those, I'd have to raise my shirt. And I saw them every time I showered, so I didn't particularly want to see them when I didn't have to. Showering was monitored, of course. Like I said, everything was monitored here, from showering to taking a piss.
So I was being monitored now as I sat on my freshly made bed, better fit in a prison than a hospital, staring at the door with that tiny window with metal wire inside. I could see the camera from the corner of my eye, it's little red light indicating it was on and recording. That it was sending the live feed of me to the security room where some, presumably fat security guard was watching me on a tiny screen, munching on powdered donuts.
It was rare moments like this that I allowed my mind to wander. About this whole thing. This situation wasn't pleasant, so I tried not to think about it often, but sometimes I like to wonder what went wrong and how my life ended up with barely anything left other than an empty shell of who I was.
Right now I could be texting my best friend. Her name was Bex Anthony.
Instead of sitting in a bare, white room, I could be on my fluffy bed with my purple comforter wrapped around me. My lavender walls covered in posters to movies or bands, pictures of me and my family, or even my ex-boyfriend, Matt.
Bex always told me that I needed to get over him. I would just laugh and say that I was, but he just had a good looking face so I kept them around just for eye candy. She would just roll her eyes and flip me off.
I smiled thinking about her. We used to facetime when we had the chance.
I could still picture her face in my mind if I focused. Her short black hair that she used to dye the ends of. When I last spoke to her, they had been bright red. She was a total punk. But she was like a sister to me and I loved her for it. Her face was slightly round. Her eyes a few shades darker than my own hair color. She had full lips and several ear piercings.
Every time I facetimed her, she had worn black jeans that were ripped up and down the front. She wore combat boots that she liked to rest on either a coffee table or wear even when she was just laying in bed.
But she is not the reason I'm here. Like I said before, my parents assume I'm schizophrenic. That I see monsters and creatures of fairy tales. See the things that everyone has written of as nothing more than Hollywood monsters. Fiction. Used to scare people for the hell of it. But the scars that cover my arms and body, well, they definitely weren't self inflicted like the police and medical reports think.
They were from a monster that shouldn't exist. Just thinking about how vivid that memory was - how accurately I could describe it, one would think that I actually should be in this mental hell hole with these meds in my system. But what I saw, and what it did to me was real. The scars on my flesh, the jagged pink lines that marred my skin - don't even look like a simple razor blade could do this.
They were clawed into my skin from a beast that couldn't be controlled. It was a werewolf. A Rogue. That can only happen when a wolf if kicked from its pack. Since they are pack animals just like normal wolves, they need the community. They can survive as a lone wolf, sure.
But if a wolf is kicked out of the pack and forced into being a lone wolf, then they start to lose themselves. The fear and hunger gets to them. They are scared of every bump in the night since they wouldn't be able to fight by themselves if there are multiple things hunting them.
And during my attack, there was also a Blood Moon. In the Lycan community, it affects the wolves neurologically. It makes them far more dangerous than they would be normally since they are much more reliant towards the moon. This Blood Moon turns them into the monsters that we see in movies.
Normally we think that it's more of a man-made occurrence due to pollution and smog. The ozone layer being damaged by us. But it's actually an occurrence that drive creatures that need the moon to go crazy. They usually just find a safe place for their pack to bug down to they don't hurt people. But Rogues don't have that luxuries.
How do I know this?
The Priest in the hospital. He is standard protocol. Every hospital has at least one Priest so that those who are religious could pray for their family members without having to leave the hospital in case anything happens that would require them to their room at a moment's notice.
He is also the only one who believes me. I do wish that is was someone closer to me, but it's better than not having a soul believe me at all. He knows everything that I have seen or dealt with. He has become my confidant. If I have an issue, I turn to him instead of my shrink.
Because the Rogue attack was not my first experience.
This attack was where my scars came from. Whether I smelt like it's next meal or if it simply was crazed due to the Blood Moon, I don't know. But it looked so similar to the Hollywood Wolfman werewolves. The patchy fur that made it look like it had mange. It was about 6 feet tall when standing on its hind legs. The muzzle was elongated,drool dripped from its mouth and when it snarled at me, I could see a mixture of human and canine teeth inside it's mouth. It's eyes were yellow and feral looking.
I had screamed, hoping that someone, anyone would hear me, but no one came. I didn't exactly live in a bad area, but it wasn't a good area either. Sure, someone called the police, but no one came to my aid. My parents weren't even at home either. They had gone on a dinner date like they did every third Friday of the month.
Why didn’t I call? The werewolf swiped the phone from my hand; it broke when it hit the floor.
But since my family didn't live in the best neighborhood, my dad had given me a pocket knife. It may not have been a lot, but it certainly was enough to get the bloodied beast off me.
I had layer there, with my blood seeping into the grass. I was too weak to move. So when the police and my parents found me, the only thing they saw was a bloody girl with a knife loosely held in a limp hand. If it wasn't for my shallow breathing and blinking, they may have thought I was dead.
So the official police report that was given was that "after years of mental instability and possible schizophrenia," I had become "depressed and suicidal." So much so that I had cut myself in deep gashes up my arms and across my torso.
But I didn't.
The doctors who put me back together had told the police that it was possible that their report of my wounds being self inflicted was possible. So for my safety and the safety of my family, the police had recommended that I be put under special care of professionals who dealt with situations like this every day.
And like I said, not my first experience with monsters.
The earliest memory that I have was that of a fairy at age 4. She was a tiny little thing that was resting on a lily that was growing in my mother's flower beds. She had green hair and looked like she was wearing a leaf as clothing.
I had went to get my mother, but by the time that we got there, she was already gone. My mom, at that time, only believed it to be the overactive imagination of a little girl.
Another time, when I was on a field trip with my fifth grade class to a historical villa, I found who I thought was a young actress who was a part of the tour given to us, while dressed in a Victorian style dress. Her hair was blonde and curled. She had a heart shaped face and lips on the liner side. She was pale, but at the time I had thought it was simply makeup.
It turned out that this 10 year old girl had once lived and died in that house due to influenza. Her soul was trapped there. It was attached to a little locket that I hid in my backpack to try and help her find her way to the afterlife.
I still haven't found how to as of yet and I still had the locket around my neck. The doctors didn't take it from me since I freaked out the only time they tried. So she was in my room now. She sat on the edge of the hard mattress next to me, kicking her feet and humming to herself.
Ring around the rosies.
I thought that while I waited for the doctor that I could ignore her. I didn't want to get caught talking to her again. The last time they found me talking to her, they had injected me with something I can't even pronounce. It sucked. And it made my chest tighten a bit thinking about. Sure it's their job, but I think it's cruel that they could be here making us into mindless, drooling zombies, so high on drugs, we can't remember our own names.
Now, no offence to zombies, I used to go to school with one. Smartest kid in school. They were brilliant. They were placed it all the AP classes. The one time I had spoken to them, they had told me that they didn't care for gender pronouns. They just wanted to be seen for who they were not what they were. I mean, not just because they were technically undead either.
They had deathly pale skin and white hair. Many thought they were simply albino. Except, they didn't have white eyes. They were pale blue. It freaked me out at first. And their food was strange too.
They always had some sort of mystery meat mixed in with their food, whether it was a sandwich or pasta, there was always some sort of mystery meat. Don't even want to think about if it was brains or not.
From what I learned about them, they could hold normal conversations. In fact, they had better speak than some humans at times. Really, the only difference is could find was the dietary needs and cold skin. I don't know if they have a beating heart or if it's slow or stopped.
I'm just glad that not all monsters were bad. We had a sort of unspoken understanding. They won't hurt me as long as I don't rat them out.
I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes one final time before I feel asleep waiting.
I saw the Doctor in the white lab coat pass the door before it opened. But it wasn't the usual doctor that brought me my medication. It was a younger man. One I've never seen in the hospital before.
He was much taller than the other doctors. He had dark hair which contrasted heavily with his fair skin. I blinked owlishly as he looked up from fixing his lab coat. He had the brightest blue eyes that I'd ever seen. His jawline was sharp and he had high cheekbones.
It was as if Adonis himself jumped out of my old history books and manifested right in front of me. I couldn't help my jaw as it slacked.
"Abbigale Pierce?" He asked. It took me a second to realize he said my name. His brows, which were also nice and thick, furrowed in my direction when I didn't respond.
"Y-Yes?" I finally managed, and his confused expression shifted to one of a small smile. I could see a hint of a dimple, but I couldn't see it properly with his partial smile. I could see some of his perfect teeth though.
It hadn't even dawned on me that he didn't have any paperwork on him or the paper cup that held that fucking pill. I didn't even need it, mind you.
"You're nervous," He addressed, and my gob-smacked features finally shifted.
"Hardly." The words left me faster than I could catch it. My gaze slowly trailed his figure as he smiled more, revealing his pearly whites. A light laughter left him.
"A spitfire indeed." His voice had shifted. It wasn't too noticeable to others - but it finally doused me with a cold sense of realization. Something was off about him. Very off. I could feel my lips pull into a tight line as I continued to watch the male chuckle. I could feel my chest tighten. This was wrong.
"Who the hell are you?!" I demanded, causing him to stop laughing. His blue eyes twinkled as he straightened himself up. "So quick to details, Abbigale."
"But, I see that you're getting impatient," He continued, taking a step towards me. I immediately took a step back. He looked almost hurt at the motion. "I'm not-"
"Tell me who the fuck you are. I'm not asking again." I forced it to sound a little more intimidating than the first- but it didn't give the effect I wanted. He looked perturbed for a few seconds, trying to see if he should answer my question or not.
"I'm not going to hurt you, but I can't really tell you my name. My full name, at least," He responded, and I took another shaky step back. My stomach fell as I opened my mouth and shut it again.
Eliza wasn't here.
He wasn't human.
He could see the panic start to settle in my facial expression and grumbled to himself. "I really shouldn't be..." He sighed, and gave me a smile. "For you, Abbigale. I will give my name."
"I am Rael."
Shit. Double Shit.
"I can tell by your expression... you already know of me?" He inquired, and I nary answered.
"I..." I started, the energy I had before suddenly gone. "I know...you're not human..." A pause. "Right?"
He softened his gaze slightly when he noticed my stiffness. "Very observant, Abbigale." He responded, and I immediately look down. If I had learned anything from this ongoing nightmare it was to never face a monster.
"Woah now, I'm not going to hurt you." He raised his hands up in a defensive manner. The soft huff that left me indicated that I didn't trust him.
His brows furrowed once more and he said nothing as I lifted my head up. However, I didn’t focus on him, as dashing as he may look. I was staring at one of the cameras in my room. Maybe if I waved, they’d send some guards or men in white to make him leave. But as I glanced over the machine, my heart fell into my stomach and I could feel the blood draining from my cheeks. There was no red light. There wasn’t an indication it was on. I sharply looked back at him and he gave me a small smile. “Sorry?” He supplied, and I felt my legs nearly give out.
He shut off the cameras. He didn't want anyone to see. He didn't want a witness. He was going to murder me and no one would find out until it was too late.
I couldn’t help it as I started to hyperventilate. This wasn’t happening. A sense of dread overcame me and my legs finally gave out. I was going to die in this room and people would remember me as the crazy bitch with schizophrenia. I didn’t even realize I was actually whimpering until I heard him shockingly ask if I was okay. Tears brimmed my eyes and the words spilled out my mouth. “I, I don’t want to die.” At the word “die” the tears started falling and I rubbed my arms. “I -don’t-want-to-di-die.” I repeated, though it was more choppy due to the increased hyperventilation.
“She’s having what they call a panic attack?” He mumbled to himself, worriedly watching me before making his way over. "Hey hey hey. Easy now. You're safe with me. I know this doesn’t look to be in your favor, but I knew that they would immediately notice that I wasn’t really a doctor, let alone one of them if they saw the video feed. It's on loop until I depart," He said. I rubbed my arms a little faster at the sudden invasion of my space but as I listened to his words, I couldn’t help but finally shift my gaze from the machine to him. Tears still fell down my face and I couldn’t tell if he was looking constipated because he was uncomfortable or that I was still panicking.
“I’ve never had to console before, I’m sorry Abbigale.” He managed, rubbing his hands through his hair before slowly crouching down to get on my level. “I won’t hurt you. You have my word.” He spoke delicately as if every word were glass. “I will not hurt you.”
"W-what t-the h-hell are y-you?" I asked. He sighed and sat on my bed.
I stood in the corner of my room and just prayed that someone comes in and sees he wasn't one of their doctors. I started whimpering.
"Like I told you, my name is Rael. Rael Flynn. I'm the prince of the land called Incantatus, home of the Fae people. I require your assistance. Your abilities to detect lusus naturae, or the supernatural, will be of use for me," He said.
I shook my head violently. The last monster I faced, I was thrown into a mental hospital, diagnosed with extreme paranoia, schizophrenia, and depression.
"Please!" He must have turned to begging. "This affects your world just as much as mine, if not more so!" His eyes were filled with something close to fear and desperation. I looked away, I couldn't continue to look in his eyes, knowing that I may crack under the pressure of the sight of them.
He sighed and continued. "I'm searching for someone. They are dangerous to not only my people but to himself and your people as well. He doesn't know how to control himself like my people. He is half human which is dangerous for any lusus naturae, but more so when they are half Fae as well. He... was hidden away in my world in hopes that he could learn to control his abilities. But sadly, he had slipped passed that guards and my sister and I have been searching everywhere for him since. We cannot detect him anywhere, but we were hoping that you might."
This was confusing. A Fae? "You're a... fairy?" I asked.
"No, a Fae. Fairies are the general term for us. We Fae are just one of them. A pixie is the small thing with the butterfly wings. Then there are also leprechauns, gnomes, goblins, hobgoblins, nymphs, dryads, elementals, changlings, as well as others," He said.
I worried at my lip. A nervous tick that I had picked up a few years back. I could feel the air sting at the raw skin the longer I did so.
"So you don't need me, you need my curse to help you?" I accused. I knew I shouldn't trust him. No body needed me. Not my parents, not my school. I was just a girl that could easily be replaced or fade into the background and easily forgotten.
I thought that Bex and Matt needed me, but Matt dumped me for a slut with a bigger rack. And Bex? Well, I hadn't been able to call her without being, surprise surprise, monitored.
"I don't just need your powers. If I did, I could have gone to anyone else with them. But I need you specifically. Half-Fae are extremely volatile. I need you since you know what it's like to have your freedom stripped from you. I was hoping that you could appeal to him in that sense. As well as being able to keep him calm. You never know what they could do or what could set them off," He said.
He turned away from me in the middle of his speech. I looked at him. His hunched shoulders held the tension of a man who was fighting an internal war with himself. His head was hanging, almost as if his mind was becoming too heavy for him to continue to hold high. He was vulnerable in every sense of the word. He either was a good liar, or he was telling the truth and both our worlds were in trouble.
I could see a scar that was shade or two lighter than the rest of his fair skin. It peeked up over the collar of the white lab coat that he must have stolen just to talk to me - to beg me to help a desperate man. It looked old. A few years at least. It looked like it came from something sharp and that had slashed at him heavily.
For a moment I wondered where it was from. But then the words he spoke sank into my mind, reminding me of the more pressing matters at hand. This man - who had to be 21 at most, sat there in a stolen lab coat and walked right into the mental hospital just to beg me to help save a man from himself.
I was surprised as the words left my mouth. "Give me 24 hours to think about this. This is a lot that you're asking for. This... whatever it is is a lot to comprehend. I will give you an hour this time tomorrow. If I say no, then find someone else and leave me alone. If I say yes, I'll need about an hour to pack everything." His head snapped up and turned to me. His striking blue eyes were filled with hope and awe.
He nodded. "Yes of course!" He said. I knew he was tall, but until he stood up, I hadn't realized how tall he was. He looked at least 6'3.
"Now, I understand why you don't say yes right away with what happened two years ago with the Blood Moon, but I can assure you that though Fae are a peaceful people, we are fierce on the battlefield and I would be more than capable of protecting you." And with that, I was left alone. I glanced at the camera and noticed the little red light was on again. I let out a heavy breath and pretended that nothing out of the ordinary happened just now.
"That was freaky," Eliza said. Now she makes a reappearance. Only after I had the shit scared out of me.
I walked at a brisk pace after the real doctor had given me my medication. I needed to see the Priest, Father Jeffery right away. Since he was the only one who believed me with my ability.
I stepped into his office without knocking. He said that I could do that if there was something that was really bothering me. "Father Jeffery?" I squeaked out. My voice held a bit of remaining panic that instantly drew his attention. "Can we talk?" I closed the door behind me and picked at the hem of my shirt.
His eyes softened instantly. "Of course, my child," He said, removing his reading glasses. He sat them on his desk next to his Bible. "What happened?" He asked. My bottom lip trembled as I stood there.
I didn't want to involve him in anything more than he needed to be, but I suppose I had no choice since he was the only one I could talk to about this without having my medication dosage increased.
I watched him from where I stood. I watched his blue-gray eyes fill with understanding as he knew that it was a lusus naturae as that Fae guy called it. His eyes furrowed and the crow feet that hinted at his stress and age became more pronounced. He ran his fingers through his salt and pepper hair, musing it in different directions. He smoothed it out before speaking.
"Tell me what you sensed, dear child." He said, rested his hands on the Bible in front of him and laced his fingers together. His crisp black suit and his clerical collar pristine even though he must have been here and dressed since yesterday.
"Have I ever told you about hunters? Because I could contact one for you and have them track the monster you sensed," He said. I shook my head.
"It was a Fae." His eyes widened.
"Did they give a name?" I nodded. He bit his lip. "And?"
I sighed. Damn, what was it again? He said it was like Real or Riley.
"Riel?" I said. "Rael? Real?" He ran his hand down his face.
"Father forgive me," He whispered. "Fuck," He said. I gaped at him. Never, in the two years that I have been here, have I heard him curse. Let alone say one that strongly before.
“You said this man Rael? As in Rael Flynn?" He asked. I nodded. He sighed through his nose and stood up. He went to a little filing cabinet to his right and pulled out few papers. He thumbed through some of them.
He must have found what he was looking for since he grabbed two nilla folders and brought them over. He sat them on the desk in front of me. He sat back down and placed them before me. It had a picture of Rael. I got a better look of his face now that it was placed before me and he was not yapping about monsters.
His irises were still the brightest blue I’ve ever seen, but then inside the pupil was a thin ring of black with then a violet circle. It was so interesting. He had a Roman nose. And for a man, he had perfect shaped eyebrows, roughly the same shade as his hair.
I took a closer look of the file and was confused. It almost resembled a police file like you’d see in TV shows and movies. I read through the page quickly but then had to read it again to absorbed what it said.
Name: Rael Flynn
Age: 21
Date of Birth: August 23th, 1996
Height: 6'4.5
Weight: 195 lbs
Occupation: Prince of Incantatus, Royal Sentinel of Princess Sariah.
Prince Rael is the youngest of 8 children. He was named the Royal Sentinel of his sister and Heir to the Incantatus' royal family, Sariah Flynn at the age of 15. He is not yet married, but we believe that he isn't interested in looking for anything of the such since he is far more loyal to his royal duties. He was also named to be the protector of the Augur when she is found.
There is not much to say about him other than his loyalty and training which is that above everyone else that we have seen thus far.
When I finished, I looked up at Father Jeffery, confused. "Father, why are you showing me this?" I asked. He pursed his lips, but didn’t say anything. He pushed the other file my way. I glanced down at it. It was me. The picture of me was from before I had to come here. When I still had light behind my eyes.
My hair in the picture was longer and straighter. It was such a light brown that looked almost blonde in some lighting. The blue-green eyes that had once held light of hope of a day that I'd be free of the monsters and creatures that sensed me just as I sensed them looked back at me. It was a harsh reminder of who I once was.
My freckles were darker too. Since being here, they have lightened significantly, being used to being in the sun whenever they had the simple desire to do so. Even my lips were freckled. I felt the sudden urge to know everything that they had on me - to see how much they knew. So I read it.
Name: Abbigale Pierce
Age: 19
Date of Birth: December 12th, 1997
Height: 5'2
Weight: 117 lbs
Occupation: N/A
We have been following this Abbigale since she has been claiming to see mythical creatures and monsters since see she was at least 2. Her father has gotten into contact with the Holy Hunters since she was 3. He tells them stories of the things see she claims to see. Or simply sense.
We have come to believe that this only child of Caleb and Monica Pierce is the Augur that was predicted during the war between Fae people and the Half-Fae, Dante. The world of Incantatus felt it when the child was born - though they didn’t know who it was at the time, and assigned Prince Rael to be the one to find and secure her in order to find the next Half-Fae before another war could potentially break out.
Once Abbigale was placed in Four Winds Hospital in the psychiatric ward, on the corner of Madison Ave and E 57th St, we put her under our monitoring as to watch how she progress. She seems to talk to someone. A little girl maybe? We believe her name might be Eliza or Elizabeth. Based on our research.
We have closely monitored her and have come to believe that if she is to flourish to her true potential, then she will need to be taken into the care of Rael and his family.
I stopped reading, my heart was pounding.
I looked up at Father Jeffrey. "What did I just read, Father?" I asked, my voice shaking just ever so slightly. "Does this mean that my father knew that I was telling the truth this entire time? But that he allowed me to be placed in here?" I backed away from his desk. Father Jeffery didn't say anything as my breathing became more and more erratic. "And what is this Augur thing?" I demanded, gripping at my hair. Hot, burning tears filled my eyes.
"Is it some damn chosen one thing where I'm supposed to save the whole fucking world!?" For the second time that day, I started to have a panic attack. I could barely get any air into my lungs the longer I thought about this.
He stood and removed his reading glasses. “Abbigale, please calm down. We had told your father that he was not to tell you until we knew for sure that you are the Augur. Hell, we still aren't sure if you are. But Rael does. I didn't think that he'd be so desperate as to come now, since we aren't sure. But if this means what I think it means, than we need to hurry. I will contact your father tonight and he shall be here to pick you up and sign the release forms in the morning."
I clenched my hands together. Leaving is the one thing I've always wanted. To taste freedom again. To walk through central park with Chichi. But if this is the cost, I don’t know if I want that. I think I’d rather have people think I was crazy then be responsible to save the whole world. Two whole worlds in fact.
"You should probably back today. If there is anyone that you are emotionally attached to here, I would recommend that you tell them goodbye since you won't be coming back here. It's nothing personal, but you won't need to. No matter what happens," He said, putting his reading glasses back on. He reopened his Bible before setting it back down. "Oh and before I forget. Do be safe out there Abby. This world you are stepping into will be far more dangerous than the world that you have been living in already. Once you are done packing, please come and see me, I will give you a few things that will help." He smiled and I could see the laugh lines that were etched into his face. He motioned at the door with a nod, signalling for me to go.
I nodded again and walked out.