Chapter Text
After Apocalypse
Two weeks after the end of the world, Declan wakes up from a pleasant dream about his childhood. He’s been having a lot of those lately. Funnily enough, this dream wasn’t even a memory that was uncovered to him recently. It was a dream about his father taking him at twelve to meet Seondeok Cheng in the fairy market. It once would have disturbed him, now he smiled at the realization this was a sign of his fathers love and respect. Beside him, Jordan was gently snoring. His smile widened as he took in her beautiful sleeping form, then got up quietly so as not to disturb her. Instead of the Barns kitchen, it was like Declan had walked into a black void. There was no space or definition to his surroundings, only that velvety soft blackness wrapping around Declan like a cocoon.
“Declan, Declan.”
“Declan are you alright?”
“Declan you asshole!” rose the voice Declan would know anywhere. “You are not going to be the next comatose member of this family after the apocalypse!”
Declan blinked his eyes open. He looked around and saw that they were in a space that looked like it could be a conference room, only everything was rendered translucent from the walls to the tables. Yet he somehow couldn’t see what was outside either… Everything was transparent except for the large amount of people collected here. There had currently been nine people taking up space in the Barns and that was a lot more than even their family in the good old days. All eight of those other people were in the room right now; his younger brother Ronan who had spoken and was glaring hot daggers at him now, his even younger brother Mathew, his future wife Jordan, Jordan’s.. was she a clone or a sister or a shadow? Hennessy, Carmen Farooq Lane who he felt an odd kinship with, Ronan’s boyfriend Adam who Declan harbored some less than ecstatic feelings towards from the last couple weeks, and of course his mother Mor and … sort of father The New Fenian.
Of the others present, he recognized Richard Campbell Gansey III, Ronan’s high school best friend. Next to him was the short girl with spiky black hair who he thinks is his girlfriend. Ronan calls her Sargento right? Helen Gansey, his sister, is there looking around with calculated curiosity. Then there are the psychics of 300 fox way, Maura Calla and Gwenllian, who the Gray Man lives with. The Gray Man himself. A very pretty woman about Declan’s age who winks in his direction. Bryde. And even.. “Henry?” he asks bewildered.
Henry Cheng glares daggers at him.
“You know each other?” asked Gansey. “Oh. Yeah of course you do.”
He meant Aglionby, but that wasn’t where Declan and Henry had met. And anyway, they’d run in different scenes at school.
“What’s going on?” Declan asked.
Calla snorted. “Apparently, it’s important to the future for all of us to revisit our pasts in these books.” She pointed at the table. Declan saw now that there were several tomes, as well as a piece of paper. Calla picked it up and read aloud. “It is important for the sake of the future that the people gathered in this room revisit their pasts. Think closely about each book. You might spot gaps in your memories, or see different choices as possible from those you made. These books are divided into two series. First is The Raven Cycle series which is about Gansey, Blue, Adam and Ronan in their high school years with appearances from other characters.” None of the four looked at all happy about this.
“Stupid fate.” muttered the girl who Declan realized now must be Blue.
“Affirmative.” Adam concurred.
Hennessy broke into a shit eating grin.
“Oh, by all means. I’d like to see how an eldritch being forced into a desk in snotty rich boy classes worked out.”
“Well,” Adam said dryly. “He was never in class enough for it to matter.”
Hennessy cackled. “Oh, I’m going to be hearing about your grand love story in these books I reckon. Oh this will be fun.”
Ronan and Adam looked horrified. Gansey and Blue looked intrigued.
“I’d kind of like to see that for myself, actually.” said Gansey. At their annoyed glares, he shrugged. “I know I was there for it, and in retrospect I can see bits of it but… I feel like I missed a lot. Which is embarrassing. I mean you’re my best friends, I spent so much time with one or both of you yet I was clueless…”
“Yeah, that seems to be a theme with you. Cluelessness.” sniped Henry.
Gansey looked pained. “If you would just let me explain-“
“There’s nothing to explain. I am done with you.”
Gansey eyes are filled with hurt.
Blue touches his shoulder gently, “Henry, he really is sorry.”
Declan saw Ronan and Adam watch this interaction seemingly startled, then exchanged looks of wary confusion. He knew Henry and Gansey had been on the rowing team together but didn’t know if they’d been close or not.
“I’m not done reading.” snapped Calla. “The Raven Cycle consists of four books. Book one is “The Raven Boys”, book two is “The Dream Thieves”, book three is “Blue Lily, Lily Blue”, book four is “The Raven King”. The second series is The Dreamer Trilogy, a story focused on Ronan, Declan, Hennessy, Jordan, Mathew and Carmen, with appearances from other characters.
“Fuck.” said Ronan. “Fuck.” agreed Hennessy, looking much less excited.
“This series is three books. Book one is Call Down The Hawk, book two is Mister Impossible, book three is Greywaren.”
Blue burst out laughing. “Mister Impossible… is that supposed to be Ronan?”
“Terrible title.” Gansey agreed.
Mathew frowned. “Ronan, did you ever dream of a Hawk or something?”
Ronan shook his head. “Maybe Mister Impossible is Declan?”
Hennessy shook her head. “Figures we’d get the lousy titles.”
Calla’s voice rose above everyone else's as she finished reading. “You will find out who I, the person writing this note, am after you’ve completed all seven books. Now onto practical matters: this is the reading room, it is where you will spend almost all of your time until you are finished.”
“Fuck that,” said Ronan.
“Food and drink will be consistently available, think of a meal or beverage and it will appear in the room.” Declan imagined a cup of coffee, and it appeared in his hand. He saw several items of food or beverage appear by the others, Mathew whooped as a cheeseburger appeared, there was also a half sausage half avocado pizza that Gansey gestured to Blue, Ronan and Adam to share with him.
“There is a hallway you may exit into if you need a moment alone, and a restroom at the end of the hall.”
“Are we in a dream?” asked Jordan.
Ronan and Hennessy communicated silently with their eyes. “It could be a dream.” Ronan admitted. “It’s not mine.”
“And how would you know that?” Hennessy and Adam said in unison, Hennessy’s tone amused and Adam’s more than a little angry. They glared at each other.
“Jinx!” said Mathew and Jordan at the same time. “Double jinx!” they high fived.
Hennessy’s expression slackened. It seemed this happened every time Jordan showed her she was a person outside of her, with other dreams and ambitions and people she wanted to have relationships with.
Hennessy noticed Declan’s gaze and glared defiantly back at him.
“Alright,” said Blue. “Are we going to take turns reading these books out loud?”
Adam frowned. “If that’s the case, how will we know if someone isn’t omitting parts of the books? If they paint people in a better or worse light.”
“Good thinking, Adam.” said Gansey.
“How about,” said Helen, who had been uncharacteristically quiet until this moment – why was she here? Declan understood why most of the others were but even though she knew Gansey who had some relationship to magic, she shouldn’t be here as far as he was concerned. “Since the paper lists who the books are mainly about, the people whose names aren’t in it get to read the books?”
“Oh, great idea!” said the beautiful dark haired girl.
“Orla,” Blue snapped.
“Helen.” Gansey grimaced.
“That could work,” said Maura thoughtfully. “But many of us are still involved in the text in some way, especially family members.” Helen and Orla deflated.
“How about,” said Mor. “My husband and I take turns reading? We’ve observed parts that have to do with the Lynch brothers but not payed much attention to the rest. And neither of us has reason to lie about anything.”
Declan could see her reasoning. He knew from the memories he’d been given that if Mor could be trusted with one thing, it was in keeping herself impartial and unclouded by emotion as opposed to logic. And the New Fenian valued a true story. They really were the best candidates.
“All in favor?” asked the New Fenian.
Gansey was properly looking at him for the first time and his face turned white as a sheet. “Hi…Ronan are you seeing…”
“It’s not my dad and mom, Gansey.” said Ronan. “Don’t worry, you are still the only man here who died twice. Mor is the woman my dad based Aurora on and this is the guy she based on my Dad.”
Gansey looked even more alarmed. Blue’s eyes blazed with fury. “Excuse me– your dad not only dreamt himself a housewife, he based her on a woman who was real?”
“Jesus christ.” said Gansey. “Christ. Jesus.”
“So,” said Mor. “Let’s start.” They all took seats around the astonishingly long table, Declan between Jordan and Ronan.
“Here we go,” Jordan muttered under her breath to him.