Second Chance, Chapter Ten

This is a really short chapter.  I debated making it longer- there was stuff I could have done with Lisette and with Cliff, but it really felt like I'd hit upon the things that needed to be done in this chapter.  More exposition than I really like, too, but I needed to get it out of the way. :-

Oh well.  I'm still not in love with this chapter- it feels kind of like the plain white rice that comes with Chinese food in restaurants- you need it, but it's not the most flavorful…

As I mentioned in an earlier thread, I know it gets really easy to lose track of what's going on in a serial story of this nature, and because threads tend to get buried after a time, it can be very difficult to go back and remind yourself of what events happened when.  Because of that, I've started placing links to the previous chapters in the intro to the stories.

So…
Chapter 1-2: http://amaz0ns.com/option,com_smf/Itemid,135/topic,5514.0/
Chapter 3: http://amaz0ns.com/option,com_smf/Itemid,135/topic,5518.0/
Chapter 4: http://amaz0ns.com/option,com_smf/Itemid,135/topic,5545.0/
Chapter 5: http://amaz0ns.com/option,com_smf/Itemid,135/topic,5560.0/
Interlude: http://amaz0ns.com/option,com_smf/Itemid,135/topic,5605.0/
Chapter 6: http://amaz0ns.com/option,com_smf/Itemid,135/topic,5584.0/
Chapter 7: http://amaz0ns.com/option,com_smf/Itemid,135/topic,5677.0/
Chapter 8: http://amaz0ns.com/option,com_smf/Itemid,135/topic,5699.0/
Chapter 9: http://amaz0ns.com/option,com_smf/Itemid,135/topic,5720.0/

And now,
Chapter Ten
by: stmercy2020
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No one knows for certain when modern man first came into existence on Earth.  Some scientists believe it was as early as seven or eight million years ago, others believe it was much more recent.  Some church doctrines maintain that the Earth is less than ten thousand years old and that man has been present from the very beginning.  Regardless of when we started, the fair folk started with us- they were our first dreams.  They gave form to the stories we told ourselves, and when the first man died, they became immortal.  They became both the monsters in the dark and the gods and heroes that vanquished them.  As our dreams were their parents, they were the authors of our imaginations.

All of which brings us to the present.  Events are in motion, even now, that will change the world forever.  There is a prophecy that my people believe is in effect.  Someone will, through her actions, either join our worlds once again or sunder them forever.  I am Berihun Rowell, last shaman of my tribe, and I have been sent to be her spirit guide.  If only I can find her.

“Okay,” Drifter said slowly, “That explains you.  Now the real question- why us?”

Berry gave them a bitter smile.  “You’re close to this person- this prophecy-girl.  I was drawn to you.  So were others.”

“The tall woman-“

“The elf.”

Drifter mulled that over for a bit.  “You seemed awfully, I don’t know, hostile to that woman.”

“Elves are not known for being particularly careful with their human playthings,” Berry explained.  “You seem to be taking this better than I would have expected.”

“I’m three sheets to the wind.  Just about everything seems reasonable right about now.  Ask me about it in the morning.”

Berry smiled grimly.  “I don’t think we have that long.  I think we need to find this girl, and find her soon.”

Dicey and Vinnie drove quietly down 23-South, both lost in their own thoughts.  Dicey had tried to reach Drifter, but he wasn’t answering his phone.  She left a message for Reverend Tiller, asking her to give their excuses for missing practice.  She’d called her parents, but only spoke to the answering machine, which was strange enough.  She was beginning to feel a bit detached.

It wasn’t a long trip to Toledo, and Dicey and Vinnie made the drive to her parents’ house in just over an hour.  The first thing she noticed was the police cars, followed closely by the uniformed men in her house.  Parking the car, she bolted in through the front door, Vinnie following at a slightly slower pace.

She was met at the door by her mother, who grabbed her and hugged her tightly, sobbing incoherently.  Her father was only a few steps behind, and drew her and Vinnie into the house.  He looked…aged.  The lines on his face deepened, dark circles under his reddened eyes indicating how he’d spent the last couple nights.  With only a few words, he brought them up to speed.

While Dicey sat with her parents, Vinnie went into the back to afford them some privacy.  It was all a bit too much.  Suddenly, his grandfather’s death, while still a deep loss, seemed less important.  Dasia was young.  She had her entire life ahead of her.  Vinnie felt an impotent rage building inside him, an urgent need to strike something.

“That won’t do you any good,” said a quiet voice next to his ear.

Vinnie jumped.  Turning his head quickly, he saw something out of a fantasy story.  She was perhaps a foot tall and perfectly formed, if extremely slender and waif-like.  She had fine wings, nearly transparent like a dragonfly’s, and her skin, while tanned, had a faintly greenish tinge to it.

“I must be going mad,” Vinnie whispered, “I always wondered what it was like…”

“If you wish it, I can help you,” the tiny creature offered.