RAYNE
Episode 5: “Memories”
Written and created by Ingrid Díaz

“What brings you here today?” prompted the gentle voice at the other side of the divider.

Azure hesitated, looking around the small, confined space of the confessional wondering why, exactly, she was there. Had she come there to confess, or simply to find someone to talk to? She sighed quietly, feeling pathetic. “Lately,” she whispered finally, casting her gaze downward at her hands, “I’ve been having … unnatural thoughts,” she found herself saying, “about … about another girl…”

~*~

Aeryn sat outside, watching the sky above the dormitory buildings change colors in the approaching darkness. It had been two days since Braeden had shown up at her door; two days since she first realized that the Elders didn’t trust her. And why should they, she asked herself. What had she done to earn their trust? Nothing, she had to admit. Not a single thing. So why should she be surprised that they’d sent another member to watch over her?

She sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. Perhaps she had been wrong all along. She wasn’t meant to be in the Order. Maybe it was time to walk away before anyone got hurt.

“Hi,” said a quiet voice, and Aeryn turned her head to find Azure standing near her.

“Hi,” Aeryn said, and forced a smile. “Haven’t seen you around lately.”

Azure hesitated, as if debating whether to sit down or walk away. Aeryn was pleased when Azure opted for the former. “Yeah, I know. I figured you’d be busy with your … friend.”

Aeryn glanced at Azure’s profile briefly before looking away. “Braeden? He’s not a friend. He’s …” She shrugged. “A colleague, I guess you could call it.” She stretched out her legs and leaned back on her arms. The grass felt rough against her fingers, and Aeryn realized that she had yet to see it rain in Merfolk.

“So, is he sticking around for a while?”

“It would seem that way,” and Aeryn noticed the bitterness in her own voice.

Azure glanced at her. “I thought you might be happy to have someone you know here. You know, someone who … understands.”

“Don’t you?”

Azure didn’t answer, and Aeryn didn’t press.

“You haven’t been in class,” Azure said after a moment.

“You noticed?”

“I guess I must have.”

Aeryn smiled to herself, wondering if that meant Azure had missed her. “I’ve had a lot on my mind,” she said. “Class seemed unimportant.”

“I have the notes. In case class ever seems important again.”

“Thanks.”

Azure simply nodded and they fell into a silence that was neither companionable nor awkward. After several minutes, Aeryn began to wonder why Azure hadn’t left.

“So,” Azure said quietly, in her usual hesitant voice, “what’s been on your mind?”

“You want to know?”

Azure shrugged, seeming embarrassed. “You don’t seem like yourself, so I figure whatever’s bothering you must be pretty serious.”

Aeryn looked away, fixing her gaze on the sky. “I’m thinking of quitting,” she said finally. “I think Braeden getting sent here is a sign that I’m not trusted. And if I’m not trusted … what’s the point?”

“So what would you do instead?”

“I have no idea,” Aeryn admitted. “Maybe I could go back home, teach.” She shrugged, sitting up, wiping her hands on her pants. “I don’t know.”

“Well, have you asked him why he was sent here?”

“He said they wanted me to have back-up.”

“So, maybe that’s all it is.”

“Back-up for what?” Aeryn shook her head. “And it’s not like he’d tell me he’s here because everyone thinks I’m incompetent.”

“Seems to me like maybe it’s you that doesn’t trust them…”

Aeryn glanced at Azure sharply. She opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again.

Azure smiled. “I’ll take that to mean I have a point.”

“I didn’t say that,” but Aeryn smiled. She looked at Azure, regarding her curiously. “You seem to be in a good mood today.”

“Do I?” Azure cast her brown eyes on Aeryn’s green ones. “I just came back from Church. It always makes me feel … I don’t know, at peace, I guess.”

Aeryn simply nodded.

“Anyway, I should go,” Azure announced, standing. “I have homework,” she added, as if needing an excuse.

“Maybe I’ll stop by later and pick up those notes?”

Azure smiled. “Okay.”

Aeryn watched Azure walk away and disappear into the building. She glanced around, trying to decipher whether or not their stalkers were still on the prowl. She hadn’t seen either of them for days, and that worried her. Had they given up? Or were they up to something?

Neither option made her feel better.

~*~

Since arriving at Merfolk, Thryn had learned many fascinating lessons. College, she’d realized, was a constant source of valuable information, and not the pointless, mind numbing hell she’d once imagined.

So far, she had learned that college girls didn’t take kindly to having their curtains opened in the middle of their shower, even if Thryn did provide (what she thought) was a valid excuse.

“Sorry, I just wanted to see you naked,” did not (Thryn soon learned) fly well with the general female population. Neither did, “Just wanted to see if you were as hot with your clothes off …”

Which is why, after only a couple of weeks in Merfolk, Thryn found herself in the R.A.’s office, staring into irritated brown eyes.

“Thryn, there’s been a lot of complaints,” said the R.A., who’s name Thryn hadn’t bothered to catch. “Sexual harassment is a serious offense.”

Thryn nodded. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“I’m making sure that it doesn’t. In fact, I’ll be taking this up with the Residence Dean…”

Thryn looked deep into those brown eyes and focused her thoughts. Though, I can see that you’re sincere in your apology.

“… or at least I was, but since it’s obvious that you’re truly sorry…”

I’ll let you slide with just a warning.

“I’m going to let you slide with a warning this time, but if I ever get another complaint …”

My you have beautiful eyes.

“… has anyone ever told you that you have beautiful eyes?”

Thryn raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

The Resident Advisor’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “Uh… um…”

Thryn stood. “Will that be all?”

“Uh … yes …”

Thryn smirked to herself as she started toward the door. College was wonderful, indeed. So what if Jael had told her to keep a low profile? Certainly that didn’t really count as black magick. Thryn did have beautiful eyes, after all.

And speaking of beautiful eyes, it had been several days since she’d followed around her gorgeous subject. Claire, whose name, she’d learned, was actually Aeryn, had become nearly impossible to keep track of, and Thryn had decided to hang back and research from afar. As it turned out, information came faster when she wasn’t trying to gather it from the sources themselves.

Unfortunately, little of what she’d heard about Aeryn proved useful to her research. Nobody seemed to know anything about her, other than she liked to read a lot, and was friendly enough.

Azure, on the other hand, was a little bit more interesting.

Quiet, boring, Azure, whom nobody seemed to like, had earned herself the title of ‘dorm freak’ thanks to her odd showering hours, and bizarre please-don’t-touch-me freak-outs. Other than Aeryn, it didn’t appear that Azure socialized with anyone else.

Also, despite Jael’s report that “Claire” and Azure were a couple, Thryn had found no evidence whatsoever that Aeryn and Azure had any kind of romantic involvement, which made Thryn wonder why the Guardians had thought otherwise. And why had they thought that Aeryn’s name was Claire?
It was all strange, Thryn thought, as she entered her dorm room. Strange and intriguing.

“I hope you’re getting kicked out of the dorms.”

Thryn closed the door and looked at her roommate. “Actually, the R.A. started hitting on me, it was strange. I’m pretty sure I should report her for that.” She shrugged. “How was your day?”

The curly-haired girl made a sound of disgust and reached for her purse. “I’m going to go talk to Jane myself.”

Jane, Thryn wondered, momentarily confused. Oh, the R.A.

“I’m going to get your gross, lesbo ass tossed out of here,” her roommate promised, and Thryn narrowed her eyes at the threat.

It would be so easy, Thryn thought, to hurt her…

But she let the door slam closed without a word.

College life, Thryn realized, did have its setbacks.

~*~
“You look nice with glasses,” Aeryn said, leaning against the doorframe. She’d been watching Braeden quietly from the doorway, having found him in the dorm’s study lounge. While her first instinct had been to let him be, she found she couldn’t pass by without saying something.

Braeden looked up from the textbook on his lap and smiled. “I usually wear contacts, but the glasses made me feel more college type-y.” He closed the book and regarded her silently.

Aeryn looked away, his blue eyes making her nervous with their attentiveness. “Anyway, I just thought I’d say hi, since I saw you sitting here.” She started to wave a goodbye when his voice stopped her.

“I know you don’t want me here,” he said, still looking at her. “I’m sorry.”

Aeryn froze in the doorway, and then, after a second, she moved to join him on the couch. “It’s not that I don’t want you here,” she said quietly, feeling embarrassed that her emotions were so transparent.

“I can’t say I blame you, Aeryn, but you need to believe that they wouldn’t have sent me here if they didn’t think something bad was going to happen. Larken actually seemed … scared.”

Aeryn looked at him then. “Scared?”

Braeden nodded, eyes worried. He glanced around. “We’ll need to find a safe place to talk about these things.”

“My room is safe,” she said, wondering if she’d grow to regret that confession. Could she trust Braeden?

His eyes widened in surprise. “You’ve been practicing? Here?”

“Yeah,” she said, finding that she wanted to trust him. “I have.” She stood. “Stop by sometime. We can talk about it.”

“Aeryn,” his voice carried a warning that seemed to deflate. “Okay.” He held up the textbook, and Aeryn saw it was about Organic Chemistry. “I just want to finish one more chapter.”

Something in his eyes made her pause, but when he looked away, she dismissed it. “See you later then,” she said, and continued down the hall.

~*~
“Everyone wants to save the world, to be the hero. Everyone craves that kind of power, the kind that sets them apart from the rest. But what does anyone know about power? Is it really about saving people? Is it really about doing good? Or is it about finding a reason to be alive?”

“Let me go.”

“You must know that’s not possible. You are here for a reason, Zora. Just as I am here for a reason. Today our reasons for existing collide.”

“I don’t know where she is…”

“No, of course you don’t. She wouldn’t have told you, would she? No. She couldn’t risk it.” Silence spilled across the room before the dark voice filled it again. “But one day, she will come to you, Zora. One day, she will find you again, and you mustn’t be able to warn her…”

“What are you doing?” Zora’s cries died in her throat as shadows began to choke her.

“One day she will lead you straight to Rayne … and I will be waiting.”

Zora’s eyes burst open and she listened to the pounding of her heart as she waited for her breath to even. Daylight bathed the bedroom in warm hues and soft shadows, and Zora went over every detail of the dream in her mind, trying to burn everything to memory. She didn’t dare write anything down, though the memories had been coming more readily with each passing day.

Rayne, she thought, filing the name away. Whoever you are … I hope I am able to warn you. She sighed into the quiet stillness of the morning. If only I knew from what.

~*~

“Okay, so say you were trying to befriend a lesbian,” Naia began, writing ‘How to Befriend a Lesbian’ at the top of a blank sheet of paper, “what would be step one?”

Ry stared blankly at Naia for half a second. “You’re serious?”

Naia looked at him impatiently. “It’s clear that stalking doesn’t help. I gathered nothing from following them around for two weeks. Obviously they’re not going to discuss ghost sightings in public. I need to get closer to them. And you’re gay, so you’d know what might get me invited to their club.”

“Club?”

“So to speak.”

“Hm.” Ry pondered for a moment. “Well, since we have so much in common, they and I, I would open up with a line about how hot George Clooney is, then take it from there.”

“Lesbians like George Clooney?”

“Oh yeah. He’s like the Madonna and Cher of lesbianism.”

“Wow,” Naia said, writing this down. “Who knew. Okay, what else?”

Ry sighed. “Look, Naia, if you’re really serious about this, why don’t you just … I don’t know, try to talk to them like you would anyone else?”

Naia put her pencil down. “Ry, I don’t talk to people unless I’m interviewing them for a story.” She glanced at her watch. “Shit! Just missed a deadline.”

“Again?”

“Goddamn stupid story about how the football team just won their first game in like 8 years or something. Stupid E.C. dropped it on my lap at the last minute.” She picked up the pencil again.

“E.C.?”

“Editor in Chief,” Naia clarified. “He’s such a tool. Like anyone cares about the stupid football team. You know, he turned down my story about the vampire in the Psychology building.”

“There was a vampire in the Psychology building?”

“Well… there was a bat. It was a huge scandal that no one got to hear about because they wouldn’t let me write a story about it. Molly Green – of all people – got the story, and she turned it into a one-paragraph fluff piece.”

“Clearly they don’t grasp the severity of a vampire seeking psychological help.”

“Don’t make a joke. Something really weird is going on in Merfolk, and I’m the only one that realizes it.” She tapped the pencil against the desk. “Anyway, back to this whole lesbian befriending business. What else do they like besides George Clooney?”

~*~

Azure pressed her cheek against the side of her guitar, and allowed her long black hair to cascade over her face before pushing the strands behind her ear. She hadn’t yet gotten used to the newfound silkiness of her hair. Ever since Aeryn had cut it, Azure’s hair had remained shampoo-commercial perfect. A part of her wondered what Aeryn had done to it; a different part of her didn’t want to know. It was nice, all the same, to look in the mirror and think complimentary thoughts for a change.

Her fingers strummed the chords absently. It had been weeks since she had worked on her music and the urge to compose had struck her the moment she’d entered the room. She didn’t know why, but she felt content for the first time in a very long while. The Priest’s words had gone a long way; his gentle assurances that her feelings were likely temporary and that even if they weren’t it didn’t mean she was alone.

She had been smart to confess, to absolve herself of sins and attempt to move forward. The key, the Priest had told her, was not to avoid temptation, but to meet it head first. “If you can conquer it, then it will cease to tempt you,” he had told her, and Azure had agreed. Avoiding Aeryn was not the answer; hiding from temptation did not make it go away.

The knock startled her, and she stared at the closed door for several seconds before moving to open it. In the hallway, a group of drunken girls passed by, laughing obnoxiously, and nearly pushing Aeryn into Azure as they stumbled for balance. Azure was quick to back up, out of reflex if not fear, and Aeryn managed not to fall.

One of the girls shouted, “Sorry,” through her laughter, and the others broke into hysterical giggling.

“Are you okay?” Azure asked, feeling irritated by the girls’ carelessness; wanting to touch Aeryn, but not knowing how.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Aeryn glanced toward the hallway at the sound of shrieking laughter echoing through the halls. “At least they’re having a good time.”

“Is that what you call it?” Azure closed the door as Aeryn stepped inside. She turned around, expecting to find Aeryn seated on the bed. Instead, Aeryn remained standing.

“I actually just came for the class notes. I’m supposed to meet with Braeden later.”

Azure felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, but forced a quick smile. “Oh, sure,” she said, and moved to her desk to look for the notes, careful not to brush against Aeryn as she passed. “Does that mean you’ve found classes worthy again?”

“You were right,” Aeryn said, to Azure’s surprise. “About me not trusting them.”

Azure turned around, feeling concerned. “Why wouldn’t you trust them?”

Aeryn shrugged, looking lost. “That’s just it. I have no reason not to trust them. They’re my family. I mean, as close to having a family as I’ve ever come. You’re supposed to trust your family, right?”

Azure turned around again. “I would be the wrong person to ask about that,” she whispered, facing the neat pile of notebooks on her desk.

“It’s strange,” Aeryn continued, as if she hadn’t heard Azure’s comment, and Azure was grateful that Aeryn hadn’t asked her to explain. “But I find myself trusting you more than I trust anyone else.”

Azure stiffened at the words.

“I guess that’s why it’s so important to me that you trust me,” Aeryn finished.

Azure found the notebook she’d been searching for and turned around. She didn’t know what to say to Aeryn. “Here’s the notes,” she said, embarrassed that she couldn’t think of something else.

Aeryn took them with a sad smile. “Thanks.”

“What about Braeden?” Azure found herself saying.

Aeryn looked up. “What about him?”

“Do you trust him?”

“I suppose I have to.”

Azure bit her lip, wanting to say more, but not knowing what.

“Anyway, thanks,” Aeryn said and headed for the door. “I’ll get these back to you tonight.”

Azure watched the door close, and after a moment, felt herself smile. Aeryn trusted her. Her smile faltered. Now if only I could trust her …

~*~
Jael hadn’t been happy when Thryn had explained about getting in trouble in the dorm, mind-controlling her R.A., and getting caught stalking by one of her subjects. In fact, he’d been downright pissed.

Thryn wasn’t afraid of many people, but if she were to make a list, Jael would be right at the top. Martha Stewart would come at a close second. The woman had supernatural powers that stretched beyond the scope of Thryn’s understanding of the Universe.

One thing had to be said for Jael, however: he was a forgiving soul. And so, despite the incredible mess Thryn had made of things, she’d been granted a second chance and a clean slate to work with.

The memory reversal spell was simple enough, normally, but if she truly wanted a clean slate, she had to wipe everything clean. Placing a black magick spell on the entirety of Merfolk was bound to be tricky.

“Man, I really made a mess of things,” Thryn muttered under her breath, the crunching of her boots on the dry grass drowning out the words as she walked. “Crap. This sucks.” She shook her head, making it further into the woods, and as far from the University as she could.

She waved the flashlight in front of her, looking for a good spot to camp. Arriving at a clearing, she finally stopped and dropped her stuff on the ground. After a few minutes, she’d created a perfect pentagram out of black candles. She lit them carefully and sat at the center facing the two points. At the center of one she placed a picture of the University she had found at the library; at the center of the other, she placed a picture of herself.

“Powers of dark and shadows I implore you, place upon this place a veil of abstraction. Take from their mind all memories me, of my past deeds and actions…”

Thryn opened her eyes, taking a knife from her bag. Without hesitation, she pressed the blade against her arm until the blood flowed freely. She flinched at the pain, though she knew it was nothing compared to the pain that was to follow.

She moved her arm over the candle marking one of the top points of her upside-down pentagram. She let the blood flow over the flame until it fizzed out. She moved her arm over the candle at the other point.

As the drops of blood extinguished the second candle, the wind picked up, blowing out the rest of the flames.

“So mote it be,” this wind hissed.

And in the sudden darkness, Thryn screamed.

Continued in Episode 6

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