Unfamiliar Territory

It had been a few minutes or so since Mr. Copper left to go find his new shirt. We were both worried, my hands felt numb and Kat looked a little paler than usual, but for whatever reason neither of us offered to go out and check on him. Neither of us said a word about it.

Through the glass window in the door, all I could see was darkness.

“Hey, Kat?”

Kat raised her head up from the messy desk. There was a lot there to keep her occupied, but I could tell she was not looking at anything.

“I know...I know it’s not really a good time for this, but we--we might not, well, if things go wrong we might not—”

“We’ll be fine, Alex,” Kat interrupted, her tired eyes taking on a new hardened stare. “We are going to figure out a plan, a good one, and we are going to stop Fawn and fix everything.”

“Okay, that sounds good and everything, but if things go wrong—”

“They won’t.”

“But what if—”

“They won’t, Foxy!” Kat nearly shouted, sitting up so fast the chair fell back behind her.

I felt that old but familiar chill run through my body as her green eyes bore into me. “And if you’re going to keep up with that attitude, Mr. Copper and I would be better off without you.”

She looked away from me to pick up the chair, but she did not sit back down. I stared down at a particularly dark coffee stain in the carpet. “I’m sorry. I just thought I could try and figure out more about all this— about why I’m even a part of this,” I muttered.

She didn’t respond. I wasn’t entirely sure if she even heard me.

New light suddenly flooded into the room from the small window and our heads shot up towards it. I backed away from the door as the handle turned and was preparing to strike when Mr. Copper’s head poked in.

The slicked back hair was frayed slightly, the new dress shirt was light blue, and the stripped tie was loosened, but otherwise he appeared fine.

“Apologies, for the wait,” he said, stepping in and closing the door behind him.

He was carrying a plate of sandwiches in his hands. I stared at them, not realizing until then just how hungry I was.

“I hope I didn’t make you worry. I took a moment to make us all some food. I’m sure you both are hungry.”

“Its fine,” Kat said quickly, stepping out from behind the desk and only sparing the food a brief glance. “Can we get started now?”

“Quite right. The plan.” Mr. Copper nodded, moving between us so he could place the plate on the desk before sitting down in his old leather chair. “I was thinking of what we could do, and really, it’s quite simple.”

I looked between them and the plate of food. Neither seemed keen on them any longer.

“Then why are you sitting down?” Kat asked.

Still keeping an eye on both, I quickly moved closer and took a sandwich.

“Because it may be a plan you both won’t like.”

It was gone in a few bites. Turkey, swiss, tomatoe, lettuce. Mr. Copper went all out. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. I had to have more.

“If you think it’s a good one I don’t see why I won’t.”

There were only a few left, but I could probably get away with one more. I continued to keep an eye on the two as I grabbed another sandwich.

“Just hear me out, Elizabeth. For you see, my plan involves us splitting up; you and I heading straight for Mr. Mallard’s office, and our feisty friend here going straight through the front door.”

I chocked on the bread and turkey. He looked at me with his one good eye and I felt something bubble up in my gut.

But before I could say anything, Kat made a strange noise. Like a gasp, but as if she had chocked on it halfway through. It was enough to draw Mr. Copper and my eyes towards her.

“What sort of plan is that?” she asked, after clearing her throat. “You’re basically sending Al— Foxy to his death!”

“Would you suggest we all go together?” Mr. Copper countered. “Fawn still has at least two of her children left, and you know, just as well as I, how formidable they are.”

“They took us by surprise last time. We know where they are— if we plan it well enough—”

“They are waiting for us to return.” Mr. Copper folded his fingers as he rested his arms on the desk. “No matter what plan we come up with, they are still waiting. I believe our best option is to split up, draw at least one of those creatures from Fawn’s side, and then confront her.”

Kat thought on that a moment. I managed to keep the sandwich in my throat down and continued to eat. It was just too damn good.

“Okay, alright. I’m not disagreeing that we split up, but...sending Foxy alone as our distraction? He’s still new to all of this, he’s only recently gotten his strength back, and—”

“I agree with you, Elizabeth. It’s not ideal, but you and I must be the ones to find Fawn. I can take us right to where she’s, more than likely, holding up, and you, as you implied, are the more experienced fighter. However, I wouldn’t sell your friend short; you have to be pretty quick to catch me off guard.”

I raised a brow at him as I chewed. Good sandwich maker didn’t make him an impressive fighter. Having his vote of confidence didn’t really help make me feel strong.

By the look Kat was giving him, she felt the same way. “Well, why not have Mouse—”

“I have ordered Mouse not to be involved in this mission, though she made it very difficult for me to do so. I did not think it wise to get her involved after...”

He glanced back at me. I swallowed the last of my sandwich and glared right back at him. “Say it,” I growled. “After what?”

“After you nearly blinded her.”

“I only attacked her because you had her disguise herself! I didn’t know it was her!”

“Truly? Well, that was no order of mine. She must of felt it prudent to do so, whatever her reasons.”

I gritted my teeth as I took a step towards the witch. “Just how long do you plan on keeping this act up?”

“It is not an act, Alex. My only concerns are to my familiar and to my duty as Stalwart and, as it turns out, you happen to be a major factor in both of those concerns.”

“What are you—”

“I’m not blind, dear boy—not yet, at any rate. In fact, being observant is one of the many reasons I am still Stalwart.” Mr. Copper’s glance turned into a look that attempted to pierce right through my soul. “I know you and Mouse are involved together in some way. She will not say anything about it to me, and I do not wish to order it out of her, nor do I care to. So, instead, I will say to you what I said to her. It is over. Whatever the two of you had, it is time to end it. It will only endanger all of Wildwood, least of all yourselves.”

“What the hell? Where do you get off...Mary is my friend, she will always be my friend, and you’re not just going to tell me that ‘it’s over’ and expect me to—”

“Let me make myself clear to you. I am Stalwart. My duty is to Wildwood and to the people who make their home within it. I am the frontline when it comes to keeping people with Knowledge from endangering themselves, each other, and the hundreds of thousands of people who are ignorant to it all yet remain caught in the middle. All familiars must make sacrifices in regards to their ‘witch’ but a familiar to a Stalwart cannot, above all else, hold a relationship with another familiar or witch. It would jeopardize everything we—”

“Stalwart, Stalwart, Stalwart, that’s all I hear out of you. I don’t know what the big deal is with that title and I don’t care! What I know is that you people—you and Mallard and all these other witches— for—”

There it was again. That invisible grip on my throat. I tried to force it away by shouting what I wanted to say—what I had to say—but it persisted. Almost tightened. All that was coming up out of my mouth was strangled gasps and pathetic little whimpers as I continued to try and shout.

Mr. Copper and Kat both flinched when I slammed a fist against the table.

“Alex? What’s wrong?”

“Foxy?”

Kat was reaching out to me and Mr. Copper was halfway out of his chair when I finally managed to force the words out. “—Mary didn’t want this! She managed to escape before I was forced to bring her back!”

“Foxy, please,” Kat said, her hand finding my shoulder. “This isn’t the time.”

“No, Elizabeth, this needs to be discussed,” Mr. Copper insisted, holding up his hand.

Kat fell silent as he turned his pale blue eye back to me. “Is that what you believe, Alex? That she escaped? Tell me, if you know so much about what is going on here, then you know her memories were removed, any and all memories of her former life, yes?”

“Yeah, I’m quite familiar with it.” I rolled my shoulder until Kat let go.

“Then were you aware that familiars are chosen for specific reasons, based on the witch’s specifications?”

I glanced at Kat who was no longer looking at me. “No, I wasn’t.”

“Well, it’s true. I knew of both things before I was presented with the chance for my own familiar. The life of Stalwart is a dangerous one; it is practically required to have a familiar if you want to hold on to your job for longer than a year. So, when I had to choose my familiar, I was given near absolute freedom in who that person could be.” Mr. Copper held out two fingers as he leaned forward in his chair. “But I only asked for two things. I asked that my familiar would be shaped from someone who grew up from a broken home, and also that the person themselves were shaped solely by their broken life. I looked over and downright ignored any other exact specifications to the point where my job was almost risked. But it was important to me, Alex. If my job was to help make our secret world a better place, I had to set an example. I chose to take someone damaged from the other world and show them that what people with Knowledge can do does not always have to be monstrous. It can be beautiful.”

He leaned back and appeared lost in his own thoughts for a moment before speaking again. “I’ll admit, at certain points, I doubted myself—especially when Mouse refused to take part any longer—But you managed to bring her back, and when I saw how strong, how independent, how magnificent she had become...”

Mr. Copper stopped again and looked down at the plate of sandwiches. For a moment, I was embarrassed that I had eaten so much.

But he only smiled and looked at me with his one remaining eye that now seemed much less cold. “I searched her out myself when she first left Mr. Mallard’s club. I found her held up in some filthy, abandoned house in a long forgotten neighborhood. She looked worse then I imagined she had ever felt with her abusive mother and absent father. It was her first time meeting her future Master, and my first time meeting her, and it...was painful seeing the fear in her eyes. She had become an animal, not a familiar. I tried to take her back with me, but she lashed out before running off into the night. I did not run after her. Seeing her broke something inside me. I felt, perhaps, much how you are feeling now, Alex. Confused, angry— I hated myself and I hated our community for what we did to Mouse and all the others. But I was still Stalwart— I was tied to my duty with nowhere to go. So, for several months I continued on, but there was no passion behind it, I was slipping up, and it got worse until I nearly lost my life.”

“When I first heard about you, Alex, that a new familiar was found, I was furious all over again. Why would they do this? I asked myself. Why would they continue this after what happened with Mouse? I knew the answer, but it did not soothe my rage. But...But then I heard that you brought Mouse back. I had been so far removed from that little town that I did not even know she had returned to school, let alone that she was one of the brightest students there.”

Mr. Copper looked away from me then and I avoided looking at him when I saw him wipe a hand over his eye. “I still don’t know how she did it—going from supposed animal to a star student. I don’t dare ask her. I’m afraid she will remember our first encounter in that bloody rotted house and...”

I was caught in his pale stare again as he leaned forward again, towards me. “Do not think, my dear Alex, that what you did was wrong. I know what Mr. Mallard asked you to do, make her love you so that she would be more inclined to return. I know it pains you now to have to separate yourself from her— to act like all you have done for her does not matter— but what is important is that you know what you did for her is more than anyone in her entire life has ever done for her. You gave her hope, Alex. She rejoined us, rejoined me, not just because of her feelings for you, but because she wants to fight and protect those she cares for, even if she cannot be with them. And from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for giving her that chance. Whatever life she had been leading before then, no matter how it seemed, it must have been lonely. And what’s the point of living, if you have no one to live for?”

I could not quite work out how I felt in that moment. Mr. Copper had dropped a lot on me at once. But what I knew for sure was that his words still did not sit right with me.

“You say that...but what’s the point of having relationships with people...when you can’t be around them. You said it yourself that her having relationships would jeopardize everything.”

“In normal circumstances, yes, but Mouse is not normal. While I still insist that you both being so close is dangerous, I cannot deny that developing this relationship with her was something she needed in order to realize all the good she can do. So, I’m asking you, Alex, remember what you have done for her but also realize that she is needed for a greater purpose. She needs to learn to care about more than just you...and in order to do that...you must let go.”

“Let go of what? What do you mean?” I looked from him to Kat, searching for someone who was just as confused as I. But Kat looked at me like she already knew the answer.

Then I remembered what she said to me in the junkyard.

“Wait, you think I...love her?”

“Don’t you?”

Do I? Kat was smiling at me weakly. Did she forget how I shamefully told her how much I liked her all those months ago in Dr. Quincy’s room? Did she think I was kidding? Or did she think I liked Mouse more. That I...

“Regardless of how you feel, Mouse does indeed care for you deeply. Perhaps it is love, I cannot say, but if you do not share her feelings it is even more reason for this whole thing to end.”

“‘To end’“? I copied. “You say things like ‘to end’ and ‘let go’, just what exactly are you getting at here?”

My insides grew cold and my throat was growing tight as Mr. Copper heaved a heavy sigh, the smile and teary eye long gone. “If you survive this encounter with Fawn and her children, you must share with Mouse what I have shared with you. You must tell her that your relationship must end, for the betterment of the both of you and all of the community of Wildwood. I cannot tell her myself, she would only think I’m doing such against your will, so it must be you.”

“But— Kat, c’mon, you agree with me that I can’t just—”

“It’s the right thing to do,” Kat said, regarding me with those closed off eyes. “In time, we will all go our separate ways with our own Masters. The sooner we break these ties, the better for all of us.”

I couldn’t keep my mouth from hanging open. I looked between both of their hard lined faces. They couldn’t be serious.

“You guys can’t be serious,” I said, and when they didn’t respond I gritted my teeth. “You can’t just take everything—everything away from us and then expect us to let go of the few things we’ve managed to still cling on to!”

“You are each assigned to different witches,” Mr. Copper informed.

“And a few of our Masters don’t exactly see eye-to-eye,” Kat added. “They would never approve of us all staying close. Mutt understands it; Stallion understands it, and now you do so you can help Mouse to understand it. If you don’t, you’re only going to make things worse for everyone.”

I could feel the tears coming and I bit my lip to try and hold them back. “Then why couldn’t you just keep torturing me? Locking me up against a tree, starving me, and treating me like filth?”

Of course, the moment when I hoped the grip would silence my words, it chose not to. I felt pathetic saying out-loud what I let happen to me. How weak I used to be.

“Because that is not the way we are supposed to do things,” Mr. Copper said, coldly. “We are supposed to nurture familiars and ease them into all of this. Once we deal with the Fawn problem, I will be having a stern talk with Mr. Mal—”

“I would have been better off hating you!” I shouted at them, making Mr. Copper pause and Kat flinch. I glared at the latter, not caring that the tears were escaping or that she was now staring at the floor. “You said it yourself, Elizabeth, you told me I would have been better off. So why couldn’t you just keep threatening me? Why couldn’t you keep looking at me like you’d kill me at any given moment? Why couldn’t you just be that closed off little girl who wanted nothing to do with anyone!?”

“Because Georgie is dead!” Kat shouted back, her green eyes shining.

“Please, both of you! Elizabeth, you don’t know that Stallion-!”

“He’s dead!” She cut off, before glaring back at me. “It doesn’t matter anymore who I pretend to be or even who I really am. I’m going to kill Fawn, her spawns, and I intend to die doing it.”

“Elizabeth!”

“Fine! Go and waste your life, I don’t care!” I cried, gripping my own fists until they bled. “But don’t you dare tell me that I should let go of the people I care about when you can’t even do the same.”

“Alex, please, don’t encourage-!”

“You wouldn’t understand, Foxy. You’ve never been in love.”

“Would you both-!”

“Yes, I have!”

Kat and Mr. Copper both froze for a moment. I looked between them both, still breathing wildly, softer tears still streaming down my face. I stopped my gaze on Kat and watched her bright green eyes widen slightly.

“I told you, the first night in Dr. Quincy’s room.”

“I thought...I thought you meant as...”

“No, not just friends. Damnit, Kat, the whole reason I joined Mutt’s stupid club was because I...was because you were in it...”

Kat’s own breathing was relaxing as she continued to stare at me. “Really?”

“Yuh-Yeah.” I looked away, wiping my eyes, but not looking back at her. “For the longest time I...I just wanted to get to know you better...”

“Oh...” I glanced up and saw she was looking away from me. When she looked back and our eyes met it was like seeing a crack in the wall. “Really?”

“Yes, really! Now would you quit saying that?”

“Oh, sorry, but, um, what about all that stuff to do with Mouse?”

“When you told me I had to ‘woo her’ it was very hard for me to deal with...for more than one reason...”

“Right...” She seemed to be in deep thought for a moment. “I’m sorry, Foxy, but I don’t really...”

“Feel the same way?”

“Ah...”

“Look, it’s whatever. Honestly, I sort of figured that from the start,” I said, with a shrug. “It’s probably why I waited so long to say anything.”

“But then why-?”

“Please don’t ask me why I let it go this far,” I grumbled, running a hand through my long, dirty hair. “For awhile, I actually thought Mr. Mallard might’ve put some sort of spell on me that made me feel this way...”

“Wow,” Mr. Copper spoke up. I shot him a dirty look to which he pretended he wasn’t paying attention.

“That’s pretty corny, Foxy,” Kat said with a small laugh.

I couldn’t help but smile as I thought back. “Well, hey, you can’t blame me. If people can make plants grow from nothing why couldn’t there be, like, love spells?”

“If there were such a thing as love spells my job would be much more complicated,” Mr. Copper said, drawing our attention back to him. “But perhaps it is my turn to bring us back on track? I believe it is time to initiate the plan...if you both are ready to move on.”

Kat and I shared a glance. She smiled at me and, despite the recent rejection, I could see more in those sparkling green eyes then I had ever seen before.

“Stallion isn’t dead. We’re going to get him back,” I said to her before turning back to Mr. Copper. “But you better hope I do die, Copper, because there is no way in hell I’m letting go of anyone.”

“Oh, really?” Mr. Copper asked, folding his arms. I merely held his look.

He let out a helpless sigh. “You know, my brother once told me a story of a familiar who was a lot like you. Someone who went against how they believed making familiars should be done. He thought he could hold on to his fellow familiars and that they could remain friends despite the many obstacles in their path...Would you like to know what happened to him?”

His cold look had returned. I wasn’t sure how to respond.

After a moment of silence, Mr. Copper continued anyway. “I’ll give you a hint, Alex. His name was Arnold Mallard.”