Reaching Venus

Confrontation

Ian

I planned to find Faery Mary and have a polite, calm conversation with her. I may have been starving for answers but that didn't mean I had to attack the woman. Faery Mary had always been kind to me. Her human had died long before I was born but that didn't make her bitter or anything. She was the biggest supporter of anyone who wanted to find their person. She often took small groups of faeries out for that sole purpose. Obviously I had never gone. But still she was a lovely woman. If you can imagine the fairy God mother in Cinderella that's Faery Mary.

Despite my best intentions I stormed through the gardens until I found her.

"So Mary. The most curious thing happened to me yesterday. This girl I had been hanging out with, a water elemental, she got a little upset and ya know what she did? She lit my arm on fire." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm

Mary sighed and muttered, "Not again. Where is Venus? I need to talk with her."

I stepped in front of her blocking her way. I didn't want to get Venus in trouble. I just wanted to know what the hell was going on.

"Don't be mad at her Mary. I'm just curious how this happened."

Mary shook her head and said, "I'm not mad at her. I'm sure whatever reason she had for lighting you on fire was justified. But Venus is going to be beating herself up over this."

Mary sighed and took me by the arm. She led me over to a small sitting area that was set up outside what I assumed was her home. She took a seat and motioned for me to do the same.

"Venus was dropped off here when she was a little girl. merely 2 years old. Her father....the faery had left on her first birthday. And soon after her mother discovered that she was dealing with an abnormally magical child. Venus is an earth sign, so as we all understand, she should have been an earth elemental. But when she was cranky or mad she would light things on fire. Her mother was a frail woman when I met her and ill equipped to handle such a child. So I agreed to take little Venus in. I taught her how to control her magic, sent her to the academy to master it. But fire....that's always been a bit erratic. It's why she doesn't live here with me anymore. When she was 12 she almost lit the tree of life on fire. She only know has begrudgingly accepted learning to use fire magic. Took us 5 years to get to a good place and now this..." Mary explained to me.

I thought about the last time I had seen Venus. She wouldn't look me in the eye and she couldn't get away from me fast enough. Maybe it hadn't just been that she was angry with me like I had assumed. Maybe she was angry with herself like Mary had suggested.

I personally didn't blame her. She had way more magic than she ever should have and way more reason to be mad than anyone I could think of. When someone first starts using fire magic it is tied to anger. As they learn to control it and develop the magic that isn't the case but it sounded like Venus never got past that stage. If she was really angry with herself this could get a whole lot worse before it got better.

"Mary, I want to help Venus. Where can I find her?"

"If anyone knows it would be her roommate Fern"

I immediately blinked my way to the hallway Venus and Fern's dorm was in. I knocked on the door quickly. There was no answer after a few seconds so i knocked again, this time louder. Just as I was about to knock a third time the door swung open. A long vine dropped from the door handle and recoiled back into a hanging plant by the window. At first it appear like no one was there but on second glance I noticed someone sitting on the floor by what I assumed was the bathroom.

The girl shared Venus' chocolate brown hair and green eyes. Even from her sitting position I could tell she was a lot taller than Venus and she didn't have the freckles across her nose that Venus did. Clearly this was an earth elemental. With the classic looks, the plant butler, and a name like Fern there was no way she wasn't.

Fern met my eyes and shot up from the floor. She marched over to the door and glared at me.

"You are not welcome here. I know who you are. This...is your fault" She hissed, looking over her shoulder toward the bathroom door.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I wasn't about to tell her I disagreed. If I had not upset Venus she never would have lost control of her magic.

"Well I think I might be able to help. I think I can teach Venus to control her fire magic." I told her.

Fern raised an eyebrow and asked, " What makes you think you can teach her when none of the fire elementals have been able to?"

" Venus has more than one element right? Not unlike a faery. A fire elemental only has to worry about controlling their magic in whatever way they can. Faeries have to differentiate between the four elements. Tapping into that part of yourself that is fire...it's a different skill altogether. Venus doesn't need an elemental teacher. She needs a faery one." I reasoned.

I could see on Fern's face that what I had said made sense to her. That was the best thing about earth elementals, they didn't make their decisions with their emotions, they were logical.

The hard look returned to her face when she said, "Then we will find a different faery. Venus doesn't need...."

"I want to see him" a small voice cut Fern off.

Fern sighed and motioned for me to come in. I made my way over to the bathroom door and pushed it open slowly.

Venus was sitting, fully clothed, in the bathtub which was filled to the brink with water. Her hair was dark and stringy and clung to her face. She had little droplets of water in her eyelashes.

I kneeled down next to the bathtub and flashed her a smile. She was obviously shivering which meant she wasn't using any type of magic. She could have easily controlled the temperature of the water but was choosing not to.

"Hey V...if this is all just because you set me on fire I've been through worse." I pushed my sleeves up and turned my arms this way and that to show her no damage had been done.

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she said, "Ian I am so sorry. I didn't mean to. And I had no right to be so mad. You were completely honest with me and it's not your fault I couldn't handle it"

I reached out and pushed the wet strands of her hair off her face before I told her, "No harm done. I'm not upset."

"Did you really mean it when you said you thought you could help me control my fire magic?" her voice shook, like she didn't even dare hope.