Clarity

Chapter Thirteen

A/N: This is it—what you all have been waiting for. The end of "Clarity!" I hate to see it go but alas it is gone! After the end, check out the Acknowledgements page to see if you're mentioned and then head over to see what is coming up next along with dates! Don't forget to vote/comment to tell me what you thought about the story! Happy reading! -Katherynn

“I thought you said you knew your way out, sprite!” Jack hissed at Xantho as Valin led us out. “You almost got us eaten by a giant lobster!”

“Leviathan,” Valin corrected. “It’s a legendary sea serpent—not a meal.”

I smiled to myself at the lightheartedness in our little group. Xantho was childish and constantly picking fights with Jack who probably had the most childlike air out of all of us. Valin had taken to being leader and I mostly stayed in the back and laughed at everyone.

When did you become so comfortable around them, my mind questioned. Are you forgetting that Xantho isn’t human? That Jack kidnapped you? That Valin stabbed you and tried to kill you multiple times? What about getting home?

I stopped, my gaze falling to the floor as I looked around.

We were under the river that separated the lands now so it all looked like a giant aquarium. The tunnel was clear ice that may has well have been glass. It was easy to see the water rushing and the schools of fish streaming past in strange yet vibrant colors.

“Are you okay?”

I lifted my head to Jack’s voice and smiled. He returned my silence with a frown but nodded. I think he realized what I was thinking—realized that I still hadn’t changed my mind about going home.

Despite my crude job and low living environments, I missed my apartment building. I missed the stupid cat that sat outside my window and clawed, wanting in. I missed my drunk college neighbor who spent more time in the bars than he did studying.

Hell, I even missed Ryan.

I just missed my life—the normalcy of it. The fey lands were beautiful but they weren’t home. Sure there were perks to living in a never ending, beautiful universe where I didn’t age and was stupidly powerful.

But this wasn’t Peter Pan. I wasn’t Peter. I wanted to grow up—which, I supposed, meant that I was Wendy.

I sighed softly and hugged myself, not really knowing anything anymore. Despite wanting to go home, I was rather fond of our quartet. I even found myself wondering how the other kingdoms were doing.

But one question weighed heavily on my mind above all of my other curiosities. It made my head spin and make me want to vomit until there was nothing left inside of me.

What now?

My original goal was to get away from Jack and get home. But, by the time I did get away, I wound up in the Spiriten Lands and was caught by him once again. Not to mention, I met Valin there too. It wasn’t too long after that I was carted off into the Icen Lands and here we were now—going God knew where.

I had to face the fact that I would eventually have to find a way to escape. I’d started listening to the insanity that wasn’t my own heart and begun falling for the two men. I’d begun enjoying their presences and enjoying testing their limits.

Every moment I was losing more of myself to the former Clarity. And that had to stop.

“How much longer,” I asked as we left the aquarium-like setting behind for another rock tunnel. “Because I could go for a nice double hamburger.”