“I don’t know what to say, I mean, there should be something to say in this situation, but everything I can think of, seems inappropriate in one way or another. So, I’ll just wait until I can find the words to describe the way I feel at this moment”, Vyxx said as she placed the mirror on the settee beside her.
“You don’t have to say anything about this until you’re ready, no one is rushing you for your reaction to the way you look, and since you’re now an elf, new emotions are going to start making their way to the surface, or at least, that’s what I expect. Due to the fact that we’re all experiencing this change of life together, I feel it’s wise if we all speak to Jasmine Devereux,” Kassara said.
“She adopted my sister, Ecko”, Ryven said.
“She was also the first to raise an elf that was once a demon, and I think the three of us should talk to her about her experiences,” the sorceress said.
“Azleal lives with Jasmine, and I’m sure he’ll have some advice for Vyxx, herself. I mean, who better to talk to than the one who’s already been through this? I’ll talk to my sister, and see what can be arranged. Give me a few minutes while I try to make a connection, and I’ll tell you what’s said when I’m done,” the royal elf said. She’d always preferred being outside whenever making a telepathic connection, and the elf went onto her front porch.
When the educator answered her end of the line, she’d been searching for a snack to hold off the hunger until dinnertime, and she said, “Jasmine Devereux, here. How can I help you?”
“Miss Jasmine, this is Ryven Garrick. Do you have a few minutes to talk? I need your advice on some stuff that has recently happened in my life,” the royal elf said.
“I’ve always got time for family, and call me Jazzi, please, Miss Jasmine is too formal for relatives. What can I help you with, my dear?” The educator inquired.
“I think it would be easier to explain if you could come here, I can introduce you to my personal demon,Vyxx, and you can catch up with Kassara,” Ryven said.
“So, you’re telling me that the sorceress has finally brought your eternal protector to meet you, and since I’ve already been through it with Azleal, you’d like my help. Right?” Jasmine asked.
“In a nut-shell, yes,” the young elf said.
“No problem, I’ll get my son to come with me, he’ll want to talk with your personal demon, and we will be there in a few minutes,” the educator said.
“We’re looking forward to your visit,” the royal one said.
**************************************
As time passed, Vyxx grew into an intelligent, well-mannered elven female who met the queen of Wilborg Tides, Lacey, and the elf learned the tasks required to become a Swimmer. While studying for the exams, which would certify her to become a professional Diver, the new student came across an issue with her breathing apparatus, and she went to find one of the merpeople to assist with the mechanism.
Swimming in shallow waters with a snorkel in her mouth, she found one of the royal underwater servants, and asked, “Would you mind helping me with this thing? I cannot get the airflow to regulate properly.”
“You have to go through your checklist in order to figure out where the problem lies, I cannot tell you more than that since you’re studying for exams,” the young merman said.
“Alright, I understand, and there’s no reason you should get punished for giving me some assistance. Would it be alright if I sit on the beach, here, until I can work it out?” She asked.
“It’s getting dark. Take it home, figure it out, and be ready for the tests on Monday. I’ll let the queen know that you’ve gone,” he replied.
“Oh, alright, thanks for your help. I’ll just be going now,” Vyxx said as she swam away. She’d noticed the oxygen had begun to flow through the divce while she was talking to the merman, and was capable of making it to where Ludwig, her stallion, waited.
She mounted the horse, turned him towards the horizon, and she watched as the sun went down. Sitting there, she thought of how far she’d come in only a year, and she wondered what things would be like in another three hundred and sixty-five days.
Knowing the difference between living and existing, she preferred life on the surface of the planet. Where she had the ability to observe the setting sun, where she could mount a horse to ride to a location that she called home, and where the beings living inside that house, loved her unconditionally.
Her past had never been discussed, no one questioned her intentions, and she was free to do whatever she chose. She took a breath of fresh air, something that had once been a dreadful concept, and grabbed the reins. Turning again, this time to the west, she nudged the horse’s ribs with her heels, and he led them home; since the day she’d been taken to the royal one’s house, there had not been one meal she’d ever missed, and there would never be any, as far as she was concerned.
Upon arriving at her new domicile, Ludwig was placed in the stables, and she entered through the back door. Stepping inside, the boots on her feet went into the corner, and she removed the hat from her head. There was no one in the kitchen as she walked through, but she could hear the sound of Kassara’s voice in the distance; coming from the second floor, her words were muffled, and Vyxx could not make sense of what was being said.
A few minutes later, as the sorcery and royal elves descended to the second floor, the conversation continued.
"I'm making that for dinner, for my two best friends," Kassara said.
"That sounds great, and I'll make rice to go along with the chicken, if you want", the royal elf said.
"Awesome, I'm gonna need all the help I can get," the sorceress replied.
"Speaking of best friends, I've got a question," Ryven said.
"Ask your question, and I'll be honest," she said.
"Are Vyxx and I your only friends?" The royal elf inquired.
"Yes, but there's no need to worry, I'm still interacting with others on a daily basis," the sorceress said.
"I worry about everyone that I love, get used to it," she responded.
"Vyxx, my friend, good to see you're home. Would you like to help us make dinner?" Kassara asked.
"Sure, Kassa, what can I do to assist the both of you with supper?" The citizen asked.
"You can prepare the vegetables, and preheat the oven for bread," she told her friend.
"I'll cook tomorrow night," Vyxx offered.
"You know how to cook?" Ryven asked.
"In one of my previous lives, I was a chef, so yeah, I can cook," she replied.
"You've lived here for a year, and I didn't know you have skills in the kitchen. How come you never told me?" The royal one asked.
"You never asked, and I was enjoying the food y'all were making. However, I've come to realize that I miss being the one who creates masterpieces of cuisine, and because I needed an opening for the news I have," the citizen said.
"News? You've got news? What news?" The sorceress inquired.
"At lunch time, I received a message from Mister Daniels, and I start my new job on Monday after exams," she revealed.
“What kind of work will you be doing?” The royal elf asked.
“Head chef at “Driscoll’s’,” Vyxx replied.
“You mean that five-star restaurant in Lower South Pinnoch?” Kassara asked.
“Yes, exactly that one,” the citizen said.
*********************************************************************
Jasmine insisted the three friends keep a weekly schedule of talking with a psychiatrist who actively practiced, she requested they also visit with her once a week, and all agreed upon the females making their way to the manor after meeting with their doctor. When they first met the mental health professional Doctor Wynters, neither of them was sure if they could speak freely, and were not going to schedule another appointment with her.
That was, until she said, “This is our fourth meeting, in the time which we’ve known one another, I’ve learned nothing about either of you as individuals, and let me assure you that if you’re not going to trust me enough to tell me about the things you all do that do not involve the others, the point of keeping appointments will be moot. Now, you may not be aware of this, but I know Jasmine Devereux. She is a very dear friend of mine, she has told me how the three of you believe along the same lines in which she does, and unless y’all tell me that you’re going to harm yourselves or others, I cannot pass judgment over the things you believe in, and I’m sure you’d probably think some of my own beliefs are peculiar, at best. I am a mental health care professional, let me reiterate the word professional. That means, I take all of the licenses on all of my walls seriously, I am a stickler for ethics, and what you say to me, stays in this room. If I ever feel that one of you is actively harming yourselves, or are harming someone else, I’ll have no other choice, but to contact the proper authorities. Other than that, think of this as ‘Farisili’, what happens here, stays here. Now, I think it’s about time we have some honest, and individual, conversations with one another. What do you say?”
“Please, Doctor Wynters, let me be the first to apologize,” Ryven said.
“I cannot understand why either of you would come to speak with a mental health care professional if you didn’t think you could not be absolutely honest,” the doctor said.
“I don’t know why we were trying to ‘pull the wool over your eyes’, so to speak, and for lack of a better expression. I should know better, I’ve been showing poor etiquette, and that is unbecoming of a future continental queen. I promise that we will all be honest with you from now on,” the royal elf said.
“Wait a minute, I have a question. Are you telling me that you are one of Luna’s daughters?” Doctor Wynters inquired.
“Yes, ma’am I am. Maybe it’s my first name you don’t recognize, the last name is Garrick,” the royal one said.
“That’s it, that’s why I didn’t realize who you are, your first name kind threw me off, but I know Garrick, anywhere. Your mother is my favorite ruler, so far, and as future queen, you can lie to me. However, that’s only if the safety of anyone is in question” the doctor said.
“Let me assure you, as of now, there will be no more dishonesty from myself or my friends, here. I should have never allowed either of them to be anything except honest with you, but I didn’t put a stop to their falsehoods because we’d just met. We all know that with “Inheritance Day” a short time away that, I have to be skeptical of everyone, including you. At least until I know you’re not someone you didn’t say you were. Can you follow that?” Ryven asked.
“Yes, I think I understand the gist of what you’re saying,” she agreed.
“Alright, now, I do believe the three of us owe you some honesty, and I hope your ears are ready for the things we’ve got to say, because I promise we’ve got some stories that will make them auditory tools on the side of your head, burn like the Dickens,” Kassara said.
“That genuinely sounds very interesting, however, our hour has come to an end, and we must part ways until next week. Y’all are coming back, right?” Doctor Wynters inquired.
“Yes, we’re all making another appointment for next week”, Vyxx said.
“I’m glad to hear that,” the doctor said.
“We’re going, now, but before we go, we’ll talk to your secretary to set the date for our next session,” the royal one said.
After they left the doctor’s office, the friends made their way to the educator’s place on Devereux Manor Road where they talked about Vyxx’s elven growth, and her new job at Driscoll’s in South Pinnoch. When it came time for dinner, they stayed to share the meal with the educator, and her family. While they were eating, Jasmine was curious about the meeting with the psychiatrist, and she asked, “Ryven, how did everything go with Doctor Wynters?” I mean, you don’t have to tell me intimate details, but give me your overall opinion, please.”
“At first, we didn’t think we could speak freely in front of her, but everything changed as of today when she told us that if we weren’t going to be honest, we didn’t need to continue to make appointments,” the royal one said.
“Why would either of you go to see a mental health care professional, and think that you couldn’t be one hundred percent honest? Y’all don’t have to answer that, I’ve got a pretty good idea why, but I hope that you all know I’d never send you to someone you could not be completely honest with. Anyway, I guess as long as you’ve got everything squared away, and you’re going to continue to see her, there’s no real issue. You are going to continue to see her, right?” the educator asked.
“Yes, we are, all three of us made an appointment for next week. To be honest, mamma, I was being very irresponsible, and I had the girls dance around our issues when they met with her for individual counseling. When we met for group therapy, neither of us answered any questions, directly. So, today, the three of us met with her for a family session, and she gave us an opportunity to start over. Trust me, there will be no more avoiding questions and issues from us, and we swear that honesty will be first,” Ryven explained.
“As one of your many family members, and some one who loves you as if you were my own, I’ve got to tell you, I’m disappointed by what you’ve told me. I mean, I understand that you’re going to be honest from now on, but what hurts my feelings is that, you didn’t trust me enough to send you to someone you’d be comfortable with from the first meeting. I am, however, glad to hear that you’re going to start over with the doctor, and that you’re going to be honest from next week forward,” Jasmine said.
“Mamma, I am truly sorry for not trusting you completely, I hope you can forgive me for my ignorance on this matter. I know it’s no excuse, but I’d like for you to know why things were going the way they were. As one of the nine future queens, I have learned to be skeptical of everyone, most especially in the five years closest to “Inheritance Day”, and it was driven into my subconscious that I am not to trust anyone in those years. It was, but it wasn’t a ‘distrust’ issue with you, mamma. It was part of what was driven into the core of who I am while I went to “Queen Etiquette School”, and believe it or not, I would not have even trusted Kouper when it came to any referrals he made for a mental health care professional. I would’ve thought, as someone who’s been an advisor to the queen, you’d understand that my decision to test your therapist is ‘second nature’ to me,” the royal elf told the magix educator. Plus, you should know that with the relationship I have with my father, if I wouldn’t even trust the one he sent me to, you should’ve understood my skepticism when it came to trusting a therapist referred to me by a family member that I’m only just now getting to know”, the royal one said.
“Believe it or not, now that you say it that way, I do completely understand why things were handled like that. And, you’re right, I shouldn’t have gotten my feelings hurt when you told me about the tests you put the doctor through. We are within that five years, you are going to be queen on “Inheritance Day”, and I should know better. It’s just that I’ve gotten used to the honesty I’ve instilled in your sister, along with her brothers, and Ecko wouldn’t have had an issue with trusting me. Then, again, why would she? I mean, I am her mother. I guess I was ignorant on the subject, and I’m asking you for forgiveness since my training has escaped the frontal lobe of my brain,” Jasmine said.
“No need to forgive you, I understand that when we haven’t practiced what we’ve been trained to do, that we forget our training; it happens, neither of us is getting any younger,” Ryven said.
“You are so right about that, but let’s not start talking about our ages, please, ladies,” the educator said.
“Why? You should be proud of how old you are, it tells others that you’re not someone who can be easily fooled since you’ve been around for a while,” the royal elf said.
“Mom, if you don’t mind, it’s time for our training session with these three, and I don’t think it’s wise to put it off, for any reason,” Azleal said. He’d stepped into the kitchen while his mother was talking to their company, but had waited for the time to say something, without interrupting.
“Alright, son, we’ll get ourselves to the arena,” Jasmine said.
“With it being dark outside, I’d feel better if you’d allow me to escort you there, mother,” the demon said.
“Yes, my son, you may take me to the arena. It truly sucks getting older, ladies, let me tell y’all. You tend to forget things that you’ve known about yourself, all of your life, For example, I’ve known since I was a child that I cannot see in the dark, and because of that, I have to have someone with me to be my ‘eyes’ after the sun has gone down. The beauty of aging is being revealed before you,” she laughed to lighten the mood.
“Oh, mom, you’re only as old as you feel, and when you stop feeling, you might as well be dead,” her son said.
“You got that from me,” the educator said.
“Yes, I did, and we both know that is a true statement,” Azleal said.
“I do know that, but do you have to use the things I’ve said to you, against me? I mean, I am your mother, you’d think I could get a little slack,” Jasmine replied.
© P. L. Watson-Atwell