hand.
As soon as his skin touched the hilt of the weapon, he felt its contentment. It was like holding a cat that falls asleep in your arms. The sensation was so comforting that Brendan felt calmness wash through him. He closed his eyes and cast his mind out, searching for his father’s presence, but there was only the soft purr of the sword. He lay back on his bed and let the hum lull him into sleep.
FAMILY
The next few days passed in happy preparation for Christmas. His mother was cooking and baking. His father spent a lot of time in the basement studio finishing his final Christmas projects for clients.
Brendan had to explain the bruise on his face from the fight with Lugh, but he claimed a clumsy fall on the ice as the culprit. His past history came in handy as an excuse. Luckily, he was now a quick healer thanks to his Faerie blood. He would have had a hard time settling his mother down if she’d seen the gaping, bloody gash the night before. The slash along his ribs had faded. By Christmas Eve it was just a red weal along his side. Fortunately, that was easily hidden beneath his shirt.
He was a bit worried that Delia would refute his story, but the next morning she didn’t say a word. She didn’t even make fun of him for being a clumsy jerk. She was in a pensive mood. If his parents hadn’t been so busy, they might have wondered about the reason, but as it was, they didn’t.
Brendan tried to have a conversation with Delia on a number of occasions, but she refused to talk about what had happened. She would simply walk away, hide in her room, or turn up the TV volume to a level that discouraged conversation. Finally, Brendan just left her alone. She needed to deal with the situation whatever way was best for her. He had to be patient.
He called his friends and checked up on them. He wanted to make sure they weren’t harassed by any Fair Folk. They assured him that they were fine, and they made plans to get together after Christmas.
While his parents were busy preparing the house for the holidays, visiting friends, and taking care of their own business, Brendan spent a lot of time thinking about how he was going to break the news about his secret life to them. He imagined all the possible ways he might broach the subject, what to say and where to say it. He sat in his room, lying on his back and listening to music. He went for long, meandering walks through the city.
By the time Christmas Eve arrived, he still had no idea how he was going to tell his mum and dad what was going on. He was sitting in his bedroom in the dark, racking his brain. There was no obviously easy way. Every time he even imagined broaching the subject, his stomach tied itself in knots.
“Hey.” Delia’s voice was soft but he almost leapt out of his skin. Her head poked up through the trap door in the floor.
“Jeez, Dee. You scared me.”
“Sorry. You could take it as payback for the other day.” Delia smirked.
“Okay.” Brendan smiled. “What do you want?”
“Just to talk,” she said. “Can I come in?”
“Yeah.”
Brendan couldn’t remember the last time, if ever, Delia had been in his room. Sure, she’d stuck her head in and yelled plenty of times, but she’d never crossed the threshold completely. He watched as she climbed up and looked around.
“This is kind of cool.”
“Thanks.”
“It smells like teenage boy, though.”
“That’s what I am, so…”
“Yeah,” she said. “About that…” She pulled the only chair over to the bed and sat down opposite Brendan. “It’s dark.”
“Yeah. I like it dark.”
“People like… like you can see in the dark pretty well though, eh?”
Brendan laughed. “Yeah. People like me can.”
Delia blushed and looked a little uncomfortable. She looked around. “Where’s the little one… What’s her name?”
“BLT?” Brendan offered. “She’s out with some of her friends tonight.”
“Good,” Delia said firmly. “’Cause I wanted us to talk.”
Brendan didn’t answer beyond raising his eyebrows. He just waited.
After a few seconds, Delia seemed to make up her mind. “I’m sorry I haven’t been talking to you lately.”
“That’s not unusual, really…”
“Just shut up, okay? I’ve been thinking a lot about all this and I needed some time to myself to work it out. It’s a lot to take in. I thought you might be a criminal or a drug dealer or something. But it turns out…”
“It’s worse?”
“Yeah. But it’s also much better. It’s incredibly amazing, in fact! I know you’re probably worried about telling Mum and Dad.”
“I’m crapping my pants, actually.”
Delia shook her head. “You shouldn’t be. You shouldn’t be afraid of talking to them and telling them what you are.”
“Wouldn’t you be?”
“Probably. But then I’d remember that they’ve never once been angry about who I am. They get angry about what I’ve done but never at who I am. They’ve always supported us whatever we’ve wanted to do. If you think they’d be angry about what you are then you’re selling them short.”
Delia stood up and went to the stairs. She descended a couple of steps and looked back up at Brendan. “Just like you sold me short.” She stepped down out of sight.
Brendan sat in the darkness thinking about what his sister had said. Every word of it was true. Imagine how much easier the last weeks would have been if he’d had his Human family’s support. He should have told them right away. He made a decision. He picked up the phone and dialed Kim’s number.
Two hours later Brendan sat in the living room watching his dad playing the guitar and singing “White Christmas.” At the Clair household, Christmas Eve was a night for family. His mother laid out a delicious spread of cold food and baked treats for everyone to enjoy. There was the antique punch bowl full of eggnog, his mother’s mother’s recipe. His father brought out the guitar and forced everyone to endure a sing-a-long of Christmas carols. A fire burned in the fireplace. The Christmas tree was illuminated and all the decorations hung, each one a family memory of years past. Delia was rolling her eyes as Dad impersonated Bing Crosby. Everything was in place. Brendan felt a swell of happiness. He was making the right decision. He had no idea what would happen to him in the days and years to come, but at this moment everything was right in the world.
The doorbell rang. His father stopped playing and looked at his watch.
“It’s kind of late,” he said. “Are you expecting anyone?”
His mum, frozen in the act of lowering a plate of cookies to the coffee table, shook her head.
“It’s for me, Dad.”
His dad laid the guitar down. “Is it Charlie?”
Brendan felt a pang of sadness. “No. She’s… Her family’s away.”
“Who, then?” Brendan’s mum headed for the door. Delia stood up and joined Brendan and his father as they moved into the cramped foyer. Delia caught Brendan’s eye and winked. He smiled back.
Brendan reached the door first, and after a deep and steadying breath, he turned the knob and opened it wide.
Standing on the front porch were Aunt Deirdre, Uncle Greenleaf, Uncle Og, and Kim. They all wore subdued Human clothing and looked so awkward standing on the stoop, wrapped bundles in their hands, that Brendan almost burst out laughing.
“Brendan?” His mum said. “Who are these people?”
“This is Kim. Dad’s met her. This is Og and Mr. Greenleaf. And this is-”
