Ruby
I looked around my room, enjoying the moment of peace I had to myself before the celebrations started. The leaves rustled gently against the window panes, and the house felt still—no armies attacking us, no barriers up protecting me from the dangers that lay outside. My nights and days had been tranquil, and that had taken some getting used to.
We’d been back in The Shade for two weeks. When Derek and the other members of GASP had arrived the night that we’d slept on the sea shore, we hadn’t even waited till dawn to leave. Ash and Tejus had both been willing to return with us, along with Zerus, Jenney and, after some reluctance, the Oracle. Ash had made sure the villagers were comfortable back at Memenion’s castle, but he’d been reassured by Queen Memenion that she would look after them, try to get them back on their feet before their emperor returned. Ash had trusted her, and so did I. After everything the sentries of Nevertide had been through, there was little ill-will left—it didn’t matter who came from what kingdom, or where their allegiances had been before the battle. They were all ultimately going to be responsible for rebuilding their homeland.
I had worried about Ash adjusting to life in The Shade, but I needn’t have. The initial fascination that he’d held with Earth when I first met him had returned quickly—he spent hours trying to understand television sets, blu-ray players and gaming consoles. Even ordinary household stuff like vacuum cleaners, blenders, the refrigerator—all held him under their spell. As a ‘welcome to my world’ gift, I’d taken him to Hawaii for the day, just to hang out. We went to the movies and saw the latest predictable blockbuster, but I doubted he even remembered what the film was about, he was so amazed by the sheer scale of the screen, the ‘bizarre’ outfits of the actors, and then there had been the snacks. I laughed to myself as I remembered having to physically drag him away from the self-service soda machine—the other movie-goers had already been staring at us because of Ash’s size and his look of continued astonishment as he experienced what for everyone else was a typical Friday night.
After the movies, we’d gone to a restaurant—just a regular diner—but Ash had sworn he’d never eaten so well in his life. While we walked along one of the piers, I noticed that Ash was practically buzzing with energy. I thought it was the mass amounts of sugar we’d consumed, but Ash sheepishly put me right—he’d been syphoning off pretty much everyone. It was like a free-for-all buffet being in public. I didn’t really know how to react to that—it felt a bit unfair that innocent, unsuspecting humans were feeding him mentally, but then no one actually seemed to notice, or mind, so he couldn’t have been feeding off any of them in large doses. I saved that as something to bring up again at a later date…
Tejus had also settled happily into life in The Shade. Where Ash fetishized the mundane human technology, Tejus was in awe of the weaponry and communications that GASP had at its disposal—things like the satellite maps, the radios, on-screen calls—anything that helped GASP in its missions. He had already become a useful asset—his more traditional war strategy skills were intriguing to both Benjamin and Derek. He would be a great future member of the GASP team.
I sighed. Looking at my bookshelves, I saw my childhood collection of combat manuals, Sun Tzu’s Art of War and weapon guides. For so long I’d had my heart set on joining GASP. Now things were different. I had other obligations, a different life that was starting to take shape—one entirely unexpected, but that just made it all the more exciting.
In a few short hours, I would be getting married to Ash. We had our whole future together, one where I knew, thanks to the Oracle, that Ash wouldn’t be coming to any harm—that our life together would be long and fulfilling. I couldn’t wait to start it.
Earlier today I’d gone for a quiet walk in the forest. I still had the envelope that Varga had used for his letter to me, written moments before he’d been killed. I’d carried it around with me for a while—there was something comforting about the sight of his handwriting and his hurriedly-scrawled name on the back. I buried it under the earth, saying my final goodbyes. I loved Ash with all my heart, but Varga had meant something to me—and he would forever remain in my memory as a good man, one with integrity, whom I was glad to have known, even for such a brief time.
I glanced at myself in the mirror. Jenney, Yelena and Arwen had done an amazing job in transforming me from average human girl to extraordinary bride (even if I did say so myself). My make-up, courtesy of Arwen, who had become, in my opinion, the best make-up artist in The Shade, looked like it was hardly there—but it didn’t stop my blue eyes from looking that much bluer, framed with dark brown mascara and just a hint of blusher on my cheekbones. My hair was worn down, falling in loose waves across my shoulders. Then there was my dress. I couldn’t stop staring at it. The cut was simple—a plain sheath with delicate straps over each shoulder, with a small detailing of lace under my bust that showed off my figure while at the same time appearing suitably modest. The dress was more of an ivory-white, making my skin tone look warm. It was perfect—I was amazed at how ‘un-me’ I looked, and how much—just for an evening—I was enjoying that.