Lena Matthews

"Actually, I have to do something." I lied. "I'm sorry."

Finn frowned. "Lena, is something going on? You've been avoiding me ever since-"

"Nothing's going on!" I glanced around wildly, trying to figure out who was spying on me this time. At Atalka Academy, it was usually Mrs. Delaney, but every now and again, that duty got switched to Taylor, Carter, or Mr. Kawaguchi, the biology teacher who also happened to be a kappa. I should have known better than to trust someone who just packed cucumbers for lunch.

I needed to make sure that Finn didn't utter a word about the Forbidden when he was around me, which was easier said than done. I've avoided speaking to him altogether as a result. That was the safest option for him, but I hated every minute of it. "Just walk Aurelie home. I'll meet you guys at the house later."

"Okay." said Finn. I could hear his frustration, even though he was trying to hide it. He had no idea what was really going on.

As Finn walked away, I could see Taylor approach me from the corner of my eye. She had been hiding behind one of the several shelves of the library. "You know," said Taylor as she got closer, "we never said that you had to cut yourself off from your family like that."

"Mind your business." I snapped. "Aren't you supposed to be manipulating Jane-Anne or something?"

"You don't get to judge me," said Taylor. "You act like I have a choice in the matter."

"Don't you?" I asked. "You're magic, and you're immortal, so you should be able to do whatever you want."

"Do you know what I am?" Taylor asked.

"No clue, since apparently asking is rude." I answered. I was still bitter about that.

"It is," said Taylor. "You tell someone what legend you share similarities with, and you give them a gateway to your weaknesses."

"So, are you going to tell me what you are or not?" I asked. "Because the Forbidden around here don't seem to trust me, even though I saved you guys a couple days ago."

"What were you expecting, a thank you parade for doing the bare minimum?" Taylor asked.

"I didn't have to say anything when Jane-Anne came to me. I could have let her keep the secret and-"

"Keep the secret? Jane-Anne?" Taylor asked. "Are you crazy?"

"Whatever." I said. I tossed my bag over my shoulder, ready to get out of this conversation.

"Do you want to know what I am?" Taylor asked again.

"Okay. Tell me." I said, crossing my arms. Truthfully, I didn't want to know what Taylor specifically was. The less I knew, the easier it was to compartmentalize everything.

"You're gonna want to sit down for this one." Taylor warned.

"Why?" I asked.

"It might take a bit." Taylor explained.

"If it's a long story, then I don't want to hear it." I decided.

"I think you're gonna want to hear this." Taylor insisted.

"Fine." I sighed, pulling up a random chair and making myself comfortable.

"Okay," said Taylor, clearing her throat. "After my mother died, my father became obsessed with bringing her back. There were rumors of a creature that could grant wishes, and he decided to find him and wish for her to return to life. Despite all of the warnings against bringing someone back from the dead, he found the creature and made his wish. It was granted, but at a cost. One generation for another."

"So you're saying..."

"I was the cost." Taylor confirmed. "But I didn't die. I came back. When you're killed at the hands of a Forbidden, there's always a chance that you come back as the thing that killed your human soul. No one knows why certain victims get chosen; it just happens."

"Granting wishes... would that make you a genie?" I asked.

"That's one of the names for it, but I've always preferred djinn," said Taylor. "The djinn who killed me was a marid djinn."

"Aren't the marid djinn really powerful?" I asked. "No offense, but what are you doing in Atalka?"

Taylor tilted her head, probably questioning why I knew that.

"I'm Middle Eastern on my Dad's side." I covered quickly.

"When you get resurrected, you don't become a carbon copy of the Forbidden that killed you," said Taylor. "Mutations can happen. That's how you get sirens who can see into minds, djinn who can only use their magic for granting wishes, and people with red hair."

I touched my hair subconsciously.

"After I became Forbidden, everything was okay until my mother got sick." said Taylor, continuing her story. "My father wanted me to heal her, but I never let him make a wish. He cast me out right after, and I never saw my mother again. Then, rumors about a creature who could grant wishes spread. Everyone was after me. When I grant my first wish to someone, I have to stay until I grant all three."

Taylor was completely lost in her own monologue. It was like she had forgotten that she was even talking to me.

"When my father and I found each other again, we decided to stay together. That's when I granted his wish and took us both to America. We agreed that I wouldn't grant any more wishes so I could belong to him and no one else could take me. But the towers fell, and the tides turned against us. We used the last two wishes for wealth and to... assimilate better. After that, the Agency caught our scent and..." Taylor sighed.

"Atalka was our last safe place, but I still belonged to no one, and the town saw that as a risk. In order for me to live here, I had to belong to someone they trusted." Taylor recounted.

"Mrs. Pearce." I realized aloud.

"Other Forbidden get to use their abilities for themselves, but I can only use my abilities at someone else's request. When I belong to no one, I'm free but powerless." Taylor explained.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"I've gotten a pretty good idea of sensing what people want, love, or fear," said Taylor. "When you saw me and realized that I wasn't fully human for the first time, it was more than general surprise. You have something against us. I just thought that if you knew more about me, you could get past whatever is holding you back."

"Well, thanks." I said.

"For what?" Taylor asked.

"For standing up for me at the trial even though you could sense that." I said. "And I'm sorry that you had to give up your freedom to be here."

Taylor shrugged. "Not like there's anything I can do about it. Anyway, your next guardian should be in place by now. I have to check on Kiara and Jane-Anne."

My throat tightened with guilt. Even though she didn't remember it, I had completely betrayed Jane-Anne. I reminded myself that I did the right thing, but it didn't feel like it. I tried to smile at Taylor casually. "Gotta stay on Mrs. Pearce's good side, right?" I asked.

"Her wish is my command." Taylor answered playfully, but her words insinuated a much heavier burden.

Piecing together the truth of Atalka was a lot easier said than done. I felt caught between two completely different societies, and it wasn't a good feeling. For 16 years, I wanted to be an agent. I didn't care that the Agency killed Forbidden indiscriminately. It was necessary, because they were all going to kill eventually. It was just a matter of getting to them first. But every Forbidden I've met has been complicated and personable, which directly opposed the Agency's teachings.

I left school alone. As alone as I could possibly be. One Forbidden was in charge of being my invisible chaperone, and I had no idea who. Was there a Forbidden following me underground? In one of the trees? In the crowd of people around me? I scanned my surroundings and spotted Makaya. She never was subtle. I locked eyes with her, and smiled a bit to myself. Makaya seemed pretty unbothered, and started to walk away. I frowned and followed her.

There was a small downtown area by Atalka Academy, which had some restaurants and small boutiques. Makaya opened the door to a local dress shop, a small bell chiming her arrival. I ran to catch up with her, and caught the door just before it closed.

"I thought you were on probation." I commented, staring at the rainbow of fabrics that lined the walls.

"Kamilah?" Makaya asked sweetly, turning her attention to the woman behind the counter at the shop.

Kamilah looked up from her phone and smiled. She almost looked dazed.

"Would you mind giving us some privacy?" Makaya asked in a melodic tone. Kamilah nodded, and left her post without a word.

"That's creepy." I muttered.

"You get used to it." said Makaya nonchalantly. "And for the record, my probation is just for show. I'm still Mrs. Pearce's right hand. Everyone else is just jealous."

"Like Mrs. Delaney?" I asked.

"Especially Mrs. Delaney." said Makaya. "She had my position before she decided to have some mixed brats."

"Is there something wrong with that?" I asked, feeling self-conscious. Being descended from one of those "mixed brats", I couldn't help but feel personally called out.

"No." said Makaya gently. "I don't blame her for falling in love, but I do blame her for being naïve. She thought that she could keep her position even after having mortal children. This was before what happened with Hayate, so no one had any sympathy for those kids. They were downright hostile, so Mrs. Pearce had me take over to get Flora out of the spotlight."

"So that's why you and Mrs. Delaney hate each other?" I asked. I thought back to their unrestrained fight at the beach. They risked having their true identities being known just to get a shot at hurting each other.

"One of the reasons," said Makaya. "I don't know if anyone should expect sirens and dryads to get along, anyway."

Sirens and dryads. Just a normal conversation.

"I didn't get you over here to talk about petty rivalries, especially ones that shouldn't last too long." said Makaya. "I wanted to check on how you're doing. I'm sure it's been stressful, and I know that the Jane-Anne situation didn't help."

Makaya wasn't mentioning the fact that her water display hadn't helped either.

"I'm managing." I admitted. "I don't know how I feel."

"Well, I got a little window into your mind at the checkup." Makaya offered. "I can tell you what I know."

As she spoke, Makaya was inspecting each dress that hung on the wall. Her hands glided gently against the fabrics. She was eyeing each one carefully, like she was preparing for a prom.

"The checkups are a little trick I developed a while ago. It's a rare skill, even for a siren. Every one of us has a sway on others, but to perform a checkup, you need the other person to have their mind open. It's a harder thing to conduct on a Forbidden, but once you break in..." Makaya chuckled to herself. "Everything's fair game. Jane-Anne? I know that poor girl's thought process like the back of my hand. With you..."

Makaya trailed off as a specific dress caught her eye. She ran her hands through a silk green dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a lace corset of green flowers. Along the neckline, gold flowers swirled among the green and bloomed along the bottom of the large skirt.

"What?" I asked, getting impatient.

Makaya held up one finger and I instantly quieted down. "I think you should try this on." said Makaya, lifting the dress from the wall.

"Are you going to answer the question?" I asked.

Makaya shook her head. "So fiery." She commented.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, trying my best not to drown in green fabric as I made my way to a dressing room.

"It means that you're going to be put in your place if you disrespect the wrong Forbidden." Makaya answered.

With Makaya's help, I got into a dressing room and shut the door. I began my attempt at changing while Makaya talked to me from outside the door.

"The main thing that I got from you during the checkup was a lot of fire," said Makaya. "You see, I don't get the full details of whatever your subconscious creates. Just the echoes. But it's enough to make sure you follow the family rule."

"Why is family so important?" I asked.

"When you have a strong bond in your life, be it friendship, love, or traditional family, you're less likely to kill. So, it became a rule that only those with family could stay. There's a couple of exceptions." Makaya explained.

"Are you one?" I asked, stepping into the green dress.

"That would be correct," said Makaya.

"Can I ask how you died?" I asked tentatively.

"On a cruise ship with my mother-in-law," said Makaya casually. "Although, I'm not sure if she really was my in-law since I eloped. Anyway, she was annoying. I'm not sure if I jumped off the boat because the sirens were calling me to the sea or because Dorothy-Louise Gartner wouldn't shut up."

I had no right to find Makaya's comment about her own death amusing, but I couldn't help it. Trying not to laugh, I turned my focus to the dress. When I put it on, something about it felt odd. It was too much for me, with the swirling gold lace and large skirt. I still exited the dressing room stall to see Makaya's excitement.

"I'm buying it for you." Makaya announced instantly.

"I'm good." I insisted.

"But you look great!" said Makaya.

"It's not me." I explained, looking down at myself. Someone important would wear something like this.

"You'll grow into it." said Makaya.

"It fits fine." I responded, confused.

"I didn't mean literally." said Makaya, shifting through her purse. She set down a neat stack of bills on Kamilah's desk.

Refusing to let me carry the dress all the way home, Makaya offered me a ride. No one asked me anything as I lugged my dress upstairs, not even Finn. I hadn't realized how successful I had been at shutting everyone out. It wasn't something I was proud of. I hung up the dress in my closet and shut the door.

My room felt like an empty void. The decision to leave it undecorated was coming back to haunt me. I had just assumed that being with my family would make the house feel lively, but I felt alone. This really wasn't how I had expected my time in Atalka to go.

I remembered how badly I had wanted to be an agent, but right now, the Agency ID tucked under my mattress felt like a ticking bomb.

I lifted up my mattress and dug around for the ID. With everything going on, I should find a better hiding place than under my bed. I frowned, and threw the entire mattress off my bed-frame.

"Oh no." I muttered.

The ID was gone.

A/N: Hi guys! I know that this chapter was a little filler, but I hope that you enjoyed getting some insight into two of the most mysterious residents of the town.

QOTD: Who took the ID?