Chapter 8: Chapter 8 - Insatiable

“Those wings are going to make this really difficult,” Harmony noted critically as she stood in front of the game of Twister in Susan’s back yard. “It’s no wonder you always win against the leprechauns.”

Rhapsody’s wings vanished and she stared back at Harmony haughtily. “I don’t use my wings with the leprechauns, so you won’t have that as an excuse when I win.”

“No magic,” Harmony added firmly, eyeing Rhapsody suspiciously.

They had a small crowd around them. Two more girls had showed up, along with their parents. The parents had decided to stay at the party when they learned that Rhapsody was there. They were silent as they watched the fairy face off against the much taller Harmony.

“I won’t need magic,” Rhapsody declared airily. “Cause I’m just that good.”

“If I feel any magic vibrating in my bones, you’re in big trouble,” Harmony warned with a stern expression.

“Oh yeah,” Rhapsody suddenly grinned. “I forgot you could feel magic. Good, that means you can prove I’m not using magic next time I play against Cormac.”

“Is anyone else going to play?” Rhapsody asked the watching crowd challengingly.

Serenity immediately stepped forward, a confident grin on her face. Susan seemed conflicted but ultimately decided to just watch. Amber joined them, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she smiled at Rhapsody.

The game started simply enough but quickly became much more difficult as each turn progressed. Rhapsody was purposely choosing colors that would block Harmony. It didn’t take long for Harmony to lose, once Serenity started cheating. When Serenity reached a point that she couldn’t move to a new color, she rolled off the mat and made a wager with Susan that she couldn’t tickle her. Susan had enthusiastically engaged in an attempt to prove Serenity wrong. Harmony suddenly felt her sides tickled as she was trying to balance in a twisted backbend. She immediately collapsed, laughing and holding her sides. She had taken Amber out with her, leaving Rhapsody as the winner.

Serenity immediately held up a hand to Susan and admitted that she was wrong, grinning at Harmony the whole time.

“There’s going to be payback for that, young lady,” Harmony threatened ominously.

“Why whatever do you mean, Aunt Harmony?” Serenity asked innocently, her eyes darting to Rhapsody for a fraction of a second.

Harmony’s eyes narrowed as she turned to Rhapsody. “You are a shameless cheater.”

Rhapsody raised her hands defensively, a shit-eating grin on her face. “Hey, I didn’t use magic.”

“And that whispered conversation with Serenity before we came out here didn’t involve the word plotting, right?” Harmony asked levelly, wishing she could reverse the direction of her synesthesia.

“Come now, Harmony,” Rhapsody chided with a smug grin. “Don’t be a sore loser.”

Harmony tried to maintain her ire, but the small fairy was so outrageous that it was hard not to laugh at her expressive face. She tried to maintain the thin line of her lips as they began to turn up into a smile, but it was a losing battle. Rhapsody waggled her eyebrows suggestively and Harmony lost it, giggling helplessly.

“You are such a bad fairy,” Harmony declared as she recovered from her giggles.

Rhapsody froze, her expression showing a moment of shock. A moment later her mouth split into a wide grin. Her eyes were watery, as if she were fighting back tears as she stared at Harmony with love in her eyes.

“What?” Harmony asked in sudden concern. She could tell something she said had affected the small woman deeply.

“It’s just wonderful to have you back,” Rhapsody explained softly. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Can you show us some magic?” Amber asked hopefully, ending the moment.

“You betcha,” Rhapsody responded with a nod. “What would you like to see?”

“What kind of things can you do?” Amber asked excitedly.

The adults were all standing in a group a dozen feet away. They weren’t even making an attempt to appear like they were socializing with each other—their eyes were all on Rhapsody.

“If you can imagine it, I can probably do it,” Rhapsody told Amber with a wink. “What can you imagine, Amber?”

Amber’s eyes went distant as she thought. She was eleven, so her answer was fairly predictable. “Can you make it so that I can fly?”

“That would depend on whether your mother would be okay with that,” Rhapsody replied, nodding at Amber’s mother.

“Is it safe?” her mother asked hesitantly.

“Absolutely,” Rhapsody answered with a reassuring smile. “I can make her invulnerable so that even if she fell from orbit, it wouldn’t hurt her.”

“You can do that?” Amber’s mother asked in stunned amazement.

“Like I told Amber,” Rhapsody smiled confidently. “If you can imagine it, I can almost certainly do it.”

“Okay... if you’re sure,” Amber’s mother acquiesced slowly.

“Alright, Amber,” Rhapsody turned back to the girl with a more serious expression. “When I give you the ability to fly, the knowledge of how to do it is going to be included with the ability. For the next twenty minutes, you’ll be invulnerable. Just stay fairly close, okay? We don’t want you running into any airplanes.”

Amber’s eyes grew wide with anticipation as she realized she really was going to be able to fly. She was nearly bouncing in place as she waited on Rhapsody.

“Okay, go get ’em, tiger,” Rhapsody waved her hand at Amber negligently.

Amber’s eyes widened even more, and she slowly began rising into the air. Susan and her friends were staring at Amber in wonder, their eyes filled with hope.

Amber began zooming around the neighborhood, letting out loud whoops as she swooped around a hundred feet above the houses.

Harmony stared at Rhapsody curiously. She knew Aurora and Serenity were learning how to fly using magic. How was she giving Amber the ability to fly without magic? And why would her nieces even need magic if they could just be given the abilities without the use of magic?

Rhapsody immediately had a line of four additional girls asking if they could fly. Their parents hesitantly agreed to let Rhapsody give them the ability to fly. The air was soon filled with pre-teens zooming around the neighborhood with excited screams as they dove through the air. Serenity had joined them without any help from Rhapsody. Harmony could tell by the low buzz in her bones when Serenity lifted off the ground. As far as Harmony could tell, there was no magic involved with the other girls’ flight abilities.

Harmony sidled up to Rhapsody so that she was close enough to talk without being overheard by anyone else.

“How are they flying without magic?” Harmony asked quietly.

“It’s a different kind of magic,” Rhapsody replied with a shrug. “You’ll learn all about it someday.”

“So, you still could have been cheating without Serenity’s help,” Harmony accused her with a playful glare.

“Technically, yes,” Rhapsody admitted with a small smile. “But... I didn’t. Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“You’re just so mysterious,” Harmony mocked in a patronizing tone.

“I heard that you can’t stop yourself from digging into any mysteries that you find, so I thought I would try to be one,” Rhapsody explained with a slow wink.

Harmony rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop a smile from forming as she stood next to a mystery she definitely liked digging into. “You’re such a goof.”

The girls spent about twenty minutes flying around before Rhapsody brought them all back, much to their dismay.

“I’m pretty sure there’s still a cake that needs to be lit up, and presents delivered,” Rhapsody insisted with a gesture at Tiffany. “Don’t make Tiffany go through all of this work for nothing.”

With much grumbling and sighing, the girls trooped back into the house. Harmony was pretty sure that Susan would never live this birthday party down. She would certainly be the envy of her classmates when they all found out the next day. She was pretty sure a number of neighbors had noticed the flying pre-teens zooming around the neighborhood as well.

“Here you go, Serenity,” Rhapsody discreetly handed a small ornate flask to her. “Tell her that one drop on her palm is the equivalent of a thirty-minute deep clean shower. For those days when you just want to skip showering and still be super clean. There’s about a year's worth of drops in there.”

“This thing is priceless,” Serenity whispered in awe.

“That’s because it’s not for sale,” Rhapsody pointed out dryly.

“How do you even make something like this?” Serenity asked in amazement.

“With lots of practice and lots of patience,” Rhapsody answered with a long-suffering sigh. “It will only work for her though, so anyone that thinks they can steal it will find that it is just regular water.”

“You’re pretty amazing, Rhapsody,” Serenity told the fairy admiringly.

“I have my moments,” Rhapsody admitted with an airy toss of her head. “Now let’s go get you some cake. That’s why people go to birthday parties, isn’t it?”

“You're not wrong,” Serenity agreed with a giggle.

Harmony followed Rhapsody as they went into the house to light up the cake. The parents of the children seemed too nervous to actually engage with Rhapsody, though they clearly wanted to. Several times they looked on the verge of asking her something but seemed to chicken out at the last second. As they waited for Tiffany to light the cake, Rhapsody turned to the watching parents.

“Hi, Trish,” Rhapsody greeted a stout woman who was only about six inches taller than Rhapsody. “No, I’m not a demon. The NSA didn’t like what Mystery told them about fairies, so they started a campaign to turn public opinion against us. There actually is a core group within the intelligence agencies who believe I am a demon.”

Rhapsody turned to another woman with a sallow face and a large wart on her nose.

“Hello, Nida,” Rhapsody nodded at her with a smile. “Yes, I can take care of your illness. Do I have your permission?”

Nida’s eyes widened at both seeing Rhapsody read her mind as well as the offer to heal her. Harmony wondered what was wrong with her. Nida nodded, too nervous to speak as she stared at the seemingly omniscient and omnipotent fairy.

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“Great, let’s get started,” Rhapsody said with a gentle smile. She didn’t make any kind of hand motions or gestures, and Harmony didn’t feel the buzz of magic in her bones. Nida gasped in shock, her already wide eyes going wider. A moment later, the wart on her nose disappeared. Her skin darkened to a healthy tone and Harmony felt a sense of vitality begin pulsing brighter within the woman.

“All fixed,” Rhapsody declared with a satisfied smile. “Stop using whatever detergent you are using for your clothes. You are allergic to it.”

Nida’s lips trembled as she stared back at Rhapsody with gratitude in her eyes.

“And Gloria,” Rhapsody smiled at the last woman. She was only a few inches shorter than Harmony and had chestnut hair that reached her shoulders. “Are you sure you want me to wipe that memory? They say we are doomed to repeat our mistakes until we learn from them, and if you can’t remember it, you won’t be able to learn from it.”

Gloria nodded mutely, her eyes full of determination.

“Very well,” Rhapsody said sadly. “It’s done.”

“I remember wanting a memory removed, but I don’t know which one?” Gloria murmured in amazement. “Is that because you removed it?”

“That would be why,” Rhapsody nodded, her lips twitching as she struggled not to laugh. Harmony bit back a smile of her own at the obvious response.

“Okay, I’ve granted lots of wishes today,” Rhapsody commented with a sinister smile. “Now your souls are mine.”

The women stared at her in sudden trepidation until she snorted a laugh, shaking her head ruefully. “Sorry, I’m an irredeemable tease. When you live as long as I have, it’s hard not to start making jokes about everything. Your souls are safe.”

Harmony shook her head in bemusement as she watched Rhapsody. She wished she could be so comfortable with other people the way Rhapsody seemed to be. Harmony had always been an introvert and struggled to make small talk with strangers. Rhapsody just treated everyone like acquaintances and had no trouble teasing them like they were old friends. She was just so gregarious and likeable that it was difficult to see her in a negative light. Harmony wondered if this was part of her plan to show the world that if she was a demon, then she was a fun demon.

Two of the women had surreptitiously taken video several times, trying to make it look like they were just videoing their daughters at a party. Harmony was pretty sure those videos would be on social media within an hour of the women getting home.

The candles were all lit and waiting for the happy birthday song. Harmony shuddered inside as she sang along with the rest of the group. She hated singing the happy birthday song. Something about it just felt so lame. Harmony was determined to come up with a better song for Serenity’s and Aurora’s birthdays.

Rhapsody winked at her roguishly as they sang, clearly enjoying Harmony’s dark inner grumblings. Harmony scowled back at her until one of the mothers glanced her way and she hurriedly plastered a smile back on her face. Rhapsody’s own smile grew wider as she sang, her eyes never leaving Harmony.

When Susan blew out the candles, a huge jet of flame shot up into the air above the cake, producing several shocked screams. When they saw Rhapsody giggling herself silly, they relaxed slightly, their expressions varying degrees of disgruntlement. Harmony felt an odd sense of fondness as she watched the mischievous fairy. There was something so familiar and comforting in her behavior.

The five girls and their parents made short work of the cake. When Tiffany tried to convince Harmony and Rhapsody to try a piece, Rhapsody created another stir in the mood of the room.

“We don’t have stomachs, so we can’t eat it,” Rhapsody informed her, patting her narrow waistline for emphasis. “We eat energy. Well... absorb energy. What you would probably call magic.”

“You know, I always knew Harmony must be from some kind of magical society,” Tiffany confided in them. “The way she described magic and the secret societies hidden in plain sight seemed too close to the truth.”

“Yeah, Harmony’s been head over heels for magic for as long as I’ve known her,” Rhapsody agreed with a smirk at Harmony. Serenity quickly turned away to hide her own mirth.

Harmony felt a strong urge to tell the woman just how skeptical she had been about all things magical until a few days ago. She was opening her mouth to announce her agnostic position when Rhapsody shook her head slightly, her large eyes full of hidden meaning. Harmony slowly closed her mouth, giving Rhapsody a level stare that demanded answers later—answers that had better be good.

When Serenity gave Susan the flask of liquid and explained what it did, she squealed with delight, excitedly telling her mother that she could sleep in for twenty more minutes every day now. It was the little things.

As the party wound down, Rhapsody thanked Tiffany for inviting them before taking Harmony’s hand and teleporting them back to the circle. Harmony had told Serenity that she could stay a few more hours if she wanted, so her niece had not followed them.

They appeared on the beach of the lake. Aurora was with Taxti and the group of leprechauns Rhapsody had introduced them to before the party. They were standing around a small pool of water that had been dug out on the beach. Aurora was holding her hands above the water with a look of intense concentration on her face. As Harmony watched, mist began rising from the pool of water. As it rose into the air, it began to take shape.

“Is that a Gryphon?” Harmony asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt Aurora.

“Looks like it,” Rhapsody confirmed with a pleased smile as she observed Aurora. “She really is brilliant—her and Serenity both. They’re both prodigies when it comes to magical theory. That’s not uncommon for older souls.”

“And we’ve known them for a long time too?” Harmony asked curiously, feeling a sense of affection as she watched Aurora.

“Yep, they’re the equivalent of close family in the cosmic age of our souls,” Rhapsody confirmed with a fond smile.

Mystery glanced up from where she was watching Aurora’s gryphon. Her lavender eyes met Harmony’s eyes, and she smiled warmly. The expression sent butterflies through Harmony’s insides. Mystery’s smile widened as she sensed Harmony’s attraction through the mysterious soul bond Rhapsody had told them about.

“She’s doing a lot better now that she’s with us,” Rhapsody commented in a satisfied voice. “I’m glad she didn’t take longer to decide to join us. It wasn’t pleasant watching her suffer so much.”

Harmony glanced down at Rhapsody sympathetically. Rhapsody could probably feel both of their emotions the way that Mystery seemed to be able to feel Harmony’s. When Harmony concentrated, she could feel a sense of wonder and happiness burning brightly inside of Mystery. It was so strange to think that they were linked by some kind of metaphysical bond from who knew how long ago.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that, Rhapsody,” Harmony murmured softly.

“I’m just sorry that she had to deal with that,” Rhapsody responded wistfully. “That’s okay though, because it’s all rainbows and roses going forward.”

The gryphon suddenly flew up into the air and began flying circles around them. As it flew, the shape filled in with color, becoming more life-like. Aurora’s face was tight with concentration as she stared up at her creation. After a minute of flying around, the gryphon dissolved into mist.

“That do be the quickest lesson I did ever witness,” Leesha announced in an awed voice. “Aurora, are you sure you haven’t been learning magic for a few decades?”

“I’m only a decade old, silly,” Aurora replied with a pleased smile on her face.

“You say that, but you seem pretty tall for a ten-year-old,” Eimear noted doubtfully. “Are you sure there isn’t another digit or two in your age?”

“That’s because I’m a human,” Aurora declared, a smile teasing its way onto her face. “I’ve been around Aunt Harmony long enough to recognize sarcasm.”

Mystery glanced at Harmony with amusement in her eyes. Harmony shrugged, a wry smile on her lips.

“What’s this sarcasm you speak of?” Eimear asked with an artfully innocent expression. “I’m intrigued.”

Aurora looked a little less sure of herself until she saw Eimear’s lips quirking up at the corners. “It’s her superpower.”

All eyes turned to Harmony with varying degrees of humor as they appraised her.

“It’s true,” Harmony assured them with a wink.

Mystery’s smile widened as she stared at Harmony in a way that sent shivers down her spine. Between Rhapsody and Mystery, she felt like she was being kept on a low broil as her insides heated up with desire.

“How was the party?” Declan asked with a grin. He was no longer in the stereotypical leprechaun outfit depicted by Western tradition. He was garbed similar to Niall and Cormic, with the exception of the large belt buckle. His thumbs were tucked behind it in a relaxed manner. Apparently, he planned to keep it as an extension to his range of expressions.

“She told the parents that she was taking their souls,” Harmony replied with an eyeroll. “The intelligence agencies have been claiming that she is a demon, so they had a moment of terror.”

Eimear and Cormic joined Declan as he roared with laughter. Rhapsody grinned mischievously as Niall gave her a flat look.

“So, are they convinced she really is a demon now?” Harmony’s mother asked with an amused glance at Rhapsody.

“If they do, they have a different opinion on what a demon is,” Harmony responded dryly. “She performed several miracles for them, including healing one of them, so they’ll have a difficult time seeing demons as evil entities at this rate.”

“Are demons real?” Michael asked curiously.

“Depends on which universe you’re in,” Rhapsody answered with a shrug. “But there aren’t any in this one.”

“How many universes are there?” Michael asked, his eyes fascinated.

“That I know of?” Rhapsody frowned, her eyes calculating. “Around three millionish.”

They all stared at Rhapsody curiously, though some of them showed more suspicion than curiosity.

“Have you ever been to any of them?” Harmony’s mother asked intently.

“I’ve been to all of them,” Rhapsody answered with a fond smile. “So have you.”

“I have?” Harmony’s mother asked in surprise.

“Yep,” Rhapsody nodded firmly. “So have Harmony, Mystery, Aurora, and Serenity.”

“What about Taxti and the others?” Aurora asked, glancing at the faun and leperchauns inquisitively.

“They’ve been to some of them,” Rhapsody replied with another nod. “While you are young in this world, your soul is much older than almost anyone else here. You’ll understand, someday.”

“And you just love dropping tantalizing hints, don’t you,” Harmony accused her with a glare.

“I might enjoy it a little bit,” Rhapsody admitted with a wink.

Harmony stared into Rhapsody’s beautiful eyes, feeling a hint of the connection that they shared going so far back into the past that time became meaningless. Rhapsody’s lips quirked up as Harmony stared, entranced by those gorgeous eyes.

“She’s off in la la land again,” Harmony almost heard her mother say in a resigned voice. “Somebody step between her and Rhapsody.”

Harmony’s trance ended as Taxti stepped in front of Rhapsody with a wide grin on her face. “Welcome back, Harmony.”

Harmony blinked, trying to remember what they were talking about. “Millions of universes?”

She frowned as everyone started laughing, including Niall. Aurora was giggling up a storm as she observed her aunt. Mystery was watching her with a small smile that sent another flutter through her abdomen.

“We asked you if tonight would be a good time to roll out the leveling system,” her mother supplied with an amused twinkle in her eyes. “We’ve established enough of the governing mechanics that Rhapsody thinks it’s ready to go.”

“Oh,” Harmony blushed as she realized how long she’d been mesmerized by her beautiful fairy. “Um, did we ever figure out how to do it safely, so that people don’t get into accidents when it suddenly appears in their vision?”

“It will appear in each person’s view the next time they wake up,” Taxti replied, her lips still fighting back an amused grin.

“I still want to know how in the world you can just make something like this work in a few hours' time,” Harmony declared, stepping sideways so that she could look at Rhapsody. Taxti stepped sideways with her, continuing to block her view. “Do you mind?”

Taxti just smirked at her but continued blocking her view of the fairy.

“Trade secret,” Rhapsody replied impishly. “You’ll just have to wait a couple of decades before you learn about that little secret.”

“I’m still not sure what this leveling system is,” Mystery confessed, her brows creased in confusion. “Weren’t we going to get Serenity’s tablet or something?”

“Oh yeah,” Michael shook his head sadly. “You never tried any video games. It was all books for you. Especially books by a certain author.”

Mystery’s eyes found Harmony’s and she smiled shyly. Harmony’s heart sped up as she looked into Mystery’s luminous eyes—eyes that were full of adoration and respect.

“My turn, I guess,” Harmony’s mother muttered, stepping between Mystery and Harmony. She was too short to block their view of each other though.

“Aurora, can you please come float in front of Mystery?” her mother asked tiredly.

Harmony could hear her mother, but didn’t process anything she said, completely captivated by Mystery’s beauty. She blinked as Aurora’s grinning face suddenly replaced Mystery’s face.

“What?” Harmony asked, blinking at the amused faces observing her.

“I didn’t think stuff like this happened outside of stories,” Michael chuckled, his eyes observing her approvingly.

“It’s their fault for being so damn perfect,” Harmony declared defensively, folding her arms like a shield.

“I’m sure that’s it,” her mother agreed sardonically. “That’s why the rest of us are struggling so much. Oh, wait, we’re not.”

Harmony scowled at her mother as the others laughed. She knew there must be a clever retort, but try as she might, she couldn’t think of it.

“If Mystery needs a demo, we can use my phone,” Michael offered, pulling out his phone. “Assuming there is a way to make it work inside the circle.”

Rhapsody moved over to him and took his phone for a moment before handing it back. “It should work from now on.”

“I have a few games on here that have leveling systems,” Michael informed them as he walked over to Mystery. “I’ll give her a quick tutorial on how they work.”

Harmony tried to focus on the imminent rollout of the leveling system, but she couldn’t stop thinking about getting Rhapsody back to her room. It was like a burning hunger that couldn’t be ignored. She snuck a look at Rhapsody and was met with a slow, sensual wink and a seductive smile. Heat flooded her system as she stared at the beautiful fairy hungrily.

“I just remembered there is something Harmony and I need to discuss before we move forward,” Rhapsody announced, her eyes never leaving Harmony. “We’ll be back in a while.”

The world around them vanished, replaced by her bedroom. Rhapsody floated over to her and wrapped herself around Harmony.

“You’re insatiable,” Rhapsody whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. “I’m going to tell you what I’m going to do to you.”

Harmony’s knees grew weak as Rhapsody continued.