“You did promise to marry me.”
“And you said that you kept no secrets from me. So as I see it, we’re both liars.” Adra said. Fabrike wrapped his arms around her from behind.
“You love me.” He purred into her ear. His voice was soft and soothingly familiar. Adra had to remind herself that underneath his familiar face was that of a monster. She wrenched herself out of his hold. Adra braced herself against the warm wood of the doorframe.
“Get out of my home. You’re not welcome here anymore.” She snarled at him, hate and anger blinding her. Fabrike sighed. Crossing to the other side of the doorway, he stopped to stare at her. His cool green eyes were wide with guilt and wistful thinking.
“I know I’ve made this hard on you. I’m sorry.” He murmured.
“Good.” Was all Adra could manage to sputter before slamming the door between them. She leaned against the door. Part of her knew that Fabrike was doing the same on the other side.
“I’m an Ogren, Adra. When we kissed, it was a binding promise; I can’t forget about you and you can’t forget about me.” Fabrike’s voice carried through the door. Adra shook her head.
“You forget, Fabrike. Whatever you are, I’m not. I’m a human and someday I will forget about you.” Adra promised. The door creaked and she knew he’d gone. For one night at least. Adra let that small fact comfort her.
The next morning, as she left the cottage to start planting her garden, Adra kept a wary eye about her. It was impossible to know which tree, which bush might be hiding more of his kind. The morning light was half gone when she finally noticed Fabrike. She had no idea how long he’d been sitting atop her garden gate, watching her dig, and she didn’t want to know. Adra refused to look up at him, stabbing away at the earth of her garden. Part of her felt strangely released every time the earth gave way.
“What s it that you want from me?” Adra demanded. Fabrike slid off of the gate and stepped closer.
“I wanted to see you.” Fabrike whispered. Adra refused to look at him. “So I came.”
“Is that something I should get used to?” She muttered. Fabrike knelt by her side. His large strong hands pulled the wooden spike from her. His strength made quick work, tearing at the soil of her garden.
“I never wanted to make this hard for you.” Fabrike told her, hesitating with the spike in hand as he said it. Adra pulled her basket of seeds closer. She meshed the loosened soil with her hands, making room to plant seeds. For a while, the two worked in silent harmony. The garden was finished before the sun had even set.
“You didn’t come to help me with my garden. Why are you here? I won’t marry you.” Adra said, getting to her feet. She untied her gardening apron and tossed into the newly empty basket along with her tools. Fabrike picked up the basket before she could take it.
“I missed you.” Fabrike told her simply. “I wish it was something more clever but it’s not.” He followed her out of the gated garden and back towards her small cottage. Trees jutted up like pillars around the clearing where her house lay. Adra stopped to look at them for a moment before continuing inside.
“I’ve been thinking that I should’ve known.” Adra cursed herself. Fabrike’s eyebrows dropped in confusion. “About you, I mean.”
“How could you have known?” He stopped just outside of the door. Adra grabbed the basket from him roughly, setting out of his reach. She crossed her arms.
“You put a spell on me, didn’t you?” She accused. “From the first moment I met you, I trusted you completely. That was a spell.” There was no question in her words because the moment she said it, she knew it was true. Fabrike glanced away, blushing from shame and guilt.
“I never hurt you and you did learn to trust me.” Fabrike pointed out. Adra shook her head derisively.
“How do I know that? How do I know that I’m not still under a spell? What gives you the right to choose what I should think and feel?” Adra demanded. Fabrike lowered his eyes.
“You’re only under one spell.” Fabrike confessed. Adra’s jaw dropped in shock. Her hands fell limply to her sides.
“Take it off!” She barked after the surprise had worn off.
“I can’t!” Fabrike groaned. He braced himself against the doorframe, looking as though he desperately wanted to come inside. His shoulders sagged. “Will you let me in, if I tell you what it is?”
“No.” Adra said firmly. “I don’t trust you.”
“That really doesn’t matter.” A man’s voice came from behind her. He was sitting at her table, amusing himself with watching their squabble. The man was almost more handsome than Fabrike with long dark hair and even darker eyes. If there was any flaw in his striking features, it would be the depths of his black eyes. Adra stepped back against the open door in shock and horror.
“Who are you? How did you get in?” She demanded. Adra tried very hard to sound brave and strong but her every impulse was to scream and run for help.
“I’m Fabrike’s brother. For now, that should answer both questions.” The man gave her a crooked smile. Fabrike crossed the doorway and placed himself between them.
“What are you doing here, Tallos?” Fabrike growled.
“You say that as though you don’t want me here. You should have known I’d come for you.” Tallos chuckled. Adra stood as tall as her scant height would allow.
“Both of you, get out of my home right now!” Adra bellowed. With a wary glance, she scanned the rest of her small cottage. “And anyone else that might be here, I want you gone. This home is for humans only!” She snapped. Fabrike backed out through the door. Tallos didn’t move.
“What do you intend to do?” He laughed. Slowly and tauntingly, he got to his feet. He crossed to her side within a step. His black eyes grabbed her up and held her in their dark water. Adra felt fear rising in her throat like bile. Tallos raised his hand, curling fingers around a strand of her hair. “Just what can a little human like you do to stop me?”
“Leave her alone!” Fabrike snarled, stopping himself at the doorframe with malice dripping from his every feature.
“I can take off that pesky spell, if that’s what you want.” Tallos offered. Adra darted out away from his attentions and kept herself a few steps back from him.
“I can’t trust you. You’re just like him!” Adra gestured to Fabrike, who was watching them carefully. Tallos laughed darkly.
“I’ll take back the spell anyway. I want to.” Tallos said but the words sounded thick in her ears. It was as though there were a group of people around her, all speaking around her at the same time. Strange colors flashed around her, the voices all chanting indecipherably. Adra fell backwards.
“Adra? Adra?” Fabrike’s voice resounded in her ears until it was just his voice. Adra blinked up at him in horror. Fabrike’s face was as she remembered it but somehow impossibly different. His beautiful long brown hair had turned bright green and was punctured by the two long grey horns that were smoothed back along his head like thick immovable hairs. “Are you all right?” Fabrike asked softly. Adra recoiled at the sight of him.
“Stay away from me!” She screamed. Unlike Fabrike, Tallos’s skin was a subtle shade of pinkish-purple, hair and eyes still black. His horns however were the same pinkish color as his skin.
“She’s seeing you for what you are brother.” Tallos told him. Fabrike retreated, grinning sheepishly at her with long, sharp, crooked teeth. He wrung his hands around something that hadn’t been there before. Suddenly, Adra knew what it was that Fabrike was holding. It was his own long, thin, green tail.
“It’s not so bad. It’s just different. I don’t have to look like this you know. I can put the spell back on, if that’s what you want.” Fabrike tried to sound convincing but his wide green eyes were filling with tears.
“And to think, you had no idea.” Tallos’s voice was low and cruel. He seemed to find the whole situation hilarious. Something long, red, and snake-like wrapped around her arm and drew her close. Tallos’s tail.
“Just leave her alone.” Fabrike grabbed Tallos’s tail and, with a rough shake, Adra was released. She watched as Fabrike dragged his brother out by the tail and deposited him a good five feet from the doorstep. Tallos cringed from Fabrike’s hold and Adra had no doubts that it hurt him. Passing a clawed hand in between himself and the small cottage, Fabrike whispered and the strange flashing colors returned.
“Now will you let me go?” Tallos barked, clutching his tail to his chest. Fabrike stepped closer to face Adra.
“No one will be able to go into your home without your permission. You have my word.” Fabrike vowed. Adra retreated from the doorway but said nothing. Her eyes were still wide with fear. Because in all of the ways that they were different, Fabrike and Tallos were both still Ogren. Fabrike may have looked like a lovable sheepdog trapped into an Ogren’s body. But Tallos, he was dark and cold. Hate hung around him like a cloud. However innocent Fabrike seemed, there was still darkness in him. He is still Ogren. Adra forced herself to remember that.
“Did you hear that, little brother?” Tallos smirked. “She thinks you’re as bad as me. Nothing will convince her that you’re not.”
“Go home.” Fabrike said coldly, his eyes dropping away from Adra.
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