Post Chapter Seven - Milo

They were out there somewhere. Out in the middle of nowhere, while he was wandering the streets, with his attention cast over his shoulder because he was certain someone was going to stab him in the back. There was no part of Milo that didn’t regret his absence from the Outlands. Things were shaky at best. His relationship wasn’t even a relationship so much as a tedious little bridge that he was balancing on in an effort not to scream. But he should have gone. He was the fucking Gatekeeper. The one who was supposed to protect the Night Market or be the Night Market's right-hand man or something. Yet, here he was, wandering aimlessly, not sure what he was supposed to do next.

“Fuck.”

Turning, he leaned against the nearest wall. The lanterns were still unlit, hanging in tatters above him. He wasn’t sure if he hoped they would magically turn on and light up the atrocities that had been enacted in the dark, or if they would stay dim forever.

“Can you hear me?” he asked, scowling upwards. “Is that a thing?” He had never really taken stock into talking to the lanterns. He wasn’t even sure it worked. “Look, I– I should be out there. I wanted to put my foot down more, but doing that seemed like a dick move considering our history. But now I kind of wish I had been a dick. Is that okay?”

There was no answer. Because of course there was no answer.

Head hanging between his shoulder, Milo itched for a cigarette. The light would possibly attract the shadows though, and they hadn’t been too accommodating to Milo’s existence lately.

“No,” he answered to himself. “I know it’s not okay. You don’t have to say it.” He kicked at the ground, digging the toe of his boot into a crack on the floor. “Maybe I should just start talking out loud to you. It will probably scare you away, but you’d get it. Or maybe you could explain to me why I can’t seem to get any of this right.”

“Who are you talking to?”

Milo’s eyes flicked upwards, eyes glowing in the dark. A pixie hovered in front of him and at first, he thought it was one of the messenger pixies. She was dressed differently, though. Little maple leaves dotted her arms, while moss wrapped around her hips and chest.

“Can I help you? He had his hands in his pockets, a finger running over the small blade there.

“You’re fae,” the pixie said.

“So are you.”

“There aren’t many fae here. You smell like apples. Do you know the way home?”

“No.”

“But I can smell it. Home. I would like to go home.” She flitted forward, fluttering inches from his face. “Send me home, Gatekeeper.”

Milo felt his stomach curl. So it was out. Creatures that he hardly knew were aware of who he was. That didn’t bode well for his life. Raising his hand, he brushed her away. “Yeah. Time to go.” He pushed off the wall to continue walking, but he could hear the buzzing of the wings as she flew after him.

“You have a way to go home,” the pixie said, her voice edging on anger. “I have been here since you closed the doors. Send me home.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Milo stumbled as something jolted through him. A bite of magic zinged across his shoulder and he felt the wetness beneath his collar. It was only a small cut, but still a cut. Turning, he watched as the pixie changed.  Her wings turning translucent, skin becoming veiny and hair wild around her face.

“If you do not send me home, Gatekeeper, I will make you.”

“With what? A toothpick? Get the fuck out of here before I throw you across the market.”

The pixie screamed, flinging itself towards him with elongated claws. Milo stumbled backwards, ready to swat the thing out of the fucking sky. But the pixie disappeared. One moment, she was there, and the next, the pixie was swallowed. As if a part of the sky opened up and just took her away.

Milo stood there in silence, staring at the place where the pixie had been. “What the fuck?” There wasn’t even a trace of magic. It was as if she had never existed.

“Milo!”

Turning, he came face to face with Malcolm, running down the alley. “Mal?”

“We got to go. We found a lantern. Lamplight and I need you to come out and take a look at it.”

Milo looked behind him, half expecting to see the pixie peeking out from behind a brick wall. “Did you see that?” he murmured. 

“See what?”

“There was a pixie.”

Mal only blinked at him, looking as if he was ready to slap Milo out of a daze.  “Milo. Lantern. Now.”

“Right,” he frowned. “Yeah. Sure.” The world started to catch up. A lantern. The outlands. The person he loved and had betrayed. He needed to figure out what was going on. He needed to get to Night. That’s all that mattered. Fuck the pixies. “Everything okay?” he asked, turning back to Mal and trying to shove what happened away.

“No.” Mal told him, turning back the way he came.

There was no further explanation needed. The pixie was forgotten as he followed Mal off into the dark. But the cut remained.