Zingara - Being Finn

"No," Dulcie stood up to the leader of their pack uncharacteristically. "It's not like that, I can't explain it but you have to trust me. Please Jonas, don't do this, for her sake not mine. I will always come when you call, but she, she is young let her have just one more week."

"I let her have three years!" He roared. "This happened back in October. I can't risk it, not even when I can feel the truth of your words. If they discover her she is as good as gone, is that you want?" His voice was filled with anger and anxiety. Startled, Finn bumped into the desk dropping a plate to the floor where it smashed.

"Oh God, she's been listening," Dulcie looked up at the ceiling.

Finn heard the thud of the stairs being taken two at a time and she hurried to pick up the pieces of broken china from the floor. She could feel Jonas's eyes boring into her back. "The lady who came knew mother, she called me Finndalyse and there was something she said about the name but I can't quite," she sounded as if she was struggling to talk. "She said mother loved me more than life." Finn swallowed and coughed have choked out the last sentence.

"She did," Jonas pulled his daughter to him, "As do I." His mind worked over what she had just struggled to say. There were perhaps less than a half dozen people alive that would know and use Finn's full name and only two of them women. One was downstairs in the kitchen the other had not been seen for the last six years, presumed dead or imprisoned in Tsinganos.

"This is not your room," he said pulling her to her feet.

"No, it is Tabor's, I wanted to know why you had come back early," she looked down guiltily. "I know I shouldn't have listened in."

"You can't tell me anymore about the woman that came?" he asked gently.

"I want to Daddy, really. The words just won't come out even when I think them," she tried to explain.

He took her back to her room and took the book of ancient folklore from the shelf. A book he had given her when she had first come to this town. He opened it to a beautifully rendered full page picture of a mythical animal. It had the body of a lion but the head wings and talons of an eagle.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked gently and watched her nod.

"It's a..." she seemed to struggle and then gave an odd smile. "It's an old gypsy woman from the Ursidae Clan." Jonas roared again but this time with laughter.

"You have your week," he said after his laughter subsided. "After graduation though you will come with me, no questions asked." It wasn't a request it was a statement and she nodded.

"Yes Daddy, I promise." She was an eighteen-year-old young woman, but her massive shaggy father always made her feel like a little girl. He kissed her forehead.

"I'll be back for graduation. Stay close to Tabor and Pauli, and avoid talking to old women from any clan," he laughed again and left her to get ready.

Jonas had left immediately without another word. Dulcie made Finn sit and eat a good meal before she left for the bonfire night. Finn despaired that she would ever get there, not that Tabor had arrived home to take her down to the oval yet. A condition of her attendance was an escort in the dark. He arrived just as she had finished helping Dulcie clean up.

"Where's your truck?" she asked as they left the house.

"I lent to a mate," he lied easily. "We'll be walking tonight unless that's too much humiliation for you to bear," He teased.

"You can't ruin my mood tonight, Tabor. You may as well stop trying now," She said flippantly and strode off ahead of him.

"Hey, wait up!" Tabor reached out and grabbed her hand making her turn and look at him oddly. "I was just teasing." He looked sheepish and she pulled her hand away from his.

"Geez Tabor, I'm not a little girl anymore. You don't have to hold my hand," she continued to walk at a brisk pace.

"Then stop acting like a little brat," He snapped back.

"Well, aren't you lucky. Your days of babysitting are almost over. I won't bore you to tears and you can stop ruining any chance I have of having a good time," she said acidly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Jonas was here, he came to take me away. Tonight," she didn't add that she had managed to convince him, with Dulcie's help, to let her stay another week so she could graduate.

"What!" He had stopped walking and looked at her appalled by the idea. "Finn, wait!" He grabbed her hand again, but she shook it free.

"Don't act like you aren't deliriously happy. You get your life back and I get to... well... be with my Dad." She felt suddenly heartsick and looked down towards the school oval. "So if you continue to wreck this night for me, I won't ever forgive you," she threatened and he watched her walk down towards the school oval.

Pulling his phone from his pocket he called home while following Finn at a distance. He loved her. He had always loved her from that first dark, night when he had found her huddled under a tree. She thought of him like a brother and he had been waiting for her to grow up, get a life and some perspective. He didn't even feel relief when he found out from his mother that she would be staying to graduate rather than leaving immediately, he felt a sense of urgency.

*****

The band that Tabor and Jairo had organised as a surprise for the girls were playing their last set. Most of the boys including Harry had partied hard early with the beers they had smuggled into the camp and lay in twisted heaps around the bonfire or the big marquee tents. The girls gathered in small groups and danced or sang along with the band when they could.

Finn sat on a large log near the fire and smiled. She was grateful for tonight. Not just tonight but the years she had spent in this town and she tried to capture it all in her memory. She burnt into her mind the images of her friends, the sleeping Harry who had passed out with his arms wrapped around his best friend even Tabor who was watching her while leaning on his truck. She hadn't thanked him for the band yet and she knew she should. Despite their bickering and fighting, she loved him in her own way.

She stood and walked around the fire to where he was leaning. "Thank you," she said quietly, "The band was a great idea. Everyone loved it."

"I don't care that what everyone else thinks I never have. I did it for you," he said softly his amber eyes glowing in the twinkling fairy lights that hung between the two trucks on which the band performed. "Dance with me," he held out his hand, "Just once."

She took his hand and he pulled her closer to his body than she was comfortable with. She could feel the relaxed strength of his arms as they rested low on her back and she put her hands on his shoulders and looked up into his face seeing him smile softly down on her. At that moment, he was the hero of her life not the irritating smart ass who drove her crazy.

"I will miss you," she said softly, "You always made me feel safe despite everything." She wrapped her arms around his neck standing on tiptoe to reach and hugging him. "I will miss you so much."

"I am not sure I want a life without you in it," he leaned his head down to her their foreheads touching. "I... I want you to know that I..." he swallowed hard and kissed her feeling her freeze and tense up in his arms.

"Stop," she tried to push him away in panic, but he held her tightly. "You're like my brother, we can't do this."

"I love you, Finn. I always have but you were just so wrapped up in your own stuff. I'm not your brother. I am your friend and protector and if you let me I will always keep you safe," he said in a soft low voice full of love and sincerity.

"OMG!" Keziah squealed, "Finally! Where's Jairo? We have been having a bet on when you two would finally admit you had a thing for each other. Jairo!" She yelled loudly and at a distant shout presumably from her brother went off in search of him.

Finn was still too stunned to understand or take it in, but Tabor grinned a little foolishly still holding her close. He moved to press her up against his truck and leaned his head down to kiss her again. She briefly considered fighting him, but it seemed different to the kisses she had shared with Harry. It was deeper, warmer, more... something. Closing her eyes, she let herself enjoy the moment. What was the worst that could happen? She was leaving in a week's time anyway. She wrapped her arms back up around his neck and opened her eyes breaking the kiss and looking at him closely.

"You love me?" she whispered holding his gaze and trying to read the teasing she was so used to there.

"I always have," he said sincerely not even blinking to break his gaze. "Since the first time a lost and frightened girl tried to comfort a young wolf. You were the bravest girl I had ever met."

"You were a kid yourself and you saved my life," Finn smiled, "You were the brave one that night."

"I've wanted to kiss you for the longest time," he admitted, their faces close as they talked in whispers. He kissed her again then, pressing up against her, his arms holding her tightly. She could feel his love almost course through her and she knew that is what had been missing from her kisses with Harry.

"What am I going to tell Harry? Everyone will think I am such a hoe-bag," Finn gasped one hand to her cheek.

"Do you trust me to protect you?" Tabor looked at her his amber eyes smiling at her. She nodded dubiously. "Stay right here don't move an inch."

He ran down the line of the two trucks to where Keziah now stood with Jairo. She could see them laughing then Keziah moving to take some photos of the last remaining partygoers and the sleeping bodies around the dying bonfire.

Hurrying back to where she still stood he kissed her again, "You can thank me properly tomorrow for that little bit of troubleshooting,"

"What did you do?" she frowned at him.

"Nothing that wasn't deserved, or needed," he smiled.

"Try not to be too devastated when you find out it was him that dumped you not the other way around," he laughed and kissed her again taking any more thoughts about Harry from her mind.

*****

Social media can be a treacherous thing. A rumour once started can never truly be pulled back and as the photo of Harry asleep with his arms around his best friend circulated, with the caption, "Finn dumped for Flynn," no one blamed Finn for moving on. In fact, people commiserated with her and Harry came out of the closet. It seemed she was the only one surprised by the revelation that he was indeed gay and she felt so dumb for not seeing it.

The week that followed had flown by, with exams and end of year social events to attend. She had told no one that she would be leaving after graduation, swearing Tabor to secrecy along with Dulcie and Pauli. She didn't want to say goodbye to this place, she wanted it always as it was now in her memory. She had been accepted here and treated as normal by everyone.

Tabor also had not wanted to talk about the impending split. They spent every moment together they could, holding hands and kissing. Finn refused to go any further with him knowing it would be that much harder to leave him and acknowledging that she had no choice. She may be eighteen and a high school graduate, but her father was not the type of man to be argued with and she had promised she would go, no questions no arguments.

She climbed the small hill overlooking the town in the late afternoon the day before graduation. The clouds hid the sun in such a way as to create an odd image spotlights shining out from a concert in the sky. It was beautiful and she wondered it angels threw big parties in heaven for sunsets like this one.

She made peace with what would happen tomorrow and took her time saying goodbye to the town she hadn't even realised she loved so much. She thought of all the people she loved here and would miss, especially Pauli and Dulcie. Then she let a tear trickle down her cheek knowing she would never be able to say goodbye to Tabor now and she became fearful of her father finding out about their love.

Hearing him loping up the hill behind her, she stared out at the strange clouds once more and the coming darkness feeling a shiver run up and down her spine. She had not fully harnessed her gift of foresight, but she had a feeling that the peaceful days of her childhood were at an end. She felt that this coming Halloween would mirror the night of terror of so long ago and it filled her with a sense of dread and wished her time in this town didn't have to end. She looked up into the clouds savouring those bright rays of light as a young wolf came and laid his shaggy head on her lap looking up at her with soft amber eyes full of love.