I heard the cawing of the raven, and my heart fell.
CAW! CAW! CAW!
I heard the sound of feather and then a THUMP! on my arm.
I uncovered my eyes and looked.
It was the raven!
My heart raced.
It had found me!
OH NO!
Panic!
I hid my face in my hands and closed my eyes...
“Holly, wake up, wake up, sleepyhead ...”
I felt a hand jiggle my shoulder.
I opened my eyes and saw I was in bed at the inn.
My heartbeat began to slow as I realized it had been a nightmare. I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes.
“Happy birthday, Holly.” Chance handed me a small box wrapped in shiny gold paper.
“It’s my birthday?” I asked, still sleepy.
“Yes,” he smiled.
I blinked and yawned.
I had never known exactly when my birthday was. I knew it was in the early fall, and that I was thirteen.
I opened my eyes wide.
“So I’m fourteen today?” I asked.
“That’s right,” Chance said from the other side of the room. “Now get dressed. We have a lot to do today.
I looked down at the box Chance had given me. It was about two inches square, and wrapped tightly, with a red ribbon tied around it.
“Is this from you?” I asked.
“Nope. That,” Chance came close and pointed down at the box, “Is from a secret admirer.” He winked.
A secret admirer?
I slowly unwrapped the box. Underneath the red ribbon and gold paper was a black velvet box containing a ...
“Oh!” I lifted the gold chain out and held it high. A tiny figure of two green spiky leaves and three red berries reflected in the light. The green leaves and red berries were composed of tiny faceted gems clasped tightly by gold prongs. The whole thing was about half an inch wide. It was amazing.
Chance walked up and peered at the delicate piece of jewelry. “Wowwww.”
I was speechless.
I had never ever owned anything remotely as pretty and obviously valuable as this.
“Want me to put it on you?” Chance whispered.
I nodded and held it out to him.
“Move your hair.”
I reached up and pulled my hair to the side.
Chance latched the chain to my neck and straightened it.
“Holly, that is really gorgeous and special,” he said.
“But who gave it to me?” I whispered.
“I have no idea, but you are one lucky girl.” Chance nodded.
We had breakfast down in the inn’s dining room, and I stuffed myself full of eggs, sausage, and bacon.
Chance smiled as I tried to stuff a triangle of toast smeared with butter and jelly into my mouth all at once.
“Take is easy, Holly. You’re wolfing your food down too fast. You’re going to make yourself sick.”
I slowed down.
I had tucked the birthday necklace down under my shirt, and given back Chance’s necklace. He’d taken it gratefully, latching it around his neck and patting it.
I looked down at my uniform. It consisted of a starched white blouse with a Peter Pan collar, and a navy blue and pink tartan wool pleated skirt. Black knee-high socks and brown leather shoes completed the ensemble. I felt so incredible! I had never felt this good in my life.
I felt secure, well fed, happy, clean, and well dressed.
It was amazing!
“Before we catch our plane, I want to go shopping in the fae marketplace one more time,” said Chance. “Tell me, Holly. What would you like from me for your birthday?”
I blinked.
“You’re getting me a present too?”
“Well, of course I’m getting you a present. I’m your first fae friend, aren’t I? That’s a position of privilege and importance.” He beamed happily.
I giggled.
“Hmmm, well ...” I thought for a few minutes. “I did recently lose my coat. I feel weird without one ...”
“Done. Let’s go coat shopping,” Chance stood up from the table and put out his hand.
I stared at it. It was a smooth light brown, and looked strong and sure. I looked up at Chance. He was my first fae friend. My only fae friend. I rose from the table and took his hand, and he led me out into the marketplace.
It was sunny and bright, and a gentle breeze blew through the plaza.
Chance led the way to a store that had multiple types of coats in the window.
There were yellow coats with white fluff around the hoods. Blue coats with black fluffy collars, and green coats with purple fluffy collars.
I stared. There was a dark red jacket in the window, on the side. It had a detachable collar with a soft brown fluffiness all around it. I had never seen such a beautiful coat.
“You like the red one?” asked Chance. “It nice! I think it would look great on you, Holly. Shall we go see if it fits?”
I felt dazed. I never thought I would have such a jacket, all to myself. Chance led the way into the shop, and talked to the shopkeeper, who left and returned shortly with the jacket.
I stared at it.
It was a dark red/purply/pink color that matched my plaid skirt, and I felt a happy glow at the sight of it.
There were zippers crisscrossing it, and snaps, and the collar could flip down after the fur edge was detached.
“Try it on,” Chance said.
The shopkeeper helped me into the coat; it was a perfect fit.
It was made of a buttery soft leather I couldn’t stop touching.
“That’s lambskin, Miss,” the shopkeeper murmured.
“Oh, it’s lovely!” I said enthusiastically.
“We’ll take it,” said Chance. “And she’ll be wearing it. Maybe we can detach the fur edge of the collar and put it in a bag?”
The shopkeeper nodded and shortly thereafter, I was walking out of the shop in the jacket, looking so nice I doubt Aunt Clare would have even been able to recognize me.
“Okay,” said Chance, checking his watch. “It’s time we headed to the airport.”
“The airport?” I asked.
“Yes. The Academy is in Ireland.”
“Can’t we just magic there? Like the tree Jess lived in?” I asked.
Chance laughed. “No, no. Jess does live on the edge of Central Park, her tree home is just behind a gate. The gates lead from the human realm into the fae realms. But they don’t go over distances. For that, we have to use regular old transportation.”
He stopped.
“What?” I asked.
“That’s my favorite ice cream shop. I’d hate to leave North America without having a scoop of my favorite flavor,” said Chance, grinning. “Let’s go!”
We ducked into the ice cream shop, and emerged ten minutes later with ice cream cones.
Chance licked his, which was a scoop flavored like German chocolate cake, and I licked mine.
I’d never had ice cream before, so this was another new experience to add to my growing list.
My cone was strawberry cheesecake, and I could not stop licking it. It was the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted.
“Okay,” Chance said.
We continue walking slowly.
“Okay what?” I asked.
Chance laughed. “Sorry, this is so good it’s distracting me. Um ...”
I licked my ice cream in relish, completely understanding him.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” he said. “We need to get you a haircut.”
I stopped.
My hair was bushy and unruly, and a mass of wild wavy hair that tumbled down to my waist.
Chance looked around, then said, “Come on.”
I followed him around a corner and down a side lane that was lined with various shops selling hairbrushes, combs, shaving kits, other personal grooming items, and makeup.
“Here we go,” Chance stopped at a shop wi
th a striped candy cane pole twirling in the air. I looked in the front window and saw several people in chairs, with other people holding scissors and combs and snipping away at their hair.
“Haircut,” said Chance. He looked at me. “Maybe just a trim and a style, to get it under control. He opened the door and ushered me in.
I finished my ice cream cone and immediately wanted another one. I made a mental note to ask if there was ice cream at the school.
Chance spoke to the receptionist, and a few minutes later, I was in a chair that reclined back toward a sink, and a nice lady was spraying warm water in my hair from a faucet.
Ten minutes later I was seated in another padded chair, and she was asking me what I wanted.
I wanted another ice cream cone.
Chance leaned over to us.
“Just a trim, and some conditioner. Get it under control. She starts at the Academy this week,” he said.
“Gotcha,” said the hair stylist, and started combing my hair into sections. “You have really lovely hair, Sweetheart.”
“Oh, thank you,” I said uncertainly.
“So, how old are you? twelve? Thirteen?”
“I just turned fourteen,” I said.
“Oh, you’re petite for your age. That’s very cute!” She started snipping the ends of my locks with her scissors. “And are you looking forward to starting school soon?” she asked as she cut my locks, a small bit at a time.
“Um, yes. Yes, I am.”
“That’s nice ...”
I closed my eyes for just a second; the snipping sound and the warm water had made me sleepy. I think I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, she was turning my seat and saying “All done, Sweetheart. And I trimmed your nails, too.”
She handed me a mirror and I looked at myself.
I blinked.
I was clean. My face was clean and pretty. My hands looked clean and neat. My hair was tamed! She had cut the length significantly, and now, instead of reaching to my waist, my hair reached just halfway down my arms. It was drying in the air and starting to get wavy.
“I put in some conditioner, Sweetheart. And your boyfriend bought a bottle of it, for you to take home.”
I blushed furiously. “He’s not my boyfriend, he’s just my friend,” I said in a quiet voice.
“Oh? Well, that’s a pity. You two make a cute couple,” she said, turning my chair and gently taking the hand mirror from me. “There you go, that’s done.”
I slowly got down from the cushioned chair and stepped away from the stylist. I glanced back once, and caught my reflection in the large mirror against the wall.
“Hey,” said Chance, meeting me at the front. “You look great.”
“Thanks,” I said, grinning.
“I paid and we can go,” he said. A small bag bounced against his leg.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“A bottle of conditioner. The stylist said it would help keep your hair tidy. Oh, and a hairbrush,” he said.
“A hairbrush?”
“Yeah. You’ve got a lot of hair. You need to brush it several times a day,” He said.
I made another mental note. Brush hair morning and night.
“Chance?” I looked around. “Is this the last time we’re going to be in this marketplace for a while?”
“Pretty much,” he said. “We fly from New York to Ireland in a few hours. We should go to the airport now.”
“Okay.” I looked around. I was growing very fond of the fae marketplace. The stone buildings, the people shopping, I was going to miss it all.
“Don’t worry, we can come back to visit soon. Maybe at Christmas.”
I nodded.
Chapter Eleven
Arriving at the Academy
I slept on the plane the whole way. Something about the hum and the cozy seats just put me straight to sleep.
When we landed, Chance and I made our way to the desk where everyone was stopping.
I felt a nervous tension in my stomach.
“Chance,” I whispered. “They are giving that man a booklet and he’s letting them pass. I don’t have a booklet. What am I going to do?”
“Don’t worry, Chance whispered back. “I have all the necessary documents. The counsel made sure.”
“But ...” I fell silent. The man at the desk was looking at us.
I ducked my face and looked at my shoes.
I was in love with my new shoes. They were a brown leather, and the soles were hard and new, good soles, no holes at all.
In the past, I’d had shoes that others had discarded. They were stained and damaged, and there were often holes in the soles.
Everything is new.
We stepped forward.
“Passports?” The man asked in a disinterested tone.
Chance handed the man two booklets, which the man opened and stamped, then handed back.
We stepped through and walked into the airport terminal.
“See? I told you it’d be okay,” Chance whispered.
I shrugged.
Inside, I could feel the tension slowly drain out of me.
“This way,” said Chance.
We took a taxicab out of the city and into the countryside of Antrim. Chance had the driver let us off at a petrol station.
I stood there, my bag on my shoulder, the knowledge of the paper bag of rainbow bagels inside comforting me.
Chance stood beside me, his own bag on his shoulder, talking on his cell phone.
“Yes. Yes. No. Okay. Thank you.” He ended the call and slipped the phone into his bag. “Just so you know, cellphones don’t really work in the fae realm. Which we are about to slip into. Look.”
An old wooden wagon loaded with hay and driven by an old man was coming into view on the dirt road that led back around the petrol station.
“Did you just summon that on your phone?” I asked.
“Yes,” Chance said with a grin, stepping forward to meet the wagon.
The old man had a big, bushy beard and an old floppy hat that looked like it was crusted with dried manure on the rim. He was driving two huge brown shire horses. They had the most enormous feet I had ever seen on a horse.
Aunt Clare and I had watched the horses in Central Park, that pulled the small carriages around the paths, giving people rides for coin. They had been good sized, but nowhere near as large as these gentle giants.
As the team approached, I couldn’t help myself, I walked up alongside Chance and stretched my hand out to the closer steed, who dipped his head and nuzzled my palm.
A thrill of happiness traveled down my back.
“Holly? Time to climb up,” Chance said, holding out his hand.
I turned and looked up at the old man, and did a double take.
He had pointed ears, and his smile was just a little wider than normal.
He had a pipe in his mouth, and a thin curl of smoke rose lazily from it.
Chance led me to the other side of the front seat and climbed up to sit beside the old man, then bent and offered me his hand.
I stretched and took it, and between Chance’s pull and my climb, I clambered up and sat beside my friend.
“Here’m,” the old man rumbled, handing us an old woolen, and very hairy, folded blanket to lay across our laps.
One we were situated, the old man clucked to the horses, who turned around and began ambling back down the dirt road.
It was such a contrast: I watched us leave the modern petrol station behind, with its paved parking lot, its tall floodlights, and its modern cars parked all in a row, and turned to look forward over the ears of the shire horses as the old wagon creaked down the dirt road.
Huge trees, their brilliant green leaves fluttering madly in the breeze, seemed to welcome us as we rode along.
It was clear we were leaving the modern human world behind and traveling to the olde world of Enchanted Faerie.
The wagon wheels trundled along, and we swayed back and forth with t
he wagon’s movement. The horses were glorious: very strong, they didn’t seem to strain at all to pull the wagon, which must have been heavy, loaded down as it was with both hay bales and three humans.
I looked around us. The trees on the left were very tall; on the right we soon left the petrol station far behind us.
Then the trees on the right began, and we were no longer riding down a dirt lane on the side of a forest, but entering into the deep wood.
The forest was all around us, its sights and sounds mesmerizing to me.
I’d lived on the city streets all my life. The closest to a forest I’d ever been was Central Park, which was very nice, but it was a park, not a forest.
This wood was wild and untamed.
About a hundred feet into the deep wood we passed a barrier of some sort. I felt it as a cool hum that made my hair stand on end.
“What was that?” I asked.
Chance smiled. “We just passed into the land of the Fae.”
I turned and looked back over my shoulder, but could see no difference along the path we’d just traversed.
Wait.
Actually, I could: I saw a shimmer at the edges of my vision, almost like pavement on a very hot day.
I turned back around and eagerly faced forward again. I wanted to see what was coming.
“Chance,” I whispered. “Tell me about the school? What does it look like?”
“Well, it’s a castle the Queen converted ages ago, said Chance. “Made of stone, it can get quite chilly in winter, but don’t worry, there are fireplaces in nearly every room. And the dorm rooms have tapestries hung on the walls, to make them cozier.”
I tried to imagine a school in a castle and couldn’t.
After about ten miles, the dirt road the wagon was following turned down a slope and to the left.
The forest sounds got louder.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Chance smiled. “We’re getting closer to the school. There’s more wildlife as we get closer.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s because of the allurement spell that covers the grounds,” said Chance. “The spell extends to several miles outside the school and acts as an umbrella protectant for the wild animals, among other things.”
“I don’t understand,” I said.
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