The inclusion of a romance as the binding plot line to the story elevates it beyond just a cautionary tale. The contrast of the anger and resentment that forms in such a swamp of desolation with the brightness of the hope of a better life creates an interesting juxtaposition by this Phoenix Prime author.
The Fae’s Prince
by Ginny Clyde
Chapter 1
It began to pour against a darkening sky as the soccer team of Northpoint Academy made its way toward the changing rooms. They moved in a slow procession, their heads lowered against the falling rain.
“Hurry up!” shouted the coach. “I don’t need more players skipping practice.”
“I don’t see the point of practicing without a goalkeeper,” grumbled a boy under his breath.
“You said it, Tom. This season is going to be a disaster for us. Whose idea was it again to have Frederick Drummond on the team?” asked his friend.
Tom’s shoulders slumped. “Don’t act like you don’t know about it, Peter. It was the creep’s mother who forced Coach Tony to get him on the team or have the sponsors back out. He did it to save the team, but I doubt we’ll be getting anywhere.”
An instant wave of heat washed over the team as they entered the dry changing room. Before they reached the lockers, the voice that made their blood boil echoed in the room.
“Can’t believe you guys were practicing in this weather,” jeered Frederick Drummond. He was averagely built with rust-brown hair and light blue eyes. His mouth had a cruel shape that often grinned with malicious intent.
Tom squeezed his friend’s shoulder to stop him from saying anything. “We’re gonna take care of him,” he whispered.
Frederick received more dark looks as the rest of the team walked in, but he didn’t seem the least bit bothered. The room had broken into fervently muttered whispers at the sight of him lounging on a chair with a tall coffee cup in his hand.
“Why weren’t you at practice today?” asked Leander, a tall boy with a mass of curly hair and soft brown eyes. “You know we are approaching the season in a month. We can’t afford to take breaks.”
A venomous grin spread on Frederick’s face. “You know I do things when I feel like doing them.”
The rest of the players turned their heads toward Leander, expecting him to come up with a retort.
“You can’t bring that attitude here. The team’s needs always come first,” said Leander.
Looking around, Frederick realized that every boy was frowning at him. Even though he was inherently obnoxious, he had an intense need for people to support him. Ever since his cousin Leander had joined the school, Frederick had burned with jealousy toward him for instantly becoming more popular than he was. Every girl swooned over Leander’s boy-next-door looks and easy manner. His talent on the soccer field had the jocks vying with each other to be his best buddy. Even the teachers seemed to think he was intelligent, proved by his constant good grades.
After removing his blue and white jersey, Leander wrapped a towel around his waist to get rid of the shorts. His muscles had built up at an early age because of his participation in sports. His perfect six packs drew a scowl from Frederick.
“I’ll take a shower and head home. You don’t have to wait for me,” said Leander.
“Whatever,” said Frederick with a shrug. He was there for a reason instead of his normal routine of partying with some girls. A twisted smile formed on his lips as soon as Leander had disappeared into one of the showering booths. Gazing at the other boys, he said, “He’s such a dork. How about I take you guys out for some pizza and beer?”
Some of them shook their heads, turning their backs on him. Others groaned at his invitation.
A tall, dark-skinned boy approached Tom who was busy rummaging through his locker for dry socks. Placing a hand on Tom’s shoulder, the boy whispered into his ears. “I hate this guy. Looks like we have to get on the plan.”
“Yeah, he needs to go. Pizza and beer,” he scoffed. “If coach heard about it, he’d lose it.”
“What about Leander? Has anyone talked to him about it?” asked Sam, the dark-skinned player.
“Some of us did, but he didn’t want to be in on it.”
Nodding his head, Sam said, “Didn’t expect it of him anyway.”
“Let’s start with this,” said Tom, bringing out a bright red whoopie cushion from his locker.
Sam laughed. Turning his head toward a group who had just stepped out of the showers, he motioned for them to come closer. No words were exchanged as the sight of the prank cushion made it very clear of what they were about to do.
Making sure that Frederick’s attention was not on them, Tom passed the cushion to Sam. He placed it on a nearby chair and put a large handkerchief over it. Craning his neck over his friends’ heads, he called out loudly. “Hey, Frederick! Come here, man!”
The unexpected invitation made Frederick smile broadly. He swaggered toward them, taking a large sip from his coffee cup. “I knew some of you won’t say no to pizza. Heck! Free food always wins.”
Putting an arm around Frederick’s shoulder, Tom turned him so that he would not get a chance to look at the chair. Exchanging looks with the rest of his friends, he fixed his gaze on the spoiled brat in front of him. “Yeah, you’re the boss. Without you, we won’t be getting our pizza and beer fix.”
Frederick winked. “Happy to provide as long as you stay on my team.”
“Sure thing! Have a seat here.”
As soon as Fredrick was pushed into the chair, the blaring sound made by the whoopee cushion captured everyone’s attention in the room. Even the players standing away came forward and began pointing and laughing at him.
“That’s what pizza and beer will do to your gut, slacker,” jeered Sam without mercy. Other followed suit, taking the opportunity to vent their frustration.
Fredrick’s face turned a deep shade of crimson. He remained seated, feeling the flattened rubber cushion underneath him. “You wait till I tell my mother,” he hissed.
The team’s laughter was now replaced by sneers. “Go ahead,” spat Tom. “Go tell your mummy to shut us down because guess what? We ain’t gonna win a single game with a goalkeeper like you. You suck at soccer. You’ve never been able to save a single goal, and you refuse to come to practice. It’s better to not play than to be made fools on the ground. A spoiled kid like you can’t even imagine how many of us are depending on the upcoming games for scholarships to college. We’d rather spend time and energy working at a diner to make up our fees than wasting it here.”
“Money can buy you a place in the team, not the team,” added another guy.
Leander watched his teammates being unpleasant to his cousin, but he took a position far away from them. He knew that Frederick deserved what he was receiving. He had come into the team by forcing his mother to bully the school board and the soccer coach into giving him a place. For some reason, he believed that Leander’s popularity came from his ranks in the school’s sports team. Only after joining had he realized the amount of hard practice that was needed to keep up with the rest of the players, most of whom were determined to secure themselves a scholarship. It was unfair of Frederick to take the matter lightly and treat others in his usual condescending ways.
Having taken enough from all the boys, Frederick jumped up. Scowling at each of them, he threatened them. “I’ll make sure that none of you ever get to play in the league. Wait and watch!”
“Whatever, pretty boy,” said one of them with a shrug. “We’ll find a way but you, you will never be one of us.”
It looked like Frederick was ready to burst when his gaze suddenly fell to the floor. At first, he wasn’t sure what it was, but as he continued to look, he realized that he was looking at a snake coiled around the foot of the chair. Thinking that it was another of their pranks, he threw the chair away, giving a rude awakening to the creature sleeping there.
“You think I’m going to fall for this again?” He shouted, k
icking the snake toward the group of boys.
The players shifted away as they watched something flying toward them. As the snake fell to the floor with a smack, it wriggled and twisted, spitting and hissing.
“Oh my God!” they cried. “It’s a snake. A real effing snake!”
“What are you talking about?” bellowed Frederick, his face turning pale as he watched the snake raise its hood.
“It wasn’t us, you fool,” said Sam, his eyes fixed on the green-scaled creature.
“Don’t just stand there. Someone kill it!” screamed Frederick.
While everyone was panicking, a deep voice interrupted them. “There is no need for that. I’ll take care of it.”
Turning toward the voice, they saw that it was Leander. He had changed back into a pair of jeans and a shirt that failed to hide his muscular chest. Walking toward them, he said, “Get me a bin bag. Quick! The rest of you should step aside.”
“What are you going to do?” asked Frederick, while two of the boys ran toward the closets to get a bag.
“I’ll put it in a bag and let it out in the woods.”
“Are you crazy? It’s best to just kill it and burn it.”
Leander’s soft brown eyes stared into his cousin’s icy blue ones. “I said I would take care of it. Have you ever seen anything as beautiful as this snake? Its scales look like glass. Also, have you seen the green stone on its head? I’ve never seen anything like this before. And I’m not going to just let you hurt it.”
Leander was handed a bin bag that had been fluffed up. Everyone watched with wide-eyed fascination as he took a step toward it, holding one of his hands in a posture of defense. Suddenly, his eyes met those of the snake’s. It felt like an eternity until he could blink again.
As if from a deep-seated intuition, Leander laid the bag on the floor. After a moment, the snake slithered toward the opening and went inside it. Acting fast, he snatched it up and closed the mouth of the plastic sack.
“Can someone get me something sharp? Like a safety pin or a sharp pencil?” asked Leander.
“I’ve got a safety pin here,” said Sam, rummaging inside his pouch.
Taking the safety pin from Sam, he rapidly pricked holes on the plastic surface.
“What are you doing that for?” asked Frederick.
“I’m trying to make it easier for it to breathe,” replied Leander.
Scoffing at him, Frederick said, “Just get it out of here.”
Nodding toward his friends, Leander walked away.
“Be careful, dude!” shouted some of them behind his back.
It was still drizzling by the time Leander got to his car. Placing the bin bag on the seat beside him, he began to drive away from the school to the closest woods. From time to time, he looked at the snake to make sure it would not fall out of the seat. For a strange reason, he did not feel danger from it. It was like the snake had trusted him in the locker room to take it to safety and now it was Leander’s turn to trust it back.
As soon as he reached the edge of the woods, he gently picked up the bag and walked into the trees. Deciding to put it in a safe place so that it would not make its way among humans, he walked at least half a mile before coming to a spot that had a small pond with a ring of birch trees around it.
“This is as good as it gets,” he said softly. “I’m going to put you on the ground now. Just relax while I take the bag off of you.” He smiled at himself, amused that he was talking to a snake who probably didn’t understand a word he said.
Keeping the bag at arm’s length, Leander gently pulled the bag away from the snake. The rain clouds parted slightly to reveal a strong ray of moonlight that fell directly on the snake. Leander was mesmerized by the way the emerald on its head twinkled in the low light. It scales glittered with a green tinge as it uncoiled its length and raised its head to look directly into his eyes.
Bending down, he said, “Too bad that everyone was too scared of you to click a picture. You are the most unusual snake I’ve ever seen, but you should stay away from the town. People fear snakes, so it’s best that you avoid them.” Straightening up, he said, “Be safe now. Bye.”
Leander walked away toward his car. Shaking his wet shoulder length curls, he looked up at the sky and smiled. “Please watch over her,” he whispered softly in a prayer.
However, unknown to him, the strange snake had silently slithered behind them. It made its way inside the car when Leander opened it to get inside. It slinked to the back to avoid being caught and coiled its body in a comfortable position on one of the seats as the car drove away.
Chapter 2
Leander drove his car through the tall ornate gates that led to the majestic mansion ahead. Parking the car near the main entrance, he stepped out. Immediately a chauffeur in a blue uniform ran toward him to take the key to take the vehicle down to the garage. Wishing him a good evening, Leander went inside. During this time, the green snake wound its way through the back windows and slithered behind him to enter the house.
Taking the stairs on the left of the main hall, he jogged up to reach his room on the second floor. It was quite dark inside but as soon as he entered, he flipped the switch is on, bathing the place in an orange glow. The snake took the moment to slink away, unnoticed by him.
Even though the room was part of a grand mansion, Leander had decorated it in his own unique taste. Most of the wall was covered with posters of his favorite soccer team. His bed was placed by the window which gave him the view of the fantastic garden situated behind the house. On clear nights, he would point his handheld telescope toward the stars and the moon. The bedside table had a lamp that glowed with a soft white light under which stood a silver-framed photograph of a couple and a young boy between them.
Kicking away his shoes, he padded toward the mini fridge in the corner and brought out a bottle of water. Sitting on the bed, he sipped from it while his eyes fell on the photograph. He smiled at his parents and at his goofy younger self. The picture was taken when he was twelve, and his parents had taken him on vacation to Hawaii. It was the last time that they had been together as a family. About six months later, his parents had died in a car crash, leaving him an orphan. His uncle, John Drummond had taken it upon himself to foster him, and he had been living with his family since then.
A knock on his door made him look up. “Enter,” he called.
The family’s butler peered around the door and said, “Dinner is ready, Master Leander.”
“Thanks, Paul. I’ll be there.”
When Paul’s gray-haired head disappeared, Leander took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his unruly curls. He looked forward to seeing his uncle as he had been gone for a week-long business tour. Changing into a formal shirt, he went downstairs.
His aunt, Frieda was already there. She wore a mauve cocktail dress with a string of pearls around her neck. Her shoulder length hair was rust colored like her son’s and stood straight and stiff like the bristles of a broom. A frown appeared on her face as soon as she saw Leander but she smoothed it away into a simpering smile.
“Have a seat, dear.Both John and Frederick are on their way,” she said.
Frederick scowled as soon as he laid his eyes on Leander. His mother fussed over him, lovingly kissing him on the cheek. To her, her son was the most handsome and intelligent boy in the universe, even though the rest of the world passionately disagreed with her. Along with her looks, he had inherited her loathsome personality.
If it hadn’t been for his uncle, Leander would not have stayed with them. His parents had left him a large fortune. His mother and John had started a company together when they were in their early twenties, and it had grown into a multinational conglomerate over two decades. John felt that he owed it to his sister to look after the son that she had left behind. He had always been kind to Leander, but John’s wife never took a liking to him.
“Sweetheart, you look upset,” said Frieda as Fredrick came to sit beside his mother.
&n
bsp; “Ask him,” he said, jerking his head toward Leander.
Being put on the spot, Leander had no idea what to tell his aunt who had placed her beady eyes on him. He wanted to avoid telling her about the incident with the whoopee cushion to save his teammates from getting in trouble. With a shrug, he said, “We found a snake in our changing room today.”
“What?!” breathed Frieda, her hand on her chest.
Leander rushed to explain things to her. “Don’t worry, Aunt Frieda. No one was hurt, and I was able to capture it and leave it in the woods.”
“You did what?”
“I left it in the woods. I don’t think it was dangerous. It was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Do you believe him, Mother?” said Frederick through gritted teeth. “I told him and the others to kill it. What if it came back?”
Frieda turned back to Leander with rage in her eyes. “Freddy’s right! What if it comes back? I keep telling your uncle to put my son at a private school where they take better care of hygiene, but he won’t listen to me. Snake in the school!” she shouted throwing her hands in the air, alarming the servants who were setting the table.
In vain, Leander tried to calm his aunt. It was only when his uncle arrived that she became quiet. Putting on a saccharine smile, she asked about his trip. Leander busied himself with filling his plate while John talked. As dinner progressed, he ate his meal while answering an occasional question from John.
“I am so full,” said Leander, wanting to get out of the family’s reunion. “I think I’ll have to skip dessert.”
John smiled. “Nonsense! You can never be too full for dessert.”
“No, Dad. He’s watching his diet,” said Frederick.
“That’s right! How’s practice going?” John asked looking from Frederick to Leander.
Glancing at his cousin, Leander said, “It’s going alright.”
“What about you, Son?” asked John. “Are you enjoying soccer?”
Frederick shrugged. “I don’t think it’s for me. I quit.”
The Imp Prince Page 7