Fairies of Light

by J. E Hanson

  I snap back into reality. The Enforcers snicker and they even whistle at me. “Do you have something better to do? You are all so freaking annoying!”

  Snow Winters stands right in front of me, and he blocks me, “I just want to say that we are watching you. When do you ever plan to go out? Why do you visit her house all the time? What keeps you there?”

  Oberon snickers again, “She idolizes Joey, and she always visits Violet on a regular basis,” he answers for me, and he makes me furious.

  “That’s my business Oberon! You can knock it off, and I don’t idolize anyone either!”

  Ice jumps up, and he attempts his charm next, “Since you’ve got a thing for older fairies, you can always date me. I heard a big rumor that he can be a huge prick at times.”

  My temper flares at all the Enforcers, “I don’t have a thing for any fairy at this time Ice, but please keep your obnoxious comments to yourself!”

  Even Terrance jumps in on the action, “Oh yes you do! Don’t you sit there and lie, Princess! We know you drool over that hot fairy, Joseph Cirrus.”

  They make me incredibly angry by this point. Doing what a typical teen does, I storm into my bedroom and slam my bedroom door. They receive my middle finger, and I turn my radio up full blast. Even through my frustration, I focus on Joey’s dance step a few more times. After falling a dozen times, I give up the futile attempt and watch dance programs on television. It is hard to admit, but I still daydream about him.

  ~~~***~~~

  A few days later, it is time for the Fall Harvest. “The older fairies are complaining about the way you dance. They believe that your style is too provocative for their kids to watch. Will you please tone it down a little?” she warns me.

  Skylar brought a faint smirk to my lips, and I kiss her cheek softly, “I will try to turn it down a notch just for you.”

  “I hope you try harder, and don’t cause all the men to light up this time.”

  We walk beside each other. This time, I’m fully grown, and I’m wearing my royal fairy outfit. The tiara fits perfectly on my head. Snow watches me intently, and he knows that I will blatantly ignore her advice. He winks at me. Instead of sitting between my grandparents, I sit next to Skylar. My grandfather announces his boring and usual introduction to the Fall Harvest.

  This is when the games begin. I eagerly anticipate the younger fairies to finish their dance off now. When they announce that it’s my turn to dance for the cadets, I subsequently move towards the dance floor. Poppy, Marigold, and Holly sneer at me. At least I’m nice enough to start from the back.

  Poppy still wears her hair in that stupid blonde bob. She looks like a skinny boy, “I will win this year, Rosalie. Prepare to be my backup, sweetie!”

  I don’t utter one syllable to her, and she’s not even worth my time. All the Enforcers lean in, and they know me too well. I’m about to push the envelope, and they know it. My eyes close as I eagerly anticipate for the first beat to drop. None of these girls is even close to being in my league. As soon as the first beat drops, the dance off starts. All the other girls are beat in less than three seconds. My skills improve to the point of crossing that fine line. Once again, I purposely cross it. My grandfather perches on his throne, and he seems upset. My two uncles shake their heads with disgust at me, and their hands cover their faces from the embarrassment. The rest of the male fairies with even a few female fairies light up, and they scream just for me. The older adults appear even more uncomfortable with my smooth sexual innuendos, but I don’t even care. I’m here to please my fans—not them. I’m having a blast as I leave my competition in the dust. After ten minutes, the buzzard sounds. Skylar’s face is flaming red as her hair, and she’s extremely angry. I purposely curtsy to her, and she completely loses her composure. Mouths drop from shock everywhere, because vulgarity is my new middle name.

  “Well, that was extremely scary. My granddaughter Rosalie, once again wins for her class. Congratulations to all the cadets,” my grandfather announces to the large crowd, and he sounds mildly annoyed with my performance.

  Skylar hates my latest routine, and she pulls me to the side to chastise me in her usual fashion, “You’re dancing like a cheap stripper, and I will never approve of this!”

  With solid arrogance, I lean over to her with a deliberate grin on my face, “I never asked for your approval, Skylar. Just for you, I turned it down a tiny notch.”

  She is hot, and I enjoy her temper tantrum, “If that’s a notch then clearly you lack class! It looks like you’re fucking yourself on the dance floor!”

  After she says that, I immediately ignore her for the rest of the night. After the announcements for single male and female fairies, I take my spot for overall female fairy dancer. Once again, I blew the competition out of the water. Brandy is nothing compared to me, and even she’s unable to do half the shit that I can do. I win another useless gold bracelet, and another meaningless trophy. I have this need to win, so that I can keep up with both Joey, and my mom. This is the only way that I can remain close to both of them.

  Snow surprisingly wins the Fall Harvest. He knows exactly, what I’m about to do next. He smirks at me, and he brings out a chair. I changed the way that winners celebrate. Snow sucks as a male dancer, because he’s unable to move as fast as I would like my partner to move. From all the males here, he’s the best of the worst. My grandparents know that this will be ugly. I take my spot behind Snow, and that’s when the action starts. I perform a perfect spin into Snow’s arms. He still isn’t moving quickly enough, and he nearly misses catching me. He misses a few additional basic steps. I lift my leg on his shoulder and he misses it. I spend most of my time constantly covering up his mistakes. Luckily, I’m a strong enough lead to keep him looking good. The dance ends, and all the parents left before I even finish my routine. I curtsy along with Snow. The men still whistle at me, and they are even glowing. I light up the rest of the crowd.

  Snow grins at me, and he even tries to wrap his arms around me, “That was great, Rosalie, and I had so much fun!”

  “Snow, you missed a few basic moves!”

  He tries to make another move on me, but I step out of the way. I continue to ignore him, and take my trophy home.

  Oberon meets me in the trophy room, “Can you dance a little trashier next time? You’re making yourself look like a common whore tonight. I hope you’re happy with yourself.”

  “I thought I did an excellent job. You should know that I will push the envelope each and every single time.”

  He takes out a picture of my mother, and he leaves it on my new trophy, “Your mother would never have approved of that type of dancing. Your mother was classier than that. I guess you take after your dad.”

  He slams the door behind him, and I want to throw something at the door. He makes me so mad. I glance at my locket, and clutch it while crying. I wish my mom and dad were here with me, and it sucks not to have their input.

  ~~~***~~~

  After I win the Fall Harvest and Winter Solstice, Jesse steps up his game. Now he’s back to winning competitions again. The highlight of the Winter Solstice is when Jazzy runs off with a pair of Poppy’s fake boobs.

  Gardenia and Jesse broke up about a month ago. I try to ignore him, but he makes it difficult for me.

  “I notice how much you’ve changed over the years, and are you seeing someone?” Jesse leans in as he whispers in my ear.

  I bit my bottom lip, “I’m not seeing anyone at the moment.”

  Jesse tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear, “I would like to get to know you even better. You can meet me at Jolly's, if you are interested in me.” Jesse kisses my cheek, and then he bows to me.

  I pace back and forth, for the rest of the day. I should have went to Mrs. Cirrus's house instead, but I also have an existence that needs a real life male fairy. Today is the day that I saunter into Jolly's Pub.

  Ashe stands up, “WOW! Rosalie decides to grace us with her appearance. Welcome to Jolly's Pub
!”

  The first thing I order is a honey bomb. A honey bomb is a carbonated honey drink that all fairies love. I even order an extra scoop of whip cream with gold flakes, “I need to materialize more often. You’re both right, and I guess it’s time to join the land of the existence. Maybe this will help me with a move that I’ve been struggling with.”

  Daisy kisses Ashe on his lips, “That’s all you think about is dancing! You should find a spouse instead. If you never find a male fairy to marry, then your rate of marrying anyone drops drastically. I’m starting to worry about you, Rosalie.”

  I shrug it off, and drift off in a haze, dreaming about him once again, “We have all eternity to marry someone. I want to marry someone, who will be my equal. I want to marry someone, who attracts me. I never want to settle down with just anyone. I’m not in a hurry for any of that and I’m having a blast right now.”

  Ashe leans back with muscles bulging out. He starts to devour his second large pepperoni pizza, “She has a valid point, Daisy.”

  Daisy play punches Ashe, “Stop encouraging her! I want us to have a double wedding!”

  Ashe continues to make out with Daisy, and I want to leave. It is so annoying with their constant heavy petting, and sucking noises.

  The outside seems much safer. I left the happy couple to their full make out session. I’m about to return to the Cirrus house until a hand covers my mouth. Someone drags me to the side of Jolly’s Pub. I scream, but a familiar voice whispers in my ear, “Relax Rosalie and this is just Jesse.”

  His chestnut eyes bore into mine. With a flirty grin, he makes his move. He kisses me, but this is not what I expect, and I actually feel disappointed. There’s nothing satisfying about his kiss. There are no sparks, or even a flare. He seems taken off guard by my reaction. My hands pull his away from me. I take my bitter disappointment and walk away. I want more, and he’s not doing the trick.

  I’m back home with perfect timing, but there are voices shouting. The voices continue to scream with doors slamming. The loud shrieks are coming from Oberon’s office, and I can hear Oberon scream.

  “How can you be so fucking stupid, EVEREST? You had no business sleeping with an angel! What the fuck were you thinking?”

  “I fell for her at the time, Oberon! I accidentally made love to her.”

  “Your cock didn’t ‘accidentally’ slip inside of her to magically pop her pussy, dude! What the fuck were you even thinking? Now we have to cover up another one of your fucking scandals!”

  I realize that they are fighting, so I silently duck inside my bedroom. I drown out their screaming, by closing the bedroom door, and I even place a sound barrier over it.

  I plop on my bed, and rub my lips with my fingertips. I start to think about Jesse, and debate whether to date him—or not.

  The following day, I ignore the happy couple sitting beside me. Mr. Puck makes us work on our flying skills again.

  Jesse crouches beside me, “Did you think about yesterday? You left me last night. Did you even enjoy it?” Pine and Daisy overheard our conversation, and they stare in our direction nervously.

  “I sort of enjoyed it.”

  Jesse grins, and he left me to help the others.

  “What was that all about? What did you do yesterday, Rosalie?” Daisy inquires.

  My shoulders shrug, and my thoughts return to flying.

  I remind myself not to look down, and I fly around in the sky. Jesse catches up to me in midair. He grabs me, and then he flies us to a private location. He shields us inside a tall sycamore tree, and away from the others.

  Jesse makes his move again, by kissing my lips, “I want us to start dating, and I would like to be your boyfriend, if you don’t mind.”

  I try to turn my face away from his, but he grips my chin and kisses me softly. The kiss is wet and mushy. I’m not impressed with it at all, but he’s the only fairy, who shows any interest in me at this time. I nod a yes to him, when he asks to be mine.

  We secretly start to date each other behind closed doors at his request. Jesse reminds me that he will be in serious trouble with Mr. Puck, if anyone finds out about us. Mr. Puck glances at me nervously, especially after I make excuses not to visit momma.

  Jazzy doesn’t feel the same as me, because he doesn’t approve of Jesse. As a matter-of-fact, he bears his teeth, and he even snaps at him. Every time Jesse visits, Jazzy has to wait outside.

  ~~~***~~~

  Jesse and I are almost two months into our relationship. With his gentle urging, and lack of parental supervision, I allow him inside my bedroom, which is a big no—no. He lays beside me in my bed, and he starts to kiss me. We start to make out non-stop. Oberon flings the door open to see Jesse laying on top of me—kissing me.

  He throws Jesse off me like a ragdoll, “What the fuck are you two doing?”

  “Please don’t tell anyone! I love him, Oberon! There’s nothing you can do, or anyone else, to stop us from being together!”

  My uncle picks up Jesse by his hair, and he throws him outside, “If you ever put your fucking hands all over my niece again, I will cut your fucking hands off!”

  Jesse makes a cell phone signal to me.

  Oberon jerks me from my bed, “I will find a way to separate you two right now! You have no fucking business being with him! You’re still a baby, and I won’t let you sleep around either! You deserve someone much better than him! Since you think you’re so in love with him, I will have to discuss this with mom and dad!”

  I try to push him out of the way, but he’s a huge boulder. “You’re such a control freak! I can do whatever the fuck I want, and when I want! You won’t tell me what I can—or can’t do! You’re my fucking uncle—not my father!” I yelled.

  He shoves me back inside, and he locks my bedroom door with a charm. I start to pound my fist on the door, “Let me out Oberon, and you’re being completely unfair!” My cell phone mysteriously vanishes too.

  ~~~***~~~

  He locks me in my bedroom for the next two days. My bedroom door swings open, and grandma has tears in her eyes.

  Grandpa isn’t too happy either, “You will take your cadet test right now. Mr. Puck will arrive here very soon to administer your test in exactly one hour. I will require your assistance on another matter. You deliberately disobeyed me by allowing a boy into your bedroom. We believe that it would be best to send you away. Apparently, without our knowledge we have another granddaughter, who we never knew about. We require your assistance with Ember. Everest chose to conceive a child from his own free will, and he has disgraced this family! This will kill two birds with one stone. Your cousin needs protection, and you will be far away from that Jesse!”

  I’m afraid to go against my grandfather. He remains our king, and I must obey his laws. I still cry to know that I will never be around Jesse again.

  My head bows down, “I will do whatever you ask of me. How long will this last?”

  Grandma stops crying, “You will dwell on Earth until we see fit for your return. You will experience a mortal high school, and maintain a relationship with your cousin, Ember Rayne. We are sending you to Earth along with the FOL. They will keep the both of you safe. We want you to think of someone else, other than your own needs. We feel that Ember just might do the trick. While you maintain a friendship with her, the Enforcers will be able to protect her from harm.”

  Mr. Puck arrives, “I’m ready to administer the final cadet test to Rosalie.”

  He tests me on flying, magic, potions, cures, and all my knowledge on human history. I pass his exam, and he quickly graduates me.

  “I want to see just one more person, so that I can say goodbye,” I begged.

  “Who do you want to talk to?”

  “I want to talk to momma, and tell her goodbye for now. She deserves to know that I’m leaving. I refuse to leave Avalon, without telling her first.”

  He dials his cell, and he informs me that his mom is on her way. I chose to make her famous chocolate chip cookies for
her. Momma arrives finally, “What’s wrong, Rosalie?”

  I hand her a plate of chocolate chip cookies, “I have to go away for a little while, and I just want you to know, so that you won’t worry about me as much. I have to keep my cousin safe.”

  She squeezes me tightly, “I really have enjoyed you for these last eleven years, and I understand that you have to go. I will pray to our Creator for your safety. I want you to have fun.”

  “I will, momma.”

  She hands me a picture of her, and her two missing sons, “I know you will be busy protecting your cousin, but I hope you’re able to find my sons. If it’s not too much trouble for you, and will you please tell them that their mommy misses them. I miss my Wally and my Joey. Please tell them that I still love them, and to call me whenever they have the chance.”

  “I will, if I our paths ever cross.”

  I sob in her arms, and she dries my tears. I graciously take her picture, and place it over my chest to keep them close to me.

  Skylar changes my clothes into what a mortal teenager wears today. I stand outside in a pair of tight blue jeans with a teal dress shirt. She snaps matching heels on my feet.

  I want to say goodbye to Jesse, but they won’t permit it. Jazzy still wears a yellow beret with an ‘FOL’ shirt on, and Oberon places him in his dog crate for me. Mr. Puck and Everest are not going, but the other ten are ready to go. I glance over at Snow and Ice. They both wear blue jean shorts with ivory tanks. They have matching charcoal beanies with the yellow ‘FOL’ monogram in the center of their beanies.

  The other fairies start to whisper about me again. I hug and kiss my family members goodbye. Snow and Ice grab each one of my arms to keep me from running away. Oberon walks over with grandpa, and grandpa has a large wooden staff in his hand. Snow and Ice have to pin me to the ground to keep me immobile.