I laughed. “All my mother’s doing. She loves this stuff. I think she’s been planning my sixteenth birthday for a very long time.”
Stacey laughed, flipping her long wavy brown hair over her shoulder, and started jabbering about choir.
I went from place to place, talking to my friends, thanking them for coming, and getting lost in conversations that were thankfully inane and gossipy. For a little while, it was almost like I was normal again.
“Pizza will be here in a few minutes,” Dad called from upstairs.
“Thanks,” I yelled back up. Slipping away from Stacey, I crossed the room to Adam. “Wanna help bring the pizza down?”
“Of course, beautiful.” He glanced around the room. “Party seems to be a hit.”
“Yeah, not bad. Much better than I was expecting.” We made our way up the stairs just as the doorbell rang for the pizza delivery. The poor kid looked like he was about to topple over—he had at least ten pizzas balanced precariously in his arms. When my dad relieved him of his burden, I thought I saw tears in his eyes.
Adam and I split the pizzas, leaving one upstairs for my parents. We took off back downstairs while my dad was paying. The bottom box was so hot, I practically threw them on the table.
When you bring pizzas to teens, it’s like vultures are attacking. The boxes were decimated in a matter of minutes. I was hungrier than I thought I would be, my stomach growling as I ate.
After pizza, my mother came in carrying a white, three-tiered cake with sixteen candles. Thankfully, she had a local bakery make the cake early. Usually, she attempted and failed to make my cake on her own, and then she would have to rush to get one made at the last minute. As soon as she appeared in the doorway, everyone started singing “Happy Birthday”. With everyone staring at me, I was self-conscious. All I could think about were my wings and my ears. Surely they could see them.
They can’t see your faery body. Remember you look normal to them, I reminded myself. Someone snapped a picture of me. I couldn’t wait to see it—real me, me as a human, the way I was supposed to be. I never cared to have my picture taken before, but now I would be taking every opportunity.
When it came time to make a wish, I took a deep breath and thought, Please, don’t let me lose Adam. Then I blew out every candle on that cake in one breath. Maybe, just maybe, my wish would come true.
I had told everyone not to bring presents, and they had listened, which was a huge relief. I didn’t have to be the center of attention while opening them. That would have put me over the edge. Someone cranked up the music, and everyone started dancing. This was what being a teenager was supposed to be about. Not wings and dark faeries.
A slow song eventually came on, and I searched for Adam in the crowd. It was dim—someone had lowered the lights—but our eyes met through the gently shifting mass of bodies. We crossed the room and met in the middle. He took me in his arms, placing his hand on the small of my back—just below my wings. I put my arms around his neck and leaned my head against his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating just underneath the bass thump of the music.
He made me feel safe, secure, normal. I held on even after the song ended. Finally, I released the strong grasp I had on him. He leaned down and softly brushed my lips with his. The kiss grew in passion until he pulled away, breathless. Licking his lips, he said with a smile, “You’re intense tonight.”
“Sorry.” I blushed.
“It’s okay. Just different. I like it.”
Different. The word echoed in my head, but I kept it together.
“I think it’s time for your present.” Adam gave me his crooked grin. “It’s in the truck. Let’s sneak out.”
I bit my lip and glanced around. No one was paying attention to us. I grabbed his hand and we ran up the stairs. Even though I tell people I hate surprises, I secretly loved them. Adam had always been the best at picking presents, even when he was really young. I couldn’t wait to see what he got me this year.
It was a cool evening, and the air smelled of honeysuckle and pine. My high heels tapped along the front walk as we walked to where his truck was parked on the street, loud in the silent night.
“Close your eyes,” Adam told me when we reached the truck. I heard the door creak open. “No peeking.”
The suspense was killing me. I groaned and shut my eyes tight. He knew me so well.
Adam’s hand clasped mine, and he pulled me towards him. “Okay, you can open them now.”
I looked down. He held a small, square box in his hand. It was perfectly wrapped in white paper with a red bow. “Did you wrap it yourself?” I asked.
“I might have had a little help with that part,” he said sheepishly. “But I picked it out on my own.”
“Is it a watch?” I asked as I shook it.
He laughed. “Just open it.”
“Fine.” I pulled the ribbon slowly and carefully unwrapped the paper. The box was silver and shiny. “Earrings?”
“Open it.” Adam nudged me.
I opened the box and covered my mouth. A delicate, silver charm bracelet lay inside. I had wanted one forever. Carefully taking it out, I saw there were two charms dangling from it. One was a heart with a small diamond in the middle and the other a music note. “It’s perfect.” I held my hand out so he could clasp it on my wrist.
“Well, I figured you love music, and I love you, so I was hoping you’d like the charms I picked out.”
“Like it—I love it.” I threw my arms around his neck and the bracelet clinked as it slid down my wrist.
Adam ran his thumb down the side of my cheek. “I love you, Rylie McCallister.” He lifted my chin with his finger and, with our noses almost touching, he gently pressed his lips against mine. The noise of the party faded, and there was nothing but us for those few minutes.
I pulled away, dragging a little bit of his lip with me, and smiled as I caught him still with his eyes closed. “I guess we should get inside. They’re probably wondering where we snuck off to,” I said reluctantly.
“Yeah.” He sighed and slung an arm around my shoulder to walk back to the party.
The party lasted a couple more hours. I challenged Sierra to a game of air hockey, Adam and I danced more, and I let my worries slip away for a while. But eventually, the fun came to an end.
Adam and Sierra were the last of my friends to leave. The three of us stood on the front lawn, and Sierra gave me a giant hug. “No car, huh?”
“Not yet.” I forced a chuckle. Getting a car was the least of my worries right now.
Her green eyes sparkled. “Guess I’ll be picking you up Monday morning for school.”
“Yes! Even if I had gotten a car, I wouldn’t want to miss riding with you.” I spotted Ian standing by her car. “Ian’s waiting.”
She looked in his direction. “I know. I still can’t believe it. He’s so incredible.” She sighed. “Happy birthday, Ry. I love ya.” She squeezed me again.
“Love you, too.”
I watched as she practically skipped to the car. She looked so carefree and happy. I hoped Ian would treat her better than Trent had. I didn’t want to see her get hurt again.
Adam pulled me close to him and whispered into my ear, “Happy birthday.”
“Not for much longer. It’s almost midnight.” I stared up at the full moon. It was mysterious, secretive. I wondered what else was out there that was kept from humans.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re acting off lately, as if something’s bothering you.” Adam’s brow was knitted together, his eyes darting over my face as if searching for answers.
“I’m fine, just a lot on my mind lately. My parents are already bugging me about my future and college. I guess it’s just starting to get to me. The unknown…you know what I mean?”
“Not really. That seems like light years away to me.” He winked. “Enjoy the moment. I’ll deal with that other stuff when it gets here. You need to relax, Ry, you get stressed out too easy.”
<
br /> “You’re right. Let’s enjoy a few more moments before my parents make you leave.” I tilted my head, closed my eyes, and felt his lips on mine. Why couldn’t everything be this perfect?
*
I turned to go inside after Adam drove away and came face-to-face with Azura.
Closing my eyes and sighing, I snapped, “I don’t want to deal with this right now. We can talk tomorrow.”
She started to speak, but I hurried inside and slammed the door before she could get a word out.
“Everything okay?” Dad asked. He was on the couch in the living room, a gun and ammo magazine open on his knee. “You look upset.”
“Yeah. Just don’t want to deal with the lady outside.”
His jaw clenched. “She’s still here?”
“Yup, she doesn’t seem to take no for an answer.”
“Maybe I should go speak to her again?” There was a note of amusement in his voice. I bet he’d like to yell at her again.
“I told her I didn’t want to talk tonight.” I kissed Dad’s cheek. “Thanks for the party. I’m going to go up to my room and think about things.”
His face grew sympathetic. “You sure?”
“Yeah.” I climbed the stairs to my room. After closing the door, I stood there trying to decide whether or not I wanted to look in the mirror. I couldn’t avoid it forever. I reached the mirror and studied my reflection. If I covered my ears and didn’t pay attention to the wings, I still looked like me. I didn’t like the ears at all, but the wings were kind of neat.
I reached behind me and touched them again. A soft giggle escaped my lips. It tickled just a bit. It felt good to touch them, almost like an ache that needed to be rubbed. I concentrated on moving them and let them flutter a few times. I was amazed at how quiet they were. For the first time, I wondered what they were for…could I actually fly? Or were they just for show?
I made them flap as hard as I could and jumped, but my feet fell immediately back to the floor. “Hmmm. What good are wings if you can’t fly? Maybe I need pixie dust,” I said to myself, once again thinking of Tinkerbell.
I grabbed the brush off my dresser and ran it through my long blonde hair until all the knots were out. Yawning, I stepped into a nightgown, my wings popping out the top. At least they were flexible enough to wear clothes. As I crawled in bed, I noticed they did tuck in as I lay down.
At least they don’t get in the way, I thought sleepily, and closed my eyes.
Chapter Ten
A loud knock woke me up the next day. I groaned and pulled the blankets over my head. The door creaked open, and my mother said softly, “Rylie?”
“What?” I peeked my head out from under the covers.
“It’s almost lunch time. Why don’t you get ready, and we can go out for lunch and do some shopping?”
My first thought was NO WAY! I didn’t want to be out in public knowing what I really looked like. But then I thought how nice a normal day with my mom would be. I threw the blanket to the side. “Okay,” I told her with a timid smile. “That sounds great.”
“Come on down when you’re ready,” she told me with a smile, and then quietly slipped back out the door.
I took a few minutes more to lie in bed before I stood up and let my wings out. They fluttered a couple times, enjoying the space. I grinned as I remembered the lovely feeling of the shower beating down on them. I was looking forward to it again.
After my shower, I stood in front of the mirror. Without having to put on makeup, it took far less time for me to get ready. My hair seemed to fall into place on its own after I brushed it.
The first shirt I tried on made my wings ache, so I had to rummage through my closet to find a shirt with a low enough back for my wings to be free. It was a good thing we were going shopping, because those kinds of shirts in my wardrobe were few and far between.
I descended the stairs and found Mom in the kitchen, sitting at the table. Her face was partially covered by a vase filled with wild flowers. She looked up from the book she was reading.
“I’m ready,” I announced.
“Well, that was quick.” She placed a page holder in her book and put it on the counter. “Let’s go.”
“Where’s Dad?” I looked into the den.
“He went into work for a couple of hours.” My mother grabbed her sweater from the coat rack.
“It’s Sunday.”
She shrugged. “He said it was important. You know how he is.”
We walked out to the car, a red sports coupe that my mom loved, and climbed in. Mom drove downtown to a café we visited often. It had the appearance of a cute French bistro—the walls were dark yellow, hung with classic French artwork, and the booths and tables were mahogany. The hostess seated us at a small table near the windows, where I ordered a house salad and club sandwich. It was odd—I could see my reflection in the glass beside me. I had to keep reminding myself that nobody else could see the real me.
“How are you holding up?” Mom asked, pushing her lettuce around her plate. She seemed subdued.
I blew out a long breath. “Still in shock, I think. Better than yesterday, though. I keep hoping I’m going to wake up and find that it was all just a bad dream.”
“What do you think should happen now? Do you want to get to know Azura better?” My mother didn’t look at me as she took a bite of her salad.
I glanced out the window; there was what was really bothering her. “I suppose I should talk to her at some point. Maybe tonight. I don’t know what else there is that I need to know. But…” I paused. “I don’t really want to talk to her either. I won’t have to go live with her? Right?”
Mom’s eyes widened. “No. You’ll never have to do anything you don’t want to. We’re not letting you go that easy. We still have you for two more years before you’re off on your own. If she thinks she can just waltz in and take you from us, she has another think coming.”
“What if she calls the cops or something?” I suddenly lost my appetite. Just talking about it made me nauseated.
“And says what? That she’s a faery? That we stole you? We have proof we had a baby. We would counter with that and say she switched babies. It would be a nasty battle. I don’t think she’d want that. But I do think she should be part of your life. Maybe if you were…human, it would be different. You’re not, though. And we need her to help you deal with this.” Mom was always the voice of reason.
“I guess.” I picked at my lunch silently, unsure of what else to say.
*
“What do you want to shop for?” Mom asked as we walked through the large glass doors into the mall. It was the weekend, so the mall was annoyingly crowded.
“Shirts,” I said quickly, “and maybe a couple of spring dresses.”
We headed towards my favorite clothing store. I loved our mall, even if it was pretty small compared to the malls in big cities, like DC. It had been renovated a few years ago, so the old, dim building had changed into an airy place with skylights and fresh paint.
We stopped at a café so Mom could grab a coffee, and then made our way to the end of the mall, to a trendy clothing store that was a favorite amongst teens. I found a few low-back shirts, but no luck with the dresses, so we walked down the hall to a large department store.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something odd coming the other way. A fuzzy light of sorts. A person—no, a faery. I blinked a few times as she got closer. Pointy ears and wings, definitely a faery. Her long blonde hair was almost white in color. Our eyes met as we passed each other, and she gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.
I gasped and grabbed my mother’s arm. “Mom? Did you see her?”
“See who?” She turned to look.
I had forgotten that she couldn’t see faeries. I couldn’t believe there was another faery at the mall. I guess faeries really were everywhere. I had just never known because I didn’t have my faery sight then, nor did I look like a faery. Now…I did.
“There was
another faery,” I told Mom.
“Oh?” She seemed a bit surprised. “Well, isn’t that interesting. You’ll have to keep your eyes out for more. I guess I thought Azura was exaggerating about faeries being everywhere.”
“Me too,” I muttered under my breath and glanced back, but the woman was out of sight.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the other faery, even after we reached the department store and went inside.
“Dresses are in the back,” Mom told me, and led the way.
I wasn’t really into it as we browsed. Seeing that other faery had really kind of shaken me. Azura had said that other faeries would recognize me for what I was—and they would know what my birthmark meant. I touched the mark, wondering how such a small thing could bring so much danger.
“What about this one?” My mom’s voice pulled me from my reverie, and she held out a floral-patterned maxi dress with spaghetti straps.
“That’s pretty. Let me see the back,” I responded, aware once more of my wings.
My mom raised an eyebrow and flipped it around. It looked like it might be just low enough.
“That will work—I think.”
“Work for what? Are you going somewhere special?”
I lowered my voice. “It’s uncomfortable if my wings don’t have room.”
“Oh, goodness. I never would have thought of that.” She giggled, a sweet, light sound that made her look ten years younger. “I have so much to learn about all of this.”
“You’re not the only one.” Her mirth made me feel better.
We found a few more things before heading home, where we collected all my bags and Mom helped me carry them upstairs to my room. We deposited the bags on the floor by my closet—I’d take care of them tomorrow.
“Thanks, Mom, for a normal day. I needed it,” I told her softly.
She hugged me tightly. “You’re welcome. I’m glad we found some things you like.”
“Me too.”
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