by Chris Colfer
“Brystal! King Champion needs an answer by tomorrow.”
“Brystal! Should the small fairies be worried about gryphons?”
“Brystal! Do you know a fairy with a specialty for renovations? HA-HA!”
“Brystal! Should we have a service for the caterpillar?”
“Brystal! When are we going to finish our conversation?”
“EVERYONE SHUT UP!”
Brystal’s outburst stunned the fairies, but no one was more surprised than Brystal herself. She was ashamed of raising her voice, but for the first time all day, she finally had silence—inside and outside her head.
“I’m… I’m… I’m so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to shout.… It’s just been a long day and I want to be alone.… Please, just leave me alone.…”
Brystal raced down the hall before her friends could respond. The fairies respected her request and didn’t chase after her.
“What’s gotten into her?” Tangerina whispered to the others.
Lucy watched Brystal leave with a determined gaze.
“I have no idea,” she whispered back. “But I’m going to find out.”
Brystal took a long walk to clear her head, and thankfully the unpleasant thoughts didn’t follow her. She was desperate to find out how and why they were happening, but unfortunately, the peace and quiet didn’t provide any answers. The thoughts left her in a worse mood each time they occurred, and the more she tried to understand them, the more frustrated she became.
She strolled through the Fairy Territory, hoping the picturesque grounds would put her in a better mood. As she walked, Brystal focused on all the positivity around her, and she reminded herself of all the reasons she had to be happy.
Over the past year, the Celeste Weatherberry Memorial Academy of Magic had changed so much it was almost unrecognizable. The castle had expanded to nearly ten times its original size to accommodate all the fairies who had moved there. Its shimmering towers stood over thirty stories high and its golden walls stretched over ten acres. And every time a new fairy arrived, the castle grew a little bit bigger.
The unicorns, the gryphons, and the pixies were no longer endangered species, and they roamed across the property in healthy-size flocks and herds. The animals helped fertilize the land, allowing even more colorful flowers and vibrant trees to flourish than before.
Everywhere Brystal looked, she saw fairies practicing magic and teaching newcomers how to develop their abilities. The fairies waved and bowed to Brystal as she walked by, and she could feel the gratitude radiating from their hearts. Thanks to her, Madame Weatherberry’s small academy had transformed into the Fairy Territory, and for the first time in history, the magical community had a safe environment where they could live peacefully and thrive.
All the fairies knew Brystal was responsible for their happiness, but despite the joy she created for others, Brystal couldn’t seem to muster any for herself.
At dusk, Brystal walked down the cliff to the beach below the academy. She sat on a stone bench and watched the sunset. The evening sky was full of pink clouds, and the ocean sparkled as the sun sank into the horizon. It was a breathtaking sight—one of the most spectacular sunsets Brystal had seen at the Fairy Territory—but even that didn’t lift Brystal’s spirits.
“Just be happy…,” Brystal told herself. “Be happy.… Be happy.… Be happy.…”
Sadly, no matter how many times she repeated the command, her heart didn’t listen.
“Who are you talking to?”
Brystal looked over her shoulder and saw an eight-year-old girl standing on the beach behind her. The girl had big brown eyes and short messy hair, and she wore stretchable clothing made from tree sap. Although she had grown a foot in the last year, to Brystal, she’d always be the tiny girl she met at the Bootstrap Correctional Facility.
“Hi, Pip,” Brystal said. “Sorry, you caught me talking to myself.”
“No judgments here,” Pip said. “Some of my best conversations are with myself. Do you want some company?”
More company was the last thing Brystal wanted, but since the alone time wasn’t as helpful as she’d hoped, Brystal welcomed a distraction. She patted the stone bench, and Pip took a seat beside her.
“How are your lessons coming along?” Brystal asked.
“Good,” Pip said. “I’ve completed my improvement, rehabilitation, and manifestation lessons, and tomorrow, I start working on imagination.”
“That’s wonderful. Have you been working on your specialty, too?”
“I have—watch this!”
Pip removed a ring from her pocket and showed Brystal how she could squeeze her entire arm through it, as if her limb were made of clay.
“Very impressive,” Brystal said.
“Yesterday I squeezed my whole body into a pickle jar,” Pip said. “Unfortunately, I was stuck in it for three hours. Getting into things is much easier than getting out of them, but I guess that’s life for you.”
“I wish I was there to help you. The Fairy Council has been so busy I barely get a moment to myself anymore.”
“Everyone’s talking about your visit to the Western Kingdom. I heard it was a smash.”
“It was a little too eventful for my taste, but we still helped a lot of people and made them very happy in the process. I guess that’s all that matters.”
“You don’t look very happy, though,” Pip noticed. “Is something bothering you?”
Brystal faced the sunset and sighed—she didn’t have the strength to hide it anymore.
“Happiness is difficult for me at the moment,” she confessed. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to be happy. There is so much to be grateful for, but for some reason, I can’t stop having negative thoughts about everything. It feels like I’m stuck in a pickle jar of my own.”
“Are you sure you’re being negative?” Pip asked. “I know from experience, there’s a thin line between negativity and just being realistic. When I was living at Bootstrap, there were days I would wake up thinking, Wow, I’m going to be here forever, and other days I would wake up thinking, Dang, I’m going to be here forever—but they were very different points of view.”
“No, I’m definitely being negative,” Brystal said. “My thoughts put me in a horrible mood and they make me feel restless and paranoid. Gosh, I wish Madame Weatherberry was still here—she’d know exactly how to help me.”
“If she was, what would she tell you?” Pip asked.
Brystal closed her eyes and imagined Madame Weatherberry was sitting beside her. A bittersweet smile came to her face as she remembered her mentor’s bright violet eyes and the soft touch of her gloved hands.
“She’d probably encourage me to get to the root of the problem,” Brystal said. “Honestly, I think being the Fairy Godmother is just taking a toll on me. I knew it would be a lot of responsibility, but there’s an emotional component I never expected.”
“Really?” Pip asked. “How so?”
Brystal went quiet as she thought about it. The feeling was difficult to explain to herself, let alone someone else.
“The world knows and loves me for a quality I used to hide and hate myself for,” she said. “And even though I know I have nothing to fear or be ashamed of, deep down, I’m still carrying that fear and shame with me. Somewhere along the line, I got so busy changing the world I forgot to change myself with it. And now I think those old feelings are starting to play tricks on me.”
The fresh insight didn’t solve her problems, but it made Brystal feel a little better. Pip looked across the ocean with a somber gaze, as if she knew exactly what Brystal was talking about.
“I think I understand,” she said. “When I was at Bootstrap, I never felt like I belonged there—I mean, it would have been weird if I did. But even though I live in the Fairy Territory now, the emptiness has stayed with me. It’s like, since no one taught me how to belong somewhere, I just feel hollow everywhere I go. I suppose I’m carrying around old feelings, too.”
Brystal felt sorry for Pip and wished she was in a better state of mind to help her.
“Maybe belonging can’t be taught,” she said. “Maybe it’s just something we have to practice.”
Pip nodded. “Maybe happiness is, too,” she said.
The girls exchanged half-hearted smiles and watched the rest of the sunset in silence. The tranquility was interrupted shortly after by the sound of whispering.
“Oh, look! There she is!”
“Shhh! Don’t make any sudden movements!”
Brystal turned around and saw Tangerina and Skylene on the beach behind her.
“It’s all right,” she said. “I’m not going to yell at you again.”
“Sorry, we know you wanted to be alone,” Tangerina said.
“It’s just—um—something came in the mail that you should see,” Skylene said.
“Who is it from?” Brystal asked.
Tangerina and Skylene glanced at each other with concern.
“Your family,” they said.
Brystal’s heart suddenly sank into the pit of her stomach. She hadn’t spoken to anyone in her family in over a year—it must have been important if they were reaching out to her. Brystal jumped up from the bench and Tangerina handed her a square envelope. Unlike the other letters, this envelope was addressed to Brystal Evergreen instead of The Fairy Godmother, and her family’s home was listed as the return address. Brystal opened the envelope and found a thick card with cheerful lettering inside:
You Are Cordially Invited to
The Wedding of
Deputy Justice Barrie Evergreen
&
Lady Penny Charming
Champvember 16th
At Five o’clock in the Afternoon
The Evergreen Residence
481 East Countryside Road
Chariot Hills
The Southern Kingdom
We look forward to celebrating with you!
In lieu of gifts, please donate to the Chariot Hills Home for the Hopeless
“Oh my gosh,” Brystal said.
“What is it?” Tangerina asked with bated breath.
“My brother’s getting married!”
“Oh, thank God!” Skylene said. “I was afraid someone died!”
Brystal didn’t know what was more shocking—the idea of Barrie being someone’s husband or the fact that she was invited to the wedding.
“Congratulations,” Pip said. “That should make you happy.”
Brystal agreed, but despite the wonderful news, she felt just as melancholy as before.
“You’re right,” Brystal said. “It should make me happy.… It should.…”
CHAPTER THREE
A RIGHTEOUS INTRODUCTION
When Brystal received the invitation to Barrie’s wedding, the sixteenth of Champvember seemed like an eternity away, but because of the Fairy Council’s demanding schedule, the days went by much faster than Brystal wanted them to. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, Brystal started to dread the date as she would an approaching storm. She had daily meetings with the world’s most celebrated diplomats and dignitaries, and yet seeing her family again was a terrifying prospect.
The last time Brystal saw her brothers, Brooks and Barrie, she narrowly missed being executed on a courtroom floor. The last time she saw her father, Justice Evergreen, Brystal humiliated him in front of all the Justices in the Southern Kingdom. And the last time she saw her mother, Mrs. Evergreen, Brystal was told to leave home and find a better life.
Given how dramatic the farewells had been, Brystal had no idea what to expect or how to prepare. Without a doubt, Justice Evergreen would resent Brystal until the day he died, but his opinion wasn’t what concerned her. Brystal worried about how her mother and brothers would react to seeing her again, and she wondered whether the last year had changed how they felt about her.
The invitation was probably a mistake.…
Your family doesn’t want to see you.…
They probably hate how you’ve changed the world.…
They’re probably ashamed at the person you’ve become.
The situation was a breeding ground for the disturbing thoughts, and every day, Brystal was more and more tempted to skip the wedding altogether. However, she knew nothing would feel worse than missing such an important day in her brother’s life. So despite all the fear and anxiety coursing through her, Brystal awoke on the morning of the sixteenth determined to go.
At three o’clock in the afternoon, Brystal departed the Fairy Territory and floated toward the Southern Kingdom in a large bubble. As she drifted through the sky, Brystal caused quite a scene in the villages and farms below her. Civilians ran out from their homes to wave at her, dogs barked and chased after her giant bubble, and even cows and sheep stopped grazing to watch her fly by.
Enjoy the affection while you can.…
You won’t receive the same welcome at home.…
Strangers love you more than your family ever will.
At half past four, Chariot Hills appeared in the distance, and Brystal descended into the eastern countryside. Her first sight of the Evergreen house made her jolt, as if her nerves had grown legs and kicked her in the stomach. Brystal’s modest childhood home looked exactly as it always had. The only difference was all the wedding preparations assembled on the front lawn.
A dozen rows of white chairs and a white gazebo were arranged under a long white tent. Carriages waited in a lengthy line down East Countryside Road, dropping off passengers one at a time. The wedding guests were an eclectic group of aristocrats and commoners, elderly and young people, and they mingled in an area with high tables and a refreshment stand. The setup was very classy and traditional, but it was much more elaborate than Brystal had predicted. If her father had had his way, Barrie would be getting married in a run-down barn.
Brystal landed in the center of the front lawn and popped the bubble with her crystal wand. The guests were thrilled to see Brystal and they surrounded her like a pack of hungry wolves.
“It’s the Fairy Godmother!”
“I can’t believe I’m seeing her in real life!”
“Do you think she’ll talk to me?”
“I knew I should have dressed nicer!”
All the whispering made Brystal feel very awkward, not because of the attention, but because she recognized so many faces in the crowd. She spotted family friends and distant cousins, former schoolmates and teachers, and neighbors she had grown up with. Most of the guests had known Brystal since she was a small child, but now they were all gawking at her like she was from another planet.
“Fairy Godmother! May I have your autograph?”
“Fairy Godmother! Will you kiss my baby?”
“Fairy Godmother! Can I have a hug?”
“Fairy Godmother! Will you do some magic for us?”
The only people who weren’t thrilled to see Brystal were a group of Southern Kingdom Justices huddled in the corner of the lawn. The men were dressed in their typical black robes and tall black hats, and they watched Brystal like a flock of vultures. Ironically, Brystal almost preferred the Justices’ hateful scowls to the other guests’ reactions.
“Fairy Godmother! Are you here to give gifts?”
“Fairy Godmother! Can you turn my dress into a gown?”
“Fairy Godmother! Can you make my hair grow back?”
“Fairy Godmother! Can you give me a good singing voice?”
As soon as her great-great-uncle knelt down to kiss her feet, Brystal started looking for a place to hide—but there was only one place to go. Without any other options, Brystal weaved through the excited crowd and hurried into the Evergreen house.
Once the front door shut behind her, Brystal sighed with relief, but the inside of the house was even more chaotic than the outside. Dozens of bridesmaids and groomsmen frantically raced around the house as if it were on fire.
“Has anyone seen my bow tie?”
“Hey! That’s my shoe!”
&
nbsp; “OH MY GOD! I’ve lost the rings!”
“How did I end up with two corsages?”
“False alarm! I have the rings!”
Luckily, the wedding party was so busy applying the final touches to their suits and dresses they didn’t notice Brystal standing in the entrance hall. And at first, Brystal was so distracted by all the people running amok she didn’t notice anything else. Once the bridesmaids and groomsmen cleared the front of the house, Brystal suddenly gasped. Unlike the outside, the inside of the Evergreen home had changed so much Brystal thought she was in the wrong place.
In the past, Justice Evergreen was so conservative he denied his family anything he considered extravagant. All the Evergreens’ belongings, from their clothing to the wallpaper, were used or hand-me-downs. Servants were completely out of the question, forcing Brystal and Mrs. Evergreen to do all the cooking, cleaning, and gardening by themselves. However, as Brystal looked around the house with fresh eyes, she realized that was no longer the case.
All the rooms were furnished with brand-new furniture that matched. The plates and bowls in the china cabinet were the same color, and the silverware was from the same set. The drapes were made from the same fabric, and all the walls had recently been painted the same shade of pearl gray. But most surprising of all, Brystal found maids picking up after the wedding party and a cook preparing food in the kitchen.
It was so shocking Brystal felt like she had wandered into another dimension, and she wondered if all the rooms had been redecorated. Before she could stop herself, Brystal’s curiosity took hold of her, and she climbed the stairs to her old bedroom at the very top of the house.
Brystal slowly opened the bedroom door and stepped inside. The bed was made with the same sheets, the nightstand held the same candle, the mirror and dresser stood in the same corner, even the loose floorboard hadn’t been touched since she left. The bedroom looked exactly as she remembered it, but strangely, it felt completely different. Brystal couldn’t believe how small and cold her old bedroom was, and yet the size and temperature had never stood out in her memory.