by Isobel Bird
“What about us?” Kate said plaintively.
Annie shrugged. “That woman said to go play in the woods,” she said. “Why not try that? I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
She turned and walked back toward the path, leaving Cooper and Kate alone. Kate looked unhappy. Then she suddenly perked up.
“I think I see Tyler,” she said, pointing across the clearing. “I’m going to go catch up with him.”
Before Cooper could respond, Kate was gone.
“Great,” Cooper said to no one in particular. “Now what?”
She looked around the clearing. Most of the people had wandered off into the woods. She didn’t see anyone she knew, and she had no idea what was going on. This was the oddest ritual she’d ever been to. There didn’t seem to be any organization to it at all.
She wanted to run after either Kate or Annie, but she couldn’t decide which one she would be able to catch up with more easily. Then she heard something. It was music, a snatch of a melody that seemed to drift to her on the wind. It was an intriguing sound. She strained to hear where it was coming from, but it had disappeared.
She tried to recall what it had sounded like, but already the memory was melting away like a chalk drawing in the rain. She gave up, and had just turned to head back down the path to the cabin in search of Annie when the song came again. This time she thought that it was definitely coming from the woods to her left. Abandoning her plan to find Annie, she walked into the trees.
I might as well see who’s making that sound, she thought as she left the clearing. I can always find Kate and Annie later.
CHAPTER 2
“Tyler!”
Kate called out to the boy across the clearing. He was dressed all in black, from his leather boots to his black pants and shirt, and he wore a mask made of shiny black feathers. He resembled a raven. Tyler hadn’t told Kate what he was going to come to the Midsummer ritual as, but she knew it was him. It was the perfect costume for his tall, lanky frame, and it reflected his inquisitive, teasing personality.
The boy turned and cocked his head, looking at her quizzically for a moment. He didn’t seem to recognize her. It must be my costume, Kate thought as she moved toward him.
A group of people cut in front of her, and Tyler was lost from view for a moment as she waited impatiently for them to go by. When they had, she saw that Tyler had turned away and was walking into the woods.
“Hey!” she called, confused. “Tyler! Wait up.”
Why was he leaving? Even if he hadn’t recognized her in her getup he had to have seen her waving at him. But it was almost as if he was running away from her.
Kate entered the woods where Tyler had disappeared into the trees. She had to pause a moment to let her eyes adjust to the new surroundings. Unlike the bright light that had flooded the clearing, the light that filtered through the forest canopy was more muted. The leaves that fluttered in the summer breeze threw shadows like tiny dark moths across the ground, and everything was surrounded by the pale golden glow of late afternoon. It was beautiful, but a little disorienting, and Kate almost felt as if she were dreaming.
She looked around her, trying to catch sight of Tyler. There were other people moving about in the trees, but she didn’t see him anywhere. Where had he gone? It wasn’t that easy to walk quickly in the woods, but apparently he had managed to get far ahead of her already. She didn’t understand it. Didn’t he want to talk to her?
She was irritated, and she decided to go back to the clearing and wait for Annie and Cooper. Clearly, Tyler had something else he wanted to do, and besides, it was hard to walk in the woods with her wings on. They kept getting caught on branches, and she was afraid she would tear them. She wasn’t going to ruin something she’d put so much hard work into, especially for a boy who wanted to play games.
She was just about to go back when out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of something black. Turning, she saw Tyler moving quickly through the trees to her left.
“Tyler!” she called, and once again he turned and looked at her, the eyes of his raven mask staring directly at her face.
Kate darted through the trees, her wings flapping as she dodged trees. This time Tyler didn’t run. He waited for her to reach him.
“Thanks for waiting,” Kate said sarcastically as she stopped in front of her boyfriend, although her anger at him had already dimmed. “Didn’t you see me?”
“I didn’t know you were looking for me,” Tyler answered. His voice sounded a little raspier than it usually did, as if he had a sore throat.
“What’s the matter?” Kate asked. “Did you catch a cold or something?”
Tyler shook his head.
“That’s a great costume,” said Kate. “Did you make it yourself?”
“The queen made it for me,” he said.
Kate raised an eyebrow. “The queen?” she said. “Is that what you’re calling your mother now?”
Tyler seemed to think about her question for a moment. “The queen made all of our costumes,” he said.
“I get it,” Kate replied. “This is all part of the whole ritual, right? Your mother is playing the Faerie Queen or something. Well, I can’t wait to see that. But for your information, I made my costume myself. Do you like it?”
Kate twirled, letting Tyler see her outfit. He examined it closely, seeming to be particularly interested in the shiny sequins that were sewn onto her dress.
“It’s very pretty,” he said. “Your wings are not like the others’.”
“Thanks,” said Kate. “I wanted it to be different.”
“I don’t know if the queen will like it,” Tyler responded.
Kate was taken aback. “The queen?” she said. “Why wouldn’t she like it? And what difference does it make if she doesn’t? It’s my costume, not hers.”
Tyler looked around nervously. “You shouldn’t say things like that,” he told Kate. “You never know when someone from her court is near.”
Kate put her hands on her hips. “Okay,” she said. “This is getting a little silly. I’m really glad you’re into this masquerade idea, and I know we’re all supposed to be playing out the faerie thing, but come on. Your mother isn’t that scary.”
“We should walk,” Tyler said, ignoring her comment. “Come with me.”
He began to move through the trees, and Kate followed. Tyler seemed to know where he was going, but she had no idea where they were. At least she’d found him and they were together. That was the important thing. They hadn’t had much time to hang out lately, what with the end of school and everything else they were involved in, and Kate had missed him. She was hoping that these couple of days in the woods would give them a chance to spend some time alone.
As they walked along she looked around her. The woods really were gorgeous. The trees stretched far above them and the ground was dotted with plants that grew in the shade of the beeches, oaks, and pines. Fallen logs covered in velvety moss and sprinkled with strangely shaped mushrooms occasionally stretched across the various paths that wound through the trees, and the air smelled of evergreens and earth. It’s not too hard to think of this place as being magical, Kate thought as she soaked it all in.
But she wasn’t able to completely enjoy being in such a beautiful place with Tyler. Something was on her mind that prevented everything from being perfect, something that had been bothering her ever since the annual school Skip Day picnic on the beach a couple of weeks before. That something was Scott Coogan. Scott was supposed to be her ex-boyfriend. She’d broken up with him because she’d wanted to be with Tyler. She’d been absolutely sure of her decision, so sure that she’d risked being shunned by the most popular kids at school. But on Skip Day, when she and Scott had taken a walk just to talk, she’d suddenly found herself in his arms, kissing him.
She hadn’t told Tyler about the kiss, and as far as she knew no one else had either. Some people at her school—a lot of people, actually—knew about the kiss, thanks to t
he big mouth of Kate’s former best friend and now biggest headache, Sherrie Adams. But Tyler went to a different school and didn’t, Kate hoped, talk to anyone at Beecher Falls High. At first she’d decided not to tell him. After all, it had been just a onetime thing, a mistake that was over and done with. There wasn’t any point in making Tyler upset by telling him about it. But the more she thought about it, the more she thought that maybe she should tell him. After all, he was her boyfriend. They weren’t supposed to have secrets from one another.
She’d planned on telling him before the Midsummer gathering, but she’d been so very busy, and the timing never seemed right. But maybe now, in the woods, she could do it. Tyler seemed to be in a good, if sort of strange, mood. If she told him now, she could enjoy the rest of the sabbat without feeling guilty.
But what if he got really angry? What if he thought she’d cheated on him deliberately? She knew that what she’d done was going to hurt him. There was no way it couldn’t. But he would have to believe her when she said that it had been an accident, wouldn’t he? He would know that she wasn’t interested in being with Scott. Tyler was the one she loved. She knew that even though neither of them had said the L word yet.
Maybe it’s time you said that, too, she thought suddenly.
She hadn’t even thought about that. Could she tell Tyler that she loved him? That was a big deal. A really big deal. Boys always freaked out when girls told them that they loved them. At least that’s what she’d always heard. Would Tyler do the same thing? He wasn’t like any other guy she’d ever known. If she told him that she loved him, would he suddenly turn out to be just as nervous about hearing it as other guys apparently were?
She didn’t know what to do. Should she tell him about Scott? Should she tell him she loved him? The questions repeated themselves over and over in her head as she and Tyler continued to walk. If she did tell him she loved him, how would she say it? She tried to imagine herself saying the words. Even while going over them silently in her head she stumbled over them, nervous about doing it all wrong and looking like an idiot.
They were going deeper into the forest. The trees above them grew more closely together, and less light came through. But it was still warm, and even in the diminished light Kate could see clearly. It is the longest day of the year, after all, she reminded herself.
“So what are we supposed to do until the dance tonight?” she asked Tyler, deciding that the issue of what to say to him could wait a while longer.
“Whatever we want to,” he answered. “But the queen will be out soon, so we must listen for her.”
“The queen, the queen,” Kate said. “I’m getting tired of hearing about this queen. I know she’s your mother and all, but what’s the big deal?”
“Quiet,” Tyler said, putting a finger to his mouth. “You’ll get us in trouble.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Sorry,” she said. “I forgot. Why did you say she wouldn’t like my costume?”
Tyler stopped and turned to gaze at Kate. “Because you are so beautiful,” he said. “She doesn’t like it when her attendants are more beautiful than she is herself.”
Finally, Kate thought, a compliment. Well, better late than never. And she was glad that Tyler liked her outfit. She’d worked hard on it.
“You’re not such a bad-looking raven yourself,” she answered.
Kate looked up into Tyler’s face. The raven mask covered his eyes and nose, but his mouth was bare. He was looking at her as if he was waiting for her to do something. She leaned forward, ready to kiss him, but he pulled away and looked around nervously.
“We can’t,” he said. “If she sees us she will be angry.”
“Your mother has seen us kiss before,” Kate said, a little annoyed. She loved it that Tyler could get so involved in the spirit of the ritual, but she wouldn’t mind if he broke role for just a minute or two.
“What is your name?” he asked.
“What?” Kate said. “You know what my name is.”
Tyler stared at her blankly, his eyes unmoving behind the raven mask. What did he mean, he didn’t know her name? Then Kate realized that he was simply continuing with the game. That was okay. If he wanted to pretend that they were different people she could do that. She thought for a moment before answering.
“I’m Princess Goatcheese,” she said, thinking of the most ridiculous name she could.
Tyler took her hand. “And I am Raven,” he said.
Kate groaned. “Couldn’t you come up with something a little more original?” she asked. It wasn’t like Tyler to be so boring.
He didn’t reply. Instead, he bent down and plucked one tiny purple violet from a clump that was growing beside a rock. He placed it in the crown of flowers Kate wore on her head.
“Now I will always be able to pick you out from among the other faeries,” he said. “Not that I would need any help.”
“I should hope not,” Kate said. “How many other girls with wings will be at this dance anyway?”
“All of the faeries will be there,” Tyler answered. “And any others the queen invites.”
“Invitation only, eh?” said Kate. “I’m glad I’m on the guest list.”
“You have a strange way of talking,” Tyler said. “I’ve never heard one speak as you do.”
“Speaking of talking,” Kate said, “I think we need to talk a little bit before tonight.”
She was ready to tell him all about Scott and the kiss. She knew that if she put it off any longer it would just get harder and harder to tell him at all. They were alone now. Later they would be surrounded by all of their friends. This might be her only opportunity for a while. Hard as it was going to be, she just had to spit it out.
She sat down on the rock that had the violets growing around it and motioned for Tyler to sit next to her. He did, peering at her with his bird face.
“Could you take the mask off for a minute?” Kate asked him. “It’s kind of tough talking to someone with a beak.”
“I can’t,” Tyler said simply.
Kate sighed. She wasn’t about to argue with him when what she was going to say would probably just make him even angrier. If he wanted to talk to her with a bird mask on, that was fine. It would be easier than staring into his eyes anyway.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Kate began. She chose her words carefully so that what she said next could go either in the “I love you” direction or in the “I kissed Scott” direction. Even as she paused to speak she wasn’t sure which she was going to go with first.
Tyler was waiting for her to continue. She saw him watching her, not saying anything. But now that she’d started, she didn’t know what to say. Should she break his heart first and then put it back together? Or should she tell him how she felt about him so that finding out about her kissing Scott wouldn’t be so hard to take? Neither option seemed very appealing now that she had to pick one.
“I think you’re really special,” she said finally. “That’s why I need to tell you that—”
She was cut off by the sound of voices coming through the forest behind them. The trees around them stirred as if a wind were blowing, and a gale of laughter, like bells ringing, floated through the air. Kate sniffed and found that the scent of flowers had surrounded them, a mixture so rich and intoxicating that it made her head swim a little.
“It’s her!” Tyler said, leaping to his feet and looking around wildly.
“Who?” asked Kate, not moving from the rock.
“The queen!” Tyler told her. “She’s begun her revels. We must go quickly.”
The rustling in the trees grew louder. Kate stood up, dusting off her dress and straightening her wings. “Not so fast,” she said. “I want to meet this queen.” She knew that Rowan, Tyler’s mother, would really get into playing the role of the Faerie Queen, and she couldn’t wait to see her costume.
“No,” Tyler said. “You can’t. She’ll be angry with me. And with you. We must go.” He grabbed Kate’s h
and and tried to pull her down the path.
Kate shook him off. “What’s wrong with you?” she said, a little bit angry. “This is just a game. She’s not going to do anything.”
The trees around them shook, sending butterflies into the air. Kate could hear the voices growing closer. She wondered how many people Rowan had with her to make so much noise. She also wondered how she’d managed to get the flowery smell so strong. She must be covered in perfume, she thought.
“I cannot stay,” Tyler said. “Won’t you come with me?”
“No,” Kate said firmly. “I’m not afraid of any Faerie Queen. I’m the Princess Goatcheese, remember?”
“Very well,” answered Tyler. “I hope I will see you again. Be careful. She is beautiful, but she loves nothing more than to play tricks.”
He turned and darted down one of the forest paths, disappearing into the trees and leaving Kate alone to meet his mother. Kate looked after him, shaking her head. Oh, well, she thought as she watched him go, at least it gives me a little more time to decide what to tell him.
“And who might you be?” a voice behind her asked. It was a woman’s voice, strong and beautiful. Hearing it, Kate knew instantly whom it belonged to. She turned around and looked into the face of the Faerie Queen.
CHAPTER 3
The music was coming from somewhere ahead of her. Cooper paused, straining to hear more clearly. All of a sudden the woods, which had seemed so silent and peaceful earlier, seemed to be full of sounds. The wind sighing in the branches. The birds chirping. The murmuring voices of the other people walking by her as she stood among the trees. They all competed for attention with the beautiful music, and she was having a hard time separating out the irresistible melody she’d heard all too briefly.
Then it came to her again, a run of notes all falling over each other like children rolling down a hill and laughing. It was like nothing she’d ever heard before. Again she tried to hold it in her memory, and again it vanished before she could quite recall all of it.