by Julia Crane
An hour later, there was a knock at the door. My mother glanced between me and my father and quietly said, “I know neither of you are happy about this, but we need help. I expect you both to be on good behavior.”
I pursed my lips, but nodded. Dad did the same.
Mom stood up and walked to the back door. Opening it, she said, “Good evening, Azura. Please come in.”
“Thank you, Angela. You have been most kind to me even after everything I did.”
“Aren’t we all just victims of circumstance?” my mother responded gently, but her eyes were pinched as she led Azura into the living room.
It still amazed me that this seemingly young woman was my mother. Azura’s hair was a shade lighter and a little longer than mine. Her green eyes matched her light green wings, and she wore a long, flowy dress that made her look like a hippie.
“Max,” Azura greeted my father. Then she turned to me. “Oleander, you look beautiful. It’s so good to see you.”
I cringed as she called me by my faery name. “Thanks.”
Azura sat down in the armchair across from the couch where my dad and I were seated next to each other. She leveled her gaze on me. “I understand that something has happened?”
I took a deep breath. “Kallan showed up at my school. He’s glamoured and attending classes.”
Shock and confusion crossed her face for a brief moment before she composed herself. “I don’t understand. He’s taking classes in a human school?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you spoken to him?”
I nodded. “He said he was here for me. So, what does that mean? I have an entire year until I’m supposed to return.”
Azura sat back in her chair. “I’m not sure. Let me think.” She closed her eyes and remained very quiet.
I looked between my mother and father. Mom shrugged and Dad sat with his ankles and arms crossed. I rolled my eyes. This was ridiculous. What was she going to do? Wave her arms and make things go back to normal?
Azura lifted her head and shook it. “I’m sorry. I have no idea why he would do such a thing. I can’t believe his father even allowed it. Dark faeries are not my favorite by a long stretch, but they always keep their word. Maybe he wants to see you in your natural environment.”
“That’s all you’ve got?” I asked, aghast. “I thought you were going to be of some help.”
My father stared at Azura, his face passive. “I think I should have a talk with this boy.”
“Dad, no. At least let me talk to him again and see if he’ll tell me what’s really going on. If Azura is right, he can’t make me leave.”
“You’re damn right he can’t.”
“The dark faery being here just doesn’t make sense to me. I’m sorry I can’t help you more.” Azura leaned far over to put her hand on mine. “Oleander, I know you have been avoiding me, but you really need to come see your world. We have seers that might know what is going on.”
I glanced over at my mother, and she nodded. She had been pushing me for a long time to learn more about my heritage.
“I don’t like it. How do we know she would be safe with you?” My father leaned forward, his forearms resting on his legs. The look he gave Azura held no doubt that if she were to bring me to harm, he’d hunt her down.
“Oleander would only be on sacred ground,” Azura assured him. “There is no way any one of the dark would try to take her. I promise you, she would be safe.”
“Hello?” I snapped, looking between the three of them. “Stop talking about me like I’m not here. It’s my decision to make.”
All three relented, Dad holding his hands up, Azura nodding, and Mom smiling.
I caught Azura’s eye. “Do you really think there is someone who could help me?”
“Yes, Oleander. As you know, I cannot lie.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and mulled the idea over in my mind. Truth be told, I was curious about what the light faery land would look like compared to the land of the dark. Maybe it was time I faced the truth. I’d been trying so hard to convince myself I was a normal human, but there was no denying that I was a member of the fey.
“Fine, I’ll go with you,” I started, but I glared when Azura beamed at me. “But only for a little while.”
When Azura’s face lit up like that, if it was possible, she looked even more beautiful. She clasped her hands together at her chest. “Thank you, Oleander. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
I sighed, already regretting my decision. Curiosity killed the cat and all. “When do we go?”
Azura turned behind her and looked out the window into the darkness, as if gauging the time. “Tomorrow when you get home from school. I promise to have you back by nightfall.”
I looked to my parents for their responses, and even though Dad’s face was pinched and Mom’s eyes were worried, they both agreed.
“I think you certainly should, Rylie,” my mother told me with a wry grin. “Azura tells me you have much to learn.”
“Tell me about it,” I breathed.
My mother stood up, signaling the meeting was over. “Thank you for your help, Azura. Don’t forget we are meeting for coffee on Thursday.”
Azura smiled sincerely and stood to clasp my mom’s hands. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Coffee? Since when are you two best friends?” I stared at my mom with my mouth agape.
“We have kept in touch,” Mom said, her voice stern. “If I was in Azura’s shoes, I would hope she would do the same for me.”
“She took our baby, for crying out loud!” Dad barked, his face turning beet red.
My dad was clearly just learning about this friendship, as well. I think we both felt the same way about it.
“Yes, I know that.” Mom narrowed her eyes. “And she gave us Rylie. If she hadn’t come around desperate for someone to take care of her biological child, we wouldn’t have any child at all. I’m very grateful to her. There is no reason we can’t all get along.”
My father seemed at a loss for words. “You should have told me,” he finally muttered.
My mom walked Azura to the door. When she came back into the room, my father and I stared at her, neither of us saying anything.
“Oh, get over it. She’s lovely.” My mom turned her back on us and made her way to the kitchen.
I exchanged an irritated glance with my dad, and then we followed.
Mom pulled out a glass and poured herself iced tea. “I’ve been telling you to give her a chance, Ry. It’s really hard for her that you won’t let her in your life. I can’t even imagine what she must be going through.”
“How long have you been meeting her?” my father asked with an edge to his voice. “And why the secrecy?”
“Since Rylie came back. I wasn’t really keeping a secret. I always told you I was meeting a friend for coffee or lunch. I knew you guys wouldn’t understand. As a mother, I feel very bad for Azura. She sacrificed her daughter for her safety. You can’t begin to imagine how hard that had to have been for her. I guess it’s my way of repaying her.”
Dad walked up behind her and put his arms around her. “I wish you had told me.”
“You never want to talk about it. Both of you just want to act like none of this is going on.” She trained her eyes on me, her knuckles turning white as she grasped the glass. “Well, time is ticking, and you’ll be eighteen before we know it. We need to face this reality, no matter how bizarre it is.”
Dad sank into a chair, but didn’t reply.
“I can’t talk about this,” I muttered, pivoting on the balls of my feet.
“Rylie!” my mom called after me. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
I turned slowly and shook my head. “I’m not mad. I just want to be alone.”
I still couldn’t believe Kallan had showed up at my school. What did it mean? Azura said it didn’t make sense to her. That meant he didn’t come because of my promise to him. If dark faeries always kept their
word, they wouldn’t force me to go early.
I trudged into my room and threw myself onto the bed in the dark. My only hope would be that someone I’d meet tomorrow might be able to help. I yawned and felt my eyelids getting heavier. I had homework to do, but I was too tired to do it right then, so I closed my eyes.
The alarm woke me at six a.m., and I groggily hit the button to dismiss it as I rolled out of bed.
The minute I stood, my wings sprang open, and I flapped them a few times. They liked to be stretched first thing in the morning, just like it felt good to stretch my arms and legs. I hurried through my shower and didn’t waste time standing in front of my closet. I grabbed a pair of white jeans and an off-the-shoulder red shirt.
I took the stairs two-by-two and plopped down at the kitchen table, where I took my workbook and pencil out of my backpack and began doing homework. After a few problems, I peeled a banana and crammed it in my mouth.
“Slow down, Rylie. You’ll choke,” Mom said over my shoulder, the scent of her coffee wafting towards me.
“No time,” I said, my voice muffled from the banana.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” she scolded.
I rolled my eyes. Mothers.
“Homework?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you forget it?”
“I just didn’t get to it last night. I fell asleep.”
“Oh. Okay. I’ll let you finish.” She tinkered around the kitchen, making herself breakfast. She was a teacher at the local elementary school, so she usually left around the same time I did.
Sierra’s horn honked before I was done with my homework.
“Did you finish?” Mom asked, giving me a stern look over her toast.
The progress report thing. She was going to ride me hard until I got my grades up. I smiled. “It’s okay, I’ll finish before class.
“All right…” she responded, the tone of her voice telling me “you better.”
On the ride to school, I leaned back against the seat and tried to relax. My shoulders were already tense just thinking about if Kallan would be there again, and what we would say to each other.
“You’re quiet,” Sierra observed.
“Thinking.”
“About Kallan?”
“Yeah. I don’t understand why he’s here.”
Sierra signaled to turn out of my neighborhood. “Can’t you ask him?”
“I tried.” I sighed, watching my favorite department store whiz past, dark and silent so early in the morning. “His answer was cryptic and then we were interrupted.”
“Ask him again.”
“I plan to. But what if he’s here to take me back?”
“Don’t you think he would have done that already?”
I shrugged. It wasn’t like he’d had that many opportunities to force me back to his world—I’d only just seen him for the first time yesterday. If that was what he wanted, he didn’t have to go to my school to make it happen. He and his father could use brute force or even dark magick to bring me back, which was why I was certain there was more to this than met the eye.
“I don’t like not knowing,” I said as we took the curve into the school parking lot.
“Well then talk to him.”
Sure, I needed to talk to him. But she made it sound so easy.
Adam was waiting for me near the front door, as usual. “Hey, beautiful.”
“Hey, yourself.”
“What’s wrong?” He pressed a kiss to my forehead and squeezed my shoulder. “You looked upset.”
I made a face as we went through the front doors. “I didn’t get a chance to do my homework last night.”
Oh, and the dark faery prince I’m promised to marry sits next to me in history class. Right, because I could tell him what was really on my mind.
“Bummer.” He turned over his wrist to study his watch. “Looks like you’ve got about twenty minutes if you get to your first class ASAP.”
“That’s my plan. Not even gonna hit my locker.” I patted my backpack.
Adam tossed an arm over my shoulders. “Hey, so was something going on last night? You usually call or text, and you didn’t.”
“I was tired. I fell asleep.” I grimaced. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I was just a little worried.”
“You could have called me.”
“I didn’t want to bother you.”
“Next time, call.” I stopped in front of my first period class and pecked his lips.
He laughed. “Okay.”
Just then, a flurry of loud voices burst through the hallway, and I glanced over Adam’s shoulder to see Kallan rounding the corner with a bunch of girls around him. He was smiling and talking, but something in his eyes told me he wasn’t enjoying the attention like he was pretending to.
I didn’t stop to think what I was doing. I turned back to Adam and stood on my tiptoes, sliding my arms around his neck and planting a long, hard kiss to his lips. The heated kiss was just the wrong side of passion for school, but luckily my teacher wasn’t around.
When we broke the kiss, Kallan had passed us.
“I love you,” I whispered, teasing my fingers through Adam’s hair.
“I love you, too,” he replied. His hands tightened on my waist and he winked. “Do you want to study after school?”
I giggled. By “study” he meant “look at our books for a minute and then go make out.”
“Heck yeah!” I said, tempted to kiss him again. Then last night rushed back and I groaned. “Oh, wait. I can’t.”
“Why?”
“I have...” I paused. “An appointment.”
“With a doctor? Are you okay?”
“No. A lady.”
“A lady?” Adam’s brows knitted together and he stepped away from me. “Why all the secrecy, Rylie?”
He looked confused and rightfully so. I couldn’t tell him the truth, but I couldn’t lie to him either.
Crap. I sighed. “She wants to talk about my family.”
“Your family?”
“I’m learning more about my heritage.”
“Okay. Like your family tree or something?”
“Yeah, something like that.” I sighed, relieved when he didn’t press on.
Much like his first day, Kallan was always surrounded by girls. I wasn’t even able to catch him alone in the bathroom like the day before, though there wasn’t a time he didn’t pass me and catch my eye. We seriously needed to have a chat, and I could tell he agreed, but the cheerleading squad wasn’t helping. It would have felt so underhanded to Adam if I tried to find out where Kallan was staying so that I could go speak to him, but another day like today and I’d go mad.
I tried to stay focused on school but failed utterly. At three o’clock, Adam dropped me off at home.
“Who’s that?” he asked, nodding at the porch.
Azura sat stiffly on the bench swing, her long blonde hair flowing down her back.
“That’s the lady I have to talk to,” I said, irritated that she was already here. I’d been hoping to escape the car and get Adam on the road before she showed up.
“Wow, I can tell she’s family. She looks just like you.” Adam hopped out of the truck and walked around to open my door.
Ugh. I really didn’t want to be told that I looked like Azura.
After I stepped from the truck, I started to say goodbye to him there, but he took my hand and said, “I’ll walk you up.”
Great. Now I’d have to introduce them.
“Hi.” I nodded at Azura as she stood to greet us. “Adam, this is Azura.”
“Nice to meet you.” He stuck out his hand.
They shook, and Azura inclined her head regally. “And you, as well.”
There was a moment of silence. I wondered if Adam was waiting for me to tell him how the two of us were related, but there was no way that was going to happen. I spoke up before anybody else could. “Okay. Azura and I need to start talking, and you need
to get home, Adam.”
He nodded. “Call me later?”
“Of course.”
He leaned over and kissed me lightly before heading back to his car.
Once he was gone, I turned to Azura. “Thanks for not saying anything I’d have to explain.”
“Seems like a nice boy,” she commented.
I scoffed. “Right. Because you can tell after two words.”
“Just trying to bond with you,” Azura said with a sigh.
I felt bad. “Sorry. Let me take my backpack inside, and I’ll be right back.”
The house was empty. I dropped my backpack to the comforter in my room, and tucked my cell phone into my pocket—then chastised myself. What use would it be in a different realm? I set it on the nightstand, took a cursory glance at myself in the mirror, and returned to Azura.
“Are you ready?” she asked with a sweet smile. “I’m so looking forward to introducing you to everyone.”
“Everyone?” Oh, boy. I didn’t like the sound of that.
We began walking towards the forest. I hadn’t gotten anywhere near it since I walked out of it a year ago, leaving behind weeks in captivity and a sullen, heartbroken Kallan. As the shadow of the trees fell over me, my breathing quickened and my heart pounded. Memories of being captured and dragged to the dark faery realm came flooding back to me. I turned back to my house, a safe place, and wondered if I should just go home.
Azura put her hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”
I didn’t even want to know how she knew what I was feeling. “I don’t like being back here.”
“I understand.” Azura’s voice was calm. “I won’t force you to come if you’re not ready, but I would like you to.”
I looked in her eyes. She had been so patient with me these past months. It was time for me to take responsibility. Turning back around, I gestured to the woods. “Let’s try again.”
Slowly, we walked to the tree line. Varwik’s face flashed before me in my mind. I kept telling myself he wasn’t really there, that I wasn’t in danger.
Azura patted my shoulder. “Just remember, you’re going to the light faery realm. They can’t find you there.”