Hallie crumpled the paper between her fists as the first tear hit her desk.
Of course she didn’t get in. Sabine University’s folklore program was only the most competitive in the country. And of course she didn’t apply anywhere else. And of course she had already told her parents—who already told everyone they knew—that she was a shoo-in.
And of course Kat had tried to tell her.
Stupid. She should have listened to Wyn. To Kat. But Kat was gone now, and it seemed she’d taken every good thing along with her.
Hallie rubbed at the fresh red scar across her collarbone. Even if she wanted to forget it all, she couldn’t.
After the accident, she had nearly failed her last literature class, missing the deadline for the biggest paper of the semester. Luckily, the professor had been understanding and let her turn it in late. Even a C was better than a 0.
And she got nothing done the entire week of the funeral.
And now this. Hallie sincerely hoped it was true that bad things came in threes. Maybe this meant the bad was finally past, like the spring shower pelting her windowpane.
How was she ever going to explain to her parents?
She tossed the crumpled paper onto her crowded desk where it was lost amidst her notes and books for finals. None of it seemed to matter now. She might as well skip her last final tomorrow and start packing up her dorm room. She stretched her arms over her head and leaned back in the chair, taking a shaky breath.
“You could always ask for help,” came a voice from behind her.
A male voice.
Hallie’s chair hit the cement floor with a thunk, and she spun to face the intruder without standing. A boy about her age stood in the door, his hair shaggy and storm-tossed from the wind outside. His black frames almost hid his eyes behind the glint of the fluorescent light, and behind him, her dorm’s door was definitely still closed. And locked.
“How did you get in here?” She swiped at the tears on her cheeks.
“The more important point is that I’m here,” he responded with a toothy smile. “After all, this is what you wanted, isn’t it? Don’t you want to know how I can help you?”
The air seemed to shimmer around the young man. There was more to him than what she could see, she knew that. Yet, in this moment, it didn’t seem important that she remember why she should care. Why she might worry. Wyn, as a Fae, had taught her something, but Hallie’s brain was fuzzy, like this boy radiated something to make her forget.
Her locked door was concerning. But she had summoned a Fae, any Fae, in the hopes that she could still fix at least one thing in her life. She just never thought one would actually appear.
And then she was speaking before she even realized it. “How can you help me?”
His grin grew even wider, were that possible. He took another few steps into the room. The crumpled rejection letter rolled from the pile of notes and smoothed itself in front of her. She snatched it up and held it to her chest as if she could hide the painful words from him.
“I can make that rejection...” He thought for a moment, looking up into a distant corner. A sharp tooth glinted in the artificial light of the dorm. “Transform.”
“Transform?”
“You want to get in, right? To be a student at Sabine? Well, I can make that happen.”
Hallie’s breath caught in her throat. He could get her in? How?
“I have ways,” he said, as if reading her thoughts. “But it won’t be for free.”
Her heart dropped. Of course. No magic was ever free.
“What do you want?” she forced from her wooden lips.
He smiled again. “Not much. I just want your first discovery. Your academic firstborn, if you will.”
“What?”
“I get the credit for your first discovery, my dear. That’s all.”
That was it? Her first paper would belong to him, whoever he was? That didn’t seem so bad. Her mind scrambled furiously, trying to see a downside to the offer, but nothing came to mind.
She should stop here. Think on it. Sleep on it. Wasn’t that what Wyn had always told her? Don’t trust the Fae too easily?
But why? She could change her fate. And all it would cost was a single piece of research. Didn’t she have a whole lifetime ahead of her, anyway? Her entire life to learn folklore, to find out where story and truth intersected?
She nodded slowly. “Okay.”
“Wonderful!” he said.
The boy stepped forward, extending a hand. She rose from her desk chair and took it. Vines of golden-green magic wrapped around both their arms, and the air hummed with energy. She could feel it sinking into her skin, a warmth like the first breath of spring air.
He released her hand and gestured at the letter, still clutched against her chest. “Look.”
She pulled it away, her eyes scanning the page quickly.
Congratulations, it said in place of We are sorry to inform you...
Hallie caught her breath. So easily? Could it really be that simple? She looked back up at the boy.
“It is done,” the boy said. And then he was gone.
Chapter One
Present
This was big. Possibly the biggest thing ever discovered in the history of...well, ever.
Hallie snapped her book closed. This was going to make an excellent paper, for starters. There was so much potential, so much she could fix. It was her first real breakthrough, the first step toward what she wanted: learning where the folklore of humanity contained truth of the Fae.
And what a truth this could be.
She had all of spring break to work on it, outside the walls of Sabine University. Instead, she’d be relaxing (working) on the beach. Well, on the shore of one of the lakes up in the Poconos, at least.
There was just one thing in her way: the drive there. It wasn’t the destination or Wyn picking her up...it was the car ride itself, reminding her of things she’d rather forget. After Kat, every car seemed like a threat. She could barely even manage her commute every day.
She gathered up her library books, textbooks, and piles of journal papers from her desk, shoving as many as possible into her backpack. She wouldn’t be back for an entire week, so she’d better be sure she didn’t miss even a scrap of her research. As soon as her bag, and her arms, were full, she strode past her advisor’s office, gave him a quick wave and a shaky smile, and bolted for the exit.
She stood on the sidewalk, her books growing heavier with every passing second. Her heart was racing, and she couldn’t stop her foot from tapping the cement anxiously.
Where was Wyn?
Hallie dropped her stack of books to a bench and tapped her phone. It had only been five minutes, but it felt more like five years. She didn’t know how much longer she could stand waiting, and her finger hovered over her phone screen. Should she just cancel? Stay at her apartment for break instead?
An ancient gray sedan sped into the school’s cul-de-sac, tires crunching on gravel as Wyn slowed to a stop next to Hallie. Hallie shoved her phone back in the side pocket of her backpack and snatched up her stack of books and papers.
Wyn rolled down the window, twisting her neck to fit her antlers through the window. She was one of the Spring Fae, Aerwyna to the Fae, though not officially part of any of the nearby Courts. Deer Fae, or Harts, were too capricious for that.
“Get in, loser!” she said with a smile.
Hallie smiled back, though her face felt numb, her joy hollow, and dumped her burden in the back seat.
She swallowed and moved around to the other side. “Do you have the bags?”
“In the trunk.”
Hallie dropped herself into the passenger seat and rolled down her window. It was warm today, and she was going to do her best to relax for the two-hour drive north. Wyn’s cousin even had a lake house, so they didn’t have to rent a place for the week. There should be nothing weighing her down now.
Wyn drove the car out of the city and onto the highway. The win
d coming through the window whipped Hallie’s hair back and forth, tickling her face, and the combination of the warm sun, heavy beat of the music Wyn was blasting, and gentle rocking of the car lulled her into a restless doze.
***
Three years ago
Hallie sank down lower on her dorm-issue bed, hiding behind half of a fuzzy green body pillow. “Well? Say something!”
Kat blinked into the empty room. “Wow. I would never have thought...wow.”
Hallie groaned, pulling the pillow up until her face was completely hidden behind it. “Is that all you can say?”
The dorm room’s door clicked closed. “Say about what?” came Wyn’s voice from the threshold. There were clomps of Wyn’s hooves along the hard, carpeted floor, then a thump that Hallie assumed was Wyn dumping her bag on the floor next to her bed.
The three girls shared a triple, one of the only triples in the building. It was the first year they’d been able to request a room together, and they were certainly taking advantage of it.
Hallie peeked over the top of the pillow. Kat still sat next to her, hugging one of the hot pink throw pillows that adorned Hallie’s bed, and Wyn stood in front of them, hands propped on her shapely hips.
As soon as she saw Hallie’s hair, her hands dropped limply to her sides. “Oh. Wow.”
“Is that all you can say?” Hallie groaned again and tried to pull the pillow over her head, but Kat grabbed her arm, pulling it away.
“Stop,” Kat demanded, eyeing Hallie’s silver hair. Just that morning it had been deep ebony, almost black. “Don’t apologize for doing what you wanted to do. If this makes you happy, then we’re happy.”
“Yeah,” Wyn added, the ribbons tied to her antlers twirling in the breeze from the air conditioner. “Just because it’s different—and a surprise to us—doesn’t mean it’s bad. It suits you. Really.”
Hallie closed her eyes, breathing out in relief. Kat was right. She had wanted to dye her hair this color for years, so why should she apologize for it now? Of all creatures, Kat and Wyn would be the last to judge her.
And that was why they were her family almost as much as her actual family was. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
***
Present
Gradually the landscape went from city to town to forest, and then they were surrounded by pristine Pennsylvania woodland. Once Wyn turned off the highway, Hallie couldn’t help but stare at the gorgeous landscape, slowly coming to life after the cold gray of winter. The air grew colder as the trees shaded the road, and she pulled her jacket closer.
But the chill wasn’t just in the air. It was in the car, like Kat’s ghost sat in the back seat with all Hallie’s books.
She focused outside as if it held the answers to life, drinking the sunlight and wishing it could warm her frozen bones.
When Wyn had suggested this trip, Hallie almost said no. It was hours in the car, longer than she’d been a passenger for two years.
It was so hard to get in a car, to drive so far after the accident, but maybe this was what they both needed: a long drive to a beautiful glade.
A place without her memory. A replacement for the fear.
The guilt.
Hallie sighed. They could both use a break. She felt like she’d barely seen Wyn in weeks, and there was a layer of tension under their excitement, under the inane conversations, that had never been there before.
Something was broken, but she couldn’t tell if it was their relationship...or if it was just Hallie.
The drive was over before she knew it. Wyn turned down a gravel drive, tires crunching on the stone, and stopped in front of an A-frame cabin. The lake glittered cobalt in the bright sunlight behind it, shining white sand on the edge of the gently lapping waves.
This week was going to be perfect. She desperately needed it to be.
Chapter Two
Three years ago
“You did what?” Kat said, expression incredulous.
Hallie twirled one of the studs in her ear. “I kind of told them I would absolutely get in to Sabine.”
Wyn sat down hard on her bed, frowning darkly. “Sabine is one of the hardest colleges to get into. And its folklore program only accepts nine students each year. From the whole world. Including the Fae Courts. And what are you even going to do with a folklore degree? The only thing is teaching and research. Are you ready for that?”
Hallie took a deep, steadying breath. She had imagined this conversation differently. That Wyn and Kat would somehow be happy for her, to see her confidence in herself. After all, it was only after their help that she’d even begun to accept that she could be smart enough for Sabine. That she might fit in there.
She didn’t think they’d berate her like this.
“And you told them you would definitely get in? Did you even send out any other applications?” Kat gazed at her. Always the responsible one, of course she would ask about back-ups. She had applied to at least ten different med schools, and knowing Kat, she’d get into all of them.
But Hallie? She should have applied to ten schools. But none of them were like Sabine, none as good as Sabine. None of them had that perfect program she wanted, and if it did, it was just as hard to get into.
“Did you apply to multiple schools, too?” Hallie shot at Wyn.
Wyn rolled her eyes. “Of course I did. Not everyone wants to accept Fae, you know. I had to cover my bases.”
Hallie’s stomach sank. Maybe she had made a mistake after all.
***
Present
“So, how’s the research going?” Wyn asked, adjusting her sunglasses. She lay on a bright green beach towel, her antlers’ points half buried in the soft, smooth sand. The green, yellow, and pink ribbons tied to each spike fluttered in the breeze, and her pale belly shone in the sun’s glare.
Hallie turned over on her own towel, hoping for a little tan on her back. Her eyes drifted to the broken point on Wyn’s antlers, and she pushed away the memory of how it broke.
She shoved her textbook farther away, blinking back the memories. “I found something amazing.”
“Yeah?”
“It could change everything.”
Wyn was quiet a moment, disbelief on her face. “You’re still talking about folklore research, right?”
Hallie laughed. “Of course.”
This seemed to get Wyn’s attention, and she turned onto her side, propping her head on her hand. Hallie had to squint against the other girl’s bright yellow bikini. It was an adorable suit, really, a bright yellow affair with a twist across the bust and scarlet roses printed all over. It reminded her of fairy tales. But then again, Wyn was practically a fairy tale herself as a Hart.
“So what is it?”
Hallie bit her lip. She had all the research, of course, and her advisor had at least glanced over her initial notes, but...was she really ready to share it? Would anyone even believe her?
Better to finish her paper first.
“Let’s talk about something else,” Hallie said instead. “I promise I’ll tell you when I’ve worked more of it out.”
They were both quiet for a moment, then Wyn said, “I miss Kat.”
Pain stabbed into Hallie’s chest. She couldn’t talk about that either. Anything but that.
Wyn’s words broke their happy façade like nothing else could. Why couldn’t they just pretend, for once, that they hadn’t lost a third of their triangle? That they hadn’t started drifting apart? Besides, if she could finish this research, maybe that drunk driver...well, maybe they could have Kat back after all. Like it never happened.
“Not that,” Hallie said.
Wyn sighed, her own eyes sad for a moment, but then a mischievous smile touched her lips. “How about a certain blind date someone had last Friday?”
Hallie looked up at a passing cloud, feigning innocence. “What about it?”
Wyn laughed and turned back toward her, tossing an empty soda can at her. It bounced off the warm sand,
and Hallie held up an arm, laughing.
“Okay, okay,” she said. “I’ll talk!” She thought back to the date, set up by Wyn. She wasn’t in love or anything; she’d made a fool of herself. She hadn’t been ready to make a new connection.
And it came out in all the humiliating ways she could have imagined in her nightmares.
“Spill it already!” Wyn said, propping her chin on her hand.
“I kind of...” She waved her hand in the air vaguely. The rest of the words spilled so fast it was like water pouring from a faucet. “Said I was going to the bathroom and snuck out the back door.”
Wyn sat up so quickly that sand flew in every direction. “What?”
Hallie sat up and turned to face her. “I know,” she groaned. “But it was too much! You don’t understand! I was way underdressed—”
“What? I thought I told you to dress nice.”
“I thought I had! I just didn’t expect him to take me to the fanciest restaurant in town!”
Wyn leaned forward. “What? He said he was just going to take you to one of those chain restaurants!”
Hallie could feel the heat creeping into her face again. “Well, he didn’t. And then you should have seen the looks the waitstaff gave me when they seated us. And the waitress suggested I order something like chicken fingers.”
Wyn’s jaw dropped. “No!”
“Yes! I was so mortified I couldn’t even finish the first course! I bailed right after the salad.”
“Tell me you at least texted him.”
Hallie didn’t answer, instead covering her face with a hand. Heat crept into her cheeks. She’d ghosted the dude.
“Hallie! You didn’t!” A breeze picked up, and the ribbons streaming from Wyn’s antlers tickled Hallie’s bare arms.
Hallie shrugged, pulling her cardigan over her shoulders. Where had the sun gone?
Wyn groaned and threw herself back down on her beach towel. “You should text him back. At least tell him something. Like you suddenly got food poisoning. Or you can’t commit to anyone. Anything so he’s not left blaming himself. He’s a nice guy, really.”
Embarrassment surged forward, covering up her shame. “I can’t. I’ve already ruined my chances.” She tucked a strand of silver-dyed hair behind her ear, letting the familiar motion calm her nerves.
Seasons of Magic Volume 1 Page 16