The Elf Girl

by Grabo, Markelle

  Unfortunately, the lunch bell rang almost instantly after our introduction and he turned away to leave.

  “See you around, Ramsey,” he said before he left.

  I gasped, covering my hands over mouth, my eyes wide open in sheer astonishment. It hadn’t been his line about seeing me again that had me almost gasping for air – though that sort of thing hardly ever happened and should have surprised me. No, it wasn’t his words.

  It was the pair of perfectly pointy ears that finally showed as he walked away that totally freaked me out. I decided that maybe he was a little weird. Just. Like. Me.

  Things had just gotten a lot more complicated.

  ~3~

  Elfen

  Then I fell for real. By fell, I mean fainted. At least it was in a different direction so I didn’t hit my spilled lunch. Sadly, this time I had no one to catch me.

  I woke up in the nurse’s office, woozy and in pain. They told me I had hit my head pretty hard when I fell. That was obvious. That cafeteria floor wasn’t made of marshmallows.

  Mom came to pick me up; the school’s procedure was that I go home. Don’t worry, they said; I could still go to the ball. Woohoo! I thought sarcastically to myself. Too bad I didn’t get a concussion or something. It would have been nice to have an excuse not to go. But I wasn’t so lucky.

  “What happened, Ramsey?” Mom asked during the car ride home.

  I decided not to mention the encounter with my pointy-eared rescuer. That would have definitely made my mother ask questions I was in no mood or position to answer. Instead, I went with an easy excuse, one that I knew would work as long as I didn’t let anything about Stellan slip. I had to admit it was hard not to say his name aloud. Just the thought still gave me goose bumps. I could picture his face clearly in my mind. Focusing on his image seemed to take the pain away from my head. Then I would remember his ears, and the headache would start all over again. Things were getting very weird lately, even for me. I knew that eventually I would have to come out of this huge mess of denial, because my plan to ignore the strange occurrences that kept happening wasn’t exactly working. Almost as if the more I ignored them, the more weird stuff kept happening.

  “Katie tripped me during lunch, and I fell and blacked out,” I said.

  “Why are girls your age so mean to each other all the time? When I was in school, I remember there being mean girls, but they never did anything physical!”

  “Yeah, if only we could go back to the good old days,” I said sarcastically.

  Why did parents always have to bring up when they were in school? As if it mattered what had happened to them. I was living in the now, and right now my head was killing me.

  “Oh, stop it, Ramsey. I know your head hurts, but try not to act so foul.”

  “Sorry,” I said.

  “You know, sometimes I just don’t understand you, hon.”

  “No one ever does….” I sighed.

  “Maybe you need to open up to people more. Let new friends in.”

  I rolled my eyes and shook my head, which only made the pain worse. Not even my loving parents would ever understand my life. Though I probably hadn’t been thinking clearly because of the pain, in the back of my mind, I had a feeling that if anyone were to ever understand me, it would be Addison, or even Stellan….The feeling both unnerved and comforted me.

  Mom went back to work after I was safe in bed, so I had some time to think. What had happened today? I still could hardly believe what I had seen and what I had heard. That gorgeous guy was actually a freak like me. How could it be possible? I thought I was a genetic mess-up, an accident. Now here stood Stellan, incredibly good looking with his pointy ears.

  I knew somehow that Addison fit into all of this. I just didn’t know why all these strange things were happening all of the sudden. Why had she told me I was an elf? Surely, it couldn’t be true. There was no way my life could be that interesting, that unreal. I was simply a freak. There couldn’t be anything more to it than that…could there?

  Something in the back of my mind was screaming to be known, but it may just have been my head begging for painkillers. The weak stuff they gave me at school wasn’t doing much good. In fact, it felt like I hadn’t taken anything at all. Didn’t those nurses read their manuals?

  Thinking of manuals finally led me to remembering the book. The book…that’s what I had trouble remembering! I had meant to look at the page in the inscription, but I had forgotten all about it. I had to look through it now. I couldn’t put it off. I knew somehow that this book – no matter how crazy it sounded because it was just a fantasy book – held something important for me. Being careful not to move too quickly, I slowly reached under my bed and felt around until I found leather.

  Without hesitation, I turned to page two hundred and seventy-three. The sight of the picture hit me with an invisible force I couldn’t describe, and I felt the woozy feeling coming back again.

  It was a woman: pale-haired, pale-skinned, green-eyed, and with pointy ears. She was extraordinarily stunning, pure like an angel. Her skin was almost luminescent, glowing with an incredible light. Next to her was another woman, but this one had pitch-black hair that shined unnaturally for a picture in a storybook. The man next to them looked almost exactly like Stellan, handsome and regal.

  I struggled to read the name at the top of the picture.

  “Elf,” I barely whispered.

  Had Addison been telling me the truth? Was I really an elf? How? Elves didn’t exist! I couldn’t deny the fact that I had believed in things like fairies most of my life, but the belief had never been so close to the truth. I never expected the fantasy to become a reality, but now it appeared as though it was.

  Sure, kids in school had called me Elf Girl, but I had always thought of elves as Santa’s helpers. These elves were beautiful and different. They were thin and tall. They were magical. They seemed so alive, full of mystery and intrigue.

  I decided to read on. I had to know every fact and every detail. I didn’t know why I was buying into this so quickly, but I didn’t stop to think about it.

  I started with the introduction. Under “appearance,” I read that elves – or elfin folk – were more beautiful than humans, either fair-haired or black-haired, had excellent singing voices, and were a lot like fairies without wings. They had pale skin and angelic physical characteristics, described as glowing people. They were angels without the wings, mysterious and pure.

  Elves were much more gifted in magic than humans, stronger mentally but not physically, had sharper senses and perceptions, and were said to be wiser as well. They loved nature and the forest, and hardly ever lived very far from a group of trees.

  It was all there. I matched everything: their appearance, singing abilities, mentality, and physical ability. It also explained why I liked the forest so much. It was all there for me in standardized print.

  Yet, a small part of me didn’t want to believe it, because believing it would change my life. Until today, I would have traded anything for a new life; now I wasn’t so sure. I was afraid of what the future would bring if I chose to believe.

  Nevertheless, how could I truly be an elf? My parents weren’t like me, and neither was my sister. How could I have been born an elf randomly?

  I looked under the family section to see if I could figure it out. It said elves and humans never mated because elves tended to stay in their world and humans in theirs – whatever that meant.

  If they did, the elf gene would be gone, leaving the new baby completely human. An elf couldn’t be born without two elfin parents. So, if it were true, I would have different parents, parents other than the ones I had shared a home with my whole life. I wondered if I even wanted to believe in the possibility….

  Did I forget to mention that some countries thought elves were demons? They looked like angels, but that was to deceive humans and lure them with their magic and beauty. Yeah, that’s right. I could be a demon. Once again, great.

  Before
I could shut the book and throw it across the room, another section caught my eye. It was on elf circles. I had heard of fairy rings from my fantasy books. If you stepped in the mushroom rings, you would end up in the fairy world. I had never heard of elf circles. Curious, I decided I would read just a few more lines from the fantasy guide:

  “On lake shores, where the grass met the water, you could find elf circles. They were round places where the grass was flattened like a floor. Elves had danced there. It could be dangerous, and one would fall ill if one stepped over such a place or if one disturbed anything there.”

  I threw the book across the room and it smacked against my bookshelf before dropping to the floor. I lay back on my bed and rubbed my temples, feeling a stronger headache coming on. This was all too much for me to handle, too much information, and too much shock and confusion. I couldn’t process it.

  Was I really an elf? If so, what was I supposed to do about it?

  Addison’s name floated through my mind, and suddenly I knew with a one hundred percent certainty that she was the key to all of this. Finally, I knew the reason for my gut feeling. I knew why she had such significance.

  I decided I hoped Addison would be at the ball tomorrow, because I was not leaving until I got some answers.

  ***

  I tried to hide my problems from my family, but it didn’t work. They knew something was wrong, just not what it was. I wanted to keep it that way. Until I had some answers of my own, I didn’t want to give any to anyone else. Thankfully, Dina spent all Saturday getting ready for the ball and didn’t have time to dig any deeper into my issues.

  We met downstairs, both dressed in our new gowns. Dina was ready to party; I was ready to get some answers.

  I had to admit, I looked good in my dress. If it weren’t for my ears and the dozen questions clouding my mind, I would be just another girl excited for a fairytale night at the ball. However, that was not the case. For a brief moment, I wished I was going to the ball with someone other than my sister. Maybe someone like Stellan….The thought drifted in and out of my mind.

  Dina looked gorgeous – as always – normal teen material, unlike my odd forms of beauty. Her dress was a soft peach with rhinestones decorating the top and sparkles all over the skirt. It was also strapless, making her look older and more developed in the chest region, which sparked some remarks from Mom, who didn’t really approve of the dress. She would definitely get looks all around, the good kind. I would be stared at, but not because I looked good. Just because of who I was.

  I was glad Dina had a date. It would keep her busy while I searched for Addison. Dina always felt it was her job to hang out with me when I was alone. I knew she meant well, but she only did it because she felt sorry for me. That just made me feel worse. My younger sister felt sorry for me. How lame.

  However, tonight was different. Carmen would be there, so Dina let it go this time. I wouldn’t be hanging around Carmen too much, though. She also had a date, and I had no interest in spending time with them. I wanted to find only one person: Addison.

  Maybe Stellan as well, if I could….It was tricky to keep my mind off him for very long lately.

  The dance was in the school gym. The theme was Medieval Times, and the huge space looked amazing. Carmen was on the decorating committee, so I figured it would be good, but I was still pleasantly surprised. Many students were already dancing when we arrived. I was glad I wasn’t one of the first ones there; no need to draw attention to myself. I had to try to blend in, though I knew it wouldn’t work out the way I planned. I had never blended in one day of my life. In fact, I hadn’t even gotten close, but I would try my best to stay hidden tonight.

  “Are you going to be okay, Ramsey?” Dina asked when we walked in.

  “Of course, go and have fun,” I told her, anxious to be alone.

  “Okay, you try and have fun too!” Dina ran off to join her friends.

  I sighed and watched her go. Finally, I could look around. I probably looked odd walking around the dancing students. As far as I could see, I was the only one on the dance floor not dancing. I tried not to pay attention to that.

  Looking for Addison turned out to be incredibly difficult. The gym was pitch-dark except for the flashing colored strobe lights from the DJ booth. I really hoped Addison would be here, and part of me worried that I would never find her. Even so, I tried to stay optimistic.

  I wanted to call out her name, but the roaring music didn’t give me a chance. I would probably look even more out of place anyway. I decided to leave the gym and look for her in the cafeteria, where they were serving cake and punch.

  On the way, I passed Dina making out with her boyfriend. Yuck. Oh well, you could only be young once, I guess. If my mother were there, she would probably have had a coronary. I prayed Dina would be careful. She didn’t notice me walk by, and I didn’t say anything. What she did wasn’t any of my business. I had business of my own.

  “Hello, Ramsey,” Addison chimed.

  Here was another one of those moments when I jumped into the air, literally.

  “Holy crap, you scared me!” I cried and turned around. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

  “Why?” Addison asked.

  It took me a moment to speak because I was so transfixed by the girl standing before me. She looked amazing in her gown. Vibrant and full of life, her face shone with confidence, as if she had nothing to hide. I suddenly felt envious of her. She was so different from me, even though we looked so similar. She was the essence of life, while I treated every day as if it were the end of the world.

  Her dress was a deep violet with slight, elegant ruffles from the waist to the bottom hem. I drew my eyes up to her face. Her pale hair hid her ears. I finally knew why, or at least I thought I knew why….

  “Ramsey? Hello?” Addison looked like she was getting irritated with my lack of response.

  “I need to talk to you,” I blurted.

  “We are talking,” she reminded me.

  “I need to talk to you alone, Addison. Please.”

  She seemed to understand my urgency and nodded. “Where should we go?” she asked in an almost whisper.

  “In five minutes outside by the bench under the willow tree.”

  “All right. I’ll be there,” she said.

  She hardly made a sound as she left me standing in the cafeteria. I wondered how she was able to be so light on her feet, being so tall.

  Our meeting place was secluded enough to talk, which was good, because I needed answers. I had to know the truth so I could move on. Maybe then, I would be able to put aside the accident on the bridge.

  The easiest way to the place was by going through the gym and out the front door. I was halfway through when Carmen rushed over to me, a wide smile across her face.

  “What have you been up to?” I asked, still in a hurry.

  “I’ve been with Jack. He is so amazing!”

  Carmen was bouncing with excitement and her eyes were shining. She looked so happy. I wondered when I had last felt the same way, probably never. Carmen smoothed down her gown: layers of blue edged with black lace and decorated at the shoulders with roses.

  “I’m happy for you, Carmen, really, I am. But I have to go. I’m meeting someone,” I explained quickly.

  “Who are you meeting?”

  “No one important,” I said too hastily. I had backed myself into a trap by showing just how eager I was to meet Addison. I fought the urge to curse and prayed Carmen would let it go.

  She didn’t.

  “Who is it?” she asked instead.

  “Carmen, I really have to go.” I was trying my best to wiggle my way out of the mess I had created.

  “Why won’t you tell me? Is it a guy?”

  Ignoring her questions, I shook my head. “I have to go. I’ll talk to you later. Have fun with Jack.” I walked away before she could protest, immersing myself in the crowd of dancing students.

  I felt bad about keeping secrets from
Carmen. She was my best friend, my only true and genuine friend, but I couldn’t say anything about Addison. Not until I could talk with her face to face. I knew I would have to apologize to Carmen later, but now wasn’t the right time.

  I knew I was late when I finally reached the spot. Addison was already waiting on the bench. I didn’t know how to start the conversation, so I just sat down and waited for what seemed like hours. I never was a good conversation starter. I wasn’t outgoing in any way, not to mention that I was a bit awkward when talking with others. I didn’t have much experience in the social department, and I blamed it on my low self-esteem and pointy ears. Sometimes I wished I could cut them off, no matter how much I needed them.

  The growing silence between us was hard to handle. Finally, she spoke.

  “Did you turn to page two hundred and seventy-three?” she asked seriously, her hands clasped over her lap.

  I knew what she was referring to; she was the one who left the message. I had no idea how she did it, but she had. I nodded slowly.

  “What did you learn?” she asked.

  “I learned that I could be…”

  “Could be what?”

  I decided to lay it all down. “Were you really telling me the truth, Addison? Am I an elf?”

  Asking it aloud sounded really dumb. I felt stupid and immature just for uttering the word. The whole situation reminded me of a cheesy television show or kid movie, or like a line from a storybook. This just couldn’t be real.

  Maybe it was Katie playing a nasty joke on me after all. I could see her setting up the whole thing, could imagine it in my mind. It made perfect sense. Kids had been calling me Elf Girl for years. It was just a matter of time before someone played a joke like this, especially with the huge craze over fantasy books and movies these days. Heck, there was always some way to connect what was make-believe to real life. You just had to have the brains to do it. Or, in Katie’s case, the audacity and cold heart to go through with it.

  Had I just walked into a trap? It was probable. Boy, am I gullible, I thought to myself.