The Elf Girl

by Grabo, Markelle

  I nodded again. I didn’t want to start any small talk with her, especially on the subject of my mysterious parents. Parents I knew nothing about. She probably knew more about them than I did. It was an awkward situation.

  “How much would you like to withdraw?” she asked in a sweet tone.

  This time I was able to answer for myself.

  “Ten gold coins, please,” I requested.

  Stellan gave me another one of his looks, but I ignored it. I didn’t want to have to come back here too often. Five hundred dollars would be fine for now, just in case.

  “Of course, one moment, please.” She smiled and then left to get the coins.

  “Going shopping?” Stellan asked.

  “I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” I said.

  He grinned, and I had to grin back. It was hard to be mad at Stellan. One smile from him and I forgot everything.

  The elfen came back a couple seconds later, holding ten gold coins. She counted them for me and then put them into a red satin pouch.

  “Here you are. Come again,” she said, handing me the bag.

  I smiled, took the bag, and tied the string handle to my wrist.

  “Thanks,” Stellan and I said at once.

  As we walked out of the bank, a pale-haired elfen stopped us on the way. Her green eyes shone with excitement upon seeing me, making me wonder who she was and why she seemed so happy to see me.

  “Hello, Ramsey. I’m Ashlyn,” she introduced, taking both of my hands in hers.

  “Uh, hi,” I replied. I retracted my hands. Was it just me, or were elf handshakes totally bizarre?

  Ashlyn smiled at me warmly. “I know it must seem strange, me just coming up and talking to you. But I have heard so much about you, and I wanted to meet you.”

  “What have you heard about me?” I asked, interested to learn the city gossip.

  “Oh, just how…special you are.”

  “Special?” I asked, and looked over at Stellan. He stayed as still as stone. I realized he wouldn’t be helping me with this at all. I was on my own.

  “Yes, you know, special. I mean, your parents took you into the Human Realm. There had to be an important reason. No elf or elfen goes to the Human Realm anymore without a good reason. Not since the war began. And of course your secret is special,” she said.

  “Oh, I see. Well, I don’t know why I am special or what my secret is. Apparently, only Zora knows….”

  “I’m so sorry about Zora. We go to school together…I mean, we went to school together.” Ashlyn blushed, obviously embarrassed by her mistake. “She was such a nice elfen and we were very close friends.” Suddenly, her eyes lit up. “Oh, and speaking of school, I’m going to be very late if I don’t get going. Hope to see you again soon, Ramsey.” She waved, turned, and sped out of the building before I could even reply.

  I stood motionless as she left. Her fast-paced talking and peppy attitude had stunned me. I wasn’t used to so much good cheer around me. In the Human Realm, the only cheery person I knew was Carmen.

  “She’s…”

  “Animated?” Stellan guessed.

  “Oh yeah,” I said with emphasis, “but she’s nice. I can tell she means well. But I didn’t like how she talked about Zora in the past tense…I mean, not a very good boost of optimism for me, the one who is supposed to find her,” I said.

  “I get what you mean, but you have to understand that Zora has been gone for a long time, and until now there was no hope of ever bringing her home. But now you’re here.”

  I nodded, contemplating his words. They were the most interesting and sincere phrases of the day from him. I wondered if he was finally going back to normal, whatever that was.

  Lately, I was never sure what constituted as normal.

  Sighing, I followed Stellan, who was already making his way toward the exit. Outside, the bustle of elves caught me by surprise. I wasn’t used to being around creatures I once thought were fictional. It would be a while before I grew accustomed to the change.

  “That is probably going to happen to you a lot,” Stellan commented as we walked away from the bank.

  “What?” I asked, admiring the scene of two elfin children playing in the street. Even though this Realm was in the midst of a war, things seemed so carefree. I could see how it would be hard for elves here to remember what was actually going on in the Realm. Zora’s kidnapping must have really surprised them.

  “The elves will want to introduce themselves to you. Your being special has everyone in the city interested. You see, not much happens in this town. We aren’t close to the capital, so the war doesn’t affect us directly. Your coming home is the biggest thing that’s happened since…well, since Zora was taken.”

  I sighed. “Whatever. At least they won’t make fun of my ears.” I grinned.

  I was happy that I caused him to grin, too. I wasn’t going to let him do all the mesmerizing, if that’s what it was.

  Stellan was still being distant and I didn’t know why. However, as long as he behaved civilly, I was fine with it. Besides, people hadn’t acted very normal around me in the Human Realm because of my strange looks, so Stellan acting this way was already an improvement.

  “So what do you do all day?” I asked him as we walked.

  I didn’t know exactly where we were going. I desperately yearned to return to the bookstore, but I decided it could wait for now. I wanted to figure out why Stellan’s mood had changed so drastically from the day before, and to see if he would warm up to me again so that I could safely call him my friend. Or if I was lucky, something more….

  But thinking that way was crazy. Sure, I had a special secret and a mysterious past, but that didn’t make me the most eligible elfen in Birchwood City. To think that way would be delusional.

  “Work,” he replied.

  “Where do you work?” I wondered, trying to keep the conversation going.

  “The Birchwood City Restaurant.”

  “A very original name,” I commented.

  “I think so,” he said, a hint of a smile playing across his lips.

  “So when do you work?” I asked.

  “My shift starts at nine and goes until five,” he told me.

  I giggled, and he gave me another one of his looks. That was going to get old very quickly.

  “In the Human Realm, a workday is called a nine to five. It’s just ironic, that’s all,” I explained.

  “Right,” he said, still giving me a questioning look. I needed to think about what I said before I spoke. Things were different here; expressions and sayings were not the same as in the Human Realm. I would have to be careful, or I could confuse or offend someone easily. “I have to go,” he said suddenly, before I even had a chance to respond.

  “But it’s only seven,” I pointed out to him.

  “I have some errands to do,” he said.

  “What is with you and Addison going on so many errands?” I asked him.

  “She said she had to go on errands?”

  “Yes. She said she had a few errands to do before school started,” I told him.

  “I should have guessed she would say that. And I should have thought of something else to say….” He sighed. “Now I have a problem.”

  Stellan looked down at the ground and shifted his weight nervously.

  “I would say so,” I replied, looking at him expectantly.

  “I…,” he trailed off.

  “So what are you two really up to?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “You should truthfully just ask Addison about that,” he suggested.

  Then he smiled, and a second later disappeared into thin air, leaving me with my mouth hanging open and feeling more confused than ever before.

  ~6~

  Lunch Date

  Since I couldn’t exactly follow Stellan after he “teleported,” I walked until I found the jeweler we had passed on the way to the bank. I didn’t have much to do today, especially with Addison and Stellan act
ing so weird, so I decided to get to know the city a bit more. If Birchwood City was going to be my permanent dwelling, I should know my surroundings. This would help me blend in with the culture and feel comfortable in the Elf Realm. The jeweler would be a good first stop.

  I stepped through the door to look around. The store sparkled with jewels of all shapes, colors, and sizes. The pieces were beautiful, more striking than anything I had seen in the Human Realm, another reason I already loved it here. Everything seemed to be magnified in some way, which I noticed even on my first day.

  As I browsed, I wondered what I was going to say to the sales clerk when he or she appeared. I decided after coming into the store that I would talk about Zora to anyone who worked there. Her jewelry was of high quality, probably from this store. I guessed she must have bought jewelry often, considering how much she had in her drawer. Maybe the more I found out about my sister, the better chance I would have of finding her.

  Okay, so I didn’t exactly know how talking to a jewelry sales clerk was going to help me rescue my fairy-captured sister, but it was worth a shot. I had to start somewhere. I didn’t have any other leads to go on.

  I was startled out of my thoughts when I saw the sales clerk finally appear behind the counter. He looked young, about my age. However, he could be one hundred and two for all I knew. I walked over to the counter and smiled at him. The elf was pale-haired and had eyes so pale green they were almost white. He was handsome and appeared to be someone who would be a great host at a party, very welcoming.

  “Hello,” I greeted, trying to hide the shyness I usually expressed to others.

  I wanted to seem more outgoing here. I wanted to start over now that I wasn’t being made fun of all the time, now that I had a real purpose. I had a lot of work to do, but I felt confident that I could overcome my social awkwardness and be the elfen I was born to be.

  Yeah, that line was cheesy, but I tried not to pay attention to that fact. Motivation and cheesy slogans just went together.

  “Hello,” he replied warmly.

  I took a deep breath. “I have to ask you something, sir, before I say anything else,” I told him.

  “All right, go ahead,” he encouraged.

  “How old are you? I don’t mean to be rude; I would just like to know, for personal reasons….” I was too curious to pass up the chance to ask. I smiled awkwardly. What a great way to break the ice, I thought sarcastically.

  He laughed and smiled back at me. Elves and their teeth…. Their smiles were completely mesmerizing. I wondered if I smiled like that. I hoped so.

  “Twenty-five just last year,” he said.

  I giggled and shook my head. “So, you’re twenty-six then?”

  “You got it. What else can I do for you?”

  “I wanted to talk to someone who knew my sister, Zora. Did you ever sell any jewelry to her?”

  “I’m sorry about your sister, uh...and I’m sorry again,” he said sympathetically. “I’m afraid I don’t know your name.”

  “I’m Ramsey,” I told him. “And, thank you. You are the first elf I’ve seen who hasn’t stared me down because of my past. It’s been a little weird to deal with, even for an elfen who was stared at constantly in the Human Realm.”

  “I’m Aaron, and I am not one to pry into anyone’s business, unlike many elves in this city seem to be doing these days,” he explained.

  “I appreciate that a lot. I understand why everyone is so interested. I mean, I’m an elfen from the Human Realm, and it seems that I have a very mysterious past. But it’s still weird, especially since I have no idea what I’m doing here yet,” I told him.

  “I’m sure you will find your place sooner or later. This is where you belong,” he said.

  I smiled. “Thanks,” I told him honestly. “So have you sold to Zora before?”

  “Seeing as it’s just me in here, I would have to say, yes.”

  “You work here by yourself?”

  “I own this shop. It’s been in my family for a long time,” he explained.

  “Well, you must have great business, especially since my sister had so much jewelry in her drawer,” I said. “Can you tell me anything about her?”

  “Sure,” he agreed. “What would you like to know?”

  I thought about it for a moment.

  “First, how often did she come here?” I asked. Then the questions came pouring out like a waterfall. “Did you have conversations with her? What did you think of her?”

  “That’s a lot of questions,” he remarked.

  “I’m looking for a lot of answers,” I admitted.

  “Okay, let’s see, where to begin? Zora was a regular, basically a jewelry hoarder,” he joked. I smiled, realizing Zora and Dina might be a lot more alike than I once thought. Smirking, he continued with, “She used to tell me that whatever she didn’t save, she spent on jewelry.”

  “So you did talk to her a lot?” I remarked, jumping into Nancy Drew mode. When I was eight, I had this month-long obsession with growing up to be a detective. Sure, the circumstances had changed, but I guessed being an elfen detective was close enough.

  “Yes, we were fairly close. When someone comes in here as often as she did, you eventually start making friends with the clerk,” he joked. “She would come in about once a week and tell me what was new in her life. She liked talking to people; she was very outgoing.”

  “Is there anything else I should know?”

  “She talked to me about you a lot,” he told me.

  “What?” His remark stunned me.

  “Every so often she would mention your name. When she bought a piece that was particularly extravagant she would comment on how much you would have loved it. She said if you had grown up with her, you both would have had the same taste in jewelry.”

  “Wow,” I said.

  I could barely feel my legs. It was difficult to hear how much Zora had thought of me when I hadn’t known she existed until yesterday. I felt guilty, as if I had committed a crime or something. It sounded crazy, but I couldn’t help it. Zora spent her whole life waiting for me to come home. I spent my whole life complaining about my life. “I need to get going,” I said, hurrying to get out of the store because I suddenly felt a little sick to my stomach. “I have many things to do today. Thank you so much for your time.”

  Aaron nodded slowly. “I understand, and you are very welcome. Come by anytime.”

  “I think I’ll come back sometime and maybe buy a piece of jewelry. I don’t have anything like what you have here. It’s amazing just how different, yet also similar, the Human Realm and the Elf Realm are.”

  “Although I have never been to the Human Realm myself, I understand what you mean. Many similarities exist between elves and humans. Anyway, I’ll look forward to your next visit.”

  “Thanks for talking with me and…understanding my situation.”

  “No problem.” He smiled.

  I gave Aaron a wave and left the store. I had enjoyed meeting him. He seemed very genuine to me and I looked forward to seeing him again. Even with the countless rumors and mysteries surrounding both my past and present, he was able to look beyond that and treat me just as he would another customer in his shop.

  As I headed away from the store, I started to feel even gloomier. Hearing about Zora hadn’t been as easy as I thought it would be. Even though I didn’t really know her, she was still my sister. It was torturous to me, knowing that she could be hurting.

  But I had to put my emotions on hold for now, because finding Zora didn’t leave any room for pouting. It was time to check out the bookstore again and buy the book on locks. I didn’t know for sure if opening the trunk would help my search, but it was worth a try.

  I must not have been used to the loose gravel on the street, because a second later I was tripping over my own feet, stumbling forward and into the arms of an elf passing by. Maybe it was fate, or just a random occurrence, but I didn’t think about the possibilities very long. I looked up at him,
about to apologize…but then I saw his eyes.

  They were a deep emerald green, the exact same color as mine, and they glowed with an intensity I had never witnessed before. A slash of silver crossed each one, the sun’s reflection making them sparkle like dancing crystals. The emerald irises appeared to be swirling in circles, creating the illusion that his eyes were never-ending. Flecks of darker emerald clustered around each pupil made my breath catch in my throat. Suddenly, my disheartened mood vanished, almost as if I had never felt sadness before. Something about these eyes held me in place, as if I had found a balance, blanketing me in a cocoon of comfort, free of worries and concerns.

  I couldn’t look away. I was caught up in the beauty, enchanted by it. Warmth spread through me. A rush of ecstasy overtook all other senses, engulfing me completely.

  I realized how content I would be if I stayed, right here, standing in front of him, forever – and this frightened me. I had never felt this way before about anything or anyone. I had never felt so whole, especially with someone I didn’t know. But those eyes – as I looked into them, nothing else mattered. They were like priceless jewels, as if they were the reason I was alive…the reason I kept on breathing.

  I couldn’t tear myself away to look at his face. Our eyes were locked together. I wondered what he saw as he gazed into my own. Was he seeing the same immense beauty I saw? I couldn’t help but wonder as we gazed upon each other.

  I found myself compelled to move forward. All I wanted was to be closer to him, to see if his heart was beating as swiftly as mine was. To see if he was breathing as heavily as I was. To see what would happen if our lips were close enough to meet.

  He took a step forward as well. I felt his fingertips brush mine. I hadn’t even realized my hand lifting to meet his. I took a sharp breath. Touching him set off a reaction inside of me that I couldn’t put into words. I could tell that he felt it too. His eyes were smoldering, boring into mine. I had never felt so exposed, but I didn’t mind. I liked this unfamiliar way he was making me feel.

  Then he blinked, breaking the connection, and suddenly I was sane again, brought back to reality.