by Julia Crane
“The mark of the Aurorian faery is well known.” Azura turned her penetrating gaze to me and touched the side of her eye.
My own hand shot to my birthmark. Oh. My. God. It wasn’t just a birthmark. No wonder it acted funny, changing colors and refusing to be concealed. Of all the nonsense Azura had spouted, that I could believe. For all the “unique” talk from my parents, here was proof.
“Are you honestly going to sit here and tell us that our daughter is in danger of being seen by other faeries because of her birthmark? As if faeries live around us on a daily basis?” My father looked at her like she had grown two heads, which was kind of funny since he’d already seen her wings.
“Yes. That is exactly what I am saying.” Azura sighed. “I know it’s hard for you to believe, but she is in grave danger.” The woman addressed her next statement to me. “I want you to leave with me tonight. It’s for your safety. I fear for your life if you are caught.”
“I’m not leaving. I don’t even know you. If I’m in danger, my father can protect me.” I crossed my arms over my chest and planted my feet firmly on the ground. They would have to drag me out of there kicking and screaming.
“You heard her. Now get out of our house,” my father said, voice low.
“Please, reconsider. I understand you need to talk about this amongst yourselves. I’ll come back tomorrow, and I hope you are ready to leave. Oleander, I only want what is best for you.” She turned and left my room. A minute later, I heard the front door open and shut.
I sank to the floor, tears coming swiftly. Mom sat next to me and gathered me in her arms. “It’s okay,” she whispered, rocking me gently.
“No…it’s not,” I wailed through my sobs.
“That lady is insane,” Dad muttered. “You two can’t possibly believe her.”
I looked at my father through the tears in my eyes. “Why would she come here and make this stuff up? You saw her wings.”
“I don’t know, Rylie, but I’m going to go to the office for a couple hours.”
My mother shot him an irritated look. “Why? Don’t you think we need you here right now?”
He stopped in the doorway, one hand propped on the frame. “She touched that coffee mug downstairs. I want to run her fingerprints. Do a background check.”
I nodded. Dad needed proof one way or another. I stood, my knees still a little wobbly, and crossed to my dresser. I grabbed my hairbrush and handed it to him. “Run a DNA test while you’re there.”
His face drained of color. “What? No, that’s not necessary.”
“It’s okay, Dad. Get definite answers. I understand.”
He hugged me, his face buried in my hair. “If I do and it comes out…that you’re not…” He choked on the words. “It won’t matter. You will always be my little girl.”
“I know. But we all need to know the truth.” I fought against the tears that were welling in my eyes.
Dad met Mom’s broken stare and nodded firmly. “I’ll be back soon.”
A minute later, we heard the garage door open, the steady whir shaking the floor with its familiar vibration. I leaned my head on Mom’s shoulder. “What happens when I wake up tomorrow?”
“I don’t know.” She draped her arm around my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.
“You believe her, don’t you?”
There was a long pause, and then she took a deep breath. “Yes.”
I knew she was going to say that, but it still upset me. If she believed the story, there had to be something to it. “Why? Why do you believe her?”
“I’m not sure, honey. Something in me just says it’s true.”
“You’ve always believed in the supernatural,” I whispered.
She was quiet again. “Yes. Never thought I’d be living it, though.”
I looked up at her. “I don’t want to be a faery, Mom. I don’t want wings. I don’t want someone after me. I don’t want any of this. I just want to be a normal teenager.”
“We won’t let anyone hurt you. As far as the other stuff, we’ll take it as it comes.”
“What if what she says is true, and the only way to be safe is to go with her? I don’t want to go with her.” I sobbed once. “I want to stay here, go to school, be with Adam and Sierra.”
“I know.” She ran her hand down my head, smoothing out my hair.
I wiped the tears off my face. “Can I call Adam? Have him come over?”
“Are you going to tell him?”
“No!” I was petrified at the thought. “I just want to see him in case…I wake up looking like a freak tomorrow.”
Mom’s face relaxed and she smiled. “You won’t ever be a freak. Even with wings, I’m sure you’ll be beautiful.” She leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Of course you can have Adam come over.”
“Thanks.” I pushed myself up and grabbed my phone off the dresser. I paced the floor once, twice, trying to compose myself. Finally, I dialed. Don’t cry. Act normal.
“Hey, you,” he answered.
“Hey.” My voice came out weak. I cleared my throat.
“You okay?” he asked, concern in his tone.
“Yeah. Can you come over for a few minutes?” Please say yes. I needed to see his face and feel like my world wasn’t spinning out of control.
“Um…okay.” He paused. “Are you sure everything is okay?”
I hesitated. “I just miss you.”
“I’ll be right over.” Adam only lived a few minutes away, so I knew it wouldn’t take him long to get to my house.
I put the phone down and glanced in the mirror. Other than my red eyes and blotchy face, I still looked normal. I went down the hall to the bathroom and splashed water on my face before I put on some cover-up and lip gloss. Thank goodness for makeup.
There was a knock at the front door. “I’ll get it for you,” Mom yelled.
“Hi, Mrs. McCallister.” My boyfriend’s voice drifted up to me, and I fought the urge to cry again.
“Come on in, Adam. Ry will be right down.”
I heard the door shut as I descended the stairs.
“Is everything okay?” Adam quietly asked my mom.
“Yeah. Just a little emotional. Our little girl is turning sixteen tomorrow.”
I turned the corner and smiled as soon as I saw Adam. He was my rock. I felt much better being near him. I couldn’t help but run to him and throw my arms around his neck. I buried my face in his shoulder and inhaled his scent. I didn’t want to let go. I wished I could hold onto the moment forever. My mom quietly slipped from the room.
“Hey.” Adam pushed me back. “Rylie? What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I just had to see you.”
“Something is going on. I know you.” He stared at me intently.
Adam wasn’t stupid, but there was no way I could tell him about tonight’s events. “No. Everything’s fine. Can you please just hold me for a few minutes?”
He cupped my face. “Of course. Whatever it is, you know you can talk to me.”
I stood on my tiptoes and planted my lips on his. My heart raced and my breathing sped up. I knotted my hands in his hair as I kissed him faster and harder. Deep passion rose inside of me. For all I knew, this would be the last time we’d be together…if Azura’s story was true.
Adam pulled back, breathing hard, and held me at arm’s length. “Whoa. Calm down. Your mom is here.”
“I know.” I led him to the couch and sat down, pulling him next to me. He put his arm around me, and I melted into him. His heartbeat beneath my ear was comforting. Closing my eyes, I imagined us going to prom together in a couple years. We’d graduate together after that and go to the same college. And then he’d ask me to marry him. We’d have a big wedding, a family, and grow old together. This was my dream.
What if it was only just that? A dream…and nothing more.
Adam rubbed my aching back. I had almost forgotten the pain that I had been dealing with for the past week. A pain which meant I was
growing wings. Freaking wings! If I told Adam, would he still want to be with me? Would he still love me? I couldn’t lose him. I loved him.
I sniffled and looked up into his eyes. “I love you,” I told him.
He gave me the crooked grin that always turned me into mush. “I love you, too.”
After Adam left, Mom sat with me until Dad got home. I could tell the news wasn’t good the second he walked in the door. He sat down across from us, rubbing a temple with one hand. “I couldn’t get a hit on her name or fingerprint. All that means is she’s never been arrested.”
“And the other thing?” I asked softly.
“DNA tests take longer. We won’t know for quite some time, unfortunately.”
“Oh.” I looked down, hiding the tears in my eyes. I had a suspicion what was going to return in that test was going to wreck our world.
Dad got up and sat on the other side of me. “Rylie, if there is some evil man out there who wants to hurt you, I will find him and kill him if I have to.”
I met his eyes and knew without a doubt that he meant it.
“I don’t want to fall asleep.” I leaned my head against my father’s shoulder. “I never thought I would say this, but I wish tomorrow wasn’t my birthday.”
“No matter what happens when you wake up, you are my little girl. I’ve loved you since the minute I laid eyes on your tiny little face. Nothing will ever change that.”
My mom made a noise of agreement, her hand rubbing my back.
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
I took three soda cans to my room, hoping the caffeine would keep me awake. I fought sleep tooth and nail, but before dawn came, it eventually won over.
I woke up gasping for air. No, no, no!
I had fallen asleep at some point the night before. It was Saturday. My birthday. I was sixteen now. I squeezed my eyes shut. I did not want to open them. Maybe it was all a crazy nightmare. I felt normal. All the aches and pains were gone. Nothing hurt, nothing felt different. I let out a long breath. Just a nightmare.
I would get up like normal and look in the mirror and everything would be fine. Keeping my eyes closed, I rolled onto my side. Okay. One. Two. Three.
Slowly, I opened my eyes. My vision was hazy, like a film had been pulled down over my eyes. I rubbed them over and over, but the haze wouldn’t go away. What was wrong with my eyes? Why couldn’t I see clearly?
I started breathing fast as panic rose in my chest. Scanning the room, I realized there was something on my nightstand that wasn’t normally there. I reached for it—a notebook. Skeptically, I opened it and found words on the first page. They were blurry and hard to read. I stared at them for a long time before I was finally able to focus:
“I had to leave you a note to tell you what to expect this morning since you don’t want me with you. You will wake up unable to see clearly. This is normal. You are getting your faery sight. This will clear up about an hour after you wake.”
It hadn’t been a nightmare.
“Once your sight clears, you will be able to see the faery world.”
Great.
“Your transformation will have completed overnight. You will look different until you use glamour. I suggest you don’t open your door until you learn how.”
I gulped. How was I supposed to know how to use glamour?
“If you cannot figure this out, just go to your window. I will come to you.”
That meant she was watching the house, watching me. All this time I felt like someone was watching me, and it was my faery mother. Just the thought was so ridiculous I wanted to burst out laughing—or crying. I wasn’t sure which.
I strained my eyes some more, trying to read what else was written. “Once you are glamoured, no human will be able to see your faery looks. But other faeries will. If you have already stood, you may have noticed your wings. If not, they will appear when you stand. They tuck in when you lie down. Don’t be scared, my child. This is who you are. I will be there for you when you need me. But please be careful, for my warning is true.”
I put the book down and closed my eyes again. Maybe if I stayed in bed, none of this would happen. No wings. No enemies. Just me. Unfortunately, that wasn’t realistic. How long could I really stay in bed?
I blinked a few times, trying to make the haze go away faster, but it did nothing. I’d have to wait. I thought about Adam and our kiss the night before. I thought about how I felt in his arms. What was I supposed to tell him about this? As soon as he knew I was some kind of fairy tale creature, he might leave me.
On top of that, my parents were throwing me a birthday party today. All my friends were going to be here. How was I going to keep it together? I had looked forward to my sixteenth birthday for years, and now I just wanted to stay in bed. Maybe I should cancel it.
I ripped my pillow from under my head and squeezed it into my face, screaming at the top of my lungs. I wasn’t just scared anymore. I was mad. Hot tears burned my eyes as I silently cried.
Eventually the tears subsided, and I peeked out from under the pillow. My vision had cleared. Everything in my room was crisp and bright. I stayed in bed, examining my surroundings like it was the first time I had seen it.
“Huh,” I said into the room. I had no idea I’d have better than perfect eyesight.
Pushing the covers off, I noticed my palms were smoother than they were the day before. My hands started trembling. There was no denying it, my skin was definitely different. No blemishes or freckles.
Curiosity was getting the best of me. I had to stand up and find out what the rest of my body looked like. Shaking, I pushed myself out of bed. I took three steps to my dresser and very slowly looked up into the mirror.
I gasped and stood frozen in place as I stared at my reflection. I reached up and touched my pointed ears, running my fingertips along the tips. They felt like normal ears, just pointier. My eyes then rested on my birthmark, now glowing ever so slightly. My eyes looked wider and had a slight slant to them. I felt grateful that they were the same beautiful blue they had always been.
Suddenly, I felt a pop on my back and wings burst open behind me. I let out a small shriek, not from pain, but from surprise and shock. I stumbled backwards, fell onto the floor, and scooted as far away from the mirror as I could get.
“Rylie?” Mom’s voice cried out on the other side of the door. “Are you okay?”
I scrambled quickly to my feet and stumbled across the room to lock my door. “You can’t come in.”
“Rylie! Open this door!” Mom pounded.
“No!” I hurried back to the notebook and read over the directions for glamour. I couldn’t let my parents see me like this. Azura had written something about telling myself who I was and visualizing myself human. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I mumbled under my breath. She had said it would be simple.
“Rylie, let me in this instant! I’ll break this door down if I have to,” my father’s voice boomed.
My shoulders drooped. I knew he would do it. I just really didn’t want them to see me this way.
“I’m a freak,” I screamed at the door.
“Please, let us in, honey. We love you no matter what.” My mother’s voice sounded strained.
“Fine.” I slung the door open.
My mother covered her mouth, her eyes widening.
My dad just stared at me blankly, and then he surprised me by pulling me into a tight hug. “We’ll figure this out.”
“You look beautiful. I always knew you were special.” My mom reached out to touch my wing, and I involuntarily pulled it back.
I couldn’t stop myself. I started sobbing. “I don’t want this.”
Mom joined the embrace. “It will be okay, sweetie.”
When I pulled away from their collective warmth, I said, “I need to be alone. I have to figure out how to use the glamour. I might need to let—her in to help.”
My parents looked at each other, and then my father nodded. “We’re going to need
her to understand what exactly is going on.”
“How can you reach Azura?” my mother asked.
“She told me to stand in the window, and she would come. It’s so creepy that she’s out there watching.” I shuddered. “If you don’t mind, can I have some privacy before I give her the signal?”
They nodded somberly, and my father said, “Of course.”
I closed the door softly behind them. I could hear my mom sobbing, but I couldn’t deal with that right now. This was my reality. I was a faery. It all seemed too surreal.
Reluctantly, I stood in front of the mirror again. I had to face these wings. I looked up and directly at them. They weren’t small, but they weren’t huge. Extending about an arm’s length from my body, they were actually quite gorgeous—a mixture of light pink, lavender, and shimmering white, almost translucent, each color fading into one another. I leaned closer and they fluttered. I sucked in a breath. I didn’t even feel them flutter. It didn’t hurt to move them. It actually felt…good. Like they had been cooped up for sixteen years and were finally free. I concentrated and willed them to move again, and they flapped. If it were on someone else, I would have thought it was the coolest thing ever.
I was curious as to what they felt like. I reached behind me and carefully touched my left wing. I was surprised at how fine it felt. They were almost sheer and bent slightly with my touch. I wondered how delicate they were; if they could get ripped, and if so, would it hurt?
I spent a few more minutes trying to get used to how I looked. I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel comfortable looking like I did. How was I supposed to deal with such a huge change?
When I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer, I went to the window and hesitantly pushed the curtain back. I stared into the misty, overcast morning that matched my mood. I waved a hand, and within moments, the front doorbell rang. I could hear the murmurs of voices and then a light knock on my door.
“Come in,” I mumbled.
Azura came through the door in her true form. She stopped in her tracks and looked me up and down. “My goodness, you’re even lovelier than I could have imagined.”
If it were possible, I felt even more self-conscious having her stare at me so intensely. I fidgeted with my hands. “Can we just get this over with? I need to look normal. It’s my birthday, and I have plans.”