by S R Edwards
How to defeat pixies.
Copyright S.R.Edwards 2015
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter17
Chapter 1.
I’m Amelia, it means princess, but I like Amy better. A few weeks ago my mom died. I never met my dad. So now I’m on a train to Scotland to live with my grandmother, Sandra, I was a little girl when I last saw her. I can see bare fields and the land looks like its deserted. The man next to me is looking at my letter to the prime minister. I turn to look at him. “You ok you look like a zombie?”
“My mom just died.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” I twiddle at the wool around my finger. It reminds me that once I did feel pain and happiness. “So where you heading?”
“The country.” I pick up my pen and start scribbling.
“What’s it about?”
“Huh?”
“Your letter what’s it about?”
“Politics.”
“Oh right well this is my stop. Cheer up kid things can’t get worse.” He stands up and leaves. I fall asleep for the rest of my journey.
When I wake up I am coming into the small train station. My grandmother is stood there waiting for me. As I step of the train dragging my bags behind me, a man comes out of another carriage. He waves at me and smiles. I’ve seen him somewhere before. Yes it was in London when I was running just before my mom died. Sandra throws her arms around me. “You’ve grown a lot since I last saw you.” She takes my bags and we go to her land rover. She puts my bags in the back and climbs into the driver’s seat. She smiles at me. “Look while you’re here you can’t sulk I won’t allow it. Perk up Amelia you’ll be fine and safe here with me.” She turns up the music and starts singing along to high way to hell. I smirk and look out of the window at the white rolling hills. As we come to a junction she turns the music off. “Right then I’ve enrolled you into the nearest school and you have a new lap top, phone and school bag.” She turns down a small road. Her house looks like it’s from a greetings card. The roof is covered in snow and behind it there is a running track, fields, woods and a train track. We get out of the car and go inside.
Sandra shows me to my new room. It’s massive, the walls are black and I have a desk. A double bed takes up half of the room. My mouth must have dropped open because she laughs. “Is this ok for you?”
“Yeah...” I nod I throw my old back pack on the floor. “It’s great, thanks.” The door bell rings and Sandra goes down stairs. I unroll my Star Wars posters and pin them up on the wall above my desk. Sandra comes up stairs followed by a teenage boy, probably about my age. “Amelia this is Christopher.” He nods at me. “Heard that you would be joining my school so I brought you some books. Oh and call me Chris.”
“Thanks.” I take the books off him. “Amy.” I sit on my bed and look at him. He studies my posters. “Star Wars, cool.”
“Yeah whatever.”
“No really I think the cartoon is better than the films. But that’s just me.”
“Me too. So what’s the school like?”
“Well like a normal school.”
“If you don’t mind me saying you don’t sound Scottish.”
“No, well that’s because I’m from Sheffield. My mom moved up here she’s away at the minute on safari.”
“Cool.” Sandra comes back in and puts some milk and Chinese on the desk.
“Right then mister charity you better be getting home. It’s dangerous at night.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow about half eight.”
“Half eight, school doesn’t start ‘till nine.”
“I know but you are not walking on your first day.”
“Ok, yeah see you tomorrow.” Chris leaves and Sandra turns to me. She winks and smiles. “I think he likes you.”
“No, he’s just being nice because it’s my first day tomorrow.” I tell her but it seems like I’m telling myself that too.
My alarm goes off and I get ready to go running. It’s still dark outside. Sandra stands in the kitchen. “Where are you going?”
“I was going running.”
“No you’re not.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s dangerous at this time.”
“Why is it dangerous?”
She ignores my questionand turns the kettle on. The clock chimes eight o’clock. I throw my spoon down and gulp my orange juice. I run up stairs and drag on a pair of old skinny jeans and an old AC/DC top that used to be my mom’s. “Sandra have you seen my converse!”
“Under the bed!” She shouts up the stairs. The door bell rings and she answers it. Chris comes into my room. I’m knelt with my bum in the air trying to reach my converse. “Room with a view.” He laughs.
“What?” I stand up and sit on bed.
“The window I was talking about the window.”
“Oh.” I pull my converse on and stand up grabbing my old rucksack. “You ready?”
“Yep.” We go down stairs and Sandra stops me.
“Where’s your new bag?”
“Up stairs. I don’t want to ruin it.”
“Ok, go on then. Have a good day and you look after her Mr Andrews!” He waves to her as we get in the car and drive off.
When we get to school everyone stares at me. Chris shows me to my first class. “Hey, Alice, Noah over here!” He yells down the corridor to a small skinny girl with curly brown hair and a mousy brown haired boy in a wheelchair. “Chris.” Alice jumps up and hugs him round the neck and then hugs me. “Hi, I’m Alice and this is Noah.” She smiles at me.
“Hi, I’m Amy.” A tall skinny boy walks over to us.
“Morning all.” He smiles and takes my hand in his. “And who do we have here?” Chris glares at him and puts his arm around my shoulders. “Beat it Anthony!” Chris waves him away. “Well you’re nice, I’m Anthony. I’m head boy here so if you need someone to show you around.” Chris leans closer to him.
“I said beat it!” Anthony scurries off down the corridor. Chris turns to me. “He’s a freak stay away from him stick with us and you’ll be just fine.”
“Thanks guys.” We head to class together.
After school we all head back to mine. Alice sits next to Noah. She smiles at me and giggles. “What?”
“Did you enjoy your first day?”
“Yeah it was fun.”
“Liar.” Chris nudges me with his elbow.
“Ok, I was nervous and those girls were bugging me all day.”
“I wouldn’t worry about them it’s just Sophie and her posy, don’t let them get you down.” He sits next to me on the chair. Noah looks at me and points to the wool on my finger. “I’ve been meaning to ask, what does it represent?”
“Huh? Oh, just the fact that I used to be happy.”
“You seem happy now.” Alice smiles at me and wriggles.
“Yeah well I haven’t been right since my mom died.”
“Oh, sorry for asking.” Noah lowers his head.
“Noah, I know I sound rude but do you mind me asking about your wheelchair?”
“No, not at all. I fell off my snow mobile a few weeks back.”
“Oh, ok.” Sandra returns and shoos the others out of the house. She turns to me. “Come on spill what were you talking about?”
“Not much.”
“Amelia Benson!”
“Not much, just school ok?” I storm upstairs and slam my bedroom door behind me. I throw myself on the bed and hug my wookie toy. Sandra knocks on the door. “Amelia may I come in?”
“Are you going to shout at me?”
“No, I need to talk to you about something.”
“What?”
“Can I come in?”
“Yeah sure.” She opens the door and sits on the desk chair. “What do you need to talk to me about?” I sit up and put my wookie down on the pillow.
“Chris said there was a man following you today.”
“Yeah, I saw him at the train station yesterday.”
“Right well, he is dangerous.”
“How do you know?”
“I know at lot of things that could put you in danger but I believe you are old enough to understand.”
“Understand what?”
“You are different.”
“How?” The phone rings and Sandra doesn’t come back upstairs.
In the morning Chris wakes me up. “Come on sleepy head we need to get to school.” He smiles at me.
“What time is it?”
“Eight fifteen.”
“What? Oh, damn it I slept through my alarm.” I sit up. “Where’s Sandra?”
“She just left as I pulled up.”
“Oh.” I get up and go into the bathroom to change. We both go downstairs and I grab a slice of bread. “So last night after Sandra kicked you lot out she told me I was different but wouldn’t say why do you know?”
“Urm, yes I do that’s why I pick you up in a morning. They want you.”
“Who’s ‘they’?”
“The pixies.”
“What pixies but I thought they were just pure myth.”
“Oh, no they exist and you are half pixie.”
“Yeah ok and you’re a werewolf.” I joke but his face is serious and he nods.
“Yeah I am.”
“Ok, just to let you know it’s not April fools yet.”
“I’m not joking around you are in serious danger.”
“Ok, I’ll believe when I see it.” We don’t talk all day at school and I leave before him and run through the woods.
The trees are tall maybe thirty feet. I hear someone whisper my name. “It’s just the wind Amelia.” I tell myself. Then I hear again.
“Amelia...princess...Amelia come to me my child.” I turn trying to spot where the voice is coming from. Then a man appears in front of me. He pins me to a tree. “Princess.”
“Who are you?” I manage to choke but the pressure of his arm on my throat sends the world spinning. I hear a growl and see a massive dog jump up and knock the man away. I pass out.
I wake up on my bed. I can hear Sandra and Chris talking outside the door. “It’s getting dangerous. He has figured out that she is the one.”
“Yes I know but we can’t do much it’s up to her.”
“Did he kiss her?”
“No.”
“Good.” The door opens and they both walkin. “Ah, how are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
“good. You are very lucky that Chris was patrolling.”
“I was handling it.”
“Uh yeah that’s exactly what I was thinking when I had to kick pixie but.” Sandra turns and looks at him. “Shut it!”
“Sorry.” She turns back to me and takes my hand in hers.
“Now, I know you’re finding all of this hard to believe but what Chris told you is the truth.”
“Really is there anything else I should know?”
“Not now but soon.”
“Ok.” They leave the room and go down stairs. Chris stays over the night.
In the car on the way to school I am still trying to process things. “So I’m half pixie and you’re a were...”
“Wolf, yes.” The traffic lights turn to red and he stops the car. I open the door. “Where are you going?”
“Away from this craziness.” I slam the door shut and run off down the road.
“Hey!” Chris follows me in the car. He pulls up next to me. “Get in the car.”
“No.” I carry on walking and he rolls the car next to me.
“Please.”
“No leave me alone.”
“Amy please. Just get in the damn car.”
“Which part of no don’t you understand?”
“Just get in the car please he’s following us.”
“Who is?”
“The guy who attacked you last night.” His eyes are full and brown. I open the door and climb in. “Thank you.”
Chapter 2
Quite a few weeks later and there has been no ‘pixie’ activity. Chris is still trying to change my mind about them. It’s not working. We are in the library when Noah comes out with it. “Amy, I think it’s time you know the truth about me.”
“what?”
“I’m a were too.”
“What?”
“I’m a were.”
“ok, so what kind of animal are you.”
“I’m a red kite.”
“Ok that’s not weird.” I stand up and put a book back on the shelf. Alice looks at us and stands up. “I didn’t believe it either.”
“Believe what?”
“The pixie and were stuff.”
“Oh I believe it I just don’t believe it’s actually happening to me.” I turn the lap top round. “See a couple of years ago a similar thing happened in Maine.”
“Yup my cousin lives there.” Noah nods and then shakes his head. “Yeah one of his mates turned to save her boy....someone.”
“Turned?” I look at him and my face obviously shows my confusion because he adds. “Yeah she turned pixie. She was like you a Halfling. Pixie Halflings are very rare. Some kings want their children and others don’t. They see them as a threat to their thrown.”
“Which is what my father thinks?”
“Exactly.” Chris bites his finger nails and then sits on the table. Noah shoves him off. I wonder what actually happened to him. “Noah, you didn’t fall off your snow mobile did you?”
“No, I didn’t...” He leans closer to me. “I was attacked by a pixie. I was running in the woods and then bam an arrow hit my back.”
“Really?”
“Yep. The same thing happened to my cousin.” He leans back and starts typing. I shudder and my skin feels like a thousand ants are crawling under it. Chris looks at me. “You ok?”
“Yeah just one of those muscle spasms.” He flares his nostrils and looks at Noah. “You smell that?” Noah sniffs and nods. “Pixie.” We all look around but the pixie is gone.
Chris drives me home. We pull up outside my house. “Are you coming in, you know make sure that I’m ok just until Sandra comes home?”
“If you want me to.”
“Yeah sure come on.” We go inside and sit in the living room. I smile at him, his eyes are deep brown and there are little hairs that he has missed when shaving. I realise I’m staring. “Sorry, would you like a drink?”
“Yeah if you’re offering.”
“Yeah.” I walk into the kitchen and open the fridge. “Is orange juice ok?” I shout to him. “Yeah that’s fine.” I turn round to pour the juice into two glasses. Anthony is stood in the middle of the field. “What’s he doing?” I open the back door and step outside. “Anthony are you alright?” he runs up to me. His clothes are ripped and he is covered in blood. “Amy, I was walking in the woods and a man attacked me.” Chris comes outside and stands behind me.
“What’s going on?” Anthony grabs me and jabs my neck with something. Everything goes blurry and Chris shouts at him. “Let her go, what are you doing?” Then everything goes black.
I wake up in a small room. I get up and bang on the door at the other side of the room to the bed. The door flies open and Anthony grabs my arm. “Get off me!” I punch him but he has a strong grip. Something jabs my neck and I black out. I wake up ti
ed to the bed. “What the hell Anthony let me go!”
“I can’t do that, you will be my queen or you will die.”
“What?”
“I poisoned you so the only way for you to be healed is if I turn you. Your wolf can’t find you here.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it!” I wriggle trying to get free of the rope. He leans closer to me. He smells like soap. I turn my head so he can’t kiss my lips. He grabs my chin and jerks my head back. His face is so close to mine I can feel his breath. The door bursts open and my head pounds. Chris’ voice breaks the dense silence. “Get away from her pixie scum!” The room spins and goes black.
“Sweetie?” Gram’s voice is the last thing I hear. I pass out and they take me to hospital.
I wake up a couple of days later. Chris is sat on the chair next to the bed. “Did he kiss you?”
“What?” I sit up and he walks to the door. Sandra comes in, she turns to him.
“Go and get something to eat and some fresh air while I talk to her.”
“Ok.” He walks off and leaves me with Sandra.
“Amy, did he kiss you?”
“No, I don’t think so.” She nods and smiles.
“Good.”
“But he might...”
“He can’t now honey.”
“Why not?”
“Chris killed him for trying to.”
“oh right.” Chris comes back into the room. “Thanks.”
“What for?”
“Saving me I was stupid for believing that he was hurt.”
“Ah, it’s ok. I’m just glad you’re ok.” He smiles and Sandra leaves.
“I’ll leave you two to talk.”
“Urm, Amy I was wondering if you wanted to…” He looks at me and bites his lip.
“What? Go out with you?”
“Well, yeah I want to keep you safe.”
“I know. Yeah it’ll be good to have you by my side.”
The next day they let me out of hospital. My leg is broken and I have a fractured collar bone. “Gram, I’m sorry.” She smiles and rubs my knee. “I’m really, really sorry.”
“I know you are, sweetie. Hey you called me Gram.”
“Would you prefer it if I called you Sandra?”