And she became a part of our crew just like that.
What if I hadn’t invited her over? What if she had decided to fly off and sit by herself? Why did I even ask her to sit with us in the first place?
Because she looked lost, yes.
Because somehow, she reminded me of Rosemary. She seemed a bit naïve and out of sorts.
And there had been something in her eye that I responded too. I can’t explain it, but I knew there was something more to her than meets the eye.
It wasn’t long into the school year that she said something to me about fairy dust.
“You know, you’re always so relaxed,” Spring said to me one time when it was just the two of us. “How do you do it?”
“I have a secret.” I leaned toward her. We had been sitting at a table in our cottage. “I am relaxed. That’s all there is to it.”
She grimaced.
“Why? Why are you so uptight?”
“I… I once did some fairy dust. It helped me. I’m just nervous about my classes, about my parents… I think they’ve been fighting lately and—”
“Fairies don’t get divorced,” I reminded her.
"Oh, I know that. A fairy vow can't be broken, or else the vow breaker will die. Still… they fight a lot, and it can turn… violent."
Spring always seemed so jumpy, and I felt bad for her. I wanted to help.
A strange reason for becoming a drug dealer, right? But Bracken overheard. He told me he did it once, and then Holly and Thistle both mentioned how much fun it is.
I might’ve sold it, but I never did it. I didn’t need to. I’ve always been high on life.
Now that my connection to nature has been severed, I’m not flying quite so high anymore, and I hate it. I fucking hate it.
All I wanted to do was help my friend. Is that so bad? But now, I recall a smile Spring gave me when I said I would see what I could do. She used me. Played me. There’s no doubt in my mind that if she truly wanted to get some fairy dust, she could’ve gotten it herself. She hadn’t needed me to be the middle fairy.
No, but she dragged me into the mess. Why? Had she lied about her parents?
Does any of that matter now? The past happened. What’s done is done. Nothing can change that.
But still. My friendship with Spring, had it all been one-sided? She has so much anger and vitriol toward me, and I would’ve expected her to feel that way toward Rosemary. After all, my twin is why Spring’s locked up in the first place, but no. Spring clearly has it out for me. Neither of us has access to our magic, but that doesn’t mean she’s not dangerous. When she had been under the effects of the drug, Spring’s magic hadn’t worked, but she had grown impossibly strong. For whatever reason, the fairy dust affected Spring differently than other fairies. She almost killed Rosemary during their confrontation.
Spring’s dangerous with or without magic.
I roll over to watch her and listen. Her breathing is even, but I can’t tell if she’s asleep or not. Why did they have to put me in here with her of all fairies?
I’m not going to be able to stay awake forever. I’m going to have to sleep eventually. Bottom wing, I can’t handle this if Spring keeps coming after me.
Somehow or another, I have to find a way to befriend Spring again, this time for real. Is that even possible after everything that’s happened? Doesn’t matter. I need to for my sanity’s sake because if I have to keep watching over my shoulder the entire time I’m here, I’m going to lose my mind. Paranoia, delusions… I don’t need those as bedfellows, thank you very much.
My stomach churns. I’m thirsty more than hungry. I’m still a bit weak from the hangover yet, and I really need a good night’s sleep, but I can’t, and not just because of Spring. What I did, what Zoth did… I pretended to be happy. I even fooled myself at times.
There’s one fairy who thinks the world of me, and I don’t know if I can ever face her again.
Rosemary.
My twin.
More than anything, I hate that I’m not the fairy Rosemary thinks I should be, but I won’t change for anyone. Zoth wanted to change me, and he succeeded to some extent, but his corruption has already ended. I won’t drink another drop of blood ever again. I don’t like feeling so out of control.
That’s another reason why I didn’t bother with the fairy dust. If I want to feel looser than normal, I’ll drink fae nectar, but right now, even that has lost its appeal. I just want to be me, and I need to shake any influence Zoth, Spring, or Thistle ever had on me.
I want to find myself.
In a prison of all places. Is that possible? It has to be.
Just who am I? Who is Bay?
A fairy with a darkness inside her.
A fairy who wants to be free.
A fairy who will be free.
But how?
I rub my chin. I’ve already thought about coming up with a plan to get out of here with the hope of roping Drake and Trevan into my escape. With Cosmo being here, he’ll help me, right?
Should I dump all of my eggs into the Cosmo basket? Or should I try to enlist the three of them?
The last thing I want to do is to get Cosmo fired after he’s transferred here, and three is better than one, right? So I’ll come up with a plan, and then I’ll see what I’ll need from the guards. Of course, I’ll have to keep an eye on Drake and Trevan to see if they might actually be willing to help me. I can’t risk someone learning about my attempted escape if they’re going to stop me.
Spring, of course, can’t catch wing of this. She belongs here.
Then again, so do I.
Who is Bay?
A fairy who is guilty.
And as far as having no regrets, I’m working on that.
12
I’ve dozed once or twice, but that’s all the sleep I get. As far as coming up with a plan, well, that’s not going to be easy, not at night. Not until I get a better scope of the place. I need intel, and right now, the only intel I can trust is the intel I can gather. Namely, I need to check out as much of the prison as is possible. I need to know if there are any vents, where all of the doors are, where the guards are stationed. The more I watch, the better off I’ll be. The more I keep my head down and my wings to myself, the better off I’ll be, but if I do want to enlist the guards, I might have to put a wing out.
I might have to use my body to get what I want.
And that's fine with me. Who's Bay? Someone willing to do what she wants to get what she wants.
There’s no bell in the morning, but I can hear the other prisoners begin to stir, and Spring springs up in bed. She gives me a strange smile.
“Good morning!” she says cheerfully.
“Morning,” I return, able to keep any trace of wariness from my tone as I sit up, facing her.
“How did you sleep? The first night is the roughest, and I know the mattress is a bit hard, but you like things hard, don’t you, Bay?”
I smirk and tilt my head to the side. “Are you calling me a slut?”
“No. I would never do that! You know what you want, who you want, and you have them. It’s… commendable.”
I narrow my eyes at her. Something’s going on. I don’t buy this new song she’s singing. It’s an act. Why? What’s she hoping to gain? For me to lower my guard so she can off me? I wouldn’t put it past her to try to de-wing me.
“I was up all night thinking,” Spring says urgently. “We were friends before, right? The best of friends. I… It was my fault. All of it. I mentioned the fairy dust to you, and you were a good friend and went and got it for me. What I did is on me. I… I’ve had a lot of anger, and I… I’m sorry. I have attacked you. Can you forgive me?”
I nod, smiling widely, not buying her crap for a second. It’s all in her eyes. Her smile is wide and appears genuine, but her eyes… they aren’t haunted. They’re vicious and cunning and ruthless.
“Of course,” I coo.
I’m not sure what game she’s playing, but I’l
l out-play her. We’re toying with each other, but she won’t get the upper wing. I won’t allow it.
“Since we’re friends and all, why don’t you tell me the ins and outs of this place?” I ask, even though I’m not going to believe a word she says. I must keep up appearances, though.
“Of course. What do you want to know?” She leans closer and drops her tone to a whisper as if she wants to conspire. “If you’re eyeing Trevan, don’t. He’s mine.”
“Of course he is,” I say with a wave of my hand. “How about the warden? What’s his name?”
Instantly, her face closes up, and for once, I believe her eyes. There’s fear shining in those wide orbs. She sits up rigid, as if a rod’s been shoved down her spine.
Then, she relaxes a bit, but she doesn't smile, her face a bit flat. "Nebulo Bramble. He's a demon in fairy clothing if there's ever been one. If you can avoid seeing him, that's for the best. He's… he…" She shivers and rubs her arms. There are actual goosebumps on her flesh even though the prison is kept at a decent temperature.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” I say lightly. “After all, wardens are supposed to be dicks, right?”
“Not so loud,” she hisses. “He has eyes and ears everywhere.”
“Of course he does.”
“What else you want to know?” She leans back and lifts her chin.
“Can we go outside?”
“No. I’ve never been allowed out, but you get used to it.”
I shudder. “Used to what?”
“Missing the sunlight. Missing the moon, plants, nature. It feels like you’ve lost a wing, doesn’t it?”
After a moment, I nod. It’s an always-constant ache, nagging at me, the sever from nature, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s caused more than a few fairies to go mad.
“That’s the thing with fairy dust. It makes you feel like you have four wings. It’s a high unlike anything else, and after experiencing that and then experiencing this…” She spreads her hands apart. “It hasn’t been easy for me. You can understand why I would’ve blamed you before, right? Not that I do now,” she adds in a rush.
“Of course,” I repeat.
Still not buying her crap.
“Hey, remember that time when we all got drunk on fae nectar?” she asks.
“Which time? You might want to be more specific.” I smirk.
“The time that you and Cosmo practically fucked right in front of us. No, the time you and Cosmo fucked in the hallway after. Or the time you and Cosmo could’ve woken the dead.”
I bite my lower lip. Every time Cosmo and I did it, we had both been drunk. I don’t know why we had to have our inhibitions lowered for us to be willing to go at it, but despite being drunk, I can recall every second.
Funny. I can’t recall every second I fucked Zoth.
Just thinking about the demon makes my stomach churn, but I refuse to show that I’m unnerved.
“Yes, Cosmo and I have a history. What’s your point?” I ask. “Jealous?”
"No, I'm not jelly, as some humans might say." Spring flicks her hair back. It had been short and spiky during our first year, but she's let it grow out quite a bit. I think the shorter style suited her more, but I doubt she'll want to hear that.
Or maybe we aren’t allowed haircuts here. I can’t recall seeing any inmates with a short style.
They probably don’t want any of the inmates to be close to scissors.
I run my tongue along my teeth. Yeah, I didn’t need proof that Spring is just pretending to be friends, but this is it. It’s a warning. If I fuck with her, she’ll let the entire prison know I fucked Cosmo and get him kicked out of here.
“You and Cosmo were good friends,” I say. “You going to make nice with him too?”
“After he stopped me from hurting you? Seems to me he picked sides, and I don’t care for that.”
“So we’re friends again, but you hate him?”
“I don’t hate him,” Spring says offhandedly, and I grimace. I can’t get a read on her as far as Cosmo. “What I hate is that he’s wearing a shirt. He never used to wear one, remember?”
“I know. It is strange seeing him with clothes on.”
"Yeah, because you've seen him without pants too." Spring smiles smugly.
My hand itches, and I want to slap the smirk right off her face. I don’t, of course, but I want to.
"And Rosemary, how is she? Your twin must have nearly graduated by now, right? Who is she up in? Or, rather, what is she up to?"
“She’s happy.”
"Happy that you're in prison? That wouldn't surprise me. She's always been a judgmental little light fairy. How you two are related, I don't understand."
I shrug. “She helped to put me in here.”
Spring gasps. “Did she really? When we get out of here, we should both take off a wing. You want the one on the right or the one on the left?”
“You go near Rosemary, and I have a feeling, she’ll be the one to dewing you.”
Spring’s nostrils flare, and then she cracks up. “Oh, Bay! I’m joking! I wouldn’t hurt your twin. Never. Not ever. You don’t need to worry.”
“Believe me, I’m not worried. There’s nothing you can do that would make me worried.”
“No?” Spring jumps to her feet, and she crouches in front of me. “Because I’m pretty sure you didn’t sleep much at all last night. Why is that, Bay? Afraid? You should be.” She straightens and laughs. “Not of me, though. I’m harmless. Wouldn’t harm a fly.”
Without warning, she stomps her foot and then strolls over to the bars.
Where her foot had been is now a squished spider. Its tiny legs wiggle and jerk before the spider lies still, dead.
If that doesn’t sum up Spring, I don’t know what does.
13
It's only a few more minutes until the bell rings, and we file and move along to breakfast. Again, I wait to join the procession until the end to be the last one. I don't know if I have to wait like that since everyone else falls into line based on their cell positioning, but it's not as if I'm in a bad scramble to get to the café.
As before, I grab my tray, this time taking the time to nod and smile to the cafeteria worker. It's a woman today, her hair pulled back in a severe bun. She doesn't even seem to notice me, but that's all right. Sometimes, people pretend they don't see you, but that doesn't mean they aren't watching. I have a feeling that's the case with absolutely everyone here, and that doesn't bother me one bit. I'm in prison. I should be watched. After all, I might want to escape.
And that is what I want.
A coy little smile crosses my face as I find a table to sit at. Again, I opt for one that’s far from Spring. It’s in the back corner so I can watch her and everyone else for that matter. The last thing I want is for anyone to get the jump on me. I also want to try and look around to see if there’s anything of note in here, but I don’t see any vents. Hmm. Maybe I can befriend the cook and see what the kitchen’s like. That might be worthwhile.
Just like yesterday, it’s a bunch of glop on my plate, an orange color versus brown, and the drink is just as murky as yesterday’s. I guzzle it down. It’s disgusting, but I’m dying of thirst. I haven’t had nearly enough to drink recently, and my body feels more than a bit dehydrated.
A woman with lavender hair and eyes waltzes up to me and pulls down almost on top of me. “Name?” she asks.
“Bay.”
“Whatcha do, Bay?” A redhead sits across from me.
“She has a bit of fire in her. I like her,” a girl with orange hair announces as she sits on my other side. And when I say girl, I mean it. She looks like she’s twelve. I’m almost twenty-one.
"I'm here because I watched my boyfriend commit a crime, and I didn't stop him," I say.
“Ah, an accomplice.” Lavender Hair waves her fork at me. “Let me guess. Murder?”
“Yes.”
“Did you get in her head, Violet?” Redhead accuses.
�
��No,” Violet snaps.
“Your name is Violet?” I ask.
Violet grimaces. "I know. My pa thought he was being funny by naming me Violet instead of Lavender."
“Did he think it was funny when you made him cut out his tongue?” Redhead asks.
I lift my eyebrows.
“I would’ve had him set himself on fire,” Orange Hair says.
“You set everything on fire, Pyra,” Violet says.
“It’s true. It’s why I’m here. I’m Pyra.” She beams at me.
“Blabbermouth here is Rose,” Violet says, jerking her thumb toward Redhead.
“What did you two do?” I ask.
Rosa sits up all prim and proper. “Violet likes to get into people’s minds and turn them into puppets.”
“They’re under your sway?” I ask. Wow. That’s some seriously dark shit.
“Yeah.” Violet shrugs.
“She had them commit all kinds of crimes for her,” Rosa adds. “Robberies, car snatching, stuff like that.”
“Yeah, well, what you did was twisted, Rosa.” Violet takes a bite of her meal.
Rosa holds out her fork. “When people upset me, I have a tendency to use nature against them.”
“That’s putting it mildly.” Violet leans toward me. “She grows thorns to cut and carve into people.”
“Carve what?”
“All kinds of things. Brand them with her name or mark them like the sinner they are.”
“I might be a Nathaniel Hawthorne fan,” Rosa admits.
“Scarlet Letter,” I murmur.
“Got it in one.” Rosa winks at me.
“Didn’t you let some of the people bleed out?” Pyra asks.
“It’s not my fault they upset me that much,” Rosa protests.
I lean back and eye the trio. “Why are you all sitting with me?”
“Don’t you want friends?” Pyra asks. “If you don’t want me for a friend…”
Her dark eyes glow with flickers of a spark. I’ve never seen anything like that before. She really does have a deep-seated darkness in her if she can do that much when she’s been severed from her magic. Holy crap.
Dark Fae Penitentiary: First Transgression Page 6
