The Curious Curse of Faerywood Falls

by Blythe Baker

  “It isn’t your fault,” Bliss said. “You already said that you didn’t mean to take her gift.”

  “I didn’t,” I said. “But I should have known it was possible. She tripped, and I just panicked, reaching out to help her without thinking…”

  Athena lifted her head and looked over at me, her gaze sharp as she watched me.

  “And it wasn’t even like I was thinking about her gift. At least, I don’t think I was. Ugh, I just wish I knew how it worked. It’s like it comes and goes. It works when I want it to and when I don’t. I just don’t understand…”

  “It’s okay, sweetheart,” Aunt Candace said, sweeping over to me and throwing her arms around me.

  I peered at Bliss over my shoulder. “I mean…what if I accidentally brush up against your hand at the wrong moment and steal your powers, huh?”

  Bliss’s eyes widened as her mom let go of me. “I guess I’d never thought of that,” she said slowly, her face paling.

  “This is why I need help,” I said. “I don’t want to do this to anyone else.”

  “We’ll figure out a way,” Aunt Candace said,

  “You know what?” Bliss said, getting to her feet. “There is a library of sorts that the spell weavers have. Maybe I can get access to it. I’d need permission from every person on the council of eleven. I wonder if they’d let me if I just said it was for research…”

  My eyes widened. “Do you think – ”

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” she said, pointing at me. “Seriously. This is a long shot. But maybe I can find something about faeries in there. Because I think at this point, we’re all desperate for anything that can help you.”

  “You’re not kidding,” I said.

  Bliss clapped her hands together and started toward the door. “Alright. I’ll be home late, Mom. Maybe even not ‘til morning. Don’t wait up, okay?”

  “Alright, but be careful, sweetie,” my aunt said. “Call if you need anything.”

  Bliss waved before disappearing out the door.

  Aunt Candace turned to me. “Well…care to stay for dinner tonight? I’ve got some steaks thawing right now that we could throw on the grill.”

  “That sounds great,” I said. “I’ll help you get everything ready.”

  Normally, I would’ve gone home. But I wasn’t in any state to be alone that night. Mrs. Bickford’s angry face kept filling my thoughts, and I figured it was best to keep myself occupied until I could figure out a solution to all of this.

  I’d have to find something out. About my past, about being a faery, about my ability to steal gifts…I couldn’t live like this.

  There had to be an answer somewhere.

  There just had to be.

  6

  I woke up the next morning with what could have possibly been the worst idea I’d ever had. If anything, it showed the level of desperation I’d sunk to in order to find some answers to all the questions buzzing around inside my head.

  I woke before the sun had risen fully. The birds were singing to each other in the trees, and Athena was perched on the windowsill like a cat, her tail swinging back and forth as she watched the squirrels chase each other up and down the trunks of the trees in the side yard.

  What’re you doing awake so early? As she asked, she glanced at me over her tiny shoulder. You were tossing and turning most of the night, so I assumed you’d sleep until that shiny box of yours sang to wake you up.

  I checked the time on my cell phone. It was just before six. “Yeah, I know. But there’s something I wanted to do before I went to work this morning.”

  And what might that be? Athena asked.

  She wasn’t happy with my answer. In fact, she downright refused to go with me when I asked her to. She told me that I’d lost my mind and that the lack of sleep must’ve made me lose all common sense.

  “I know it sounds crazy,” I told her. “But it might be the answer.”

  Grudgingly, she agreed. She hopped into my backpack, her nose twitching anxiously.

  I made a quick stop at the antique store on the way. Abe was already awake, and I told him I had to run some errands before we opened the store. He didn’t mind, and I hurried down to the small office where we kept the records.

  Mr. Cromwell wisely kept a list of all his customers who lived in town, along with their addresses. Many of them had ordered items through the shop and asked for them to be delivered.

  Silvia Griffin’s name was buried in the long list somewhere and right beneath it was the name I was looking for.

  You still have time to change your mind, Athena told me. We can stay here and enjoy some breakfast instead, and not go through with this silly idea of yours.

  “You can stay here if you want,” I said, typing the address into the search engine bar in the map application.

  No, I’ll come, Athena said. But you should know that if your aunt or cousin heard you were doing this…

  “I know, I know,” I said, pressing the “Directions” button on the screen. A blue arrow appeared on the map, along with a blue line following the roads toward the eastern part of town. “You ready?”

  As ready as I’ll ever be, she said.

  We hopped back in the car. We’d decided to drive, not only because of the humid weather, but also in case we needed to make a quick getaway.

  Even as early as it was, there were cars on the road headed toward downtown. The diner next to the antique shop was very busy for a Thursday morning, and more than one truck drove by with a boat attached to its hitch.

  People were out enjoying the weather, and I was trying to figure out magical issues.

  What a life.

  The GPS took me to some winding back roads. Somehow, this didn’t exactly surprise me. The woods here seemed darker, as if the bark itself leeched away the bright sunlight that shone overhead. Ravens flew from the branches of the ancient trees, and as I slowed down at a stop sign at an intersection, a pair of amber eyes glowed from inside the trees.

  A chill ran down my spine as a sleek, black cat bolted out from the underbrush, from where the eyes had been.

  Even you must feel the unease in the air around here…Athena said to me.

  “I do,” I said, my fingers gripping the steering wheel. “But I need answers.”

  We took a left turn and followed along a mountain trail for a few minutes before there was a break in the trees. Sitting out on a ledge was a modern house, made of glass, steel, and concrete. It seemed so out of place for a residence in the mountains.

  “Well…” I said, easing the SUV to a stop. “This is the place.” I glanced down at the GPS once more. “Yep. We’re here.”

  Athena was peering through the windshield, her head low as if ready to flee.

  “Everything’s gonna be fine,” I said. As the words escaped me, a flicker of anxiety washed through me, making my heart race and my palms sweat.

  I opened the door and stepped outside, the heat of the day blasting me as soon as my shoes touched the dusty ground. I locked the car behind me, sliding the keys into my pocket as I headed toward the front door.

  The door itself was made of frosted glass. The numbers of the house gleamed in silver just above the doorbell, which was in the shape of a four-leaf clover.

  I pressed it, and heard chimes somewhere inside the house.

  The chimes were soon followed by the clacking of high heels against a hard floor.

  My heart in my throat, I stepped back to wait as the owner of the elaborate house unlocked the front door.

  The woman who pulled the door open was beautiful. She had hair like spun gold, twisted in large, thick curls that hung over her shoulders and down her back like a mermaid. She’d dyed the ends pink. Her eyes, a piercing violet, scanned me up and down.

  She was tall, with long legs…which were covered with thigh-high striped socks in red and gold.

  Yep. It was definitely Delilah Griffin. There was no mistaking the similarity between her style choices and those of her late sister
.

  She folded her arms, a pencil-thin eyebrow arching as she regarded me. “Can I help you?”

  “Um, yes,” I said. “I actually had a couple of questions for you – ”

  “Not answering anything until you tell me who you are first,” Delilah said. Her voice was high and somewhat nasally. Her glare made her pretty face contort into an ugly expression.

  “Right,” I said. “My name is Marianne Huffler, and I – ”

  Delilah swelled up like a balloon, her cheeks turning scarlet. “You.” she hissed.

  I took a hesitant step back as a thin piece of wood appeared in thin air, which she caught and pointed straight at me.

  Well, it wasn’t like I’d really expected it to go any differently.

  “You’re the one who killed my sister,” she said, taking a step toward me, pushing me away from the house.

  “I – ” I said, holding my hands up in defense. “I didn’t kill your sister. Not exactly. She was attacking me, and I – I was just defending myself.”

  Delilah’s expression was murderous as she looked down her long nose that looked so much like her sister’s.

  “I’m sorry about everything that happened,” I said. “I didn’t mean to get as involved as I did, and I – ”

  “She had it coming,” Delilah said darkly. She lowered her wand, and with a toss of her hair, turned and walked back toward the house.

  “I…what?” I said, panting. My heart was beating so fast that it was making me nauseous. My knees were trembling as I grabbed at my chest, not sure if I was safe or not yet.

  She stopped and glanced at me over her shoulder. “She had it coming,” she repeated. “My sister had been making some pretty poor decisions these last few years, and stealing that book was definitely up toward the top. She was so power hungry and nothing sated it.”

  Her eyes flashed dangerously as she regarded me again.

  “So, yeah, I hate your guts, but if it wasn’t you, then it probably would’ve been one of the council of eleven. So there’s that,” she said.

  Hesitating, I tried to find my voice again.

  “Relax,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’m not going to kill you or anything, so you can stop cowering like a cornered rabbit. Oh, and your fox can cool it with the snarling. Got it?” she asked, heading back through the open front door.

  My head whipped around and I saw Athena standing at the bottom of the stairs, her fur standing on end, her lips pulled back and her teeth bared.

  I told you this was a bad idea…she said as she closed her mouth and shook herself off.

  “Well, are you coming in or what?” Delilah asked. “I’m not exactly good with air conditioning the outside.”

  Nervously, I walked over to the door.

  If I crossed over the threshold, I’d be completely at her mercy.

  At least she hadn’t killed me yet, and she said she wasn’t going to, so…

  I stepped over the welcome mat and inside.

  As soon as I did, the door slammed behind me.

  “Just so we’re clear, this isn’t a social call, and we are not friends,” Delilah said. She was standing in front of a mirror on the wall, holding a tube of bright red lipstick in her hands. “Like, not even a little.”

  “Yeah, got it,” I said.

  “So? What was so important that you had to come all the way out here, make me angry, and bother me just before I’m about to leave?” she asked.

  “Well, um…” I said. It was like all the questions had been wiped from my mind.

  Olivia Foster, Athena reminded me. There was an edge to her words, too. Clearly she was not pleased about being locked outside.

  “First of all, the book that Silvia stole…” I said. “You don’t by any chance have it, do you? I’ve been looking for it, hoping to return it to its rightful owner.”

  Delilah burst out laughing. “What makes you think I have any idea where that book is?” she asked.

  “I’ve heard you and your sister were close,” I said.

  “Yeah, we were, but that doesn’t mean she told me where it was,” Delilah said, painting her lips with the lipstick. “Next question?”

  With a twinge of annoyance, I realized she hadn’t exactly denied that she knew where the book was.

  “Okay, I also wanted to know if you knew anything about the death of Olivia Foster,” I said.

  Delilah’s head swiveled and she glared at me. “Who?” she asked.

  “She’s a woman who lived in town,” I said. “She was found dead in the cemetery – or rather, I found her. I heard a scream, ran into the cemetery to see what was wrong, and found her lying there dead.”

  Delilah smirked. “On a killing spree, are we?” she asked.

  “It wasn’t me,” I snapped, glaring at her.

  She shrugged, returning her attention to the mirror. “And how would I know that? Am I just supposed to take you at your word?” she asked.

  “Did you have anything to do with it?” I asked. I was done beating around the bush, whether or not I was afraid of her. “The circumstances under which she was killed are very similar to how your sister killed Burt Cassidy.”

  Delilah turned her gaze back to me, but this time there was nothing but malice in her violet eyes. “How dare you insinuate that I would do something just because my sister had done it?”

  Her retort startled me, and I lost my mental footing. “I assumed that – ”

  “Yes, exactly,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “You assumed. That’s the problem, isn’t it?”

  “I – ” I said.

  “Like I told you, I have no idea who that woman is, so how could I have been the one to…”

  Her voice faded away as she stared at her reflection, her eyes growing wide. Then a devious look passed over her face, and she grinned. She whipped around to me again.

  “What did you say her name was?”

  My heart jumped into my throat. “Olivia Foster?”

  Delilah threw her head back and cackled, and it sounded way too similar to her sister’s laugh.

  “Wait, so you do know her?” I asked.

  “No, I still don’t know her,” Delilah said with a wave of her hand. “But her husband…him I know.” She laughed again, wiping tears from her eyes.

  My mind jumped to the man I had met in the reception area at the mortuary. I could feel the pain in his words, see the agony in his eyes…

  “How do you know him?” I asked.

  She smirked and twirled one of her bouncing curls between her fingers. “He was on the city council with my sister. Went to a lot of parties that he attended.” She giggled like a little girl.

  I rolled my eyes.

  “You know, if anyone was capable of murdering their wife, he definitely is,” Delilah said, waving her wand in a tight circle. A black clutch purse appeared out of thin air in a puff of green smoke, and she snatched it out of the air.

  “Mr. Foster?” I asked. I shook my head. “He’s devastated that his wife is gone. I just talked to him yesterday.”

  She shrugged, her eyes narrowing. “Did you hear me say that he’s in politics? They’re better actors than those Hollywood celebrities.”

  She shoved her lipstick in her purse, and with another wave of her wand, her purse disappeared.

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date to meet,” Delilah said, tossing her silky hair over her shoulder. “As in, show yourself out before I chase you out with a curse.”

  I turned on my heel and hurried out the door.

  “Just so you know,” Delilah said, following me outside. “You still owe me for what you did to my sister. I’m going to collect on that eventually. So be prepared.”

  A chill ran down my spine as her purple eyes bored into me. “Yeah…” I said.

  Without another word, I made my way back to the car. Athena growled at Delilah and jumped up into the car, hopping over into the passenger seat as I slid into the driver’s.

  Delilah stood out on her porch with
her wand aloft, and I didn’t want to stay to see what she was doing.

  I drove the SUV down the driveway and back onto the winding road heading toward town.

  That was close, Athena said, crouching on the passenger seat.

  “You’re not kidding,” I said.

  I thought she was really going to hurt you when she realized who you were, Athena said.

  “Me too,” I said. “I don’t think she was kidding when she said she’d come for me sooner or later.”

  I don’t think she was, either. But was it just me or was she a bit…moody? Athena asked.

  “I was getting whiplash,” I said. “One minute she was angry enough to kill me, and the next, she was laughing like we were sharing a secret joke or something. She’s just as unpredictable as Silvia was…”

  My phone started to ring in my pocket, making me jump and swerve a little on the road.

  Be careful! Athena said, grabbing onto the seat with her claws.

  I slowed down the car and dug my phone out of my pocket. It was my Aunt Candace.

  “Hey,” I said answering the phone, my heart in my throat. Thankfully, there hadn’t been any other cars on the road. I eased my SUV off onto the shoulder to park until our conversation was done.

  “Hi, sweetheart,” my aunt said. “So I just got some news that I thought you might like to hear.”

  “Oh yeah?” I asked. “Like what?”

  “The date and time for Olivia Foster’s funeral,” she said. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted to go, but if you did, your cousin and I will be happy to go and support you.”

  My heart sank a little. “Oh, right. The funeral…”

  “Sweetheart, you don’t have to do anything,” Aunt Candace said.

  “No, no,” I said. “I should go. I’m the one who found her, after all.”

  “And no one has to know that, okay?” she said. “Bliss wanted to know if you’d be willing to go shopping with her after work today. I know you’re probably heading to the antique shop here shortly.”

  “Yeah, I’m on my way there now,” I said, glancing at the clock. I’d almost completely forgotten about the fact I had to work that day. “And tell her I’d be happy to.”

  “Okay, great,” Aunt Candace said. “Well, you have a good day, alright?”