by Alison Pensy
CHAPTER THREE
Gypsy had calmed down by the time Faedra put her back in the paddock. She trotted off to join her field buddies, seemingly, without a care in the world.
“Fickle!” Faedra called out after Gypsy, before limping back to the car and driving home.
She did her best to play down the limp as she walked into the living room upon returning home.
Her dad was relaxing in his chair by the fireplace when she entered, his legs outstretched, his feet resting on a footstool. It was summer so there wasn’t a fire burning that night, but it was her father’s favorite place to relax. He diverted his eyes from the television to look at her, a smile forming on his lips as it always did until he actually saw her. Faedra’s face fell as she watched her father’s smile vanish, his eyes widen with horror, which then changed to a look of worry.
She could only imagine what she looked like. Covered from head to toe in dirt, clothing torn, and bruises now appearing on her arms. She had a feeling the bruises were going to cover her body much more extensively when she got around to peeling off her clothes.
“What on earth happened to you?” he cried.
“I’m okay, Dad,” she lied. In reality, she felt like she’d just gone ten rounds with a heavyweight boxer. Her body ached all over.
“Well, you don’t look okay. Are you going to tell me what happened?”
Faedra shuffled over to the sofa, plunked herself down rather unceremoniously, and winced as she made contact with the cushions.
“Something spooked Gypsy in the woods. She reared and threw me,” Faedra explained with indifference. She thought it best to leave out the bit about the glowing yellow eyes and Faen’s distinct aversion to them, at this juncture.
“Well, that’s not like her. She’s never thrown you before and you’ve been through those woods hundreds of times.”
“I know, Dad, but I have myself to blame for becoming complacent with her. She’s always so sensible, I forget that she is still an animal and, therefore, unpredictable.”
Faen barked.
“Okay, boy, apart from you. You are definitely the least unpredictable animal I have ever met in my life.”
She sensed that he seemed satisfied by that remark as he sat down beside her.
“You know, Fae, I could swear sometimes that dog understands every word you say.”
“You’ve noticed, too? I thought I was just imagining it. Anyway, I’m going to take a bath,” she eased herself up off the sofa with yet another grimace.
“There’s some Epsom salts in the cabinet. That should help ease some of the soreness, but I think you’re probably going to be a bit stiff for a few days.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Fae?”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Take it easy, darling, I don’t want to lose you, too.” His poignant statement was not lost on her; she had always been very conscious to avoid doing anything that would make her dad worry.
“You won’t, Dad, I promise,” she said with a reassuring smile.
Faedra made it to the bathroom rather more slowly than usual, reached over to turn on the taps, and sprinkled the Epsom salts under the steaming flow of hot water. She lifted her t-shirt over her head with care and peeled off the jodhpurs, discarding them in the laundry basket. She wasn’t sure if they were salvageable, but it was worth a try. She turned her attention to the mirror.
“Oh, my goodness,” she gasped as her battered reflection stared back at her. Nearly her entire body was covered in patches of red, the first stage of a bruise, and she thanked her lucky stars that she was sensible enough to wear a helmet; it could have been a lot worse. “Those bruises are going to be sore,” she groaned.
After a few more minutes of closer examination, her bath was ready. She slipped out of her underwear and dipped her toes in the water to make sure it was not too hot. It wasn’t, so she eased herself down, letting out a sigh of comfort as she sank up to her neck in the warm, steamy water. She could feel the healing warmth envelope her body, seeping into her muscles. After several minutes the soreness ebbed away.
The candle she had lit when she started the bath was flickering in front of the mirror giving the appearance of there being two of them. She watched the glowing flame send a soothing warm light throughout the bathroom. A few more minutes passed, her mind drifted, and her eyelids grew heavy.
In an instant, she was back in the woods again, fear coursing through her veins. Her eyes under their lids darted about erratically and her breathing quickened. Faen, who was laying on the other side of the bathroom door, could sense something was wrong. He sat up with an urgency and scratched at the door.
She was once again staring at the frightful yellow eyes, glowing with ominous intent, hiding in the shadows of the trees. Her body turned ice cold with trepidation once more.
Faedra, Run!
Her eyes flew open and she pushed herself up in the bath sending water splashing over the sides. Disoriented, she looked around with trepidation, then sighed with relief when she realized she was still in the security of her bathroom.
“Mum,” she whispered to herself. “It was Mum’s voice in the woods.”
Faen scratched on the door again.
“It’s okay, boy. It was just a dream.”
She hefted herself out of the bath. After drying and dressing into her pajamas, Faedra trudged down the hall. It was odd how her bedroom was located within the cottage. After the renovations there was no entrance to her room from the new part of the house. To access it, one had to walk down the back stairs, come through the kitchen and dining room, and walk up another set of stairs that led only to her bedroom. The other original bedroom, next to hers, would have been accessed through her room when the cottage was built, but that door had been sealed off long ago, and had its own access from the new side of the house. Usually this would not have been an issue, but tonight, as stiff and sore as she felt, it was.
It took Faedra ages to hobble down one set of stairs and then up another. When she opened her door, she let out a loud groan. She had completely forgotten about the mess on her bed that had been dumped there earlier. Scuttling over to her bed, she pushed it all onto the floor; she’d deal with it tomorrow. She flopped on the bed, sore and exhausted.
“Night, Faen,” she whispered, and was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.
The sun shining in through the window woke Faedra the following morning. Her curtains, although pretty, didn’t do anything helpful to keep the room dark once the sun had decided to peek over the horizon. She opened her eyes and stretched; a smile crept across her lips when she realized what day it was. It was Saturday, and she was taking her two best friends, make that three best friends, if you included Faen, to Strawberry Fair.
As soon as Faedra had passed her driving test, she bought a car; albeit, a bit of an old banger. She was so excited at the prospect of being able to drive herself to Strawberry Fair that she’d been marking the days off on her calendar. When she’d mentioned it to her friends, they wanted to go with her, so she had been looking forward to this day for months.
Strawberry Fair was held in Cambridge, about an hour and a half drive from her home. It was the largest one-day festival held in Cambridge and had been held annually for over thirty years now. It was first started as an ‘alternative’ festival, a bit like a renaissance fair, she imagined, but now it was very much like most other festivals held around the country. Although, she was secretly hoping there were still some vendors of the more ‘mystical’ variety, something that had always interested her. Maybe she could get her palms read.
There would be all kinds of arts and crafts, music, food, and shows. Thousands of people from all over the country converged on Cambridge for that single day a year, and this year she was going to be one of them. Eager to get going, she threw back the covers and jumped out of bed. Then something struck her as odd. She didn’t hurt.
She scanned b
oth of her arms, no big ugly black and blue bruises, just a little redness in some areas. She walked around for a few steps. There was a very faint aching in her hip, but nothing like the throbbing pain of last night. Confused, she walked to the mirror and pulled her top up to reveal the skin beneath; nothing but patches of a reddish tinge reflected back at her. Could Epsom salts do that? She wondered as she kept checking for bruising and finding nothing. Coming to the conclusion she wasn’t as badly bruised as she first thought. She put it to the back of her mind and wandered over to her closet, rummaged around for a moment, and grabbed a pair of shorts, and a sleeveless top with thin straps. It was going to be a warm day, and now that there were no hideous bruises to hide, she could dress accordingly.
Once dressed, Faedra skipped down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her father was leaning against the counter waiting for his toast to pop out of the toaster. He looked at her in astonishment.
“Must have been the Epsom salts,” she gave as explanation to answer the obvious confusion in his expression.
He raised his eyebrows. “I guess so.”
She grabbed a slice of toast that had just popped up out of the toaster.
“Hey, that’s mine, young lady!” Henry exclaimed.
“We’re off, I’ll see you later tonight. Enjoy yourself on the boat and give my love to Uncle Leo and Nicki.” She grinned her cheeky grin and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Love you.”
“Have fun and drive carefully,” he called after her, but she was already halfway to the living room. Henry shook his head with a big smile on his face. His daughter was growing up fast, and turning into a fine young lady.
Faedra pulled up outside her friend, Amy’s house. She had arranged to pick Zoë up from there, too. Zoë lived close to Amy, so it was on the way. She honked the horn to let them know she was there. A couple of minutes passed. Just as she was about to honk again, the front door opened and her two friends appeared. Amy was a little shorter than Zoë, who was about the same height as Faedra. They were all roughly the same build, but had very different features. Amy had white blonde hair, cropped into a short spiky style. She had blue eyes and pale skin, but unlike Faedra, not a freckle to be seen. Something that Faedra couldn’t help but be envious of. Amy was a party waiting to happen; there was never a dull moment when she was around.
Zoë on the other hand, had long sleek dark brown hair that flowed down her back and shone in the sunlight. Her olive toned skin complimented her warm green/brown eyes and she always looked great in anything she wore. Between the three of them, they had all the hair colors covered: blonde, brunette, and redhead.
Faedra could see the excitement in their smiles as they made their way down the garden path to the car.
“Hi, Fae,” Amy chirped as she took her assumed position in the front passenger seat.
Zoë didn’t hesitate jumping in the back seat beside Faen. She loved Faen almost as much as Faedra. It seemed to Faedra the feeling was mutual.
“How’s my boy today?” Zoë said as she mussed Faen’s ears and planted a big kiss on his nose. Faedra was watching her in the rearview mirror and a big grin spread across her lips.
“Hi, guys,” Faedra said. “Well, we’ve got a great day for it.”
The journey to Cambridge flew by. They fell into the usual girlie chatter and didn’t stop talking for the entire drive there. Amy told them in great detail about her latest conquest. Faedra had to admit he did sound rather nice and was looking forward to meeting him. Zoë was already in a relationship and she was perfectly happy. They had been together since the beginning of high school, and at this point, it didn’t look like that was going to change any time soon.
Faedra hadn’t yet met anyone she felt any connection with. Although, she had been asked out on numerous dates, she had always politely declined. She had a feeling that when the right person came along, she would know in an instant. She just didn’t want to waste her time, or his, when she knew it wouldn’t go any further than the first date.
Cars started to slow several miles out from Cambridge with all the festival traffic trying to make its way into the city. They sat in traffic for what seemed like half the day, but was, in fact, only about half an hour until they were eventually ushered into a huge field. They followed the line of cars in front of them until they found a parking space.
The girls and Faen got out of the car and mingled in with the crowd of people heading towards the entrance to the festival. The deep bass of music off in the distance resounded all around them. As they got closer to the festival, the music became more distinctive and the crowd got larger. Faedra couldn’t help but get completely caught up in the atmosphere. She soaked it all in, observing with interest the people in the crowd surrounding her. Every age range, from babies in pushchairs to older retirees, were present.
It seemed to her that there were three categories of people attending the festival. Those who dressed in ordinary clothing, like her and her friends. Those that were dressed somewhat hippie-ish, with long hair, beards, and psychedelic t-shirts emblazoned with the ‘peace’ sign. And those who were just all out eccentric, wearing anything from renaissance clothing to cross-dressing. One couple that walked past her was dressed in silver clothing, wearing pink wigs, with one sporting devil horns and the other a tiara. Faedra guessed they were using the ‘good versus evil’ take on their costumes.
Finally, they were through the gates and the festival spread out in all its enticing glory before them. There were hundreds of tents, housing vendors of all descriptions, and, from this angle, they could see at least two stages where bands were playing live music.
“Where do we go first?” Amy asked, looking in all directions.
“Well, we could start off in that direction and make our way around. We’ve got all day,” Zoë responded.
“That sounds like a plan,” Faedra agreed.
They headed off toward a stage where a band was playing some type of folk music. The band called ‘Hogwash’ had attracted quite a crowd. People were standing around watching, as well as, sitting down in the grass. Most were drinking beer. After watching them for a while, Faedra grinned at her friend Amy who was wiggling her hips in time with the movement. It had always been virtually impossible for Amy to keep still if music was playing. Even in the car she jiggled about in her seat to whatever song was blasting from the radio.
A few songs later they decided to move on, and spent some time glancing at the vendors as they walked past. There were arts and crafts of all types. Faedra was interested in the handmade jewelry. Zoë was more into the candles and incense vendors while Amy was attracted by anything pink.
“I’m hungry,” Zoë mentioned after they had been window-shopping for an hour. “Can we find a food tent?”
“That one over there looks fairly innocuous,” Faedra said, pointing in the direction of a hotdog and hamburger stall. She was starting to get a little disappointed; she’d been hoping to see lots of ‘mystical’ stalls, but not a Gypsy Rose Lee was to be seen so far.
They wandered over to the food stall and tucked into some not-too-awful hamburgers. Faedra always thought it was a bit of potluck, putting your digestive health in the hands of a food vendor at an outdoor event. After they finished eating, Amy wanted to find another stage and listen to some more music. They all headed off towards the sound of music blaring behind a few more of the vendor’s tents. Then it caught Faedra’s eye; a sign that read Runes read by Rose, Let the stones guide you.
“Hey, I’m just going to go over there,” she pointed towards the tent she had just spotted.
“Oh, Fae, don’t waste your money. Everyone knows they are all frauds,” Zoë cautioned.
“It’s just a bit of fun, I’ll catch up with you. I’ve got my cell phone with me if I can’t find you.”
“Okay, we’ll see you in a bit, but your wasting your money,” Zoë said, as she and Amy started off in the direct
ion of the music.
Faedra wandered over to the tent. Most of the vendor’s tents were only enclosed on three sides, but this one was enclosed on all sides, allowing privacy to the person getting a reading, she assumed. She wasn’t quite sure what to do when she arrived at the tent. It wasn’t as if there was a door to knock on before she entered. She didn’t want to be rude and burst in on someone if they were having their runes read. She stood outside the tent for a moment contemplating the situation, and then decided she would just call out. If anyone was in there, they would hear her and let her know if they were busy or not.
“Hello?” Faedra called next to the material that made up one of the tent walls. “Is anyone in there?”
“Hello,” came the voice from inside, “please, come in.”
Faen whined. “It’s okay, boy. You stay out here. I won’t be long.”
Faedra did as the voice said and pulled the material aside to enter. The inside of the tent was exactly as she would have imagined a Gypsy Rose Lee tent to look like. There was the strong smell of incense burning, which she saw was coming from a little table in the corner that also housed the obligatory crystal ball. Rose was seated at a small card table in the center of the tent that had a purple, crushed velvet cloth edged with fringe draped over it. The chairs were just ordinary plastic folding ones that probably came in a set with the table. Faedra smiled, Zoë was more than likely right, but she thought it would be good for a giggle, so she decided to stay.
Rose got up from the table and held her hand out for Faedra. Faedra had to admit she was slightly surprised because Rose did not fit the Gypsy Rose Lee stereotype she had created in her mind. Yes, she was dressed in a gypsy-ish way with a long floating skirt and billowy white blouse, but she was younger than Faedra had imagined. She had expected a much older woman, possibly with her fair share of wrinkles, but the lady facing her right now didn’t look much older than thirty. She had a fresh rosy complexion with beautiful green eyes and long, wavy, dark hair hidden partially by a deep red headscarf.
“Hello, I’m Rose,” she said brightly as they shook hands. “Please don’t tell me yours,” she continued as Faedra opened her mouth to return the greeting.
Faedra clamped her mouth shut.
Rose gestured for Faedra to take a seat. She then picked a small sign off the table that read Reading in session and hung it on a hook that was on one of the tent posts. Once she returned to the table, she made herself comfortable and picked up a small black velvet pouch that was lying in the center.
“Now, I want you to think of a question or a situation you would like guidance on. You must not tell me what it is; then pick out six Rune stones and hand them to me,” Rose explained as she opened the pouch and held the open end to Faedra.
Faedra thought carefully for a moment before dipping her fingers into the pouch and pulled out the first stone, handing it to Rose who placed it onto the crushed velvet tablecloth. She did this five more times until all six stones had been extracted from their pouch. Faedra watched as Rose carefully arranged them in the shape of a cross. Rose then pulled the strings on the pouch to close it, and placed it to one side.
Faedra watched as Rose examined the Runes intently, and stifled a giggle when she thought back to Zoë’s remark. Rose was certainly putting on a good show, umming and ahhing for several minutes, but Faedra began feeling a distinct shift in the once pleasant, if not slightly kooky, atmosphere in the tent. Suddenly, there was a very tense sensation surrounding her, and she drew her eyebrows together in a frown.
Rose’s eyes widened. “No, this can’t be,” she mumbled to herself, “it’s just a legend.” Then she drew her burning gaze from the Rune stones to Faedra.
Faedra shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
“What do you see? What’s just a legend?” she asked.
Rose didn’t speak for a moment.
She was contemplating something important. “You,” she stated bluntly.
Faedra laughed, it escaped before she had a chance to stifle it. “I’m sorry, but I think my friend was right. I’ll not waste any more of your time.”
She started to get up to leave but Rose beat her to it. Before Faedra even got her butt off the seat, Rose stood up, rounded the table, and was standing behind her. She let out a gasp.
“What?” Faedra demanded, turning in her seat to see Rose eyeing the back of her neck. “It’s a birthmark, what of it? Look, this is ridiculous. I’ll give you ten out of ten for the dramatics, but I was hoping for a serious reading,” she stood up and spun around so that she was now facing Rose.
“You have no idea who you are, do you Faedra?” Rose whispered.
“I know exactly who I am, thank you very much,” she stated obstinately, “and I know who you are; you are a fraud… Hey, how did you know my name? I never told you my name.” An uneasy feeling started to well up in the pit of her stomach.
“How old are you?” Rose asked.
“Seventeen,” Faedra snapped.
Rose closed her eyes, dropped her head, and let out a heavy sigh. She had already said too much.
“Tell me how you know my name,” Faedra demanded, “and why you’re so interested in my birthmark!”
“I can’t, you are not of age yet. I’ve already said too much.”
“Not of age yet? What does that mean?” Faedra demanded again, starting to get annoyed.
“I never imagined I would be in this position. I thought it was all just a myth, but our people have a pact with yours. You will find out soon enough. Sorry, Faedra, I can say no more, you must go.” She moved over to the entrance and held it open.
Faedra glared at Rose as she brushed past her.
“Faedra?”
“What?” Faedra snapped.
“Good luck.”
Faedra looked at her and shook her head. “Come on, Faen, let’s get out of here.”
She stomped off in the direction of the music to find her friends. She was almost too angry to notice the burning in the palms of her hands until it got too unbearable, so she stopped at a drinks stall to ask for some ice.
“I don’t know who I am, indeed,” she muttered as she held a couple of ice cubes that melted instantaneously.
“Who did she think she was anyway?” she grumbled to Faen who was keeping very close to her side, much closer than usual. He was always with her, but most of the time kept several feet away. At the moment, he was glued to her leg.
Faedra continued her mutterings until she found her friends dancing in a crowd that had gathered in front of a stage playing modern music this time.
“How’d it go?” Amy shouted above the music when Faedra reached them.
“Zoë was right, she was a fraud.”
“Well, I hope you didn’t give her any money,” Zoë shouted.
“Didn’t get a chance to, she kicked me out before I even got a reading,” Faedra complained.
“What?” Amy and Zoë shouted in unison. “Why did she do that?”
“She said something about me not being of age and not knowing who I was.” It sounded ridiculous to Faedra even as she said the words.
“See told you,” Zoë chimed in, “frauds, the lot of them. Well, don’t let it spoil your day, Fae.”
Faedra decided she wouldn’t and joined her friends in a dance. The rest of the day passed without incident and they arrived home safe, but exhausted. After dropping her friends off, she pulled into her driveway. Her Dad was still out, and she hoped he was enjoying himself with Uncle Leo and Nicki after a day on the boat.
She darted up to her room, ran around the bed to her dresser, and grabbed her small hand held mirror. Holding it up in front of her, she turned her back to the vanity mirror on her dresser and examined her birthmark. She’d never paid it much attention before because it was at the nape of her neck between her shoulders. It wasn’t easy for her to see, and, as her hair usually covered it, she forgot it was there m
ost of the time. Today she had put her hair up because it was so thick; it was like wearing a scarf on a sunny day. Now she could see it clearly in the reflection in the mirror.
She leaned closer to get a better look and her eyes widened with surprise.
“Wow, it must have grown. I can’t remember it looking that big before. What does it remind me of?” She drew her eyes away from the mirror to look straight ahead at her collection, and then reverted them back to her reflection again, narrowing them as she did.
“It’s a fairy.”
