That’s when the room started spinning again, and I passed out.
*
“Rylie, wake up.” My mom was shaking me. I opened my eyes and tried to focus on her. It all came crashing back. I pushed myself up to a sitting position and looked around. My mother and father were huddled around me, and the woman who claimed to be my birth mother was watching us intently. She looked human again.
“Did I imagine that?” I looked into my mother’s eyes, hoping for an answer I knew I wasn’t going to get.
She shook her head, her face pale, and softly brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I’m afraid not. We all saw it.”
“It has to be a trick. There are no such things as faeries.” My father’s eyes narrowed in Azura’s direction, and his fists were clenched at his sides. He resembled some kind of vengeful god, towering over our unwanted guest as she sat demurely on the couch.
She smiled angelically and dropped her glamour once again, her wings flapping. It wasn’t any easier to see the second time around.
“We’re real,” Azura said, her voice still eerily pleasant. “I’ve been watching Rylie grow up. You have done a wonderful job. I obviously picked a good family to raise my daughter.” She turned to look at me. “I want you to know, giving you up was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It eats me up every day, but I know it was the right thing to do.”
“I’m not your daughter. These are my parents.” I moved into the warmth of my mother’s arms, and glanced up at my dad for support.
It hit me that I looked nothing like either of them, and panic rose in my chest. How could I have missed it all this time? I had fair skin and eyes, and my parents had dark hair and darker skin. They even both had dark eyes.
This can’t be happening.
Without a word, I bolted up the stairs to my room. My parents’ voices called for me, but I ignored them. I couldn’t deal with it.
Rushing into my bedroom, I slammed the door.
Chapter Seven
I stood in front of my dresser and stared into the mirror; I’d been doing that a lot lately. I got as close as I could to my reflection, so close my nose almost touched the glass. Physical changes? I knew I had noticed some things recently, but would I really look like her? Her ears were pointed, not just a little pointy, completely pointed. And wings? Could that be the reason my back had been hurting? Wings? Oh my God! Would I really have wings sticking out of my back?
“Calm down, Ry,” I told myself. I put both hands to the smooth, cool surface of my dresser and looked away from my own reflection. This woman had to be crazy. Right? Maybe she spiked our food, and now we were hallucinating? I took several deep breaths.
Tomorrow, Rylie will finish her transformation. The woman’s words echoed in my head. What did she mean? What else would happen? There was no way I was going to sleep tonight. Maybe if I stayed awake, none of it would happen.
There was a knock at the door. I didn’t want to answer it. I didn’t want to talk to my parents or that woman. She said we could take a DNA test, but that would take time, and if she was telling the truth, I didn’t have that kind of time. I’d be a…faery…tomorrow! My stomach turned.
Another knock was followed by my mom’s voice. “Rylie, can I come in?”
“Go away!”
“Rylie…please.”
I stomped over to the door and threw it open. “Is that even my name? Or is that your baby’s name?”
Tears welled in Mom’s brown eyes, and I immediately felt guilty. “Your name is Rylie. We didn’t settle on a name until minutes before we left the hospital to come home. And it was only after looking at you for a couple of days that we decided. So don’t you ever wonder about that.”
I looked down and muttered, “Sorry.”
Mom wrapped her arms around me. “You are our daughter. Nothing will change that. Even if what this crazy woman is saying is true, you will always be our little girl.”
She sounded so sincere, but I wondered if that would be true even after I “transformed.” “I don’t want to be Tinkerbell, Mom.”
A musical laugh came from out in the hall, and I realized Dad and Azura were standing there just beyond my line of sight.
“You will not be anything like Tinkerbell,” the lady assured me, her hands clasped in front of her as she came closer. My dad stood behind her with his cop face on.
“Am I going to shrink?” I asked, my voice shrill.
“No. We’re not tiny. You’re thinking of piskies.”
“Piskies? I thought it was pixies?”
Azura nodded. “Depends on what area they come from. The pronunciation can differ.”
“Interesting,” my mother said, much more calmly than I expected.
It was surprising. I could barely believe anything of what was happening, but my mom seemed to be taking it as it came.
I swallowed hard. “What else is going to happen to me?”
“Well, one thing the folklore has correct is that you won’t be able to tell a lie. Ever. You will use glamour so humans cannot see your true form. I can teach you how. It’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it.” Azura paused, eyeing me. “Every faery has their own special ability. I’m not sure what yours is, but you’ll soon find out. And because you’re an Aurorian faery, your ability will be much stronger than most.”
“What do you mean ability?” I wrinkled up my nose and stared at the stranger standing in the hallway outside my bedroom. It was too close for comfort to my safe zone.
“My ability is air manipulation.” Her gaze never faltered, but a low whistling sound filled the house, and suddenly the papers on my desk flew into the air like a little mini tornado. It only lasted a few seconds, but it seemed longer.
I watched the papers fall back onto my desk in a messy pile. “Whoa.”
There was a beat of dead silence.
“You…did that?” my dad finally said.
Mom and I turned as one back to Azura. The faery just nodded.
“You said I was in danger. From what?” I left the doorway to fall onto my bed. My knees couldn’t hold me anymore. I just wished everyone would leave me alone, and we could act like this day never happened, because I wasn’t sure what to believe anymore.
“Yes, what exactly is the danger?” my father agreed.
The three of them entered my bedroom—even Azura. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but it wasn’t a comfortable feeling.
My mother joined me on the bed, and my father stood beside us, while Azura stayed by the doorway. Her stance was relaxed but somehow light-footed, as if she could run if need be. “The fey are divided into two groups, if you will. Light faeries and dark faeries. The name comes from their source of magick. We are light faeries and get our magick from the sun. The dark faeries get their magick from the moon. They offered my husband access to their magick in exchange for our daughter.”
“What did they want with Rylie?” my mother asked.
“Her ability. They want her on their side.”
I barely paid attention to Mom’s question or Azura’s answer, because I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. “My father was going to trade me?”
“I’m sorry, I have no excuses. I was foolish and in love. I didn’t realize he was such a—” She stopped herself. Clearing her throat, she said, “He always felt inferior because of his ability.”
“Which was?” I probed.
“Making fragrances. It’s a wonderful ability to be able to decide what something is going to smell like, but he was constantly teased about it. He often talked about getting access to moon magick, which is what the dark faeries have. He thought that maybe he’d get a better ability from the moon. So when the dark faeries offered a trade, he jumped at the chance.”
I let my head fall into my hands for a moment while I processed the information. When I looked back up, I asked, “Where is he now? Does he know I’m alive? Is that why I’m in danger?”
“No, baby, he doesn’t know. He thinks you di
ed. He disappeared that day and I haven’t seen him since. Nobody knows where he is.” For the first time since she walked into our house, I heard true emotion in Azura’s voice. Despair.
I didn’t know what to say.
“I know this is a lot to take in,” Azura said softly.
“Ya think?” I glanced up at my real parents, the people who raised me and loved me. My father had his hand on my mother’s shoulder. I felt a sudden pang of sadness for them. I couldn’t imagine what they were feeling.
“I’m not leaving my parents.” Or Adam. My heart raced at the thought of him. What would he do if he found out I wasn’t human? Would he love me anymore? Oh my God! I couldn’t lose him.
“Honey, you’re not going anywhere. I don’t care who this woman says she is. She’s not taking you from us.” My father moved to put an arm around my shoulders. I felt a little better, because my dad was a man of his word. I always felt safer when he was around.
“You might not have a choice, I’m afraid,” the faery said softly.
“The hell we don’t,” my mother practically yelled. Her calm demeanor had left her, and now she was visibly shaking, her fingers digging into the comforter on my bed as if she’d rather it were Azura’s neck. “Even if what you’re saying is true, she’s been fine with us. There has been no danger. We can keep her safe from whatever it is you say could hurt her. Which, by the way, you have completely avoided giving us a straight answer. So tell us, Mrs.-I-can-tell-no-lies, what does my daughter have to be afraid of?”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t ask me directly. The deal Oleander’s father made—”
“Oleander?” I balked.
Azura blushed. “I’m sorry. It just slipped out. Your faery name is Oleander.”
“What? Oleander? Are you kidding me?” It took everything in me not to burst out laughing.
“We’ll talk more about that later. The dark faery that your father made the deal with is not a nice man. Varwik is a very evil faery of our kingdom. He controls the dark land. Everyone fears him. I cannot allow him to get his hands on you. The danger lies in your transition. Once your transformation is complete, other faeries will be able to spot you. Other faeries will be able to see your faery self even when you use glamour. Once Varwik knows you are alive, he will expect us to give you to them.”
“It’s unlikely this Varwik will ever know she’s alive,” my mother remarked dismissively. “We’re quite safe here in a small town.”
“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.
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