by Sarah Adams
“Am I what?”
“Trying to sabotage us, just because you lost your team?”
“No! I told you all why I'm here! My mom's making me!”
“Sounds like an excuse or an alibi!” Cindy said.
“You can think whatever you want, four eyes, but I promise I wouldn't be part of your little Geekville team, if I had the choice!” Tamara said, taking the stairs two at a time trying to escape the screech of Cindy's voice.
“Don't call my girlfriend, names!” Greg called after her.
“Leave her alone, Greg!” Hayden said. Tamara could hear him pushing his way through the crowd trying to descend the stairs and leave for the day, but she kept pushing forward even though her final destination would offer her no sanctuary. Running stretched her muscles and allowed her a moment of solitude.
“Tamara!” Hayden called after her.
Tamara turned the corner and pushed open the door to room five eighty five and nearly tripped over a desk that lay on its side at her feet. She held tight to the door frame and caught her balance. Every desk in the classroom had been moved to awkward places and laid on their sides. Besides the entrance they blocked the bookcases, the teacher's desk, and a stack of them lay piled in front of the blackboard. One chair was still upright. It was on the table Sir Bedivere stood. The wooden knight statue had been placed atop of it, as if it were a throne. Did the knight now want to be king?
“What the…?” Hayden asked, nearly colliding with Tamara.
“That's what I was wondering,” Tamara said, righting the desk and scooting it out of the way.
“What the hell did you do?” Cindy demanded, pulling away from Greg.
“I didn't do anything! It was like this when I got here.”
“Cindy, she wouldn't have had time to move all the desks,” Greg said, entering the room and beginning to right the rest of the desks. The rest of the club slowly filed into the room and began to help him.
Tamara looked up at Hayden and began to speak, but he stopped her, “The statue couldn't have done this.”
“But… Who else would have done it?”
“I don't know,” he shook his head and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
Tamara pulled away. He was cute, but given the circumstances she wasn't sure who to trust. Did Greg sneak into the room and rearrange it before the meeting? Would he do something like that just to prove his own theory? Perhaps, it was Hayden. He was angry at Greg and the others for blaming him for the team's defeat on Saturday. Tamara bit her lip. Neither of her suspects had committed the act in question anymore than they had put the hand prints on her mirror.
“Let's just get started, guys,” Greg said once the room was more or less returned to its original condition.
“Sorry, I’m late guys,” Mrs. Kelly said, upon entering the room.
Tamara waited for Greg or one of the others to mention the prank, but no one spoke.
“I'm not feeling well,” Tamara said, “I think I'm going to have to skip today's practice.”
“Are you okay?” Mrs. Kelly asked.
“Yeah, I just don't feel well, right now,” Tamara lied.
“I'll excuse you from this meeting,” she said, “but if you find time this week try to practice on your own, okay?”
“Okay,” Tamara nodded and left.
Once out of Mrs. Kelly's sight she sprinted down the stairs and retrieved her cellphone from her back pocket. Her fingers moved quickly over the keypad, dialing Amber's number. Not that she believed her BFF had really cast a love spell last month, but Tamara had no one else to ask.
“Hey, can you meet me?”
“Aren't you at chess practice?”
“Um… I was, but that's what I need to talk to you about.”
“Did Hayden break your heart already?”
“No. It's nothing like that. I just need to talk to you, like in person,” Tamara said, jogging out of the school, “Will you meet me or not, BFF?”
“Of course, we'll meet you.”
“No, 'we'. Just you. Okay?”
“Is everything, okay, Tam?”
“Yeah. I just need to talk to you.”
“What if Josh and I pick you up and then he drops us off at my house? Will that work?”
“Will your dad be home?”
“Most likely not.”
“Okay, then. See you soon, please.”
“We'll be there ASAP, Tam.”
“Thanks,” Tamara said and ended the call.
Chapter Six
An hour later, Tamara sank onto the edge of Amber's bed and spilled her guts. She hadn't planned on telling Amber about her argument with Hayden after the tournament, but once she began Tamara found that she couldn't stop herself. After weeks of not talking privately with her BFF, the words poured out of her mouth before she could filter them. Her cheeks flushed as she spoke and her words became rapid, making it hard to know where one ended and the next one began.
“I always knew Greg was weird,” Amber said, lying back against her pillows, “but I never thought he'd have a knight statue for an imaginary friend.”
“What?”
Amber broke into a fit of laughter and Tamara sighed, putting her head in her hands.
“Amber, I really need some help here. This is your department.”
“How so?” Amber asked, “How is someone pranking Geekville my department, Tam?”
“I don't think it was a prank.”
Amber frowned, “I hate to break it to you BFF, but a lot of people are mad at the chess club. You guys didn't win the tournament and now there's no Halloween dance.”
“What about the hand prints and Hayden's shoes?”
“He said his little brother tied his shoes together.”
“We don't know that for sure though.”
“No, but Tamara,” Amber said, sitting back up and taking her best friend's hand, “Don't you think it's more likely that Sir Bedivere striking back? He's a knight statue! He doesn't even have hands!”
“That makes more sense, but come on, Amber, less than two months ago you were going on and on about how you cast a love spell.”
“I did,” Amber nodded.
“So....”
Amber fell quiet for a moment and looked contemplative. Tamara avoided Amber's eyes and looked down at her lap. Now wasn't the time to interrupt her BFF. Tamara had seen that look before. If she interrupted Amber now, she might refuse to help her all together.
“Okay, so I'm not sure what to think about it. It seems unlikely that it has anything to do with the statue, but unlikely doesn't mean impossible. Up until a few weeks ago I would have thought magic was impossible, it couldn't exist. It could have been anyone that moved the furniture, but if you really think it's something to do with the statue, go to the library. It's the hand prints that have me though. If it wasn't for them, I'd say we needed to find out who it was and get revenge. ” Amber finally said.
“What good will it do to go the library?”
“I'm not sure, but it's the best place to start.”
“Can't we search it on the internet or something?”
“This isn't a 'we',” Amber laughed, “Sorry, BFF, but I have things to do that don't include chasing around a immobile statue, bond and determined to make you miserable because you ate his apple.”
“Okay, but why can't I search it?”
“I never said you couldn't,” Amber said, “but you could have done that without dragging me away from my boyfriend, so, I figured you needed my advice. So that's it: 'Go to the library.”
“And look for what, Amber?”
“I don't know.”
“Then why am I even talking to you?”
“Because I'm the only one who won't call you crazy, BFF. Just go to the library. It's as good of a place to start as any, Tam. I was talking to some senior girls the other day and I'm not the first to find a book there that wasn't listed in the card catalog.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just that
other people have had similar experiences to me,” Amber said, “and that makes me think, that maybe, just maybe, our school library is some sort of special place.”
Tamara laughed, “I doubt that BFF. It's more likely there's a gas leak or something at school making a lot of people hallucinate.”
“Did you hallucinate the hand prints, Tam?”
“No, but….”
“No buts, Tam. Get going, Josh will be back to pick me up soon,” Amber laughed.
“Do you think he'll drop me off at the library?”
“Sure, why not,” Amber sighed.
Tamara's phone vibrated in her back pocket and she sprang from the bed.
“Damn it!” she cursed under her breath and answered it.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Where are you?”
“Amber's house.”
“Mrs. Kelly said you left because you didn't feel good.”
“I didn't, but it was just girl issues.”
“Oh, do you need anything?”
“No, I'm fine now.”
“Good, because I'm getting ready to go shopping,” Mrs. Page said, “Can Amber's dad give you a ride home?”
“Amber and Josh will.”
“Good, bye,” Mrs. Page said and ended the call.
“She believed that?” Amber asked.
“Of course, she did. She doesn't really care. As long as I'm not in trouble or costing her money. You know that, Amber.”
“I guess so.”
Outside a horn blew, cutting their conversation short.
“That's Josh,” Amber said, picking up her purse, “Come on, let's go.”
On the way to the library Amber explained the situation to Joshua.
“So Tamara thinks Sir Bedivere is out to get her,” she giggled.”
“I've heard that name before, but I think you're saying it wrong. I think it might be Sir Bedwyr,” Josh said.
“I'm just saying it how Tam said it,” Amber said,
“I'm saying it how Greg said it,” Tamara said.
“I think both of you need to stop listening to Greg. He's not that smart.”
“Jealous, much?” Tamara laughed.
“No. It's just that Greg has always been pretty out there.”
“So what do you know about Sir Bedivere or Sir Bedwyr or however you want to say it.”
“If you're talking about Sir Bedwyr, he was a knight of the round table.”
“Like King Author and the Knights of the Round Table?”
“Yeah,” Josh nodded, “See the thing he's best known for is throwing King Author's sword into the lake.”
“So, he was a bad guy?”
“No, King Author told him to, but that's neither here nor there. The statue might have been named for the guy from mythology, but it doesn't mean the it has anything to do with it.”
“Then why are you telling me all of this?” Tamara asked.
“Because you asked me,” Josh said.
“Well, thanks for the ride, anyway,” Tamara said as she exited the car. “You sure you don't want to come and help me, Amber? Just think of all the times I've helped you shop.”
“You'll be okay. As long as you don't rip up any books you won't have to worry about finding a good deal,” Amber giggled.
“Fine,” Tamara said.
Tamara pushed open the large double doors and stepped inside. She rubbed her palms together thankful for the warmth radiating from the walls. Her hands trembled as she walked from the lobby into the main part of the building. She had been here plenty of times before, but never alone. Standing here now without Amber made Tamara feel like a trespasser, a very lost trespasser, nonetheless.
“Can I help you?” a familiar voice called from behind a roll of books.
“I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for,” Tamara admitted.
“Most people aren't when they come here,” the librarian appeared from behind the row of books.
“I'm just going to have a look around if that's okay?”
“Sure, if you need help, just come and find me.”
“Thanks,” Tamara said and ducked in between two rows of books. She looked up at the shelves, had they always been taller than her? Without bothering with reading the titles of the books Tamara moved onto the next row. The covers told her all she needed to know. Tamara was pretty sure trashy romance novels weren't going to help her, unless Sir Bedivere was using his offerings to court a lady knight piece. Tamara stiffled a giggle and quickly checked each row of books for anything that looked promising, wondering how Amber made it seem easy to find anything and everything in a library.
She was about to give up on thefiction section when the spine of a book caught her attention. It was a white book with gold lettering and a tiny faerie with bright gold wings. Tamara was pretty sure it wouldn't help her, but it looked interesting at least.
“Faerie Bella Goes to School,” Tamara read out loud, “Great. It's a kid's book.”
“Sometimes, childrens' books are more insightful than adult books,” a lady said from behind her.
“I don't think this is what I'm look for,” Tamara said looking over her shoulder. She blinked twice and the book fell from her grasp, clattering onto the floor. The woman was taller than Tamara by at least a foot. Her eyes instantly went to the woman's feet, thinking she must be wearing heels, but her pale feet were bare and her toenails painted a deep crimson. Her dress was black, billowing around her knees and fitted at the hips.
The bodice was low-cut and Tamara thought the woman looked a little too old to be wearing a push-up bra, but with the cleavage the dress was showing, the lady must have been, but it wasn't her bare feet, nor the low-cut dress that had Tamara bemused. It was the glittering black wings she wore on her back. The wings looked to be custom made, the fabric was thick and looked life-like. Tamara raised a hand intending to touch them, but they fluttered. Startled, Tamara stumbled back three steps. Light danced through the woman's green eyes and her black curls bounced as if a breeze had shuffled through the building.
“Those look really... well real,” Tamara said, stooping down to retrieve the fallen book.
Halloween was creeping closer everyday, but it was too early for costumes. Besides, who were costumes to the library anyway?
“Thank ye, lass,” the woman said. Tamara noticed a faint trace of a fake Irish accent.
“Your accent needs some work,” Tamara said and reshelved the book.
The woman laughed, making Tamara take another step back. The air vibrated over her arms, sending a chill up her spine. The lights flickered and for a moment Tamara thought the floor trembled beneath her feet. It stopped so suddenly that she couldn't be sure.
“Oh, lass,” the faerie said breathlessly, “Ye be a funny one, but on to business, shall we?”
“Business?” Tamara asked, crossing her arms and jutting out her hip. Just who did this woman think she was? Did she have Tamara confused with someone else perhaps?
“Ye've a faerie problem,” the woman said leaning against one of the tall shelves, “Pissed off the wee folk, so to speak.”
“What are you talking about?” Tamara asked, fighting the urge to roll her eyes, feeling the woman wouldn't take very kindly to it.
“Well, ye gotcha yourself a faerie problem don't you?”
“I don't think so,” Tamara said.
“So, ye haven't had anything weird happen, then?”
“How do you know about that?” Tamara asked, taking another step back.
“It's me specialty after all, isn't it, lass?”
“Look, lady, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm fine really and now I'll just be on my way out the door,” Tamara said, turning away from the woman and quickly walking away.
“Look here, lassie,” the woman said, cutting Tamara off a the next row of books, “Ye've got yourself a faerie problem. I didn't give it to you. You let that handsome lad lead you into pissing off the wee folk. Now, you've got to appease them. If you don't t
hey'll never leave you in peace and you can forget about anything ever happening between you and that handsome lad.”
“What are you talking about? I know you're all caught up in the spirit of Halloween, but lady, everyone knows that faeries aren't real.”
“Think what, ye will, lass, but the problem won't go away on its own, ye know.”
“I'm outta here!” Tamara said, stepping around the lady.
“Leave our lands! Go on, lass! You're not welcome here, anyway, theif!” the lady shouted and Tamara heard an object zooming through the air. She ducked just before the thick book would have collided with the back of her head.
“What the hell?” she turned on her heels, scooping up the book intent on throwing it back at her, but she was gone.
Tamara looked down at the book in her hand. Its cover was as dark as the midnight sky and just as empty as a starless night, if that starless night happened to fall on the night of the dark moon as well. Tamara flipped it open searching for a title page.
“Appeasing the Wee Ones.”
“Appeasing the Wee Ones?” Tamara said out loud.
“There are times when mortals must make amends to the ones they insult,” the first line read, “Mortals often trample over the lands that belong to the fae, the wee ones, the wee folk, the spirits of nature, and those of infinite names. It is widely known that these small people are not apt to quickly forgive nor overlook a trespass. They will pursue the smallest insult with determination. If you a brave (or stupid) enough to seek them out beware that the tides of nature side with them.
Do not lie. Do not steal. Do not take what does not belong to you. If something is on their land, it is theirs. If you have need of it, it is best to ask. If no answer is given, leave something of equal use in the place of the object you take. If you make your home near the land of the wee folk leave an offering of milk and honey, to apologize for the trespasses you make in your ignorance.”
Ca-caw ca-caw, the screech of a crow echoed through the library. Tamara glanced around, wondering who had let the crow inside. Had it came down through the rafters like the starling did that one time in middle school?
The bird screeched again and Tamara turned on her heel, deciding that she was ready to leave. The black book was tucked firmly under her arm, because Tamara wasn't so sure the woman in the strange costume hadn't been right. They had taken something that wasn't theirs. It could have been a faeries.
