by Devyn Dawson
“I doubt jeans will be appropriate for a dinner in your honor. You’ll start Fae-101 in a couple of weeks, then you’ll know everything about faeries.”
Jessie shakes her head back and forth. “Fae-101?”
“Yeah, they’re putting together a class just for you. I need to go, there’s a guard from your court watching you tonight. I think you met him and his partner the other night when he was patrolling. He said you and Caleb went for a walk around the golf course and he stopped to introduce himself. Be careful, I’ll see you in the morning.”
I grab my purse and wave goodbye, “Later tater!”
“Later tater!” Jessie and Caleb respond.
Just as we get in the front yard, I reach over and grab Thorne’s chest and pinch it.
He smacks my hand away, “Ow! What the hell?”
“You put your hand on mine! Did you see their faces? They so know we’re seeing each other,” I fume.
“Jeez, I didn’t realize I’m that repulsive. Damn Amber, I give you a lot of slack, but if you don’t want to date me, just say it. You don’t have to act like I’m disgusting or something. There’s plenty of people who wouldn’t mind going out with me.” Thorne roughly pulls his seatbelt out and buckles it, before leaning his head back on the headrest.
His words hit me in the pit of my stomach. He’s right; everyone who sees him wants to know him. I didn’t mean for him to feel like I thought he was disgusting. “Oh yeah? Plenty of people huh?”
“Yeah,” he replies.
“Fine!”
“Fine!” He huffs and stares off into the night.
I start the Jeep and pull away from the neighborhood, regretting the awkward silence I brought on. That is the one thing we have in common, we’re both stubborn. I drive in silence to his house, neither of us saying anything to each other. I don’t know why I want to keep it private so bad. Maybe Jessie is right, I’m afraid of rejection. Instead of being rejected, I’m rejecting him. It isn’t what I want to do; I just do it without thinking.
His driveway is covered in leaves; they crunch under my tires as I pull up into what I hope is the driveway.
“Am I picking you up in the morning or will one of your fan club members be getting you?” I snap. Stop it mouth! I have diarrhea of sarcasm falling from my mouth.
“The only person from my fan club I want to be around is you, so stop being a brat. Don’t be late in the morning. Miss Alvarez is a pain.”
“I won’t be late. See you,” I say as he climbs out of the Jeep. Even now, I don’t want to end the night bickering, but I can’t stop myself.
“See you,” he says quietly.
I’ve hurt his feelings. Damn.
I reach over and crank up the rock station and drive home singing as loud as I can and still have a voice. A couple of cars that pulled up next to me gave me a look or two. Either they’ve never seen a chick with blue hair sitting at a stop light singing at the top of her lungs, or they loved my singing. Either way, it didn’t matter to me.
The stretch of dirt road to my house is so dark I use my brights to see where I’m going. An owl swoops down out of nowhere practically giving me a heart attack. I swerve, but quickly correct myself. As I pull up to the house a light is on in the study, Dad is probably doing research for the secret job he has. After his surfing accident he lost his job, and over the last year my parents used up their savings. Money was the cause of almost every fight my parents have had since the accident. Thankfully, Dad started working from home. He hasn’t told us much about the job, just that it pays more than double what he made at his last job. Another perk was the huge sign-on bonus. Mom was able to quit her second job as a bookkeeper, now she’s able to be home for dinner most nights. Too bad that while she was out earning money, and Dad was a grouch hiding in the study, I became a teenager with a life.
It’s only 8:30 so everyone is still awake. I put my keys on the hook by the front door and race up the stairs two at a time to avoid talking to my parents. Thankfully, the running water in the kitchen drowned out my footsteps to my room.
I don’t bother turning on my light, I just kick off my shoes and drop my backpack before throwing myself onto my bed. Sprawling across it sideways makes it easier to clear my head. That’s what I told myself when I was a little kid, that when I lay sideways, I can think, if I lay like I’m supposed to, then I have to sleep. Whatever works.
The look on Jessie’s face when Thorne put his hand on mine keeps popping into my thoughts. She wouldn’t care. Hell, she doesn’t have anyone to tell anything to other than Caleb, and he doesn’t care. Why am I stressing myself over something so ridiculous?
My door opens and the light is flipped on. Mom’s voice brings me out of my trance. “Amber, are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, why?” I turn to look at her. She’s standing there with her trendy bobbed haircut and Capri pants, the typical mom look. She’s pretty but doesn’t go overboard with makeup and lipstick. She usually only wears mascara and clear lip gloss, unless she’s going to a social event with work.
“You didn’t bother telling anyone you’re home, and you’re on your bed fully clothed in the dark. I wanted to make sure you don’t need a Tylenol or anything.” She’s always worried about us getting sick. One of the ladies she worked with was a vitamin pusher. That woman was forever sending home samples of vitamins for us to take. The only thing any of them ever did for me was make my pee neon yellow. Scary glow in the dark kind of yellow. Thankfully she moved away a month or so before the accident. I’m sure she would have had pills to cure my dad if she were around.
“No, I’m fine, just a slight headache,” I lie. “I don’t need anything for it, just some sleep.” My cell phone beeps, telling me there’s a text message.
“Okay, but don’t let it get too bad or you’ll never be able to get rid of it. I’m going to go to bed, I have a book I’m wanting to read. The girls in the office have all been talking about it, so I stopped and picked it up at the library.”
I just knew she was going to say she was in Books a Million and saw Thorne and me and our PDA. The good old library saved me from telling my mom about Thorne. “What book?”
“Divergent, by Veronica Roth. I checked out the whole series. Maybe you’ll want to read them when I’m done.”
She’s trying to find something in common with me, that’s one thing we used to share, our love of books. “Yeah, tell me how it is. Jessie only reads vampire and werewolf books so I never hear about books to read.”
“Well, you know if you joined the book club, you’d meet other girls who like to read. I like Jessie, but you need more than one friend.”
This conversation is heading south really fast. “Okay Mom, go read your book. Goodnight.” She closes the door without turning off the light.
I roll over and grab my purse. My phone is flashing to let me know I have a missed text.
I HOPE YOU AREN’T MAD AT ME. SWEET DREAMS. I’LL BE DREAMING ABOUT YOU.
Oh lord, he didn’t just say he’s dreaming about me, how cheesy. Oddly enough, a stupid grin takes over my mouth and I can’t quit smiling.
GOOD NIGHT. NOT MAD. BEWILDERED. I reply.
I BEWILDER YOU?
HA! HA!
OH?
GOOD NIGHT THORNE.
GOOD NIGHT AMBER….HAVE BEWILDERING DREAMS
UGH!
LOL
That’s why I like him. He makes me happy, and brings out the girl in me. I roll over onto my back and flail my arms and legs in the air and try not to let out any audible squeals of girliness.
Chapter 3 Dress Like a Queen
THORNE and I follow Caleb and Jessie home after school. The resource officer yells something at me as I drive past her. She hates me. She hates that I don’t take her crap when she gets bossy with me. I catch Thorne reaching for the dashboard a couple of times as I get too close to Caleb’s BMW at a stoplight. Periodically, I think I hear him praying that we don’t die.
“What are we going
to, a costume party?” I ask a little louder than I should have. Hanging from the doorway are two dresses the seamstress sent over. One of them is a long dark purple velvet dress with pressed velvet appliqués. A matching cape lined in silver satin and a hood will complete the Guinevere look. It reminds me of something you’d wear to a renaissance fair. We haven’t opened the bag carrying my dress; it’s still hanging there waiting to be uncovered.
“Would you please try it on, Your Highness? I’ll make any adjustments while I’m here, if you please.” A round, middle-aged woman with faded red curly hair asks.
Jessie turns red at the sound of being called Your Highness. “Of course….give me two minutes to try it on, I’ll call you when I’m ready.” Jessie takes the dress and prepares it to try on.
“Your lady may also try on her frock,” the lady states.
“Her lady? Are you talking about me?” They called me her lady when I was there for her wedding too.
“Her lady in waiting, of course.”
I nod my head up and down. “What exactly is a lady in waiting?” Why in the hell do I need a title? Lady in waiting, my ass.
“Oh, I mean no offense ma’am. A lady in waiting is her companion of noble blood.”
Good thing I wasn’t drinking anything when she said that, or it surely would have shot out my nose. Noble blood, where in the hell did I find anything noble? “Right, gotcha. What’s your name? I hate to call you seamstress.”
“You may call me anything you’d like. My birth name is Dorthea, you may call me Thea, or whatever you choose to call me.”
“Thea is perfect,” I reply as I unzip the garment bag and pull out my dress. I plaster a smile on my face so she won’t see me freak out. Are these people stuck in the 17th century or what? The dress practically weighs as much as I do, with its velvet and braided rope. Jessie steals a look at my dress and turns away just as quickly.
“Do you like it Miss Lady?” Thea asks.
“Please call me Amber, Lady isn’t the typical name people conjure when they think of me.” I’m trying not to be too flippant, but I’m not good at being subtle. The burgundy and gold velvet dress with a corseted bodice will clash with my blue hair. Good thing I’ve been taking weightlifting, or I’d fall over from the weight of the dress. Thea is still watching me and I want nothing more than to run from the house screaming.
Jessie shoots me a knowing look and shrugs her tan shoulders. “Yes, please call us by our first names, Thea. We’re teenagers in the human world and it sounds strange calling us anything else.”
Thea’s eyes go wide and she shakes her head no. “That would be disrespectful; I must call you by your title. I’m so sorry if it causes you discomfort. In the Woodlands, I’d be killed for such disrespect.”
Jessie crosses the room to Thea and pulls her into a hug. Thea’s arms are plastered to her sides. With no self-control, I die laughing. Poor Thea, she’s going to be scarred for life.
A knock on the door sobers us up. Caleb comes in wearing some type of Robin Hood outfit. Good thing his top is long enough to cover his man-bits, because his pants are so tight they’d have a hard time hiding. Thorne packs a tuxedo and Caleb has to look like he belongs in a children’s book.
The look on his face is killing me. He’s such a nice guy and does his best to be the calm in the midst of all the storms we seem to find. Today, he isn’t the calm cool collected Caleb I’m used to.
Jessie covers her mouth with her hand, but her eyes are filled with laughter. It takes us only fifteen seconds before we lose our composure and laugh out loud. Soon, we’re laughing so hard that we’ve collapsed on the floor. Thea is still standing with a befuddled look on her face.
There’s a light knocking on the door right before it creaks open and Miss Gayle walks in. She looks at us on the floor, and at Caleb with a pillow he’s grabbed from the bed and strategically placed over his man-parts.
“What on earth is going on in here? I’d be convinced you’re in a school play if Dorthea weren’t in the room. What’s up with Robin Hood? Is Thorne part of your merry men?” Miss Gayles asks.
Jessie stands up but keeps bending over in fits of laughter. “Grandma, do we really have to wear this?”
“Dorthea, if you don’t mind, would you please wait in the living room? Down the hall and to your left.” Miss Gayle is fighting for her own composure by the grin on her face. Thea leaves the room and Miss Gayle turns to face her granddaughter.
Gayle stands there in her designer jeans and white button down shirt, looking no older than 45. “Let me guess, Teagan has called for you?”
“How did you know?” Jessie asks.
The three of us have regained our senses as we pull ourselves together and stand up.
“Unless you’re starring in a play of Midsummer Night’s Dream, you’re going into the Woodlands to have dinner with the Queen. Caleb over here is dressed in that garish outfit and Jessie, you look like a medieval princess. I’m guessing the burgundy and gold dress is yours Amber,” Gayle says as she sits down on the bed. “Were you planning on telling anyone? Where’s Thorne, I want to have a word with that so-called guardian.” She’s more annoyed than she usually is with us. “Are the three of you just going to stare at me?”
“No….yes, I don’t know. Yes, we planned on telling you tonight. No, we’re not going to just stare at you. Thorne will be back shortly, another guardian is outside. Why are you mad at us?” Jessie sits down next to Gayle and takes her hand.
Gayle stretches her neck from side to side. “Jess, it’s dangerous on the other side of the Shimmer. Until you take over your kingdom, you don’t have any loyal staff. Fae are good liars and deceitful. Dorthea might seem to be on your side, but until you know her and know how to monitor liars, you can’t trust her. You can’t talk about anything to do with your human life or your life in the kingdom. We’re planning on going there soon and interviewing people for your court, but until we do, no one is to be alone with you without your guardian. I’m surprised he didn’t say that to you already. To clarify myself, the people who have been in your kingdom and hidden, they’ll be the first to serve you. They’re bound to be your loyal staff and will die if they become traitors. It is treason against the queen to be defiant.” She shakes her head back and forth in disbelief. “Caleb, go put on some pants, I can’t talk to you dressed like that.” She shoots him a smile and he happily heads for the door.
“Does he really have to wear that?” Jessie asks.
“No, he can dress in a tuxedo. I have a couple that I bought your father for him to wear at his art showings. I never had a chance to give them to him. Unfortunately, you girls will need to wear those dresses. You’re a queen and you’re going into a queen’s kingdom, you must dress as a queen. The Unseelie Court is a king’s kingdom and Caleb would dress like the king. Luckily, that king wears tuxedos. Never mind all that, I’m going to go with you. Don’t bother trying to weasel around it Amber, I’m going.”
“Who me, weasel out of something? Never. Not today at least,” I say. “I’m going to the bathroom and put this on to make sure it fits.”
The dress isn’t as heavy on as I’d expected it to be. I better be careful going to the bathroom. The sleeves are so long, they drape down to my knees. One wrong wipe and I’ll be dangling toilet water all over the dinner table. That would be funny and disgusting.
I lift up the skirt and walk into the bedroom. Just as I glance up, Thorne is walking in the room. He pauses and takes in an audible breath. Does that mean he hates the dress? My boobs are nothing like Jessie’s, but in this dress with the corset, I look stacked.
I grin at him when I think Gayle and Jessie are too busy talking to notice me.
“You’re here sooner than you expected, is everything okay?” I cross the room to him like a magnet to metal.
He nods his head. “Yeah, everything is great. I see you guys couldn’t get dressed without Miss Gayle finding out.”
“You should have seen what they brought
for Caleb to wear. His man-bits were being threatened.”
“Man bits?”
“You know, his man stuff.” I raise my eyebrows at him to emphasize what I’m talking about.
“Oh,” he replies. “Well, I’m glad I missed the unveiling of his man-bits…you however look beautiful. Your lady-bits are perfect.”
He did NOT just say my lady-bits. What is it that Jessie’s always saying? Breathe in, 1, 2, 3, breath out. If they heard him, I won’t speak to him for a month. He’s lucky that I’m letting him notice I even have lady-bits after yesterday.
Caleb and Thea come back to the room and she declares that no alterations need to be done. She hands me a cloak to match my dress along with a note.
“Good day, I must go back to the Woodlands now.” Thea takes her sewing bag and leaves.
“I’m changing then,” I announce. In two minutes flat, I’m dressed in my stupid school uniform which doesn’t seem as bad now that I’ve worn a Victorian dress.
Everyone migrated to the living room to meet the new guardian. I scoot in on the couch between Jessie and Thorne. It doesn’t take a mind reader to know what Thorne’s thinking. He’s not a fan of the other guardian.
Chip Oaf is no older than 25 and has the personality of an 80 year old man. He has to be at least six and a half feet tall. He’s not particularly good looking and has a nervous tic. I can’t help but stare when he does this strange thing with his neck that reminds me of a lizard. Every thirty seconds he stretches his neck out and his mouth curls down. Like a train-wreck, I can’t quit watching and timing it in my head.
Without much coaxing, he tells us his resume of qualifications to guard a queen and her king. He attended military school and earned his bachelor’s degree from the United States Naval Academy. He was recruited to become a guardian while attending the prep-school, New York Military Academy. For someone who has primarily lived on the northeast parts of the United States, he doesn’t have any hint of an accent. He’s highly disciplined, especially compared to the rest of us.
