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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, circumstances and incidents are all products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events that have happened, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Not Your Average Fairy Tale
Chantele Sedgwick
ISBN:
E book ISBN:
Copyright
Chantele Sedgwick
All rights reserved
Cover Art
Allie Brennan
Editor
Candice U. Lindstrom
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.
CKBB Publishing: Electronic publication 2015
Dedication
For Caden, Kinley, Brooklyn and Beckam, my biggest fans.
And for David, who told me to follow my dream and
never gave up on me.
I love you.
Chapter 1
Ash
I stared at the gold-flecked envelope in my hand, trying to ignore my pounding heart. I took a deep breath. This was it. After what seemed like a million years at the Academy, I was finally going to get the apprenticeship I wanted.
"Ash!"
I turned toward the voice, my hands shaking as I gripped the envelope like a lifeline. "Sam," I said.
My roommate made his way down the crowded hallway, narrowly avoiding a pair of purple-winged fairies hovering a few inches off the ground.
One of the fairies, cute, even with bright pink hair, met my eyes. She blushed, and whispered in her friend's ear. They both smiled and waved. Normally I'd jump at the chance and turn on my charm, but I was too distracted to do anything about it. I heard both of them giggle as they turned around, continuing on their way.
"Look what I've got," Sam said, waving his own golden envelope in the air and grinning like a drunk satyr.
I rolled my eyes and tried to stay calm. It's not like I should have been nervous anyway. I already knew what apprenticeship I'd be getting. I was at the top of the class after all, with perfect grades every semester.
"Well, you gonna open it?" Sam asked.
"You first," I said.
Sam ran a hand through his red hair and sighed.
"Dude, I can't believe you're nervous." He shook his head and eyed his envelope for a second before clearing his throat. "Okay, let's get this over with." He ripped it open with as much grace as a toddler and unfolded the letter inside. "Sweet! I'm apprenticing Master Time." He lifted his hand, and I met it with my own in a big high five.
Being an apprentice to Master Time would be an honor for anyone. I was hoping for Master Night though. The Sandman.
Eager to open my own envelope now, I sucked in a breath. My hand twitched as I slid my finger under the seal. Sam got who he wanted. Surely I had nothing to worry about.
Receiving an apprenticeship was a huge moment. Life changing, even. When I finally grasped the letter between two shaking fingers, I pulled it out. I unfolded it, and stiffened as I read the neat script written inside.
Ash Summerland
The Council of Magical Beings has chosen your mandatory apprenticeship,
to be completed before graduation.
You are hereby called to apprentice Lady Shenelle: Keeper of Happy Endings.
Cordially yours,
Master Time
Head of the Magical Being Academy
and
Magical Protection Agency
"This is going to be so awesome! No more classes for a whole semester!" Sam cheered.
"There has to be some mistake," I whispered, rereading the letter.
"What? What is it?" Sam peered over my shoulder.
I folded the paper before he could see anything and stuffed it in my pocket. The bell rang, sending students scattering through the golden hallways. I however, had other plans.
"I'll talk to you later," I muttered to Sam.
"Where're you going, Ash? You're gonna be late for class!"
"Hey!" an elf yelled as I bumped into him.
I didn't give him a second glance as I stalked towards the Fairy Wing of the university.
Once I arrived at Lady Shenelle's office, I knocked, and not waiting for her to answer, stormed inside.
"There's been a mistake," I announced.
Lady Shenelle floated a few inches above her chair, her hot pink wings tucked neatly behind her back. Her black hair fell to her shoulders, and she tapped a perfectly manicured finger on the glass desk. She studied the paperwork in front of her through glasses perched on the end of her nose.
You’d think a Fairy Godmother would be some old hag wearing a robe and carrying a wooden wand. Not really. Shenelle was probably around three hundred, but looked about forty or so.
"Nice to see you too, Ash," she said. Her eyes never left the paperwork.
"Is this some kind of joke?" I pulled the letter from my pocket and waved it in front of her face.
She floated into her chair, set down her feather pen, and clasped her hands in her lap. Her blue eyes studied me for a moment, and then she took the paper out of my hand. She pushed her glasses back on the bridge of her nose and read my letter.
"No, it's not a joke. You are now my apprentice."
"That can't be possible."
She raised a curious eyebrow. "And why not?"
"First of all, I'm not a fairy." I paused, gathering my bearings. "Second, I am not a girl!" My fists clenched and I refrained from hitting the glass desk.
"Your face is quite red, dear," she said.
I scowled at her. I hated when she called me “dear”.
"Look, Ash. You've excelled in everything we've given you up until now." She took her glasses off and set them on the table. "In going over your file, I realized you have never taken any classes from my department the entire time you've been at school."
"I don't want–"
She held up her hand and cut me off. "Let me speak, please."
"Fine."
"If you can pull off the assignment I give you, then you will graduate at the top of the class. Which means you can go off to be a sandman, or whatever it is you've been fantasizing about all these years."
"Come on, Shenelle. Look at me! How can I be a fairy godmother?"
She hesitated, but only for a moment. "You may be male, but we'll figure this out. We've had things like this happen before."
"There isn't one record of a male fairy godmother in any of our history," I protested.
"I'm sure you'll get by," she said. "Being a fairy is easy."
"There's no way I'm wearing tights. Or having wings."
"Who said anything about tights?"
I glanced at her outfit, which was bright pink, complete with tights and a tutu. "I can drop out, you know," I threatened.
"I do know that. I also know you better than you think." She gave me a meaningful smile. "You wouldn't risk losing all you've worked for by quitting now."
I glared at her. I wasn't about to admit she was right.
She picked up a stack of papers and started sorting through them. "It's just one assignment, Ash. The board all agreed on it and the decision is final."
Why me? Isn't there something else I could–”
"No."
"Y
ou didn't even let me finish," I said.
"You need to learn some things, and this apprenticeship will help you learn them." She glanced up at me. "Hopefully."
"Like what? I'm top of the class! What else could I possibly learn?"
She stopped fiddling with the papers and smiled like she knew something I didn't. "You don't know everything," she said.
I knew that smile. Mischievous. Only a fairy could pull it off. "Fairies are nothing but trouble," I said, more to myself than her.
She raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth twitching.
"No offense," I said.
"Seems like you have us all figured out."
I shook my head. "Sorry. It's just ... " I trailed off and cleared my throat, keeping my temper in check. "You know my history with fairies. I can't believe you let the council do this to me."
"Your past has nothing to do with this," she said. Her voice had an edge to it, and I decided to back down. I wasn't looking to piss off a fairy. Especially Shenelle.
I sighed. "What do you want me to do?" My voice sounded far away. There was no way out of my apprenticeship. She knew it, I knew it. And that made the whole thing suck so much more.
"You're assigned to a girl in need of three wishes. If you succeed in helping her, you'll graduate."
My shoulders slumped as I realized there was no way out. What would the guys think when I told them? If I told them.
"Fine," I whispered. The only reason I would go through with the assignment was to graduate. After that I could do whatever I wanted.
"The wings will be uncomfortable the first few days." Shenelle stood, and a purple magic wand appeared out of thin air. "Oh, and your assignment? She's like a siren crossed with a fairy, so watch out."
"I think I can manage a teenage girl," I said dryly.
She snorted. "You’re as much a teenager as she is."
"Right." I frowned and shoved my hands into my pockets. "Can you hurry? I want to get this over with."
She chuckled. "Close your eyes." The room began to glow.
I felt a twitch in my toes and grimaced as it traveled up my legs. Soon my whole body was tingling, the strongest near the middle of my back. A rush of warmth spread through me and I suddenly felt lighter.
I opened my eyes and met her amused expression.
"Perfect." She smiled, admiring what I assumed were my wings.
I looked down and groaned. "I thought you said there wouldn't be any tights," I said through clenched teeth.
She shrugged. I could tell she was trying not to laugh. "Sorry about that. We've never had anyone quite like you before."
"Oh really? You mean you've never had a fairy godmother who was a guy?"
"Don't start that again," she said.
"I'm wearing what I want," I said.
"Fine with me. Just behave yourself."
"I'm not a troublemaker," I muttered. I walked toward the door, trying not to let myself float with the new appendages sticking out of my back. I resisted the urge to reach back and yank them out. I hated them and hadn't even looked in a mirror yet. "When do I start?" I said over my shoulder.
"Be back here in an hour. I have a few things to attend to before I give you your wand."
I nodded once and strode out the door. My body shook with rage. I went straight to the bathroom in the hallway, determined to stay there until the hour was up. I wasn't going to show my face to anyone until the stupid assignment was over. How hard could it be anyway?
***
It took the entire hour I sat in the bathroom to accept that I wouldn't be getting out of the first lesson Shenelle had planned for me. While in there I took the stupid tights off and figured out how to make my pants reappear. With jeans finally in place, and after making sure no one was in the hallway, I stepped outside.
I swear it took forever to get to her office, and it was only down the hall. I took my time, enjoying my last few minutes of freedom.
A girl with dark hair stood near the door. I'd seen her around campus before but hadn’t ever talked to her. I figured she was the other person who would be apprenticing Lady Shenelle.
"Ash Summerland?"
I nodded and tried to keep my expression neutral after hearing her high, squeaky voice. She had vivid green eyes, just like Sam. I was pretty sure she was part elf, since it was a distinct trait that most elves carried. Her wings matched her eyes. They were a light green with dark veins swirling through them. They reminded me of grape vines.
"You didn't have to wait for me," I said.
"I did, actually. We have to go in together." Her voice had an edge to it, and I frowned. She didn't have to be so pissy.
I reached out to open the door, but drew my hand back as it opened itself. We entered the room and I plopped down on one of the pink fluffy couches lining the edge of Shenelle's office. The other fairy took the one farthest away from me.
"Thank you for joining us, Ash. Misty has been waiting outside my door for nearly twenty minutes," Lady Shenelle said. An annoyed tone laced her voice, and I bit back a smile.
Maybe if I got on her nerves, she'd pass me off to someone else.
"Now," she said. "The two of you are here because of the apprenticeship you have received."
She pulled out two heavy-looking purple folders and handed one to each of us.
"What's all this?" I asked.
"The details of your assignment. The girl, age, hair color, eye color, hobbies, favorite food. Everything you need to know about her."
"Great." I let out an exaggerated sigh and ignored the glare Misty shot me from across the room.
Shenelle's eyes narrowed. "Read it," she snapped. “The more details you know about her, the faster you can help her make her wishes.”
I rolled my eyes and set the folder on my lap.
She turned toward Misty. "The human you are working with is male. And just so we're clear, there are certain rules to follow pertaining to your assignments. Read your paperwork, and you'll see what I'm talking about."
Misty nodded, a fake smile plastered on her face. I wondered if she was unhappy with her assignment as well.
"Now for the wands," Shenelle said. Her purple one appeared in her hand, and she held it in the air. I had to shield my eyes at the burst of light that shot out of it. When it dimmed, there were two wands floating above her head.
Pink wands.
She plucked them both out of the air and floated across the room, handing one to each of us.
"Are you kidding me?" I eyed the wand with distaste.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Summerland?"
"It's pink!"
"Well you are a fairy godmother," Misty said. She covered her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh.
I glared at her. "Not. My. Choice."
Shenelle stiffened. "Misty, will you excuse us? Run and get yourself a drink or something. I'll be out shortly."
"Yes, Lady Shenelle." She stood, flipped her dark hair over her shoulder, and floated out of the room.
The door closed, and Shenelle stood in front of me with her arms folded. "Do you want to spend the first day of your apprenticeship on probation?"
I sighed. "No."
"Then you might consider changing your attitude. It not only makes you look bad, but it makes me look bad as well. Especially in front of other students."
"Sorry," I mumbled. I wasn't really mad at her. I just couldn't figure out why the council decided to torture me with fairy wings after being such a great student all these years. It didn't make sense. And obviously I wasn't handling it well.
"I accept your apology this time, but don't pull that attitude on me again," she said. "We're stuck with each other whether you like it or not."
I managed a smile, but it wasn't even near genuine.
"So, you're upset about having a pink wand, correct?"
"Wouldn't you be upset if yours was blue?"
"Not likely. Blue is a beautiful color."
"You know what I mean."
"Well,
change it then."
I looked up to see a smile on her face. "How?"
"You have magic, Ash. You already know how to use it. The wand just makes it more potent. Channels it, if you will. So, if you want a different color, just think it. Feel the magic flow through your fingertips, and make it happen."
"That's it?"
"Of course! How did you think we used magic?"
"I don't know. I didn't take Fairies 101 this year." I stood, holding my wand gingerly in my right hand.
She laughed, though it sounded forced. "Get a good grip on it," she said, motioning towards my wand.
I grasped it tight, feeling magic flow toward my fingers. I thought of what I wanted to do with my wand, smiling at what her reaction might be. I felt a pulse of magic slide through my fingertips and into the wand, and I looked down.
"Interesting choice," she said.
I admired my handiwork. My wand was now dark blue, with tiny black lyrics of my favorite song wrapped around it. It was awesome. For a wand.
"Much better than pink," I said.
"Right." Shenelle floated toward her desk. "Now, have you practiced flying?"
"I'm not using the wings."
She narrowed her eyes. Her mouth opened as if to say something, but she closed it.
I squared my jaw. "It's really not worth arguing about. I've already made up my mind."
"Now, Ash–"
"I don't do wings."
"Very well," she said with a sigh. "Now, most of this is in your folder, but I suggest you get the observation assignment done immediately so you can start working on granting wishes. Remember, just observe. No talking to her or letting her see you the first time you go out."
"You got it, boss." I saluted her, and her mouth drew into a thin line.
"You may think this is a joke, but I assure you it's not." She picked up a pink feathery pen and wrote something inside the folder in front of her.
I stood there, not knowing what to say, or if I should sit down again. "So, when can I leave?"
She glanced up, her glasses sliding to the edge of her nose. "Whenever you can. I assume you remember how to teleport?"
"Did you seriously just ask me that?"
"Great. Remember, 'observe, don't disturb.' That's the motto for this first assignment. Call it a practice one, if you will."
Not Your Average Fairy Tale (Not Your Average Fairy Tale #1) Page 1
