I pulled a pair of socks out of my dresser, smiling at how well they matched my outfit. No one had as many cute socks as I did. I didn't own one pair of plain white socks, and I was proud of it. It was my one quirk no one really knew about.
Comfortable, I threw my clothes in the growing pile gathering on the floor. I glanced in the mirror, my eyes going straight to my scar. I touched my face, tracing the angry red line down my cheek until I reached my neck. At a twinge of pain, I let my hand drop.
I sat down on my bed, noticing mascara spots on my pillowcase. Probably from crying myself to sleep so many nights. I reached down for my tennis shoes and slipped them on, not bothering to tie the laces. I picked up my apple and bit into it, enjoying the crisp, juicy taste.
A crash near the window made me jump. I spun around and toppled off my bed.
There, next to the window, was the guy.
The same guy who had followed me around all day.
He was in my room, picking up a bunch of CDs now scattered all over the floor. Setting a few of them back on my desk, he smiled.
“Hello, Kendall.”
I jumped to my feet, screaming, and tripped over the piles of clothes on the floor as I tried to find the door.
"Wait! Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you!" he yelled.
I realized I had my apple in my hand and pulled my arm back.
"Stay back or I'll throw it!" I yelled, preparing to chuck it at his face.
"You’re really going to throw an apple at me?" he asked. His voice was calm now, and he looked like he was stifling a laugh.
“Okay, Mr. Genie. I've had enough of you following me around. Who are you, and how did you get in my room?”
He rolled his eyes like I had just asked the stupidest question ever. "First of all, I'm not a genie. And second? Your window was open," he said with a shrug.
"You are a stalker!" I flung the apple at him.
It hit him in the chest, and his eyes widened. "I was kidding," he said, brushing his shirt off. "Good arm. I’m impressed."
"If you didn't come through the window, then how did you get in here?" I asked, eyeing my room for more weapons. I spotted my old baseball bat poking out from under my bed.
"Magic," he said.
I stared at him.
"What?" he asked.
"Are you recording this or something? If this goes on the internet …” I glanced around the room, making sure there weren't any hidden cameras anywhere. My hand instinctively went to my neck and then my cheek. It was a habit now. I hated feeling so vulnerable all the time.
“There aren’t any cameras, Kendall.”
I wasn't convinced. "Did Tessa put you up to this? My sister? Cameron?"
“No," he said.
"Why do you keep following me around, then?"
"I have to."
"You have to? Why?”
“It’s in the job description.”
Confused, I asked, “Who are you?”
He smiled. "I’m Ash."
"Ash?" I wracked my brain for any familiarity with the name.
Nope. Never heard of an Ash.
"Yes. My name is Ash."
I considered him for a moment, the baseball bat forgotten. "Who let you in, then?"
He groaned in frustration, and put a hand on his dark head as if I was giving him a headache. "No one let me in," he said. "I'm your fairy …" he stopped and made some sort of grunting noise at the back of his throat. "Your fairy godmother.” His expression was pained as he said the words, like someone yanked them out of his throat.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Riiight …" I said slowly, letting my sarcasm creep in. "A fairy, huh?" Amusement dissolved my fear. "And I had you pegged as a genie."
He stiffened.
I folded my arms and leaned against the wall. Maybe he wasn't a killer stalker, but he was definitely a crazy one. I still kept my eye on the bat under my bed.
"What?" he asked.
"Shouldn’t you be wearing a tutu? Or tights, maybe?" I ignored his glare and burst into laughter. I couldn't resist. For the first time in weeks, I felt like laughing, and it felt great.
"Funny," he said, clearly not amused. "Does it look like I'm wearing tights?"
I let my eyes take in his lean body and shrugged. "Not right now, but who knows? Maybe you wear them around your house." I smiled. "Or maybe you've got them under your pants right now."
"Not funny." His eyes narrowed, but he didn't move.
"So, let me get this straight. You are a fairy."
"Yes."
"And not just any fairy, a fairy godmother."
"Correct."
I snorted, and put a hand over my mouth to hold back the laughter. When I’d pulled myself together again, I put my hands on my hips. "I don't believe you."
"Why not?"
"Fairies have wings. Where are yours? Are you saving them for a special occasion? Like Halloween?"
His hands moved a little toward his back, but he stopped, clearing his throat.
My smile faded as I met his icy glare.
"You're quite the comedian," he said dryly.
"Kendall, honey? Are you home?"
I jumped as my mom opened the door and poked her head into the room. I was flat against the wall, and Ash stood near the window in full view of the doorway. He had his arms folded and still glowered at me.
"Uh …" I started as she looked around, then right at Ash. She frowned.
"Could you be a little quieter? I’m going to make a phone call and you’re talking really loud. Tell Tessa you'll call her back."
I looked over at my cell phone sitting on my dresser. It clearly wasn’t on. "Sure," I said slowly.
“Are you exercising or something?”
“No.” I said. "Why?"
“Just wondering why you're pressed up against the wall like that.”
I pushed off the wall, embarrassed. "Oh, I was …" I trailed off, not coming up with anything to tell her.
She looked confused. "Okay, well, get your homework done. I just stopped by to check on you and El, but she isn't home yet. I'm working late tonight, so I'll see you in the morning. Oh, and let me know if you go anywhere, please." She smiled. “Love you.”
"Love you, too," I said, as she shut the door. Of course she was working late.
I leaned against the wall again, lost in my thoughts until I remembered Ash was still in the room.
I closed my eyes and shook my head to try to wake myself up. I had to be dreaming. No way my mom couldn't have seen Ash standing there. I knew she hadn't, though. She would have freaked out if she saw a guy in my room.
"She can't see me, if that's what you're trying to figure out."
My head snapped up and fairy boy grinned at me. "I'm the only one who can see you?"
He nodded and leaned against the window, totally relaxed. I could tell he thought he was something special. Not that I disagreed…
"Huh," I said. I wasn't sure what else to say.
"Are you always this messy?" he asked, surveying the clothes piled all around the room.
I snapped out of my stupor. "You're a fairy. Wave your magic wand and clean it up."
His mouth quirked up. "You're still doubting me?"
"A guy shows up in my room one day, claims he's a fairy godmother, and I'm supposed to think that’s normal?" I rolled my eyes. "You," I stated, "are not normal."
He considered me a moment before his eyes lit up and he rubbed his hands together. "You want to see my wand?"
"Um …"
He pulled a long, dark blue wand from … nowhere really, and balanced it on the tip of his index finger. "Voilà!"
"Prop," I said. “It came out of your sleeve.” Even if it had come out of his sleeve, he was a pretty good magician.
He frowned and pointed it at my feet. A trail of shimmering light flew across the room. I tried to jump out of its way, but not fast enough. I gasped as it crept up my shoes, and I tried to shake it off me.
"It's n
ot going to hurt you," he said. I stopped struggling and watched in fascination as my shoelaces tied themselves together. "Convinced?"
My mouth dropped open, and I hopped to my bed to untangle them. "That wasn't very nice," I muttered. Okay, so he could do magic. I tried to look calm, even though my heart was beating at a million miles an hour.
"Treat others as they treat you," he said.
"It's do unto others as they would do unto you," I snapped.
He chuckled, and I folded my arms, giving up on the tangled shoelaces. I kicked them off and they fell on the floor.
“Just keep adding to the pile,” he said, gesturing toward my messy floor.
“Shut up. I bet your room looks worse than this.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re a guy.”
He threw up his hands. “And that explains everything.”
“Yep.”
"Whatever.” He glanced at my feet. “Nice socks by the way," he said, admiring the pink and red hearts. "They match your shorts."
My face heated as I remembered my outfit. I'm sure I looked way awesome.
He chuckled under his breath. "They suit you," he said.
"Thanks. I guess." I glanced at him again, noting the wand in his hand. He obviously did have magic, but what did he want from me? "So … Ash. Why are you here? What do you want exactly?"
"Okay. Let’s try this again for the fifth time," he said. "I'm here to grant you three wishes." He stopped and eyed me warily. "Don’t go all crazy on me and call me a genie again. It's kind of insulting."
I frowned. "Fine. Can I ask a question first?"
"Sure," he said slowly.
"Why would I get three wishes?"
He shrugged. "I have no idea."
"And how are you a fairy godmother? Aren't you, like, sixteen? I didn't think they had fairy godmothers that young. Or … um … male ones."
He glared at me and stood up a little straighter. "I'm seventeen."
Interesting. I was almost seventeen.
We sat in silence for what seemed like ages. I watched his slender fingers pick at his wand.
Piano fingers. Nice, long piano fingers. I shook my head. I was not checking out a fairy.
Sick of the silence, I asked, "So, you're really real? Can I touch you?"
A look of horror crossed his face as I stood up and walked over to him. "We aren't supposed to … uh … physically interact with humans. Especially our assignments."
I looked at him curiously, but didn't stop. He was stone still as I reached out a finger and poked him in the arm.
Yep. Definitely real.
"Wow," I said to myself, but I caught a hint of a smile from him.
"So, Kendall. Now that we know each other better, any ideas on wishes? You want me to turn anyone into a toad?"
The entire student body of my high school.
"No," I lied.
"Any handsome princes you want to dash away with?"
Cameron. If he ever decided to talk to me again. "Not really."
"Then what is your heart's desire?" Ash balanced the wand on his pinky this time, and walked around the room. "You have three wishes. The sooner you make them, the sooner I can get out of this ridiculous … er," He stopped. "This assignment. I have bigger plans than being a fairy. Not that this isn't great fun and all. I just need a job that's a little more …"
"Masculine?"
"Yes," he grumbled.
"Let me think on it," I said.
"Really?" He turned around and smiled, showing off perfect white teeth. I wondered if he was a tooth fairy as well.
"Really," I promised.
"Awesome," he said, gliding across the room. He sat down in the hot pink bean bag next to my bed.
I wondered if he knew how gracefully he carried himself. Probably not. I didn't want to embarrass him, so I didn't mention it. He already seemed out of place, being a fairy godmother and all. The fresh, rainy smell filled my nostrils again, and I breathed in deep. He really smelled amazing.
"Can I ask you a question?" I asked.
He nodded, looking more relaxed.
"If you're really a fairy, do you have, you know … wings?"
His jaw clenched, and he looked away.
"I take that as a yes."
"Do you always ask such personal questions of people you barely know?"
"Yes. I ask everyone I meet if they have wings attached to their backs."
"Ha. Ha," he said. There was no humor in his voice.
He was kind of a jerk. I thought fairies were supposed to be all nice and sweet. Then again, I'd never actually met one before. "Can I ask you something else?"
"It doesn't matter what I say, you'll just ask it anyway." He pushed his hair out of his eyes, and I noticed again how beautiful they were. Blue and silver. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
I turned away and focused on my pink bedspread. "Can I call you something other than fairy godmother? Since, well, you're obviously not a mother, or grandmother, or a girl …"
He smiled. "I'm glad you noticed."
I blushed. “Um, what about godbrother or something?”
“I’m not your brother,” he said.
“Really? I thought we were identical twins.”
His eyes narrowed.
At least I thought I was funny.
"Like I told you earlier. You can call me Ash."
"Okay then, Ash," I said. "Let's get to work."
Chapter 5
Ash
Kendall played with a lock of her light hair while I drummed my fingers on her nightstand. I was already getting impatient, and it was only my first day with her.
I tried making myself comfortable in her bean bag, and shuddered at all the pink around me. Pillows, bedspread, curtains. It was unnerving. Like stepping into Lady Shenelle's office. I was tempted to turn everything blue. Or black.
"What kinds of wishes can't I make?" Her hazel eyes were wide, looking genuinely curious.
"Oh, you know," I said. "You can't make people fall in love … blah blah blah. No bringing people back to life, and I can't kill anyone. The usual."
Her eyes darted toward the picture on her nightstand.
I glanced at it. In the picture, Kendall was standing next to a man. Her dad, maybe? They were both smiling, and looked really happy. She noticed me looking and reached over, putting it face down. Her mouth drew into a thin line, and I thought I saw tears in her eyes.
I took a deep breath, dreading an emotional breakdown with a girl I didn't even know. "Anyway, about that wish …"
"So, I just say 'I wish', and ask for whatever I need?" She blinked the moisture in her eyes away and sat up a little taller.
I nodded, relieved she wasn't going to cry. "Yep. It's as simple as the stories."
Her eyes lit up. "Stories? Like fairy tales?"
"Of course."
"So are all the stories real? Cinderella and all that?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Don't look at me like I'm stupid. I didn't even know fairy godmothers were real," she said.
"You're looking at one." I smiled and realized what I said. "Well, sort of."
"I guess I am," she said. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she frowned.
My hand twitched. Magic tingled inside my fingertips, itching to be released. I wondered why it felt so strong. "You think of anything yet?"
"You're really serious about this?"
My mouth dropped open. She still didn't believe me.
"If I wasn't serious, I wouldn't be sitting in this pink bean bag right now."
She raised an eyebrow.
"It's not really my color," I added.
She laughed. "Okay then." She pulled on her hair again. "What I really want is for people not to be weird around me. To treat me normal. Like before …" She trailed off and bit her lip.
Before her accident, I assumed. The one that left the nasty scar on her face. Her file didn't say much about it, only that her dad had died.
&n
bsp; "So you wish for people to treat you normal again?"
She nodded.
I snapped my fingers, making my wand reappear. The moment I touched it, my magic seemed to simmer. I pointed it at her, feeling the magic flow into the wand. A glimmer of light shot out of it, covering her with blue and silver sparkles that faded into her skin and clothes.
She smiled and lifted her hands, palms up toward the ceiling as if catching raindrops. After a second, the sparkles disappeared. "So … that's it?"
"Yep. Consider yourself normal again." I blew a few straggling sparkles off my arm. "I'm not the biggest fan of these, but you can't win ‘em all."
"Your job is pretty easy, isn't it?"
"I'm good at what I do." I linked my fingers together and put my arms behind my head, leaning against the wall. The bean bag was too squishy, and I couldn't quite get comfortable.
"You're also really annoying and conceited," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Touché," I said.
"The magic will work then? People will act normal around me now?"
"Yep."
"Thanks, I guess."
We sat in silence. I had to wonder if she really believed the wish would work. I guess I'd find out soon enough. I stood, knowing I should get back home. "Well, I'll see you when you’re ready for your next wish," I said.
"Okay?"
"Try to make it quick. Carrying a wand around makes me feel like a little girl." I winced. "Not that I’ve ever been a little girl."
"You certainly don't look like one," she said. Her cheeks turned red, and her eyes widened. She looked away, and I couldn't help smiling.
"See you around, Kendall," I said, and in a flash I was back in my own room.
Bare blue walls. Sam’s clothes thrown all over the floor. Papers scattered across the desk. And Sam swearing up a storm near the door.
Yep. I was home.
"You scared the crap out of me!" he said, a hand on his chest.
"Sorry." I smirked.
"We should have a rule that neither of us can teleport into our room. I'm not used to it yet. I swear you almost gave me a heart attack."
I laughed at the pile of papers scattered near his feet. "Must have gotten you pretty good."
He swore under his breath as he walked over and sat down in the desk chair. I laughed and handed him his papers.
Not Your Average Fairy Tale (Not Your Average Fairy Tale #1) Page 4
