I didn't say anything.
"You had no right to make a scene. Dax wouldn't have hurt her. He shouldn't even know who she is."
"He does."
"Even so, you shouldn't have intervened in front of all those people."
I laughed, but it sounded cold. "Like you didn't intervene when my dad was killed?"
"That's not fair," he said. "You know I would have done anything–"
Master Time cut him off. "That is not the point of this meeting."
"You're right,” I agreed. “It's not. I did what I had to tonight to protect someone I care about. Kendall is my friend. It's the least I could do for her."
They were all silent so I kept going.
"She'll be making her third wish soon, so you won't have to worry about me doing anything stupid anymore. I'll finish my apprenticeship, and apply to be a sandman." I turned to Logan. "If you'll still have me."
They all stared at me. Shenelle was the first one to speak.
"I'd like to speak to Ash alone, if you don't mind."
"Shenelle," Logan started.
"Logan, I need to speak to him. Please."
They left the room. I knew Logan lingered in the doorway trying to catch my eye, but I studied the pink carpet instead. I couldn't look at him.
The door closed and I looked up, meeting Shenelle's worried eyes.
"First of all, give me your wand."
My eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"I'll need to check it tonight. Make sure you haven't damaged it."
"It's not–"
"Just give it to me!"
Surprised at the tone of her voice, I reluctantly handed my wand over. A strange look crossed her features as she took it. She smiled to herself and then set it on the desk.
"Now," she said. "What's really going on, Ash?"
"Nothing."
"We strictly forbade you to show yourself to anyone else. Any other human. Yet you deliberately showed yourself to over a hundred."
"I had no other choice. And most of them were out of it anyway."
"Of course you had a choice."
"No. I didn't."
"What are you talking about? You didn't want this assignment, and now you flaunt yourself in front of the world to make her happy?"
"They didn't see my wings, if that's what you’re asking."
"No, that's not what I'm asking, Ash. I told you not to get too involved. Didn't you read any of the rules in your folder? Did you read anything at all?"
"Yes."
"Then you know what I'm talking about."
"Yes."
"Do you have anything else to say?"
"No."
She sighed. "Come on, Ash. I know you want to say something. Just say it."
"Fine. You're right."
"Of course I am." She smiled slightly.
"I'm in love with her."
Her mouth opened. She blinked, shook her head, and blinked again. "Impossible."
"Why?"
"You can't be in love with her. She's your assignment, Ash! What were you thinking? This is against school code. The rules were clearly stated in your folder!"
"I didn't plan on it, it just happened."
"Well, make it un-happen." She took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes.
"I can't do that."
She muttered something under her breath.
"What?" I asked.
"I can't believe you did this. You had all the information you needed about her in your folder, and you still had to get to know her better. Typical Ash," she said. "Always bending the rules." She glared at me from across the desk. "Now listen to me."
I clenched my teeth, knowing I wasn't going to like what she had to say.
She clicked her tongue. "This is what we're going to do. You should be expelled for this, but I have a better idea." She rubbed her temples. “I’m sure I can convince the rest of the council ...”
"Shenelle–"
"You're going to go back to Kendall, and get her third wish."
I opened my mouth to speak again, but she put a hand up to stop me.
"When this apprenticeship is finished, you'll never see Kendall again. Ever. We don't leave here. The only reason we even mingle with humans is for our individual assignments and tasks. They don't know about us otherwise. We're protected here."
Shenelle actually looked afraid. Of what, I wasn't sure.
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.
"To give you the facts. No one leaves this place."
"I leave every day."
"That's not the same and you know it."
"Then I'll leave permanently. I'll quit."
Shenelle sighed. "If you quit, you'll never be a sandman. You'll never be able to come back."
I swallowed the lump in my throat and didn't say anything.
"I'll get your wand back to you tomorrow."
"Fine."
I turned around and walked out, slamming the door behind me.
***
When I found her, she was sitting at the kitchen table, talking to Ellie. She looked different. Radiant, even. She was happy. Almost as if she was beginning to heal from the pain of losing her dad.
Ellie said something funny, and Kendall laughed, her eyes crinkling. I honestly could listen to the sound forever.
I shook myself out of my weird poetic stupor and sat down next to her.
"Oh," she said, smiling when she saw me.
I glanced at Ellie, who was looking right at me. Well, through me, I guess.
"Is he here?" she asked.
"You told her about me?" I asked.
Kendall nodded.
"And she believed you?"
"Yep. I'm surprised she didn't think I was crazy." She glanced at Ellie, who looked a little hesitant.
"I know it sounds so stupid, El, but he's right next to me."
"I kind of figured." She smiled. "Can he show himself?"
Kendall looked at me, her eyes hopeful. When I shook my head, she frowned.
"I'm in trouble. I can't show myself to anyone but you."
She turned towards Ellie. "He can't."
"Oh," she said, looking disappointed.
Seeing a bowl of fruit sitting on the table, I had an idea. I reached out, grabbed an apple, and lifted it to my mouth.
Ellie watched the floating apple. Her eyes almost popped out of her head, and she grabbed the table to keep from falling off her chair.
I took a bite and put the rest of the apple into Kendall's outstretched hand.
"Holy crap," Ellie whispered. "Holy crap!" she yelled. She stood abruptly, sending her chair careening into the wall. "That apple just ... holy crap!" She paced back and forth, still staring in my direction.
I was smiling, but Kendall looked worried.
"It's okay, Ellie. He's not a ghost or anything. I promise.”
"No, I'm fine," she said. "I'm fine." She sat back down and pulled her chair up to the table again. "I swear. I'm not freaking out." Putting her head on the table, she squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head back and forth. Her long blonde hair covered her face, so we couldn't see her expression.
"I'm sorry, Ellie. I shouldn't have told you."
Her head shot up so fast, Kendall jerked away.
"Are you kidding me?" she said. "That was so awesome!"
I started laughing, and Kendall shot me a look that shut me up.
"El, are you sure you're alright?" she asked.
"You seriously have a fairy god-whatever, sitting here in the kitchen with us?"
Kendall nodded and smiled.
"Is he hot?"
"Ellie! He can hear you!"
"Well?" I prompted. "Am I?"
Her eyes narrowed at me, but she blushed. "Yes."
"What?" Ellie asked.
"Yes, he's hot."
"I knew it," she said.
I liked Ellie. If I was ever able to show myself, we'd get along great.
"Well, I'll leave you two alone," Ellie said. She winked, a
nd left the room.
I was suddenly nervous at being left alone with Kendall. I had no reason to be, since I'd had girlfriends before, but Kendall was different. She knew me better than any girl I'd ever liked. The feelings I had for her were so foreign to me. So foreign that I wanted to be near her as much as possible, and knew it would never be a reality.
"What are you thinking about?" Kendall asked. She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. She rested an elbow on the table while her fingers played with strands of her hair.
"Just wondering what your real hair color is," I said.
Her mouth dropped open. "It's blonde!" she cried.
"Liar," I said. "It's blonde right now because you colored it. What's the real color?"
She stared at me, a smile creeping to her lips.
"I'm curious," I said.
"I have no idea what my hair color is."
"I thought so.”
She laughed. "So, how much trouble are you in, exactly?"
I didn't answer.
"Whatever. You couldn't show yourself to Ellie, so it must be bad."
I shrugged.
"Hopefully they'll let you off easy when I make my third wish," she said. She rested her chin in her hand, still leaning on the table. She sounded sad.
"What's wrong?" I asked, grabbing her other hand. I laced my fingers through hers, and she smiled.
"I'm sorry I haven't made my last wish yet."
I looked away, knowing what I had to do, and not wanting to do it. "That's actually why I'm here." I took a deep breath. "I need your third wish."
She stiffened. “I knew it ... Wait, like, now?"
"Yes."
"You can't give me a few hours? A few days?"
"Not really. I'm sorry, Kendall. I'm in a lot of trouble, and I'm being watched. I know it's not much time, but I don't have a choice."
"Of course you have a choice!" She looked up. "Ash, what is this?"
"What is what?"
"This." She gestured to herself and me, and then at our intertwined fingers. I pulled mine away.
"I don't know," I said.
Her shoulders tensed. "Look. I'm just going to say it." She scooted closer to me, her hazel eyes focused on mine. "I'm in love with you, Ash. I love you."
I never thought I'd be so happy and so sad to hear those words. I couldn't look at her, because if I did, I couldn't say what needed to be said.
"You can't love me."
"Ash–"
"No! You can't love me! I'm sorry, Kendall. I can't do this anymore. Once you make your wish we'll never see each other again. I can't get involved."
"You’re already involved!"
I groaned. "I know. I don't know what else to do. I can't stand it. The thought of never seeing you again. It's killing me."
She was quiet for a moment. "You've already made your choice, then," she said.
"How do you know that?"
"You said you'll never see me again. You're choosing to be a sandman over me."
I shook my head, silently begging her to understand. "No, it's not like that."
"Then what's it like?"
"I don't know! All I've ever wanted was to be a sandman. And then you came along. You changed everything. All I think about is you, and I've never felt that way about anything or anyone. Honestly, it scares the crap out of me!"
"It scares me too," she whispered. "More than you know."
I started at that. "I don't know what to do now. What direction to take. I've lost my whole focus in life. What I want." I paused. "What I wanted."
"I'm sorry I messed everything up."
My eyes widened. "No, that's not what I meant."
"No, it is. I've messed everything up. I've made it so you can't follow your dreams. I won't do that to you. It's your life, and if you want to be a sandman, then go be one."
"Kendall–"
"I know what my third wish is."
"Please, don't do this. You haven't ruined anything. I'm sorry. I'm just, I'm so confused." I grabbed her hand again, but she pulled away.
She squared her shoulders, tears forming in her eyes.
I wasn't prepared for her words to hit me so forcefully, but they crushed me to the ground. My heart broke in two.
"I wish I never met you."
Chapter 22
Kendall
I pulled the car into the empty parking lot and turned it off. I sat back in my seat, closing my eyes to stop the emotion bubbling to the surface.
"You sure you want to do this?"
I glanced at Tessa in the passenger seat. "Yes."
She nodded and opened her door.
I watched her get out and took a calming breath before grabbing the bouquet of flowers in the back seat and following her lead.
The cemetery was beautiful. The grass was green, the rows of lilacs along the fence were in full bloom. A slight breeze blew across my face and I breathed in their sweet scent.
I hadn't noticed anything around me the last time I'd been here. Only darkness. And the cold. Everything seemed deader then.
Tessa looped her arm through mine. "You good?"
I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. I was doing better than I’d thought I would. I hadn't seen my dad's grave since the day we buried him. I'd been so wrapped up in blaming myself that I hadn’t wanted to face him. But I was different now.
"Thanks for coming with me, Tessa." I paused. "I know I haven't been the greatest friend..."
She gave my arm a squeeze. "Don't worry about it. You've been through a lot."
I nodded, not able to answer. If I did, I wouldn't be able to hold back my tears much longer.
"Where did you say it was?" She looked around at the gravestones, and I pointed her in the right direction.
I slowed when I saw it. Tessa let go of my arm. "You go ahead. I'll be right here."
I gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Tess."
My eyes watered as I turned away from her, and I took a breath before stepping forward.
The headstone was just as I remembered. My mom made me go with her to pick it out, but I'd never seen it on the actual burial plot, since I'd avoided even looking at the cemetery for months.
It looked nice. It was shiny black and sparkled in the sun. Someone had put several bouquets of flowers on either side of the gravestone. My mom, I was sure. I knelt down in the soft grass and sighed. I leaned forward and traced my dad's name with my finger. His birth date, his death.
I don't know how long I sat there, but I was surprised at how well I was holding myself together. I set the flowers on the grass in front of the headstone and spread them out. Daisies. He'd always brought daisies home for my mom, so they reminded me of him.
"I miss you, Dad," I whispered. A tear rolled down my cheek, and I sniffed and wiped it away. As much as my heart ached, I knew I couldn't focus on the past anymore. I had to move on. Stop blaming myself for his death.
For that small moment, I knew my dad was watching out for me. I knew everything was going to be okay.
Chapter 23
Ash
"I'm proud of you, Ash. You did the right thing." Shenelle smiled and handed my wand back to me.
I felt too numb to answer. I still heard Kendall's last wish. Her words, shattering my heart and soul into pieces.
"You'll graduate in a week’s time at the top of the class. Just like you wanted." She paused, frowning at my expression. "Logan got all of your paperwork ready to submit to the council. You'll be a sandman before the month’s end. Unless you want to continue what you're doing now."
I looked up, but couldn't meet her eyes. "May I leave now?" I stood up, not wanting to listen to her any longer. She had ruined my chance of ever having a happy life. Kendall was right. There was no such thing as a Happily Ever After.
"Ash, wait. There's something else."
"What?"
"Sit."
I sighed and sat down again, running a hand through my hair.
"There's something I've been me
aning to tell you." She paused. "Something you're not going to want to hear."
"Just tell me. It’s been a long night and I really don't want to spend the rest of it in your office. No offense."
"Ash–" she started, then faltered.
"Just tell me, Shenelle. Whatever it is couldn't possibly make me feel worse than I already do."
She leaned on her desk. "It's about your parents."
My whole body tensed. "What about them?"
"Your father, Paul Summerland. He was a good man. A very good man who knew a lot about our world. He loved you very much."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
She paused, twisting her wand in her hand. "Paul died protecting you."
"I know that."
"Yes, but there’s more. I don't really know how to say this, but Paul Summerland is not actually your father."
I swear my heart stopped beating. "What are you talking about?"
"Listen to me, Ash."
I stood. "No. I'm done here."
"Ash, sit down and listen!" Her wings fluttered, lifting her off the ground a little.
I'd never heard Shenelle raise her voice like that before. I sat down.
She pushed her glasses onto the bridge of her nose again, and floated back down to her chair.
"Ash. Your father is a djinn."
I shot to my feet, slamming my hand down on the table. "You're lying!"
"Calm down!"
"My father is not a djinn!" A gust of wind rose, sending Shenelle's papers flying off the desk. They swirled around the room, some ripping to pieces under the pressure.
She watched the papers and looked back at me. Her eyes glittered, making me feel uneasy. "Your element is wind," she whispered.
"What?"
"Djinns control a certain element." Her eyes were wide, her expression hungry. "From what I've seen, yours is the wind." She clasped her hands together. "Earth and wind. How fascinating."
I had no idea what she meant by that. Papers still flew around the room, and Shenelle's hair whipped around her face. I realized I was the cause.
I took a deep breath to calm myself. Deep down inside though, I knew it was true. I'd known since Kendall's dance, when Dax attacked me with the sand. Every time my emotions kicked in, the wind would come. It always had, and it had taken me this long to figure it out. I was such an idiot.
"Wait. So, what was my mother? Did you know her too?"
Not Your Average Fairy Tale (Not Your Average Fairy Tale #1) Page 16
