Bex’s words cut through Jade and she was frozen for a second, imagining how Nyx must have been feeling.
The two faction members charged towards Jade, who was vulnerable as she was lost in thought.
But Jade quickly spun towards the two and knocked them in the chest with a powerful bolt.
Bex took advantage of the chaos and fled the room.
By the time the police arrived, Bex was long gone.
“She was just here,” Jade said, hoping that Detective Solano could question her.
“Look. You delivered as promised. Tough luck on the crazy queen fairy, though.”
“Yeah, she always has a way of surviving,” Jade said with a frown.
“These fairies are into some weird stuff,” Detective Solano said, looking around. “See you around, Miss Delacourt.” He led Ranson out of the room in handcuffs, followed by the two other henchmen.
Jade felt like a failure. “I didn’t get Nyx back or get the Flora Mordis,” she said to Seven.
“Tonight’s not a waste, though. Look.”
The fairies were gathering around Jade, thanking her, tears streaking their faces.
One male fairy said, “I can’t believe Bex was going to let us die. Their weapons were drawn. We were going to die,” he said.
Others were overcome with gratitude and hugged Jade.
Several fairies chanted, “Jade for Fairy Enthrall! Jade for Fairy Enthrall!”
***
It would be an understatement to say Jade was startled when she received her official election fairy visit.
Jade, Seven and Alejandro were in her apartment, celebrating their win of getting Ranson and his henchmen arrested. Detective Solano had assured Jade they would arrest more.
“But we still need to get Nyx out of Bex’s talons,” said Jade.
“What about Soraya?” Alejandro asked. “Wasn’t she being stalked by one of Bex’s mindless guards?”
“The shapeshifters took care of him,” Seven said.
Jade shot him a look.
“He’s not dead, but he’ll enjoy waking up in Texas with nothing but the clothes on his back…”
“Thank you,” Jade said. She wasn’t ready to lose Soraya, especially after just finding out she was her biological mother.
Alejandro walked back into the room with freshly-made popcorn.
“That leaves Nyx and the Flora Mordis.” Jade said, pointing to her notes.
A portal appeared, loud and forceful, causing her papers to fly all over the living room. She gasped and held her arms up, ready for battle. She assumed it was Bex. Alejandro spilled almost all of the popcorn on Jade’s living room floor. Seven wrapped his arms around Jade.
“What the—” Jade began.
“No need to panic. We like to pop in and begin when we deem it the right moment to gather all our fairy candidates,” a feeble voice said. Its owner smiled and bowed. He was about Seven’s height, but rail thin.
“Who are you?” Jade wasn’t used to people just showing up out of nowhere.
“Oh, I am Chuga from the Council. I serve at the Council’s pleasure.” He smiled at each of them and then his gaze fell on Jade. “Well then, it seems we must leave now, Miss Delacourt. We have many rules to go over before the election and games begin.”
“Games?”
“Well, it’s a competition, but we’ve found that term fosters anxiety and fear, so for this election, we’re changing our tone. At least, that’s what the marketing department wants us to do.” He bobbed his head from left to right and then laughed to himself.
“You have sixty seconds to gather a small bag. All of your needs will be provided for. But if there is a gown or shoes or other decorative items you deem important, now is the time to gather them.” He pulled out a gold fob watch and said, “Begin.”
Jade looked from Seven to Alejandro and shook her head. She ran to her room, threw her closet door open and folded her white dress, shoving it in her duffel bag. She realized she’d never bought matching shoes for the gown, so she grabbed her white high top sneakers and threw them in the bag, too.
“Twenty seconds left.”
Jade grabbed her eyeliner and lip gloss from the top of her dresser and shoved them in her back pocket.
“I guess I’m ready,” she said, knowing that she’d forgotten a dozen or more things. At least she had the most important item, her dress.
“Say your goodbyes,” Chuga said. “Your friends and family will be allowed to watch during the night of the election.”
Jade turned to Alejandro and gave him a quick hug. And then she turned to Seven. Her heart warmed and she said, “I love you for believing in me. I can’t wait to see you on election night.” She pressed her lips to his. She closed her eyes and tucked her head in his neck, whispering, “I love you and I won’t let them break us apart.”
“I love you, Jade.” Seven entwined his fingers with hers and pressed her fingers to his lips. “Be careful, my Love.”
“I will,” she said, feeling his warm lips. “I love you, too.”
Chuga circled his arm several times, creating a portal. He stepped into the portal and offered his hand to Jade. “Are you ready?”
Jade’s fingers were still entwined with Seven’s. She released his fingers reluctantly.
There was so much to say to Seven. She looked from him to Chuga and then back to Seven. The easiest way to summarize what she wanted to say was to kiss him again.
“You’re going to win this and stop Bex’s evil plan,” Seven said.
“Good luck,” Alejandro said with a wave. “Go save Nyx.”
“Thanks, I will,” she said. She looked at the liquid-like portal, rippling in the air, and knew better than to try and figure out the science or magic behind it. Jade knew that once she stepped into it, her life would change forever.
Jade grabbed Chuga’s hand and stepped into the portal.
***
The portal landed Jade at a dock with unremarkable-looking boats. It was night and the group of candidates for Fairy Enthrall was larger than Jade expected.
The last fairy in the line was Bex. Jade knew exactly what was in the bag Bex clutched. She planned on doing everything she possibly could to stop the deadly potion from being used.
After a fifteen-minute wait, the fairies were told to form a line. There wasn’t much talking, as the fairies were busy listening to instructions for boarding.
Chuga stood at the dock, assisting each fairy that boarded.
The quiet boat ride was not what Jade expected. Since it was a fairy boat, she expected something lavish and ornate; instead, the boat looked more like an old fishing boat. She waited as several other fairies boarded the boat.
The other fairies stopped chatting and made space for Bex and her enormous dress.
Jade watched as Bex perched on a bench and adjusted her hat. The evil queen clutched her lavish red bag to her side and then set it on her lap. It was a tempting sight, but Jade knew this was not the place to battle Bex.
As the fairy boat moved farther from land, its appearance changed. The faded paint became more vibrant the farther it moved from the coastline. The dull metal work gleamed golden, catching the moonlight. Looking to the rear of the boat, it now appeared twice the length.
Jade seat had transformed from a damp plank of wood to a blue velvet cushion with tassels. She decided to sit back and tried to enjoy the ride. While she relaxed, she counted about twenty fairies. Half of the fairies concealed their appearance with a hood or scarf.
The beautiful boat finally reached its destination. It was night when they left New York, just a couple of hours ago, but it was sunset on this lush island.
“Welcome, contestants and current Fairy Enthrall.” The fairy speaking was short. Her brown skin was highlighted by her long golden dress. She held a jewel encrusted clipboard.
“We’ve made the boat come to this side of the island to begin the competition now. The first challenge is to see which of you can use your fair
y powers to reach the castle.”
The fairies murmured and then stopped when she held her hand up, “We will send a fairy carriage to pick up those who fail, and you will be sent home immediately.”
Jade hoped that wouldn’t be her.
“Before you begin, please quench your thirst, fairies. My parting words are, ignore where you’ve been and look up to your future.”
The humid air made her clothes stick to her skin. Jade took a sip of the water offered in tall fluted champagne glasses.
Bex walked towards the fairy in charge, smiling.
“I am sorry Bex, this means you, too.” She held her clipboard and pointed to Bex’s name on the list.
“What? I have to compete in all of the challenges?”
“That is the decision that the Order came to, finally, after much deliberation. You will be treated like a young new fairy.”
“I will have your job and you will—“
“Good luck, fairies,” the fairy said, ignoring Bex. She stepped into a horse-drawn carriage. It carried her away through the thick trees.
Jade placed her glass down on the tall tables and began walking towards the castle.
Jade couldn’t figure out which way to walk. She turned and saw the same tree. She looked down and then behind her. Her footsteps vanished after a few seconds. “How can vanishing footprints be a thing?” She complained out loud, hating that it was getting darker. She hoped she didn’t hear a carriage or car come for her, because that would mean she had failed.
Jade couldn’t see the full moon, yet, but the glow of the illuminated sky guided her.
“Ignore where you’ve been and look up to your future.” She chanted the line over and over and snatched glimpses of the night sky through the thick canopy of the forest trees.
She hoped Bex’s test was more frustrating than hers. She hoped that Bex had given up by now. The other contestants seemed skilled and focused, but they would play by the rules, unlike the murderous and lying Bex.
Jade finally saw the full moon. It was reflected on a large mirror that stood in a clearing. Jade walked along the moss-covered rocks until she reached the circular, grassy patch. A circle of medium-sized rocks encircled the large mirror.
Jade stepped slowly towards the mirror and then stopped. She decided it was best to throw something towards the mirror, before walking too close. In her fairy education with Soraya and Malik, she had learned that mirrors held strong magic, and sometimes that magic couldn’t be reversed, especially when a fairy was alone.
Jade picked up one of the circular stones and it vibrated in her hands. She released it and it uncurled itself, revealing a lovely, large damselfly. It flickered twice and then poofed into a fairy, the same size as Jade.
Jade stepped back. The fairy standing before her was semitransparent and shimmered with a golden light.
“Hello, Jade. We are proud of your choice. If you would have walked a bit closer, you would have been taken to the realm of dreams, lost for a fortnight or two.” She danced around Jade and paused. “Run along, now, before the wolves catch you.”
Jade turned to her right, and heard the panting and the breaking twigs before she saw the beasts. She couldn’t outrun them, they were too close, so she racked her brain for a fairy spell and remembered her mother’s gift, the night of her awakening. It was just dirt, but it had powerful magic. She would make her own Hispaniola magic soil. She reached down to the dirt and scooped up a handful; she said a spell over the dirt and threw it towards the wolves.
She swallowed hard and exhaled when they stopped their motion. They remained still like statues.
She took advantage of their position and ran as fast as she could, panting. As she ran she saw another fairy. She caught a glimpse of black and white hair. Could it be Nyx? Jade thought to herself. She didn’t dare stop running, hoping to make it to safety.
After about thirty minutes of running, Jade wandered through the trees, unable to figure out what direction she was walking and hoping to see if that other fairy was her sister. She felt like she should be walking north but the glimpses of the sky showed that she was walking south. She stopped and sat on the grass.
She opened her eyes and looked for any sign. She listened to the wind, to see if she could discern a message in the rustling of the leaves. She touched the bark of the trees, hoping to find a carving that would guide her.
She dropped her head in her hands and would have cried, but it took too much energy. Instead she let out a low moan.
"Why can't I see the way?" Jade asked out loud.
Jade didn't feel the first drop of rain. It hit her shoulder and didn't soak through. But within a few seconds, she was drenched.
The ground a few feet away from her was dry.
"What’s happening?" Jade looked up. A circle of rain poured directly down on her alone. She remained still, frowning. She spun around.
"Is this the sign?" She peered up into the sky and waited. She shrugged her shoulders and figured it had to be the sign she was waiting for. She didn't know what the rain wanted from her.
The rain moved slowly and halted as if it waited for Jade.
"Okay, rain fairy, or whoever you are. I'll play your game. Show me what to do."
She followed the patch of rain that wound through the trees for over an hour. She was glad the rain was warm.
The path the rain took Jade was far different from the one she would have taken. She actually had hope once more and knew that she would make it out of the forest alive. If the other fairy was her sister, she hoped she made it out, too.
She saw light ahead. Was she hallucinating now? Or was this more fairy magic? She scrambled forward, hoping to catch another glimpse through the trees and see if it was real.
It was real and beautiful. The castle rested atop a hill and was framed by trees. She ignored the blisters on her feet that had plagued her over the last two hours. She imagined the bed waiting for her and doubled her speed.
Eight
Sometimes, a fairy has to improvise. That's what Jade decided to do for the next event.
Three hours of sleep wasn’t what she had planned. She imagined sleeping maybe six hours, at least, but Chuga and two other fairies sounded an ear-piercing alarm at three in the morning. Most of the morning was filled with smaller competitions and more rules and meeting the Order members. Jade still hadn’t seen all of the contestants. She hoped to run into Bex.
But now, Jade and the rest of the fairies who had survived so far, sat on bleacher-style seats which were encrusted with pearls and entwined with moving vines. The audience was right below them as a fairy stood on a stage for the Canti Bella portion of the challenge. She wished she could see her Mom and Dad. They promised her they’d be there. She hopped Seven and Alejandro were behaving. They only started allowing some shapeshifters to witness the elections in the last two years.
Soraya and Malik stood near the backstage curtain fretting over Jade and offering her advice via hand signals and mouthing out advice. She wished they knew their help only added to her anxiety.
This was the portion of the challenge where fairies either recited a fairy poem that was known, or improvised their own. Malik had warned Jade that improvisational poems were usually not favored.
The first fairy recited a poem while juggling three chairs. She had wonderful control of the chairs until Bex shot a gust of wind her way, sending one of the chairs crashing to the floor.
The audience erupted into laughter.
The fairy ran off stage in tears.
Jade sat at the edge of her seat. She kicked off a vine that was trying to creep up her high-top sneakers. The vine retreated once it touched the dress. Jade smoothed the fabric, grateful for its protection.
She wondered who would be called next. Part of Jade wanted it to be her, so she could get it over with. The other part wanted to be called up last. She hated speaking in front of large crowds. She ignored her sweaty palms. Her anxiety was almost making her shift, but she willed
the shift to stop. She couldn’t imagine what the fairies would say if she shifted here. That would be immediate elimination, she thought in horror.
The fairy that had greeted them yesterday was the emcee. She leaned towards the microphone and said, “Jade Delacourt.”
Jade heard her name and her adrenaline spiked. She stood and walked down the steps to the stage. With every step, she chanted in her mind, “Do not trip. Do not trip.”
A vine twirled around her sneaker and she toppled over onto her hands. She felt her shifting happening and it was like she was in a waking nightmare.
Someone screamed in the audience and then everyone was silent.
Bex stood up and pointed to Jade saying, “She’s a shapeshifter, everyone. She should be disqualified.”
Purple splotches had appeared on Jade’s face and her eyes helixed. She used all of her strength to stop her shapeshifting from continuing. She realized she couldn’t remember any of the fairy poems that she had worked on for the past couple of months. She cleared her throat and walked closer to the edge of the stage.
She scanned the room and only recognized about a dozen faces. The rest were lost in a haze. "Hi, I'm Jade. I’ve gone through a lot to get to stand here.”
“I don’t care. This isn’t supposed be easy!” A heckler yelled.
Jade winced and continued, “I realize that I might be the least favorite up here."
The room was silent.
She leaned closer to the microphone and added, "And I don't care."
A few people murmured.
"I'm not up here for me; I'm up here for those like me, those who can't check the fairy or shapeshifter box. I’m half fairy and half shapeshifter and both parts of me are important."
Malik was near the curtain, backstage, gesturing for her to stop. Soraya watched with clasped hands at her chin.
Jade wrestled the microphone out of the stand and walked even closer to the edge. She peered down and saw the open-mouthed gaze of a fairy. The fairy’s skin was speckled with gold.
"For those of you who can check off either fairy or shapeshifter with certainty, that's fine. I'm okay with that. But you need to be okay with us." She said, knowing that she was obviously going to be disqualified. She knew she didn’t have a chance at winning.
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