by Laura Howard
He sighed and ran a hand over his buzzed head. “Yes. Diarmuid and Eithne are here.”
“Diarmuid’s here? What’s going on?” Diarmuid was Niamh’s adviser, like a second in command. He was keeping watch over the portal to Tír na n’Óg in Wheelwright while she was away. He was bonded to Eithne, a healer and former handmaiden of Aoife. I’d met them a couple times when my mother was missing. They were the only Danaan’s I knew who were bonded for love.
“Nothing much,” Aodhan said, eyeing the door again. “Diarmuid is giving Niamh an update from the guards in Thunder Bay.”
“All right,” I said, trying to think how I should ask my next question. “Something happened tonight. I need to tell you about it, but I don’t want anyone else to hear.”
He frowned, but gestured for me to follow as he led me out of the garage and down toward the street.
“So, while I was working, Deaghlan came into the store.”
He stopped walking and raised his brows.
“You know how he is around me.” I laughed nervously. “Well, this was worse than usual. He was glamoured to look like Ethan.”
Aodhan pressed his lips together and put both of his hands on his head before he began walking again.
“But he let his glamour down, let you know it was really him while he was there?”
“Yeah. I guess I should’ve known it wasn’t Ethan, since he was smiling at me.”
He glanced at me, a deep furrow in his brow. “I don’t know how to make him understand there are things going on here more important than his amusement.”
“The thing that’s really bothering me is that I thought I could see through glamour. Couldn’t Aoife be hiding in plain sight, glamoured to look like my grandmother or something?”
He stared straight ahead as he marched up the sidewalk. It was hard to see his face in the dark, although anger poured off of him in waves.
“I know this isn’t what you want to hear,” he said, his voice low. “But, you can’t trust anyone. You’re right, Aoife could be anywhere. You’ll see glamour if you’re looking for it. But you always have to pay attention. Look twice at your friends. Don’t take anything for granted.”
“Allison?”
I spun around to find Liam walking behind us, concern etched on his forehead.
“I saw your vehicle in the drive. Is everything all right?”
“Um, yeah. I just needed someone to talk to in private. But I want you to know, too.” I told him about Deaghlan.
“Aodhan’s right,” he said, looking down at the street as he passed a hand through his hair. “When I was catching up to you I heard him say you mustn't trust anyone. Not for now, at least.”
An uneasy routine formed in my life over the next week. School began again, I ran just about every morning, and worked a few times at the store. I saw Liam nearly every day, but we didn’t make any plans to find Aoife. He told me only one of Niamh’s guards was back in place in Thunder Bay watching for Aoife. We were pretty much stuck doing nothing until we knew what we were dealing with.
Friday afternoon I came home from classes and grabbed the mail. Inside was an invitation to the engagement party for Nicole and Jeff the following weekend. Operation Bride was on. Being the quintessential Italian family, the Magliaros were having the party at Angela’s Ristorante, which belonged to Jeff and Ethan’s Uncle Al.
When I brought the mail into the house, the rich scent of barbecue sauce hit me. My grandmother made the most delicious pulled pork in the entire world.
“I smell heaven,” I said as I dropped the stack of mail onto the sideboard. Gram smiled over her shoulder from where she washed her hands at the sink.
“There’s my Allie-girl. How was school?”
“Not too bad,” I said as I followed the sweet smell into the kitchen. Gram had her big crockpot out, filled to the brim with pork, which meant we were having company.
“Are we having a party?” I asked, breathing deep.
“Aunt Jessie and Uncle David and Nicole and Jeff will be eating with us. Kind of a mini-engagement party.”
It smells great,” I said, kissing Gram on the cheek before retreating to my room to start my homework.
It seemed like I had just sat down when I heard the door close and muffled voices came from the front hall. I finished up my Statistics homework and put my books away in my backpack.
I started down the stairs just in time to hear Jeff and Ethan’s mother, Joanne, talking to Gram.
“Thank you for inviting us, dinner smells wonderful. I wish you would have let me bring something.”
Gram made a sound of exasperation and I could see her waving her hand at Joanne. “I’m just glad you could come last minute. Elizabeth will be so glad to see you.”
Not only was Ethan’s brother engaged to my cousin, but his mother was also my mother’s lifelong best friend. In Stoneville everyone knew everyone.
Joanne saw me over my grandmother’s shoulder and her face lit up. After she hugged me, she held me by the tops of my arms and met my eyes. “How are you, sweetie?”
“I’m doing great, keeping busy,” I said, eyes roaming into the living room to see who else was here.
“He’s not here,” Joanne whispered in my ear. “He wouldn’t tell me why, just that he couldn’t come tonight.”
I pulled back my shoulders and plastered on a smile. Trying not to sound too disappointed, I made small talk as we entered the living room. My grandparents and aunt and uncle all listened as Nicole told the story of Jeff proposing. Again. Jeff sat on the couch next to my mother, rolling his eyes and pointing his thumb at Nicole affectionately when he saw me.
After everyone was done eating, I jumped up and hurried into the kitchen to start on the dishes.
As I filled the sink with soapy water, Nicole came in and leaned against the counter next to me. I smiled half-heartedly without meeting her eyes.
“Have you been avoiding me?” She asked, reaching in front of me to shut off the water.
“Of course not. I don’t know why you would even say that.” But I still couldn’t look at her.
“Whatever is going on between you and Ethan, don’t let it come between us.” She sighed. “He won’t talk to me or even Jeff about it. You don’t have to tell me what happened, but don’t shut me out, okay?”
I gripped the edge of the counter and finally met her gaze. Her eyes were so sad my heart sank.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, touching her arm. She nodded, and her lower lip trembled a little.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s just hard to be around Ethan right now. But it’s even harder seeing that he’s not here and thinking it’s because of me.”
Nicole sniffed and leaned her head on my shoulder. “I’m sorry this is hard for you. I really miss you.”
“I miss you too,” I said. It was true. Nicole had been the only friend I’d ever really had. She’d always tried to include me in her plans, even when we were little girls, but I’d always been happier when it was just me and her.
“Are you coming to the engagement party?” she asked.
I cringed inside, but kept my voice light as I ruffled her blonde hair. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
The school bus pulls up in front of the house. Three little girls pile out of the open doors. The first one, the one with a blonde bob, is Nicole. She is pulling on a taller girl’s hand. The tall girl, Tina Donnelly, looks over her shoulder at the last girl and smiles, her two front teeth missing. The third girl with the light brown braids is me. I return her smile, but look away shyly. Aunt Jessie is sitting on my front porch with my mom, waiting for us. They look so much alike, except Aunt Jessie is smiling and waving at us and my mother is staring at her hands in her lap.
I bite my lip and hesitate at the bottom of the stairs. This is the first time I’ve had a friend from school over. Nicole is so excited to have another girl to play tea party with and I don’t want to ruin this for her because I’m nervous.
&n
bsp; They follow me up to my bedroom where I proudly show them my white table and chairs with a perfectly displayed rose tea set.
We play and laugh and I become more comfortable with Tina. She’s so nice and she really likes my toys.
Nicole announces that we need to get snacks for our tea party and I follow them down to the kitchen, caught up in the flurry of little girl giggles.
Aunt Jessie sits next to my mother on the couch and when we come bustling into the kitchen, my mother’s eyes dart over to where the three of us stand. She jumps up off the couch and starts rubbing her hands over her face and shaking her head. I freeze when she begins mumbling about a castle and Liam and needing to get inside the door. Most of what she says doesn’t make sense at all. I look over at Tina, her eyes wide and chewing her bottom lip.
It wasn’t even light out when I woke up. I’d tossed and turned, remembering the first and last playdate I’d ever had. Aunt Jessie had sent us back up to my room so she could calm my mother down. Tina wouldn’t talk to me or Nicole, she just kept saying she wanted to go home.
The kids in school all looked at me funny after that, she must have told the story of my crazy mother to the entire class.
I needed something to take my mind off the dream, and the mound of laundry I’d been avoiding finally summoned me.
I made a quick trip to the bathroom and as I washed my hands I looked at myself in the mirror. Despite how different my life had become, my reflection hadn’t changed much in the past couple months. Pale skin, blue eyes almost too big for my face. My light brown hair was a little longer. Funny that Nicole hadn’t complained about that, since she was my hairdresser. Admittedly she had other things on her mind. Normal, human things like getting married and what to have for dinner. I fought to contain my anger over my own fate.
I thought back to the times when, even as a little girl I stood in front of the same mirror wondering what was so different about me. Why wasn’t I like all the other kids at school?
Before she completely succumbed to madness, my mother would sometimes stand behind me and run a comb through my hair. I’d watch her face in the mirror as she hummed tunes to me. Her eyes were an extraordinary shade of green, her hair a pale gold. I wished so many times that I looked like her, the way Nicole did. I sometimes wondered if Nicole was really her daughter and I was adopted.
I was about eight years old when I found the old photo booth shots of my parents together before I was born. That’s when I discovered that I looked just like my father, which even now caused a bittersweet feeling in my chest. Knowing where you come from might not be essential, but it can change the way you see yourself. Knowing that my father loved my mother somehow made me feel like I was part of something I’d been missing. Little did I know that what I was part of was a life that felt more like a fairytale to me with each day.
Allison?
Niamh’s thoughts reached in to my mind, and I shook my head to clear it.
If you’re not busy, I thought we could work on glamour in Liam’s yard.
I looked at my reflection one last time before heading down the stairs to meet Niamh next door. The rising sun cast a warm glow over the backyard. I walked through the little path in the wooded area between my house and Liam’s.
Niamh sat on a large boulder wearing something I never thought I’d see her in — jeans and a T-shirt with flip-flops. She normally dressed in pencil skirts and pant suits straight out of a Neiman Marcus catalog. The change made her seem less intimidating, she could almost pass for human.
“Good morning,” Niamh said in her usual self-assured manner.
“Morning,” I said, lowering myself onto the boulder beside her.
“I hear my father has been giving you a hard time,” she said, a glimmer of amusement in her eyes.
I huffed. “You could say that.” If giving me a hard time translated to reveling in making me squirm at every opportunity.
Niamh smiled and I knew she heard it all. “This is what happens when my mother is focused on something. He gets bored.”
“What’s your mother so focused on?” I asked.
She stood up. “Mainly Aoife. And you.”
A surprised laugh escaped my lips. “Why me?”
“We can talk about that later,” she said, gesturing for me to get up. “Right now I want to show you how to see through glamour, while there’s nobody around.”
I got up and blew out a slow breath. My hands hung limply at my sides, not sure what I was supposed to do.
“Just watch me for a minute. You don’t have to do anything yet.”
Faster than a thought she appeared just a foot in front of me. Her clear blue eyes met mine and like a snake shedding its skin, she disappeared.
People can’t see me if I don’t want them to. I’ve basically compelled you not to see me. But you have The Sight, so you just have to look harder.
My father had taught me to see through glamour. I looked away from where I knew she stood and attempted to see her out of the corner of my eye. A silver sheen shaped like her body came into view. I looked straight at her outline until she came back into focus. Most humans couldn’t do that.
“I can tell the instant you see me, not only because I hear your thoughts, but because your eyes naturally meet mine.”
I nodded and shifted my weight.
“Let’s try something else, so you can get an idea of what’s possible.”
Before she finished speaking, her form melted into Nicole. I blinked. It was eerie that nothing gave her away. Her posture was a little bit sassy, just like my cousin’s.
“I don’t actually look any different, it’s all in how you perceive me,” Niamh said in Nicole’s voice. “I don’t sound any different either.”
“That’s amazing,” I said, tucking my hair back. “But, what would someone else see?”
“Glamour has a wide range. It’s not like altering the memory of a single person. I send out a broad compulsion that affects everyone within about a half-mile radius, give or take.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “Do you think I could do that?”
Niamh shook her head. “I don’t. We can test your strength, but I would bet the most you could do is compel someone enough to distract them or get their attention.”
“Okay,” I said. And that was totally fine with me. Even that ability freaked me out. Knowing I wasn’t able to perform some kind of Jedi mind tricks was actually comforting.
“Focus on staying alert and watching for glamour. Always look beyond what you see. Once you form the habit, it will come naturally.”
“How?” I asked.
Niamh rubbed her hands together. “Here’s what we’ll do. I want you to close your eyes and count to five. When you open them I’ll be invisible to you. Find me.”
“Are you serious?”
She quirked an eyebrow up. “Very serious. This will be the most difficult for you, so it’s the best place to start.”
I closed my eyes and began counting. I reopened them and roamed around Liam’s yard trying to catch a glimpse of Niamh’s outline. There was no grass. It was still just a rectangle of packed dirt right up to the tree line.
You’ll never see me if you’re looking straight ahead.
I groaned at her voice in my head, but scanned my peripheral vision. After a few more minutes I almost gave up. I walked back to the boulder we’d been sitting on and a crow’s loud caw had me nearly jumping out of my skin. That’s when I saw the faint outline of Niamh sitting on the boulder, exactly as I’d first found her.
“Very clever,” I said as her image came back into focus.
A wry grin lit up Niamh’s face. She stood gracefully and like an old-fashioned film, her steps toward me were stilted as her form shifted from her own to my grandmother’s to my mother’s and everyone she’d apparently ever seen me interact with.
The sound of footsteps on soft dirt turned my body to stone. Niamh dropped her glamour and for a fraction of a second I thought I saw a flicker
of alarm pass over her face. She watched whoever was approaching make their way over to us.
“Allison?” It was Ethan’s voice, full of confusion and possibly fear.
My breath stopped. What had he seen?
Don’t worry Allison. I’ll take care of this.
I spun around. Ethan stood with his booted feet planted firmly in the dirt. He wore his hunter green work shirt and faded blue jeans. He was staring over my shoulder at Niamh, eyes wide, like he was looking at a circus freak. And he probably thought he was.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Ethan. I’m Allison’s friend Niamh. I’ve heard so much about you.”
It was my turn to stare at Niamh wide-eyed.
I can easily convince him he never saw us.
I started to nod, hating that Ethan’s mind had to be tampered with again but not knowing what else could be done.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but what are you two doing back here?” Concern clouded his tone.
Niamh smiled sweetly, an odd look for her, and moved closer to him. She stared directly into his eyes and they instantly began to glaze over.
Niamh turned to me after a couple of minutes, her eyebrows scrunched together.
Something isn’t right. His mind is a tangled mess.
My heart sank as I answered her with my thoughts. What do you mean?
My father has really outdone himself this time. I can see where he wiped out the memories of Ethan’s time in Tír na n’Óg easily enough, but he’s also altered Ethan’s perception of you.
I looked at Ethan and swallowed thickly. His lips were slightly parted and his eyes were even more glazed-over.
Ethan’s love for you is very strong, but he’s been compelled to treat you as though he despises you. The two emotions are at complete odds. This isn’t good.
“What are you saying? I thought you compelled people all the time. What’s the big deal?”
Niamh hesitated, pursing her lips as she thought about how to answer me.
My father placed a compulsion working against Ethan’s love for you. Love and loathing are battling for dominance. But no matter how much Ethan cares for you, the compulsion to be cruel to you always overrides his true feelings. If this isn’t fixed, his mind could be permanently damaged.
