by ERIN BEDFORD
“Two weeks is a long time to an old woman like myself.” She sniffed over the phone. “Your father and I were starting to worry you would never call. Though, I have no idea why you are the one who so rudely darted out on dinner like the devil himself was on your heels.”
Gritting my teeth, I clutched the edge of the table in front of me. The night she was talking about was not a fond one. It was the night that Chess had met my family, and like all my family gatherings, it ended with me feeling like complete and utter trash. It was my mother’s fault as usual but trying to explain that to her was a wasted effort that I didn’t really have time for.
“I’m sorry I ruined dinner, but that isn’t what I called for.”
“Well then, what did you call for?” My mother hummed at me. “It better not be to help you find another job after you got yourself fired from the last one. I’ve used up most of my favors in this town for you already.”
The reminder of my recent unemployment stung and only served to remind me why the call was so important.
“No, Mom. I don’t need another job.”
“Then you found one already?” her voice was filled with sarcastic glee. I didn’t know why she bothered asking when she knew I had done no such thing. Word traveled fast in our town, and if I had a new job, she would have known before I did.
“No, not yet.” I crossed one leg over the other, kicking the bottom of the table in an effort to relieve some of my anxiety.
My mother gave an impatient sigh, and I could practically see her roll her eyes at me through the phone. “Well, Katherine, I don’t know how you are going to survive without a job. There is still money in the account we opened under your name from when you were younger. Not that you ever used it.” She snorted. “It’s not a bad thing to have money, dear. You shouldn’t feel bad about relying on your parents that’s what we are here for.”
I was actually shocked she had even brought up giving me money. That was the exact reason I had called, and the fact that she was offering it up to me without having to pull teeth made me suspicious.
“That would be helpful.” My words were cautious and questioning. “But what do you want in return?”
“Return?” My mother’s voice hit a higher pitch, and I definitely knew she wanted something. “Why can’t a mother just give her daughter the support she needs without wanting anything in exchange?”
“Because, this is you we’re talking about, Mom. Not Mother Teresa.” The back door opened and I looked up from the table to see Alice float in.
Gone were the yoga pants, in their place were a pair of black dress pants and a light blue blouse, which really brought out the color of her eyes. It had taken some work, but I had finally gotten her away from the daytime television, and out into the human world.
I pointed at the phone and mouthed, “Mom.” Alice nodded her head in understanding before moving to the refrigerator. Grabbing a bottle of water, she sat down at the table opposite me and waited.
“Well,” my mother continued, “Now that you mention it, Margery down at the city council is looking for an assistant for her new group she is forming against this outbreak of creatures.” The way she said the word creatures didn’t hide her disdain in the slightest.
It started with the faeries and then my mother using that sweet troll, Bar. But not long after that, Fae began pouring out of the Underground like it was on fire. I hadn’t been back since my confrontation with my mother in her throne room, it very well could be.
It was quickly discovered that the portal in the woods behind my house was not the only portal to our world. The door in the Between could lead to anywhere in the world, and the Fae took that opportunity to make their presence known. And at the center of the outpour was our little town.
When I asked Alice why they would want to come here of all places when they could go anywhere in the world, she had just looked at me like I was stupid.
“Wouldn’t you want to be near the one with the most power?” She’d asked as if it was clear as day who she was talking about.
The Fae kept reminding me that I was the savior, the one that would be the end of the shadows and ruler of their world. I wasn’t even sure I could rule myself, let alone a whole kingdom.
“Those creatures are called Fae, Mom. They’ve already said so on the news, you could at least give them their proper name if you are going to be prejudice.” I shared a look with Alice who rolled her eyes.
“Prejudice! Katherine Marie, don’t you dare call me prejudice. I have no problem with any human of another race, religion, or sexual orientation. But these aren’t humans. They’re monsters!” Her voice rose to the screeching pitch that made my ears ring. “Have you even seen some of these so-called Fae? They’re little more than animals. Just this morning there was one on the Ellen show with huge feet and bulbous eyes. And those fangs! Hillary had to turn off the television before I fainted.” She paused in her rant. “They are not people, Katherine. They are monsters, and they must be eradicated.” My mother let out a deep breath and seemed to compose herself. “So, I will let Margery know you will be down tomorrow to help her with the rally.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I snapped.
“I don’t see why you are so set on accepting these things. What does Chess think of all this? He seemed like such a nice man, certainly, he sees the right way of things.”
“I wouldn’t know. I haven’t seen him.” At the mention of Chess, something sharp pinched in my chest.
It was true; I hadn’t seen Chess, not since he was taken by the Seelie Queen. I had no doubt her taking him was a power play, a way to punish me for my actions in her court.
“What do you mean you haven’t seen him? Don’t tell me you two broke up already?” My mother scoffed. “You really need to learn to hold on to a man or you’ll never be as happy as your sister is with Simon.”
“We weren’t dating to begin with, so it doesn’t matter.” I shrugged, my eyes began to burn, and I turned from Alice so she wouldn’t see my distress.
Chess’ capture notwithstanding, we hadn’t been on the best of terms when he was taken. When a girl tells a guy she loves him, she expects at least some kind of response. An ‘I love you too’ or a ‘Go to hell’, but Chess wasn’t like other men. He was a Fae, and a womanizing Fae at that. I should have expected the nonchalant response he had given me.
Wasn’t it me who kept claiming we were just friends? Why should sleeping together make that any different? My declaration had done nothing but solidify my reasoning as to why I needed to stay away from men altogether. So far they had done nothing but make my life more complicated. My first love as a Fae was a prime example of my failure in the relationship department.
“Well, you should call him up and try to work it out. Your father and I really liked him, and he seemed to adore you. Men like that are hard to find.”
My mother’s praise of Chess made me laugh. She, who was just ranting about the creatures, was half in love with one herself. I was half tempted to burst her little bubble and let her know exactly what kind of man Cheshire S. Cat was.
Alice placed her hand on mine, and I glanced up at her with a small smile. “I’ll take it under advisement. I really need to go now, Mom. Will you have a new card issued to me for the account?” I held my breath as I waited for her to respond.
I had no inclination to join their hate rally, especially since I was mostly Fae myself. How would it look, the Seelie Princess supporting the extermination of her own kind? The thought of it was so ironic I almost wanted to go to the event just to see what would happen.
“Yes, yes of course. I can’t have my daughter starving, now can I? But you’ll think about the rally? I mean, you don’t have to participate but a show of support would make a world of difference.”
“I can’t make any promises, but I’ll think about it. Bye, Mom.” I clicked the phone off and dropped my head to the table with a thud. Wincing at the dull pain in
my head, I looked to Alice. “So, how did it go?”
“Not very well, I am sorry to say.” Alice laced her fingers together on the table as prim as could be. Even dressed like a modern woman, she still couldn’t get past her late 1800s upbringing.
I grunted and glared down at the table. Things were not looking good for us.
While exploring the modern human world, Alice had come across several other Fae who, like her, were stuck in this realm with no other choice but to try to make the best of it. In a few short days, she had formed a coalition of Underground creatures. This collective was mostly made up of lower Fae who had fled from the outskirts but among them were also some high Fae of both Seelie and UnSeelie descent. Nothing like a mass murderer on the loose to bring opposing sides together.
“I did figure out where Cheshire is being held, though,” Alice continued, causing me to perk my head up.
“You did?”
“Yes. Though you aren’t going to like it.” She leaned back in her chair and pursed her lips.
“I don’t particularly like anything right now. Just tell me.” I already had an idea of where my mother was holding Chess, but I hadn’t had anyone confirm it as of yet. Everyone had been pretty leery of me in general. When you pull a power play in a room full of people word gets out fast, and the word was to stay the fuck out of my way. Not like I was complaining, but it did make getting information harder.
“He’s not in the dungeon—”
“Then he must be in the Hall of Mirrors,” I interrupted. “Of course that nasty bitch would throw him there.” I shook my head with a frown. “I don’t know how she even managed it with the Shadow man prowling around, not unless she has some other way in then I know of.”
“He’s not there either.” Alice shook her head, her blonde locks whipping around her face.
My brow scrunched down at her words. If he wasn’t in the dungeon or the Hall of Mirrors where else could he be? While Chess and I might have had a falling out, it didn’t mean I wanted him to rot somewhere. Knowing my mother, and how she felt about half-breeds, in general, there was no doubt that she had made wherever Chess was as horrid as possible.
Alice must have seen the distress on my face, because she placed her hand on top of mine and gave it a pat. “Don’t worry we will save him, you’ll see. You’re the Queen of the Underground after all.”
“I wish people would stop calling me that!” I spat out, irritation filling me. “One little show of power and everyone goes crazy. I can’t even get it to happen again, at least not to that extent.”
“Have you been practicing lately?” She cocked her head to the side.
I chewed on my lip before responding, “Kind of.”
“Meaning not at all.” Alice sighed and stood from the table. “You can’t keep denying who you are forever. People are relying on you. I am relying on you.” She placed her hand on her chest. “If you can’t accept your powers and get them under control, who else is going to save Chess from the Bandersnatch?”
“Bandersnatch?” I sputtered. “But that is just a stupid monster made up by that asshole Lewis.”
Alice shifted in her seat, uncomfortable by the mention of her ex-lover and my foul language. Though, living with me I would think she would be used to it by now.
“Not completely.” She looked down at her feet now, not meeting my eyes.
“Alice.” Her gaze snapped up at the commanding tone of my voice. “What does that mean?”
“While the Bandersnatch in his book isn’t real. There really is a Bandersnatch in the Underground that is really real.” She held her hands up gesturing as she talked.
“That makes no sense whatsoever.” I shook my head. “It’s either real or it isn’t. It can’t be both.”
Alice placed her hands on her hips with a huff. “Stop thinking like a human. Not everything is so black and white as all that. The Bandersnatch is not a thing, it’s a place.”
“Okay,” I drew out. “Then where is this Bandersnatch?”
“In the Seelie Queen’s bedroom, of course.”
Chapter 2
Switching Sides
“WATCH WHERE YOU are swinging those!” Alice ducked as a vine swung out from the eggplant I was trying to maneuver around my backyard.
“Sorry.” Gritting my teeth, I tried to focus on the wobbly, purple vegetable whose chicken legs were not sprouting fear in anyone’s heart. “It’s not as easy as it looks.”
Apparently, controlling plant life when not in a life or death situation was much more of a daunting task than one would think. Just getting the eggplant to walk around the garden was more of a challenge than it should have been.
I had created one badass tree monster that had taken out a dozen guards. It couldn’t be that hard to replicate, could it?
Focusing on the power surging out of me, I searched out the creature I had created, and directed it toward the vegetable’s feet. It stopped chasing Alice only to swing its long vines and wrap them around her waist.
“Stop! Let me go,” the blonde screeched, struggling to get out of the eggplant’s tight grip. “Lady, tell it to stop!”
“I’m trying,” I growled. With my eyes locked on the magic pouring out of me, I didn’t hear the gasp that came from behind me until it was too late.
“Katherine. You’re…you’re one of them.” My mother’s voice caused me to lose my focus as my eyes jerked to her petrified face.
“Shit.” The loss of concentration meant that my creature decided to take on a mind of its own and, for whatever reason, quickly began to spin in circles, swinging a screaming Alice with it.
“Hold on,” I snapped and turned back to the rampaging vegetable.
Instead of redirecting the vegetable, I yanked my magic back from it, the green veins of magic quickly returned into my skin. Out of breath, I dropped onto the ground with a huff; leaving Alice sprawled out on the ground. As a half-breed, I was able to exert more power than most Fae, but it seemed like nowadays, even the smallest bit of magic wore me out and animating vegetation was no small feat.
“Maybe we should take a break?” Alice suggested, adjusting her hair while she dusted off her pants. When she saw we had company she stopped her fiddling and looked to me for guidance.
Standing from the ground, I didn’t bother dusting off myself as I turned to my mother, who was frozen in place.
“Mom, what are you doing here?” I took a step toward her but stopped when she stepped back as well, fear filling her eyes.
She shook her head at me, one hand up and then in a blink of an eye that fear turned to anger, and she was stomping toward me. “Who are you? What have you done with my daughter?” My mother pointed a French manicured finger at my chest.
I shrugged. “Nowhere. I’m right here, where I’ve always been.”
I probably could have tried to appease her more, tried harder to explain, but I was tired of hiding and even more tired of trying to explain myself to those closest to me. Shouldn’t she love me the way I am no matter what?
Her lips pursed together in a thin line as she looked at me and Alice, and then down to the creature that had shriveled back into a regular, old, eggplant. After a moment or two, her eyes narrowed back onto me.
“Don’t think you can fool me, whoever you are. I know what I saw, and I won’t be treated like an insolent child.” She jerked her hand at the purple eggplant lying deserted on the ground.
“Mom, you are being silly.” I crossed my arms over my chest and tapped my foot. “No one is treating you like a child.”
“Don’t call me that.” She bared her teeth at me, snarling.
“Don’t call you what?” I cocked my head to the side. “Silly?”
“Mom.” My mother snapped at me, her eyes full of fire. “You are not my daughter. You have no right to call me that.”
Taken aback by how viciously she had responded, I wasn’t quite sure what to do. My mother had never shown me t
his side of her. I knew she could be as brutal as the rest of them when it came to something she wanted, but I had never been on the receiving end of it.
Not really able to help myself, I decide to poke the snake. “Well, if that’s the case, I suppose I don’t have to come to dinner anymore. Than Margery won’t need me to call her. You know, since I’m not your daughter and all.” I smirked and watched as my mother’s face began to turn a kind of purple eggplant color from her rage. “I guess that also means that I can color my hair whatever I want, since you know, I’m not your daughter.”
To prove my point, I let my magic ripple over me, changing my white blonde hair into a neon purple.
Picking up the ends of my hair to examine it, I glanced over at Alice. “What do you think? Does it suit me? Maybe I’ll keep it like this when I go to the protest?” My mother gasped in horror as I tried not to grin. “You don’t think anyone would care, do you? I mean, I’m not your daughter, so what I do doesn’t affect you in any way.”
Growling, my mother crossed her arms. “You’ve made your point.”
“Have I?” I cocked my head to the side and waited. When she nodded, I let go of the glamour with a sigh. “I really didn’t expect you to give in so fast, Mom. It’s not like you.”
She flinched when I called her mom again. Maybe she hadn’t accepted me completely.
“Well,” she snapped. “You gave me little choice, and besides, only my daughter would have the audacity to threaten me with purple hair. If you’d been an imposter you would be trying to appease me, not drive me into an early grave.”
“Ah, Mom, that’s so sweet.” I clutched my heart in mock adoration.
“Don’t start with me, Katherine.” She narrowed her eyes, and then turned to Alice as if she had just noticed she was there. “I know you? You’re that woman everyone’s talking about. Gathering the creatures together. What was your name again?”
“Alice.” The blonde Fae supplied, pressing her mouth into a thin line. She didn’t seem to like my mother’s reference to the creatures any more than I did.
