I awoke to the sharp pain of something pulling my hair. I thought it must be caught in something, but then I remembered my strange night.
I opened my eyes and found myself looking into the sleeping face of a little blue fairy. So it hadn’t been a dream, I wasn’t crazy. At some point during the night, Lattie had crawled in beside me and nestled into my hair. I gently tried to free her from the tangle but she woke.
"Good morning!" she chirped, wings fluttering madly.
"Shush, my roommate!" I whispered in alarm. Too late, I heard Julie walking toward my door.
"Hide," I simply said. But she was tangled in my red hair. The blue of her skin stood out like a sore thumb, Julie would notice her immediately.
"I cannot get out!" Lattie cried as she tried to free herself. I cringed as she pulled hard on my hair. "I'm sorry Avery. I can use glamor though, so she won't see me."
"Just do it!" I said in a panic.
Just then, Julie tapped on the door and walked in.
"Hey, you up?" she asked. "I didn't want to wake you earlier, but I thought I heard you up."
"Yeah, I’m awake. What's up?" I asked. She came over and sat beside me, ready for girl talk, no doubt. I couldn't help but nervously think about the tiny creature in my hair. My hands were sweaty already.
"Well, I wanted to hear all about the fight," she said. "Only if you want to talk about it, though," she added.
"Actually, there's not a whole lot to tell. I accidentally wrecked her project and she lost it." I started. "You should have seen her Jules, total nut job I tell you. But I do feel bad about her sculpture. Anyway, then she pushed me through the glass doors in the studio and then that's when Will showed up."
"Wow, I can't believe it. Max is a scary chick but she doesn't look like the fighter type, you know?"
"You have no idea. She was so strong. I could barely fight back; it felt like I was being attacked by an animal." I shuddered at the memory of almost falling over the balcony. Julie hugged me the way she usually did to comfort me. I noticed a strange look on her face as she pulled away. She seemed to be looking for something, but never said anything. Could she tell that there was a magical creature tangled in my hair?
"Hey, can we talk later? I want to submit my painting early so I don’t run into Max. I’ve got to get ready.”
"Yeah, sure," she replied, getting up and letting herself out. "I'll have breakfast ready for when you get back." She smiled and closed my door, but not before she took another look around my room.
Phew. I could still feel Lattie in my hair.
"Hey, are you alright?" I asked. She suddenly flickered back into sight.
"Yes, it was tangled around my leg. There, I’m out now." The tiny being fluttered her wings like she was stretching and flew over to my dresser to sit down while I got ready.
"Why are you avoiding Max, Avery?" Lattie asked as she followed me around my room, her little wings buzzing madly. "You are going to be sitting next to her for a long time. You need to talk about what happened."
"Yes, I am aware of that," I whispered. Julie was in the next room and I didn't want her to hear me talking to someone. "But just not yet, it's too soon after the fight."
"Fine, but you are being stubborn," she replied and sat on the edge of my dresser, letting her long and boney legs dangle below. "Can I come with you to school?" she asked hopefully.
"No way, someone might see you," I said, quietly. "It's one thing for you to be out and about as you please, but if you are ever seen with me and it leads whoever you are running from here, I’d never be able to live with myself." Little Lattie, she was so small and helpless. I realized that I was quickly becoming attached to her.
"Avery, I can take care of myself!" She held her head proudly and crossed her arms. "So, you can take me along or I will just follow you."
"Fine, hop in," I huffed in defeat. I held open my bag for her to hide in. Suddenly I was rethinking this whole fairy roommate thing.
"I am not hiding in your bag! I can glamor myself you know," she cried, offended.
"Yes, to humans you'll be invisible, but to other fairies, you won't be. Like, say, bad fairies that are out to get you?" I reminded her. She hesitated for a moment and then gave in. The tiny blue fairy hopped in my purse and we were on our way.
We were at the school in a matter of minutes on my bike. I parked where I usually did and took off my helmet.
"Hey, Lattie, how are you doing in there?" I whispered as I peered into my bag. She lay on her back, her gossamer wings curled neatly at her sides, reading a candy wrapper.
"There are unspeakable ingredients in this product. You actually eat this?" she asked, appalled.
"It's bubble gum Lattie. You don't eat it, you chew it. Have a piece, you'll love it," I persuaded her. She broke off a tiny piece, large enough for her little mouth, and started to chew. Her face brightened instantly.
"My goodness, this is spectacular! Are you sure I cannot eat it?" she asked.
I laughed at that. "You can if you want to, but Tess always told me that my insides would stick together if I swallowed my gum. Not sure how true that is, but I probably wouldn't if I were you. I’m beginning to second guess my aunt’s strange tales of caution."
I continued on toward the school entrance while listening to Lattie in my bag trying to blow bubbles. I only passed three other students, all of whom paid no attention to me as I walked down the hall to the studio and stopped just outside of the doors. Someone was in there. I peered around the corner enough to see in.
It was Max, of course. It just had to be the one person that I got up at this ungodly hour to avoid, but I wasn't mad once I saw her face. I felt sorry for her. She was fixing her sculpture, no, she had completely remade her sculpture. I felt terrible; Max looked as if she had been here all night. I turned and made my way to the coffee cart located outside the dining hall. I got two coffees and two muffins and walked back to the studio.
"Avery? Where are we? I thought you were just going to be a few minutes?" asked Lattie as she poked her head out of my bag.
"Shush! Get back in there. Max is here," I told her.
"Max! Are you going to talk to her?"
"Yes, I pretty much have to, I think she was here all night," I replied. It doesn't matter how mean you are, karma shouldn't be that cruel. Besides, it was pretty much my fault that her sculpture got ruined. Once again, I stopped in front of the entrance of the studio and took in a deep breath.
"Hey, Max, how’s it going?" I asked lamely and walked over to her work center. She quickly glared at me in anger, but then relaxed like she didn't have the energy to hate me right now.
"What are you doing here?" she asked coldly.
"Our projects are due today. I figured I’d get up early and pass mine in."
"Why on earth would you get up this early?"
"To tell you the truth, I was trying to avoid running into to you." I laughed a little when I told her that. "Max, I’m really sorry about your project. I didn't mean for that to happen." I held out one of the coffees and a muffin in front of her. She looked at my token of an apology as if it were covered in disease.
"Don't be like that. I'm trying to make a truce with you. We can't go on like this anymore." I laid the items down on the table in front of her and then picked up my project and walked over to the table where we left completed work. "I'm not saying we should be friends or anything, I mean, you did try to kill me, but at least be civil."
“I didn’t try to kill you,” she snapped angrily.
I sighed and rolled my eyes as I walked back toward her. “Max.”
She stubbornly crossed her arms and examined my face with her tired eyes. Looking at them made me feel even worse, but at least I was trying to fix this.
"Fine, civil is all I can do," she grabbed the coffee and took a sip. "I could never be friends with you anyway." Even during a truce, she had to be a bitch. But I swear, as she took another sip, I could see the hint of a tiny grin.
"Hey, Max," I started. "Do you have any plans for Halloween?"
"Maybe, why?" she asked.
"Julie is having this costume party at the apartment. It's an open invite, you can come if you don't have other plans already. It should be pretty cool, she kind of goes all out for stuff like that, and now she has a helper." I smiled to myself as I thought about poor Will helping Julie.
"And why would you assume that I have no plans?" she asked bitterly.
Well, that didn’t go the way I planned. "I didn't. I just wasn't sure if you did or not. And if you do then that’s fine, but if you don't then come to the party." I immediately regretted inviting her. It's like she wasn't used to having a real conversation or something. I could tell that she was searching every angle to fight with me. "The invitation is there, use it if you like. I’ve got to go." I stood up and grabbed my stuff. Just then, I heard a shriek from inside my bag.
"What was that?" Max cried, eyeing my purse and moving toward me. "What’s in your bag?"
"Uh, nothing. Must be my iPod. Sometimes it turns on by itself. I actually think it’s broken," I blurted out quickly. Damn it, Lattie. I waved over my shoulder and ran out before Max could follow. Lattie managed to survive in Faerie with an evil ruler for years, one day in my world and she nearly gets discovered by someone like Max.
Once outside, and away from prying eyes, I ripped opened my purse and peered in. "Lattie, are you okay, sweetie? What happened?" She looked up at me with tears in her big black eyes. She was completely covered in pink gum.
"Oh, Lattie, what did you do?" I laughed.
"I blew a bubble," she muttered under her breath.
I laughed some more, but I felt bad, poor Lattie.
"It's not funny, Avery. Sprites don't like to feel trapped and right now I am bound in this crazy stuff! Get me home now please," she cried.
CHAPTER TWELVE
FAIRY TALES
Iron & Wine Page 16
