Iron & Wine

by Candace Osmond

  I spent every night that week at Jack’s house but always found myself in my own bed by morning. It was now Friday and Halloween. When I rolled over to go back to sleep, I found Lattie sitting on the other pillow holding a piece of paper.

  "Well, well, well," she said, as she read the words to herself. "It seems I may have been wrong about this particular vampire."

  "What do you mean?” I asked and hauled myself up into a sitting position.

  Lattie cleared her throat to signal that she was about to read the note, obviously left by Jack.

  "My sweet, Avery," she began and gave me a mocking smile. I rolled my eyes and leaned back on my pillow. "It pains me to have to leave you for another day. I am assured that you are in the safe arms of your dear friends. Have a wonderful day, and I will see you at the party tonight, Love Jack." Lattie passed me the note and flew up to my face. I could tell that she was trying to keep a stern look, but was failing terribly.

  "Do you love him? This Jack?" she asked bluntly with her arms crossed over her chest.

  "Yes." I smiled at the thought. I was in love. And not just some sappy puppy love crap you see in the movies, real love, bonded.

  "More than me?" she quietly asked under her breath. I was touched by her concern. Was she really worried about something like that?

  "Lattie," I began. "I love you so much. You're my best friend. How could you ask me something like that?"

  "I'm not your best friend, Julie is," she claimed.

  "Don't be silly. Julie is my family, like my sister. You, on the other hand, are my best friend. You don't have adventures like we do and not be best friends."

  She brightened up a little. I could always tell because her wings started to flutter more, like a dog wagging its tail.

  "Promise?" she asked.

  "I promise with all my heart and soul," I swore. "Now, breakfast?"

  "Yes, please! Can we have pancakes?" she asked excitedly and followed me out to the kitchen.

  “You must be getting sick of those by now,” I said with a chuckle.

  She looked stunned. “Absolutely not! They are my most favorite of all the Iron World foods!”

  Later that day, I stood and stared in awe at a beautiful fairy. She had radiant red hair that flowed down the length of her back in loose curls, shimmery green skin that sparkled when she moved and her wings were as white as fresh snow. I smiled at her and she smiled back.

  "Avery, stop staring at yourself, people are going to start showing up soon, and I need your help out here," yelled Julie from the kitchen. I gave myself one more look over to make sure my costume was perfect and strolled out to the kitchen.

  "Wow," Julie commented when she caught sight of me. She was decked out in a complete Cleopatra outfit with a stunning makeup job, looking like she was about to step onto a movie set for an Egyptian film. "You look amazing, Ave! That costume is awesome."

  "Yeah, you think so? I kinda like the feeling of having wings," I laughed. "Jules, you must love it. I'm kind of jealous."

  She blushed and smiled. I’d told her a hundred times how beautiful she looked as a fairy. I compared her to an angel once and she’d been modest about it ever since. "You know, seeing you in that outfit, I think that you'd make a very pretty fairy," she claimed, trying to divert attention from herself.

  I rolled my eyes. "I wish. How amazing would that be, a fairy?" I beamed at the thought. I lived among so many magical creatures; sometimes I wished that I were one of them. But, I considered myself lucky enough that they, for some reason, chose to have me in their lives at all. I mean, there were people out there who could only dream of traveling to magical places or meeting a mythical creature. I was fortunate enough to have fairies for my two closest friends and vampires who had bonded themselves to me.

  "Well, have you ever considered changing?" Jules simply asked.

  "What?” I gasped. “What do you mean 'change'? Can normal people become fairies?" I knew vampires could turn people but I’d never heard of fairies being able.

  "Yes, any form of being can, actually, and it's pretty simple too, I think," she started as she headed back over to the kitchen to finish preparing the party snacks. I followed behind her, intrigued. I sat on a stool by the island, careful not to squish my fake gossamer wings.

  "You basically just have to pledge yourself to a monarch, according to books I’ve read. I mean, it’s what Moya did."

  "Really, that’s it?"

  "Pretty much, well there's also some drinking of wine and a dancing ritual, but you already do that all of the time anyway."

  "Wow, I never really thought about it. I mean, I was so thankful to even be part of your world at all."

  "It's not something that you should decide on a whim. And don't let curiosity sway your decision," she cautioned. "It's kind of a forever deal. You can't change back, and you would have to choose a court to belong to."

  "Yeah, like the Summer Court?"

  "Sure. Or there's the Winter Court. Don't even consider the Dark Court, you definitely wouldn't belong there. Then, there's always the option of being solitary fey like me and Lattie, but belonging to a court is apparently so much better. You’re connected to everyone. The court grows stronger with more fey, and, the stronger the court the stronger you become too."

  The idea was overwhelming but tempting. I hopped down off of the stool and grabbed a few bowls of snacks to arrange them on the coffee table.

  "Where's Will?"

  "I sent him downstairs to grab some cookies from the cafe," she answered. "Wait until you see his costume! He looks so sexy," Julie grinned. I just laughed to myself and stirred the punch.

  Moments later, Will came through the door carrying a big box of cookies. He was fitted from head to toe in a pharaoh costume, headpiece and all. Julie had really outdone herself with their outfits; Will looked just as amazing as she did and he noticed me eyeing him.

  "You like?" he asked, turning from the side, mockingly, to show me the whole outfit.

  "Yes! You guys look great."

  "Not too shabby yourself," he pointed to my ensemble. I pretended to bow like a fairy princess would and he laughed as he walked over to Julie and pecked her on the cheek.

  After that, people began to show up. There were students from the school, Penny from the café, and a couple of kids who Will knew. The music was pumping as we all danced, ate and drank. I would have loved to have some summer wine, I thought to myself, but that probably wouldn’t be the smartest idea with all the non-magical people around. About an hour into the party, I noticed that a certain brother and sister hadn’t shown up. And at that moment, someone knocked at the door. I ran to answer it before anyone else could.

  It wasn't my beloved vampires, but it was someone beloved, nonetheless.

  "Tess!" I cried and squeezed her hard. "I'm so glad you came! Love your costume!" She wore what I had suggested, a fairy queen outfit. But hers wasn't like my cheap party store version at all. Tess had done her long blonde hair in wispy curls and a crown of twigs sat on top. She wore a beautiful silky pink dress that had vines and flowers randomly woven into it, her massive wings were brown and seemed to be made from a soft wicker; they curled at the ends so that they wouldn't stick out so much.

  "Hi sweetheart," she calmly greeted. I’d expected my usual hyperactive aunt, but Tess seemed off. Instead, she sounded mellow as she stepped back to take a look at what I was wearing and stare at me in awe. "Avery...you're beautiful."

  "Um, thanks, Aunt Tess." This was weird. What was wrong with her? "Hey, you okay?"

  Tess shook her head as if she was pulling herself out of a daydream. "Oh, yes, sorry, I just ended an excruciatingly long work week. I'm in shock that I’m actually taking a break." That was more like the Tess I knew. "Plus, I’m psyched to be here with you guys! I've missed you so much! Where's Jules?"

  "Come on in." I took her jacket and shut the door. "She's over in the kitchen with Will. Go, I’ll be over in a sec."

  As I was hanging up
Tess's jacket, another knock came at the door. But this was someone that I wasn't expecting.

  "Oh. Hello, Max," I greeted flatly.

  "Hi. Happy Halloween, and all that," she rudely replied as she swooped in beside me. Max wore a Red Riding Hood outfit, basket and all.

  "Max, what are you doing here?"

  "You invited me."

  "Yeah, but that was before you proved that you couldn't be civil around me. Remember?" I pointed out. Surely she didn't think that freaking out at me in public and demanding that I tell her my personal problems was civil?

  "Yeah, sorry about the other day," she apologized in the most not-sorry tone I’ve ever heard. "But you did invite me, and here I am. Candy?" she offered and held out her basket which was full of assorted treats. I just rolled my eyes and shook my head. What else can you do with her?

  "Everyone's over there. You can help yourself to the punch."

  Max trotted off toward the party and I made my way to my room. I couldn't wait any longer. I had to call Jack and Celadine and see what was taking so long. The phone rang and rang with no answer. I was hoping that they were on their way. As I hung up, someone entered my room.

  "Hello, Avery," greeted a musical voice.

  I glanced up to find Moya standing in my doorway.

  "Hi, Moya, glad you could make it." She had glamored herself to look like a human girl dressed as a naughty nurse. But, even disguised, you could still tell that there was something magnificent about her. Moya’s usually pink hair was now a vibrant strawberry blonde, tucked into neat curls around her nurse hat. When she moved, I could almost see the candy pink showing through.

  "Yes, thank you for inviting me. It is exciting to experience human gatherings, I find them very interesting." My ex-mermaid friend smiled and came to sit next to me on the bed. "Your costume looks wonderful, sweetheart, but I think it needs a little something."

  Moya stood up and walked over to my dresser where there were some flowers that Lattie had brought home. She plucked a handful of petals and came to stand in front me.

  "May I?"

  "Um, sure, I guess." I had no idea what she was going to do, but I trusted Moya.

  Lightly, she blew the petals toward my face and I closed my eyes. I could feel the soft brush of each silky petal as they slightly touched my cheeks and wove into my hair.

  "There. Take a look and see if you like it."

  I jumped up off of the bed and ran over to my mirror. Moya had made the pretty pink petals weave themselves into my hair, creating a beautiful mess of little flowers and vines and leaving my red curls draping down my back. Now I really looked like a fairy.

  "I love magic," I whispered to myself but loud enough for her to hear.

  "Wonderful! I told you I would weave beautiful things into your hair," she kidded. "Now, I heard word that Evaine has been bothering you," she added, getting down to business.

  "How did you hear about that?" I asked.

  "Oh, around, I usually know most of what goes on in both Faerie and Iron World," she explained. "Avery, if you ever need anything, you let me know. If I can help, I will."

  "Oh, thanks, Moya. But I don't know what you could possibly do. I mean, Evaine is convinced that I know things which I don't. I have no clue how to make her see that it's just a big coincidence."

  "What information does she believe you possess?"

  "Evaine is set on the idea that because I painted a painting that looks like the old kingdom, that I know where Orion is. But I don’t, I mean, I thought he was dead."

  "Interesting,” she replied thoughtfully.

  "Oh well, there isn't anything that I can do right now. Let’s at least try and enjoy the party." I brushed off my Evaine problem for the time being and walked out to the living room. That’s where I found Jack and Celadine, finally. Once I realized what they had dressed up as I let out a hysteric laugh. Everyone stared at me like I was crazy, only a few people in the room would understand the irony. Jack was dressed in an authentic Dracula costume and Celadine was decked out in an Elvira outfit. They were vampires, literally.

  "Good choice. You guys pull it off great!" I commented.

  "Thank you," Jack replied in a fake Transylvanian accent. "And you! You look absolutely stunning, I could eat you up," he joked as he swept me up in a tight hug. We all laughed but I noticed a few people tense up, the Maidens for one. I wondered if they could tell what Jack and his sister were. I ignored it. I wanted everyone to have a good time. Who cared about mythical backgrounds? I was standing in a room full of vampires, pixies, sprites, ex-mermaids and some ordinary humans, and we seemed to be pulling it off.

  "Avery?" whispered Max in a nervous voice. "Can I talk to you over here?" She pulled my arm and led me out to the balcony. Jack’s expression went from happy to extremely angry in seconds.

  "Max, what's wrong?" I asked. She was making me nervous just looking at her.

  "Who is that with Celadine?" she asked.

  "That's Jack, her brother. Why?"

  She looked stunned for a moment and stared at my face, looking for a sign that I was lying or something. "How...?" she asked herself. "I mean, how do you know him, besides through her?"

  "What? Why?”

  She looked even angrier now as she clenched her fists at her sides. “How do you know him, Avery?”

  “It's none of your business, Max! God, didn't anyone teach you social manners?”

  Just then, Jack appeared at my side. "Is everything okay over here?"

  "Yes, Max was just leaving." I gave her a look to further make sure she understood.

  "Well, that's too bad," he replied but didn't seem genuine about it. He almost seemed relieved that she was leaving. Did he know her?

  "Yeah, you would like that wouldn't you?" she snapped at him. "Nice costume, by the way," Max added sarcastically.

  "I could say the same to you. Where's the other half of it?" he asked coldly.

  "Jack, what are you talking about?" I interrupted. This was becoming really weird. They had to know each other.

  "Well, where's the big bad wolf?" he asked.

  This was ridiculous. Was he making fun of her for not having a friend to dress as the wolf to go with her Red Riding Hood outfit? I wasn't fond of Max, but that was kind of rude, even for him.

  "Hey, calm down. Do you guys know each other?"

  They both gaped at me in shock as if I’d suggested something unspeakable. Max folded her arms tightly across her chest and Jack wrapped a protective arm around my waist.

  "Are you dating this low life?" Max asked angrily.

  "Um, well. Yes." I looked to him for confirmation. He never disagreed so I guessed I was dating him. It just seemed like such a mundane term compared to what we really had together. "Jack, can you go over there for a sec, I need to talk to Max."

  "Are you serious? I'm not leaving you alone with this maniac!" Oh, he for sure had to know Max.

  "Oh please!" she spat out. "You've got no room to talk, buddy."

  "Jack, please," I begged. He looked at me with hesitant and sad eyes. I could see that it hurt him to have to leave me with her. But, I could handle Max.

  Once he was gone I turned to her. "What the hell was that?"

  "Avery, you cannot date that guy," she ordered.

  "Max, you don’t have the right to tell me what to do. Did you used to date him or something?" I asked.

  She looked horribly offended at that statement. Her mouth gaped in disgust. "As if I would ever associate myself with that...guy. I've never met him in my life, but it's not hard to tell that he’s bad news."

  "Then what's his problem with you?"

  She was suddenly startled and at a loss for words. "I...I...don't know. What kind of things have you been saying about me? Maybe he just knows who I am from you." That was the lamest excuse I had ever heard. But I shrugged it off. I’d get the real answer from Jack, later.

  "Max, I think you should leave. Thanks for coming to the party. I'll see you in school on Monday
."

  "Avery! You need to listen to me!" she demanded like a crazy person.

  "No, Max! You need to listen to me!" I yelled. I'm sure everyone down below and around the building could hear us. "Leave me alone! Why are you trying so hard to be my friend? As I recall, you pushed me through glass doors and nearly let me fall to my death, you hated me so much! What’s changed now? Just leave, Max, leave and I'll see you at school." I turned on my heel and stormed back into the apartment. I heard her stomp in behind me and head straight out the front door. I never so much as even glanced at her.

  "That must have been the famous Max," suggested Tess. She walked over to stand next to me and put her hand on my shoulder. "Is everything okay?"

  "Yeah, that's nothing out of the ordinary for us," I muttered.

  "Wow, you weren’t kidding then. She is something else.”

  I let out a big sigh. Leave it to her to ruin my night.

  “I’m really glad you came, I’ve missed you so much, Aunt Tess.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you!” she shrieked jokingly. “Aunts are old, I’m not old!”

  I rolled my eyes jokingly. “Sure, whatever you say.”

  Tess smiled and hugged me. I hadn’t realized just how much I really did miss her until tonight. I’d been so wrapped up in my new found, and bizarre, life in the city, that I’d let Tess and my home in the country slip to the back of my mind. Now, considering everything that was going on, I’d have given anything for things to be as simple as they were then.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  CONSEQUENCES