by Jarica James
“Hold up! 67?” Jacob shrieks. I jump at his outburst and River just smiles and shakes her head, she’s already getting used to his antics.
“Yes. In Faerie, weeks pass by while years pass in your world. Living here makes our lives a whole lot shorter. Not to mention the food and pollution are making us slowly get sick. We don’t have technology or cars in Faerie, so there are advantages to this world.” Her eyes lose focus while she speaks. It makes me want to know what it was really like in Faerie, before the war of course.
The war was another thing I can’t quite grasp. How bad was it if they ruined their entire realm and had to flee for a new world? Did they lose nearly all of their people? Was it something that built up for years? All the questions I knew I couldn’t just outright ask her. Every fae had kept those stories tight to their chests and I wasn’t going to ruin a new friendship over my insane curiosity.
“Why did you have to leave? I’ve never heard it directly from a fae before. It’s always humans telling tales that aren’t theirs to tell,” I ask, hoping it wouldn’t offend her. She doesn’t look bothered by my question and I let myself relax again.
“Faerie consists of four regions. The courts of Spring, Summer, Winter, and Autumn. However, some fae were greedy and wished for more power or land, corrupting the minds of their citizens. It put a distinct line dividing the land into the dark and light fae. Winter and Autumn are considered to be dark fae, while Spring and Summer are considered light. Though, don’t be confused by the titles, the prejudice from the lighter courts sent the dark fae into their evil stereotypes. It was nothing more than an overblown turf war based on greed and prejudice.” Jacob and I hang onto every word that falls from her lips. It isn’t often that open discussions happen between fae and humans and I was captivated.
“What Court are you from?” Jacob interrupts her, gripping the edge of the counter as he stares at her intensely. Calm down Jacob, don’t scare off our new friend.
“I was born after the division of the courts. I’m a Light Fae technically, from the Court of Summer. When the war started, it wiped out villages and cities like they were nothing. Magic is a powerful thing, especially when combined together on the unsuspecting. Eventually, the last royals standing were the Prince of Winter and the Princess of Spring. They were said to be lovers and wanted unity of the dark and light Fae, to stop the war before it corrupted the land. They disappeared not long after and hope was lost. Nobody ever found them and they were presumed dead.
Not even a week after they disappeared the land rejected the survivors. I happened to hide well enough when my village was slaughtered. I was among the only survivors.” She has a few tears falling now as she relives the darkest part of her life and we both reach for her hands to offer whatever comfort we can. What can you really say to someone that lost their family, friends, and home in an instant?
“Wait, your land rejected you?” I ask, both to change the subject and because it sounds so odd.
“Faerie isn’t like Earth. We are more connected to our land and it’s riddled with old magic. Think of it as a living thing. Nature turned on us, the animals turned hostile, the water was tainted, and the edible plants turned poisonous or withered away completely. Those of us who survived the war fled through the portals. I believe some stayed behind, but the chances of survival are incredibly low. If they did stay, I doubt they’re sane.” She finishes her story and takes a few deep breaths. I had a hard time losing my grandmother, although we weren’t super close. I can’t imagine how she feels reliving the dark and haunting memories. My chest aches for her loss and we both just scoot closer, offering her silent companionship as she works through her emotions. After a few minutes she gives us a shaky smile. “Thanks guys.”
“You don’t have to thank us. We’re friends.” Her smile only grows at my words and Jacob seizes the opportunity to lighten the mood.
“Okay, we need to fix the vibe. Dance party?” Jacob asks as he plugs his phone into my sound system, all of us shaking off the somber mood that hung in the air now. We jump up and dance as soon as the first notes blare from the speakers. River just sits back and laughs at us, but Jacob being Jacob, isn’t okay with anyone sitting on the sidelines when we have fun.
He beckons her forward with one finger as he wiggles his butt, and when that doesn’t work he twerks slowly toward her until she gives in and joins us. By the time a few songs end we are winded, but enjoying ourselves. A smiling Jacob is my favorite, he’s like the sun when he’s happy, lighting up the entire room and everyone in it until even River was able to shake off the conversation.
Note to self, Faerie history is dark.
“Bella, I need you to handle the register,” Jacob calls as he tries to fix the coffee machine that’s sputtering out hot liquid in front of him. Today had been one of those crazy days at work where nothing goes right and every asshole in the world comes in. We've already lost two mugs, had a group of kids upend half of our coffee bar, and mopped the floors three times.
Stepping up to the counter, I take the next few orders until we hit a glorious lull in customers. Just as I pour myself a cup of liquid gold, a man stumbles into the coffee shop, looking panicked and afraid. It’s not the same man as last time, but he’s clearly in distress. Dropping my cup on the counter, I ran over and helped him over to a barstool. He’s winded and I notice right away that he’s fae. I frown as I step up to the window, prepared to lock the door if someone is coming for him. At first all seems quiet, then I spot a group of men running down the sidewalk, looking down alleys and through the shop windows. Without hesitation, I rush back to the man and usher him to the back of the shop and pull the curtain closed. Thankfully, it effectively blocks him from view.
“Are you alright? Do you need medical attention? Did they hurt you?” I ask as I crouch down in front of him, offering him the coffee I didn’t get a chance to drink.
He takes the hot drink before answering, inhaling a calming breath as he tentatively sniffs the coffee. “No, I’m alright. I made it here before they could get me,” his voice shaking almost as much as his body is. The poor guy is terrified.
“Why are they after you?” I ask quietly, having to hold in my rage because I think I know the answer already.
“I was talking to a human woman. She simply asked me a question and I answered her, it was no big deal. Then a group of guys saw us and yelled that they were going to kill me for talking to their woman. I ran here, because River told me it was a place I could go if I needed help.” Relief floods me at the mention of River and I’m glad she’s out there telling them it’s a safe space. I give him an attempt at a warm smile, still trying to hide my fury.
“Excuse me while I go make sure they’re gone. Just try and calm down, I’ll send Jacob back with another coffee for you in a few. He’s good people. You did the right thing, we’ll protect you. Don’t let my size fool you,” I joke, giving him a playful wink before I stand up. He gives me a weak smile that doesn’t reach his eyes as I turn and hurry up front.
“Jacob, we’ve got trouble,” I call out since he’s so focused on filling the coffee machine he missed the commotion. For a man that harps on me for being spacey, he’s just as bad.
When I peek out of the window, the men are on the other side of the street but still searching. I take a mental note of their descriptions so I can tell the police, before dialing the non-emergency number.
“How can I help you?” A bored voice answers.
“I work at Deb’s café, and there is a group of men outside chasing down a fae male for merely speaking to a human woman. They are threatening to physically harm him,” I practically growl the words into the phone.
“Okay, I’ll possibly send an officer out, I’m sure it’s nothing. They’re just protecting the streets.” She’s clearly unmotivated by my anger and lacks a decent conscience. What the hell is wrong with people?
“You are kidding, right? I just told you that they attacked him for speaking to a human. Last time I
checked that isn’t a fucking crime, but attacking an innocent civilian is. Do your damn job.” As I scream my words into the phone, I realize it’s probably pointless to keep going. I slam down the receiver and move outside to the sidewalk to wait. All seems quiet now and I feel like a bobble head as my head swivels back and forth, searching for the men. After twenty minutes, I give up and head back inside to check on the poor guy.
“Keep an eye out for the cops, Jacob,” my voice is fierce as I growl out my command on my way to the back.
“You didn’t have to do that, they won’t help anyway,” the man says as soon as I step behind the curtain. I look up in confusion to meet his resigned gaze.
“Who?” Surely he doesn’t mean the police? It’s literally their job. One woman can’t represent the whole department… right?
“The police. They don’t respond to calls for fae. We tried to call for break-ins before, among other things. They straight up told us that they won’t come out for us,” he explains with a shrug. My emotions surge through me like a tornado. I try, and fail, to calm myself. The man’s eyes go wide as the lightbulb above us explodes, raining shards of glass on our heads and shoulders.
“You’re fae? You can still use magic on Earth to glamour yourself ? How?” His voice is full of awe, though it’s definitely misguided. I’m as human as they come, short and powerless, relatively boring in nature.
“No, I’m completely human. I’m so sorry, we must have faulty wiring or something. I’ll let Deb know to check it out. Are you alright?” I ask as Jacob bursts through the curtain. His face is frantic, then it melts away to concern as he takes in the glass from the lightbulb, shimmering in the sunlight like a blanket of fallen snow. I’ve never seen it explode into such tiny pieces. Crazy.
“I thought something horrible happened! Did the light just explode all over you guys?” Jacob grabs the vacuum and uses the hose to clean the floor and then our shoulders and hair. I probably look like a poodle now, but at least I won’t cut myself on glass shards all day.
“I’m awful for not asking… what’s your name?” My cheeks grow warm with embarrassment, I have a real problem with forgetting to be polite when I’m worked up.
“I am Andras,” he says formally, apparently still assessing me for my supposed glamour. His eyes slowly travel down my face and body, they narrow as he watches me like I’m a science experiment.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Andras. Please stick around until closing, so we can follow you home. Power in numbers and pepper spray,” I say, holding up my trusty tube of spray. “Why don’t you come sit out in the café? I won’t let them come in.” He nods and follows us out to the front. Thankfully it’s only an hour until closing time, we don’t want to have to fight off a group of self-righteous assholes. Damn this tiny stature of mine.
The hour flies by, but still no sign of any cop cars patrolling the area or stopping by for a statement. I even told the ridiculous woman where I worked. I have a sinking feeling in my stomach as I realize Andras is right. How did we let things get this awful?
It never affected me directly, that’s why.
Disgusted with myself and humanity as a whole, I decide that I’ll try to meet any fae who may come into town, so they know they have a friend and ally here.
“Ready, Andras?” I ask as we finish our cleaning routine an hour later. We lock the doors and Jacob and I flank him as he points us in the right direction. It isn’t until we’re well into the walk that I realize Sam didn’t show up tonight… again. I glance over at Jacob and notice he seems a bit more reserved now that all of the chaos is over. I make a mental note to check on him after Andras is home safe.
“Does this happen to you often, Andras?” I ask, almost not wanting to know the answer.
“It isn’t the first time, and I doubt it’ll be the last. I try to keep my head down usually,” he explains quietly. What’s even worse is he seems like the quiet type, not at all built for fighting off an entire group of men.
“No more. You call me or Bella if you need us.” Jacob’s voice has an edge to it that I haven’t heard before. He looks determined and angry, eyes blazing with fury. Jacob knows what it’s like to be alone and have no family to support you, so this is probably getting personal for him.
“Thank you. River was right in telling me to come here. I’m glad I met the two of you. Though I still want to know how you maintain your glamour here.” He stares pointedly at me. I just shake my head, at a loss for how else to explain it. Jacob lets out surprised laughter at his words.
“Bella is human,” Jacob announces, clearly confused by Andras’ conclusion. He looks at me and his expression clearly questions Andras’ sanity.
“Last time I checked, humans can’t explode lights in anger,” he replies with a raised eyebrow, humor clear in his voice like we are the ones making a joke.
“That was you?” Jacob asks skeptically. I shake my head no and roll my eyes. I’d know if I could do magic. This is ridiculous. Andras just smiles and drops it, very obviously not believing us.
“This is where I live. Thanks again for the help and escort.” He bows to us. Yes, legitimately bowed. We smile and wave as he enters his small home, not quite sure what to make of him.
“So he thinks you can make light bulbs explode now?” Jacob, of course, doesn’t hesitate to bring it up.
“Apparently. I get the correlation, I was super pissed about the attack and the absence of cops, but I clearly didn’t do it.” I laugh it off in hopes that he’ll just drop it. Andras seemed so sure, but he’s clearly wrong. I just hope he doesn’t spread it around and cause trouble. I can’t help anyone if I get targeted too.
“No Sam tonight?” I ask once the conversation lulls. Jacob knows me well enough to know that if he doesn’t want to answer, I won’t pry. I just want him to know he can talk to me.
“Another work project I guess,” he says with a sad shrug. “I get it, I have to work too. I just miss him. But Andras was cute… man candy always makes for a good day.” He means it, but his melancholy voice makes it fall flat.
I can’t offer any words that would help, so I merely step closer and link my arm through his, resting my head on his shoulder.
We part ways a block later and I make my way home. I have to turn in my library draft project in the morning, so now’s my last chance to finish it. It’s almost done at least, so I’m way ahead of my usual procrastination. Progress, right?
I take out my cell phone to text River before I start on my blueprints, figuring she should know about what went on in town. But with the way Andras made it sound, she probably hears this stuff way more than I realized.
Me: I met Andras tonight. Thanks for trusting me with your friends. We got him home safe and sound.
River: He just called me. Thanks for being amazing.
Me: I’m so fucking mad the police didn’t care. Don’t walk alone anywhere, please.
River: I won’t, and I already spread the word. I didn’t want a repeat of my incident. It feels like they’ve gotten more bold lately.
Me: Agreed. We won’t stand for this. Power in numbers. Stay safe, Riv.
Satisfied with her answer, I put my phone on the charger and slide in my noise cancelling earbuds, pulling up my homework playlist. It helps drown out the pounding noise of the bass and loud voices that drift through the walls.
Somehow I manage to work for a solid two hours before I’m in desperate need of coffee and a break. I reach for the coffee grounds in the cabinet above the coffee maker. As I wrap my fingers around it, I feel something fuzzy and warm brush against my hand. I let out a shrill shriek and jump back. As I do, the cabinet door flies across the room and lands on the couch.
The fuzzy creature is a tiny, white mouse that huddles in the corner of the cabinet. Clearly I scared the poor guy as much as he scared me. I can’t just let him live here though, I love my coffee too much.Trying to not freak out, I find a decent sized plastic container and poke holes in the lid. The container is
opaque, so it’s a bit hard to coax him inside. Finally he runs forward and I manage to twist the container fast enough to trap him and slam on the lid. Time to find your home, little guy.
I grab my keys and shoes and lock the door behind me. Maybe I can knock on a few doors and find out if someone lost him. After the sixth door I knock on with no luck, I’m about to give up. There are only nine doors on my floor though, so I force myself to finish before going back home. I knock on the seventh door and it swings open to reveal a fit guy in gym shorts and a tank top, muscles bulging. He leans against the door frame and gives me a smirk.
“Hello, pretty lady,” he says with a creepy wink. Why do they always have to wink?
“Did you lose a white mouse?” I ask in a monotone voice, ignoring his compliment.
“Ah, yeah. My snake’s food ran away earlier. Did you catch it?” he asks as my mouth drops open in horror. He’s going to feed this little guy to his snake? I mean, I know they have to eat, but he almost made it to freedom. I can’t just offer him up as food now.
“Uh, no. These are just cookies I’m taking to a friend. I noticed a mouse in the stairwell and thought I would tell the owner in case he was a pet.” I promptly turn around and all but run back to my apartment.
The realization of what I did sets in as I look down at the container in my hands. What the hell am I going to do with a mouse? In my time of need, I do the only thing I can think of, grab my phone and text River and Jacob.
Me: You awake?
River: Yes. What’s going on?
Jacob: Yup.
Me: So I created a little situation for myself. A mouse got into my coffee cabinet, I caught it and thought it was a lab mouse or a pet. When I found the owner, the little guy was in fact snake food and I wasn’t cool with that. So I have a mouse in a plastic container and I don’t know what to do. HELP.
