by Jarica James
River: Release him outside?
Jacob: Hahahahahaha
Me: I can’t! He will get eaten for sure. I feel responsible now. This is awful! Shut up Jacob!
River: hahahahaha
Me: Not funny at all!
River: Ok, tomorrow get it a cage? For now search for what they eat and feed it something and give it some water?
Jacob: I’m always up for shopping, call me tomorrow.
Me: Ok, I can do that. Thanks.
River: You’re welcome. Give him a good name, haha.
Jacob: Name him coffee.
I roll my eyes at Jacob’s suggestion, but then realize River’s right. How can I leave him in a plastic container all night with nothing? Thankfully I put quite a few holes for airflow, so he will survive the one night he has to spend in there. After some quick research, I figure out the only safe food I have right now is an apple. I cut it up and give him some smaller slices. He seems so calm, but I’m so scared that he’ll jump out. I slide them carefully under the lid, not letting it open enough for him to leap out and make me scream like a wimp again. His little squeaks and crunches let me know he’s content, so I set it on the countertop where he won’t knock himself down.
Just as I start to make myself coffee, I finally remember the cabinet flying across the room. How the hell did it manage to fly so far? After the lightbulb and now this, I’m actually starting to think that something is wrong with me. Cabinets sometimes fall, but their doors don’t fly clear across the room. Is my apartment haunted?
Do I somehow have Fae blood?
Is that even possible, to be half and half?
No matter what possibilities I conjure up, I just make myself more and more crazy. Instead I handle it like a true adult, pushing the pointless thoughts aside and returning my focus to my work, skipping the coffee altogether. I definitely don’t need to add caffeine to my already muddled thoughts tonight.
After another few hours I finish the final touches on my library sketch and roll it up, storing it safely in a cardboard tube.
Now that my work is finished, exhaustion slams into me like a ton of bricks and I barely make it to the bathroom to shower, brush my teeth, and change.
Once I get comfortable I figured I’d drift off pretty quickly, but I can’t seem to fall asleep. The exploding light bulb and flying cabinet incidents are too fresh in my mind, and I can’t let them go.
Needing something less intense to focus on, I try to find a good name for my new friend. I keep referring to the mouse as a him, so I decide to just go with boy names. As I drift off to sleep, I think of cute and off the wall names for the tiny creature who crashed into my life.
“How big of a cage does it need?” Jacob asks, but still looks slightly appalled that I’m keeping the mouse. He had to be bribed to even come shopping for supplies, since this wasn’t his brand of shopping. River at least came willingly, mostly just to laugh at me and my predicament.
“It’s a pretty small mouse. So a hamster cage? Do they need wheels and tunnels like hamsters?” I ask as I look at the ridiculous wall of options. Does one pet store really need ten brands of hamster wheels and toys?
“The Internet says yes,” River says, not even looking up from her phone.
“This one has tunnels and a wheel included. Girl, you know this means you have to clean up his poop, right?” Jacob’s face holds exaggerated horror at the mere thought of it.
“I think I can handle it. He’s small, how bad can it be?” I say as I browse the little homes, purposefully ignoring Jacob’s whispers of just wait.
We finish picking out the little guy’s new mouse condominium and supplies, and I pay for it before we make our way back to my apartment.
“Did you name him yet?” River asks curiously. I did pick out a few, but I’m nowhere near close to deciding.
“No. But I’ve got a few ideas,” I say cautiously. Jacob and River both laugh, knowing me enough to realize it’s about to get ridiculous.
“Okay, the top names are sir squeaks-a-lot, Dormouse, Mocha because he was hiding behind my coffee when I found him, or Gizmo,” I mumble the names, waiting for their judgement.
“Isn’t he white? Mocha would be weird then,” River points out. I’d thought of that, but I still like the name, so I kept it on the list.
“Dormouse, as in Alice in Wonderland?” Jacob asks with a smile. He knows it’s one of my favorite stories, as well as the retellings. I nod, waiting for his reaction. “Okay, that’s my vote.”
“Dormouse it is. Time to build him the best mouse house ever, to celebrate not being eaten alive by a stupid snake,” I cheer, but Jacob scoffs at my words.
“Snakes aren’t stupid, you just didn’t want to contribute to the mouse’s death,” Jacob corrects knowingly. I shrug and stalk off. He isn’t wrong.
“Wait!” someone yells, and stops us in our tracks. My hands are full so I’m fairly annoyed, but try to hide it. Please don’t be the assholes hunting down fae. I glance over and notice a group of people standing on the side of the road. They’re all wearing winter hats that are pulled down to cover their ears, which I immediately find odd. It’s still a bit chilly, but it’s spring. If that doesn’t scream fae in disguise, I don’t know what does.
Most of their faces are masks of hope, but a few apparently harbor a clear anger against humans, and openly glare over at us. They did a shit job of hiding that they’re fae.
I glance at Jacob nervously and he takes a step in front of me. River however, steps forward, shocking us both. “Hello, brothers and sisters. What brings you to Silver Forest?” Her tone is curt and formal, which is odd to hear from her, she generally has such a beautiful, soft voice.
“We all felt a pull here, so we traveled together. Do you know why?” The fae who previously yelled seems to be their spokesperson.
River looks confused for a moment, but answers. “I have no clue. I don’t feel anything odd. I’m not the only one in town, either. Perhaps, Andras? I can walk over there with you.” When she finishes speaking, I pull her aside. She’s definitely not heading off with a group of semi-hostile strangers.
“Are you sure? Is it safe?” I ask quietly, risking a glance at their leader, who’s still glaring at me.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” she says, though she seems uncertain at best. “I’m more worried about how the town will react to this.”
“How about we walk you?” Jacob suggests as I discreetly hand River my pepper spray, which she puts in her pocket without question. Not so sure at all it seems.
“How kind of you,” The spokesman offers with a slight bow of his head and shoulders. I nod in return despite the obvious bite in his tone. Just be nice, Bella.
The walk to Andras’ house is quiet and tense. Nobody offers any insight into where they came from and what this pull is. I’m nervous about the group of men who attacked Andras finding out about the new fae. If they do hear about it, they’ll head right for them. Thankfully it’s a college town so new people aren’t exactly unheard of, maybe they can fly under the radar. But even as I think it, I know it’s unlikely.
We manage to make it to Andras’ house in record time. He looks shocked when we knock on the door with an entire group in tow, but keeps his calm. Jacob and I step away to let them make their decisions, but not quite ready to just leave them at the hands of strangers, fae or not.
They talk quietly until River waves us off, looking relaxed. Andras doesn’t seem thrilled but he’s not sending them away either.
“Good luck, call me later. Let us know if you need anything,” I offer to Andras and River, glad that they aren’t facing them alone.
“Well, that was fucking weird,” Jacob whispers as we walk away from the front door.
“Agreed. What would make them travel here of all places? I wonder if more will come.” Fear strikes me at that thought. We are two people against a town of angry humans, it wouldn’t end well at all.
The rest of the walk is quiet as we both get lost in o
ur worries, though I think Jacob’s is probably centered on Sam. Once we get back to my apartment without incident, I rush over and set up Dormouse’s cage. It has a tunnel, a wheel, a little soft burrowing area, and a bowl filled with food. After filling his water dispenser, the job is done. Now that he’s set up, I just have to find a place for him.
Walking into the living room, I glance around before spotting a free spot on my bookshelf. Plus, this way I can see him while I work. We may have had a shaky start, but part of me is so excited about my little pet because the apartment gets lonely sometimes.
“So…” Jacob drags out the word. He was being so quiet I almost forgot that he was here. I turn around and look at him with my eyebrows raised. “How do you plan to put him in there?” he asks, laughter clear in his voice. He’s enjoying this far too much.
“Probably with a girlish scream and completely undignified behavior.” I huff and stick my nose in the air, mimicking his usual dramatics as I grab the container Dormouse is in and crack it open so I can peek in. He looks at me and squeaks, but makes no movement.
“Hey little guy. Can I put you in your new home now?” The mouse looks at me and cocks his head to the side like a dog. It’s almost like he is actually listening to me. I reach my hand forward slowly, and he doesn’t try to run from me, so I continue to speak in a soft voice to keep him calm. He doesn’t jump even when my hand is close to him. Thank God, Jacob would never have let me live it down if I screamed.
After a deep breath, I decide to just go for it and grab him gently. He doesn’t struggle at all, so I close my hands firmly around him so he doesn’t fall if he starts to panic. I nod my head towards the cage and Jacob cautiously pulls the door of the cage open so I can put Dormy in. I release him and Jacob closes the door as soon as my hands are free.
“Well, I’m impressed,” Jacob announces as he studies Dormouse. I throw away the bin and wash my hands, before coming back to stand next to Jacob who is observing my little pet. Dormouse seems happy as he explores his new home, but every so often his little beady eyes drift back to me.
“Okay, I have to ask. What did you do to your cabinet?” Jacob questions as he pointed to the cabinet door on my couch. I forgot to move it back last night with all of the mouse drama.
“Uh, it was a fit of panic when Dormouse touched me. I was grabbing my coffee,” I explain, trying to sound casual, but honestly the whole thing still freaks me out. He narrows his eyes at me, immediately seeing through my flippant tone.
“You panicked and ripped off an entire cabinet door that wasn’t even loose? I’ve made coffee here. If it was loose I would have fixed it,” his voice is dripping with sarcasm.
“Something like that,” I say nonchalantly, not willing to sound crazy just yet.
He walks over to stand directly in front of me. “Bella. What happened?” His voice is no longer playful, but harsh, not allowing room for more lies.
“No clue. One minute I was screaming, and the next it flew across the room onto the couch,” I confess, sagging into the counter behind me. It sounds even crazier out loud.
“Weird. Maybe Andras wasn’t far off. Could you have fae blood in you or something? That would be badass! I’ve read so many books to prepare me for things like this! Maybe you’re about to meet your sexy fae king or something?!” His voice gets higher in his excitement and I can’t help but laugh at the fact he took my weird and ran with it.
“Not possible. I’m pretty sure my grandmother would have told me.” I said with an eye roll. My grandmother raised me. She said my mother died in childbirth and she took me in. She was a stern lady, but she wasn’t cruel. It was a fairly loveless house, but I ended up okay.
“She might not have known!” Jacob is still hooked on his paranormal romance fantasies and getting more excited by the minute, his voice rising with each word. “Maybe it was your dad. Either way, something is different about you. Think it has anything to do with that group of fae being drawn here?”
“Now who’s crazy? Jacob, we would have known. You don’t wake up one day and just have powers.”
“Sure you do,” he scoffs.
“Okay, no more paranormal books for you,” I joke, but he doesn’t look convinced. “It freaked me out, but I’m sure it was just a coincidence.”
“Nope. Something weird is going on,” he announces with pure conviction. “I’m going home to research fae and check on Sam, I’ll let you know what I find. Try not to do anything crazy while I’m gone.” He smirks as he gives me a kiss on the cheek and hurries out of the door.
Well that escalated quickly.
Chapter 4
By the next afternoon, I still hadn't heard from River. As soon as class ends and I’m back in my room, I pull out my phone and call. The moment she answers, I jump right into the conversation, foregoing a greeting. “Is everything alright?” I’ve been nervous ever since we walked away from Andras and River. Just because the newcomers are fae, doesn’t mean they’re friendly.
“Yes, but somehow word got out. We have a group of men outside now. I was just about to call you.” Her words have an edge to them and I’m immediately angry.
“I’m coming. Once they realize you have human support they’ll leave.” At least I hope they will, but sometimes when humans rally together they get out of hand… mob mentality is real and toxic as fuck.
“You don’t have your pepper spray anymore. Be careful, Bella.” She sounds worried, which means they’re probably not just quietly protesting.
“Don’t worry, I have more. See you in a few minutes.” Ending the call, I grab my purse and head for the door. It isn’t dark yet, so I at least won’t be dealing with these idiots while barely being able to see.
I can hear the crowd before I see them. As I round the corner I’m shocked to see that it’s not just a few assholes, but an entire crowd. They’re over twenty strong at this point. I snap a picture and text it to Jacob before walking over. Just in case… you can never be too careful.
“Get out of here fairies! We don’t want your kind here!” Someone yells loudly and is immediately accompanied by a chorus of cheers and insults. Not the most original of war cries, but then again they aren’t the most intelligent humans.
“Keep Silver Forest fae free!” Is quickly becoming an obnoxious chant.
Not being nice about it, I push my way through the crowd, throwing out elbows when necessary. I’m almost to the front of Andras’ yard when a rough grip yanks me back. I turn back with my pepper spray in my free hand.
“You have five seconds to get your fucking hands off of me,” I seethe. The burly middle-aged man smirks in response.
“Or what?” He laughs, looking around to see if the others join in, which of course they do. “Are you a faerie lover?” His tone is mocking as he projects his voice, further getting laughter and yells for him to show me what they do to fae lovers.
“Or I will pepper spray you in self-defense, you jackass,” my tone is icy and he flinches, but doesn’t let go. “One… don’t make me finish, because I won’t hold back.”
“Stupid faerie lovers.” He lets me go with a shove. I hit the ground, and with that, the last of my patience melts away. When I’m on my feet again, I turn around with my fist ready and punch the man as hard as I can in the chest, letting my rage and disgust at their behavior fuel me. The shocking part is that the three hundred or more pound man flies a good three feet back before toppling over. All eyes turn to me in shock, but I refuse to give them a reaction, keeping my face a mask of indifference.
“Get out of here and stop harassing the fae. They aren’t harming anyone but you are in fact the ones causing harm. Just last week I saved a fae girl from being assaulted. We saved another one from a mob, similar to this. Is this really how you want to represent our race? That makes you look weaker. You aren’t winning if you’re using entire groups on one fucking man. You aren’t winning by forcing yourself on the fae. Stop this, Now!”
I put as much confidence and emotion in m
y voice as I can. The entire crowd blinks at me for a few moments, completely silent, before turning and walking away. A few stay behind long enough to help the man on the ground. Once they’re all finally gone, I turn around and start up the walkway to Andras’ front door. The door opens before I even get close to it. Apparently they were watching and waiting for me.
Just as I’m halfway up the walk, an awful burning pain sears across my left shoulder blade. The pain is so intense I cry out and fall to my knees. River and Andras are on their knees next to me in moments. Did one of the protesters tase me when my back was turned?
“What’s wrong, Bella?” River’s voice is rising in panic. I clutch at my shoulder and whimper, unable to actually form words through the pain. The skin almost feels like someone is digging hot, molten metal into it, branding me. River lifts the back of my shirt until she has access to the spot I’m clutching at. Andras scoots in front to block my exposed stomach and bra from the others, keeping my modesty when it’s the last thing on my mind. River gasps and I turn to see her shocked face.
“What is it?” Andras shouts in alarm. River apparently can’t speak. He gives me an apologetic look I barely see through the tears blurring my vision.
“Bella?!” Jacob’s voice bellows out as his feet pound down the sidewalk. I feel myself being pulled into his arms as he assesses me. “What did they do to you?” He asks as he continues his search for other wounds.
“It wasn’t the crowd, they were gone when she collapsed. It’s this,” River finally chokes out. Andras hasn’t said anything, just stepping away. River stops him with a hand on his arm. “Keep this between us for now.” Her voice is fierce. Now I’m in an even bigger panic, but the pain is finally ebbing away to manageable levels, mind clearing enough to think. Now it just feels like I have a sunburn.
“Her birthmark? How did you hurt it, Bella?” Jacob asks as he lightly traces his fingers over the fiery spot.
