by Jarica James
“That’s what is on fire on my back?” I ask, my voice weak from the pain as I wipe away the tears that remain.
“A birthmark?” River asks quietly. Her face and voice show her clear disbelief. Who lies about a birthmark?
“What’s wrong, River? Why are you being weird about it?” Jacob accuses, clearly trying to defend my feelings.
“Let’s talk about it once the others leave, please,” River begs quietly. She grabs my hand and helps me stand, before Jacob puts an arm around my waist to help me walk inside.
The new group of fae are standing in the entryway, expressions varying from annoyance to concern. Andras makes them move away so Jacob and I can get through and they reluctantly comply.
“So what’s the story with our new friends?” I finally ask as we settle onto the couch, careful to not let my burn touch the cushions behind me.
“They said pretty much the same thing they told us when we first met them. They all felt a magical pull toward Silver Forest they couldn’t ignore. They left their homes and jobs, if they had them, to follow it. Once they were in town it stopped. Though to be honest, I believe them, I felt an almost tug in my stomach a few times, but it was faint, probably because I live here? It doesn’t make sense, but I do think we should prepare for more arrivals, this group can’t be the only fae around that felt it,” Andras explains, his voice confident. “And we have to figure out what it all means.”
Jacob’s voice is incredulous. “That’s going to be rough. If that crowd was any indication of how the town will receive you, I hope you guys stick to groups.” He voices my worries perfectly. The fae can’t hide inside, so they’ll have to stick to larger groups to keep safe for now.
An unfamiliar man walks into the room, his eyes already narrowed in clear distrust. “Why do you guys care?” He glares at me first, then turns his fiery gaze to Jacob while he waits for our answer. Despite his annoyance, I can’t help but appreciate how handsome he is. His skin is nearly as pale as mine, his blonde hair long and straight. Bright blue eyes are full of fire, but beautiful nonetheless.
“Back off Allwyn!” River barks. The man turns his glare to her, before he starts to stomp off.
But I stop him before he can leave. “No, River, his question is valid. I care because I don’t believe you should be treated this way. It’s wrong and disgusting. I’m trying to make people realize they need to move past their hate for the unknown,” I explain, trying to pour my desire for change into my words. His glare softens as he looks at me again. A flicker of hope flashes through his eyes, before they turn dark again.
Another unfamiliar, soft voice drifts into the room. “Allwyn, she literally fought off an entire crowd while we cowered inside, how can you still question her?” A beautiful young fae steps into the room. She looks to be around our age, but from what River revealed, that can be deceiving. She has long blonde hair and bright green eyes. I always thought the fae were supermodel pretty, but she has a kindness in her face that makes her look prettier than most.
“Gwen, they’re human,” he says the word human like it’s the nastiest thing he’s ever heard. Jacob openly rolls his eyes.
“I see the hate goes both ways,” he deadpans. Allwyn opens and closes his mouth for a moment before huffing.
“Not all humans are the same,” River defends us. Her voice is strained and she clearly doesn’t appreciate his annoyance. “Bella saved me from being assaulted in a dark alley. She even offered to walk with any other fae who would be alone, to avoid something happening again.”
“Fine," Allwyn huffs as he walks away, like it’s all irrelevant. When he casts a look back at me, it isn’t as hateful though. Maybe we’d eventually come to a mutual respect.
“I need to get home to Dormy, he needs to eat," I announce, standing up gingerly. My birthmark still hurts, just not as fiercely. “And for some reason I’m exhausted now.”
“I’ll walk with you," River offers, grabbing her purse and following me out of the door.
“I’d like to join you as well," Gwen says softly, looking at me with a curious gaze. I nod my agreement, happy to convince another fae that not all humans are assholes.
“I need to get to work, I’ll let Deb know you’re sick," Jacob says with concern. My eyes go wide and embarrassment floods my cheeks. He just laughs. “I knew you forgot about your shift, when you texted me. I’ve got this," I give him a hug before he walks off to Deb’s.
The walk back to my apartment is quiet. I expected a million questions from Gwen but she seems content to just check out this side of town. Thankfully we don’t run into any angry mobs or assholes trying to harass us. As soon as we wind through the crowded halls in my building, I usher Gwen and River into my apartment before locking the door behind us.
“It’s loud here, how can you concentrate?” Gwen looks shell-shocked. The parties are going strong now that finals are over, so the music is at an all-time high.
“I’m used to it," I laugh and give her a shrug. Checking on Dormy is my top priority, so I make my way over to his cage and drop in a few treats. “I’m home again, buddy. Are you adjusting okay?” I can’t help the sweet baby voice that comes out when I speak to him. The little guy grew on me quicker than I anticipated. He just squeaks at me, in what I decided is gratitude, before devouring his treats.
“He talks back to you?” River laughs as she comes over to see Dormy. “I swear if you weren’t obviously human, then I would think you’re Spring Fae.”
“That reminds me, why did my birthmark freak you out?” I ask as I walk over to the mirror hanging on my living room wall. I slip my shirt off, not caring about modesty, since I have on a sports bra underneath. My birthmark is an odd shape, resembling a rose. Jacob is the only other one who’s ever seen it, he just thought it was a cool shape, nothing odd. As I lock my eyes on it, I gasp. The flower now looks like it has swirling vines growing out of it. The whole thing is a bright pink, instead of the tan color it generally is.
“Is that what I think it is?” Gwen shrieks at River. I turn to look at them and River has a look of awe on her face again.
“Fae that are of the royal bloodlines have a mark similar to this," Gwen whispers as steps closer to study it again.
“Well that’s cool, but I promise I’m not fae," I laugh it off and try to push away the thoughts asking what if. They’re all making a big deal out of something that’s clearly impossible. “I must have had a reaction to something today though, it’s definitely enflamed and hurts," I say more to myself than my friends.
“It’s too much of a coincidence," River states and Gwen quickly agrees. “You have to be fae… maybe the prince and princess didn’t die.” I don’t want to agree, but now this is number four on a list of ever growing weird occurrences.
“It wouldn’t matter if I had royal blood way down in my bloodline anyway, Faerie isn’t exactly accessible," I point out and they both agree quickly, looking sad at the reminder of their lost home.
“It doesn’t explain why it would change. Burns don’t exactly come in that perfect of a shape. We can’t really use magic here. Occasionally we can rock a glamour for small periods of time, but our powers are connected directly to Faerie. The longer we’re out of it, the weaker we are. But I would guess this is a remnant of a glamour. Not to mention the magical pull the others felt," Gwen’s words are like a blast of cold, hard reality. My past memories flood into the forefront of my thoughts. The times my grandmother changed the subject about my parents, her bedtime stories, the formal way she spoke, and the one time I snuck into her room to get a book and found her sleeping and looking almost like a stranger. I thought I was just overly tired… what if I wasn’t? What if I am a fae?
“Hold up! I thought you guys could use magic!” I exclaim, shocked. It was just me grasping to anything that could distract me from the craziness I was trying to make sense of. But magic was one of the major reasons humans tried to oppress them, they were scared of what the fae could do to us.
; “Well, we can’t use much. We just chose not to disclose that for our safety," River explains sheepishly. It makes sense. If humans thought they could fight back easier, they would be more likely to retaliate out of fear.
“Fair enough," I respond as I put my shirt back on. “Are you guys hu..” I’m cut off by louder than normal yelling from the hallway. I point to my room, urging them to get out of view. Watching, I wait until I can’t see them before opening my door to see what the commotion is about.
“There’s a group of at least fifty fae!” One guy announces. “The men in town are talking about a militia. Shit’s getting crazy. I’m glad we go home now that finals are done.”
“Why, they’ve never hurt us? It doesn’t make sense," another man responds.
“Where are they?” I ask, practically yelling into the chaos. The group turns in my direction and I suddenly feel uncomfortable. It’s not like they can be mad about me eavesdropping when they’re yelling it through the hallways.
“The edge of campus, the park near Diamonds apparently,” another guy finally answers me.
“Where did you come from?” The first guy asks in confusion. I roll my eyes and point at my apartment door.
“Dude, a cute girl lives this close and we didn’t know?” The second sounds appalled, already forgetting about the fae. I ignore them and hurry back to my room, locking it behind me for good measure.
“Guys we have a problem," I announce as River and Gwen peak around the corner. “A group of fifty or so fae just got into town. The assholes in town are discussing a militia. We have to find somewhere safe for everyone. What the hell is happening?!”
“That’s so many, Andras and I have tiny homes!” River says frantically.
“What about the forest at the edge of town. We planned to stay there before Andras invited us in.” Gwen’s quiet voice of reason calms River down.
“Without tents? I could maybe buy a few, but I’m not exactly rich," I frown at the thought of fifty people sleeping on the ground, with no shelter.
“It’s a start at least. I can take a few in my home, but the rest won’t have a place to stay," River looks thoughtful as she pulls out her phone and starts frantically texting. We are all lost in thought for several minutes before my loud ringtone breaks our concentration. I see Jacob’s name on the display and answer. He must not have found someone to cover me.
“Need me to come in, I’m doing okay now," I say, but he quickly cuts me off.
“It’s bad, Bella. Stay inside with Gwen and River. There is an all-out war happening on main street. We’ve locked down Deb’s.” My pulse slams in my veins as my anxiety rises. Not for the incoming fae. This time I’m selfish and freaking out about Jacob. Deb’s front windows are all glass, he’s not safe there.
“The same mob?” Before he can even answer I hear glass shattering in the background.
“Stay home,” he yells back before the line goes dead. He clearly doesn’t know me. I’m not going to stay home while he fights for his life.
“Stay here and don’t open the door for anyone, understand? The fae and town militia are killing each other downtown. I have to go, Jacob is in trouble.” I toss my extra key to River just in case and bolt out of the door. I run as quickly as I can in the direction of Deb’s café, but it’s a fifteen minute walk. As I sprint there and try to keep my panic from overtaking me, I have to push away the awful thoughts popping up in my mind.
Jacob is fine, he will be okay.
He can take care of himself.
Please be alright… I need you.
My thoughts quickly morph into prayers while my feet pound against the pavement. The noise is deafening before I can even see the battle. But when I step onto main street, it’s like something out of a movie. One of those incidents in life, that you never think you’ll witness. Wounded and unconscious bodies line the street. I won’t say dead, until I’m sure. Men are fighting with fists and weapons. Screams and slurs are shouted back and forth. At the sight of someone getting stabbed, bile rises in my throat and I turn to the side to throw up, unable to handle the gruesome sight.
When I’ve regained my composure, I spot Allwyn a few feet in front of me, trading punches with an older human male. Allwyn is graceful and strong, but the man is determined. Since he is holding his own, I turn and start to run for Deb’s when I hear a gasp from Allwyn. Turning, I see a gun in the man’s hand and Allwyn has his hands up. The man clicks off the safety and aims, no hint of empathy in his eyes. Not even thinking about what I’m about to do, I run up and push Allwyn out of the way, just as the man fires. Allwyn twists around once we hit the ground to see who knocked him over. The moment he sees that it’s me, he looks horrified.
But I can’t seem to focus on him as a burning sensation sears across my side for a moment before the adrenaline ebbs away until pure, unfiltered agony is all that’s left. I gasp for air as the pain overtakes me. My body shakes and the temperature seems to drop significantly. Tears stream down my cheeks and I can feel the warm pool of blood under my body. This wasn’t supposed to be my end.
“I’m sorry, Miss, I didn’t realize you were human,” the man mumbles, trying to help me, but Allwyn blocks him with an arm.
“You’ve done enough!” He bellows, before ripping off his jacket and applying pressure to the wound. “We have to get you out of the street,” he urges in a soft tone. I can’t help the whimpers of pain as he pulls me to my feet. I look around at the devastation and I can’t stand it. It’s like a switch is flipped, my emotions reaching a boiling point until the pain, anger, and grief explode inside of me, with a swirling burst of heat.
“Enough!” I yell, as a shockwave of power bursts from my body, hitting everyone who is close enough. The fae seem to be immune, but the humans slump down where they once stood.
As the shockwave dissipates, a tingling sensation courses through my body mixing with the pain in my side until I feel like my skin is being pulled off, layer by layer. My screams echo in the street, loud in the aftermath of the battle.
“You are Fae?” Allwyn gasps, almost dropping me. I can’t focus on his words, too afraid I just killed all of the humans. How did that even happen? Could it be true?
“Tell me they aren’t dead? Did I kill the humans?” I ask in a shaky voice, looking around at the poor souls that dropped because of me. I can’t stop the fresh tears streaming down my face. Despite my gritted teeth he makes out my words.
“Someone check the humans who fell. Are they alive?” He barks at the group, everyone is still stunned, standing around in shock. One of the fae finally crouches down to check the nearby human for a pulse.
“Alive, just unconscious,” he announces and I sag against Allwyn. Though it may not have been only relief, as I have moved on from pain to numbness. I can still feel the weakness spreading through my body, my vision fading quickly.
“Bella?” I can hear the distress in Allwyn’s voice as he lowers me to the ground. He must have noticed I can no longer stand on my own. Thankfully he’s strong. “I need medical help!” He yells before turning his attention back to me. “You have to be alright, Bella. Why did you jump in front of me?” His voice is hard, but I can hear the panic behind it.
“You deserve to live,” I say as I raise my weak hand to his cheek. I feel a smile on my lips, knowing I saved those left from further bloodshed. My vision disappears completely as I fade into the welcoming darkness.
Chapter 5
“I still don’t understand why she jumped in front of the gun.” Allwyn sounds desperate and his words are rushed in his exasperation.
“I told you, that’s how Bella is. She cares, that’s just who she is. Which is why I told her to stay the fuck home!” Jacob yells through his sobs. I try to open my eyes so I can comfort him, but they’re still so heavy.
“She even has a pet mouse because she couldn’t stand for her neighbor’s snake to eat it.” River’s voice sounds just as tearful and distraught as the others.
I’m fine,
why are they so sad?
I try to fight my way through the darkness threatening to pull me back under, but it’s like fighting through a tar pit. Eventually I manage to shift my body, but the move causes the pain in my side to flare back to life. The pain is so intense that I groan out loud and manage to barely open my eyes.
“Bella!” Jacob gasps in relief. “I’m going to kill you myself for almost leaving me," he sobs as he squeezes my hand. I try to look at him, but can’t focus as my eyes slip closed again at the effort.
“She needs more rest. We aren’t out of danger just yet,” an unknown voice announces. More fae?
“Jacob, let’s let her rest while you and I go get her some fresh clothes and anything else she may need. The healer can handle this.” I hear him start to protest, but he eventually allows himself to be dragged away.
Over and over again I try to open my eyes, but they’re still so heavy. I want to know if everyone is alright and what happened after the battle.
“Rest, my queen," Allwyn’s voice startles me. I forgot that he was still in the room with me. Then I feel pressure on my hand as he squeezes it, but can’t seem to squeeze back. My mind is continually groggy and slow to process everything it seems.
The fact that it’s Allwyn offering comfort is bizarre enough. But I’m not sure if I’m more shocked by the endearing term or the fact he’s being kind to me. Maybe saving his life made him realize I’m not so bad after all. I knew we’d get there eventually, I just didn’t think it would hurt quite so fucking much. Even as my thoughts spiral, darkness pulls me back in, this time I welcome it, if only to escape the pain for a little while.
Allwyn
As I watch her sleep, I can’t help but think back to the previous hours of chaos. I’m trying to process how this crazy, reckless girl before me could bring so many to their knees with one word. Either way, I know now she’s no normal human, hell she isn’t even normal for fae.
