Fae Star Read online

  “You know, a ‘Hello, how are you?’ would be nice. I’m here to protect you. You could be attacked at school as well as at home.”

  “In front of all these people?” I asked.

  “Fae are very clever,” he said, “They could easily tr-”

  The warning bell interrupted us, and I headed to my next class, knowing I couldn’t afford one more tardy.

  I guess Ian’s fae magic hadn’t worked as well as he’d intended, since he hadn’t managed to get the same class as me for any other periods.

  Even though Julia and I were in different grades, we had the same time for lunch since our school split lunch times alphabetically. I carried my lunch tray over to bubbly, glossy-lipped Julia’s table.

  “Oh my gosh,” she started talking at a rushed pace before my lunch tray even hit the table, “You know that guy who was in our house the other day? He’s a new student at our school!” Her voice broke into a squeal as she finished her sentence.

  “Yeah, I know. He’s in my first hour,” I said.

  “Really? Did he say anything to you? Did he ask about me?”

  “Yes, and...no, why would he?”

  “Oh,” Julia looked upset for a split-second, but then her face lit up again, “Well, maybe he likes you, then! He could be your boyfriend! I was just hoping the new guy would notice me to make Walt jealous.” Poor Walt. He was just one of Julia’s on-again/off-again boyfriends.

  “Look! Look!” Julia yelled in my ear, “He’s headed right for our table.”

  Julia and her little friends ogled Ian silently until it became a little awkward.

  “Um, may I sit here?” he asked.

  “Sorry, no room,” I said with a smirk. I could feel every jaw at the lunch table drop - besides mine, of course.

  “That’s okay. We can share a seat.” Ian pushed me over a little and sat next to me on the small plastic circle that was supposed to suffice for a chair.

  “Are you seeing anyone?” Julia asked, subtle as always.

  “My relationship status is … complicated, at the moment,” he said, looking at me for some reason.

  “What do you mean, complicated?” Julia asked, “You’re either single or you’re not.”

  “I’ve been in love with a girl for years, but I haven’t told her yet.”

  “You haven’t told her in years?” Julia’s annoying friend Stacy asked, “Why the wait?”

  “Like I said, it’s complicated,” Ian said, “and that’s the end of the discussion.”

  Ian probably resented me for keeping him away from his not-girlfriend. Suddenly, I didn’t like having him there. I felt like I didn’t have room for anyone new in my life, and I didn’t feel like I could trust him either.

  At home wasn’t any better. Julia would not shut up about the new kid, and how handsome he was.

  “Erica, you should ask him out,” she said.

  “You heard him at lunch today,” I said, “He already likes someone.”

  “Yeah, but not enough to tell her how he feels. It’s time for you to move in.”

  “What makes you think I want to go out with him?”

  I felt like I needed to get some air and think about things.

  “Watch Joey and Stephen for me,” I said, “I’m going for a walk.”

  Chapter 7

  I didn’t hear them until it was too late. I was only a half mile from my house, but it was enough to reduce my sense of security. It was cold and there weren’t any people out that day. Even though we lived in the suburbs, this part of the street looked more like the boonies.

  “Is that her?” I heard a man’s voice.

  “Yep, I’m sure of it,” a woman replied.

  I started to run, but the man grabbed me and held me down while the woman reached into a bag and pulled out a pair of gleaming silver scissors.

  I screamed and kicked, but it was no use. The woman raised the scissors, and cut off a lock of my hair.

  They ran off into the trees after that, leaving me very puzzled. I was glad to be alive, of course, but I had to wonder why they hadn’t just killed me and drank my blood.

  I couldn’t get to school fast enough the next morning. Julia and I arrived at school fifteen minutes early (no easy feat) and I looked around for Ian’s dark hair and dark eyes among the crowd. I didn’t see him anywhere. I was just about to give up when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

  “Ian!” I exclaimed, spinning around, “I was looking for you!”

  “Oh?” he said, smiling at me, “Did I do something wrong?”

  “I need you to teach me how to defend myself!” I said, “There’s gotta be some way I could use all this power built up inside me, right?”

  “I’m so sorry, Erica,” Ian said, “Only the fae are able to harness your power because it is the combination of fae and star ...pieces… that allow your energy to be unleashed. Why the sudden interest in self-defense?”

  “Two people attacked me yesterday while I was out walking,” I said.

  “They attacked you?” he said, “Are you alright?” His face had turned serious.

  “Yeah, they just took a little bit of my hair. What was that about?” I asked.

  “This is bad,” Ian said, “I should have kept better watch over you. I placed a powerful protection spell over your house, but I didn’t think you would go out alone!”

  “Well, maybe I needed to think about all this - stuff!” I said, starting to get angry, “First, you tell me that all these fae creatures are after me, and if that’s not bad enough, now I’m on house arrest too?”

  “Look, I know it’s not ideal,” Ian said, “but there are real dangers out there. At least bring someone with you next time.”

  “Like Julia?” I asked, “She’s one of the reasons I had to get outside.”

  “Next time, please call me if you’re about to do something reckless,” Ian said. I was going to argue, but he wasn’t scolding, he was pleading.

  “I didn’t think you were the type to carry a cell phone. Besides, I don’t have your number,” I said.

  “It’s in your phone,” Ian said.

  “Well, how would I know that?” I said, “and when did you have my phone?”

  “The night you were attacked - after you fell asleep.”

  We were silent for a few seconds and then Ian said, “Arghh! I’m such an idiot. I shouldn’t have left you alone!”

  “Um, it’s okay,” I said, “It’s just hair. I can live without it.”

  “You can. They can’t,” Ian said, “Once someone gets a little taste of a star, even if it’s just her hair, they go a little crazy. They can’t live without it. It’s like being addicted to a drug. They’ll just want more and more until there’s nothing left, and they’ll be so powerful that I won’t be able to stop them.”

  I must have looked scared, because Ian stopped talking abruptly. So now that these people had a chunk of my hair, they were super-strong and would keep coming back until they finished me off? And I thought I was stressed out just getting my brothers to the bus on time.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said, “I shouldn’t have told you.”

  “So there’s nothing we can do?” my voice rose, “We just have to wait for them to attack me? Or I could give you some of my hair so you could protect me… but then you’d eventually become crazy and kill me yourself.”

  “There is one other way,” Ian said, “I never told you about the real reason I came here to be your protector.”

  “Um, because you’re a genuinely decent creature with a good heart?” I asked in a fake-sweet voice.

  Ian winced, “Not quite. I’ve been sent by the king to protect you and bring you to the fae kingdom. There’s a prophecy that if a star marries a fae prince, she will become part of the fae bloodline. Then she could use her powers for her own use, and no one would dare harm her for fear of starting a war. According to the prophecy, she will bring peace and power to the fae kingdom.


  “Well, that’s all well and good,” I said, “But you’re overlooking one thing. I don’t want to marry a stranger! And the prince may not be too fond of me either. I’m not the princess type.”

  “The prince already knows about your, um, independent spirit, and he doesn’t mind.”

  “Well, I don’t want to live in the fae kingdom, away from my family… The prince is asking me to give up an awful lot.”

  “For someone who spent her whole life trying to escape,” Ian said, “You sure seem reluctant to leave. I’ve been watching you, and you don’t seem happy here. You spend all your time looking after others, and there’s no one to care about you.” I hated the pity that I saw in his eyes.

  My hand slapped him across the face before I was aware that I had even moved it. “You have no right…” I began, but I was afraid that my voice would shake, so I didn’t continue. The thing is, what he had said was true. I had always pictured myself as a Cinderella-like figure, taking on extra chores, taking care of my four younger siblings, not having any nice things or attention for myself. So why didn’t I want this mysterious prince to sweep me off my feet? I thought that was what I had wanted all along, but now that it might actually happen, it seemed absurd to abandon my family and move to a strange land before I even graduated from high school.

  “Look, I’m sorry,” Ian said. He put his hand on my shoulder, but I pushed it off.

  “You’d be able to visit your family whenever you wanted,” Ian said, “And the prince has already agreed to the marriage.”

  “I’m only 16,” I said, “I’m not ready for marriage!”

  “You don’t have to decide right now,” Ian said, “but I would like to take you to the fae land so you can at least learn some of our customs. You’ll be safer there since no one will be expecting the star in the fae realm. Your power will be masked by all of the other magic.”

  “I have to take care of my siblings,” I said, beginning to panic, “I have to go to school!” The thing was, I wouldn’t mind missing a few days of school. I felt like I might have really enjoyed school, except for the fact that with all of my responsibilities at home, I was always running late and I never had my homework done, which meant I was always getting into trouble.

  “I will provide a doppelganger,” Ian said.

  “You mean someone that looks like me will do all my schoolwork and babysitting?” I asked. The idea did sound pretty appealing. Someone else would do all my housework for me and I would get all the credit? But there was no way she could do everything I did as well as me, and if she did, somehow that would be even worse. What if my family liked her better? Ian’s voice cut into my thoughts.

  “I have a friend who owes me a favor. She is familiar with the human world and she is a powerful illusionist. She will use her magic to make herself look like you and to make you look like more fae before we leave.”

  “My family will never buy it,” I said, “The realness of this was starting to overwhelm me, and as much as I tried to hold back the tears, they started to drip down my face. I had to leave my family… People were trying to kill me… It was all too much.

  Ian was about to say something, but he stopped and put his arms around me tightly.

  “It’s okay, Erica, it’s okay. I’ll find a way to keep you safe. And I’ll tell you what, if we get to the fae kingdom and you find that you don’t like the prince, or that you’re not ready to get married, then we’ll find another way to keep you from harm.”

  “But what about the king?” I asked.

  “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve disobeyed his orders,” Ian said with a grin. I suddenly liked him just a little bit better.

  “Not sure how you keep your job,” I muttered, but I was relieved that at least now I had a way out.

  “It’s time for you to meet Erica 2,” Ian said, “I’m going to jump and bring her back from the fae world.”

  “What do you mean, jump back?” I asked.

  “I’m a jumper,” Ian said, “meaning that I can disappear from one place and appear in another at will. That’s how I’ve been traveling between this realm and the fae one. Watch.”

  Ian vanished from the room. After a minute, he appeared with a perfect copy of me. It was like looking at a reflection that wasn’t in sync with my movements.

  “Hi Erica,” she said in my voice.

  “Um, hello,” I said, wondering how it was possible to be shy around myself.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve been studying your movements for the past few weeks so I could get them just right,” other-Erica said, flopping down onto my bed in my signature style.

  “A few weeks?!” I asked, “I only found out about you guys a few days ago! You’ve been spying on me?”

  Ian and Holly-me exchanged a glance.

  “We were only trying to help,” Ian said, “And the prince wanted to know a little bit about the girl he was going to marry. Besides, didn’t Holly do a great job?”

  She did look and act exactly like me. Any other day, this is exactly what I would have wanted - a clone to take on all of my responsibilities.

  “Thank you, Holly,” I forced out.

  “No problem,” she said, “The king is giving me a ton of gold to be here, so I’m happy.”

  “At least you’re here for the right reasons,” I said sarcastically, and then added, “I know you can talk and look like me, but what about my unique attitude.”

  Holly put her hands on her hips and and gave me one of my own signature glares, “What, you don’t think I can handle it?” I laughed. Maybe we could pull this off after all.

  . “ Now let’s get disguises for you two,” Holly said.

  I stood in front of my bedroom mirror as Holly waved her hands over me. She didn’t have a wand or a fancy potion, and I didn’t feel anything, but I could tell by my reflection that Holly was making me look more fae. First she made my ears pointier, my face thinner and my skin smoother and more translucent. It was weird to see all of my freckles disappear. Then she made my hair shinier and straighter.

  After Holly was done with me, she made Ian’s hair lighter and his jaw more square. She changed his eyes from dark brown to gold, and that completely altered his appearance.

  “Why do you need a disguise?” I asked him.

  “A lot of people in the fae world know me,” Ian said.

  “You two will be able to see each other normally,” Holly said, “but to everyone else, you will appear disguised.”

  When I looked back at Ian, he was back to normal.

  “So we’re all set then,” Ian said, “Thank you, Holly.” He turned to me, “Erica, take my hand.”

  I wanted to make a smart remark about how he was too old to need someone to hold his hand, but since he was helping me stay alive, I stayed quiet.

  As soon as I took Ian’s hand, the scenery changed and we were standing in a sunny meadow in the middle of the forest.

  “Whoa,” I said, “This is the fae world?” Even after all I’d seen, the fact that we had just realm-jumped in less than a second really astonished me.

  “Yes,” Ian said, pulling on my hand to lead me down a path, “and we’re going to meet someone who will teach you about fae customs.”

  Ian led me to a log cabin in the middle of the woods and said, “Here, this is where Gelsey lives. Just think of her as the fae version of Ms. Manners.”

  Great. Just who I wanted to meet.

  Chapter 8

  Ian knocked on the door and a tiny woman with a gray bun answered.

  “Hello,” she said, “May I help you?”

  “Yes,” Ian said, “My friend Aubrey here is from a distant land.” He gestured toward me as he spoke, “She knows nothing of fae history or customs. Could you start her on basic customs, starting today?”

  It made me uneasy that Ian was leaving me with someone that he didn’t even trust enough to give my real name to. I pulled him aside while Gelsey gather
ed some supplies for our training.

  “I thought fae couldn’t lie,” I whispered.

  “They can’t,” Ian said.

  “You just lied about my name,” I hissed.

  “Erica and Aubrey both have roughly the same meaning - That’s why I was able to make the substitution.”

  “You’re leaving me with someone who you don’t even trust?” I asked.

  “I do trust Gelsey,” Ian said, “It’s just best not to take any chances.”

  Gelsey returned a few moments later. “Okay,” she said, handing a piece of paper to Ian, “Here’s a list of the things we’ll go over and how much it will cost.”

  “Here,” said Ian, “This should cover it for today.”

  He handed her a big silver coin. She inspected it for a few seconds, before turning it over in her hand and saying, “Yes, this will do.”

  “You,” Gelsey said, pointing at me, “Come inside.”

  She motioned for me to sit in a small wicker chair and she stood in front of me with her hands out as if she were about to catch a basketball.

  “The fae world is exactly as old as the human plane, and occupies the same space.” As she spoke, a ball of light appeared between her hands. I recognized the continents on it, but they looked twisted and different. “These two realms were the same at creation, but magic has altered our timeline from theirs.”

  “Two different evolutionary paths diverged,” Gelsey continued, “The fae have magic and humans have technology. Since humans that not yet mastered realm-jumping technology like our jumper-magic, the fae are a lot more aware of the humans than they are of us.”

  I nodded as if this was all perfectly normal, but really, I felt a bit queasy inside at hearing my whole world was different that I had thought.

  Gelsey went on for a while, but I got lost in the details of all the fae wars and kings and policies. I hoped I wouldn’t be tested on any of it.

  “The fae can’t lie,” Gelsey said, once again catching my attention, “not just because they don’t want to but because an ancient magic prevents them from doing so.”

  “Whose ancient magic?” I asked.