"What a total jerk," squealed Julie, as I told her about my evening. We sat together on the old leather couch in the coffee shop.
"It's not his fault, though," I replied, defending Jack. "I just sat there like an idiot! I can't believe what an utter mess I am."
"Hey! You are not an idiot. If he can't be patient enough to get to know you then screw him! You don't need a guy like that," she claimed.
"Oh yeah, then what kind of guy do I need, Jules? I’ve never had a serious boyfriend and I’m almost nineteen years old!" I crossed my arms and slumped down into the couch. "I should get a cat," I added under my breath. Did a tiny sprite count as a cat? I laughed to myself as I thought about my secret little roommate. She was probably in my room watching TV and eating all my cookies.
"Well, how about someone like Will?" she suggested as she glanced over at him and smiled. He looked confused but smiled back at her.
"Yeah, right Jules. First of all, he's more like a brother to me. And second, he's absolutely crazy about you!" I told her. She just looked at me in surprise.
"Really, do you think so?" she asked as color ran to her cheeks. "I kind of have a thing for him too."
"Then why did you suggest that I go for him?" I asked her, totally confused.
"Oh, I never meant to actually go for Will, I said someone like Will,” she replied with a laugh. “Will is an amazing guy, and you deserve someone just as great.”
"No one is as lucky as I am to have a friend like you, Jules." She always made me feel better, no matter the situation.
"Only one other person," she replied. "Me."
Just then Will came over with two pieces of pie for us.
"What’s with the pie?" I asked. "We didn't order any."
He shrugged. "I see girls talking, looking like they’re having a moment; I figure it's time for pie or cake of some sort." And he laid them down on the table in front of us. We just looked at him in awe.
"Oh. I have sisters," he said quickly as if that would explain it. We all laughed and hung out until the shop was ready to close. We helped Will clean up and when everyone was gone he locked up.
"See you guys at school tomorrow!" he called as he shut the door behind him. We both gave him a wave and headed upstairs.
I was still wired from the earlier events with Jack. I couldn't stop thinking about him. Obviously, he liked me. Maybe. And I knew that I liked him. But why couldn’t we get along? I just wished he was somewhat easier to talk to. It felt like I was constantly defending myself or like he was secretly making fun of me. I laid in bed for hours thinking about it, staring blankly at my ceiling.
Lattie was gone for the night, out doing fairy things I supposed. She sometimes did that, even though I warned her not too, but I always found her nestled up in my hair on the pillow next to me in the morning. I tried hard to fall asleep but just couldn't.
Just then, Lattie flew in through my window with no warning. It didn't startle me the way it used to. She’d clearly had a good time because she was dancing and twirling around on my bed, singing something I couldn't understand.
"Hey! What were you up to tonight?" I asked, excited for any distraction from my thoughts.
"I attended a wonderful party, in the park across the way," she replied. The tiny sprite was now sitting on my knee with her long and dainty blue legs swinging back and forth.
"What kind of party?" I asked. This perked my interest. I’d always wondered what she did outside my room.
"The fey truly love to celebrate," she started. "Tonight was because there had been seven days of sun in a row. So, the summer fey felt like dancing, seeing as it may be the last warm spell before autumn." She flew over to my dresser where she kept her stash of cookies and started nibbling on one, leaving crumbs everywhere.
“You said it was in the park? Won’t people see them?” I asked.
“Yes, I suppose people of the Iron World could if they had an open mind and knowledge of what was there. But people from your world don’t care for fairy tales anymore, they tend to only believe what they can see. It makes it quite easy for us to hide,” Lattie explained. “Of course, there are always magic wards in place to protect both fey and humans. Any fey could potentially be dangerous if they wanted to be, and I would imagine that humans would stick us in Petri dishes, as you have mentioned before. I’m not quite sure what that means, but it sounds unpleasant.”
"Can I come sometime?" I asked, hopeful.
"Sure! I'm attending another tomorrow night; it would be fun to have you there! But you have to abide by some rules in order for it to be safe for you," Lattie warned.
"Like, what kind of rules?" I asked. It seemed a little ridiculous to have rules at a party.
"Well, the fey are a fickle people Avery, you can never really be sure of what one will do. You must stay where I can see you at all times. Most likely, no one there would hurt you but the pixies can be a pain sometimes, much like children, and watch out for the trolls," she explained.
"Trolls? What would they do to me?" I asked, startled.
"Oh, nothing, they are just very dimwitted and don't always look where they sit." She looked personally offended by this. Poor Lattie, she was so tiny. I don’t think I had much to worry about in regards to the trolls, but I nodded in agreement anyway.
"And whatever you do, do not ever eat the food or drink the wine. It won’t kill you, but I’ve seen terrible things happen. I once saw the flesh melt from a man’s body because he licked an apple. Another time, I watched a small girl drink the wine of the High Seelie Court. She spilled it down her arm and, in the end, chewed through her own skin to get every last drop,” Lattie stopped then as she realized, from the horrified look on my face, that these were things I did not want to hear. “But it can affect every human differently I suppose, I’ve heard of stories where nothing happened at all, that the Iron World people ate, drank and were merry, they appeared to enjoy it almost too much,” she added to maybe help ease my mind.
I swallowed hard. “Okay, note to self—eat before I leave the apartment. Are there any other rules I should know about?”
“Well, you may want to stay clear of the kelpie.”
"What's a kelpie?" I asked. It sounded cute.
"A kelpie is a fairy that is half horse and half sea creature. It lures people into the water with its song and once you are there it drowns you and sucks the marrow from your bones," Lattie described. "The gathering is in the park near the lake, this is where the kelpie lives. Sometimes, if you are lucky, the creature will be willing to trade its victim for an item of interest like a shiny object or a joke."
I shivered as I thought about how not cute a kelpie sounded after all. How could Lattie come from a place like that? The fairy tales that I was familiar with mentioned nothing about marrow sucking sea horse things or apples that could melt your skin off.
"Hey, you do not have to go if you are scared," Lattie comforted me. She flew over to my face and laid a tiny little hand on my cheek. "The fey are like anything else in this world, for everything horrible there is something wonderful to balance it. Avery, there are creatures far worse than the ones I’ve mentioned, but there are also ones so lovely and marvelous that they have had stories written of them by humans, comparing them to deities and angels. As long as you stay with me, you will be fine. You will have a splendid night of dancing and singing."
"Okay,” I said through a yawn. “I’m in.” I finally felt tired enough to sleep. I pulled the duvet up around my chin and Lattie snuggled up on the pillow next to me. I was sound asleep in minutes.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
PARTY HARD