Noodles was scratching at the door when Cory turned away from the mirror. After slipping on her robe, she opened the door and let him scamper out. She could hear her uncle talking in the kitchen.
“I tell you, there have been others. Cory isn’t the first one to be treated this way by a guild.”
“I’ve already started an inquiry. I don’t think anyone on the council knew about this,” said a voice.
Cory followed Noodles into the kitchen and found her grandfather seated at the table while her uncle poured him a cup of herb tea. They both looked up when Cory entered the room.
“How are you feeling this morning, my dear?” asked her grandfather.
“If you mean physically, I’ve never felt better,” Cory said, taking a seat at the table. “Is this how humans usually feel?”
Her grandfather smiled and shook his head. “Not at all. But then, you aren’t human.”
“But I’m not a fairy either, am I?” said Cory. “Not if they took away my abilities. You seem awfully cheerful about this. Am I missing something?”
Her grandfather took a sip of tea, then set his cup down. “It’s time that I explain what I think has happened. I am a demigod, as was your father. You would have been as well, but your father married a full fairy woman. I tried to stop their marriage, but they refused to listen to me. Fairies are magical beings. Demigods are beings with powers. When the two have children, the fairy magic obscures the demigod powers.”
“Does that mean that fairies are more powerful than demigods?” asked Cory.
“Not at all. Think of it this way—if you have a beautiful gem and it gets covered with paint, what do you see?”
“The shape of the gem with the color of the paint?”
“Exactly!” said her grandfather. “But if you remove the paint, you see the gem. That Tooth Fairy Guild woman removed the paint, something I didn’t know was possible. And now, I’m hoping that what is left behind is what you always were underneath—a demigod. It’s possible you have the talent to be the next Cupid. From what you’ve told me, you already lean in that direction. Let’s try a little experiment. Close your eyes and think about one of your friends. Now ask yourself—who is that person’s soul mate?”
Cory closed her eyes, thought about Marjorie, and said to herself, Her soul mate is … A clear image of Jack Nimble’s face popped into her head. Cory gasped and her eyes flew open. “I thought about my friend Marjorie. I’ve been trying to match her up, but I didn’t have her meet Jack Nimble until yesterday. That’s who I see her with when I think about her.”
“Wonderful!” said her grandfather. “And who do you see when you think of your uncle?”
“Say now!” said Micah. “That isn’t necessary. I’m fine the way I am and don’t need any love match, thank you very much!”
Cory laughed even as she closed her eyes. She didn’t think she would see anyone for her uncle, and was surprised when the image of a fairy woman with curly pink hair took shape. “I see someone, but she isn’t anyone I know,” Cory said, looking from her grandfather to her uncle.
Her uncle looked intrigued when he said, “Really?”
“That happens quite often,” said her grandfather. “Now that you know what she looks like, your abilities should help you find her.”
“What does being one’s soul mate mean?” asked Cory.
“It means that your friend Marjorie is meant to be with Jack and will not be completely happy with anyone else.”
Cory clapped her hands in delight. “Uncle Micah! You have a soul mate!”
“Well!” he said, and sank onto his mushroom stool as if his legs could no longer support him.
“Does this mean that I’m the next Cupid?” Cory asked her grandfather.
“It might!” he said with a smile.
“Can I fly like you? Will I get wings that are like yours?”
“Let’s see,” he replied. “Think ‘wings!’ and see what happens.”
Cory was nervous. The last few times she had tried to get small so she could fly had been failures. After that she hadn’t thought she’d have another chance, but if this worked and she really could get wings again …
Wings! Cory thought, and held her breath. Nothing happened. She turned to her grandfather, her eyes clouded with disappointment.
“You have to believe it’s going to happen,” said her grandfather. “Try again and know that you can do it. Even a little doubt can be enough to prevent it. Picture what your wings will look like. They’ll be feathered and larger than a fairy’s. More streamlined, too.”
Cory nodded and took a deep breath. “I can do this,” she told herself. She imagined her wings. Feathered. White like her grandfather’s. Reaching from behind her head to her calves. Sturdy enough to support her weight and carry her for hours. She felt a tingling between her shoulder blades and took it as an encouraging sign. Suddenly it was easier to believe in her wings. “I have wings,” she told herself. “I have wings,” she repeated over and over, and then, between one moment and the next, she did.
“They’re beautiful!” she whispered, turning her head to look over her shoulder. Unlike her grandfather’s white wings, her feathers were the color of fresh cream with a pale rainbow of colors shimmering over them when she turned them a certain way. She could move them just as she had her fairy wings, but she could already tell that they were stronger.
“Wow!” her uncle said. “Very nice!”
“Is there anything else I should know?” Cory asked her grandfather.
He laughed and shook his head. “I think that’s enough for today. Why don’t you get used to what you can do now? Come see me when you have questions or just need to talk.”
The old man stood and gave Cory a kiss on her cheek. Then he was gone in a pale blue haze that left the odor of eucalyptus leaves behind. “I’m going outside to test my wings,” Cory told her uncle.
“I think you should eat something first,” he said, and got up to fill her plate with scrambled eggs with cheese and fried potatoes with herbs.
“I’m not very hungry,” Cory told him, then surprised herself by eating it all.
Her uncle volunteered to take Noodles out while Cory got dressed. She’d never had wings when she was big before, so she found them a bit awkward at first. When she walked through the main room, her wings nearly knocked the nest off the mantel, upsetting the finch and her babies. Her wings got in the way when she tried to go into her bedroom, getting jammed in the doorway so that she was stuck until she closed them. Changing her clothes proved to be even harder. Somehow, the power that created them let the wings go through the clothes she was wearing without damaging them. Unfortunately, they also kept her from taking them off. After struggling to remove her robe, she finally thought to make her wings disappear. No wings, she thought, and they were gone.
Cory dressed quickly, and was soon out the front door. She was so used to her wings by then that all she had to do was think wings! and they were back. Flying wasn’t much different from when she was a fairy, except she was bigger and people could actually see her from the ground. Having people notice her was novel at first, but she soon grew tired of the staring and pointing, so she rose into the air so she was less obvious. She found that she could actually go higher than she’d been able to with fairy wings, and that she could soar, something the delicate butterfly-like wings had never allowed. The clouds looked enticing when she drew close enough, but when she flew into one, it was cold and wet and not nearly as much fun as she’d thought it would be. It was too much like flying through a very thick fog, one where you couldn’t see where you were going. Although there wasn’t anything to trip over, there were birds and larger creatures like the occasional griffin or dragon that she was sure she’d run into if she wasn’t careful.
Cory was shivering when she decided to leave the cloud, but by then she was disoriented and not sure which way to turn; the cloud seemed to go on forever in every direction. It occurred to her that the only way out
of it was to head down, a direction that she could actually find. All she had to do was tuck her wings to her sides and let herself start to fall. When she came out of the cloud, she saw that she wasn’t far from Marjorie’s house, so she flew down to pay her a visit, landing in her friend’s yard. Cory could tell by the angle of the sun that it was late afternoon. She’d been having so much fun that she hadn’t noticed how much time was passing.
Cory looked around the yard before she landed, but didn’t see anyone. From the delicious smells coming from the house, she knew that her friend was already cooking dinner. She didn’t like visiting at mealtimes unless she’d been invited, and thought about leaving, but she was already there and the news she had to share was too exciting to keep. When she started to the door, her wings snagged on the rose-covered arbor in front of the house. Impatient, Cory thought, No wings, and the weight on her back disappeared. After knocking on the door, she ran her fingers through her windblown hair while she waited.
Marjorie looked surprised when she opened the door.
“I’m sorry I didn’t send a message first, but I was out this way and thought I’d stop by,” said Cory. “A lot has happened and there’s so much I want to tell you.”
“I wanted to talk to you, too,” said Marjorie. “Jack Nimble and I went on our date yesterday. At first I thought we were really hitting it off. He took me on a picnic in his hot-air balloon to see the dragon-hatching grounds by Shell Lake. We had a wonderful time, but on the way back he started talking about his mother and I knew what was wrong with him—he’s a mama’s boy!”
“It’s not like he lives with her or anything,” said Cory.
“No, but he visits her all the time.”
“Not according to her.”
Marjorie looked puzzled. “You’ve met his mother?”
“Before I met him,” said Cory. “She’s actually very nice.”
“That’s what people said about my mother and we never got along,” Marjorie replied.
Cory laughed. “I know what that’s like! But you have to give him another chance! I know he’s the one for you. He’s your soul mate—the one you’re meant to be with for the rest of your life.”
“Why are you suddenly so sure?” Marjorie said, sounding skeptical.
“Because I saw you together. That’s what I had to tell you. I met my grandfather and you’ll never guess who he is.”
“I don’t know. Santa Claus?”
“No, of course not! Although Santa is a very nice man, we’re not at all related. My grandfather is Cupid!”
“Your grandfather is a pudgy little baby?”
“That’s who I thought Cupid was, too! But he’s actually a very distinguished gentleman. I may be the next one! Cupid, I mean. After the TFG kidnapped me and stripped away my fairy abilities, I learned all sorts of things about myself.”
“The TFG did what? When did this happen? Did you report it to the Fey Law Enforcement Agency? You really should you know.”
“My grandfather is on the council’s supervisory board. He’s already started an investigation. Anyway, what I was trying to tell you was my visions work now. You’re supposed to be with Jack Nimble.”
“Cory, I believe you think that’s true, but he had his chance and he isn’t the one for me. Listen, I don’t know about this whole Cupid thing, but if the TFG really did take away your fairy abilities, they probably left you a little, well, messed up. I’m sure it’s just a temporary thing and you’ll feel better after you’ve had some rest.”
“That isn’t it at all!” said Cory. “My visions are real now! They are so clear and I saw you with Jack.”
“That’s nice, but it isn’t going to happen. Listen, I’m about to eat dinner. Would you like to join me?”
Cory shook her head. She finally really knew what she was doing, and Marjorie didn’t want to believe her! Frustrated and annoyed that her friend had brushed her off like that, Cory made her excuses and left. If a good friend like Marjorie didn’t believe her, the other people she’d been trying to find matches for probably wouldn’t either. She’d been so excited when she arrived, only to feel disappointed and discouraged now.
Cory went to bed early that night. Her dreams were filled with matches for the people she knew, but when she tried to tell them what she’d seen, not one person believed her.
Chapter 22
Early the next morning, Cory sent a message to Olot, asking if they could rehearse in a new location. She told him why it was necessary, and was sure he’d understand. When she left the house, he hadn’t replied yet, but she couldn’t imagine that he wouldn’t agree.
Dew was still glistening on the grass when she reached her grandfather’s house. She left footprints behind when she landed on the lawn and started toward the front door. After shaking her wings to realign her feathers, she closed them and wished them away before stepping onto the porch. The bell jingled on the other side of the wall loud enough for Cory to hear. Although Orville was wearing a sour look when he opened the door a crack, the moment he saw her standing there, he grinned and opened it all the way.
“Welcome!” he said. “We were wondering when you’d come back. We heard the good news. Congratulations! I must say, we’re all very excited. A new Cupid! Imagine that! I’ll show you to your grandfather, then get you a bite to eat. He’ll be so happy to see you!”
The putti who had barely talked to her during her earlier visit couldn’t seem to contain his excitement now. He chattered the entire way to the terrace where her grandfather was seated, then toddled off to get the food.
“I wondered when you’d come see me again,” Lionel said, echoing the putti. “How are you doing?”
Cory kissed him on the cheek and took the seat across from him. “The flying is wonderful and my visions are crystal clear, yet when I tried to tell a friend of mine what I’d seen she didn’t believe me. I want to help people, but how can I help them if they don’t believe what I tell them?”
“They usually don’t,” her grandfather replied. “A cupid has to be extra convincing to get the idea across.”
“Here we are!” Orville sang out as he swung the door open. A procession of putti poured through the door, carrying trays of pastries, steaming dishes of eggs and fish, four different kinds of bread, bowls of fruit cut up and whole, jugs of fruit juice, milk and tea, and another table to put it all on. After they had arranged everything to their satisfaction, the putti gathered around Cory and Lionel, smiling as if they couldn’t stop.
“Everyone wanted to see you to say how happy we are that you’ve inherited your grandfather’s gifts,” said Orville.
“You’re going to make a wonderful Cupid,” Margory blurted, blushing when Cory turned her way.
A putti wearing an apron said, “Just let us know what you need and we’ll be ready to do it!”
“Thank you very much!” Cory said, glancing from one to the next. “You’re all very kind.”
“Ask her,” a putti said, poking the one standing beside him.
“No, you ask her!” the other said, poking him back.
“What is it?” Cory asked.
“They were just wondering if they could see your wings,” said Orville.
“Of course you can,” Cory said. She pushed her chair back and stepped to the edge of the patio. Although she felt self-conscious for a moment, she saw the expectant faces and didn’t hesitate. Wings! she thought, and they appeared, the colors shimmering across the creamy feathers as she twitched her shoulder blades.
“Ooh!” the putti all cried, their eyes enormous.
Lionel waited until they’d had a good long look before clearing his throat and saying, “I believe that’s enough for now. You’ll be seeing my granddaughter and her wings quite often, I’m sure, so please get on with whatever you were doing.” When they didn’t move, he added, “Her breakfast is getting cold.”
“Sorry!” a few putti said, bobbing their heads and backing away. Others continued to stare at her wings in awe a
nd didn’t move until their friends pushed and tugged them toward the door.
When the last dawdling putti had peeked at Cory once more and shut the door behind him, Lionel smiled and said, “You can’t really blame them. They’ve been so afraid that after I’m gone there wouldn’t be a Cupid and no work for them to do. After spending their entire lives in my employ, they can’t imagine doing anything else.”
“Are you offering me the job?”
“Do you want to be the next Cupid?” he asked, watching her face.
“I don’t know if I can. I mean, I know I have some of the abilities now, but what if I can’t do it all?”
Her grandfather shook his head. “If you have the wings and the visions, you’re more than halfway there. The rest will come with time and it will all seem very natural. I was two years older than you are now when I started seeing people’s matches in my mind. My father had told me what to expect, but it still came as a surprise.”
“What would happen if I didn’t accept?”
“Then the world would have to get along without a Cupid. Fewer people would find their soul mates. There would be less love in the world. You can see some of it already. I told you that I’m semiretired. I cut back on my hours because my health demanded it, but I wanted to do more. I’ve noticed that since I cut back, more couples have gotten divorced, and more people are unhappy in their marriages. I’m not saying you have to be Cupid, but the world would be a better place if you accept the position. You said that you wanted to help others. What better way to help than to bring together soul mates who might not ever meet without your intervention?”