One Black Rose

  Chapter Thirteen

  I couldn't sleep, not after everything Holt had told me. I needed someone to share it all with, but how could I tell Carley?

  "Hey, by the way, those two families with really hot sons just happen to be Fairies? No big deal!" I realized I could never say that to her.

  In the early hours of the morning I decided I should talk to Susan. She'd been so sweet to me, and since she was a Fairy too she might be able to answer questions I wanted the answers to, but didn't want to ask Holt. Bottom line: I was really confused and needed someone to talk to.

  While it was still half dark outside, I threw off the covers and showered. Once I was dressed in shorts and a blue t-shirt I headed downstairs to eat breakfast and watch TV. Not for the first time did I miss my mom's cooking; she always made a hot breakfast when I wanted it. I was capable of cracking an egg and putting it in a frying pan, but that didn't mean I should do it, because when I did, it tasted awful. Feeling more miserable than ever, I started to channel flip.

  I had decided who I needed to talk to, but I waited to text her until I was pretty sure I wouldn't wake her up.

  As soon as I thought it was late enough, I texted Susan and asked if we could hang out. She texted me back instantly to say that it was a great idea. She suggested a picnic lunch and said she'd bring everything we needed; she just wanted to know if I preferred American or cheddar cheese.

  After I texted her back that I preferred cheddar, I sat back and relaxed. Somehow she must have known that I wanted to be alone with her, not around a bunch of people. I couldn't very well ask her about Fairy magic in the middle of a crowded restaurant.

  The minutes dragged by until I was supposed to meet her. I knew it would help if I didn't stare at the clock every two seconds, but I couldn't help it.

  Finally it was time to leave. I grabbed up my tote and headed out the door. We had agreed to meet at the beginning of the same road where Nick had spent the night, and it took me no time at all to get there in the mood I was in. Susan was actually waiting for me there.

  "Hi," she said brightly. As usual, she gave me a big hug. She was wearing pastel colors today: pink shorts and a yellow top with tiny blue flowers along the sleeves, plus oversized sunglasses. It was a look I definitely couldn't have pulled off.

  "How are you doing?" she asked me seriously, looking into my eyes.

  I squinted in the sun. "I'm fine," I lied.

  "Uh huh, and I was born with black hair," she said with amusement.

  I laughed. "It's just a lot to take in." She'd brought a picnic basket, and I grabbed the handle and picked it up while she carried a blanket.

  "So, Holt told you that he told me?" I asked timidly. I wondered how Holt had described my reaction. I'd been in shock, so I could barely even remember what we'd said. I just remembered the gist, the main point: two Fairy princes were fighting over me.

  "You must be overwhelmed," said Susan sympathetically, putting an arm around my shoulders for comfort.

  "I guess a lot of people would think it's a good kind of problem to have," I joked.

  Susan laughed long and hard. Her laugh was always lovely, like a jingle of bells.

  "I don't know about that," she said with amusement. "Actually, it's very odd that it even happened at all. It's not supposed to."

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  "Well," said Susan carefully, "normally two princes are not born at the same time. For a long time people just thought that the Winter Queen, Samuel's mother, couldn't have children, then she had Samuel, but she was much older than Mrs. Roth was when she had Holt. I looked it up in our histories. Nothing like this has ever come close to happening before."

  "But why me?" I almost wailed. It was the same question I'd asked Holt the day before, and above all I wanted an explanati