*
My alarm went off in the morning, waking me from a wonderful dream—a flying dream, my favorite kind. I hated waking from it. They were even more real now that I had wings and knew what they felt like.
After my shower, I dressed in one of my new dresses, happy to find it fit perfectly. I threw my binder in my backpack and hurried down the stairs.
Dad and Mom were both standing in the kitchen, which took me by surprise. “Is everything okay?” I asked. It was rare that Dad was home in the mornings.
“Everything is fine,” Dad reassured me. “I figured I’d go in a little later today because I was there yesterday.”
“Oh, okay.” My shoulders relaxed, even though I wasn’t quite sure I believed him. I poured a bowl of cereal and sat at the table to eat it.
“I’m going to go,” Dad said, kissing Mom and walking over to me. “You look beautiful. Make sure to keep your phone on you at all times in case something happens.” He kissed my forehead and vanished out the door.
Once I shoveled the last spoonful of cereal into my mouth, I looked at my mom where she was still perusing the newspaper at the counter. “You’re gonna be late.”
“I’m going.” She smiled. “You okay? It’s your first day at school since…” Her voice trailed off.
Since I became a faery. I wanted to lie and tried to say I was fine, but the words wouldn’t come out. I really couldn’t lie. Sighing, I finally answered, “I’m a wreck. But I’ll be fine, Mom. I just have to keep telling myself that nobody else can see me like I do.”
Standing up, I put my bowl in the sink and gave her a hug. There was tension in her, taut like a string. I wasn’t sure which one of us was more worried.
“Have a good day.” She squeezed me tighter. “If you’re uncomfortable, call me.”
“I will. Don’t worry.”
She gave me a last searching glance, her fingers resting on my shoulders. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you to school? I have time.”
“No, I want to pretend I’m normal. I always ride with Sierra. It would look odd if I didn’t. And you don’t have time, you’re already running late.” I looked pointedly at the clock.
“If you’re sure…”
“I’ll be fine, Mom. Just get to work.”
She was out the door a minute later. Sierra would be there to pick me up in a few minutes, so I needed to hurry. I washed my bowl and picked up my bag, then looked around the house to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything. I realized I left my phone in my room and ran up the stairs to get it.
Once I was back downstairs, I decided to wait for her on the porch. It was a beautiful day, the sun already high and strong, casting light through the branches of the trees. I locked the door behind me and sat down on the stairs to enjoy the breeze.
Almost immediately, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I got the feeling that someone was watching me—yet again. I stood up and looked around, but still didn’t see anything. When the feeling didn’t go away, I wished Sierra would hurry up, because the sensation was starting to freak me out. I should have just gone with my mother.
Oh, well. I’ll wait inside.
I turned and walked up the stairs, digging into my bag for my keys.
Suddenly, I was grabbed from behind, one strong arm wrapping around my chest and a palm slapping to my mouth. I tried to scream and spin around, but their grip was too strong and my yell was lost. This couldn’t be happening. Where the hell was Azura when I needed her?
“Stop struggling,” a harsh male voice ordered. He struggled to hang on as I bucked against him, but his hand slipped from my mouth.
“Let go of me!” I yelled and slammed my head back at my attacker. It felt as if I hit foam instead of a body. I wished I could see what the attacker looked like.
“Try that again, and I’ll break off your pretty little wings,” a raspy voice threatened. “Move it!”
If he could see my wings, he wasn’t human.
I went dead weight, letting my body droop towards the ground. If I could stall, maybe Sierra would show up in enough time to call the cops. But instead of letting go, my attacker only held tighter and began to drag me towards the woods near my house where another figure was waiting.
The gravel scraped across my legs and lower back, sending pain soaring through my body. I wanted to cry, but I was too scared. I tried to clear my mind and think. My father had spent countless hours teaching me how to escape a stranger abduction. The closer and closer I got to the woods, the harder I struggled, and the more I forgot everything he’d ever taught me.
Finally, he stopped and dropped me to the ground with a jarring thud. I rolled over and leapt to my feet, turning to face my abductors, but there wasn’t anybody there.
“What the—?” What was going on? I spun around a few more times, but couldn’t see anyone. I couldn’t fight something I couldn’t see, so getting the hell out of there sounded like a good plan. I took off in a full out sprint towards my house.
I didn’t get very far before I was grabbed again. I let out a scream before something covered my mouth.
“Shut up!” the voice said again. Someone—or something—had me by my hands and someone else grabbed my feet. For an instant, I was weightless, and then we were moving. They hurried back towards the woods. For the first time in my life, I wished we lived on a busy street or had closer neighbors.
As soon as we crossed into the woods, it was like everything changed. The trees were greener than I ever thought possible and they towered over us, much taller than they’d ever seemed from my bedroom window. The forest was lush and thriving, filled with bird song and the chirp of insects. It would have been beautiful if I hadn’t been scared for my life.
I was tossed on the ground again and two people materialized in front of me. No—not people—faeries. Their hair and eyes were dark, and their wings were thinner and pointier than mine. They were closely similar in looks, and they had a dark aura around them, unlike Azura with her aura of light.
Dark faeries. My breath hitched. How could they have found me so quickly? I’d only been a faery for a day and half.
“This is an Aurorian faery?” one of them snarled.
“Pathetic,” the other agreed.
“Let’s get her back to the palace.”
They stepped towards me, and I let out a scream. I scooted backwards as I yelled, “Don’t touch me!”
“Feisty,” the shorter faery with beady eyes said.
“Pretty, too,” the other one commented with an evil grin.
“I’m not sure who you are or who you think I am, but I am not going anywhere with you.” My voice shook. I realized how ridiculous I sounded since they were clearly in control.
“I think you misunderstood.” The first man cackled. “You don’t have a choice.”
They leaned over me, grabbed my arms, and lifted me up as if I weighed nothing. They carried me deeper into the woods.
As scared as I was, I couldn’t help but be struck by the beauty of the forest. It was amazing how different things looked with my faery sight.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked through gritted teeth, my body bouncing between them.
“To your owner, where you rightfully belong.” The taller faery sneered at me.
“That’s absurd! I don’t belong to anyone!” I thrashed again, causing them to pause and readjust my weight. When we were moving again, I said, “My father is going to kill you. I hope you know that.”
Apparently, they thought that was hilarious. Their laughter echoed through the woods.
The reality of the situation crashed down on me. I had been kidnapped and was on my way to an evil faery. I might never see my family and friends again. Tears spilled down my face. “Please,” I begged. “Just let me go.”
“No. We’re under strict orders to bring you in. If we don’t, we’re as good as dead.” I don’t know which man answered me; I was getting dizzy from being bounced around.
> “They’ll never know. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”
“They already know and are expecting our arrival. It’s not much further. Just do as you’re told, and it won’t be too bad.”
“Put her down!” Azura’s voice echoed through the forest.
My heart stuttered in my chest. Could she really save me?
The faeries stopped cold, and I struggled to turn my head and see my faery mother.
“Move out of the way,” the shorter one ordered.
Azura laughed. “Not a chance.”
A strong wind kicked up around us. Leaves were blown around, tangling into my hair as it flew around my head. I could hear the creak and groan of the trees bowing to Azura’s power.
“Air manipulator—really?” Both men laughed. “Go ahead. Cause a storm. You’ll only hurt the girl.” They pushed me forward towards the mini twister, and I wondered if it had enough power to suck me in and kill me.
“Please help me!” I begged.
Azura narrowed her eyes and the twister grew larger. One of my captors sighed and held out his hand, allowing a surge of some sort to emerge from it and strike Azura. Her twister died out, debris sinking to the ground.
“Did you really think Varwik wouldn’t see you coming? He didn’t send someone with boring abilities. You’ll have to whisk us away in your twister to stop us, and that means she goes too.”
“They’re right. My gift could only hurt you,” my faery mother said through clenched teeth. “I’m going to go for help. I will do everything I can to make sure you are returned safely. I love you, my daughter.”
Then my only hope of escaping vanished.