Carla and Leslie laughed; Aislinn shook her head.
“Sheila said that when she was in Father E.’s office, she saw the new student who’s coming this week, some orphan,” Carla said as they stood at the crosswalk. “Said he’s definitely a hi-cal dessert.”
“Orphan? She really said orphan?” Leslie rolled her eyes.
Glad the conversation had drifted away from her, Aislinn only half listened, more concerned with her faery stalker than new students. The faery stayed precisely even with them as they walked. From the way the faeries that passed treated Deadgirl, she was special. None of them approached her. Some bowed their heads as she passed. She, however, didn’t acknowledge any of them.
At the corner of Edgehill and Vine, where they usually split ways, Carla asked again, “You sure? You could bring him.”
“What?” Aislinn shook her head. “No. Seth’s helping me study, umm, for government. I’ll call you later.” The light changed, and she started across the street, calling back, “Have fun.”
Deadgirl didn’t follow.
Maybe she went away.
“Hey, Ash?” Leslie called, once they were far enough apart that she had to yell, far enough that everyone would hear. “You do know there’s no test in there this month.”
Rianne shook her finger. “Naughty, naughty.”
The people walking by didn’t pay any attention, but Aislinn’s face still burned. “Whatever.”
Aislinn cut across the park toward the library, thinking about Seth, about Deadgirl following her. She wasn’t paying much attention to her surroundings until someone—a human someone—grabbed her arm and pulled her against his chest, holding her securely immobile.
“Well, if it isn’t a nice little Catholic girl…Nice skirt.”
He tugged her pleated skirt, and the other two guys with him laughed. “Whatcha doing, baby?”
Aislinn tried to kick him, but her foot made little impact on his leg. “Stop it.”
“Stop it,” his friends mocked. “Oh no, stop it.”
Where is everyone? The park wasn’t usually deserted this early. No people, no faeries, no one at all was in sight.
She opened her mouth to scream, and he clamped his other hand over her jaw, his index finger between her half-open lips.
She bit down. It tasted like old cigarettes.
“Bitch.” But he didn’t remove his hand. He squeezed tighter until the inside of her cheek was pushed so tightly against her teeth that it bled.
The guy to her right laughed. “Guess she likes it a little rough, huh?”
Aislinn felt tears in her eyes. The arm around her was bruisingly tight. The hand over her mouth squeezed again, and she could taste fresh blood in her mouth. She tried to think, to remember what she knew about self-defense.
Use whatever you can. Scream. Go limp. She did, letting her weight droop.
He just shifted his hold.
Then she heard a growl.
Beside her was Deadgirl’s wolf, teeth bared. He looked like a big dog, but Aislinn knew what he was. Plainly visible to everyone and looking deceptively human, Deadgirl stood holding the wolf’s leash, letting him close enough to the three losers that it wouldn’t take much of a lunge to draw blood.
Her voice was frighteningly calm. “Remove your hands.”
The two guys who weren’t holding Aislinn backed away, but the one holding her said, “Not your business, blondie. Keep walking.”
The faery waited for a moment, and then she shrugged and let go of the leash. “So be it. Sasha, arm.”
The wolf—Sasha—ripped a gash in the guy’s wrist.
He shrieked and let go of Aislinn, clasping his bleeding arm. She dropped to the ground.
Without another word they ran, all three of them. The wolf sprinted behind them, nipping at their legs as they went.
Deadgirl crouched down. Her expression was unreadable as she asked, “Are you able to stand?”
“Why did you…” Aislinn flinched away as Deadgirl reached out toward her chin. “Thank you.”
Deadgirl winced at the words.
“I don’t know what happened.” Aislinn stared in the direction they’d run. Huntsdale wasn’t a bad city, maybe a bit rough in the late hours; maybe the lack of jobs and excess of bars made it wise to skip too many shortcuts through dark alleys late at night. Still, any sort of attack in the park…it was beyond odd. She caught the faery’s gaze and whispered, “Why?”
At first Deadgirl didn’t answer, then—avoiding the question—she reached her hand out slowly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”
“Why were…” Aislinn stopped, bit her lip, and stood.
“I’m Donia.”
“Ash.” She offered a shaky smile.
“Come then, Ash.” Donia started toward the library, staying beside her, not touching, but too close for comfort.
Aislinn stopped in front of one of the columns that stood on either side of the door. “Shouldn’t you go find your, umm, dog?”
“No. Sasha will come back.” Donia offered what would be a comforting smile were she a human. Then she motioned toward the door. “Come.”
Aislinn opened the ornate wooden door, starting to calm down. The door to the library, like the columns, was at odds with the nondescript architecture that dominated Huntsdale. It was as if some city father had decided that they needed one beacon of beauty among the otherwise dingy structures.
She felt like laughing, not in amusement, but at the growing sense that the rules she’d lived by were suddenly off. It wasn’t faeries that attacked her, but humans. Rule #1: Don’t ever attract faeries’ attention. She had, though, and if she hadn’t, what would’ve happened outside?
Aislinn’s feet felt heavy; her stomach lurched.
“Do you need to sit?” Donia was gentle, steering Aislinn toward the hallway where the restrooms were. “It’s frightening, what they did.”
“I feel foolish,” Aislinn whispered. “Nothing happened, not really.”
“Sometimes the threat of a thing is awful enough….” Donia shrugged. “Go wash your face. You’ll feel better.”
Alone inside the tiny bathroom, Aislinn washed the blood from her face and felt her side. She’d have a bruise where his fingers had dug into her skin. Her already-dry lip had split. All things considered, it wasn’t bad. It could have been, though.
Aislinn washed her face again and straightened her hair. She tugged off her uniform, balling it up and shoving it into her bag, and slipped into a well-worn pair of jeans and a long tunic-cut blouse she’d found at the thrift store. Then she stepped back into the seemingly empty hallway, letting the bathroom door close softly behind her.
Donia stood, invisible now, talking to one of the bone-girls. Like the rest of the bone-girls, this one was ghastly white and so thin that each of her bones could be seen under her almost-translucent skin. The fact that she was mobile seemed to break some basic law. Surely things that looked so frail should have trouble moving? But the bone-girls glided over the ground without any visible effort. Despite their cadaverous mien, they were eerily beautiful to watch.
It was Donia who was terrible to behold: her white hair whipped around as if a storm surrounded her, and only her. Tiny icicles clattered to the ground beside her. “Find them. Find out why they attacked the girl. If anyone compelled them to do so, I want to know. Aislinn is not to be harmed.”
The bone-girl’s voice was a dry whisper, as if the words had to rush over something rough before they found form. “Should I tell Keenan?”
Donia didn’t answer, but her eyes darkened to the same oil-black sheen they had in Comix.
The bone-girl stepped back, hands held up in supplication. And Donia stepped around the corner, away from the bone-girl, and out of sight.
Momentarily, though, she came back around that same corner—plainly visible to humans now—and smiled at Aislinn. “All better?”
Aislinn’s voice wasn’t much louder than the bone-girl’s had been when she a
nswered, “Sure. I’m fine.”
She wasn’t fine, though; she was confused about so many things. They—Keenan and Donia—had some reason for following her, but she couldn’t ask. Are they just bored, toying with me to pass the time? There were lots of old stories like that, but Donia seemed livid about the guys outside, seemed to believe someone could have sent those guys to hurt her. Why? What’s going on?
“I was just reading while I waited. I wanted to see if you have someone to walk you home before I leave.” Donia tilted her head, smiling. Her whole posture seemed friendly, safe. She walked back toward the rows of tables. “Ash? Are you…well?”
“Yeah.” Aislinn followed Donia around the corner to a table with an open book and a ragged bag.
“Is there someone you can call?”
“Yeah. I’m good.”
Donia nodded. She stuffed her book into her leather bag.
The door opened, and a mother with a couple kids came in.
Behind them was a group of faeries, invisible to the other patrons. All six were beautiful—moving like models, wearing clothes that looked like they’d been tailored for their willowy bodies. If it weren’t for the flowering vines slithering across their skin, they’d look human. The vines, though, were like living tattoos, moving of their own volition, crawling on the girls’ bodies.
One of the girls spun across the floor, in some old-fashioned dance. The others giggled and bowed to one another before following her.
Then the first one saw Donia. She murmured something to the others, and they stopped. Even the undulating vines stilled.
Several moments passed.
Donia didn’t say a word; neither did Aislinn. Since we’re both pretending not to see them, what could we say?
Finally Aislinn said, “If you hadn’t been there…”
“What?” The expression on Donia’s face was pained as she looked away from the faeries.
“Outside. If you hadn’t been there…”
“But I was.” She smiled, but there was a drawn look on her face, making her seem anxious, eager to leave.
“Right. I need to find my…someone.” Aislinn motioned toward the stairs that led to the library basement. “Get something, but I wanted to say thanks for everything.”
Donia shot a brief glare at the faeries, who were giggling again. “Just be sure to keep your someone with you when you leave. Will you do that?”
“Sure.”
“Good. I’ll catch you around sometime. Under better circumstances, I’m sure.” Then Donia smiled. The faery was beautiful—stunning—the way a storm is when you wake up and see lightning streak across the sky.
And probably just as dangerous.
CHAPTER 8
A Cornish woman who chanced to find herself the guardian of an elf-child was given certain water with which to wash its face…and the woman ventured to try it upon herself, and in doing so splashed a little into one eye. This gave her the fairy sight.
—Legends and Romances of Brittany by Lewis Spence (1917)
Aislinn stood motionless, gazing in the direction of the vanishing faery. In that brief moment Donia had been so devastatingly lovely that Aislinn had felt near tears.
Seth came up behind her. She knew it was him before he slipped his arms around her, but she wasn’t sure how she knew. She just did. There were a lot of things like that lately, knowing stuff without any reason why. It was kind of creepy.
He whispered, “Who’s she?”
“What?” It was hard to whisper back to him when he stood behind her; he was almost a foot taller than she was.
“Her. The one you were talking to.” He inclined his head in the direction Donia had gone.
She wasn’t sure how to answer. But when she turned, Seth saw her face, and he no longer seemed to care about his unanswered question.
“What happened?” He stared at her swollen lip, reached out as if he’d touch it.
“Tell you everything at home?” She hugged him. She didn’t want to think about it, not now. She just wanted to leave, go to Seth’s, where she could feel safer.
“Let me grab my notes.” Then he walked away, right past the group of faeries headed toward Aislinn.
One of the faery girls circled behind her. She’s the new one.
A second one stroked a hand over Aislinn’s hair. Pretty thing.
Another shrugged. I suppose.
Aislinn tried to keep her face blank. Focus. She concentrated on the rustling of the leaves against the girls’ clothes, not the strange sugary-sweet scent that seemed to pervade the air around them, not the too-hot brush of their skin as they inspected her with their hands. It wasn’t comfortable—at all—but after the fiasco outside, their touch seemed somehow less awful. The violence of the three guys…She shuddered.
The faeries chattered back and forth, louder now that Donia had left and, presumably, no one in the library could hear them.
The Winter Girl seems to be making progress.
This one’s a no-touch now.
Who cares? I’m not fond of girls. Now her friend…He’s touchable. Tasty.
They giggled.
Maybe she’ll share once she joins us.
If she’s the one, she won’t have a choice, will she? Her friend will be free game.
As Seth walked back toward her, his bag slung over his shoulder, Aislinn held out both hands where he could see them, like she was holding her arms open for another hug.
He gave her a questioning look.
Who says we need to wait? One of the faeries stroked his cheek; another pinched him.
Seth’s eyes widened.
Aislinn’s heart thumped. He felt it. She’d never had to try to speak so the faeries didn’t understand her, not with anyone but Grams, not with anyone who couldn’t see them. Hoping the faeries were as daft as they looked, she slid her arm around his waist and tugged him toward the door, away from lascivious faeries. “Ready to go home?”
“Definitely.” He sped up a little, and draped an arm over her shoulders.
The Summer King might have some competition.
You want to tell him that? “Oh, Keenan, love…her toy is yummy.”
Don’t be mean. The king’s good fun.
They all giggled again.
How much fun will he be with her around? You know how he gets.
I’ll volunteer to distract the mortal, so Keenan can woo her.
Mmm, me too. Look at all those rings on his face. Wonder if he has a tongue ring?
Once they were safely within the metal framework of Seth’s train, Aislinn let out a breath. The walk over had been like some medieval gauntlet with faeries watching and easing closer to them. They hadn’t touched her, not once, but Seth would have more than a few unexplained bruises the next morning. She was glad he couldn’t see them.
She hugged him, just a quick embrace before stepping away. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” He uncoiled Boomer from the teakettle and lowered him into the terrarium.
“For them.” She hopped up on a counter.
Seth flicked on the switch for the power strip, turning on the warming rock and heat lamps for Boomer. “Tea?”
“Sure…Did you feel them?”
“Maybe.” He paused, swished water around in the teakettle. “At the library there was something…. Tell me about before, first—about that.” He gestured toward her bruised face.
So she told him. She told him about the guys outside the library, about Donia’s rescue and fury afterward when she talked to the bone-girl. She let her words tumble out, not holding back anything.
For several tense moments he stood there. His voice was strained when he asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah. Nothing happened, not really. Just scared me. I’m good.” And she was.
Seth, however, looked like he was struggling to stay calm. His jaw was clamped tightly shut; his features were tense. He’d turned away from her while he tried to relax, but she knew him too well for it to work.
/> “Seriously, I’m fine,” she assured him. “My face hurts where he grabbed me, but it wasn’t a big deal.”
Once when she was younger she’d seen a group of faeries drag a delicate-looking faery into a copse of trees in the park. The faery had screamed, awful shrieking sounds that echoed in Aislinn’s nightmares for months. Being grabbed and held against her will for a few short minutes wasn’t anywhere near what could happen.
“Donia saved me before it could turn into something bad,” she told him again.
“I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you….” He broke off, an unfamiliar panic in his eyes.
“It didn’t, though.” She wished she could erase his worry, so she changed the subject, “Now, about your faery encounters…”
He nodded, accepting her implicit need to change the topic. “How about we both write down what happened?”
“Why?”
“So I know it’s not my imagination or your suggestions.” He seemed unsure, and she couldn’t blame him. She couldn’t avoid the fey; he could. He had a choice, something she’d never had with them.
She took the pen and pad he offered and wrote: Pinched ass, library. Patted cheek, library. Licked neck, corner of Willow Ave. Poked, prodded, and tripped, Sixth Street, Joe’s Deli, crosswalk by Keelie’s house, under bridge. She looked up. Seth was staring at her growing list.
He flipped his paper over so she could see it: Pinched at the library. Shoved (?) outside the deli. Stumbled under bridge?
She let him take her—still unfinished—list.
“So faeries, huh?” He smiled, but not like he was happy. “How come I felt it?”
“Maybe because you’re aware of the possibility now? I don’t know.” She took a deep breath. Knowing she should tell him to get away before they focused on him too much was one thing; going back to being alone in this was something totally different. He deserved it, though, the chance to get away from the awfulness of the faeries while he could. “You know you can still tell me to go away, pretend none of this happened. I’d understand.”
He poked his tongue at the silver ring in his bottom lip. “Why would I do that?”