Autumn (14 page)

“Carley called me,” he said as we got into his car. It wasn’t going to be long now until she visited. I could tell from her emails and texts that she missed us. Instead of forgetting about Nick she seemed more attached than ever.

“Oh?” I asked. Tonight I had gone for comfort, so I wore jeans, a hoodie, and my brown hair tied back in a ponytail. I didn’t care that it was Saturday night, date night, and my boyfriend was sitting underground at the Cheshires’.

“Yeah,” he said, “she sounded weird, but we talked for a long time.”

I raised my eyebrows. Carley never called me. She preferred her emails and her texts way more, but I could tell that she was becoming more and more worried about Nick. Even if she never said directly how much they talked, I got the idea that it was a lot.

“So, are you excited for her to visit?”

Nick grinned. “Of course. It will be awesome to have her here in the fall. I mean, I know she has her own family and school and stuff, but the three of us together all summer was great.”

The bowling alley was packed. We had to park in the very back of the parking lot, far away from the nearest street lamp.

“This is going to be great,” said Nick, getting out of the car, “and next weekend we can go to the fair.”

“What fair?” I asked.

“What fair?” he said, with pretend shock. “There’s a massive fair next weekend. All kinds of sweet stuff. Sometimes I volunteer there, but whenever I have a free afternoon you have to come. It will be awesome.”

Always up to be distracted, I agreed.

“How good of a bowler are you?” I asked as we walked inside. There were other people heading in as well, a lot of kids we both went to school with but didn’t really know.

“I’m awesome,” he said, grinning. “Naw, not really, but I was in a league in middle school.”

“Ah, um,” I started to laugh.

“Go ahead,” said Nick stoutly, “make fun. I was in the chess club too.”

I grinned.

“Samuel’s meeting us,” said Nick. “Hopefully he got here first and got us a lane.”

“Is he really?” I asked. Somehow I had expected that. Even though Samuel had been semi-avoiding me all fall, we actually ended up spending a lot of time together. But this would be the first time the three of us had been together and alone since summer.

Samuel had, in fact, gotten there first and gotten us a table. After Nick and I got our bowling shoes, we joined him.

I watched in fascination as Samuel bowled a perfect score every time.

“You’re good at bowling, too?” Nick asked. “Inviting you might have been a mistake.”

Samuel, dressed casually in jeans and a black t-shirt, just grinned. “I’m not that good,” he said. “I’ve only done it a couple of times.”

“Yeah, right,” said Nick. He turned to me and said, “If you’re good too you can find another way home.”

I laughed. “I’m the worst bowler ever,” I said, grinning. Just before Samuel turned around to sit down I saw his eyebrows rise.

At that moment, a little too late, I realized that I might actually be better at bowling because I was a Fairy. It was something I had noticed with both the Holts and the Roths; they were more capable, stronger, and more graceful than most other people. I especially had a lot of proof of that in relation to Samuel.

Since I didn’t do much in the way of physical activity or athletics I hadn’t really noticed a change in my body, except that I felt more limber, but who cared? I wasn’t the yogi type.

Once he sat down Samuel was facing me. And grinning. When he caught my eye I said, “What?” I was suddenly self-conscious.

He just kept grinning. “Go on, give it a try.” He pointed to the row of bowling balls.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I’m just looking forward to this.”

I found myself smiling back.

We spent most of the evening bowling. I actually wasn’t that bad, much to Nick’s frustration. He had no idea that he was bowling with two supernatural beings and just didn’t stand a chance.

In the end, both Samuel and I started to try and bowl badly, just so Nick wasn’t so miserable. In the end, the two of us made it into a game.

At one point I saw Samuel cock his head as if he had heard something surprising, but when he caught me looking he instantly pretended it was nothing. I soon forgot about his worries.

After we had finished a few games, Samuel disappeared and returned with a tray filled with snacks. I am a particular fan of stuffed pretzels and he had gotten me two. On top of that, there was old school root beer, cola, and water.

“What time is it?” Nick asked. Samuel checked his watch. “Almost ten.”

“Oh, I should text my mom,” I said. I hadn’t told her when I’d be home, and since it was a Saturday night and she loved Nick she wasn’t really worried. But she’d be happier if I let her know where we were.

I hadn’t looked at my phone all night, and after rummaging through my bag I realized I didn’t have it.

“Maybe you left it in the car,” said Nick.

“Yeah,” I said. “I should probably go check.”

“Want me to go with you?” Samuel asked. He was looking at me in a way that made something squeeze inside my chest.

“No thanks,” I said. “I’ll only be a minute.”

Grabbing my coat, I dashed for the door before I could change my mind.

The parking lot was still full, but there was no one else outside. Right next to the bowling ally was a restaurant, and I could see people standing outside smoking and chatting, but they were too far away for me to make out their faces.

Nick’s car was never locked. He liked to say that it had so many holes in it there was no point to locking it anyway, but now I was a little worried about my phone.

I walked faster.

Which meant that I didn’t see the dark shapes appear from between the vehicles and slowly surround me.

I got to Nick’s car, and as luck would have it my phone was on the floor where my feet would have been. I swiftly grabbed it up and spun around.

“Ah,” I cried, as my nose collided with a shiny button attached to a shoulder.

A guy was standing in front of me, his very pale eyes gleaming out of the shadows. They were colorful and bright, but I couldn’t see any of his other features. The street lamps cast an enticing glow, but the light was too far away to help me see the guy any better. One thing Fairy strength lacked was an ability to see in the dark, apparently.

“Sorry,” I said, shifting from foot to foot. If this guy thought he was here to rob me he had another thing coming. First, I had left my wallet inside, and second, I was apparently a badass Fairy now.

“You should be,” he said. He spoke fast, but as if he changed his mind about the words he chose right before he said them. It reminded me of wind blowing in all directions.

“Sorry?” I said again, only this time it was a question.

“You are Autumn, are you not?” he asked.

I was about to reply when I saw the darkness shift behind him.

Materializing as if out of the fall air were at least ten other forms. By the way Pale Eyes didn’t turn around when I let out a gasp, it was clear that he knew who they were and expected them to be there.

“Who are you?” I asked.

He shrugged. “It’s not really important, but we came because of the problems we heard of here. We heard that a Prince was making trouble and that a human girl was to blame for the disappearance of one of my friends.”

“You’re friends with Logan?” I asked. It wasn’t that I couldn’t see how Logan had friends. I could, he was very charming...when he wanted to be. I just couldn’t imagine how one of his friends would be mad at me for what had happened. Logan wasn’t even going to get in trouble for what he had tried to do. He was a mamma’s boy to the millionth degree.

“I am,” he said. “My name is Rog.”

“I would say it’s nice to meet you,” I said, “but my mother told me never to lie.”

I heard twitters of laughter in the group behind him, some even high-pitched enough to make me think there were some girls with him. But Rog’s own eyes hardened into tiny pinpricks of anger.

“Logan said you were useless,” said Rog, “and now I can see how he’s right. My only consolation is that the Winter Queen is not as foolish as Logan’s brother, and she will never allow you to get away with what you have done.”

I clenched my jaw until it hurt. “You don’t know anything,” I told him. Bold words considering I knew nothing about this guy or his friends.

“I know enough to do this,” he said. In a flash his hand swiped out. I saw something sparkle faintly, right before something solid and long slapped me across the face.

Rog was a Summer Fairy, I knew, because he had just attacked me with a vine.

I staggered back against Nick’s car as Rog pushed forward, cursing myself for not having sensed the Fairies nearby sooner. I had felt a little off all night but had assumed it was what happiness felt like after a month of being worried and miserable.

I gasped, more in surprise than in pain. “Is that the best you can do?” I demanded.

With a growl Rog swiped at me again, but this time I was ready for him. Instead of standing there and letting the magicked vine hit me, I dodged around him. Coming up and under, I called to the plants under Rog’s feet. Long dead, they shifted and sprang to life. It was just enough to push Rog off balance. I darted away between two cars.

Behind me I heard Rog cry, “After her, damnit! Go after her!”

I heard other Fairies arguing with him, but I knew I didn’t have long. Even if his friends didn’t come after me, one of Logan’s friends wasn’t going to let me get the better of him.

I dashed towards the light of the bowling ally. For the first time I felt light on my feet, fast and confident. I wondered if this was the start of what it felt like to be a Fairy.

Luckily, I didn’t even have to go inside. Right before I got to the double doors leading back to my friends, one came crashing open. Out stepped Samuel, his face a web of anger. I came skidding to a halt.

“Are you alright?” he asked, but his eyes weren’t on me. They were searching the darkness at my back.

“I’m super,” I said, putting all the sarcasm I could into my words.

Samuel nodded. “You should probably get behind me.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” I told him, scurrying around.

“Where’s Nick?” I asked from over his shoulder. I had to stand on my tiptoes a little. Samuel was tall.

“He’s inside. No one has any idea this is happening,” said Samuel, “and they won’t unless something goes wrong.”

“Right, well, here’s hoping that doesn’t happen,” I muttered. I saw the back of Samuel’s dark head nod.

I started to murmur a thank you, but just as I did the dark shapes of Rog and his friends started coming towards us. I was glad that in order to come after me, not only would they have to go through Samuel (which I was confident no one in their right mind wanted to do), but they would also have to come into the light.

Now that I thought about it, Samuel’s mother was probably the only person who wasn’t intimidated by Samuel. Even a lot of the Roths gave him a wide birth, he was that impressive. Holt had never acted that way, but then again until recently Holt and Samuel had been equals.

Now that the Fairies were coming into the light I had a better look at them. My breath caught, though I shouldn’t have been surprised. I knew by now that all Fairies were extremely good looking (even Logan, although his personality cast a cloud over it), but these Fairies were dressed in fine, bright colors. I found myself admiring them as I would a display in a shop window.

Rog was in the front, scowling. His features were perfect, sharp and defined. His light hair and very pale eyes reminded me more of the Roths than the Cheshires, but I didn’t think they were actually relatives.

“I should have known you couldn’t mind your own business,” said Samuel casually. He had stuck his hands into his jean pockets, but I knew that didn’t mean he wasn’t ready. He could spring into action in a second.

I glared over his shoulder at the oncoming Fairies.

“Fairy business is my business,” said Rog, “or have you forgotten that we are all interconnected?” He came to halt about ten feet in front of Samuel and tapped one blue manicured nail on his lip. “Actually, it does look like you’ve forgotten, doesn’t it? Otherwise, you would never have let Holt Roth bring down the Summer Fairies by giving his Rose to that.”

Rog didn’t even look at me when he characterized me as less than human. My fury was a hot bubble inside my chest, expanding with every word he uttered.

From behind Samuel I saw his shoulders tighten. I just hoped he kept control. Even if he was well-respected, there were a lot of Fairies standing behind Rog.

“Why are you all in shadow?” I demanded. “You can’t come face to face with me?”

Rog smirked. “You wouldn’t be so brave if you weren’t standing behind the Fairy Prince you discarded.”

Samuel shifted but didn’t say anything. He was getting into more of a fighting stance.