Not Your Average Fairy Tale (Not Your Average Fairy Tale #1) (4 page)

Unlike most of the creatures that lived in my world, satyrs couldn’t perform magic, so I could tease them all I wanted. Centaurs as well. But I steered clear of the latter, since even a foal could kick my butt.

"Hey, Ash! I thought you'd be interested in
my
apprenticeship," Dax said as I walked away.

I stopped, my stomach churning. "Not really," I said. He didn’t have to tell me. I already had a feeling he’d gotten exactly what he wanted. I turned slightly, hoping he couldn't see my expression too well.

"You're looking at the next sandman!"

"Congratulations," I said between clenched teeth.

He gave me a wicked smile. "Funny, isn't it? You’ve always gotten what you wanted, yet I'm the one on top now."

"Whatever, Dax."

"You jealous?"

I started to leave, trying not to let him get to me, when he spoke again.

“See you in your dreams,” he said.

I shuddered.

Abusing magic was forbidden, but that didn’t mean people didn’t do it. I couldn’t let my guard down now that he was apprenticing Master Night.

I walked away, hearing Dax and his idiot friends laughing behind me.

***

My favorite place on campus was the foyer of Night Hall. The dark blue walls twinkled with thousands of stars that never dulled, even during the sunniest days of summer. The ceiling had eight planets, rotating in the midst of stars and galaxies. A bright yellow sun shone in the middle. I could watch the planets twirl around the sun forever.

That was where Logan found me. He took his time coming down the stairs, every movement slow and steady. Sometimes just being in his presence made me want to lie down and take a nap.

"Ash. Nice to see you," he said. His voice had a lazy drawl to it, and each time I talked to him it seemed more pronounced. His light hair fell halfway down his back, and I noticed a new deep wrinkle creasing his forehead. He still looked only a little older than I did, though. Way too young to be the head Sandman.

He stopped a few feet away and waited for me to say something, but I was still seething. I couldn't believe he was acting like everything was fine. Like he didn't know why I was here. I could barely look at him I was so mad.

"How about we go in my office and–" he started.

"I’d rather not." I waved my letter in front of his face. "You need to do something about this."

He sighed. "I'm afraid that's impossible."

"No, it's not. You have the power to change it. I know you do. You basically run the council!"

"That's not the point, Ash. There's a reason you've been given this particular assignment. I can't change it for you. I'm sorry."

I took a deep breath. "Come on, man. We've been friends for years. I’ve done everything you've needed me to do to be your apprentice, and what do you do? You throw me to a bunch of fairies!"

"The council thought you could learn from this. Maybe a little patience, some humility. Being a fairy for a few months won't be that bad. You'll get used to it."

"How would you know? Do you have a pair of wings sticking out of your back?"

He was quiet for a moment. "It's for your own good," he said.

"Is it? I'm sorry I can't be happy about this, Logan. There are no other male fairy godmothers anywhere. Heck, I'd rather be a tooth fairy. At least no one would see me then!"

"I'm sorry. The whole council decided it. If it makes you feel any better, I voted against it."

"It doesn't."

He looked tired as he rubbed his eyes. Gold dust fell from his fingertips onto the floor. I wanted to scoop some up and fling it in his face. Maybe turn
him
into a fairy and see how
he
liked it. Not that his sleeping dust would do that, of course.

"Well then, we're done here, I guess," he said.

"Fine." I headed toward the door. "Oh, and tell your new apprentice that he's a moron, and if it weren't for our stupid rules I'd turn him into a rat and throw him in a sewer." I opened the door and turned to see his reaction.

The color drained from his face. "You heard about Dax?"

"He told me all about it."

"I'm sorry, Ash." He shifted his feet and avoided my eyes.

"Whatever," I said over my shoulder. "You should keep an eye out for him, though. He's trouble."

“It will be over before you know it, then you can graduate. You know I have you at the top of my list if you still want to join the sandmen.”

I didn’t say anything. He already knew my answer. There was no way I'd give up the chance to be a sandman.

Kendall

I walked to school, since it was only a block away. I used to drive, even with the school so close, but didn’t anymore.

Once I got to the end of my driveway, I noticed how chilly it was. My hands were cold, so I shoved them in my pockets, all the while humming some tune I couldn't remember the name of.

The sky was clear. Not a cloud in sight. I was relieved it was almost spring. I was sick of all the blackened snow that lined the streets all winter long. The thought of smelling flowers and fresh-mowed grass excited me. It was the perfect time to start over. To try to be
me
again.

"That's a good song," a voice said.

I jumped, pulled out of my daydream. I didn't even realize someone was walking next to me. How I hadn't heard him approach, I wasn't sure.

The guy with the silver eyes was back. He looked like a high school student, with his jeans and dark blue t-shirt. Maybe even a little older. His dark hair was messy, but suited him in a mysterious, sexy way. He saw me checking him out, and the corner of his mouth turned up before I looked away.

I wasn’t sure what to say to him, so we walked in silence. After a few minutes, he spoke again.

“Do you always walk to school?” His voice had a nice, low tone to it.

“Yep.” I hitched up the backpack on my shoulder.

“Why?”

“What’s wrong with walking?” I asked.

He chuckled. “Nothing.”

“Really?" I cocked an eyebrow. "Then why did you laugh?”

“You’re just funny."

"How so?"

He sighed. "I don't know many human … I mean, teenage girls who don't like to drive. Walking to school would mess up their hair or get them all sweaty before the day even started. But you obviously don’t care.”

“You think I’m sweaty?” I smiled in spite of myself.

His eyes widened. “No! That’s not what I meant at all." He held his hands up in defense, and smiled when he saw the look on my face. He dropped his hands, looking relieved.

"I'm not one of those girls," I said.

He looked at the ground. "Oh. That's good."

For some reason I wanted to keep the conversation going. It was nice to talk to someone. "Are you new? I mean, at school?"

He shrugged. "Sort of."

I thought about the last time I spoke to him and frowned. I hadn't been the nicest person in the world. "Sorry I ran off Friday night. It wasn't a very good night. And, not to put a damper on this conversation, but you were kind of … weird."

"You think I'm weird?" He rubbed his hands together, trying to get them warm, I assumed.

"Well, I don't know. You kind of freaked me out, talking about, you know …"

"Oh. Right. I don't really blame you, since you don't get three wishes very often. I'd probably think you were crazy for telling me that, too. But if I had a chance at a happy ending, I'd take it." He smiled.

"Wait." I stopped. "You still think you're granting me three wishes?"

"Of course. That's why I'm here."

"Are you kidding me?" I started walking again, quickening my pace.

"What's wrong?" He had no problem keeping up with me.

"You're what's wrong!"

"What did I do?"

I stopped. We were in the parking lot of the school, and a few students eyed us as they walked by. "Do you find this funny?"

"What?"

A group of girls stood a few feet away, and gave me weird looks. I leaned closer to the guy so only he could hear me. "Did someone put you up to this? Trying to make me fall for something? I'm not stupid. I don't even know you and you're making me feel like an idiot. It's not funny." The girls whispered to each other and walked away. They kept glancing back at us until they reached the school.

"I'm not trying to be funny, Kendall."

I started. "How the heck do you know my name, anyway? I've never seen you before in my life."

"You saw me Friday," he said.

"You know what I mean." I stood there, waiting for him to answer my question.

"Your friend … um … Tessa told me your name."

"You know Tessa?"

"Well, no. Not really." He paused. "Look, I'm not joking. I need to talk to you about your wishes."

"I don't think so. Go find someone else to follow around. There are no such things as wishes. Or happy endings."

He stopped walking, but I kept going. I snuck a peek over my shoulder, and caught the shocked look on his face. It looked like he
did
believe in happy endings. Which was weird. Turning around, I headed into the school. Hopefully I wouldn't see him again. I had my own problems to deal with.

***

I was in my English class when I heard his voice behind me. I never saw him enter the room. He had a weird way of appearing wherever I was, and it was starting to freak me out. There was something more that he wanted. People didn't just come up and start talking to me. They had to have a reason. And there was no way it was about three wishes. Genies didn’t exist.

"Hey," he said.

My stomach clenched. I took a deep breath to calm myself.

"Kendall," he whispered.

I refused to turn and look at him, so I tried to focus on the teacher's lecture. I ended up watching a fly zoom around the room instead. Anything that would distract me from the annoying, hot guy sitting behind me. I tried not to picture his face as I ignored him.

"I know you can hear me."

His breath tickled the back of my neck, and I shivered. He smelled good. Like an outdoorsy, before-it-rains smell. A mixture of grass and dirt, dew and sunlight.

"Listen to me for a second?" he asked. "Please. I just need five minutes and then you can either believe me or tell me to leave you alone."

I turned around and glared at him. "Leave me alone."

"Not until you hear me out," he said.

I shook my head. "No way. No more crazy talk about wishes." I put my face in my hands. "This can't be happening."

"I'm right here, so obviously it is."

I frowned and turned back around. "Are you always this annoying?"

He leaned back, put his arms behind his head and smiled.

"Kendall?"

I looked over at the seat next to me, surprised to see Tessa staring at me, one eyebrow raised in confusion.

"What?" I asked. I hadn't talked to her at school, and had been avoiding her calls all weekend.

"Who are you talking to?"

I turned around, pointing to the now empty seat behind me.

"Where did he go?" My eyes searched the room, not seeing any trace of my new friend. Or stalker.

"Where did who go?" she asked.

"The guy sitting behind me. He couldn’t have just disappeared."

She chewed on her bottom lip and glanced around the room. "No one was sitting behind you." She paused. "You okay?"

What in the world was going on?

"Yeah," I said. I turned my attention back to the teacher. "I'm fine."

"Kendall?"

I let out the breath I was holding. "What, Tessa?"

"Are you still mad at me?"

"What do you think?" I snapped.

She turned back toward the front of the classroom. Her dark hair fell over her shoulder, creating a curtain between us.

What did she expect me to do? Forget about what she’d said after the game? If she wasn't comfortable being friends with me because I was "different" now, then I'd make it easy for her.

***

With Ellie at drill team practice and Mom working, I returned to an empty house after school. Again. I was used to Ellie not being there, but Mom spent more and more time at the hospital since the accident. I felt like I didn't even know her anymore.

Grabbing an apple out of the fridge, I headed up to my room. I set it on my desk while I changed into some boxer shorts and a t-shirt, sick of my turtleneck and jeans. It was nice being able to be myself at home. I didn't have to worry as much about covering up my scar.

I pulled a pair of socks out of my dresser, smiling at how well they matched my outfit. No one had as many cute socks as I did. I didn't own one pair of plain white socks, and I was proud of it. It was my one quirk no one really knew about.

Comfortable, I threw my clothes in the growing pile gathering on the floor. I glanced in the mirror, my eyes going straight to my scar. I touched my face, tracing the angry red line down my cheek until I reached my neck. At a twinge of pain, I let my hand drop.

I sat down on my bed, noticing mascara spots on my pillowcase. Probably from crying myself to sleep so many nights. I reached down for my tennis shoes and slipped them on, not bothering to tie the laces. I picked up my apple and bit into it, enjoying the crisp, juicy taste.

A crash near the window made me jump. I spun around and toppled off my bed.

There, next to the window, was the guy.

The same guy who had followed me around all day.

He was in my room, picking up a bunch of CDs now scattered all over the floor. Setting a few of them back on my desk, he smiled.

“Hello, Kendall.”

I jumped to my feet, screaming, and tripped over the piles of clothes on the floor as I tried to find the door.

"Wait! Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you!" he yelled.

I realized I had my apple in my hand and pulled my arm back.

"Stay back or I'll throw it!" I yelled, preparing to chuck it at his face.

"You’re really going to throw an apple at me?" he asked. His voice was calm now, and he looked like he was stifling a laugh.

“Okay, Mr. Genie. I've had enough of you following me around. Who are you, and how did you get in my room?”

He rolled his eyes like I had just asked the stupidest question ever. "First of all, I'm not a genie. And second? Your window was open," he said with a shrug.

"You
are
a stalker!" I flung the apple at him.

It hit him in the chest, and his eyes widened. "I was kidding," he said, brushing his shirt off. "Good arm. I’m impressed."

"If you didn't come through the window, then how did you get in here?" I asked, eyeing my room for more weapons. I spotted my old baseball bat poking out from under my bed.

"Magic," he said.

I stared at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Are you recording this or something? If this goes on the internet …” I glanced around the room, making sure there weren't any hidden cameras anywhere. My hand instinctively went to my neck and then my cheek. It was a habit now. I hated feeling so vulnerable all the time.

“There aren’t any cameras, Kendall.”

I wasn't convinced. "Did Tessa put you up to this? My sister? Cameron?"

“No," he said.

"Why do you keep following me around, then?"

"I have to."

"You
have
to? Why?”

“It’s in the job description.”

Confused, I asked, “Who are you?”

He smiled. "I’m Ash."

"Ash?" I wracked my brain for any familiarity with the name.

Nope. Never heard of an Ash.

"Yes. My name is Ash."

I considered him for a moment, the baseball bat forgotten. "Who let you in, then?"

He groaned in frustration, and put a hand on his dark head as if I was giving him a headache. "No one let me in," he said. "I'm your fairy …" he stopped and made some sort of grunting noise at the back of his throat. "Your fairy godmother.” His expression was pained as he said the words, like someone yanked them out of his throat.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Riiight …" I said slowly, letting my sarcasm creep in. "A fairy, huh?" Amusement dissolved my fear. "And I had you pegged as a genie."

He stiffened.

I folded my arms and leaned against the wall. Maybe he wasn't a killer stalker, but he was definitely a crazy one. I still kept my eye on the bat under my bed.

"What?" he asked.

"Shouldn’t you be wearing a tutu? Or tights, maybe?" I ignored his glare and burst into laughter. I couldn't resist. For the first time in weeks, I felt like laughing, and it felt great.

"Funny," he said, clearly not amused. "Does it look like I'm wearing tights?"

I let my eyes take in his lean body and shrugged. "Not right now, but who knows? Maybe you wear them around your house." I smiled. "Or maybe you've got them under your pants right now."

"Not funny." His eyes narrowed, but he didn't move.

"So, let me get this straight. You are a fairy."

"Yes."

"And not just any fairy, a fairy godmother."

"Correct."

I snorted, and put a hand over my mouth to hold back the laughter. When I’d pulled myself together again, I put my hands on my hips. "I don't believe you."