Slumber (12 page)

Ruby jerked awake. For a wild moment, she had no idea where she was, disoriented by the unfamiliar furniture and bare walls. A paper crumpled as she sat up; when she looked on her lap, she saw it was the story of the Ruby Red necklace—and then she remembered. She was at Cottingley Heights. Tam. The party. She had no idea how long she'd been sleeping, but judging from the half-light trying to claw through the window, it must be morning.

Drowsily, she rose. The pretty dress was wrinkled. She smoothed it down absently and felt a bump in the pocket. Her phone. Reassured that she hadn't lost it last night, she slipped into the heels she'd taken off. Amazingly her feet weren't destroyed by the five-inch stilettos like she thought they would be. She glanced at her jeans and t-shirt tossed on the chair in the corner. She never realized before how ugly her old clothes were.

After she had made sure the velvet scarf was securely wound over the necklace, she shoved the bureau away from the door and opened it a crack. All was quiet. So the party was over? Only one way to find out. Gingerly she made her way downstairs, wondering if Tam was awake yet. Did he find sleazier company for the night after she'd turned him down? The thought hurt, but she shoved it away. She told herself to remember that Tam's love life was none of her business.

If only she could believe it.

As expected, the house was trashed, but she'd seen worse. “And I'm not cleaning up a damn thing,” she muttered, stepping over a pile of soggy clothes in the doorway of the bar lounge that smelled like booze. Inside, a few fairies drifted sluggishly around, scratching their sleepy heads, but they paid no attention to her. A human boy was passed out in the corner, his shirtless torso covered with doodles and scrawls from a black marker. One of the fairies who'd wandered close prodded the guy with a toe. He whimpered in his sleep but didn't wake.

Shrugging, Ruby yawned and went over to the bar while the fairies left the room. She'd give anything for another cup of Tam's killer coffee, laced with a healthy dribble of that yummy syrup. Unfortunately, the only thing on top of the bar now was an endless row of empty alcohol bottles. The chrome coffee machine was gone.

Vaguely bummed, she turned away and went to the window where fitful morning light tried to force its way in through the dirty panes. The window overlooked an enormous patio, the granite flagstones running down to steps, which led out to a small lake. Weak sunlight dappled the water. Down by the shore, a movement caught her eye. Aryenis had come out from the woods a few feet from the lakeshore and was walking toward the house with a covered basket on her arm. Behind her, something shimmered between the trees. Or maybe Ruby imagined it because when she blinked, the light disappeared. She really needed some coffee, stat.

She turned from the window and accidentally kicked over a half-full bottle she hadn't seen in Cottingley's gloom. Vodka splashed all over her foot, soaking the shoe.

“Damn it!” She picked up the bottle. Grey Goose. She remembered a girl chugging Grey Goose last night at the dinner. Ruby knew she could probably get all the pills and Grey Goose she wanted, but to get a cup of coffee in this place? Or some actual food that wasn't conjured up by fairy magic?
Impossible
.

She drew her arm back ready to hurl the bottle across the room when the door opened and Ash entered.

“Hey, Ruby.”

Ruby gasped, and her arm lowered. How did he know it was her?

“Has my
glamour
worn off?” she blurted.

Ash shook his head as he headed toward the bar, riffling through the assorted bottles until he found what he wanted. “Nope,” he said, pouring Hennessey into a shot glass. “Tam's spell is still in place. It's just that the
glamour
doesn't work a hundred percent on me because I've only recently become
fae
. I've still got some human left.”

Recently? “When did that happen?”

He pondered. “1952, I think. Or maybe '53. My memory's getting hazy.”

Whoa. Time really does fly when you're a fairy.
“Do you know where I can get a cup of coffee around here? You know, with some of that coffee syrup?”

“Coffee syrup?” Ash downed the shot, winced, poured another. “You mean honey syrup?”

“I guess. Tam put some in my coffee the other day, and it was
so good
.” She sighed just thinking about it.

Ash swirled the amber liquid in his glass thinking before shrugging and tossing back the second shot. Then he set the shot glass down on the bar and gave her a hard look. “Some free advice, Ruby. Don't accept any more drinks from Tam. Honey syrup isn't…good for people like you. I think you're going to need some time, and the more you have, the quicker it'll be.”

Ruby shook her head. His words made no sense. “What do you mean?”

“Have some booze instead. You'll feel better in the end, I promise.”

Then he winked at her and left, closing the door.

What the hell was that about?

In the corner, the guy curled up on the floor moaned in his sleep a little, then went quiet. Ruby flopped down on a pile of cushions, suddenly tired herself, and kicked off her shoes. What did Ash mean that honey syrup wasn't good? She tossed the soaked Louboutin aside.
It was so good. So…awesomely…good…

She blinked. The room was completely dark save for the neon lights glowing behind the bar. Somewhere a clock chimed eight times. Eight o'clock? She turned toward the window and saw that the sky was inky.

“It was just morning a minute ago. This can't be right.” She dug the cell phone out of her pocket and checked the time—8:04 p.m. Four missed calls? She stared at the LCD screen. Three days had passed? How did that happen?

Confusion bolted through her. Was she tripping? Had someone slipped her something? But she'd been so careful! She checked the date on the phone.

It said Thursday.

Three days?

She checked it again, two, three times. There was no way she could have lost three days. Not when she had something so important to do.

Although she couldn't seem to remember what it was.

“There's a reason I'm here, right? I'm supposed to be doing something.” She searched her memory but drew a complete blank. She turned the phone around and around in her hands, trying to piece it together. “I know I am. But I can't remember what it is…”

“Hey baby. There you are.”

Tam was walking in the room, a pack of fairies behind him. Ruby flinched when she saw Violet among them.

“I've been looking all over for you.” Tam bent down and gave her a kiss. “Wanna go swimming with us?”

“Swimming?”

“Down by the lake, baby.” He caressed the back of her neck.

Her confusion vanished. “Sure!” she said, jumping up off the couch. Swimming sounded like such a blast.

Violet glanced at something in the corner of the room and
tsk
ed. “Somebody needs to pick up the place. It's getting too messy again.”

The other fairies snickered, but Tam didn't. He took Ruby's hand. “Let's go have some fun,” he murmured into her ear.

Warmth spread through her.
Fun, yeah!
She wanted to have fun. So, so much.

With Tam's hand reassuringly wrapped around hers, she followed the fairies outside. She laughed with Tam when they ran across the flagstone patio and across the lawn down to the lake where other fairies and humans were already partying, laughing, stripping off their clothes, and diving in. Here and there a few shadowy couples were making out on the shoreline. Music echoed over the water glittering in the moonlight, while stars pricked the sky above. She gasped when a shooting star seemed to rocket across the night sky almost as if she conjured it herself. “Tam!” she gasped.

Tam tugged her close. “I know,” he murmured. He drew one finger down her jawline and tilted her face up to his. “Wanna go swimming with me now?”

Suddenly she couldn't wait to peel off her clothes and jump in the lake. “I'd love to!”

Tam grinned and let her go. He shucked off his shirt while she reached for the hem of her dress and pulled it up over her head until she was wearing only her underwear, bra, and the scarf around her neck. Something dropped out of the dress's pocket. “What's this?”

“Don't worry about it, baby.” Tam unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down. “The others are waiting for us.”

Shrieks and laughter echoed over the surface of the lake. Violet was being hoisted up on the shoulders of a guy who looked like a bodybuilder. Water made a sheen on her naked skin and ebony hair while she lifted her arms up toward the moon.

I'm missing the fun!
Ruby took a step toward them but her foot grazed the object that had fallen from her pocket. She looked down. A crappy plastic cell phone lay in the grass. It looked so familiar…

Suddenly she remembered. Her cell phone! She snatched it up and flipped open the lid. Five missed calls.

“Come on, Ruby!” Tam, wearing only his briefs now, had jogged a couple feet away from her down toward the shoreline. His body glowed in the moonlight, shadows sculpting his muscles.

“Hold up!” She stared at the glowing LCD screen. The caller ID said Southampton Hospital.

Awareness crashed through her like a tidal wave.

Tam beckoned. “Ruby—”

“It's my Mom,” she yelled. “I need to call her!”

Panicked, she put a hand to her throat and felt the reassuring soft material of the scarf. She almost let Violet see her wearing the necklace!

She started punching the buttons, but nothing happened. How did this thing work? Why couldn't she figure out how to hit the ‘call last number' shortcut? Tears of frustration sprang to her eyes, blurring the phone.

Tam was there. “What's the matter, Ruby?” he asked, his voice kind. Concerned even.

She sniffled. “I can't remember how to make a call.”

“It'll be okay, Ruby. Really.”

He drew her in for a gentle hug, but she resisted. “No, it won't be okay, Tam! I'm starting to forget stuff. I've lost three days. Three days! Are you putting me under a spell?”

He shook his head. “I'm not doing anything to you. It's the Slumber. Remember, I told you that humans react to the magic of this place.”

The Slumber?
Holy shit!
“I thought you said that knowing about it meant I wouldn't be affected!”

He shrugged apologetically. “I said that
maybe
you wouldn't be affected. But I guess you are, after all.”

Oh my God
. “Why didn't you tell me what was going on?”

“If I had, you would have forgotten anyway.” He looked almost sad.

“But I trusted you,” she said, tears pricking. “I thought you were going to help me.”

“I am, baby. I am.”

Lies!
She stumbled back from him. “I've got to get in touch with my mom. She's probably worried sick about me.”

Moonlight shafted down on his face, his features almost painfully beautiful, his expression as grave and still as one of the vine-covered statues in Cottingley's driveway. “I doubt it, Ruby. Out of sight, out of mind. Look, it'll be better for you if you just go with it. You'll wake up faster if you decide you want to stay here.”

“Stay here? At Cottingley?”

“Yeah. Become
fae
. Like all of us.” He gestured to the fairies goofing off in the lake, their beautiful bodies gleaming in the moonlight, laughing playfully with each other. Everyone was so carefree. Eternally having fun.

“No, Tam.” Ruby began backing away from him. She fumbled for her dress. “I don't want that.”

“Ruby—”

She couldn't listen to him anymore. Once she yanked the dress back on, she turned and ran toward the darkened mansion, leaving him dumbfounded on the lawn.

Just inside, she paused to orient herself. She could still hear music and partying from the lake. She almost turned back but took a deep breath instead. “Focus, Ruby.
Remember
.”

Cottingley seemed deserted, lights dim, the rooms hushed. Everyone was down by the lake, Violet included, which made it the perfect time to search her room to see if there was something to help break the curse. It felt so good to have some purpose after days of being under the Slumber; it helped cut through the fuzziness.

She took a couple of wrong turns wandering down the maze of halls, but as soon as she found the room with the blue door and the weird gold hieroglyph, she remembered that Violet's room lay close by, and found it easily. This time, the room stank with the overpowering smell of patchouli and sour fruit but wasn't as messy as the last time she was there, when Violet ordered her to clean her mess. The chrome furniture and animal prints were still tacky though.

Ruby had no idea what she was looking for, but she started carefully picking through the cluttered dresser, opening jewelry boxes, drawers, and closets. She ran across a shopping bag from Bergdorf full of Lucite bangles, a stash of pot, and some dude's plaid boxer shorts. But nothing that seemed magical at all, or even anything like a key or tool that would unlock the constricting necklace.

She started to feel frantic. In a last ditch effort, she snatched back the drapes. Maybe something was on the windowsill or…

“Oh.” Violet's room overlooked the lake. Through the grimy windowpanes, she looked down to see fairies and humans frolicking in the water. The faint sounds of music and laughter reached her. Lights danced on the water's surface, and sleek bodies gleamed in the moonlight. It looked beautiful, so beautiful…

She touched her cheeks and brought her wet hand away. Was she crying? A wave of sadness washed over her. She should be down there. She was missing out on so much fun…

A sound by the door made her heart jolt. Someone was coming! Violet would literally kill anyone she found in her room. And there she was, caught red-handed.