A million threads flowed through halls and rooms until one stopped at Jeff's room.
She sucked in a breath and took off running, stopping dead at his dark room, the door ajar.
"Jeff?"
Nothing.
Reaching her hand through the crack, she blindly felt along the wall. Flicking the switch she expected light, instead nothing.
Her eyes widened, and a ball of fear dropped in her stomach. Logically she tried to think; she'd have Caleb fix that later. It was just a light. Jeff was probably in the bathroom.
"Jeff? she said louder. "Why didn't you tell me the lights weren't working?"
Still nothing. Hesitation kept Marci from going farther in. Her heart thumped, drumming in her chest.
She reached out to push the door wide and snatched her hand back. That's how horror stories started.
Using her magic, she searched for him. Nothing. More nothing. Her eyes widened as she spun around and ran down the stairs.
The figure she'd seen heading to the forest. He was so stupid!
She tried to reach for him with the magic, how close was he? Had he gone in? The closer to the forest it got the threads curled back into themselves. Others climbed up into the air as if a wall of magic became impenetrable.
Her feet stung against the snow, pain radiated up her legs. Stupid slippers, what the heck had she been thinking?
"Jeff?"
Her breath puffed out into the air in front of her. She wrapped her arms around her torso and shivered.
She hated him, but she didn't want him hurt. Everything felt wrong. Her heart began to thunder in her ears. Finally, she stopped in front of the forest. She started slowly, ignoring a burning pain in her feet. The sweater around her shoulders did nothing to stop the wind blowing up her nightgown.
"Jeff? This isn't funny."
Nothing. Marci took a step closer to the thick tree line. The glow no longer beautiful when you got this close, it felt wrong even to exist.
"Jeff? I will let you die in there. I'm going back for shoes. You better be out here when I get back."
No answer. Casting her eyes to the sky, she sucked in the angry tears threatening to spill out.
Pushing aside a branch, she stepped forward. Pain radiated out from the tips of her fingers down her arm as she reached into the invisible barrier. As she entered the pain shifted, stopping once her arm was inside.
The spell was strong, that was clear.
Closing her eyes, she pushed past it until her whole body stood within the forest. The ground was dry, not even a speck of snow. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw where she'd just come. The house still standing just as she'd left it. Her footprints remained and stopped where she'd entered what appeared to be another world.
What the hell? Caleb had said it was a pixie forest and it hid a portal to Faerie, but what the hell?
A giggle echoed around her. She couldn't tell where it came from. She tried to use her magic to find Jeff or sense life. Each wave came back to her disjointed, confused.
Caleb would know what to do, and she turned around only to smack into a tree.
"Ouch."
Rubbing her forehead and nose, she blinked. Once her sight cleared she flicked her gaze from one side to the next. Where was her house? Where was the clearing?
Taking a step back, then another and seeing nothing familiar, dread filled her.
"Jeff? This isn't funny anymore. Come out."
Marci swatted at a glowing bug flying around her head.
She turned around, trying her magic again. Marci could figure out the Jeff issue later, right now she needed to figure out how to get out of here.
The world tilted around her as if she were spinning, but her feet remained planted. She closed her eyes as her stomach tilted. She swelled back the acidic burn.
"Marci."
"Who are you?" she asked, attempting to keep her balance and her eyes closed.
More laughter answered her.
"Marci. Come closer."
That wasn't going to happen; instead, she moved away from the voice backing up until she hit something hard and solid. A tree?
"Marci. Come for him."
"Come for who?"
The voice wasn't like anything she'd ever heard before. It was higher than most humans. The sound tiny and yet threatening.
"You know who. The one your heart yearns for. Find him, and we will set you free."
Slowly she opened her eyes. "I don't want Jeff."
A small, winged creature floated in front of her face. The bug, no, human, no, pixie was about the size of her thumb.
It laughed a horrible chortle sending shivers up her spine.
"No, not him. We want to play a game with you. Find your bear. Find him in our forest, and we will set you free. Choose wisely. Things are not as they seem here."
The tiny pixie ran a clawed hand down Marci's cheek as it fluttered around her head.
"Choose wisely, and we will let your Jeff go too, maybe."
It started to flutter away.
"Wait. How did Caleb get here?"
The creature stopped. "Who do you ask about?"
She shook her head. "Uh. Both? Wait. Is Caleb really here?"
The pixie came back. "The little ghost of yours does not like Jeff. As for the bear. He will be here soon. Choose wisely."
Before she could ask anything else, the pixie disappeared in a trail of blue light.
"Shit. Jeff?"
Nothing. What the hell was she supposed to do? Caleb. The pixie implied he would come for her. So, did she stay in one place? Where was she anyway? The forest seemed to change on it's own.
Looking up, a thick canopy blocked the sky above. She shivered, but not from the cold. The magic here was abundant. Her limbs moved, weighed down like she was swimming.
Marci tried to shake her head; everything seemed slower. A shadow passed a few feet in front of her.
"Hey, wait."
She pushed away from the tree, reaching out in the direction she saw the figure.
The
