Wings

the angles of her face, half-expecting them to have changed.

“I’m a faerie,” she whispered. But her reflection didn’t respond.

It felt silly to say it. She didn’t feel like a faerie — she didn’t feel any different than she ever had. She felt normal. But no matter what, she knew the truth now — and normal was not a word that would ever describe her life again.

She needed to talk to Tamani.

She tiptoed downstairs and picked up the phone, dialing David’s cell phone number. Only when he answered with a gravelly voice did she think of the time. “What?”

There was no point in hanging up now — she’d already woken him. “Hi. Sorry. I didn’t think.”

“What are you doing up at six o’clock in the morning?” he asked sleepily.

“Um, the sun’s up.”

David snorted. “Of course.”

Laurel looked up at her parents’ room with its door slightly ajar and slid around the corner into the pantry. “Will you cover for me today?” she asked in a half-whisper.

“Cover?”

“Can I tell my parents I’m at your house?”

David sounded more alert now. “Where are you actually going?”

“I have to see Tamani, David. Or at least, I have to try.”

“You’re going to the land? How’re you going to get there?”

“The bus? They’ll have something going down the 101 on a Sunday, don’t you think?”

“That’s how you’ll get to Orick, but how far is it to your old house?”

“I can put my bike on the front of the bus. It’s only a mile or so from the bus station; it won’t even take me ten minutes.”

David sighed. “I wish I had my license.”

Laurel laughed. He whined about it frequently. “Two more weeks, David. You’ll make it.”

“It’s not that. I’d like to go with you.”

“You can’t. If he knows you’re there he might not come out. He wasn’t real keen on the idea that I’d told you about the blossom in the first place.”

“You told him that?”

Laurel wrapped the phone cord around her wrist. “He asked if I’d told anyone and I just blurted it out. He’s kind of different — persuasive. It’s like you can’t lie to him.”

“I don’t like this, Laurel. He could be dangerous.”

“You’re the one who’s been saying he was right all week. He says he’s like me. If he told the truth about everything else, why would he lie about that?”

“What about Barnes? What if he’s there?”

“Papers aren’t signed yet. We still own it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Mom mentioned it just yesterday.”

David sighed and the line was silent.

“Please? I have to go. I have to find out more.”

“All right. One condition — when you get back you tell me what he said.”

“Everything I can.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know what he’s going to tell me. What if there’s some big faerie secret I’m not supposed to tell anyone about?”

“Fine, everything except the big secret of the world if there is one. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Laurel?”

“Yeah?”

“Be careful. Be very, very careful.”

After chaining her bike to a small tree, Laurel hefted her backpack onto one shoulder. She passed the empty house, then hesitated at the edge of the tree line where several paths snaked into the thick bushes and forest. She decided to take the path to the place he found her last time. That seemed as good a plan as any.

When she reached the large rock by the creek, Laurel looked around. Sitting by the beautiful stream made her feel calm and happy; for a moment she considered just sitting there for an hour, then returning home without speaking to Tamani at all. It was just so nerve-racking to talk to him.

But she forced herself not to wimp out, took a deep breath, and yelled, “Tamani?” Rather than echoing off the rocks, her voice seemed to absorb into the trees, making her feel very small. “Tamani?” she called again, a little softer this time. “Are you still here? I want to talk.” She turned in a circle, trying to look everywhere at once. “Tam—”

“Hey.” The voice was welcoming but strangely hesitant.

Laurel turned and nearly ran into Tamani’s chest. She threw her hands up over her mouth to silence a scream. It was Tamani, but he looked different than before. His arms were bare, but his shoulders and chest were covered in what looked like armor made from bark and leaves. A long spear stuck up over his shoulder, its stone tip sharpened to a razor edge. He was as stunning as before, but an air of intimidation hung around him like a thick fog.

Tamani looked at her for a long time, and though she tried, Laurel couldn’t look away. The side of his mouth tugged up into a half grin and he pulled the strange armor over his head, shedding it along with his intimidating air. “Sorry about the getup,” he said, stowing the armor behind a tree. “We’re on high alert today.” He straightened and smiled hesitantly. “I’m glad you came back. I wasn’t sure you would.” Under the armor, he was dressed all in dark green — a tight shirt with three-quarter-length sleeves and the same style of baggy pants he’d been wearing last time. “And you came alone.” It wasn’t a question.

“How’d you know?”

Tamani laughed, his eyes sparkling. “What kind of sentry would I be if I didn’t know how many people invaded my turf?”

“A sentry?”

“That’s right.” He was leading her down the path now, toward the clearing they’d talked in last time.

“What do you guard?” she asked.

He turned with a grin and touched the tip of her nose. “Something very, very special.”

Laurel tried to catch her breath and only just succeeded. “I came to…um…to apologize,” she stammered.

“For what?” Tamani asked, not slowing his pace.

Is he teasing, or did it really not bother him? “I overreacted last time,” she said, falling into step beside him. “I was already freaked out about everything that was happening, and the things you told me just put me over the edge. But I shouldn’t have blown up at you like that. So I’m sorry.”

They walked a few more steps. “And…?” Tamani prompted.

“And what?” Laurel asked, her chest growing tight as his green eyes studied her.

“And everything I said was true, and now you’re here to learn more.” He stopped abruptly. “That is why you’re here, right?” He leaned against a tree and looked at her playfully.

She nodded, unable to speak. She’d never felt so awkward. Why was he so utterly tongue-tying? She couldn’t think or talk around him. He, on the other hand, seemed perfectly comfortable with her.

Tamani sank gracefully to the ground, and Laurel realized they’d reached the clearing. He gestured to a spot a few feet away. “Have a seat.” He grinned lopsidedly and patted the grass beside him. “Of course, you can sit by me if you prefer.”

Laurel cleared her throat and sat down across from him.

“I’m not that lucky yet?” He laced his fingers behind his head. “There’s still time. So,” he said as she settled in, “your petals wilted.”

Laurel nodded. “Last night.”

“Relieved?”