Chapter 12

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Favors galore…

DaniBird153 : Hello, my sweet beautiful wonderful treasure of a friend. Sorry to interrupt your enriching Monday morning…

Munching my sandwich, I check that my kiddos aren't killing themselves during their lunch break in the magical mushroom tavern space surrounding me. All I can think is that Alexios would hate it in here, sitting on a toadstool while glowing fungus provide ample mood lighting. Kassandra really outdid herself after coming into her sandwoman powers and redecorating the school to be a lavish land of imagination and creativity—visible only for children and those who can see Faerie. It's so much more than I could see in the pictures on Pollux's enchanted phone.

Simply put: I'd be overwhelmed by the sheer amazingness if I had the time.

Shame I'm too busy being the best teacher's assistant in the world and stressing over not being at home with my baby.

Life is hard when you're this fabulous.

CapyZahra : What is with the dramatic trail off?

DaniBird153 : It's…not all…that dramatic…is it?

CapyZahra : The anticipation is killing me.

My heart stills when an image of Dani's hand comes through our private Discord chat. Kicking my legs off the raw-cut long wooden table I'm lounging at, I set my sandwich aside. Dani doesn't send pictures. Ever. Dani doesn't share any information about herself. Ever . I barely know what timezone she's in, outside of the occasional morning there (apparently), afternoon here clue.

But, here it is. A picture of a pale palm with slender fingers and perfect, long, light pink nails. In some ways, it looks like she's holding something…but nothing's there.

DaniBird153 : What do you see?

My brow furrows.

I see a hand. Her hand.

Squinting as though I'm about to either pass or fail the kind of friendship test that would let Dani be comfortable enough to share more scandalous images like these, I take in every detail.

Five fingers.

Yup.

I recount them.

Yeah, no. There's totally five normal fingers in this image.

CapyZahra : I do love you, really I do. But this is a hand, and that feels like the wrong answer, given that this is a momentous occasion. I'm marking the date on my calendar. I shall celebrate annually. Dani sent me her first ever real life picture this day. Our friendship flourished. Angels sang. It was beautiful.

DaniBird153 : LOL. Calm down. It's totally just a hand! You are so right.

My heart jerks into the stratosphere when she starts a Discord voice chat.

Across the tavern, sitting with her friends and the rest of the students, Andromeda looks my way, big blue eyes blinking curiously. "Zahr-Zahr, is everything okay?"

I fumble, tripping away from my toadstool and the table. "Uh. I don't know. Kass! " I call, marching toward the exit and throwing a pointer finger at my kids. "Behave. Stay put. No food fights. Kass!"

My lovely boss appears at the entrance to the tavern, red curls pulled into a sloppy bun atop her head. Big gold-flecked eyes wide, she says, "Zahr? What's wrong?"

I shake my head. "I don't know. I have to take a phone call and might be a minute. I didn't want to abandon the gremlins for an unknown amount of time. Sorry." I sidle past her, heading through the Library of Alexandria toward the magic-free backyard—hosting a playground set that humans can see, even though it was made by faeries last year.

Sunlight beats into my eyes the moment the heavy doors behind me close and I press my phone to my ear. "Hello…?"

"That took forever," a lilting, beautifully bird-song voice whispers through the line. "I thought you were an extrovert and phone calls didn't scare you."

People have got to stop mentioning my extroversion as a means to place me in a superhuman position. I promise I'm just like other girls. It's just that, you know, I happen to know other girls, too. "Dani?" I ask, half-certain I'm dreaming. Or kidnapped. I did see Castor on Friday. Maybe I've been in his dungeons hallucinating on whatever roofies he slips his victims. "Is everything okay?"

"Perfectly!" she chirps, the pitch subtly higher than I am entirely comfortable believing. "I'm so sorry to bother you, and worry you."

"No, no. You're not bothering me at all, and the worry is included in your current tier of friendship. Don't forget to renew your subscription on my birthday by sending me a cake gif."

An edge of humor cuts through her voice. "Really? Must've missed that in the Patreon reward list when I signed up."

"It's special. The Dani Package . Honest mistake. No big deal."

Her musical laughter calms me, fractionally. When it settles, she says, "I have an odd favor to ask."

"Anything. You need me on a plane? I'm on it. Disposing a body? I'll order a wood chipper. If you're in trouble with the mob, I have some friends who can, probably literally, make them disappear. I've got your back. No request is too big."

A fragile weight causes her voice to crack. "You're too kind, Zahra. It's nothing that extravagant, promise."

Soft chiming bells trickle through the line, distant and low and oddly cadenced.

"Can you hear something right now?" she whispers, breathless.

My stomach twists, and my skin goes cold. The frantic, hushed panic in her voice…it's entirely too familiar.

Can you hear that?

Can you hear that?

But no one ever could.

Just me.

"Yes," I say. "I can hear bells."

"Bells?" Dani exhales the word. "Just bells?"

My lips part as emotion threatens to overflow. I don't know why, but when I open my mouth again, I feel compelled to say, "Human technology interferes strangely with fae glamour."

Frail, Dani says, "…what?"

"Danielle! Who are you talking to?"

Urgency I know all too well overtakes the lilting, soft melody of my friend's voice. "I…" Bells intercept. "N-no one, Mother. Just myself!" So quiet I can barely hear her, she says, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I have to go. Thank you." The bells rage . "Goodbye."

The line cuts off, and I'm left staring ahead at the sun-soaked playground—heart thundering in my ears.

※

"Assuming your friend does have a faerie with her," Kassandra begins, picking up a neglected notebook ring snake and crumpling it in her hand, "we're not the only faeries or…faerie adjacents in the world."

"I know. That's my concern. What if she's stuck with a bad one?"

"Here's what we know…" Kassandra's gaze meets mine when I look down from the hay loft. That exists in our main classroom. Which has looked so boring before I could see all the cool stuff. "…your friend Dani sent you a picture, then called. Whatever faerie she's with…she can see and hear it."

"Yeah." I thread my fingers into the long half of my hair. There's a straw in it. It would seem I have been goofing around in the loft more than grading my beans' journals… Oops. "That doesn't mean she knows any of the rules."

"It means she's powerful. Just like you."

My brow furrows, and I rest my chin on the short loft railing. "McScuse me? Since when am I powerful?"

"The asteriai are the strongest nymphs."

I arch a brow. "Totally not true. I looked nymphs up when you told me what I was, and there are magic nymphs that have all sorts of fancy powers. In fact, I'm pretty sure the asteriai powers I found were—ready for this?— glows in the dark and sees in the dark . Aren't I cool? I'm a glow stick."

Kassandra does not appear amused. "Zahr. We're talking about real life, not whatever cryptid website you found."

I give her a look I hope translates into which one of us thought faeries were insanity less than a year ago? Mm, yeah. Contrary to popular belief, watching my tongue is not hard. I'm more than used to minding my silence. No one ever teaches you how to keep that silence from turning into resentment. And no one would ever dare suggest that, maybe, resentment is worse than a little honesty. "Mm. Mhm. Mhm. I hear you. I totally hear you. By the way, has CPS found your husband yet?"

Better out than in, Shrek always says.

Kassandra plants her hands on her hips, against a skirt overcrowded with brilliant embroidered and sewn-on crocheted flowers. "Am I coming off arrogant, because that's not my intention."

"You were, yeah." I grin. "So kind of you to explain yourself. Here's my point of view…" I reference the classroom, which is —you know— a barn . "You made this . You're so crazy powerful, Pollux was worried about telling Prince Cael what you were for fear of how he'd respond. You couldn't hear or see the fae before you were claimed unless they dropped their glamours for you. I cannot be something cooler than you." I sniff and drop my arms. "It's just not possible."

"Yes, and no." Leaning back against one of the children's desks, Kassandra smiles, and her gold-flecked brown eyes sparkle. "I'm powerful because I'm not dependent on anything. You're powerful…because you're a star. You have access to the abilities of anyone in your orbit. Once you're fully fae, I can grant you access to my powers if I want. So can the rest of us. You get to be our sun."

My eyes narrow on my dear, sweet, sunshiney friend wearing literally every color in the rainbow on a dress she made from scratch. I, in contrast, am wearing black. All black. My makeup is a deep violet highlighted with, you guessed it, more black . If I'm anything like a sun, I have supernovaed in on myself. "Did you just say I have the opportunity to use my extroversion as a means to gather an army and become the most powerful faerie in the world?"

"I think so."

"Yet…presumably…Dani is something more frightening because she can, presumably, both see and hear the fae without being claimed or fully fae herself?"

Helpfully, Kassandra lifts a shoulder. "That's the way I understand it. She's probably something without the same kind of limitations. You'd have to ask Pollux. He likes researching questions like this. But, for now, don't worry. I'm sure she'll be fine." That golden sparkle in her eye turns mischievous. "So…there's actually something else I'd like to talk to you about…"

"Ugh." Rolling my eyes and my entire body, I flop into the hay beside the journals I'm supposed to be working on. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Xios is living with you, huh? And you're already claimed?"

"Um. I claimed him , if you wouldn't mind."

"I don't mind." She fiddles with a flower on her dress. "Pollux is going to be so relieved to hear that Xios's interest in you wasn't some disturbing phase. We gave him a talking to after you both met, and Pollux threatened to kick him out if he tried to trick you into giving up your soul. Xios moped around for weeks after that. I did not know bats could look so sad."

I totally forgot that Alexios can shapeshift into a bat. I wonder why he doesn't do so more often at my house if he was comfortable sulking as one around Kassandra. I'd one hundred percent prefer a little bat roommate to the butler/babysitter nightmare he is now.

"It didn't take you very long to claim him," she muses, while I'm contemplating the joy to be found in keeping a little bat in my jacket pocket. "Was it a conviction choice?"

A conviction choice?

Laughable.

Truly.

I've been crossing my arms, stomping my feet, and slamming my bedroom door to God ever since the man showed up.

"It absolutely was not a faith, trust, and pixie dust situation." My eyes roll, tracing the rough beams in the ceiling. "It wasn't even a kiss claim. Did Pollux not tell you that I called and asked about claiming soulmates?"

"Now that you mention it… He did say you called to ask some weird questions. I guess he could have been referring to soulmate inquiries."

Weird?

Rude.

"You and Xios…" she muses, tone going whimsically distant. I hope she's not daydreaming about anything that would scar me for life. "What an interesting pairing."

Yet again, rude.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" I ask.

Papers shuffle down there, and I turn my head to find Kass at the front of the room, arranging worksheets on her desk. "You know, soulmates reflect each other and fit together perfectly. There's a balance to them."

I do not like where this is going.

"Xios and you seem so…similar."

I shoot upright. "What?"

"Too similar."

My mouth falls open. "You dishonor my bloodline."

Her lips curl—wicked. "Yeah, see, he says stuff like that, too."

"A hex on your offspring."

"My point is making itself." Cheery little monster that she is, she says, "I have the best idea."

"I already hate it."

"We've not been able to get Xios to come to movie night. Do you think you could work some soulmate magic and convince him that watching a movie at Willow's, surrounded by friends, snacks, and comfort items, is an excellent thing to do? Right now, the only friend excursions I know he entertains are meeting Sephin at Cael's and making spreadsheets together."

"You are joking."

"I have never seen him so proud of something than when he showed me a spreadsheet he made where, when you enter a number in one cell, the rest auto-fill in a ripple, then color-code into a rainbow. The spreadsheet organized absolutely no information. Its sole purpose was to insert that number and watch it turn pretty colors."

I daresay I would die first before finding joy in such an activity. "How exactly are we similar again?"

"The existential dread, mostly."

Girlie didn't even hesitate.

Sighing dismally, I mutter, "Can I go home now?" I want to cuddle my baby and complain into his sweet baby smell. Also, Alexios has been texting me the most unhinged updates all day, taking full advantage of his ability to lie in text.

It's been sweet, in its own way, since he knows I'm nervous about being gone for so long.

Still.

Messaging I'm teaching Ash tax fraud in the middle of my day was an interesting choice to make.

I did laugh; I will admit.

Though, to be fair, I also teared up a little. I want to be the stay-at-home parent teaching my baby tax fraud, dang it.

Not that Alexios is Ash's parent in any shape or form…but still .

Baby.

My baby.

"Are you caught up on journals?" Kassandra, the killer of dreams, asks.

I roll myself over and pout at the modest stack. "What is no ?"

"I could be convinced to finish them for you, if you can convince Xios to come to movie night."

Is blackmail a faerie trait? Or do I just not know how to pick the kinds of people I surround myself with? "Sorry, we're busy," I say, doodling a little picture beside a grade at the top of the page in Andromeda's journal. She's drawn a terrifying monster for me. So I give her a sweet little cow. With a top hat. Who is best friends with whatever in the world she has plucked from my nightmares. Hopefully not literally, given that she and her father can traverse through sleeping minds.

If I ever come into my full faeness…and I really can hijack the powers of those around me…I'm sure Andromeda would be happy to take me nightmare trotting. That would be so cool.

It's actually such a shame I'm so attached to humanity.

"Busy doing what?" Kassandra asks.

That is an excellent question. "Contemplating that existential dread you mentioned earlier together. Date night, you know how it is."

"Sounds like you're free."

Must I employ the full breadth of my humanity and come up with a real lie? Probably. It's not like I can agree to movie night. Who would watch Ash?

That said, I hate real lying.

Sure, I have a preference for lying if it's funny, but if it's not a joke? Well. There's a whole commandment about that, isn't there?

A Thou Shalt is not something I tend to mess with, when I can help it. Sometimes, you're alone on the subway, and a creepy guy asks if you are, indeed, alone on the subway, and you have to say nope with all the energy of God said he'd be with me always, so I am absolutely not alone.

Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.

"Is there some reason you don't want to come to movie night?" Kassandra asks.

"What gives you that idea? I love movie nights. Pila makes the best brownies." Dread hits me squarely in the chest as I remember that Pila normally goes to movie nights…and…I currently have some feelings to sort through where she's concerned.

Guilt, my ever-present companion, has been choking me at every intersection.

My baby. Her sapling. Nefarious plot points.

It's a lot of gray area.

Just like sweet baby Ash's skin.

After many moments, Kassandra's head pops up over the railing. "What's going on?"

I stop doodling hearts all around the cow and the monster. (Because now they're in love; real friends to lovers story right here.) "I do not know what you are talking about."

"Is there something you aren't telling me about you and Xios?" She's no longer smiling as she looks into my soul—hopefully not literally.

Similar to dream eaters, sandwomen can also freely roam the dream plane. The difference between them is that one can only turn dreams into the shades of nightmares while the other has full range of the imaginable. I have yet to be told that Kassandra is capable of entering my subconscious while I'm awake, though.

So.

That's nice.

Being surrounded by magical creatures when I'm but a normie is such a bother.

Taking a deep breath, I remember that the best liars don't actually lie . "You're going to be disappointed in me."

Her brows dip together. "What's wrong, Zahr?"

"Xios and I aren't together . Yes, he's my soulmate. Yes, he's staying at my house. But it's not in a we jumped into marriage vows or we are living in fornication sort of thing. We're…getting to know each other. I don't really like him all that much romantically right now, so I'm not exactly all for employing my ‘soulmate perks' to coerce him into a movie night that he could have been going to if he wanted to for, what? Months now?"

Clueless innocence consumes Kassandra's brown eyes as she tilts her head. "Exploitation is half the fun of having a soulmate, probably."

"Who even are you? Telling me to exploit your stepson doesn't sound like the Kass I know, who follows all the rules and never does anything wrong ever."

Kassandra deflates. "Zahra, we haven't seen Xios for over a week now. He left before spring break, and he hasn't been back since. I only knew he was okay and in a place with cell phone service before now because he sends the good vibes on that Finch app Pollux and Meda play with him."

I pinch my lips. Alexios hasn't been home for over a week?

"We miss him," she says, softly, pitifully, heart-wrenchingly . "I don't know if he thinks we still don't approve of things between you two, but I know Pollux would like to see him."

Ugh. That gets me in my feels.

And because my brain is evil, I picture a teenage Ash, moving out on his own, then never calling. It is absolutely a different thing, since Alexios was never a child, Kassandra didn't raise him, and he doesn't even claim Pollux as his father, but…still…

They're family.

Good family.

Family that cares about each other.

So, because I am an ooey gooey, useless thing, I say, "I'll…talk to him about it."