Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Sookie's day was getting worse by the minute. The morning had started good enough, sunny sky, warm weather, birds singing and a nice ride to Shreveport's mall. She was looking for a new dress to wear on her twenty second birthday. A pretty white full skirt linen dress with red flowers scattered all around had captured her eyes. She was trying it on when she felt a strange presence just outside the changing booth.
Since she was five, and had moved to her grandmother's house after her parent's death, Sookie had been taught about her fairy ancestry, her grandmother Adele's only secret. The family's connection to the supernatural race has always been both a source of wonder and terror.
Adele's affair with fairy prince Fintan had resulted in two children, both of them lacking any magical traits. The fate befell Sookie. She has what is called the essential spark – powerful magical potential rooted to her very being. She was, because of it, a target before the prince's enemies. Half human children of the fay were not well seen by the Water Clan, main opponents of prince Fintan's Sky Clan. Therefore Sookie had to live hidden with her human family in a little rural Louisiana's town called Bon Temps. She had available, as often as possible, the help and guidance of her grandfather Fintan, especially with her telepathic ability, the only one that had ever manifested. But the girl was yet ignorant about many aspects of the supernatural world, as Fintan saw it as a safety precaution. The less she knew about all the danger that was out there, the better he could prevent her from getting in the middle of conflict.
Things had changed, though. Sookie is a stubborn young lady. Much like Adele, she doesn't like to be left in the dark, as so, even after her grandfather's attempts to keep her ignorant, she knew a thing or two. She was aware of her great-grandfather's reputation and power and of his cold intentions towards his decedents. To Niall Brigant, his kin existed to serve him.
She also knew that the war was costing a height price on the fay and that soon Fintan would not be able to shield her from it. It had been two years since they last saw each other, their only communication these days had been via phone call and letters. He had warned her that, perhaps, an alliance with another race might be necessary to keep Sookie safe, especially from Niall. The telepath knew what the short message she had received from Fintan just a few days before had meant. Soon, he would offer her services as a mind reader to a supernatural political force. At least that's what she thought it would all be, as her grandfather sometimes acts a bit by rules which would only make sense in the dark ages.
So now, even as she happily picked out a new garment, Sookie kept her guard up. And that is how she picked up the strange mental signature closing in on her.
Grabbing her purse, Sookie hastily leaves the changing room and rushes through the store's aisles. She can feel whoever is following her is very close, but she doesn't dare look back to see who it is. The store's alarm doesn't go off as she passes the door's sensors walking fast even though she is still wearing the white dress.
Sookie turns left and heads to a large corridor that leads to the mall's exit door. She is sure that her pursuer won't attempt anything on such a crowded public place. Pretty bad she was wrong about how many people would be filling the corridor. It is empty.
A heavy hand lends on her shoulder on the exact moment she is about to sprint. The hand whirls her around, revealing Sookie's chaser: a dark hair male fairy barring his pointy teeth. He wastes no time superficially cutting her arms and chest with successive rapid movements of a short dagger; Sookie's vision goes foggy, as her limbs begin to lose force. Blood is spilling out of her wounds, even though they shouldn't be causing a grave blood lost. The blade must have been enchanted.
Clawing at his face with all her might, she gets away long enough to run. But she doesn't get far. In a second, the fairy hits her back with an energy blast that illuminates the whole corridor with blue light. Sookie can feel new cuts and bruses forming on her skin. She's on the ground; the impact of the fairy's attack nocked her out of breath. He is getting closer to her, taking his time with short steps as if sensing for any threats.
She can't hear his thoughts, she doesn't have to. She knows his intentions: take her away by any means necessary. She's not valuable dead. Alive she can be used against her family or as a bargain chip with other supernatural races, such as vampires. If the Water Clan gets her, they might as well sell her to a vampire whose alliance they might be seeking. Fairy's blood was a treat to vampires, after all.
The anticipation rolling out of his body about further hurting her is making Sookie gag, paralyzed due the force of the fairy's blast she waits in fear. When he is less than a step from her, a bright white light fills the corridor, momentarily blinding her and her attacker.
Fintan is standing beside Sookie's head.
"Run to the doors", he says while helping the girl up.
The attacker shakes off Fintan's stunt and moves forward holding a sword; Fintan's blocks the fairy's first strike and pushes Sookie behind his back. As the two males engage in a fast battle Sookie runs towards the doors. The store's windows begun to shimmer and crack as the artificial lights on the ceiling goes off. The power of the fairy's eerie magic is making the foundations of the human world to shake.
Stumbling and fighting against the hot pain that's taking her body, Sookie is almost at the double glass doors leading to the parking lot when she hears Fintan's voice inside her head. Turning around she watches his back as he is still fighting the other fairy. "You must fade, child, just like I showed you. Wait for my word. You'll be safe. Now cross the doors."
Sookie knew what those words meant. Fintan was going to use his ability to teleport himself to places on her. It was incredibly difficult to do it like this, with her not on hands reach of him. But it was possible; they had practiced it on every one of his visits since she was ten. Right as she stepped outside the glass doors she felt the familiar pull. She was fading into the air.
Darkness took hold of her.
Silence and then… wind.
Leaves and twigs in the wind. The smell of woods and grass. Birds at a distance. Opening her eyes Sookie hoped to find the front yard of her old farm house. But what she saw made her panic. She's not at the edge of the woods on her grandmother's property. She's at the edge of what seemed like a forest. A forest she had never seen before.