SECOND PLACE WINNER!
Enchantments Contest Entry
Title: Fairies in Forks
Word Count: 10,593
Fantasy Element or Creature: Fairies
Beta: LJ Summers
Summary: Entry for the Enchantments Contest: Fairies in Forks? With wings? Can they really blend in with the humans? Sure they can, as long as they can avoid refined sugar. Canon couples
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
http: / www. fanfiction. net/u/2504895/ Enchantments_Contest
Taking a deep breath, I furled my wings close to my back and slipped the dark green hoodie over my head. The sleeves came nearly to my fingertips and I pushed them up to my elbows. Reaching up I pulled my hair from underneath the fabric and dropped it behind my shoulders. The brown locks cascaded nearly to my waist. I adjusted my plain gold coronet into a headband. Turning this way and that I looked at myself in the oval mirror. Covered by the thick fabric of the sweatshirt and my hair my wings were well hidden.
Gazing into the mirror one more time I took stock of what my fellow students would see when they met me today. Slightly worried brown eyes in a heart-shaped face stared back at me. My jeans didn't look new but they fit well. The black Converse on my feet looked like they had seen better days, but they weren't tattered. I looked like any other teen that I had seen at the mall during my reconnaissance earlier in the week.
I smiled as I looked at the picture on the front of the hoodie. It was Disney's Cinderella Castle with fireworks exploding behind it. A small blonde fairy with a wand hovered over the scene.
My door opened and I felt the brush of air as my best friend flitted in. Her wings (pink and sparkly today to match her short skirt and fitted blouse) were beating rapidly as she hovered beside me, glaring at me in the mirror. I lifted my hand to rearrange one of her dark, spiky locks but she darted away from me.
"Disney? Bella, you're actually wearing a Disney sweatshirt to the school today?" Her voice, even in the midst of anger was lovely.
"Alice dear, it's a hoodie…not a sweatshirt. There's a difference, you know." I smiled into her heated blue eyes. "You're jealous of Tinkerbelle aren't you? You want to trade your black hair for her blonde ponytail."
With a sound that was nearly a snort, Alice whirled and took a seat on top of my canopy bed. The sheer lavender fabric draped across the upper frame there didn't even quiver with her weight as she lightly perched and swung her feet back and forth.
"You're really doing this, aren't you? You're going to school with humans!" Her irritation disappeared and I felt her anxiety wash over me. She knew we had no choice but still felt the need to complain.
"Yes, I am. You know it was either them or spend the months with the elves and I just can't do that. No matter what Tolkien says, they're not a species I want to spend a lot of time with." I shuddered as I thought of the elves I knew. They were truly beautiful but their sense of humor would kill me, probably literally, before my away time was over. Their idea of a good time was to fight with trolls or to jump off of cliffs and to drink themselves silly. Of course if I jumped I could just fly to the ground, or back to the top so that wouldn't be bad. And my skills with a light sword were adequate so I could probably take on a troll or three, but elves were quite sneaky at slipping alcohol into everything and I didn't want to spend the next several months drunk. The thought made me shudder.
I think that's what my Da had banked on when he gave me the choice of spending my away time with them or with the humans.
Away time…it sounded so romantic when the bards sang of it. Away time: time spent away so that our hearts would grow fonder of our own lands and people. The distance making us yearn to be home and all that folderol.
I rolled my eyes. What it really was all about was seeing how tough we were, whether we were the right sort to take the throne and rule our people. It was a way to see how we were at working with other species as that was a big thing for a ruler in our lands. One had to know how to deal with others so that we could have peace and not war.
Yes, I'm a fairy princess. Sounds good, right? We're all about wings and crowns and flitting here and there from flower to flower sprinkling fairy dust everywhere we go; living in La La land (also known as Avalon) in fabulous tree houses with nary a care in the world.
Wrong on so many counts.
I do have wings and I have a fully bejeweled crown for ceremonial events, although I preferred the coronet that was now holding back my hair. A flick of my wrist can cause fairy dust to flutter about and that comes in handy when I need to toss a spell or three. My family doesn't live in Avalon, although we visit yearly.
Our house is not in a tree, but it is a castle-a small one. Our tiny kingdom of Volterra overlaps the area that is known as the Pacific Northwest. We are separate but can step into the human world whenever we wish. Humans can't get into our lands unless brought by a fairy. That's only happened a handful of times.
And, lastly we have many cares.
For instance, was I really suited to help my brother rule our little corner of the world when the time came? My father and mother, King Charles and Queen Renée, were healthy and came from lines of long-lived fairies so I hoped the time wouldn't come anytime soon, but…there's always a "but" isn't there?
What if something happened to my brother, Emmett? He was the Crown Prince but if something happened to him, I would be next in line. What if the trolls or the ogres or the goblins decided to try and take over our kingdom? What if I didn't make the right decisions if there were a battle? What if our people hated me? What if I was bad at ruling?
Dramatic sigh…All would be lost. I was only partially being a drama queen. I really was scared of these things to differing degrees.
When I found myself brooding over such questions, Alice would usually say, "What if none of that happens? Emmett is strong and everyone loves him. They love you, too." Then she'd laugh and ask, "What if it started raining sugar water?"
She always knew how to cheer me up. Yeah, who else worries about sugar rain, right? It never has rained sugar water, but it could happen and that could be the end of us.
The fairytales don't have it right. It's not iron that kills fairies, but sugar, refined sugar…granulated, powdered, brown and cubes. You're laughing, right? Do you know why there are so few fairies in Hawaii? Yep, all those sugarcane fields. And in the United States there are a lot of places in the southernmost states that we just don't go. You guessed it…places that grow sugar cane. Germany in the sugar beet season is also a no-go for us.
It's kind of silly to not go places just because they grow sugarcane, because we actually have to ingest it to be harmed. It was probably just some archaic tradition that we all adhered to just because we always had. Still, it made me shudder and I wouldn't willingly go near a sugarcane field.
Alice fluttered down from her perch on my bed and reached for my hands. Her away time would start in a couple of weeks and she would join me in high school, with the humans. Her father had offered her time with the trolls, like that would happen. She was always lamenting their fashion sense. She'd begged and been allowed to join me with the humans.
My brother Emmett had chosen to spend his away time with the elves…he said it was the best months of his life. He had spent most of it drunk and had only broken his leg once when he and a dozen elves jumped out of the largest tree in their kingdom into a pond at the base of it. He could have used his wings to save himself, but he said that would have been cheating. The elves had immediately adopted him as one of their own. He had fit in so well: drinking, carousing, pranking everyone in sight.
Emmett is the stereotypical Crown Prince; he really was born to lead. Everyone loves him, he's bright and charismatic. I'm much quieter. I try to keep the peace and blend into the background when I can. I liked to work behind the scenes, getting things set up while he was the face of Volterra. It suited us both.
Alice held her hand palm up to me and I pressed my own to hers. It was our greeting and our parting and spoke of how much we cared about each other.
Her blue eyes searched mine earnestly. We were so close in age and so grateful that we were able to endure our away time together. She finally asked, "Okay, you're going to scope it out and break the ice for me, too, right?"
"Yes, Alice dear…I'm going to scope it out and break the ice. Although this is Forks, Washington and there shouldn't be any ice to worry about. Rain, yes, ice, not often. If there is ice I certainly hope that I don't break anything of mine on it!" I winked at her as I gave her hands a little squeeze. "Don't worry. They're humans, how bad could it be?"
I hoped that those wouldn't become famous last words. I was a bit nervous because humans don't really know the truth about the supernatural. They have some ideas and theories, but they are farfetched in both fairytales and in their movies. The other species I could have spent my away time with do know about us. This would be quite the adventure, living among a species that doesn't know I'm a real fairy. I basically get to pretend to be human for the next several months. Should be fun, right?
I had already said goodbye to Da and Mama earlier this morning, so I gave Alice another hug and flicked my hand at the mirror. I walked into the shower of fairy dust and through the glass, stepping out into my bedroom in the modest house that we had acquired for our away time. Glancing over my shoulder I saw Alice, a worried little frown on her face, waving at me through the last of the dust and then she was gone, leaving only my own reflection staring back at me.
This room was much smaller than mine in the castle, but it was cute with purple and lilac touches. I shook my shoulders, making sure that my wings were safely away and then I headed downstairs to get ready to leave for my first day of school.
Kate and her husband Garrett met me at the bottom of the stairs. They had been friends of my family for many years and were looking forward to spending this time away with me and Alice. They had studied humans extensively in the past and were looking forward to seeing what changes had occurred in the thirty-two years since they last visited. The three of us had, in Alice's words, scoped out the area for the past month, finding the house and getting it set up for the four of us.
Alice had come with us a time or two when we went shopping for things for the house. She already knew that that was going to be a highlight to her stay. Her own room was set up in pinks and greens.
Kate handed me a brown sack. "Here's your lunch, Princess Bella, be sure not to eat anything that is offered to you. Practically everything that human teens eat has sugar in it. If you absolutely have to accept something, stick with fresh fruit; that should be safe enough."
"Kate, it's just Bella," I said as I rolled my eyes. I had seen teens rolling their eyes a lot in the past month. After hugging her I turned to Garrett where he stood beside the front door.
"These are the keys to the vehicle that King Charles has acquired for you. You remember your driving lessons, right?" He handed me a set of keys and opened the door. A black Volvo SUV sat in the driveway. Apparently although it was sporty, it was also very safe.
"Yes, Garrett, I remember the lessons and I'll try to avoid driving over any humans while I'm on the road; all other mythical creatures are on their own." I gave him a swift hug as he laughed and headed to the school.
While I drove the short distance I went over the things that I hoped to accomplish during this away time.
First, I had to keep the secret of who I was. It wouldn't be good to let the humans know that a real Fairy Princess was in town. I really didn't want to be carted off to some top secret laboratory and dissected. Hey, I've seen the movies! It could happen. I also didn't want to become a celebrity. I could picture the headlines now: Fairy Princess spills her secrets today on Oprah.
Second, I wanted to blend in with the humans. Emmett and Alice liked the limelight; me, not so much. Of course I was used to being on display, Fairy Princess and all, but it wasn't fun for me.
Third, I really wanted to get to know what made humans tick. I knew the other magical creatures through and through, but humans were a mystery to me. Kate and Garrett were fascinated and had told me many stories about them. It was going to be interesting to learn about them firsthand. Even though we didn't interact with them regularly, unlike the other supernatural folk, we did come into contact with them and needed to be able to deal with them. It's funny, their President knows about us, but very few others…and who would believe him?
Fourth, I wanted to find out if I had any skills. I was always the peacekeeper and I wondered if that really was my gift. Emmett was a born leader; Alice brought joy to everyone and that was gift enough.
I really wanted to spread my wings, theoretically, and find myself. Maybe I'd be able to do that here, amongst the humans.
~!~!~!~
Stepping into the cafeteria I wondered where I should sit as I'd had a few invitations over the course of the morning. My first day had been interesting so far. Humans were a funny lot. Or maybe it was just high school? So many of them had wanted to be close to me and their reasons were intriguing. Some wanted to be seen with the "new girl," some wanted to check out the competition (!), some wanted to put the moves on me and a couple really wanted to be my friend. My years of being a Princess of Volterra had served me well. I had been kind to everyone as I met them, but hadn't allowed anyone to get too close. I had decided to keep a bit of distance until I really knew their motives.
I could tell that for many of them it was the novelty of the newbie, their name describing me. They were not sincere in their attempts to befriend me. One of them that had appeared sincere was Angela Weber. I caught her eye as I stood at the door, hesitating. She smiled and motioned me over.
I smiled in return as I settled into the seat next to her. I could feel the eyes of the student body on me and I twitched a bit, hoping that my wings were well away.
"Hi, Bella, how has your morning gone?" Angela and I had first hour together and I hadn't seen her since.
Opening my sack lunch I thought over her question. I had already noticed that the school was teeming with anxiety. Maybe it was in need of my peacekeeping skills.
"Well, the work looks like it will be easy enough, but having been homeschooled I'm finding all of these people surrounding me to be a bit of a shock!" I laughed quietly as I took out my lunch. Kate had packed me a chicken wrap, an apple and a bottle of water. No refined sugar to be seen.
Angela was eating a sandwich and had a couple of cookies, surely full of refined sugar, in a baggie on the table too. "It probably didn't help that a thousand eyes were on you," she said with a gentle smile.
"Well, I guess it was to be expected. Coming in the middle of the year and all," I said before taking a bite of my wrap. It was mid-January, the holidays were over and the students were looking for something else to capture their attention. And here I was. As long as I kept my secret, it shouldn't be too bad.
"At least you won't have to deal with being the new kid for very long, I've heard that two boys are coming just before Valentine's Day. They're seniors too. That will take the spotlight off of you," Angela offered.
Deciding not to mention Alice's visit right now, I nodded at Angela's information but before I could ask her about the tension that I felt and saw around me, a few more students came and sat down at our table. I recognized them from my classes: Jessica, Lauren, Ben and Mike. I caught a glance between Ben and Angela before they both quickly looked away.
Ah, some of the tension was probably because they liked each other, but weren't acknowledging it. That's something I could work with.
Fairy magic couldn't make someone fall in love, but if the urges were there, I could certainly give it a push in the right direction. That would be peacekeeping, right?
Looking around the table I saw more of those feelings being broadcast. Jessica wanted Mike, who was clueless. Lauren was looking at some guy at another table, Tyler I think his name was. And Mike was looking at me like I was a shiny new toy. Uh oh!
Thinking back on how my fellow students had acted during class, it occurred to me that besides their love lives, the students were worried about grades, homework and their futures. Not everything could be handled with fairy dust, but surely I could give a little nudge where I could, to help these humans feel a bit more at peace with their situations.
I would certainly give it some thought.
The kids at the table asked why I had moved to Forks and I told them the story that we had decided on: I had been homeschooled because my parents travelled a lot for business. I had decided to give high school a shot and I was staying with my aunt and uncle for the rest of the school year. Making a decision, I told them that my best friend would be arriving soon. I said that her parents were in the same line of business as mine. A bit of fairy dust ensured that they didn't question me further.
Alice would be glad to know that I had broken the ice for her. Everyone was excited to think that another girl would soon be around for them to gossip about, I mean, get to know. Everyone but Angela, that is. She was happy that I was going to have my best friend with me. I made a mental note to get to know her better. She was very nice.
When lunch was over, I walked to my next class which was biology. It was fascinating. We got to look through a microscope at onion root slides. My partner, Mike, and I had a fun time passing the scope back and forth between us. We finished first and the teacher gave us a gold spray painted onion. At least it wasn't a sugar beet! Mike, with a cocky smile on his face, told me I could keep it.
Again: uh oh! He was showing a lot of interest of a romantic nature toward me. I'd have to push him toward Jessica soon. Maybe he just needed a bit of encouragement in that direction. An idea came to me and before I could change my mind, I acted on it and dropped my notebook off the desk and at his feet.
"Here, Bella, let me get that for you," he said as he leaned over and picked it up. Before Mike had fully straightened with the book in his hand, I flicked my wrist and released a small amount of fairy dust. He got a face full just as he sat up. A slightly glazed look filled his blue eyes.
I waited a moment and then got his attention. "Mike, I think that's a great idea! Jessica told me that she hoped you'd ask her out this weekend and I think a movie on Friday night would thrill her." I took my notebook out of his slack hand as he shook his head slightly.
"You do? You think that Jessica would say yes if I asked her out?" Confusion was rapidly replaced by an enthusiastic grin across Mike's face.
"Oh yes, I do think she'd love it, Mike." I reached out and patted him gently on the shoulder. "I'm glad you asked me about it. You should ask her now, you know, so she can really look forward to it."
"I think I'll do that! Thanks, Bella, it was good of you to help me out." Mike gathered his books and rushed out into the hallway.
I followed slowly behind him and saw Jessica just as he caught up with her. Even though I couldn't hear what he said, I saw the smile on her face and saw her nodding her head.
I turned and walked toward my gym class, mentally dusting my hands. Hopefully that would take care of his little crush on me and maybe they both would feel some happiness in the situation.
Since it was my first gym class I got to sit out and watch them play volleyball. We played something similar in Volterra, but our net was three stories high and we played it vertically instead of horizontally. Watching the students play on the floor was interesting. It also came to my notice that there was no way to hide my wings under the uniform…it was a t-shirt and shorts. There wouldn't be enough material to mask my wings, no matter how tightly I kept them furled.
I needed to get out of this class, quickly. Catching the coach's eye, I asked him if I could go to the office. He let me go and I soon found myself with Mrs. Cope, the secretary. A little fairy dust and I was transferred to librarian assistant. That would work out nicely. I could help with shelving books and read in my free time.
The next several days passed smoothly. I'd chat with Alice through the looking glass in the mornings (yes, I get the pun there) and then attend school, coming home to do my homework and then eating dinner. Kate was having a good time serving Garrett and me all kinds of different meals each evening. They were both enjoying mingling with humans again as they shopped and worked in the yard. Nearly every neighbor had dropped by to welcome them to the area.
On Friday I had heard that there was going to be a history quiz. Several of the students were worried about how it was going to go, even though many of them had studied for it. Of course I couldn't guarantee them a good grade, but I could give them a shot of confidence. That would ensure that they did their best.
As I approached the room, I dropped my books on the floor and took my time gathering them up. When the last of the students entered the room, so did I. The teacher had a fan set up near the door to move the air around. I stopped just before it and made a gasping sound. Everyone, including the teacher looked at me.
"Is it snowing?" I exclaimed. As if it were choreographed, the humans all looked to the window just as I flicked my wrist and released a goodly amount of fairy dust in front of the fan.
The teacher was the first to look back at me with that slightly glazed look, followed by the rest of the class. I allowed a short pause before saying, "Sorry, guess I was just seeing things. But now we can all concentrate and I know that we'll do well on the test."
Mr. Morris shook his head and concurred, "Yes, I have faith that you will all do well. Ms. Swan, take your seat and we'll get to it."
I felt confidence surge throughout the room, even from the two guys in the back row who hadn't studied at all. At least they'd now be able to guess with confidence.
That little adventure was a success, as was the tiny push I gave to Mike to get to know Jessica better. The two of them had been getting closer and closer all week. All she could talk about was their date on Friday. Angela and I both encouraged her to have a good time.
Deciding that my next project was Angela and Ben, I made sure that they sat across from each other at lunch on Friday: More opportunity for eye contact.
Before the rest of the gang arrived I asked them a favor. "Angela, Ben…I was wondering if you two could help me out."
Both of them looked at me, and like the good people they are they both agreed, before I could even tell them what it was I needed.
"Sure, Bella, whatever you need," Angela said over the top of Ben saying the same thing.
"Wow…so you will help me spork the principal's lawn?" The look on both of their faces was priceless. I let that comment sit just a moment before I let them off the hook. "No, sillies, I want to explore Port Angeles tomorrow, but I really don't want to do it on my own. Would you two come with me and show me around?"
The relief radiating off of the two of them was immense as they agreed to come with me.
I told them that I'd pick them both up in the morning and we finished out the day.
I'd decided to let Ben drive. I figured they could sit in the front and get to know each other outside of school. My matchmaking skills wouldn't even need a bit of fairy dust in this situation.
The next morning Ben was thrilled to be driving my new SUV. I had to coerce Angela into sitting in the front, but then we had a great day. They showed me around and then we had lunch. It was a lot of fun being with them. They were rather shy at school, but soon everyone relaxed and the conversation flowed easily. I saw them touch hands a time or two, also. Yes, no fairy dust necessary.
On Sunday I took a walk in the woods behind our house. It was nice to be out in the forest. It was cold but still lovely as the rain held off for the afternoon. I reached a small meadow and decided to stretch my wings. Removing my hoodie, I unfurled my wings and swept them out. It felt good to be in the air again as I flew around the perimeter of the meadow a couple of times. Deciding to sit awhile, I perched on the top of a towering evergreen, my wings idly brushing the air behind me.
My first week with the humans had gone well. There was the slightest lessening of anxiety in the halls. I'd keep my eyes open for other opportunities to bring my peacekeeper tendencies out. I laughed, it was much better than staying drunk for months with the elves!
~!~!~!~
That night I was sitting in front of my mirror, waiting to talk to Alice. A bright flash of fairy dust flew from the frame and Alice was there on the other side. Her wings were snapping to and fro and excitement was flowing from her.
Before I could say a word she was through the glass and hugging me and fluttering us up around the middle of the room, near the ceiling. "Alice? What are you doing?" I laughed as we tumbled about.
"Bella! I just heard that two more fairies are coming to Forks and you'll never guess who!" She finally let us settle on my bed but before I could even begin to guess she was flitting here and there, too excited to sit.
I opened my mouth to speak, but she again overrode my words. "We met them last year in Avalon," her words were coming so fast I had to concentrate to understand her. "He was so gorgeous and I think he liked me too. I did mention to him that we were going to be here, but I never even hoped that they'd get to come too."
A guess began to form in my mind. Last year when we visited Avalon, Alice had been smitten with a honey-haired fairy from a neighboring kingdom. They had been inseparable during our visit and I know she hoped that he would approach her father when the time came. My smile widened when I thought about the opportunities they'd have here.
"So, Jasper is coming to Forks for his away time too?" The words had scarcely left my lips before I was knocked onto my back by a happily squealing fairy. Good thing my curtains were closed, the neighbors would have been treated to quite the show otherwise.
"Yes! And his friend, Prince Edward, is going to be joining him! They already have a house and everything. They'll be coming a week after me!" It took several minutes for Alice to calm down enough to fill me in.
Jasper had asked his parents if he could come and, once given permission, he had coerced Prince Edward into asking his parents too. Apparently all of the parents had gotten together and decided that having us look out for each other during our away time was a good thing.
Forks was being invaded by the Fae, oh my.
~!~!~!~
It was the end of my second week in Forks and the students were twittering like a flock of birds. Alice was due on Monday and the two boys at the end of the week and the speculation was rife.
"Angela," I whispered to her at lunch, "was it like this before I arrived?"
She laughed and nodded. Ben leaned around Angela, they had taken to sitting next to each other, and said, "The guys are thrilled with another girl coming and the girls can't wait for the new guys." He leaned close to Angela's ear and whispered, "You don't care about them, do you?"
I could practically feel the heat from the blush that lit her cheeks as she gave him a little peck on his chin, "Nope, I've got you."
They were so cute together. Yes, that was a mission accomplished for sure.
There was a Ladies' Choice Valentine's Day Dance coming up the week after Edward and Jasper were due to arrive and the girls had held off asking guys to go with them in the hopes that the new guys would be hot and available. The male students were already annoyed with the newcomers and they hadn't even met them yet. They were all plotting to get close to Alice as I had rebuffed their advances with small amounts of fairy dust. The way the scheming was spiraling out of control, I didn't think there was enough fairy dust in all of Volterra to calm the masses down. The best I could hope for was to avoid getting caught up in the fray.
I'd already told Alice about the dance and she was going to ask Jasper to go with her. I could already imagine that the girls at school would want to beat her up. Especially since I knew how cute he was. Not quite as handsome as Edward, but still pretty cute.
Wait, I shouldn't even think such things about Edward. I hadn't let Alice know that just as she had been smitten with Jasper, Edward had set my wings to quivering when we met last year. Every time I caught sight of his copper hair that always looked like he had just tumbled out of bed and his deep green eyes had caused my heart to beat erratically. He had been very proper and casual, so I hadn't hoped for a relationship. Well, for that reason and also because he would be the ruler of his part of the world and his queen would have to step into the spotlight with him. I kept trying to balance his attractiveness with being in that kind of situation in my mind. Since he hadn't pursued me last year, I figured that I wouldn't actually have to make a decision like that anyway. That left me just liking him from afar…and it would probably be the same when he was here.
He probably wouldn't have much time for me anyway, not with the way the human girls were making plans to get close to the newbies. I chuckled lightly, if nothing else, this would be quite the show. I wondered how they would fit in as humans. It should be an interesting couple of months.
~!~!~!~
Starting from the first moment that she stepped into the school, Alice charmed every person she came into contact with, and she didn't even use any fairy dust. We shared most of our classes, but she had art while I helped in the library.
In our first hour, students swarmed around her like bees to flowers. She made everyone feel like they were her best friend. I just shook my head and basked in the warmth of having her here. It was like that in every class.
We walked with Angela into the lunchroom. Calls came from every direction, "Alice! Come and sit with me!" "Hey, Alice, we saved you a seat…" "Over here, Alice!"
She waved and smiled and followed Angela and I to our regular table. With a relieved sigh, she sat down beside me and across from Angela. A deep breath blew her bangs out of her face and she laughed quietly. "Bella, you told me about your first day and all I can say is that I'm glad that you're here with me." The rest of our regular tablemates sat down and the conversation was lively until Jessica mentioned the boys were coming on Friday.
Every sound ceased when Alice chirped, "Oh, I know. Bella and I met Jasper and Edward last year. All of our parents know each other and Jasper's dad is sending him here because we're here. He's already told me that he'll go to that Girls' Choice Dance next week with me."
Yep, you could have heard a pin drop as her words fell into one of those dead zones. The guys who had met Alice were broken hearted to think that she was unavailable. The female student body hadn't even met the guys yet and they were beyond jealous and I could feel anger start to rise around us.
I wondered briefly if I could use the, "Hey, it's snowing" line again when I looked and, sure enough, there was snow coming down! A few kids closer to the windows started yelling and the spell was broken. Although there were lots of girls with narrowed eyes looking at us instead of out the window at the snow.
My peacekeeping skills were going to be in sharp demand soon.
The bell rang and I held Alice back as the room emptied. "We need to do some damage control here. The girls were really counting on making the moves on the guys. Now you've already snapped one up. Not to mention the guys that were already crushing on you are disappointed." Alice looked shocked at my words.
Quickly I filled her in on the human responses that were going wild around us. She agreed that something needed to be done; we just didn't know what yet.
"Now I wish that we had an elf or two here. They'd be able to slip something into the drinking fountain water that would take the edge off of the anger!" I snarked.
"Bella! That wouldn't help, well-not for long anyway. We need another plan." The cafeteria was nearly empty and we had to hustle to get to class. A sly smile crossed Alice's face as she said, "I know, we'll tell everyone know that Edward is available and looking for Ms. Right, or at least, Ms. Right Now."
I gasped softly at her words. I didn't want him to be looking for anyone else, but she didn't know that. At the sound I made, her face took on a speculative look and her eyes narrowed. I could see the wheels turning and began to worry.
"You need to get yourself out there too, Bella. The human males that you've been dusting into thinking that you're just a friend need a chance too." The gasp that left my lips at her words was much louder and I dragged her into the ladies restroom right beside the biology class. We'd be a little late, but I had to nip this in the bud.
"Hey, you can't throw me to the wolves too! It's bad enough that you're planning to use Edward to take the spotlight off of you and Jasper. But you can't seriously expect me to date and do stuff with these human boys!" I was almost stuttering in my shock.
"No, silly, not and stuff…just the odd date or three." With a smirk, she slipped out the door and left me there, wide eyed and amazed.
~!~!~!~
We had an easy lab in biology that left us with free time at the end. Alice immediately began implementing her "Throw Edward (and Bella) to the Wolves" campaign. Her words manipulated the students into thinking that Edward was a nice guy looking for his SO. He was a nice guy, but I had no idea if he was looking for a girlfriend. He wouldn't know what hit him when he arrived.
And I had been worried that that time with the elves would kill me. Who knew that I should have been worried about my best friend? By the time we separated, her to art and me to the library, five girls knew that they were the girl that Edward was looking for. And three guys walked me to the library doors.
I seriously considered finding a sugar cube to force feed that annoying little fairy.
~!~!~!~
The week flew by as Alice accepted a coffee date on our behalf with Tyler and Eric on Tuesday. On Wednesday after school we sat on swings at the park and chatted with Matt, Derrick, Mike and Jessica. Thursday afternoon was spent wandering through the very small Forks Museum with Kevin, Andrew, Angela and Ben.
She told each of them that we just wanted to get to know the students. She also talked Edward up to anyone that would listen. I caught her smiling when she noticed me gritting my teeth, which made me loosen my jaw immediately. Yes, a chocolate chip cookie with extra chips might just find its way onto her lunch tray.
~!~!~!~
By the time Friday arrived the school was a humming hive of anticipation. Jasper had chatted with Alice a couple of times via her bedroom mirror. He had admitted that he and Edward were excited and just a little nervous about starting school with the humans. She hadn't warned them about the ambush that awaited them.
When I asked why she hadn't, she shrugged and said, "Baptism by fire. We'll see what they're made of, won't we? Isn't that what the away time is for?"
Evil, she was just evil. But she made me laugh.
The parking lot was crowded when we got there; the students were waiting outside to see the new arrivals. Several of them stood with us, hoping to get an introduction to them through us. I just hoped that they had been given driving lessons, too, so that their arrival didn't take out half the student body.
A roar caught our attention and two motorcycles turned into the lot. I heard the whispers from the guys, Ducati, and had no clue what they were talking about. A few more awed comments filled me in. The motorcycles were Ducatis. I was more interested in the riders. They were both wearing black leather jackets; one with insets of green and the other of blue. Looking closely, I could see that the colored designs were the crests of their realms.
They pulled into the space next to my SUV. Alice squealed as Jasper took his helmet off and shook out his curly locks. His smile was wide as she skipped-yes she skipped-to his side. Even sitting on the bike, he was taller than she was.
I felt the sigh that rushed through the student body as the two of them greeted each other. As disappointed as they all were that these two were already taken, no one could doubt the connection there.
Still smiling, I shifted my attention to the other rider. Edward's eyes found mine as he tipped his helmet off into his hands. I restrained the gasp that tried to escape my throat. He was even more gorgeous than my memories of him; all copper haired and green eyes and that gorgeous jaw line. Just as I was starting forward to greet him, Lauren stepped around me and rushed to his side, neatly knocking me out of the way.
Her hand caressed the leather on his shoulder as she introduced herself. "Hi there, I'm Lauren." Her voice grated on my nerves. I wondered why I hadn't noticed that shrill sound in her tone before.
With a subtle nod to me, Edward looked down and said, "Hi, I'm Edward; nice to meet you, Lauren." The floodgates then opened and I was shuttled further back in the crowd as nearly the entire student body rushed forward to meet them. Jasper kept Alice tucked close to his side as everyone introduced themselves.
With a shake of my head, I turned and entered the school. There would be plenty of time to greet them later, at least I hoped so.
At lunch I was again on the outskirts of the crowd around Alice, Jasper and Edward. I tried to convince myself that I liked being there, out of the spotlight. Alice tried to draw me closer, but her campaign throughout the week had worked very well. There simply was no room for me.
During my last class, I was detained. A huge load of books arrived and the librarian asked for my help in sorting them before she shelved them. I sent Alice a text telling her that I'd be a few more minutes. She sent me a text back saying that Jasper was giving her a ride home, so not to worry about rushing.
Knowing that I wasn't going to get to say hi, or bye, to the boys left me feeling rather flat. Not having a reason to rush, I offered to help shelve the books too. The librarian was happy for the assistance and we worked quietly together.
When I finally got home, Alice wasn't there yet. Kate said that she was with the guys at their place and that she'd be back a bit later. Deciding that I needed to regroup I told Kate that I'd go for a flight. She nodded and said that dinner would be ready in a couple of hours.
I changed into something that would give my wings freedom and headed out into the woods. The meadow was quiet and frosty. At night when we had the curtains closed we'd move about inside the house with our wings free. It felt okay, but there is nothing like flying through the air. Several laps around the field and I finally began to feel more at ease. I flew high and then tucked my wings as I dove back down. Catching a draft I darted back up.
On my next pass I was startled when a shape came at me from between the trees. I immediately headed for the sky and safety. A soft call caused me to look over my shoulder and I stopped in midair, my wings fluttering behind me.
"So, this is where you come to play, Princess Bella?" Edward's wings were sweeping lazily in the air as he approached me, his palm held out and facing up.
His eyes matched the deep green of his wings as he waited for me to return his greeting. Slowly I came close and pressed my palm to his. Before I could withdraw my hand, he turned his palm and laced our fingers together.
Smiling, he continued, "I missed meeting up with you today. Alice told us that she had been doing damage control and had talked me up…some. I can't imagine what it must have been like for you to come into the school alone!"
"Alice has been a busy little pixie since she arrived. She should have warned you both, but thought it would be a good test." I laughed at his expression. I think he was still shocked over the intensity of the interest directed at him all day.
"Well, I hope my parents know how we handled ourselves. Maybe they'll cut our away time down some." Tugging gently on my hand he inclined his head toward the sky in invitation. I nodded and we flew higher into the darkening atmosphere, catching up on what we'd been doing since we had last met. I tried not to think about how nice it felt to be holding his hand. We were just friends after all.
~!~!~!~
Alice was waiting at the back door when I arrived home, anxiously fluttering about. Kate made us sit to eat while we told them about the day. Garrett laughed at the descriptions of the students pursuing Edward and Kate admonished Alice for being so mean to him.
"You just wanted to see him squirm, didn't you?" she asked. Alice and I both laughed as she nodded.
"If anyone from home asks, Kate, you can tell them that both Jasper and Edward did well. Being kind, but keeping the students at a bit of a distance. Although I'm not sure the female students are going to let him stay that way." Although I tried to keep my tone light, I once again saw Alice studying me. That couldn't be good.
Alice smiled slyly. "I only had to dust a couple of girls that were rather handsy with Jasper. Poor Edward had to fend for himself. This will be a good lesson for him."
~!~!~!~
The guys came to our house for dinner on Saturday. I could see the bond becoming deeper between Alice and Jasper each time they met. They positively glowed when they were together. A couple of times I caught Edward looking in my direction. He'd smile and nod when he'd catch me and my cheeks would heat a bit. I kept trying to convince myself that it just meant we were friends.
On Sunday the four of us went to their place. Jasper's aunt and uncle were their guardians. His Aunt Irina and Kate chatted about the local foods and exchanged recipes while his Uncle Laurent, Garrett and the guys spent a lot of time in the garage talking Ducati motorcycles.
I was pleased on Monday when I found myself sitting with the rest of the Fae at lunchtime. Alice had saved seats for me and Angela. Even with Ben beside her, I caught Angela staring at Edward before she shook her head and gave Ben a soft smile and a quick kiss. It was hard to eat lunch with all the students coming by and chatting.
Between the last two classes of the day, I saw Edward up against a locker with a trapped look on his face. Lauren was in front of him yammering on about the dance. That tight feeling filled my chest again but before it could hurt too badly I saw a brief flash of fairy dust and Lauren quieted down. After a quick check of the hallway to see if anyone was watching, Edward made eye contact with me, winked and then looked back down at Lauren.
"Lauren, I think that's a great idea! You should ask Tyler to go to the dance with you. I know he'd love your invitation." Edward's voice was soft as velvet as he made his suggestion.
Lauren nodded her head briefly and then said, "Thanks for your help, Edward. I think he'd like that, too!" Clutching her books close to her chest, Lauren hurried off in search of Tyler. The hallway was deserted as everyone else was already in class.
Edward smiled as he came close to me. "That's the fifth girl that I've had to redirect today. There are a lot of smiling guys in this school because of me."
"Don't you want to go to the dance, Edward? It should be fun," I teased him gently.
"I do want to go to the dance, but not with any of them. The right girl hasn't asked yet." His eyes caught mine and I was surprised by the look there as I tried to analyze it.
"Who do you want to go with?" My voice was breathy and I felt like a regular teenage girl in that moment.
"Well, she has wings to fly with…" His voice was a gentle rasp in my ears and I thought I might just take flight right there in the school hallway. My wings rustled and I had to will them to stay furled.
"So, you want to go with Alice?" I asked, trying to play it cool.
"Do you want Jasper to kill me? Or throw me to the trolls?" A feigned look of shock was on his face and I had to giggle just a little. "Please, put me out of my misery and just ask me, Princess Bella."
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I made a formal request, "Prince Edward, would you attend the Ladies Choice Dance with me this Saturday?"
Chuckling, he said, "Let me check my calendar…"
That's when I smacked him in the arm and turned with a huff to enter the library.
Edward caught my hand and held it close to his chest as he looked deeply into my eyes. "Bella, I'd love to go to the dance with you. You'll be the prettiest girl there."
~!~!~!~
We both dusted a few more of the students toward others on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before letting people know that we were going to the dance together. By then everyone else was more or less paired up and it wasn't the shock it had been when Alice announced her date choice.
A few people looked confused for a few moments, but then shook it off. Fairy dust is a powerful thing and I was glad I had it at my disposal.
On Friday afternoon my parents announced via our mirror chat that they and Emmett were going to come in the morning and spend the weekend with us. They thought it was about time to see how my away time was coming along. That sent Kate into a frenzy of cleaning and meal planning. She called Irina in to help even though my parents told her to keep it low-key. Alice and I were enlisted to help tidy that evening and wings were unfurled as we flitted around the house.
The next morning, Da and Emmett enjoyed playing with my SUV and Garrett took them on a short road trip. They returned with Emmett at the wheel and Da looking a bit worse for wear. Apparently Emmett liked to drive fast. No humans or other creatures were harmed so it was considered a good jaunt.
Later that afternoon Mama and Kate helped Alice and I get ready for the dance. She had brought dresses for us from home. We had decided to be somewhat avant-garde and to wear our wings out, like accessories. It would have been better if this was October and a Halloween dance, but we'd make do. The next dance would probably have several girls wearing wings of their own. We'd be trend setters.
Alice was wearing a lovely short blue dress and her wings were blue to match. She said that Jasper had a blue vest that would tone well with her outfit. Mama had asked what color dress I wanted and I had immediately said dark green. She had laughed and asked if it was a statement as to where my heart was leading. My blush said it all. I had it on good authority—Alice's—that Edward's vest would look nice with my dress. Mama had dusted my wings and they sparkled like green ice. Alice and I both wore coronets that sparkled with gems. None of the students would know that a king's ransom sat atop each of our curls.
The boys had picked up my SUV earlier in the day to drive us to the dance. Riding on the back of the bikes would not have been fun in our evening dresses. Da and Emmett met them at the door and we heard them discussing their away time so far. He also stressed our curfew, which was our cue to make our grand entrance.
Mama and Kate joined the men at the bottom of the stairs. After a moment, Alice and I walked down together. I couldn't take my eyes off of Edward. He had made an effort to tame his hair and I immediately wanted to muss it up for him.
Kate did the human thing and took pictures of them pinning corsages to our dresses. Both Edward and Jasper's cheeks were pink under my parents' scrutiny. Sniffing the blossoms appreciatively, I thanked Edward for the sprig of freesia on my shoulder.
Goodbyes were offered and I had to look twice at Emmett as he said, "Have a good time, no matter what." He just shrugged and laughed when I looked at him intently. Heaving a deep sigh, I wondered what he had up his sleeves. I decided that I'd warn the others when we got into the SUV.
~!~!~!~
The dance was in full swing when we arrived. Greetings were called to us from every side as we entered. The girls gushed over our wings. It was nice to be so welcomed. Red and white streamers hung from the ceiling, intertwined with fairy lights. Yes, that's what they are called. It made me smile.
We had danced a couple of times and were standing with a small group of humans when the lights blinked a couple of times before going out for several moments. The chaperones were calling for calm just as the lights came back on. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. Something was happening, but I didn't know what it was yet.
The four of us made eye contact and began looking around. Nothing seemed amiss but we were on our guard. The music began again and we paired up and danced at opposite ends of the gym floor, scanning our surroundings.
After the next dance we all noticed that the levels of hilarity had risen dramatically. Less people were dancing and more were holding little red cups of punch as they stood around the edges of the floor. Tugging Edward's hand, I pulled him toward the punch table. Taking a brimming cup from the grinning freshman manning the table I sniffed it delicately and rolled my eyes as Edward did the same. A familiar alcoholic aroma filled my nose.
Turning to each other we both exclaimed as one, "Elves!"
Alice and Jasper were at our sides immediately as I continued quietly, "Emmett had that look about him. I should have known that he'd been in collusion with them. He probably saw this dance as a prime opportunity to wreak a bit of havoc."
Even as I spoke the, crowd, including the chaperones, was getting wilder. The dancing was getting beyond risqué and we could see couples pairing off, not even pretending to look for privacy as their lips locked and their hands began to roam.
I heard laughter and looked up at the top of the bleachers. It was in shadow but I saw Emmett and five elves sitting there, pointing and laughing at the human orgy that was unfolding before them. Following my gaze my companions hissed.
That caught Emmett's attention and suddenly he was airborne and fluttering over the crowd on the floor. The elves, after a glance at me, hightailed it down the bleachers and out the door on the far side of the gym from us. Their musical laughter reached me as the door slammed behind them. I'd let Da deal with them later. Right now I had to corral my brother.
The dancers were now looking up at the ceiling where my brother hovered, his silver wings catching the light rather like a disco ball.
If only the people of Volterra could see him now, I sighed to myself. Maybe he thought that the saying, What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas could be adapted to the human world.
The crowd was laughing as they pointed at him, even as they sipped more of the polluted punch. They really didn't believe what they were seeing.
A brief conference with Alice and Jasper had them going to the refreshment table and taking the punch ladle from the still grinning server. He fought to keep hold of it, but Alice finally got it away from him. A swift consultation between the two and I saw the flash of fairy dust over the bowl. I was pretty sure that they had altered it to be an antidote to the elves' alcoholic additions.
Fluttering my wings, I began to hover a few inches off the floor. The students near me just giggled and pointed at me. Edward grasped my hand and asked, "Do you want me to come up too?"
Smiling my thank you to him, I shook my head no. "I'll take care of him. If you would get Alice and Jasper prepared to fling some fairy dust when I tell you to, that would be helpful."
He nodded and went to stand next to them. They were ladling out the antidote punch to everyone that came looking for more of the spiked drink. I needed to get Emmett down before it began to work on them.
A few firm strokes of my wings brought me level with my brother. He was grinning at me as he waved at the crowd below us.
I rolled my eyes and asked, "Just what do you think you're doing, Crown Prince Emmett?" It seemed a good idea to try and reach his inner King.
"Hello, Princess Bella," he chuckled as he swept a little farther away from me. "This seems like a good test of your skills, don't you think? You've got a room full of humans who are drunk on elvish rum and are seeing a man-and a woman-fly. What are you going to do about it?"
Suddenly I saw the test he had set me. I had already put the antidote out there, now I needed to change the memories of those humans below me. It was a big crowd, but with the help of Edward, Jasper and Alice I could handle it.
Motioning to the other Fae, I sent them to places around the perimeter of the floor. The guys took off their jacket and let their wings loose. They quickly moved into position slightly above the students and adults. They looked to me for my signal. A small flick of both of my wrists sent a shower of fairy dust over the crowd. My friends threw out glittering sprays of their own as I swept my wings strongly. They did the same and the draft made the dust swirl and fly all around the room.
Glazed looks settled on the faces still looking up at me. I waited a moment and then spoke. "Hi everyone, I'm so glad that you all could be here tonight. We are having such a good time, dancing and spending time together. I want you all to adjust your clothing and then I want you all to get some more punch. It's important that you all have some. Then we'll dance and party the night away. By the way, this idiot beside me isn't really flying. None of us are. We're just mingling and saying hello. Have fun, my friends."
Emmett smiled as we both landed lightly in the middle of the floor. The music picked up as he swept me into his arms. "Well, sister-mine, you passed this test."
Once again rolling my eyes I hugged him back before I told him to get out. He left amidst a shower of dust, leaving those watching him slightly confused.
My friends were busy scooping the antidote into cups as the crowd followed my mandate to drink punch. Soon the dance seemed to be back on track.
I breathed a sigh of relief as Edward held me close for a slow dance. Each fairy had one big test during their away time. Mine had come and I had aced it. Now I could just enjoy the remaining months here with the humans. I'd hone my peacekeeping skills and hopefully get to know Edward better.
I'd also help with Edward, Alice and Jasper's tests. They were a little jealous that mine was done. They were a bit worried about what their tests would entail. We all agreed that we'd work together to see that everyone passed.
Playing human was fun. I'd have to keep my eye on my brother though. He had learned to be sneaky from the elves and even though my big test was done, who knew, there might be a few more pop quizzes before I was done. I'd have be on my toes and keep my wings at the ready.
Glancing up at Edward as he smiled down at me, I decided that I would really enjoy the rest of my away time, especially if he would just kiss me. The look in his eyes gave me a hint that my wish just might come true, no fairy dust needed.
Thank you everyone who voted in the ENCHANTMENT CONTEST...it was anonymous...and I'm tickled to have tied for Second!
Kathie