What a mess.
No, I wasn't referring to the puke that had previously soaked my love's shoes (ew), or the condition of the floor under our feet. We were in jail. It was wonderful how things always seemed to turn out this way.
I had informed the officers that I only used the wands as a cleaning agent, and that I was new to the area and wasn't aware that they were illegal (okay, I had an inkling, but I didn't know). I also had told them that I bought them from the three fairies in my neighborhood after they advertised them in the dust on my coffee table. They had left us to go check out their trailer. At least they had left us alone.
We were in jail, and yet all I could see and pay attention to was Andrew, and he was looking tired and disheveled, not in the least bit interested in anything that I would have to say. But even in that, the gray walls around him faded away, the torchlight seeming almost romantic, the dingy smell of the magic cell began to smell of lilacs, roses, and honeysuckle.
"I'm sorry," I moaned, shoving my face into my hands. "Things like this just happen to me. Always. I didn't know…"
"Yes, Gwen, I know." His voice wasn't in the least bit chiding, but gentle. I could feel his presence next to me much as I could feel Sheep laying asleep on the floor, squishing my foot.
We remained in silence for a few minutes, though not awkwardly, while I focused on the sound of his breathing. I closed my eyes but tried to keep my head from lolling back on the dirty wall that probably hadn't been cleaned in centuries. He took my hand and I grasped it probably a little too hard. It seemed like the only thing solid at the moment.
The heavy wooden door swung open with a loud groan. In walked the police officers that had arrested us, the tall redhead and the balding munchkin. They looked tired and they were sprinkled with a nice coat of purple glitter.
"You're free to go," the redhead said with a sigh. "But we'll need you to testify against the fairies in court, if you're able."
I looked over at Andrew and he nodded. "Yes," I replied. "We'll do that."
"All right." A scroll appeared in his hand, bifocals rested on his nose, and he read aloud. "I have your address, though not a phone number…"
"Phones don't work there."
"I know. And your full name. Kink is an interesting…"
"I know," I interrupted. "Please, don't elaborate."
I saw him smile a bit, and he stepped away from the door. I gave Sheep a gentle nudge with the foot he was laying on and he jumped up with a start. Andrew led me out of the cell and we blinked in the dazzling sunlight streaming through medieval styled windows.
"In case you didn't catch it," the officer called after us. "My name is Officer Gundy. I'll be dropping off court notices pretty soon, so look out for me."
I swear he winked.
I'm not quite sure how I got home, that memory seemed to have gone astray, but I remember Andrew's amused goodnight kiss quite well. Not like kissing him could ever leave my memories. Or my thoughts, for that matter.
I ignored the Mirror's eager plague of question and went straight to my bedroom. Shutting out the remaining rays of light as the sun fell over the horizon, I collapsed on my bed and fell into the deepest sleep I'd had in a decade.
"Something's missing."
"Is it now?" Mirror looked off to the side, to the kitchen, and his cheeks turned a bit pink. I'd have to explore this later.
"I mean…not a thing. But…I feel odd."
"Oh." The rouge disappeared. "Why?"
"I think…I don't know. The challenge is gone. It's not that thrilling anymore."
It was only the next morning, and I was already bored. I hadn't even seen him since the day before, when we had spent the afternoon in jail.
And relationships bored me? I had already played guitar in front of tons of people, discussed Harry Potter over hot chocolate, been cursed, and gone to jail for him. Is this was boring, how would I survive getting married, if anyone was ever insane enough to marry me?
"You've been officially dating for one day." Mirror rolled his eyes and I pressed back into the couch, eyebrows lowered. "Give it a chance."
"Yeah, I guess…"
The doorbell rang. I couldn't help but sigh, the noise was really beginning to annoy me. Especially since I just wanted to be left alone for a little while, to think things over.
Trailer parks really do do things to you! I was thinking about breaking up with a guy because the challenge was over!
ARGH!
But my boredom was soon quenched by the appearance of a new stalker on my porch.
There stood Robin Hood, in his green tights and feathered baseball cap, this time featuring the Seattle Mariners, the navy blue and turqouise clashing horribly with his bright green outfit.
"Hello, Robin," I said with a sigh. "May I help you?"
"Would you like to go out to dinner with me, tonight?" he asked quickly, his eyes flicking nervously around. "I heard that Snow White and Mr. Charming were married…so you'd be available now."
I stared at him with lowered eyelids. "Really."
"Yes, yes." He bobbed his head.
"Snow White and Mr. Charming are not married anymore," I replied, getting ready to shut the door.
I stopped it from slamming all the way when I heard Robin Hood's hysteric laughter.
"Are you joking? You are kidding me!" More laughter. I was beginning to have less and less control over violent action toward this man, his annoyance was grating my self-control thin.
More laughter. "That's all she talks about! How pretty her dress was, how good she smelled at the wedding, how lovely her hair was…it used to be all dwarves!"
I believed Andrew. And so what if she was obsessed with the wedding, now? That was over.
"So I suggest," he said with a gentle sniff, wiping the wetness from his eyes. "That you tear yourself away from your little fantasy and date a real man."
This time there was no hesitation. I slammed the door, but not before closing his hand against the doorframe. I smiled smugly as I heard his howl of pain and angry muttering trial away from my porch and into the muggy afternoon.
"Now what?" Mirror asked, his voice dense and drawn out.
I couldn't help but harbor an overwhelming sense of boredom. "I have no clue."
I had no doubt that Robin would be back. At least there was a bit of a challenge, one that would always keep coming back.
I sat at Andrew's long dining room table, mug of hot chocolate in my hand as I gazed up at the glass ceiling with great awe. I had figured he was rich, but I hadn't figured that he was this rich. His home, more of a palace than anything, was absolutely huge. It reminded me of the cathedrals I had visited on my trip to England in high school, not the outside but the inside. Approaching the house, all you could see was a white marble entrance with a heavy wooden door, the rest surrounded by large trees. Entrances can be deceiving. Inside it held a deal of fascination for me: thick marble floors, sparkling white walls, stained glass, it even had domes for goodness sake. The only things missing where the pews, the visiting fees, and the dead people.
The high ceiling of the dining room and the wide west wall were made completely of sparkling glass. The wall blended into the ceiling with a graceful curve, while the marble adjacent walls were gilded in a frame of what looked like pure silver. The full moon was strung high above us, but not so bright as to overpower the stars, the single candle flames in the limitless black sky. West of the house, displayed by the glass, was a magnificent forest with tall reaching trees, chocolate brown trunks thicker in diameter then my arm span, boughs bent with the weight of a bounty of leaves and needles. Little stirrings of white light would periodically appear in the branches, only to disappear so soon that I couldn't be quite sure that I actually saw them. The glow of navy and crystal blues showed that a creek ran just behind the trees, winding through the river rocks and cascading deep into the woods.
Now I knew what it meant when something moved you to poetry.
"Gwen."
I continued staring at the ceiling, tilting my head to the wall, mouth gaping open. In the distance, but what also seemed so close, an owl hooted. The air in the dining room was scented with the light smell of wildflowers.
"Gwen, I invited you so we could talk, not so you could stare at the wall."
I tilted my head back down quickly, gazing at him as a blush crept to my face. "Sorry," I said. "I've just never really seen anything like it."
He smiled his wonderful smile. Even the table we sat at was huge; it looked like it could have sat an army. Or Mother Hubbard's children. Andrew chose the spots to sit on opposite sides of it, width wise. I was glad for this, so instead of being about fifty feet away from the other end I could actually hear what he was saying.
"Yeah," he gently agreed. "I love it. Some people think no one can be comfortable living in a house this big, but I find that being face to face with nature from your breakfast spot can't be anything but comfortable."
"Yes, it's beautiful." My eyes wandered from his face back to the trees. I couldn't really help it. They were just so…enchanting.
"Stop that."
I flickered back and gave him a phony smile. "Stopping."
He stared at me for a minute, tilting his head to the side, then smiled as he pushed his coffee cup aside.
"Move your hot chocolate by my cup," he commanded.
I didn't think, I just obeyed. Before I knew what was happening, he growled and lunged across the table, landing on me and knocking me to the ground.
"What are you doing?" I exclaimed, suddenly afraid. My heart thudded in my chest like some…thudding thing.
Figured, I was dating a psychopath. So, this was how my life would end, attacked by my boyfriend/werewolf who decided to attack me over coffee and hot chocolate.
Who knew?
But he wasn't strangling me, or biting me, he was laughing. He was on top of me, on the hard marble floor, he was heavy, and he was laughing so hard I could feel him shaking me.
"What is so funny?" I demanded.
"For some reason…" his voice was muffled against my shirt. "I just really wanted to do that."
"You're insane," I said, trying to hold back the laughter myself.
He laughed harder. "Look who's talking! The pet sheep, the wand waving in front of the magic police."
"I didn't know…"
He calmed his laughing and smiled. Bringing his head up to face me, he kissed me for a while.
Actually, not a while. For a long time.
Oh, lord…
Well, Andrew, now that you've gone to second base, what do you want to do next?
"Gwen," he said, pulling away and rocking back on his knees. I shifted into a sitting position, leaning back on my arms on the marble floor. "Do you want to go to Disneyland with me?"
I stared at him for a minute. "Doesn't that seem kind of pointless?"
He shrugged. "It's Disneyland."
"And still…Disneyland."
"Yeah, Disneyland."
"Okay." I said quickly, and he kissed me again on the cold marble floor.
Hey, I guess we're going to Disneyland.
~~~~~~~~~~
So, are you glad that I decided to continued, or not? Gotta love the randomness. Please review and tell me what you think!