I barge into the room like I own the place. Which, in fact, I don't. But I find who I've been searching for. Cardan is sprawled across his massive bed, elegant clothes rumpled from being laid on, with his arms tucked behind his head. He gives me a dull stare. One that clearly says, "Go away, you're already bothering me." I ignore it.

He turns his attention back to the ceiling, but speaks before I say anything. "Would you kindly just leave me alone to wallow in self pity over what my life has become, or is that too much to ask?"

I do one of the most human things and roll my eyes. "Stop being dramatic, I thought that was Locke's specialty, not yours."

He glances over at me with a look of pure dumbfoundedness that for the first time in a long while I oddly have the urge to laugh. "Come on, get up. I need to do something today, and I need you to accompany me."

An exasperated sigh comes from his end of the room, and he rolls over to bury his head in his dark pillows. "But it's the middle of the day," I look over to see sunlight streaming in through a small window, "and I want to sleep."

"Too bad, you can spend any other day being lazy while drinking wine and throwing parties. Today we're going to the mortal lands."

His head instantly snaps up, sending his already tousled black hair into an even deeper state of disarray. Very un-kingly like if you ask me, but I can't stop myself from admitting that it makes him somehow more attractive too. Damn.

"May I ask why?"

"I need to pick up a few things, and I don't want to go alone." I also need someone with faerie powers to be able to transport us to and from the mortal lands, but I don't bother mentioning that fact. Since my sister Vivi is currently away, probably on some sort of adventure with Oak and Heather, I need to find someone else to take me. Since Cardan is currently under oath to be in my service, I thought he would be the best option. Now, I'm not so sure.

"Very well, it's not like I have a choice in the matter." He sits up and slides off the bed, walking around it until he's a short distance away. "I am your puppet to command," he adds, even going so far as to give me a mocking bow.

I cross my arms so my fists don't accidentally decide to punch him. "Do you have any regular clothes?" I ask.

He lets out a snort. "I have been a prince of Faerieland since I was born, and I am now apparently the king. No, is the answer to your question. I clothe myself in only the finest outfits; I've never had the desire to wear human clothes." He says it in a tone that's supposed to make me feel inferior, but I only want to punch him more.

"Fine, whatever. We'll just pick something up for you when we get there. You'll just have to glamour yourself beforehand. I don't really want to deal with too much attention." Even as I said it, I knew that was going to be impossible. Cardan is beautiful in a way that isn't fair, everyone will look at him- faerie or not. Because everyone, humans especially, are drawn to breathtaking things.

I leave Cardan and tell him to meet me at the front entrance of the building in fifteen minutes, and go to my rooms to search through my own closet. I find a pair of skinny jeans to put on in exchange for my dress, as well as a grey T-shirt and my newer pair of grey high-top converse.

Because, wow, even though I grew up in Faerie, I still have the decency to match. And I must say I'm good at it, because I look like a regular teenager, that does regular things. In these clothes, I can pretend I'm perfectly normal; not a murderer, or a liar.

I rustle through my desk drawer and find a hair tie to put my hair up in a ponytail. This is a human hair style, not faerie. Throughout all the times Vivi has taken me shopping and exploring in the mortal lands, she also made sure that I would be able to blend in well enough on my own. Since she and Oak are now living there, I've been visiting much more often than I have ever done in the past. She made sure to inform me that although it's entertaining to watch, punching boys in the jaw for simply talking to me is generally considered a no-no. And she made sure to teach me how to put my hair up in a way that didn't involve a million twists and braids and an ungodly amount of hair accessories.

I make sure to grab my satchel and any human money that I have aquired thanks to Vivi and her mysterious ways, because not all of us have the luxury of being able to glamour pinecones into valid currency. And I don't think I can trust Cardan to be reliable in the money department either; I have a feeling that he'd prefer to take whatever he desired without any consequence because he's royalty.

I audibly sigh, and adjust my bag over my shoulder before taking a quick look in my mirror. I really do look like an everyday girl that's about to go to a coffee shop with some friends and have a nice afternoon studying literature and eating muffins. It's like seeing a different version of myself; one where I had grown up as a simple mortal and lived a simple life. A thought strikes me, and I take a deep breath as I hear a small voice whisper in the back of my mind, It isn't too late. You can still disappear. Go back to the mortal lands for good, and experience everything that you have missed out on. You can still be the kid you never got to be. All you have to do is forget.

That snaps me back to the present. How foolish of me to even think that. There is no way that I'd ever be able to forget what I have done, what I've become. So I turn around, and walk out of my room and close the door behind me. I'm shutting the other version of me in; I'm keeping her locked up in a place that nobody will ever discover, because I don't know what I'd do if she got let out. I don't think she deserves to be found.

I make my way down a flight of stairs to reach the main doors of the castle. I don't think it's been exactly fifteen minutes when I make it to our meet up spot, but I find Cardan standing there nonetheless. He's managed to show up in a simple pair of black breeches, a dark blue tunic, and knee-high boots. I know he thinks he's tremendously under-dressed, but for where we're going, what we're going to be doing, he'll stick out like a sore thumb.

Drawing my attention back up to his face, I notice he's looking at me funny. It's odd, because usually his face has a cruel edge to it, but right now it just looks soft. His eyebrows are slightly scrunched together as he looks over my own outfit; his eyes slowly make their way up to mine. His face relaxes right before he gives me one of his signature smirks.

"What?" I ask annoyingly.

Cardan pauses a second before replying, "You just look so human, Jude." But the way he says it, it doesn't sound like an insult. It almost sounds like wonder.

"Well, you're about to look that way too. When we get there, you're going to have to glamour yourself to not be seen. At least until I get you a pair of clothes to change into. And even then, you're going to have to conceal your ears."

His eyes shift to look at my own exposed rounded ears thanks to my hair being pulled up. He lets out an annoyed sigh. That seems to be one of the rare similarities between us; we both sigh, a lot.

"Shall we go?" He asks. But he doesn't wait for my reply before he turns around and nods at a nearby guard to open one of the double doors. Cardan walks out into the sunlight, and I follow him.

Surprisingly, the departure goes a lot more smoothly than I had planned. We were able to find ragwort quickly, and Cardan manages to shift them into breathing beasts without difficulty. We mount, and fly through the mist without saying a word to each other. Which is nice, I guess. I've always enjoyed the freedom of flying. And the feelings I get while I glide through the air without restraint makes me close my eyes and tilt my head back, letting the wind rush past me as I let go of all my worries for just a little while.

We land on the outskirts of a gigantic parking lot of a mall, making sure to stay partially hidden behind a closed ice-cream shack. This is a different shopping centre than any I've been to before. I didn't want to risk running into someone that I've seen before, no matter how small the odds of that happening actually are.

I look over at Cardan as we dismount, and I can't tell if the alarmed look on his face is from the flight, which is unlikely, or if he's just panicking at the notion of being around so many humans. I smile inwardly at that, because for once, he'll be the one outnumbered. There's no posse of his to back him up today. He's going to have to deal with being the odd one out all on his own.

I tell him to glamour himself and he does so without comment. The air shifts around him and I can tell that his powers are on display. I can still see him since I have the sight, but to everyone else I knew he was invisible.

"Stay close and don't touch anything." I sounded like a mother lecturing her young child. "Make sure you're on your best behavior," I added with a snort. Maybe I could manage to have a little fun today after all.

I'm in Kohl's, holding up a black shirt that's still on the hanger. It looks like I'm just examining it from a higher angle, deciding whether or not to get it. When in reality, I'm actually holding it up to Cardan's chest, seeing if it'll be the right size. I assume that it'll fit and move on to finding some pants and shoes. When I've finally put together an outfit, I wait in the checkout line. I see Cardan leaning up against the side of the wall near the entrance looking at me with crossed arms, but I do my best to ignore him and pay attention to the cashier since it's my turn in line. The lady scans my items and I hand her the money that's owed. I grab my bag and make my way out of the store, not bothering to look behind me to know that he's following.

I head over to where there's signs pointing to a hallway with restrooms, and walk to one that says 'mens'. Glancing around to make sure there's nobody else around, I turn to Cardan and hand him the bag.

"I hope you know how to put everything on, because there isn't anyone who's going to help dress you." I'm actually proud at how much sarcasm I put behind those words.

But he just gives me a glare without saying anything in return and pushes the mens door open and then closed, a sharp thud noise tells me he's also locked it. I roll my eyes once again today and make my way over to a nearby bench to sit and wait.

After a good five minutes, Cardan finally emerges without his invisibility glamour. I do note that he's shifted his ears to look human, and it takes me by surprise for a moment. He looks different; and as I predicted before, he looks so human. However, I do know if I concentrate hard enough, I'll be able to see through the glamour and his pointed ears will come back, but it's almost fascinating to pretend that he's just like me for the day; completely and utterly mortal.

I drift my eyes over the rest of him and for some incomprehensible reason, my heart beats fast. Too fast. The black shirt and black pants that I picked out are somehow perfect for him. It maybe might have something to do with him personally altering the sizes with whatever powers he has at his disposal, but the clothes show his body off almost too well. The shirt hugs his toned chest and the pants do wonders for showing off his legs and backside. And seeing him wear black and white converse is almost startling; I've only ever seen him wear boots and high-fashion dress shoes.

I feel my face scrunch up. It's completely annoying of him to be able to be beautiful as both a faerie and a "pretend human".

But nonetheless, I don't let him know how much he affects my heart rate. I just silently stand up and start walking towards the first of many stores that I have on a mental list, making sure to keep Cardan as close as possible for fear that I might lose him to the crowd.

++++++++Three Stores Later++++++++

Cardan comes up behind me, and I can feel the heat radiating off of him. I glance up to see him staring at the sunglasses rack, confusion written all over his face.

"These are sunglasses. They're meant to shield your eyes from the sun," I explain to him slowly. But before I can say anything else, he reaches around me and grabs a pair. I don't fail to notice that his arm brushes mine, or that a shiver runs through me from the contact. I pull away before I do anything stupid, and continue down the aisle to a different section, leaving him to inspect the glasses on his own. I look over to see him lift them up and place them over his eyes, looking around like he's seeing everything in a different way. I can't help it, I laugh.

I see him quirk one of his eyebrows at me, like he's wondering what I find so funny. But I only shake my head and say, "Do you want them? As a souvenir sort of thing. I know you won't have much use for them back home, since we're awake during the night, but if you like them, I can buy them for you. But I understand if you also don't want anything that belongs to the mortal world, since I know it's not really your favorite place. There's really no use for having a reminder of something you despise, is there?"

I'm rambling, and I need to stop. I feel my face flush as he steps closer with a sly smile, and whispers, "I'll take them."

*** Cardan's POV***

It's been well over two hours now, and I'm surprised I'm not bored yet. I thought I was going to be dragging my feet, yearning to return to my dark room and soft bed; but I'm actually rather intrigued with how mortals spend their day. It's so easy, so so easy, to just stop thinking, blend in, and observe.

I see groups of humans gossiping, and telling jokes, and eating some of the strangest looking foods. I see lovers holding hands, and softly kissing each other on their cheeks. I see mothers holding their babies, whispering and singing their praises and endearments to them.

And horrifyingly, the more I take in, the more it makes my chest hurt. There's a real, physical ache that resonates within my soul. I've never had the opportunity for any of it: of having genuine friends, or a gentle romance. I hadn't even experienced a decent childhood.

But even so, I still look, and I still observe. And I see Jude. Standing there, being alive. I've been constantly in her presence, making her blush, and smile, and do some of the most mundane things while shopping. And I think she's the reason why I haven't gotten bored. That is what makes this whole endeavor worth it. I've never been more relaxed, while sober, in my entire long, immortal life.

I know I must be steadily gazing at Jude, for she turns to me and raises an eyebrow. "Are you hungry?" she asks.

I only squint my eyes, "I've never had human made food, but I wouldn't be lying if I said I was curious to try some." She rolls her own eyes, because of course she knows that I can't actually lie.

But she heads off in a certain direction regardless, towards the sign that says 'Food Court'. And I have to admit, there is absolutely no order, and certainly no royalty, in their human made court.

Humans are everywhere, sitting at crowded tables, eating what looks to be the product of about 15 different food place choices.

Jude clears her throat, and my eyes flicker to her neck. I can't deny that it's one of my favorite places to look at. She says, "There's noodles, pizza, burgers, or tacos. Choose one."

I stay silent for a beat, because I don't really understand what any of those food items mean. But I go for the one that sounds the most compelling.

"I say we have ourselves some tacos."