Tamah: Hi. This is my first foray into the Twilight series. If you're expecting this to be all lovey-dovey, it's not going to be :3 Also, if you're bothered by the cliche way she's described, just realize that the narrator-like guy is star-struck.
Disclaimer: I don't own.
The moon was full, and its soft, eerie light made everything glow with an ethereal cast. It was the first full moon after the summer solstice, and it was the night for the fae. The legends of beautiful faeries dancing had persisted in this area for a hundred years, and the locals will still insist that the queen of the fae made her abode nearby, and would lure away children and weak-minded men with her troupe's beautiful voices.
His name was Taylor Rush, he was a paranormal researcher. He was there on that magical night to discover the truth.
There had been many like him over the decades, many with thoughts of wishes and fae magic in their minds, dreamers with images of Morgan Le Fay and Merlin dancing in their brains. Even in this normally no-nonsense part of America, in the Heartland itself.
He made his way through the trees, the fact that the original swath of forest was still there spoke volumes. He began to hear a faint hum on the breeze, and his heart rate spiked. It must be them. He followed the angelic sound, until he felt mushrooms under his feet, the edge of a faerie ring. The trees opened up ahead of him and he almost gasped.
They were real. There were ten dancing in a ring, singing some wordless melody. Their skin glittered, like some living gemstone faceted to perfection. In the center stood the most beautiful sight he had ever beheld, on a pedestal of a tree stump.
She had golden blonde hair that went to her knees and fell into perfect little ringlets. She almost looked like a child, a contrast to the seemingly older ones surrounding her. But Taylor knew her to be the queen of the faeries. She was just too beautiful to be a child, but at the same time she still had the rounded face and large eyes of a child. Her eyes were dark, some unidentifiable color. They met his eyes and blinked.
He had been spotted. He felt frozen into place. The other faeries turned their heads towards him as well, their gazes equally as terrifying.
The queen let out a soft giggle, and she jumped down from her high perch. They were as graceful as the legends say, he could watch her walk forever. Her feet didn't make a noise, it was almost like she was walking on clouds. She made her way to him, and looked up into his terrified eyes. Out of the moonlight her skin took on a milky cast, almost translucent.
"Do you want to play?" the creature asked, in a light, musical voice. She giggled again, the picture of childlike innocence. "Well, do you?"
Taylor found himself nodding slowly, shocked that she could speak perfect English. She squealed with glee and dragged him into the center of the ring. Her hands were cold, and firm, like they were fashioned out of ice. She made him stand on the stump with her.
"My subjects," the faerie said with an air of authority, "Tonight this man is our guest, and I'll have you treat him as such!"
The taller, more adult like creatures nodded. What made them different? He wondered, were they perhaps elves? She looked up at him and smiled, and be couldn't help but smile back with a goofy smile. It was just too good to be true. One of the elves gave her a chalice made from wood, which she pressed into his hand. The drink inside was sweet and tangy and it made him feel light and invincible.
With an unspoken command, the troupe began to dance and sing again. This time, the dance was wild and fevered, like a dance the devil himself would do. The queen spun him around in a strange semblance of a waltz, only if it were sped up. They were unimaginably fast. He could barely feel himself moving, his whole world was hurtling and spinning.
He found himself in the grass next to the stump when he woke. The sun had not risen yet, but the moon was nowhere to be seen. He heard giggling, the queen's giggling, and a voice yelled "Come find me!"
The faeries were supposed to be tricksters, he knew, and he couldn't help but play her game. He pulled himself up and began looking around for her. He would hear her giggling constantly.
After a while, it was silent in the forest. He was beginning to become afraid. Every branch that stuck out a certain way was transformed into a demon trying to swipe at him with its claws, every little noise he made was someone following him.
He was lost, and out of his mind. He would do anything to hear the queen's light giggle again, to lead him home. . . . He found himself in the clearing again, still empty. He made his way to the stump and sat down, cradling his head in his hands. It must've been that drink, his mind decided, it was too much for me.
He felt cold, light fingers touch his neck. He lifted his head and glanced around the clearing. His breath caught in his throat. It was the faeries again. They surrounded him, and he heard a girlish voice whisper in his ear.
"You were a fun guest," she whispered, "But we're oh so hungry, you see. You understand, right?" her hand was clutching the back of his neck tightly. She was so strong. . . "Of course you do." He nodded. Her voice was so melodic, he would do anything for her. He could feel her sweet-smelling breath on his neck. It gave him the shivers.
"You wouldn't want me to die, would you?" He shook his head. The rational part of his brain was waving red flags, it was in full panic mode. But, God, her voice was so beautiful.
"Good." she whispered. A sharp intense pain shot through him, centered in his neck. Taylor choked out a final scream as the whole group descended on him with a frenzied hunger.
You know, I was reading my copy of Twilight the other day, and I wondered. . . Can you kill these things? I mean, sure, they sparkle, but you can not kill them unless you're freaking like Hercules or something. No one really pays attention to that part, they're all like 'They sparkle so they must be weak.' Then I got to thinking about Immortal Children and all that, and that's where this came from. I'd say she's stuck at about ten years old or so, so she has a little bit of rational thinking. . . But she's still out there.