-6-

I smoothed my hair back and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I made a little grimace when I realized that no matter what I did, my hair was never going to come out sleek and straight. It had been the bane of my existence when I was growing up. While my friends let their hair flow down their backs, I had to keep mine in a ponytail or held back in a braid. My hair was thick, curly, and, in the rare instances where the temperature became too muggy, frizzed up like a dandelion.

It had calmed down a bit when I got older, but it was still too wild to be let loose. Well, most days. Spring was in the air and it was just cool enough for me not to worry about looking like I went through a wind tunnel. I sighed. "What is it about women and hair, huh?" I asked my reflection.

The rest of me didn't look too bad. I wore my favorite jeans (the pair that was perfectly faded and fit me like a glove), a flowy, chiffon top, and my usual ballet flats. Red, just to punch it up a bit.

I had spent a lot of afternoons meeting with Merlin over the past few weeks. He was eager to discuss the progress of his story, and honestly, I enjoyed his company. He was a welcome change from accounting ledgers and my still-to-be-completed thesis.

I picked up my phone and sent a quick text to Merlin saying that I was on my way. I got my purse and was soon walking the few blocks down to the cafe near Tomes. It was a pleasant little excursion. There was a slight breeze in the air and it carried the faintest smell of blossoms which told me that spring was definitely in full swing. I found myself saying hello to familiar faces I met along the way. I had lived in this neighborhood my entire life, and with the store, I was pretty well-known in this part of the town.

I was at the cafe soon enough and, through the window, I saw Merlin sitting at our usual table. It didn't seem like he was alone, though. He looked to be engrossed in a animated discussion with a woman who seemed to be into the conversation as much as he was. Her shoulders were moving, as though she was gesticulating with her hands.

This was odd. Merlin had never brought a friend along to our coffee meetings. In fact, I was under the impression that he had kept it under wraps. Oh well, I shrugged. Our meetings were never secret and we never said other people couldn't join us.

I went inside the cafe, walked over to our table, and got my first glimpse of Merlin's companion. I gulped when I saw her face. She had skin so fair and so smooth that it resembled a porcelain doll's, pouty lips that were the perfect shade of pink, and amazing green eyes that were framed with eyelashes so dark and so long, it was a wonder that small hurricanes didn't appear when she blinked. Her hair made me groan inwardly with envy: it was shiny, dark, and pin-straight. Everything my own locks weren't-well, maybe except for the dark part. She was clad in a sleek black ensemble that made her look like she belonged on a runway. My clothes, which made me feel pretty just moments ago, now made me look childish next to her.

"Ballet flats?" I thought to myself. "Really, Gwen? Why not those heels you were so ecstatic about when you bought them?"

"Gwen!" Merlin stood up when he saw me reach the table. I honestly didn't know how I got there considering all I wanted to do was turn tail and run. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

He pulled out a chair for me and waited for me to take a seat before sitting down. He then motioned to a waiter before turning to me again. "This is-" the rest ot Merlin's introduction was interrupted as the woman talked over him.

"Anna. Anna Faith," she held out a hand and beamed at me.

I tamped down my insecurity and smiled at Anna as I extended my hand to shake hers. "Hello, I'm Gwen," I said. "Welcome to my neck of the woods."

Anna shook my hand. "Hello, Gwen," she said. "I've never been to this part of town before. I never knew it was so pretty."

Merlin launched into a highly detailed story about he found his way to Tomes in search of a writer's manual. I'd heard this story before but it was obvious that Anna hadn't. As soon as he got to the part about being nearly thrown off the bus because the driver had heard him mumbling to himself throughout the ride, Anna was in stitches. It was nice to see that there was a genuine warmth to her and soon, I was wondering why I had ever found her intimidating.

It was obvious that she and Merlin were good friends and that they shared a history. I looked at Anna and felt a tingle of recognition. I don't know where, but I knew I had seen her face before.

She must have felt my gaze on her because she turned to me and asked, "What's wrong Gwen?" She raised a hand to her cheek. "Do I have something on my face? Merlin, do I have a foam mustache and you didn't tell me about it?

"No, no," I had to laugh. She was frowning at Merlin and I could tell that he felt cornered. "It's just that," I paused and took a breath. "It's just that you look so familiar, but I can't remember where I saw you." I took a sip of my coffee. "Which is silly because I work in a bookstore and I think I would have remembered if you had ever bought anything from us."

It might just be me, but I thought I saw Anna's eyes widen in suprise. "Oh, no," she said. "I'm sure you're mistaken." She sipped at her drink and looked at Merlin over the rim of her cup.

Merlin shrugged. "Anna's been mistaken for a lot of things," he said, a cheeky grin on his face.

"Things?" Anna's eyes narrowed at Merlin's words. "What do you mean, 'things'?"

"Oh, like the Morrigan," Merlin was close to laughing. "Various harpies, sometimes even an evil wi-." Whatever Merlin was going to say was suddenly cut off because Anna jammed a scone into his mouth.

I lost it at that. Merlin's face was in complete deadpan as he chewed his way through the scone, his hands never once touching it. Anna very calmly wiped her fingers on a paper napkin and then flicked her hair back over her shoulders.

"Forgive Merlin," she said in a stage whisper. "Sometimes the voices in his head make it to the surface." She shot her friend a fake dirty look. "We're never really sure which of his personalities to take seriously."

"I take all of them seriously," Merlin mumbled through a full mouth. "That was a good scone. Thanks, Anna." Merlin drawled Anna's name. I could swear he was mocking her.

Anna rolled her eyes at Merlin and turned to me again. "How is it working in a bookstore? Merlin tells me that was how he found you," Anna's gaze was a little off-putting, but there was genuine curiosity in her question.

"Tomes," I said. "That's the name of the bookstore. My family's owned it for years and yes, that's where I met Merlin. He was looking for a writer's manual and I helped him find one."

"Is that so?," Anna drawled. "A writer's manual, hmmm? Well, what book did you give him?"

"Writing a Novel and Getting Published For Dummies," I replied with a straight face.

Anna laughed as Merlin turned pink. "Classic," she said. "I like you, Gwen. Merlin should have introduced us earlier."

I beamed at my new friend. I liked Anna as well. She had a down and dirty sense of humour that was the perfect foil to her polished exterior. And she could take as much as she gave! That was a rare thing to find in people.

I suddenly felt my phone vibrate. I tended to keep it in my pocket since I rarely used a ringtone. I preferred the vibrate mode, it was less obtrusive when I was out in public places. I excused myself from my companions as I fished out my phone and saw that I received a new e-mail. From AP.

"I hope you're not cooped up at home and writing that story," the e-mail read. "It's too beautiful a day to stay indoors."

I smiled and typed out a quick response. "I'm enjoying the sunshine," I wrote. "Well, sort of. I'm having coffee with friends. Hope you're out and about as well!" I sent the e-mail and turned my attention back to Anna and Merlin.

"Anyone important?" Anna asked. One eyebrow was raised and she was smiling at me. "Boyfriend?" She drew out the word and winked at me.

"Hardly," I laughed. "Just a friend."

I saw Merlin raise an eyebrow and I looked at him. "What?" I said.

"Messages from friends don't make me grin like that," he gestured to me.

"Unless it's a particularly cheeky text," Anna said slowly before lunging across the table in an attempt to grab my phone.

"Oi!" I said in surprise. Anna may have been quick, but I was quicker. I stuck my phone down the front of my blouse and crossed my arms over my chest. "Go on," I dared. "Try and get it."

"Like that's going to stop me," Anna huffed. Undeterred, it was clear that she was going to try and grab it.

"Anna!" Merlin's voice called out. "We're in public. Rated G behaviour, please."

Anna shrugged and sat back in her chair. Her eyes were still glued to my chest, though. "You're not going to let this go, aren't you?" I said, eyeing her warily.

"Not a cha-," she began before she was cut off by a tone that came from the purse she had in her lap. "Excuse me, phone call."

I motioned for her to go ahead and take the call. While she was preoccupied, I fished my mobile from inside my blouse. "Don't think that I can't see you leering at me, Merlin," I said. Admonishing the man who was craning his neck.

"It wasn't me," Merlin said, both hands raised in surrender. "I didn't do anything."

"And it's going to stay that way," Anna's voice joined our conversation. "We have to go Merlin. Mr. Perfect wants us back to the office for that meeting with King Dragon." She sounded exasperated.

"That's your brother and father you're talking about," Merlin said dryly.

"Don't I know it," Anna put her phone back in her purse and fished a few bills out from her wallet. "Stop, Gwen," she said as I made a motion to take out my wallet as well. "This is on me. Next time, you're it."

"Can I come along next time?" Merlin sounded hopeful.

"Moocher," Anna grinned at her friend.

"Mr. Perfect? King Dragon?" I asked.

"Arthur is Mr. Perfect and my dad is King Dragon," Anna said before taking one last sip of her mocha. "They're far too used to getting their own way." She set her cup down and dabbed at her lips with a napkin. "Anyway," she said brightly. "This was fun! We have to do it again. Say, same time next week?"

Bells were ringing in my head when Anna mentioned that name. "Sure," I heard myself say. I wasn't completely sure it was me because I was suddenly struck by the thought that I might just be dreaming.

We all stood up at the same time and said our goodbyes. They walked in the opposite direction of the store, so we waved at each other and went our way. I waited until they had rounded the corner before practically sprinting back to Tomes. Once there, I said hello to Ella, the girl who filled in for me, and made my way to a section of the store. I found what I was looking for and quickly flipped to the back of the book, hoping to find the one thing that was going to dispel the growing pit of worry in my stomach.

But luck and I never got along, and there, on the back cover of "A Remedy to Cure All Ills" was Anna's face. Only she wasn't Anna, she was Morgana Pendragon. Arthur's sister.

"Oh crap," I whispered before leaning against the wall. I slid down until I was a heap on the floor. "Holy crap."