"Proves what?" I asked, after neither person spoke.

"My second theory," Mandy answered.

"Oh, thanks for making that so clear," I retorted sarcastically.

Ella smiled slightly and Mandy went on, "My second theory was that you yourself are a fairy."

A fairy.

A fairy?

A fairy.

Nope.

That couldn't be right.

A fairy?

"H - what makes you think that?" I choked out.

Ella bit her lip and eyed me doubtfully. It was Mandy that spoke, "Your feet, for one. Fairy's feet are small. Your feet are tiny. Your language: Ella had told me that at finishing school you were amazing at speaking Ayorthian."

I interrupted, "Yeah, but I didn't! I just talked and she said it was-"

"Exactly," Mandy interrupted me, "and do people in the place you were from even speak Kyrrian?"

"Um. No. They speak English. But what does this have to do with -"

"You must be a fairy. You must be responsible for your own transport here. There's no other likely explanation."

"Likely?" I retorted, "Likely not."

"It does seem that way... but... your feet..." Ella cut in.

"My feet? What do they have anything to do with anything?" Honestly. Mandy's crazy theory was getting more unlikely by the minute.

"Our feet are small. As small as yours. Only fairies and Friends of Fairies have feet that small," Mandy explained.

I shot her a dubious look.

"So Ella's a fairy too now?"

They both laughed at that.

"Absolutely not. Her family are Friends of Faires. Well, her mother's side at any rate."

"What if-" I started, only to be interrupted by Mandy, "Have you ever made anything happen?"

"Huh?"

"Something you couldn't explain. Other than the transport here and how languistic you are, I mean."

"No! My life was perfectly normal until-"

But wait.

Wait. Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait. Maybe that wasn't true.

The fireworks. When Nathaniel kissed you! I thought.

Apparently my indesicion was evident on my face, for Mandy smiled a satisfied, smug smile.

I found it incredibly annoying.

"So - what - not that I believe I'm actually a - a fairy, but, what exactly would being a fairy entail?" I asked.

Mandy's smile became softer, "Not much. You'll have to learn to use your magic responsibly, to not use Big Magic, to not harm anyone (including yourself). In short, to not end up like Lucinda."

I was instantly offended. Did she actually think that I would go around forcing people to obey others? Really?

"...you could probably join others and research the answers you must be craving," Mandy, continued, getting up, "Ella, the Dame and her daughters will be back soon. I'm surprised they're not back already. You don't want to get in trouble."

A confused and slightly hurt expression appeared on Ella's features, "Yes, but-"

"I'll take care of this."

The look intensified, but Ella left, nodding to me.

"Why-" I started, only to be interrupted by Mandy again, "I had to leave her out of this," she looked forlornly at the door, "Believe you me, if I had a choice, she'd be the most knowledgable non-fairy when it came to fairies that ever existed. I wish she knew the whole reason I could never take away her curse. I wish she could know the truth."

"What? You can take away her curse?"

"No. Not - listen, it will all be explained. Now." She looked at me closely and I felt the air arround me seem to shimmer and vibrate. I watched Dame Olga's mansion shiver and instantly change to a new scene. The view before my eyes changed so fast, I could hardly see anything transform. If it was possible that I'd somehow actually brought myself here twice and to New York City once, then I'd obviously been slow and inexperienced. Mandy's transportation method went so quick, that, had I blinked, I would have missed even the shiver of air.

I gasped in shock at the speed of it all and faced Mandy, "I thought you couldn't do 'Big Magic'. What was that if not HUGE magic?"

Mandy smiled slightly, "We can do big magic, but we choose not to. It has many risks."

"So why are you suddenly going against the grain?"

"Because you are a new and unexperienced fairy. I will be able to transport myself back to the moment we left, even if I stayed here a thousand years. It's this type thing we like to avaid doing, because just think of all the consequences that could have! Besides, I just proved you're a fairy. Humans can't get here."

"What?" Was that possible?

"Where are we?" I demmanded.

I looked around. We appeared to be in a small clearing in the middle of the woods. I could just make out a small stone cottage within the cover of the trees.

"You are at Jemima's Cottage. She is an old friend of mine. Come along," Mandy commanded, and walked toward the cottage. I followed.

She marched right up to the cute little door, and I followed her more cautiously.

What was Jemima's Cottage? How was it possible that humans couldn't get here? Was that true? Did that really prove that I wasn't human? Was I really not human?

My head spun. Nothing made sense. Everything Mandy had said, everything I was thinking, was giving me a headache. It was a lot to take in and I was overwhelmed.

I even managed to forget about Nathaniel for a while.