Shadow (Touched by the Fae 2)

What’s wrong? Did she really just ask me that?

“You know all about the fae.” It’s not a question. Not this time. Why would it be? She’s made her knowledge of Fae totally clear.

Even so, she nods.

Am I in bizarro world or something? Sorry. I thought I was in Acorn Falls—but this can’t be happening.

“You know about the fae and you knew I was one of them? You were watching me? And you never said shit to me about any of this before?”

Did I raise my voice? Probably. My hands clench into fists at my side. Carolina’s gaze darts toward them and she throws her own hands up in a placating gesture as she backs up.

“I… I might have guessed. The ears were a surprise because I wasn’t… I didn’t know for sure. That’s okay. I’m just glad to see you again. Now that I know I’m right, it’s even more important that I talk to you. Is there anywhere you’d like to go so that we can sit down and, um, maybe chat?”

“Are you serious?”

She takes a deep breath, then nods again. I’m visibly scaring her—and, considering my history, that’s not a surprise—though she’s just as noticeably standing her ground.

“You have no idea how serious I am,” she tells me. “I’ve been looking for you for ages. I… I almost can’t believe you’re here. This is perfect.”

“For you maybe. To me? This is fucking nuts.”

“Riley, no—”

She doesn’t get it. Right now, I’m not too sure I really am grasping what the hell’s going on, but we’re definitely not on the same page.

Let me fix that.

“Look, if I believe what you’re saying, that means that, all this time, you were right down the hall. Someone who could assure me that I wasn’t as crazy as they all thought I was. Someone who knew that the fae and Faerie actually exist. But you didn’t. I never knew. I don’t get it. In community group, when we had to talk about why we were there—”

“I couldn’t tell anyone why I was committed,” Carolina cut in. “They never would have let me out again if they knew the truth. Besides, except for you, I knew they wouldn’t believe me.”

“So why didn’t you tell me?”

“I tried.”

“Yeah, right.”

“I did,” she insists.

I huff. Before I try to fight back, I think about what she’s saying. I haven’t known Carolina all that long, and I did my best to ignore her like I did everyone else at the asylum, but she’s kind of got a point. I remember the little things. The glances in the meds line, the tentative smiles. That time during group when she chose art therapy over music therapy because I did. The biscuit she offered me at dinner.

The note scrawled on the greasy napkin underneath it.

Okay. Fair enough. Maybe she actually did.

“You left me that note,” I admit.

“The day you disappeared from Black Pine. I remember.”

“You wanted me to come see you.”

Carolina nods eagerly. A strand of long, dark hair falls into her face. She tucks it absently behind her—not even a little bit pointed—ear.

“You wanted me to come visit you. To talk to you then, too.”

“I couldn’t stay quiet any longer. You needed to know. Something happened the night they sedated you. Two techs were gone by the next morning. I don’t know what happened to the woman, but I saw them escort the big, bald tech out past the window in my room. I’ve seen that look in his eyes before. He was touched.”

“Touched?”