I love my mom more than anything in this life. She’s never treated me like less than a biological daughter and I’ve never felt like she’s anything but. She allowed me to be raised in the human world, even though she’d spent her centuries of existence in the fae world.
When I was found, abandoned, it was in the human world, but the note left with me had been written in the old fae language. It was the second thing that caught the attention of the vampire who found me, Cora Hunnan. The first being my smell, not quite human, not quite fae either. Cora had been in the human realm, carrying out a bounty. She’d call the council as soon as she found me.
No one could determine the type of fae I was, but they seemed to think that I had something in me and not only because of the note or the smell.
I never wanted to know and mom never forced me to.
Even when I started to feel that little kindling deep in my chest that never amounted to anything, she didn’t push me to try to unlock it or force me to see a fae doctor.
Everything you are and your strength will present itself when it’s ready.
“Sounds nice having a parent who isn’t pushy,” she says and something in her tone is a little different, a little tighter. “My parents are assholes.”
“Did they force you to come here?”
“Nah,” she shakes her head. “After I graduated high school, I got offers from a couple of different places. All good places to go, but this one was the furthest from my family so I jumped on it. And honestly, besides the asshole students, I love the academy.”
I nod. “I don’t hate it here, I just never planned on continuing my education after high school. I hated my studies there, I passed them perfectly fine, but it was boring. And I hate sitting in a chair all day.”
“You went to a human school, right?” she asks as we turn onto Prestine. The thump of music makes the ground vibrate beneath our feet.
“Yeah.”
“Well, one thing about fae schools, there isn’t a lot of paperwork to be done. This first week is the most boring week but after that you’ll be spending a lot of time outdoors and in the lab. I’m already banking on getting to the lab so I can accidentally spill a potion on Mr. Clark.”
I laugh. “Still not over that?”
“I thought I asked him politely to not combine my name, he was the one who chose to be an asshole. Now he’ll have to deal with the repercussions.”
I laugh as we finally walk up the path toward the house, or should I say mansion, that is Kylu X. I crane my head back as I look up at all three stories of the building. It’s made entirely of brick and there’s a few windows but there seems to be some sort of block that doesn’t allow you to actually see inside of them.
Clemmen lets out a snort. “What’s crazy is that Sprouse gave them the clearance for that compulsion spell for the windows.” She points at said windows. “But she didn’t give them shit to block out that horrendous music.” Her nose scrunches up. “What the fuck is that song even?”
I listen a little closer to the thump of the music and smile, “Sounds like Black Pink to me.”
“I don’t know who Pink Black is but I’m not sure I like them,” she grumbles, taking the steps up to the door.
I laugh. “Give them a few more listens once we leave and I promise they’ll grow on you.”
“I doubt that,” she says as she pulls up to a stop at the front door. She turns, looking at me. “You got that invitation card?”
I nod, pulling the card out from my back pocket. Clemmen slips it between her fingers. She glances at the words written on it, which admittedly, I hadn’t looked at for long. After a moment, she nods before pressing it right above the doorknob. She closes her eyes as she mutters a word that sounds a lot like dirt to me.
The card lights up a bright yellow and I flinch away out of instinct. The light grows brighter but it must not be as hot as it looks because Clemmen doesn’t budge the slightest as the light slides over her hand.
Finally, the light goes out and the door swings open.
“Come on,” Clemmen says, putting a hand against the door as she steps into the doorway.
I step in, moving around her, and as soon as she releases the door, it slams closed with force. She holds the card out to me and I slide it back into my pocket, glancing at the door again. “Am I going to be able to get back out without doing whatever you just did.”
She laughs, patting my shoulder. “Yeah, there’s no spell to get back out, you can just open the door, but if you need to get back in, just do what I did. The incantation activation word is durn.”
I nod like I know what the hell she’s talking about but I don’t. If I end up leaving for some reason, I’m definitely not getting back in without help.
I turn, looking down the long hallway that leads into another room where I can already see a bunch of people moving around, glasses in their hands. Anticipation brims along my skin and my heart thumps a little wildly.
“Time to enjoy your first fae party, Nerys,” Clemmen says just as a shout rings through the house.