Enchanted Summer Page 7

  She wanted to come closer and brush her fingers through his hair, along the side of his jaw. She made herself push those thoughts far back into her mind and lock them up.

  “Try to record it,” Nate repeated. “With your phone. Then listen to it at home, whenever it will be quiet.”

  “That might be tricky,” Mimi chuckled, and he smiled.

  “Just try it,” he said. “You may be surprised by what you discover.”

  Ten

  When Nate woke up the next morning, Ariadne was standing by his bed, leaning over him.

  It reminded him of a fairytale—a reversed one, where the princess came to wake up the prince from his enchanted dream.

  They blinked at each other in confusion for a few seconds, Ariadne’s face so close to him, her fluffy white locks almost brushing his face, her amethyst eyes gleaming as if indeed made of a crystal. Nate’s vision was still hazy, and so was his mind. The scent of honey and wildflowers wafting from her enveloped him fully. For a moment, he’d really believed that she was about to kiss him.

  But then she recoiled abruptly. Her wings trembled, sending a cloud of magical pollen flying around in the air. As soon as the particles reached the floor or any other surface, they melted like snow on a still warm soil.

  “I’m sorry,” Ariadne whispered, flushed. “I … I’m just—”

  And then she lit up, a little shining star in the middle of the room, and shifted into her true form. Frantic, for the first few seconds she darted back and forth, like a bee trapped inside the house, and then she spotted an open window and slipped out into the garden.

  Nate propped himself up on his elbows and watched her in puzzlement. It wasn’t like he was naked.

  He hoped that her embarrassment wouldn’t prevent her from having breakfast with him.

  Fifteen minutes later, he walked downstairs and opened the front door. After yesterday’s storm, the weather was perfect: clear blue skies, drops of dew scattered around the lawn. A bunch of colorful butterflies had already occupied a rose bush. A perfect day for a hike in the forest.

  Ray hadn’t called him yet, and Nate assumed he was still sleeping.

  “Ariadne …” Nate began, coming out onto the porch.

  He turned to close the door, and that’s when he’d noticed her—hiding behind a rustic-looking deck chair.

  Nate made a step toward her, startling her.

  “You really shouldn’t be sitting out here in the open,” he suggested. “If some of the neighbors notice you—”

  “It will be fine,” Ariadne responded, a bit alarmed by his sudden appearance. “I know a way of … enchanting humans.”

  “Really?” Nate scratched the back of his head, wondering if that was something she had already tried on him.

  She nodded. “That’s a part of the fairy magic.”

  Nate motioned toward the front door. “I thought you might want to join me for breakfast. I can bring it outside if you wish to eat here.”

  “Oh …” Ariadne rose to her feet, shaking out dust from her dress. “Thank you.”

  One hand clutching the other, her eyes cast on the floor, she followed him back inside.

  The next ten minutes they’d spent in silence as Nate took out the plates and arranged food on them. For himself, he decided to fry eggs and bacon. Ariadne perched on one of the bar stools and watched him with curiosity.

  “I’ve tried those,” she said as he opened the cupboard where he stored nuts and honey.

  “Which one?” He flicked his gaze between her and the inside shelf.

  “Brown box to the left. Yes, those. They tasted strange.”

  Nate frowned at the box of Cheerios in his hand. “Funny, I don’t remember buying this …” he muttered. “And I thought I threw out all the expired food from the Aunt’s pantry.”

  “It wasn’t expired,” Ariadne pointed out. “It was brand new. Sealed.”

  “Weird,” Nate concluded and shoved the box back onto the shelf.

  Finished with serving the food for Ariadne, he set out to prepare his own meal.

  “There’s something I wanted to ask,” he started, beating the eggs onto the hot pan. Ariadne’s eyes were on him every second as if anything he did was a revelation for her. Maybe it was. Nate grabbed a spatula. “There’s a legend in this town, of a lake hidden deep in the woods. They say its bottom is made of crystal, and there are flowers blooming on its shores—presumably like those ones in the garden.” He pointed to the window. “Some people also claim that they’ve seen tiny fairies in the area.” He cut a glance at the dryad to see how she reacted to that, but her face was calm, her eyes still gleaming with curiosity. “Do you think it’s just a legend or could there be a grain of truth to it? Could your kind … infiltrate into our world?”

  A week ago, he would be sure it was just one of those tales small towns like this one teemed with. But now, after everything he’d experienced … Hanna’s uncle might not be as lunatic as Ray thought him to be.

  “This might be just a tale,” Ariadne’s voice sounded, “or this might be a mirage.”

  “A mirage?” Nate grinned, looking up from his frying pan. “Like in the desert?”

  She was munching on a bunch of blueberries. “Not exactly. Though it really is an illusion—cast by magic, not by light.”

  “So it’s not real? How does it work?”

  Ariadne let out a breath, gazing at the window. “I’m not really sure. All I know is that those mirages sometimes appear in the hidden places of the human worlds. But they only reveal themselves to those who possess their own magic.”

  Nate squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. Too much information for his comprehension. “You said ‘worlds’? As in plural? There is more than one human world?”

  Ariadne flushed—clearly, she revealed too much information and caught herself too late. “Yes …” she muttered under her breath.

  “You mean—the other planets?”

  “N-no … It could be a world identical to yours.” Her eyes darted across the kitchen island as if looking for a place to hide. “I … don’t know that much about it, and I’m not allowed to speak of— Please, let’s change the subject.”

  Nate frowned a bit. “Okay. Humans who possess magic. Are there any in this world?”

  “Yes.”

  “Could I know any of them?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know. This is not as apparent as you might think.” Ariadne examined her meal on the plate. “Their magic is distinct from … those of my kind. It manifests itself in a different way.”

  Nate piled up his eggs and bacon on a plate. “I’m sorry for the interrogation.” He shook his head. “It’s just all so new and unexpected to me.”

  “It’s fine. I get it,” Ariadne echoed.

  “So, whenever someone with magic in their blood comes near this … mirage, they can see it?”

  “Not exactly—it reveals itself to them. If it wants to. And those who they trust could sometimes see it too—if they are somewhere nearby.”

  “Interesting.” Nate settled at the island across from her and picked up a fork. “Can they photograph it?”

  Before he could think of whether Ariadne knew what a photograph was, she answered, “No. It’s just an illusion. Essentially, it’s all in your head.”

  He glanced up. “Oh!”

  “But it feels real. You can touch the stone, smell the flowers; you can even go for a swim if it’s a lake.”

  “Wow … What if you decide to pluck one of the flowers and bring it home as a souvenir?”

  Ariadne shook her head, white locks whisking her cheeks. “Nobody ever wants to pick flowers in the Enchanted Forest. What’s the point—they are already yours.”

  Nate chewed on his bacon. “Not all humans have this way of thinking.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Enchanted Forest plays with your head like this.”

  Nate looked up at her, and just when he was about to say something, their quiet breakfast was interrupted by a doo
rbell ring.

  ∞∞∞

  Ariadne started, instantly transforming into her true form. She could see Nate following her with his eyes as he walked around the island.

  “It’s probably Ray,” he said almost to himself. “He could have at least called before showing up at my door … Hey, don’t be so scared. Come with me.”

  He led her through the first floor and opened a door for her. Another guest bedroom—this one less furnished than the one she occupied. The bed was missing a mattress.

  “Stay here,” Nate said. “I will get him to leave.”

  Ariadne flew inside, and he closed the door.

  She transformed back again and tried to peep through the keyhole, but the only thing she could see was the floral pattern on the opposite wall.

  The front door lock clicked, and the house got filled with voices. A guy and a girl—they seemed to be talking simultaneously.

  “Hey, we were calling you, but you didn’t pick up your phone!”

  “Are you ready to go?”

  “I’ve probably left the phone in my bedroom; sorry,” Ariadne distinguished Nate’s voice responding. “I was just having breakfast.”

  “Mimi and Ryan are waiting in the car,” the girl spoke again. “We want to head out early so that we get there before it’s too hot.”

  “Okay; let me finish this and I’ll be ready to go in a few minutes.”

  “I didn’t know you liked berries,” the guy chuckled. “And honey and nuts? What are you making?”

  Ariadne pressed her hand to her mouth—they’d left her food just lying in the open.

  “Yeah, I like those.” Judging by the sound, Nate popped a berry into his mouth.

  “Those are some weird breakfast choices,” the guy laughed.

  Feet shuffled against the floor.

  “Hey, can I use your bathroom?” the girl asked.

  “Sure; it’s this way,” Nate answered.

  Ariadne heard footsteps sounding alarmingly close. Then the doorknob rattled. She flinched and jumped back.

  “No!” Nate exclaimed from the kitchen. “Hanna, that’s the wrong door!”

  He came running, but it was too late. The door to Ariadne’s hideout opened, revealing a pretty blonde on the threshold.

  She was wearing jean shorts and a mint shirt tied up in the front. Her brown eyes instantly snapped to Ariadne.

  “What?” she gasped, both of them baffled by the sight of one another. “There’s a girl in there! Nate?”

  Regaining her breath, Ariadne made a tiny step back. Before Nate could reach the door, she turned into her natural form and bolted to hide behind the curtains.

  She could hear the other girl making a choking sound. Then the bedroom door slammed closed.

  “Who was that?!” the girl screamed from the hall. “I saw a girl in there! Was that your girlfriend? Did you hide something from us, Nate?”

  “What?” her companion echoed. He was coming closer, too.

  “Oh, no, it’s nothing like that …” Nate was trying to explain, but they clearly caught him off guard.

  “Do you think I’ve imagined that?” The girl laughed. “There was a girl inside that room. And then—poof! She vanished!”

  “Um … Hanna, baby …” The other guy hesitated. “Let’s … go outside. Get you some fresh air …”

  “Wha— Ray! Do you think I’m hallucinating?”

  “Not at all. It’s just that maybe this hot weather and everything …”

  The girl humphed. “I saw what I saw. And you’d better explain everything to me, Nate.”

  With that, another door slammed, and silence reigned for a moment.

  The other guy sighed.

  “There’s really nothing behind that door, right?” Ariadne heard him say in a quiet voice.

  The door creaked as it slowly flew open, allowing in a draft of air. Ariadne kept still in her hideout, clutching at the heavy fabric of the curtains.

  After a second or two, the other guy spoke. “I’m sorry, Nate. This has never happened before.”

  “You have nothing to apologize for,” Nate said.

  The door creaked once again, now shutting closed.

  “We will wait for you in the car. As soon as she comes out.”

  “Okay.”

  Ariadne let out a small breath. She felt sorry for them—all of them. Nate having to hide her and explain who she was—she knew exactly how humans reacted to people claiming that they’d seen magical things. This stranger girl, who now had to prove to her friends that she wasn’t crazy. The guy who was clearly so concerned about her.

  All because of her. All because she thought it would be fine to escape into another world and come to live in a human’s garden. It wasn’t the first time Nate got into trouble because of her.

  Ariadne listened to the guy named Ray argue with the blonde girl as soon as she came out of the bathroom, trying to convince her to leave Nate alone and go wait for him outside. After a minute or two of them bickering, the girl gave in and followed the guy out the door. Nate promised he would join them soon.

  As soon as the front door closed, Ariadne heard footsteps heading her way and transformed. Nate peeked through the crack in the door before opening it fully.

  “I’m sorry …” Ariadne breathed, coming forth. She wrapped her arms around herself as if it could somehow protect her.

  “No, I’m sorry.” Nate sighed. “I should have been more cautious. Do you still … want to come with us?”

  She nodded slightly. “Yes. I would love to.”

  “Then let’s go finish our breakfast.” Nate cocked his head toward the kitchen. “And figure out how I can hide you so we could get you into the car.”

  ∞∞∞

  Sitting on the back seat of the car, Mimi tried to get a sense of what was going on between her brother and her best friend.

  Her other brother—Ryan—was sitting next to her, immersed in some game he was playing on his phone. His ears covered by huge headphones, he didn’t even notice how Ray and Hanna came back, arguing about something with each other.

  “I didn’t just make this up!” Hanna was yelling. “I saw her! Ray, admit it, we don’t know much about Nate. He could have been hiding anyone in his house!”

  “You’re making him sound like some kind of a psycho.” Ray rolled his eyes. “I’ve known Nate for almost a month now, and I can tell you—he’s just a normal guy.”

  “Then maybe it’s this ghost we’ve all been talking about.”

  “No, it couldn’t be it. It’s daytime, and ghosts only show up at night.”

  Mimi grabbed the sides of their seats and pulled herself closer to them. “What’s it all about?”

  Hanna twisted to face her. “Nate! He’s hiding a girl in his house and keeping it a secret from all of us!”

  “He’s not!” Ray instantly snapped.

  “Then why did he not want me to open that door, huh?” Hanna insisted. “Why was he so frightened when I peeked in?”

  “I don’t know.” Ray shrugged. “Maybe because it’s his aunt’s house, and that room had a bunch of old junk in it. He didn’t want you to see that mess.”

  “It wasn’t nearly that messy.”

  Mimi winced, shaking her head. “Guys, stop it! What did you say it was, Hanna?”

  “A girl!” Hanna clapped her hands. “A very pretty one. Probably our age.”

  Mimi recoiled, an uneasy feeling settling into her stomach.

  “There was no girl,” Ray persisted.

  “She had snow-white hair and purple eyes, and she was wearing this gorgeous chiffon gown the color of sunrise … Or maybe it wasn’t even chiffon, I don’t know, but it looked fantastic!”

  “Nate showed me that room, and there was no one in it.”

  “That’s because she’d disappeared!” Hanna cried. “There was this sudden explosion of light, and she vanished!”

  Mimi blinked at her. “Hanna … Are you sure you weren’t seeing things?”

&n
bsp; Hanna’s hand froze mid-air as she reached for the water bottle. “What? You, too, Mimi? I thought you were on my side!”

  Mimi leaned back in her seat. She wanted to be on Hanna’s side, but if what she was telling were true—skip the all “lit up and disappear” part—then Nate had a girl living with him at his house. Unless he had a sister or some family member over visiting, she could be his girlfriend.

  Despite the hot air all around her, Mimi felt coldness spread all over her skin.

  She didn’t want that. She desperately wanted to believe it wasn’t true.

  Ray and Hanna kept arguing back and forth, and then Nate suddenly emerged on his porch, a backpack slung over his shoulder. He flashed a smile at them before heading to his car. Ray turned the key, and the engine started.

  Ryan looked up from his game, removing his headphones for a moment. Out of the three siblings, he had the darkest shade of hair and eye color, and he looked like he was fourteen, even though in reality he was just two years younger than Mimi.

  “Are we heading out already?” he asked, glancing around.

  “Finally,” Ray said.

  Mimi put her earphones in and set her gaze on a window. For the next hour and a half, she intended to drown out her agitated thoughts with music.

  Eleven

  Those woods were deeper and more ancient than the ones surrounding the neighborhood.

  Ariadne folded her wings and peeked over Nate’s shoulder at the massive tree trunks overgrown with moss. They reminded her a little of the Enchanted Forest, though these woods had a completely different feel to them.

  “Hey,” Nate’s voice sounded as the engine died. “Are you okay back there?”

  “Yes,” Ariadne whispered, then remembered he couldn’t hear her while she was in this form.

  He was worried the car ride would make her dizzy. Talked about it several times during the drive. But those concerns, while heartwarming, were unnecessary. Ariadne supposed it was hard to explain it to someone who wasn’t a fairy and never had the experience of flying around and somersaulting in the air. Nothing would make you dizzy if that’s your everyday reality.

  As for the car itself … It smelled funny but otherwise didn’t scare her at all. Fascinated by humans and their worlds, Ariadne had spent many hours studying their way of life. Some things—like cars, airplanes and other modes of transportation—piqued her interest the most. So it was something that she’d focused on the most during her studies and rare field trips to the human realms with her tutor.