Fae Star (2 page)

“Your hair, your tears, your blood, who knows?” he said, “He may have even wanted your fingernails.”

I shuddered, “But why?”

“Your whole body holds a tremendous magic. Any part of it could give the owner great power. In fact, that’s how we can find you, by following the trail of power that’s leading to you.”

“Who’s ‘we’?” I asked, “and
what do you mean by magic? It’s like you’re speaking another language.”

“Let me start at the beginning,” Ian said, “Both the man who attacked you and myself are not quite human. We’re fae. We live on the same planet as you, but in a different realm so we normally can’t interact. The only way to cross realms is to find a jumper, and I happen to be one. You are what is called a “Star.” There is only one Star in each generation in the human world, and they hold a great power for the fae. They gain their Star powers when they come of age, or on their sixteenth birthdays. If a fae consumes a piece of a Star, such as your blood, they become extremely powerful. Unfortunately, for this reason, stars don’t usually last long.”

I felt dizzy. What he was saying couldn’t possibly be true.

“Great prank,” I said, “but I’m not falling for it.”

“I thought this might happen,” Ian said, “Take my hand, and I’ll prove it.”

“No,” I said, “If what you say is true, then how do I know you won’t try to eat me like the others?”

“Believe me, it’s in my best interest if you stay alive. My motives are as selfish as anyone else’s, but they definitely involve keeping you alive and intact.”

“And what are your motives, exactly?” I asked.

“I’m not ready to tell you that,” Ian said, looking at the floor.

“Yeah, this is feeling like a prank. Who put you up to this? Was it Julia? I’m going to bed,” I said.

“Go ahead,” Ian said, but he didn’t budge from his spot.

The truth was, I was really scared. I wasn’t sure if Ian was telling the truth, but that other guy meant business. I would be dead if Ian hadn’t shown up.

“Aren’t you going home?” I asked, sitting on my bed.

“Nope,” he said, “Can I have one of your pillows?”

“Um, I guess?” I said. This was getting so weird that I didn’t even know how to respond anymore. My normal personality was not equipped for this situation.

“Thanks,” Ian said as he sat in my computer chair and put his feet on my desk.

“Can you really sleep like that?” I asked him.

“I’ll tell you in the morning,” he said.

It took me a while to fall asleep after all that had happened. All my muscles felt tense as if I might have to flee at any second. I looked over at the spot where Ian was sleeping, even though it was too dark to really see him. Ian was a stranger, and an unusual one at that, but I still felt safer knowing he was there. After what seemed like hours, my eyelids closed and I drifted to sleep.

Chapter 5

When I woke up, Ian was gone, and I was really starting to wonder if the whole thing had been a dream. That is, until my little sister Julia bounced into my room.

“Who was that cuuute guy who just walked out of our house?” she asked me, “I tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t say anything.”

That’s Julia for you. 14-year-old, boy-crazy, and completely naive. She was really lucky she had me to watch out for her. She and her little friends were always coming to me for advice.

“Did he have dark hair and deep brown eyes?” I asked.

“Yes, that’s him!” she said.

“No idea,” I lied, “I think he was a burglar.”

“No way! Burglars aren’t that cute!” my sister shot back. Classic Julia.

So Ian was real after all.

Mom and Dad had already left for work, so once again, it was up to me to get Stephen and Joey on the bus. After getting my brothers to the bus stop just in time, Julia and I hopped into my rusty old car and headed to school, almost late, as usual.

I sat in first period, back row and close to the door, prepared for another uneventful day. Most of my friends were freshmen that I had met through Julia, who was way more outgoing than I was. Since this was a sophomore class without my best friend Melanie in it, I sat by myself.

Ms. Gruber addressed the class, “We have a new student today. His name is Ian.”

Chapter 6

I looked around the room and noticed that every female eye was glued to the new guy. He smiled at the class, and then took a seat a few rows ahead of me.
What are you doing here?
I scribbled on a piece of paper, crumpled it up, and threw it at Ian’s head. He must have anticipated my attack, because he moved his head to the side at just the right moment and my paper flew past him and bounced off Ms. Gruber’s skirt.

“Detention, Miss Pell. She narrowed her eyes at me. It was a long hour.

I tracked down Ian after class.

“I can’t believe you made me get a detention,” I said.

“Because I didn’t let that massive ball of paper hit my head?” Ian asked.

“But seriously, what are you doing here?” I asked, not particularly politely.

“You know, a ‘Hello, how are you?’ would be nice. I’m here to protect you. You could be attacked at school as well as at home.”

“In front of all these people?” I asked.

“Fae are very clever,” he said, “They could easily tr-”

The warning bell interrupted us, and I headed to my next class, knowing I couldn’t afford one more tardy.

I guess Ian’s fae magic hadn’t worked as well as he’d intended, since he hadn’t managed to get the same class as me for any other periods.

Even though Julia and I were in different grades, we had the same time for lunch since our school split lunch times alphabetically. I carried my lunch tray over to bubbly, glossy-lipped Julia’s table.

“Oh my gosh
,” she started talking at a rushed pace before my lunch tray even hit the table, “You know that guy who was in our house the other day? He’s a new student at our school!” Her voice broke into a squeal as she finished her sentence.

“Yeah, I know. He’s in my first hour,” I said.

“Really? Did he say anything to you? Did he ask about me?”

“Yes, and...no, why would he?”

“Oh,” Julia looked upset for a split-second, but then her face lit up again, “Well, maybe he likes you, then! He could be your boyfriend! I was just hoping the new guy would notice me to make Walt jealous.” Poor Walt. He was just one of Julia’s on-again/off-again boyfriends.

“Look! Look!” Julia yelled in my ear, “He’s headed right for our table.”

Julia and her little friends ogled Ian silently until it became a little awkward.

“Um, may I sit here?” he asked.

“Sorry, no room,” I said with a smirk. I could feel every jaw at the lunch table drop - besides mine, of course.

“That’s okay. We can share a seat.” Ian pushed me over a little and sat next to me on the small plastic circle that was supposed to suffice for a chair.

“Are you seeing anyone?” Julia asked, subtle as always.

“My relationship status is … complicated, at the moment,” he said, looking at me for some reason.

“What do you mean, complicated?” Julia asked, “You’re either single or you’re not.”

“I’ve been in love with a girl for years, but I haven’t told her yet.”

“You haven’t told her in years?” Julia’s annoying friend Stacy asked, “Why the wait?”

“Like I said, it’s complicated,” Ian said, “and that’s the end of the discussion.”

Ian probably resented me for keeping him away from his not-girlfriend. Suddenly, I didn’t like having him there. I felt like I didn’t have room for anyone new in my life, and I didn’t feel like I could trust him either.

At home wasn’t any better. Julia would not shut up about the new kid, and how handsome he was.

“Erica, you should ask him out,” she said.

“You heard him at lunch today,” I said, “He already likes someone.”

“Yeah, but not enough to tell her how he feels. It’s time for you to move in.”

“What makes you think I want to go out with him?”

I felt like I needed to get some air and think about things.

“Watch Joey and Stephen for me,” I said, “I’m going for a walk.”

Chapter 7

I didn’t hear them until it was too late. I was only a half mile from my house, but it was enough to reduce my sense of security. It was cold and there weren’t any people out that day. Even though we lived in the suburbs, this part of the street looked more like the boonies.

“Is that her?” I heard a man’s voice.

“Yep, I’m sure of it,” a woman replied.

I started to run, but the man grabbed me and held me down while the woman reached into a bag and pulled out a pair of gleaming silver scissors.

I screamed and kicked, but it was no use. The woman raised the scissors, and cut off a lock of my hair.

They ran off into the trees after that, leaving me very puzzled. I was glad to be alive, of course, but I had to wonder why they hadn’t just killed me and drank my blood.

I couldn’t get to school fast enough the next morning. Julia and I arrived at school fifteen minutes early (no easy feat) and I looked around for Ian’s dark hair and dark eyes among the crowd. I didn’t see him anywhere. I was just about to give up when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Ian!” I exclaimed, spinning around, “I was looking for you!”

“Oh?” he said, smiling at me, “Did I do something wrong?”

“I need you to teach me how to defend myself!” I said, “There’s gotta be some way I could use all this power built up inside me, right?”

“I’m so sorry, Erica,” Ian said, “Only the fae are able to harness your power because it is the combination of fae and star ...pieces… that allow your energy to be unleashed. Why the sudden interest in self-defense?”
      
“Two people attacked me yesterday while I was out walking,” I said.
      
      
      

“They attacked you?” he said, “Are you alright?” His face had turned serious.

“Yeah, they just took a little bit of my hair. What was that about?” I asked.

“This is bad,” Ian said, “I should have kept better watch over you. I placed a powerful protection spell over your house, but I didn’t think you would go out alone!”

“Well, maybe I needed to think about all this - stuff!” I said, starting to get angry, “First, you tell me that all these fae creatures are after me, and if that’s not bad enough, now I’m on house arrest too?”

“Look, I know it’s not ideal,” Ian said, “but there are real dangers out there. At least bring someone with you next time.”

“Like Julia?” I asked, “She’s one of the reasons I had to get outside.”

“Next time, please call me if you’re about to do something reckless,” Ian said. I was going to argue, but he wasn’t scolding, he was pleading.

“I didn’t think you were the type to carry a cell phone. Besides, I don’t have your number,” I said.

“It’s in your phone,” Ian said.

“Well, how would I know that?” I said, “and when did you have my phone?”

“The night you were attacked - after you fell asleep.”

We were silent for a few seconds and then Ian said, “Arghh! I’m such an idiot. I shouldn’t have left you alone!”

“Um, it’s okay,” I said, “It’s just hair. I can live without it.”

“You can. They can’t,” Ian said, “Once someone gets a little taste of a star, even if it’s just her hair, they go a little crazy. They can’t live without it. It’s like being addicted to a drug. They’ll just want more and more until there’s nothing left, and they’ll be so powerful that I won’t be able to stop them.”

I must have looked scared, because Ian stopped talking abruptly. So now that these people had a chunk of my hair, they were super-strong and would keep coming back until they finished me off? And I thought I was stressed out just getting my brothers to the bus on time.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, “I shouldn’t have told you.”

“So there’s nothing we can do?” my voice rose, “We just have to wait for them to attack me? Or I could give you some of my hair so you could protect me… but then you’d eventually become crazy and kill me yourself.”

“There is one other way,” Ian said, “I never told you about the real reason I came here to be your protector.”

“Um, because you’re a genuinely decent creature with a good heart?” I asked in a fake-sweet voice.

Ian winced, “Not quite. I’ve been sent by the king to protect you and bring you to the fae kingdom. There’s a prophecy that if a star marries a fae prince, she will become part of the fae bloodline. Then she could use her powers for her own use, and no one would dare harm her for fear of starting a war. According to the prophecy, she will bring peace and power to the fae kingdom.

“Well, that’s all well and good,” I said, “But you’re overlooking one thing. I don’t want to marry a stranger! And the prince may not be too fond of me either. I’m not the princess type.”

“The prince already knows about your, um, independent spirit, and he doesn’t mind.”

“Well, I don’t want to live in the fae kingdom, away from my family… The prince is asking me to give up an awful lot.”

“For someone who spent her whole life trying to escape,” Ian said, “You sure seem reluctant to leave. I’ve been watching you, and you don’t seem happy here. You spend all your time looking after others, and there’s no one to care about you.” I hated the pity that I saw in his eyes.