Not Your Average Fairy Tale (Not Your Average Fairy Tale #1) (19 page)

"What are you thinking about?" Kendall asked. She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. She rested an elbow on the table while her fingers played with strands of her hair.

"Just wondering what your real hair color is," I said.

Her mouth dropped open. "It's blonde!" she cried.

"Liar," I said. "It's blonde right now because you colored it. What's the real color?"

She stared at me, a smile creeping to her lips.

"I'm curious," I said.

"I have no idea what my hair color is."

"I thought so.”

She laughed. "So, how much trouble are you in, exactly?"

I didn't answer.

"Whatever. You couldn't show yourself to Ellie, so it must be bad."

I shrugged.

"Hopefully they'll let you off easy when I make my third wish," she said. She rested her chin in her hand, still leaning on the table. She sounded sad.

"What's wrong?" I asked, grabbing her other hand. I laced my fingers through hers, and she smiled.

"I'm sorry I haven't made my last wish yet."

I looked away, knowing what I had to do, and not wanting to do it. "That's actually why I'm here." I took a deep breath. "I need your third wish."

She stiffened. “I knew it ... Wait, like,
now
?"

"Yes."

"You can't give me a few hours? A few days?"

"Not really. I'm sorry, Kendall. I'm in a lot of trouble, and I'm being watched. I know it's not much time, but I don't have a choice."

"Of course you have a choice!" She looked up. "Ash, what is this?"

"What is what?"

"This." She gestured to herself and me, and then at our intertwined fingers. I pulled mine away.

"I don't know," I said.

Her shoulders tensed. "Look. I'm just going to say it." She scooted closer to me, her hazel eyes focused on mine. "I'm in love with you, Ash. I love you."

I never thought I'd be so happy and so sad to hear those words. I couldn't look at her, because if I did, I couldn't say what needed to be said.

"You can't love me."

"Ash–"

"No! You can't love me! I'm sorry, Kendall. I can't do this anymore. Once you make your wish we'll never see each other again. I can't get involved."

"You’re already involved!"

I groaned. "I know. I don't know what else to do. I can't stand it. The thought of never seeing you again. It's killing me."

She was quiet for a moment. "You've already made your choice, then," she said.

"How do you know that?"

"You said you'll never see me again. You're choosing to be a sandman over me."

I shook my head, silently begging her to understand. "No, it's not like that."

"Then what's it like?"

"I don't know! All I've ever wanted was to be a sandman. And then you came along. You changed everything. All I think about is you, and I've never felt that way about anything or anyone. Honestly, it scares the crap out of me!"

"It scares me too," she whispered. "More than you know."

I started at that. "I don't know what to do now. What direction to take. I've lost my whole focus in life. What I want." I paused. "What I wanted."

"I'm sorry I messed everything up."

My eyes widened. "No, that's not what I meant."

"No, it
is
. I've messed everything up. I've made it so you can't follow your dreams. I won't do that to you. It's your life, and if you want to be a sandman, then go be one."

"Kendall–"

"I know what my third wish is."

"Please, don't do this. You haven't ruined anything. I'm sorry. I'm just, I'm so confused." I grabbed her hand again, but she pulled away.

She squared her shoulders, tears forming in her eyes.

I wasn't prepared for her words to hit me so forcefully, but they crushed me to the ground. My heart broke in two.

"I wish I never met you."

Kendall

I pulled the car into the empty parking lot and turned it off. I sat back in my seat, closing my eyes to stop the emotion bubbling to the surface.

"You sure you want to do this?"

I glanced at Tessa in the passenger seat. "Yes."

She nodded and opened her door.

I watched her get out and took a calming breath before grabbing the bouquet of flowers in the back seat and following her lead.

The cemetery was beautiful. The grass was green, the rows of lilacs along the fence were in full bloom. A slight breeze blew across my face and I breathed in their sweet scent.

I hadn't noticed anything around me the last time I'd been here. Only darkness. And the cold. Everything seemed deader then.

Tessa looped her arm through mine. "You good?"

I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. I was doing better than I’d thought I would. I hadn't seen my dad's grave since the day we buried him. I'd been so wrapped up in blaming myself that I hadn’t wanted to face him. But I was different now.

"Thanks for coming with me, Tessa." I paused. "I know I haven't been the greatest friend..."

She gave my arm a squeeze. "Don't worry about it. You've been through a lot."

I nodded, not able to answer. If I did, I wouldn't be able to hold back my tears much longer.

"Where did you say it was?" She looked around at the gravestones, and I pointed her in the right direction.

I slowed when I saw it. Tessa let go of my arm. "You go ahead. I'll be right here."

I gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Tess."

My eyes watered as I turned away from her, and I took a breath before stepping forward.

The headstone was just as I remembered. My mom made me go with her to pick it out, but I'd never seen it on the actual burial plot, since I'd avoided even looking at the cemetery for months.

It looked nice. It was shiny black and sparkled in the sun. Someone had put several bouquets of flowers on either side of the gravestone. My mom, I was sure. I knelt down in the soft grass and sighed. I leaned forward and traced my dad's name with my finger. His birth date, his death.

I don't know how long I sat there, but I was surprised at how well I was holding myself together. I set the flowers on the grass in front of the headstone and spread them out. Daisies. He'd always brought daisies home for my mom, so they reminded me of him.

"I miss you, Dad," I whispered. A tear rolled down my cheek, and I sniffed and wiped it away. As much as my heart ached, I knew I couldn't focus on the past anymore. I had to move on. Stop blaming myself for his death.

For that small moment, I knew my dad was watching out for me. I knew everything was going to be okay.

Ash

"I'm proud of you, Ash. You did the right thing." Shenelle smiled and handed my wand back to me.

I felt too numb to answer. I still heard Kendall's last wish. Her words, shattering my heart and soul into pieces.

"You'll graduate in a week’s time at the top of the class. Just like you wanted." She paused, frowning at my expression. "Logan got all of your paperwork ready to submit to the council. You'll be a sandman before the month’s end. Unless you want to continue what you're doing now."

I looked up, but couldn't meet her eyes. "May I leave now?" I stood up, not wanting to listen to her any longer. She had ruined my chance of ever having a happy life. Kendall was right. There was no such thing as a Happily Ever After.

"Ash, wait. There's something else."

"What?"

"Sit."

I sighed and sat down again, running a hand through my hair.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you." She paused. "Something you're not going to want to hear."

"Just tell me. It’s been a long night and I really don't want to spend the rest of it in your office. No offense."

"Ash–" she started, then faltered.

"Just tell me, Shenelle. Whatever it is couldn't possibly make me feel worse than I already do."

She leaned on her desk. "It's about your parents."

My whole body tensed. "What about them?"

"Your father, Paul Summerland. He was a good man. A very good man who knew a lot about our world. He loved you very much."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

She paused, twisting her wand in her hand. "Paul died protecting you."

"I know that."

"Yes, but there’s more. I don't really know how to say this, but Paul Summerland is not actually your father."

I swear my heart stopped beating. "What are you talking about?"

"Listen to me, Ash."

I stood. "No. I'm done here."

"Ash, sit down and listen!" Her wings fluttered, lifting her off the ground a little.

I'd never heard Shenelle raise her voice like that before. I sat down.

She pushed her glasses onto the bridge of her nose again, and floated back down to her chair.

"Ash. Your father is a djinn."

I shot to my feet, slamming my hand down on the table. "You're lying!"

"Calm down!"

"My father is
not
a djinn!" A gust of wind rose, sending Shenelle's papers flying off the desk. They swirled around the room, some ripping to pieces under the pressure.

She watched the papers and looked back at me. Her eyes glittered, making me feel uneasy. "Your element is wind," she whispered.

"What?"

"Djinns control a certain element." Her eyes were wide, her expression hungry. "From what I've seen, yours is the wind." She clasped her hands together. "Earth and wind. How fascinating."

I had no idea what she meant by that. Papers still flew around the room, and Shenelle's hair whipped around her face. I realized I was the cause.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. Deep down inside though, I knew it was true. I'd known since Kendall's dance, when Dax attacked me with the sand. Every time my emotions kicked in, the wind would come. It always had, and it had taken me this long to figure it out. I was such an idiot.

"Wait. So, what was my mother? Did you know her too?"

She laughed, making my jaw twitch in agitation. "Of course I did. I know everything that goes on around here."

I crossed my arms. "And you didn't bother telling me? My own parents?"

"It was too soon. You weren't ready."

"So, what was she? A goblin? An elf?"

"She was a fairy."

She
was
a fairy. I shrugged, not letting my expression give me away. Inside I crumbled. Everything I'd ever known was a lie. I wasn't half human. I was half djinn and half fairy. Something unheard of.

"Figures," I said. My heart started racing when I realized how much this would affect me. "I'm not bound to anyone am I?"

Djinns had powerful magic. Only, they were bound to a master. A human. If the human didn't let the djinn use his or her magic, they were useless. Weak. That was why so many of them turned bad. They couldn’t use their own magic unless someone let them. They became manipulators. Evil.

"No. You're not. You're half djinn, not a full."

I exhaled. "At least that’s good news."

She actually seemed pleased about all this. "I've monitored your power ever since your mother brought you here. It's getting stronger, Ash. It's too strong. No one but you and Dax have such power. You have no idea what to do with it. I can help you. Teach you how to wield it to your fullest potential."

I put up a hand, my head spinning. "Wait. You just said me and Dax." I didn't care how excited she was. How her face lit up when she mentioned Dax's name. All I cared about was that she mentioned our names in the same sentence. Like we were the same person.

She froze.

Me and Dax. I thought about it over and over. He knew. He knew all along and never told me.

I walked to the door, not wanting to hear anymore.

"Ash, wait!"

She yelled at me, but I ignored her. I slammed the door shut, leaving her behind.

***

I sat in the front row. The lights were hot, making sweat bead on my forehead. My robe made me even hotter. Everyone was waiting. Shenelle had already called my name, and I didn't care. I wanted nothing to do with her or this place.

"Ash Summerland." Her voice sharpened. I glared at her from across the room.

"Dude, stand up." Sam nudged me.

I sighed and stood. Every step was torture as I walked across the stage. Everyone in the audience cheered, but I didn't look at them. Shenelle was beaming, holding my diploma out. I glanced at her briefly before ignoring her outstretched hand and walking off the stage, leaving my diploma and future behind me.

I heard people gasp, and the clapping stopped.

Someone yelled my name, but I kept walking. I reached the doors and found myself outside. I wanted to be as far away from Shenelle as possible. I didn't want anyone to see me like this.

Broken.

The wind howled as I strode across campus. I pulled out my wand, examining it. It felt warm in my hands. There was something odd about it. Something I hadn’t noticed before.

An idea formed in my mind. I pointed it toward the sky and sent a burst of light out the end. A small bolt of lightning shot out of the clouds, streaking across the night. But my power kept pouring into the wand without me willing it. My body felt drained. Weak. I let go of it and watched it fall to the ground.

I raised my hand above my head and felt power course through my body. It was more than I'd ever experienced before, and I released it into the sky. An enormous bolt of lightning struck the ground just inches away from me. Thunder rolled in the now cloudy sky, and the wind whipped my graduation robes around me.

"Ash!"

I lowered my hand, feeling my magic stabilize, and the wind died down. I glanced at my wand. When I used it, my magic was weaker. Without the wand, it was stronger. Interesting.

"Ash!" The voice yelled again.

The only other person in the world I cared about had followed me. I knew he would. I stopped and turned around.

Sam raced toward me, his bright red robes billowing in the breeze. Misty was a few yards behind him, her wings fluttering in the night.

"Did you do that?" Sam asked.

"What?"

"That crazy lightning thing," he said.

I didn't answer.

They stopped in front of me. Misty's eyes narrowed and she sized me up before exploding, "What were you thinking back there? You dissed Shenelle in front of everyone! Why didn't you take your diploma?"

"I don't want it."

"They're looking for you," Sam said. He stood with his hands on his hips, out of breath.

"Who is?"

"Everyone." He shifted uneasily and looked at the ground. "I thought I'd give you a heads up."

"Thanks," I said.

"Where are you running to?" Misty asked. "If this is about Kendall, you need to get over it. You can't see her again." She grabbed my arm. "Come on. Let's go back. You can apologize and be a sandman and forget any of this ever happened."

I sighed. "I don't want to be a sandman anymore."

Sam's mouth dropped open. "Will you knock it off? You're seriously starting to freak me out."

I met his worried eyes. "I'm serious, Sam. I need to get out of here."

"Let’s go somewhere, then. Maybe a movie will make you feel better. Or turning someone into something."

"No, Sam. You don't understand!" I threw up my hands. "I need to get out of
here
." I spread my arms wide, gesturing toward the campus. "
This
place."

"Wait. Like, leave?"

I nodded.

"Ash, you can't do that," Misty said.

"Why not?"

"It just doesn't happen. No one leaves."

"Well, I'll be the first, then." I hesitated, thinking about the Academy. The place I'd called home for so many years.

"Why?" Sam asked. "You have everything here."

I didn't say anything. I knew what I'd be leaving behind, but it wasn't my future anymore. Everything had changed.

Misty took a step closer to me. She was quiet as she searched my face. "You love her," she said.

I looked her in the eye, more sure of that simple fact than I had ever been before. "More than you know."

"Then you have to go."

"Wait! Misty?" Sam said. "What are you talking about?"

She turned on Sam. "He loves her, Sam. Do you need any other explanation than that?"

I watched their exchange with keen interest. The way Misty looked at him. Her chest rising and falling as she spoke. She knew what it was like to be in love. I don't know how I hadn’t seen it before, but Sam had no idea she felt so strongly for him.

Sam was silent for a moment, his eyes only on Misty. "What do you want me to do?" He spoke to me, but kept his eyes on her.

A thought crept into my mind, something I'd never asked Misty. "Does Shenelle check your wand?"

She frowned, breaking eye contact with Sam. "What do you mean?"

"She has me turn in my wand once a week to make sure it's working properly. She said it was part of the apprenticeship rules."

She shook her head. "She's never asked me to do that."

"I thought it seemed a little weird," Sam said.

"I know," I muttered.

My heart started racing. I knew I sensed something different about Shenelle. The way her eyes lit up each time she took my wand. How she asked me about my magic all the time. "I have to talk to Shenelle. Now."

"Why?"

"Something's not right," I said. "Misty, could you go tell Logan and Master Time to meet me in her office? Tell them to bring the rest of the council as well."

She nodded slowly. "Sure."

"Ash, whatever you're trying to do, Shenelle's just going to stop you. She's part of the council. She'll throw you in prison if you mess with her."

"She'll try," I said grimly.

"You have a plan?" Sam asked.

"Sort of."

"Ash, I know you're doing all this for Kendall, but will she even remember you? Her last wish ..." he trailed off, seeing my expression.

I smiled. "I have my ways."

Misty sighed. "This is seriously so romantic."

"Women," Sam muttered.

***

Of course she was in her office. Where else would I find Shenelle flitting back and forth, looking like a nervous wreck?

The second she saw me, her nostrils flared. She flew over to me so fast it threw me off guard.

"Would you care to explain why you humiliated me in front of the entire student body? Not to mention the council!"

"Sorry about that."

"Really?"

I shook my head and looked her in the eye. "No."

Her eyes narrowed. "You will apologize to me. Now."

"Not this time." I turned around, ready to leave. "I just came to say goodbye."

She looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

I pulled out my wand, feeling the familiar warmth pulsing through it. "I'm leaving. This place isn't my home anymore."

I took a step toward the door, and jumped when several council members rushed inside, all eyes on me. Logan came in last, looking older than ever.

"Just in time," Shenelle said. "We seem to have a problem." She glared at me. "Mr. Summerland thinks he's leaving the Academy."