Slumber (17 page)

Tam sent Ruby a ‘stay cool' look. “Shelley, it's Ruby. Look again.”

“Why does she have that thing on her mouth?” Shelley's eyes were dry, with zero traces of being red and swollen. The crying sound must have been an illusion from the start, designed to lure Ruby into the giant room.

But Ruby had been crying a ton, and she thought she'd lose it if Shelley was under some awful fairy enchantment. She tried to pry her jaws open to speak—and this time the ruby pendant fell from her lips. “Shelley!” she croaked.

Shelley turned from Tam and suspiciously studied Ruby again.

Ruby tried once more. “It's me, girlfriend. Ruby.”

“Ruby?” Shelley took a step forward. “Is it really you? You look weird.”

Ruby thought of the hall of mirrors. It was true that she looked like a wreck. But she'd recognized herself under the gaunt face and sunken eyes. She couldn't have changed that much, could she? “It's really, truly me.” She croaked a few bars of “Scarborough Fair.” “It's Dad's favorite song. You like Cocoa Puffs and drawing pretty pictures. You hate strawberry-flavored milk and creamed—”

“—spinach,” Shelley finished. Her sister's whole face lit up. “It really is you!”

Ruby opened her arms, and Shelley raced into them. Ruby scooped her up and lifted her off the ground in a huge hug, burying her face in her sister's hair. Shelley! She had missed her so much.

As she embraced her sister to her heart, the necklace around her neck crackled. She felt the clasp on the back of her neck snap and the chain slide away. The necklace hit the floor and burst into a pile of jewels, scattering in a glittering rainbow.

“Ohhh, pretty!” Shelley said from Ruby's arms. Ruby set her sister down. Shelley promptly began picking up the jewels while Ruby rubbed the skin around her neck, her awesomely bare skin, hardly believing she was finally free.

“Where have you been, Ruby?” Shelley asked. “I've missed you.”

“I've…been here with Tam,” Ruby said with a sideways look at him. He was watching the reunion with an expression she couldn't read.

“I don't like it here. The people are mean. Except for Tam,” she added politely. “Can I keep these?” She held out her palm piled high with precious gemstones.

“Fine with me,” Tam said. “Take them all if you want.”

Ruby stretched. She could actually feel the curse lifting. She breathed easier and felt her strength coming back through her limbs.

A shriek echoed faintly through the house. Ruby darted a look at Tam, and he gave her a brief nod. Violet.

There was no telling what Violet would do now that Ruby had won the challenge. She thought of those graves hidden in the woods. How many of those belonged to humans who had gotten on Violet's bad side?

“Hey, Shelley, we need to go now,” Ruby said as calmly as she could. Tam had gone to the door and opened it a crack to peer out. “Hold my hand, okay? Don't let go for anything.”

Shelley had stuffed as many jewels as she could into the pockets of her shorts. “Are we running away from these bad magic people?”

Ruby swallowed against her sore throat. “Yeah. We have to hurry because they're…kind of mad at me.”

“Tam won't let them hurt you,” Shelley said.

Tam and Ruby exchanged looks. Ruby knew there was only so much Tam could do if Violet got to them first.

“I can leave a
glamour
over our trail to buy us time,” Tam said. “It'll confuse anyone who tries to follow us. It's not foolproof, but it's the best I've got. Ready?”

Ruby squeezed Shelley's hand. “Yeah.”

“Go!”

Together the three of them ran out of the room. Ruby and Shelley followed Tam down a back staircase and through twisting passages that Ruby had never been in before. The sounds of rushing feet could be heard behind them. Tam spread his hands, palms outward, in a sweeping motion behind them.

“In there,” he said, pointing down a staircase. At the bottom, a door hung crookedly on rusty hinges. Ruby wrenched it open, dragging Shelley with her while Tam slammed it shut.

“Phew, it stinks in here,” Shelley said, covering her nose with her free hand.

Light filtered through a window half covered with ivy, illuminating an ancient boiler with rusty pipes coming out of it. The smell of old house and rodents was really strong. “I think we're in the basement,” Ruby answered, looking at the moldy plaster walls. “Are you sure this was a good idea, Tam?”

“I'm not sure about the good part, but it's the only idea I have.” Tam pointed to a small wooden door at the top of a precarious-looking platform, which looked like it used to be a garbage chute. “Go through there,” he said.

“The service exit,” Ruby said, remembering her first visit. “Appropriate.”

Tam's lips curved in a tiny smile. “It'll take you out to the gardens. Good luck, Ruby.”

They stood a moment, looking at each other.

Ruby broke the stalemate. “Tam, I won't say I didn't have…feelings. Real feelings, not just because of the Slumber. But it would never have worked,” she said. “I'm human and you're…I don't even know what. You're a liar. And you're selfish and…not human. I saw what was behind the blue door.”

“Oh.” He hesitated but then gave his head a tiny shake before summoning up a weak smile. “Now you know why we need the
glamour
.”

“Guess so.”

Shelley tugged at her sleeve. “Ruby, come on. Mom's waiting.”

“You people collect girlfriends like some people collect stamps.” Ruby's voice cracked on the lame joke. She cleared her throat. “You'll forget about me soon and bring someone else back to Cottingley.”

He stepped forward, cupped her face. “You're wrong, Ruby. I won't forget you.” He looked anguished, more upset than she'd ever seen him before. Her heart melted. “There's something I need to tell you, Ruby. I did something foolish. It took me too long to realize that you're perfect, just the way you are. But I—”

They jumped at the sound of feet pounding outside the door. “I'm going to kill that bitch!” they heard Violet yell.

“Shit.” Tam swung back to the door and made a sealing motion around the frame, muttering a few strange words. “You need to get out of here
now
, Ruby. I'll try to hold them off.”

“I think they're in here!” Skye shrieked. Something thudded against the door.

“Go
on
!” This time he shoved her toward the chute. “I'll catch up.”

Ruby didn't wait to be told twice. She picked Shelley up and swung her onto the platform, praying the rotting wood wouldn't collapse under her weight. “Okay, Shelley?”

When Shelley nodded, Ruby swung up after her. The chute shuddered like it'd fall apart at any minute, but she didn't stop, just prayed it would hold. When she reached the top, Ruby had Shelley stand back so she could shove at the sliding wood panel. But the warped wood wouldn't budge.
Shit.

Thumps and yells sounded below them.

“I know you're in there, Tam!” Violet screamed. “You're dead. You're all
dead!
”

Frantically Ruby shoved the panel again, but it stayed stuck.

Tam was in front of the door, his hands and arms starting to shake as he tried to maintain the charm under the assault of the fairies on the other side. “Ruby, now would be a good time to get that door open.”

“Hang on, Shelley.” Ruby sat on the platform, raised her feet and kicked at the panel with everything she had. She thumped at the wood until her muscles screamed—and the wood splintered apart.
Thank God!
She could see a patch of light and grass on the other side.

“Go on, Shells. I'm right behind you.”

“But what about Tam?” Shelley asked.

“He'll catch up,” Ruby told her with more confidence than she felt. “You keep going.”

Shelley wiggled into the hole. Before she followed, Ruby glanced over her shoulder at Tam. He'd dropped to one knee, his arms trembling while the fairies on the other side pounded on the door, yelling curse words in hundreds of languages.

“What's going to happen to you?” Ruby blurted, her throat tight,

He gave a brittle laugh. “Honestly, I don't know. Take care of yourself, Ruby.”

She stumbled towards him and placed a kiss on his lips.

“Thank you,” she told him. “Thank you for everything.”

He was shuddering now, every muscle clenched, but he managed to grin at her. “You were worth it.” The door shattered. Tam shoved Ruby aside so powerfully she was flung across the basement. The fairies burst into the room, swarming all over him, dragging him down like dogs felling a deer. She cried out, but there was nothing she could do. Tam caught her eyes one last time.

“Go,” he mouthed.

She went.

Ruby tumbled onto the lawn after Shelley and scrambled to her feet. They'd come out into a paved area piled high with old garbage cans. Silently, she took Shelley's hand and started running toward the woods, praying no one caught sight of them from the house.

They ran into the trees and down the dirt road until they finally came to the abandoned minivan. “Holy shit,” Ruby gasped. Vines had crawled all over it, like it had been sitting forgotten for years.

“What are we going to do?” Shelley said.

Ruby gazed at her little sister in despair. Shelley's little face was beet-red from running and she was breathing hard.

Ruby was exhausted too. Could they handle walking through the woods until they reached the road? And then they'd have to hitchhike to the freeway. And then
what?

As they stood gazing at the van, the vines began to move, peeling themselves away until they lay lifeless around the vehicle. The engine roared into life.

Shelley gasped, but Ruby just smiled.

Tam
. It was his last gift to her.

Ruby hauled open the door, and Shelley climbed into the passenger seat. Ruby slammed it behind her sister.

She took one last look back before climbing in. The towers of Cottingley rose up above the woodland in the distance. She would never return. And she would never see Tam again. With a heavy heart, she went over to the driver's door, got in, and turned to Shelley.

“Let's go see Mom.”

The hospital lobby hadn't changed a bit since the last time Ruby was there. Sick people packing out the waiting room. Medical personnel hurrying through the halls. Pagers going off.

They took the elevator to ICU, and as soon as the doors opened Shelley ran to the nurses' station. Ruby hesitated, staring down the long, mold-green corridors.

So much sickness and sadness. So much death. She could smell it, even over the stench of disinfectant. It pinned her to the spot for a second, and she almost stepped back into the elevator. After the horror of Cottingley, she didn't feel ready for this.

“We're here to see our mom!” Shelley yelled. Her voice brought Ruby back to reality, and she ran to her sister's side.

“Hon, could you lower your voice just a little?” the nurse said. “Who is your mother?”

“Margie Benson,” Ruby said.

The nurse gave them a huge smile. “Is that so? Well, there's been a big development today in her case.”

“Big development?” Ruby asked. Her heart beat faster.

The nurse pointed them to a room a few doors down the hall. “Go on. I think you might be in for a surprise.”

Ruby and Shelley hurried to their mother's room. “Mom!” Shelley hollered and launched herself at the hospital bed. Mom was sitting up, bright-eyed and healthy. She was laughing.

Doctors stood around their mother's bed, smiling and shaking their heads over her chart. Ruby recognized Dr. Bhalla. “What's going on?” she asked him.

“It's incredible,” he said, flipping the papers back and forth like he couldn't believe what he was reading. “We can find no more traces of the tumor in Mrs. Benson's brain. We'll run more tests, but so far everything has turned up negative.”

“No way!” Ruby tried to look surprised. “When did this happen?”

“This morning. We've never seen anything like it before. The rate the tumor was growing was so rapid…and now to find it completely gone?” He shook his head. “Well, it's very strange. All we know is that Mrs. Benson here appears to be on the way to a complete recovery.”

“Isn't that wonderful, honey?” Mom hugged Shelley close. “It's a miracle.”

“We'll leave you with your family, Mrs. Benson,” Dr. Bhalla said. “I'm afraid we'll have to keep you a little longer to run more tests, but if everything turns up negative, you should be going home in a week.”

“That's so great,” said Ruby. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

As soon as the doctors left them alone, Mom smiled at Ruby. “Do you mind my asking who you are, dear? Are you the social worker Shelley was telling me about? Has there been any news about Ruby?”

Ruby's heart stopped for a moment, and she blinked at her mother, shocked. Tam had lifted the glamour spell, hadn't he? “Mom, I
am
Ruby.”

“Ruby?” Mom peered at her again with a strange look in her eyes. “But you're so…different.”

Shelley snuggled closer to her mother. “It's okay, Mom. I didn't recognize her at first either.”

Ruby shivered. First Shelley, now Mom. It was creepy to think she'd changed so much in just a few weeks. But now she was free of Cottingley, she could get some Vitamin D and a little real food, and she'd be back to normal in no time. She was sure of it.

“I'm sorry, Ruby,” Mom was saying. You just look a little…older. Blame the drugs.” She opened her free arm. “Where have you been? A truancy officer called last week. They said you haven't been to school in…”

Ruby shook her head. “A long time, I know. It's been a tough couple of weeks, Mom. I'll tell you all about it. But for now, can I just get a hug?”

Her mother smiled and nodded, and Ruby gratefully headed into her arms. Oh God, it felt so good to have Mom back in her life, safe, healthy, happy. They held each other tightly for a long time, rocking back and forth on the narrow hospital bed. Ruby sighed. Together at last, safe and sound. It was almost worth all the hell she'd gone through, just for this. Almost. An image flashed into her mind of Tam, his black eyes taking one last look at her, before he disappeared beneath the crush of fairies. His golden hair and pale skin trampled beneath their feet…

She pulled away, feeling suddenly sick.

“Ruby?” asked Mom. “What's the matter?”

Before she could explain, Shelley wiggled free and bounced on the bed. “Look what I have.” She dug into her pocket and took out some of the jewels she'd picked up at Cottingley. “Aren't they pretty?”

Mom gasped at the sight of the rubies, diamonds, and emeralds. “Where did you get those?”

“From Tam.”

“Tam?” Mom's eyes flew to Ruby.

“Uh, yeah…they were a gift. Here, I have a few too.” Ruby took her handful out of her pocket and tipped them in her mother's palm. “This should help us get back on our feet, right?” She tried to smile.

“Oh my gosh!” Mom stirred the gems. They winked in the harsh hospital light. “Are they real?”

Ruby nodded.

“But these must be worth thousands of dollars! We can't accept these.”

“He'd want us to have them,” Ruby assured her.
If he was alive.

“Ruby, what's that poking out of your back?” Shelley asked. She was craning round to peer at Ruby's shoulder blades.

“What are you talking about?”

“Turn around, honey,” Mom said. Ruby did so. “It looks like a bump,” said her Mom. She reached out and touched Ruby's left shoulder blade.

Pain sliced through her. “Ow!”

“Maybe you hurt yourself at Tam's house,” Shelley said.

“I'm sure it's just a bruise. I'll go look.” Ruby slid off the bed and went into the tiny en-suite bathroom. There was a window above the toilet but she switched on the light to gaze properly at her reflection. Ugh, no wonder Mom didn't recognize her. She somehow looked even
worse
than in the reflection back in the hall of mirrors. Her hair was a wreck, and deep purple bags smudged under her eyes.

Wait…

She looked closer. There was something strange about her eyes. Was it just the light, or did they look green? Yes—a vivid, mossy green.
My eyes used to be blue.
Did Violet cast some sort of spell on her before she left that would ruin her looks? Ruby shuddered. It would wear off. It had to. She'd got away from Cottingley's poisonous atmosphere, hadn't she?

The sick feeling in her stomach was getting worse, and her shoulder blade was beginning to throb. She unzipped her dress and slid it down. Turning her back to the mirror over the sink, she prodded at her skin. It was more than a bump or a bruise. It felt like…a
bone
sticking out. What
was
that? She thought of the girl with the broken arm. Could she have broken her shoulder blade and not even remember how she'd done it?

Ruby pressed gently on it, then doubled over as pain tore through her. She pulled her hand away. Underneath, her skin had split apart. Silvery blood slicked her palm. She stared at it. It looked like…glitter.

She sniffed it.

The blood smelled like rotting roses. The same smell that hung in the air inside Cottingley.

With trembling fingers, she touched her other shoulder blade. A bump was forming there too. She shrugged her shoulder.
The bone moved by itself
.

Ruby ground her teeth together to keep from screaming. Those fairies she'd seen in their true form, glowing with light… They had wings coming out of their shoulders too. In a flash she remembered what Aryenis told her in the garden about the nectar—that she shouldn't drink any more. Then she remembered what Ash said in the bar that morning when she was looking for more syrup to put in her coffee. That she shouldn't drink any more of that stuff. That it would be quicker if she did. And that she would need the time.

He knew that if she drank too much nectar, she'd turn into one of them. Just like him, and Violet, and Tam.

Horror flooded through her, and anger too. So Tam had fed her a potion that would take away her humanity. And he'd been trying to tell her, just before Violet and the others arrived.
I did something foolish…

She gazed hopelessly at her reflection. Soon she would be a
fae
. A heartless, beautiful, faithless being without compassion or common decency.

“Ruby, are you okay?” Mom's voice filtered through the door.

They can never know.

She didn't know how to cast a
glamour
by herself. How long before she became one of those shimmering, glowing creatures, so beautiful on the outside and so twisted within?

She would never put her family through that. She would have to go. Somewhere far away, so that Mom and Shelley would be safe. They'd suffered so much already because of her. She wouldn't risk hurting them yet again.

“Ruby,” came Shelley's voice. There was a note of panic in her little sister's voice. “Are you there, Ruby? What's wrong?”

The window was just wide enough. She hoisted herself onto the sill. The fire-escape was close, zigzagging down the building to the ground. A way out.

“I'm okay, Shelley,” she said, at last. “Just give me a sec, alright?”

THE END