Started by HomeschoolGirl:
Samuel Paige Morris had spent hours in his room over the past week, winding, unwinding, writing, planning, and finally, packing a bag full of everything he would need to catch a fairy. That night after brushing his teeth, he dressed in dark clothes and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to his chin in case his parents would come to kiss him goodnight. He reached over to turn the alarm for twelve o'clock midnight in case he would fall asleep...
Sam started and rocketed up in bed, finding himself sweating. The alarm was beeping rather loudly and noisily. He grimaced and hit the "stop" button. Throwing the covers over his leg, he stood up, careful not to step on the creaky floorboards in his room. With two regular sized pillows and a small one from the couch downstiars which he had gotten earlier, he made a life-like looking lump, sort of a dummy, and smoothed out the uneven lumps. He found himself yawning. He needed caffine.
Shuting his door and sliding down the stairs on his rear end, he crept into the kitchen and grabbed a pepsi. For good, hyper measure he opened the tab and spooned in some sugar. He took a few swigs before putting the drink in a cup on which he attached a lid. One final thing to pack into his bag for later and he was out, grabbing a set of house keys--just in case.
The black night stung at his skin, sending shivers up and down his tingly spine. He laughed aprehisively. Something was very wrong, but yet he did not know what it was. He set up the first trap, pulling a peice of foil, the yarn and tie combination trap he had made, and some fresh fruit.
He ripped out a small sheet of foil, setting three chunks of the fruit on it. He tied the very end of the yarn trap to the end of the foil, propping it up against a rock. If the trap worked correctly, the fairy would grab the fruit, but have to step on the foil. When pulling the fruit away, which would be fairly heavy, the foil would move, causing the trap to fall over.
He set the second trap, the third, and the fourth, spreading them out across the street. With a sigh, he sat down, near the woods behind all the properties in the area. Sleep fell over him, but he must wait! Sam took a sip of the frothy soda, but it only seemed to make him more tired...
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Starlight landed on the soft dewy grass of night, her slippers silver in the glow of the moon. She sighed, grasped Whitestorm's hand, and they sat, watching the fairy before them sleep.
"Who is she?" Whitestorm asked, his whisper quieter than it needed to be.
"I don't know..." Starlight answered, stroking the young woman's lovely face. "But she is beautiful."
"You are beautiful."
"Oh...Whitestorm!" Starlight threw her hands up. "What shall we do after all of this is over? I can't part with you now! I feel so...burdened."
"I'm a burden?" Whitestorm accused, standing up. "A burden? How...how could you?" He took off running.
"I didn't mean it!" Starlight begged, chasing him across the field. "I was just venting my feelings. You...You said we could tell each other anything!"
Whitestorm turned around, pain carved into his delicate face. He was yards away from her, and Starlight hated the distance between them. It hurt.
It was hurting him too. "They say there is one thing thing that can break this....so called love."
Starlight's lower lip trembled. This was killing her. "What? Just say it. You promised. You promised you loved me!"
Whitestorm's eyes accused her of something, she just did not know what. "You betrayed me, Starlight. I no longer love you."
Starlight fell. She fell.
"And I'm going to go back and warn everyone of what is coming. I will show them where you are."
She fell. She fell.
"Goodbye, for now."
She fell. She fell.
She had fallen.
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Sherylyn felt sick to her stomach when she saw those wings. They were strong and bold, weaved with daring black thread. She looked down and saw unusually dainty feet, bare to the ground. Upon lifiting those feet she found them to be hard and cracked underneath. That was something famailiar. She felt better at that.
Her brown hair had fallen across her shoulders, lovely and becoming. She pushed it away, skampering across the slick lunolieum floor. Her heart sagged in uneven breaths.
"Help!" She whispered into the dark room. She noticed a crack between her room doors and the hospital hallway; a thin line of inviting light. She ran across the floor and slid through that crack with ease. And suddenly she was on the ground, a white shoe missing her head by inches.
Sherylyn stood, and saw a bustle of activity before her. Humans rushed everywhere, their busy bodies never stopping. But time had stopped for Sherylyn. She had never been more afraid in her entire life. Not even when she had woken up one morning at age five and realized she had no memeory of her mother; (not that she would) and that her past four years had been completely erased from her mind.
"A bug!" Someone yelled, and a foot went at her. Two, then three. She dodged them expertly, and soon her wings took flight. She didn't know how, but she was soaring above the blonde heads, the fair brown heads, the black heads, and the golden orange heads.
So Sherylyn must appear as a bug to people, but she knew she wasn't that. She was anything but a disgusting bug.
So she was stuck, flying and zooming around the room with terrific speed. Her hair flew out in all directions. She gave a little thrilled grin.
But her smile changed to a mask of horror as she saw the unopening exit door.
With a scream, she crashed into hard wood.
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Alice rolled over, wanting to wake up, but something in the back of her head told her to sleep longer, or else she would have to face a terrific fate.
"Dear? Are you waking?" A small voice asked in the darkness.
Alice bit down on her lip and opened her large eyes. There, before her, was a beautiful fairy. Her hair was white with silver strands, her eyes large and filled with knowledge.
"Please," Alice began, her voice raspy. "Please...let me go to my baby."
The young fairy looked surprised. "You have a baby? Oh my! I'm so sorry." She stood, grabbed the Alice's hand, and pulled her up.
"Who are you?" Alice demanded, her tone rude and unforgiving.
"I'm Starlight. I'm the princess fairy."
At once, Alice began to back up. "I...I...I'm sorry!"
"It's fine!" Starlight grumped, frowning.
"Just...let me go!" Alice turned and began running.
"Wait!" Starlight called, flying after her. "Please, I have questions for you!"
Alice hesistated slightly before continuing on. Boy, she was fast, even with the lack of flight.
"What is your baby? Who are you?"
"I'm not..." she panted. "Going to....tell....you anything!" She stopped and bent over.
"Here!" Starlight mused, scooping a drop of dew into a small flower petal. She caught up with Alice and gave her the cup. "Drink. And then we will talk."
Alice did drink. Eight cups of water, actually. And then she kept her side of the bargain. They sat down on a long stick and Starlight motioned for Alice to begin.
"It started with my father," she began, taking a deep breath. "He was convinced fairies existed. He set out on a ten year journey to find one. He discovered the first branch of fairies in New York, where he met a lovely woman, my mother." Alice smiled. "She was a fairy, of course. Their relationship was somewhat difficult, her being small, but their love was so true they beared. He created devices so he could better hear her speak, so he could see her at the supper table." She laughed. "But, life was still hard. Mother had me, and I was growing the size of a normal human baby. When she gave birth, it almost killed her. She died three days after." Alice sighed, and Starlight watched a stray tear fall down her cheek. "I always felt responsible."
Starlight layed her hand over Alice's. "You can stop telling the story."
"It's okay. I'll continue," Alice replied, taking a deep breath. "After that, father realized I was half fairy, half human. It was shocking, of course, and very scary and unknown. Luckily, I held my human form more than my fairy form. But there were slip ups when I had dissapeared for days at a time. I eventually learned to control it. I grew up. I got married. I had my child."
Alice's eyes clouded over. "And then word came of the fairy army. I knew they would take my baby if they found me. See, I knew she was a fairy from the moment I saw her." Alice chuckled. "Her eyes were pointed, her hair brittle and fair. She was magic in my eyes. She was a charmer. I was going to pick her up from daycare, one afternoon, when I saw the perfect opportunity. The green abruptly changed to red. I hit the gas, changed to my fairy shape, and watched the car as it was enveloped in flames. In order to protect her, I needed to take myself out of the picture. So...I did."
By this time, Starlight was sobbing. "I can't b-believe you would d-do that for her!" She wailed. "I just l-lost my f-fairy l-love. He said he was g-going t-t-to tell!" She sobbed broken cries. Everything hurt to her.
"I have a feeling Sherylyn would be changing shape soon indeed," Alice continued. "I want to be there for her when it happens. Now, what is your purpose?"
Starlight told her story, not leaving anything out. Alice's eyes were twinkling by the time she finished.
"I like it," Alice noted, smiling. "I'm in."
With a smile, Starlight slipped her hand into Alices.
"Let's do this."
Without a hint of fear in their minds, the two faires flew off together, their path lit by the moon.
From then on, nothing was ever the same.
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James woke up the next morning, feeling light and refreshed. But his appearence was anything but that. His face was gray and unshaven, his eyes dark and dull, tired, not their usual twinkle shining through.
Ashten noticed this as she picked him up for breakfast. They stopped at Panera Bread, ate a hot blueberry bagel with butter, and talked over a cup of coffe. They talked about marriage, they talked about homing arrangements and they talked about budgets. But they never mentioned Sherylyn.
James just wanted to wipe the past few days from his memory, to make Sherylyn well, to go on with his life as it had been. With Ashten, with the new house, with everything, he had been so happy, so joyful. But it couldn't last, not much longer. He had been happy in the beginning with Alice and their beautiful baby, once before. Everything in between these few moments had been minorly good, sometimes just awful, like with Jennifer. Well, he wasn't going to take sadness any longer.
"James," Ashten said quietly, on their way to the hospital.
"Yes?" He asked, concentrating on the road.
"I just want you to know..." Ashten seemed to be concentrating on something.
"What?" He asked, pulling over and killing the engine. Something was wrong.
Ashten sighed and wiped her eyes. "I have to let you go, James."
His heart skipped a beat. A peice was being torn off. He reached out for Ashten, but she wouldn't hold onto his hand or hug them as she usually did.
"Ashten...don't be ridicoulous." His voice raised an octave and broke. "We love each other. I love you!"
Ashten began to cry. "I know, James! But this isn't fair! I'm monopolizing you, taking you away from your daughter. I can't do it anymore. I can't feel like I'm coming between you and something wonderful..."
"Ashten," James began, practically pleading. "Please. Don't do this. You have to be here with me through all of this. If...if it'll make you happy, we'll go to the justice of the peace this very second. We'll tie the knot. And we'll be married. Please, just, please. We can do this together. We'll make it through."
Ashten opened the car door. "James, please. Don't make this harder than it already is. I've been thinking, and I have to get away. I can be with you anymore, James. It's too difficult. It won't work. We....you....will have to do this alone."
"Ashten!" James yelled, grabbing her arm. "Please. You're my happiness. You're my everything! I care so much for you! Don't leave!"
Ashten pulled her arm away with difance, but it appeared as anger. "Leave me alone! James, I have to go!" she hopped out of the car, slamming the door shut.
"Ashten..." James whispered feebly. "Please..."
But she was already gone, not coming back. His heart cracked and cracked, until it was fine dust. Only one peice clung to his chest.
Sherylyn. She was there with him. No matter what, she would be there.
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Jennifer Anida Shirley walked along her backyard, stopping once to pull a weed. A call from her mother had set her heart racing.
Sherylyn was in the hospital.
For some reason, she had not been happy. She had not been glad, or felt this was just the perfect opportunity to corner her and tell the truth about Alice.
This whole thing had shown she wasn't mad at Sherylyn; but at herself. Her lawsuit had been lost, and she was on community service for five years on account of minor child abuse. She had spent the last month in prison, until her mother and friends pooled their money to bail her out. She felt like a changed person.
No longer was the world out to get her, nor she out to get it. She wanted to live in perfect harmony with herself, and with others. An apology was in order.
Running inside to grab her car keys and coat, she hopped into her car and began to drive. Without knowing, she went in the direction of the hospital. Her car wound up the drive, but something stopped her. On the side of the road was a car all to familiar to her memory.
James's car.
She stopped and pulled up behind it. Getting out, she cautiously made her way over. The windows were tinted, but she could see the face in there was his plainly. He was bent over, his shoulders shaking, his fingers trembling. Jennifer grabbed the door handle and gently opened the door.
James looked up at her with a gaping mouth. He rubbed at his eyes and got out, standing beside her. She bit her lip.
"Jenny," he said, breathless. "What...what are you doing here?"
Jenny. She hadn't been called that is years and years.
"James. I was..." she shifted nervously. "Well, I was coming to see Lyn."
His eyes hardened. "Why?"
"To apologize. I've spent a lot of time thinking, lately. I'm going to change who I am."
James snorted rudely, his tone careless. "Yeah. That's gonna happen. You'll always be a mean, selfish person, Jennifer Shirley, always!"
Jennifer looked down. "I see how you can feel that. And I was mean, and selfish. But I've missed you, James, so, so much."
"Really? Because that feeling's not mutual."
Jennifer looked like she was in pain. "I...I don't really care."
James was suddenly standing inches from her, his face looking down at her. "You can have changed. You've always been the same."
"No," she pleaded. "I have. I'm so sorry for what I did. I don't want you to forgive me, I just want you to know, I'm sorry."
Jame's jaw clenched tight. "Apology not accepted."
A tear fell down her cheek. "I know."
James turned and got back in the carm hit the gas, and sped away.
Jennifer was left standing alone. She wiped her eyes and turned away from him.
Things were so hard.
Chapter Nine ( Kassady)
"Alright... One...two.. three!" yelled Marcus taking his roll of toilet paper and running across his yard. The white soft paper wound around the trees and streemed behind Mark and Josh.
"MARCUS GAIR HUNTER!!!! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING!" yelled a female voice from Mark's front door. He stoped in his tracks , and was runned over by Joshua. They tumbled to the ground in a taggle of arms and legs, "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!!" yelled Josh's mother joining Mrs. Hunter.
"We were bored!" Mark said indegniatly, "Agian!".
" You don't role the yard! I don't know what got into you boys! i swear if you do anything like this again. I'm going to send you off to a boarding school!" Mr.Hunter said . And stamped back in the house.
Mrs.Corr frowned disaprovingly at the boys, "How about you boys clean up and go to my house for cookies. Josh! help them find the cookies, please".
"Ok mom"
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(Homeschoolgirl)
Sherylyn woke with a pounding headache. Every part of her ached. She tried to grasp her surrounings, but there were only many blinding lights.
"Sherylyn?" A voice asked, a deep voice. Sort of male.
"Uhhhnnnn," Sherylyn replied, reaching out. She felt a hand grasp hers.
"Sherylyn? It's me, Sam."
With a start, Sherylyn's eyes focused. And it was Sam! He stood there, perfect as ever. Without thinking, Sherylyn threw her arms around his neck.
Sam waited a second before patting her back shyly. He wasn't used to such attention.
"I thought I'd never be as happy to see someone," she mumbled into his arm. He was considerably tall now. Quite a bit of time must had passed, Sherylyn figured.
Sam laughed nervously. "Well...me too. I've missed having you around."
"Really?" Sherylyn wondered, pulling away. "Very, really truly?"
"Truly!" Sam said, but then Sherylyn saw he was growing. Right before her eyes. He grew and grew and grew. Suddenly, he was a man. The man, or Sam, ruffled Sherylyn's hair and took the arm of a pretty woman who had suddenly appeared as well. With a start Sherylyn recognized the woman to be Emma. Sam wrapped Emma in an affectionate hug and they went off together, happy as could be.
Then Sherylyn finally awoke.
Covered in sweat, she rolled over, gasping for breath. What an awful dream! Bright lights blared overhead, and she sat up, shaking her head. With a start, she realized she was still a fairy.
"It must be real then," Sherylyn whispered aloud, pinching herself so hard that, many years later, the nail mark hardened into a scar.
There wasn't much Sherylyn could do except shurg her shoulders and get up. She studied herself, twisting and turning this way and that to get a better look.
Being a fairy had its advantages, Sherylyn decided happily, noting her light-hearted personality and the fact that she was so unnervingly beautiful.
But something was missing. Sherylyn flew up and out the doors, shivering in the cool night.
Or maybe someone was missing.
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Starlight was tired of flying. Sure Alice was nice and all, and she had some great stories to tell, but she missed Whitestorm.
"Alice?" Starlight said as they watched night brighten into day. "Do you think we might sit and rest for a spell? Please?"
Alice looked concerned but slowed down slightly. However, she didn't made any indication of landing.
"Why?" Alice asked. "They'll catch up with us."
"No," Starlight replied, sure. "They won't. My sister will drive them all to their deaths. She won't let them stop for a drink or to rest, so they'll just drop until there isn't an army."
"But that boyfriend of yours," Alice retorted. "He's going to tip them off."
Starlight gasped. "No! Whitestorm is better than that!"
"Whatever," Alice said, speeding up again. "You can stop and get captured, but I'm going."
Starlight slumped in defeat and continued on, looking wistfully at a pile of extra-comphy grass recede as they continued on.
It was a good thing they did continue, though, because it wasn't even noon before Spideruby and what was left of her gang reached the spot. She let them all stop for a drink, feeling extra generous and sure they were soon going to catch up with her ignorant sister.
"Troops!" Spideruby called in her shrill voice when they had all taken a fragrant and refreshing drink of dew. "This will be our last stop until capture."
A few grumbled but most soilders cheered, filled with enthusiasim.
"Good," Starlight said, nodding with approval. "Those who are against that can come have a talk with me and my nails." Spideruby indicated her knife-like claws for emphasis.
The soilders nodded stiffly. "Yes, Spideruby!"
Enough was said. And so, the journey continued.
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Ashten Eli Brooke couldn't stop sobbing. She sobbed all through the walk home, all through the front door and she threw herself onto the bed and sobbed and sobbed until the pillow was soiled.
She awoke the next morning with an empty stomach and red, swelled eyes. Soon she was refreshed with a hot shower and fresh sheets. She fixed a sandwich and had a dish of ice cream for lunch, but nothing could cheer her spirits.
Finally, Ashten decided, it was her dreary home. The carpet was worn and faded, the curtains stained and homely and everything was mis-matched. With a sigh, Ashten logged onto the internet and began house searching.
Her budget was rather small when she first started as a college student, but ten years later she was rather successful as a job as a book salesperson.
"Hmmmm," Ashten said aloud, scrolling through house after house. She kept being drawn back to the tudor style homes, and she called two realators, scheduling appointments.
Supper was a quiet, lonely affair. Four times Ashten reached for the phone to call James and see about Sherylyn but ending up biting her lip.
It seemed forever, but ten o'clock came and Ashten wound down with her extra-soft pajamas and a good book.
At eleven, she turned out the light. It took an hour of tossing and turning, but finally she fell asleep.
Ashten's longest day of her life had just occured, and she missed James terribly. She dreamt of Sherylyn, decked out in lavender, Ashten in white, and she was so...happy again. But everytime she started to slide James's ring on her finger, her finger shrunk until, eventually, there wasn't a finger to put the ring on. With a familiar look of pain, James took the ring, grabbed Sherylyn's arm, and filed out among the retreating guests, leaving Ashten by herself.
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Meadowlily bit her lip in frustration, staring out the window once again. She turned away from the floods and floods of fairys armed with vile poision, going off to destory the humans and conquer the world.
"Isn't it exciting!" Darkerose trilled from beside her. "So wonderous! Finally, father and mother will recieve the power they so deserve."
Meadowlily made a throaty sound in disgust. "Oh, sure. They'll kill Starlight and humans and the whole world will be marked with chaos."
Darkerose stepped forward menacingly. "Be quiet! Be SILENT!"
Meadowlily was the angriest she had ever been in her life. "No! They are murderers and evil! They are marketing fairies to be terrible existances and we are wasting perfectly good flesh and soul! I hate this! I hate them!"
Suddenly Meadowlily was stubling backwards. She made a choking sound. Someone had her by her throat. Darkerose's eyes were large and her jaw dropped.
"Oh!" Darkerose screeched. "Stop! Oh please! Oh, STOP!" She lurched forward.
The person jerked Meadowlily sideways, sending Darkerose careening into the wall. Meadowlily's airflow was slowly gurgling to a stop.
"HELP!" Darkerose cried. "HELP US!"
"Listen here," came a menacing voice, next to Meadowlily's ear. "You are nothing much more than a coward, I should say."
"Whitestorm..." Meadowlily managed to choke out. "P-please. Let me...go." Her light was starting to go black.
Whitestorm flung her away. She landed with a gasp, and then felt her throat. "Why?" She asked between breaths.
Whitestorm looked down, clenching his jaw. "I hurt Starlight, bad. She's all alone, now. And to hear you talk about people but not doing anything...I'm the coward. I grew afraid. The truth is, Spideruby instructed me to..."
"To what?" Meadowlily asked, struggling to stand.
"Kill you," Whitestorm finally said, and his lively eyes turned to ice. "I was greif stricken, and I flew back here, eagar to fufill and once again prove myself worthy of the...this...vile clan."
Meadowlily stood and threw her arms around him. He was considerably taller than she, and he patted her back awkwardly.
"Please," Meadowlily said, squeezing a few tears out threw her lovely eyes. "Please, go and help her, Whitestorm. I love Starlight. She's my shining joy, the part of this simple, evil life that I truly adore."
Whitestorm turned to look at Darkerose's eyes. Would she tell if he went to warn Starlight.
Darkerose took a shaky breath. "Go," she sobbed. "Go and save her. While you can."
Something happened in that moment, something that will forever last in the hearts of the fairies of Darkerade. A clasp of unity surged through every sister and brother, ached through their bones, until all they wanted was to stop this fight. All but Spideruby and her parents, of course.
Whitestorm gave each girl a gentle kiss on their wet, tear-stained cheeks.
He perched in the window, his eyes searching.
Finally, looking back over his shoulder, he pushed off, and was soaring.
Each sibling pressed their button nose to the glass, their palm to the window, and each shed a plump tear that landed on the windowsill and bounced, holding hope, love, faith and family.
It was all up to them now. To Sam, to Ashten, to Whitestorm, to Alice, to Starlight.
But it all depended on Sherylyn.