Aprilynne Pike - Spells

“Fine,” Klea said with a strange smile. “I get it, you have your secrets. You obviously don’t trust me yet,” she said, her voice soft. “But I hope one day you will. Really trust me. You’re clearly not helpless, but I could help you so much — more than you know. Regardless,” she said, turning her gaze back toward the lighthouse, “having actual specimens will be helpful. Very helpful.”

Laurel didn’t like the way Klea said specimens . But she remained silent.

Klea studied her for several long seconds. “I’ll be in touch,” she said firmly. “You’ve proven resourceful and I could really use your assistance in another, unrelated matter — but it can wait a bit.” Before Laurel could respond, Klea spun on her heel and leaped lightly back into the boat, gripping the pole with strong hands.

Laurel stayed just long enough to watch Klea push off the sandy beach before turning and running to catch up with David and Chelsea. They had reached David’s car by the time Laurel joined them. David groaned as he slipped into the passenger seat and Chelsea gripped Laurel’s arm. “We have to get him to the hospital. His ribs have got to be broken and that cut under his eye might need stitches.”

“We can’t go to the hospital,” Laurel said, digging in her backpack.

“Laurel!” Chelsea said, her face white. “David needs help!”

“Relax,” Laurel said, unwrapping a tiny bottle of blue liquid. “Being friends with a faerie has its perks.” She loved being able to say that in front of Chelsea. She unscrewed the top of the bottle and lifted out the dropper, then leaned over David, who was breathing loud, labored breaths. “Open,” she said softly.

David opened one eye and looked at the familiar bottle. “Oh, man,” he said. “That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve seen all night.” He opened his mouth and Laurel squeezed two drops in.

“Now hold still,” she said, letting one drop fall onto her finger. She gently rubbed it against the gash on his face. “All better,” she whispered as she watched his skin knit back together.

She stood and turned to Chelsea. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

Chelsea shook her head. “He was pretty nice to me, considering…” But her eyes were focused on David. “Wait a second.” She leaned over and studied the skin under his eye. “I could have sworn…”

Laurel laughed, and even David joined in quietly. “In a few minutes his ribs and hand will heal too.”

“Are you kidding me?” Chelsea asked with wild, excited eyes.

It reminded Laurel of the way David had reacted when he first found out she was a faerie. She grinned and held up the blue bottle. “It’s useful — David gets beat up by trolls on a regular basis.”

David snorted.

“Why don’t you fix your hand?” Chelsea asked.

Laurel looked down at the burns on her fingers and wondered how she had ever thought she could hide anything from Chelsea. It was hard to tell she was hurt because, unlike humans, her skin didn’t turn red when it burned. The color hadn’t changed at all, actually. But tiny bubbles— blisters , she corrected herself — had formed on her palm and trailed down two of her fingers. She stared at her aching hand in wonder. She’d never had a blister before.

Well, not that she could remember.

“It’s only for humans,” she said softly. “I’d need something else.” She hesitated for a moment. “Hey, Chelsea,” she said slowly.

Chelsea and David both looked up at the serious tone in her voice.

Laurel took a deep breath. “I’m really glad you know I’m a faerie. It helps so much to not have to hide from the whole world. But anyone who knows is automatically in danger. So—”

“It’s okay, Laurel,” Chelsea said. “I’d rather know. You have to take the good with the bad.”

“It’s more than that,” Laurel said. “Stuff like this seems to happen a lot, unfortunately. If you…” She paused and laid a hand on David’s shoulder, glad he didn’t shrug it away. “If you do this with us — join us, I guess — I can’t promise your safety. I’m a dangerous person to be around, and this isn’t just about you. This may put Ryan in danger too. I mean, think about tonight. I didn’t tell you anything and you still got nabbed. So think — think really hard — before you decide that this is really what you want.”

Chelsea looked up at her warily. “Well, I think it’s a little late for that. I’m involved now whether I want to be or not, aren’t I?”

“Well…”

David and Chelsea both looked up at her questioningly.

“I could—” Laurel took a deep breath and forced herself to say it. “I could make you forget everything that happened tonight.”

“Laurel, no!” David said.

“I have to give her the choice,” Laurel insisted. “I won’t force her into this.”

“You could make me forget?” Chelsea said, her voice soft and small. “Just like that?”

Laurel nodded, her chest aching at the thought of actually doing it.

“But it’s my choice, right?”

“Your choice,” Laurel said firmly.

Several tense seconds passed before Chelsea broke into a wide smile. “Oh man, I wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world.”

A relieved breath rushed out of Laurel and she sprang forward to throw her arms around Chelsea. “Thanks,” Laurel said. Although whether she was thanking Chelsea for sharing her secret or for sparing her from having to use a memory elixir, Laurel wasn’t quite sure.

They all loaded into the car — Laurel insisting on driving even though David’s ribs were almost healed — and drove off toward Ryan’s house, where Chelsea had been headed when Barnes took her. Chelsea’s mom’s car had been carefully pushed off to the side of the road a few yards away from a stop sign. It looked so quiet and unassuming. No one would ever guess the circumstances under which it had ended up there. Laurel got out with Chelsea and walked her to the car.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Chelsea said. “I’m going to get in this car and drive back to my everyday life like nothing happened. And no one except me will know that it’s a whole new world.” She hesitated. “Even though I figured the whole faerie thing out — last year, actually,” she said with a giggle. “I do have a bunch of questions. If you don’t mind talking about it, I mean.”

“I don’t mind,” Laurel said, then smiled. “I love that you know, actually. I hate keeping secrets from you.” She sobered. “But not tonight. Go home,” Laurel said, placing one hand on Chelsea’s shoulder. “Hug your family; get some sleep. Then call me sometime tomorrow and we’ll talk. I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” she said earnestly. “Anything. Everything. No more secrets. I promise.”

Chelsea broke into a big grin. “Okay. It’s a deal.” She leaned forward and hugged Laurel. “Thanks for saving me,” she said, her voice serious now. “I was so scared.”

Laurel closed her eyes, Chelsea’s curls soft against her cheek. “You weren’t the only one,” she said quietly.

After a long hug, Chelsea stepped back and turned toward her car. She stopped just before slipping into the car and looked at Laurel. “You do know I’m going to call you at, like, six in the morning, right?”

Laurel laughed. “I know.”

“Just checking. Oh,” she added, “and you’ll tell me where you really were this summer, right?”

She should have known Chelsea wouldn’t buy the wilderness retreat. She laughed and waved one more time as Chelsea closed the door and headed on her way, tires crunching loudly in the quiet night.

While Laurel and Chelsea were talking, David had shifted himself over to the driver’s seat. Laurel walked around to the passenger door and let herself in. They drove silently, streetlights periodically illuminating David’s brooding features.