Page Three
I gasp and jerk back. But recover quickly. I saw a fair share of fairies in my days as queen. She just took me by surprise, that’s all.
“Gah – who are you?” I snap, then realize I already know. Cindy’s brat!
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!” I scream, leaping to my feet.
“Believe me, I don’t want to be here,” the brat says in a bitter voice. “I’ve been sent to you.”
I take in her appearance, stunned. “You’re a FAIRY now?” The silver wings, the slinky dress without sleeves, the glowy whiteness around her, like someone from a dream.
“You didn’t know?” the brat asks.
“Of course not, no one tells me anything! When did this happen?”
“A while ago. Maybe a year after your banishment? I had a fall. You know my father – King Edgar – is dead, right?”
“Yes, that I heard.” News of a king dying covers more ground. And I did hear Edgar died by a FALL. I put the pieces together and give the brat a sly look. “Did he kill you?”
The brat turns her face away. I break into a smile, my good humor fully restored. “Oh he DID! He took you out with him.” I make my next line sound like a song. “Cindy’s brat is dead!”
“I’m right here!” she barks. “Not dead, just a fairy now. There’s a difference.”
“How’d Mama take it?”
“I don’t know,” the brat says. “I was unconscious. And I haven’t seen her since becoming a fairy, except once through the mirror, to tell her I was fine.”
I’m still riding high on this news. However the brat tries to phrase it, it must have caused Cindy TERRIBLE suffering to lose her daughter like this. I’m so pleased, I mentally restore the brat’s ridiculous name to her: Beauty.
“So why are you here?” This can only be good for me. I know what fairies do – aid and serve humans. “Are you my Fairy Godmother?”
“No! And I never will be! This is just practice for me. You’re like a test.”
I can tell she regrets her hasty words the moment they’re out of her. She said too much.
“Oh! A test.” I fold my arms and smirk. “That means you can fail?”
“I won’t fail,” Beauty says.
“How do you pass?”
“Well, of course I’m not telling you that. Can we go inside, at least?”
I’m happy to oblige. This is all good. I’ll figure it out and make SURE the brat fails her test. She was probably sent here to help me.
The issue there being that I DO need the help.
“So,” Beauty says. “What do you need?” She glances around the cottage where, as I expected, Jack has fallen asleep on our bed, worn out by the hard morning.
I wave my hand. “Look around you – I need everything! Food especially! I – I really need food for my boy.”
Beauty nods. “Fine. Go out and get some leaves.”
“Why?”
“I’ll turn them into food.”
“But I just came in.”
Beauty rolls her eyes theatrically. “I thought you needed this!”
“Can’t you just poof it out of the air?”
“That’s not how we do it! I need a target for the magic.”
Alright, fine. I don’t mind, I was just messing with her. I gather a few handsome maple leaves off the forest floor and bring them back in.
“Lay them on the table,” Beauty says.
I spread them out nicely. “Can you include muffins?”
Beauty gives me a disgusted look. Then she raises her hand and I see she’s holding the same crazy pipe-wand Helena used to use! She points the mouthpiece at the leaves and a jet of sparkles shoots out.
I hear a sharp rattle of dishes. The table is suddenly covered with baskets of bread, bowls of fruits and vegetables, wrapped wheels of cheese, cooked beef and chicken, and yes – muffins! I can’t help a huge grin.
“There. Are you satisfied?” Beauty asks.
It’s the way she says it.
“Is that what you need to pass the test?” I ask. “For me to be satisfied?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Bullseye.
“Because I’m NOT satisfied at all!” I take a chair and start helping myself to some grapes. “This food is great but how long will it last? Maybe a few days?”
“Don’t you have any money?”
“Not since the milk cow dried up. She’s gotten old.”
“Is that why you were trying to sell her today?”
“Oh, you know about that?”
Beauty folds her arms and sits in the other chair. “I was given your name this morning. But I wasn’t keen on coming so I put it off. Checked on you once in the mirror and saw you talking to the tavern lady.”
“My sister-in-law. Nice place she’s got there, right?”
“Why couldn’t you sell the cow?” Beauty asks.
“Because everyone in this village HATES me! They’d rather cheat me than pay a fair price!”
“Maybe they’re telling the truth. An old, skinny cow isn’t worth much.”
“So that’s why you’re here? To help me sell the cow?”
“Whatever gets me out of here fastest,” Beauty says coldly. “I don’t want to help you at all, considering you tried to kill me. I have nothing but revulsion for you.”
I smile. “I assure you, the feeling is mutual. Yes, I did try to kill you. It would’ve THRILLED me to know you were rotting in the stomach of your Beast father. I’m not even a tiny bit sorry.” I pop another grape into my mouth.
Beauty’s cheeks redden. I see the barest movement of her wand, then blinding light explodes in my face and I feel struck as if by a galloping horse. My body flies backward and sticks to the wall, where my arms and legs are pinned by an unseen force. Beauty stands in front of me, her figure like the wick of a candle, blazing.
“Let us make one thing quite clear!” Her voice is enormous. “You are not the one with power here! You will mind how you speak to me or you will live out your days as a mole rat. Do you understand me?”
“Alright! Alright!” I shout. “Fine! Whatever! Just put me down!” I collapse onto the floor, then stand again. “Sheesh, so much drama. You didn’t need to become a human torch.”
She’s not glowing anymore, other than that little bit the fairies always give off. She plunks back into her chair, huffy.
And she woke up Jack! Not surprised with all the NOISE she was making! I go to the bed and stroke his startled face, explaining that a nice-but-noisy fairy lady has come to help us.
I admit, she scared me a little. Guess I could be more polite. It’s just that I strongly feel she wants to pass this test, and turning me into a mole rat won’t do that for her. But I also have to remember – she’s stupid.
Never mess around with stupid.