Fairy Tale (24 page)

I exhale, both in fear and relief Somehow, I'd never thought I'd hear those words.

But now I know it's meant to be.

"Perfect," she says. The ivy noose loosens around Pip's neck. His face is cold and white, like the moon. As I touch it, she continues. "I knew Morgan would sacrifice anything to come to that slave's rescue. I think that of all the many weaknesses humans have, love is the greatest."

I can hear Cameron breaking free from the spell behind me. He huddles over my shoulder. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know. I think he needs an ambulance."

Dawn puts a hand on Cam's shoulder and says, "My king, are you ready?"

"One sec," he says. He makes a move to wave her away, and that's when we both notice it. There's a bright purple flame on the tip of each of his fingers.

"What is that?" I murmur, unable to break my stare.

He reaches into the pocket of his jacket and pulls out the wrist-watch I'd given him earlier today. He shows it to me. "Midnight."

"Your powers?"

He shrugs. "Let's see." He reaches down and touches Pip on the hand. Immediately, Pip's body' starts to glisten in yellow light from head to toe, and he begins to stir. As Pip's eyelids flutter, Cam, the great king of Otherworld, proclaims, "Whoa."

"'Whoa' is right" I say. I stare at Cam, breathless, as the light envelops him, stretching around his body. As a fairy, he's more beautiful than he ever was in human form.

"I guess I need to go," he says.

"The portal is open?" I ask. "Where?"

"It's not a physical one, Boo. You can't see it." We both turn to look at Pip, whose face is beginning to recapture a bit of the color it had lost. He says, "It's okay, you know."

"What do you mean?"

He takes me to the bench and sits down beside me. The moon has made a reappearance, and he tilts his head up to it. "You and Pip."

I catch a sob in my throat. "You're not angry?"

He shakes his head. "This was supposed to happen. Pip was always supposed to have been in my place. Now, everything is right."

I sigh. "No, if everything were right, I'd still have you. I want you here, with me."

He puts his hands around mine, and they feel fragile and small, like dolls' hands. "But
I am a
fairy. Part of me has always wanted to be in Otherworld. I've even dreamed about it."

"You never told me that."

He says, "It's my home."

"And this isn't?"

"No, not anymore. The only thing that would keep me here is you. I'd never leave if you didn't want me to. But I never doubted that you would be fine."

"I don't know about..." I begin, but my voice trails off when I realize he's right.

"The point is, stop doubting yourself. You can do anything you want to do. And you don't need me for that. You never did."

I feel a tear slide down my cheek. "You know I love you. One, two, three," I say, bringing the middle three fingers to my lips.

He grins, takes my hand, and kisses it. "And four, five, six. And seven, eight, nine. And on and on. I know. And I do, too. No matter what world I'm in."

We lean our heads together, and our kiss is shaky and wet, because I'm crying so hard that my whole body heaves with every breath.

"I have to go now," he says.

"They say I won't remember you tomorrow." I hold tight to his shirt. "But I will. I know I will."

He stands up. "I left you a birthday present back home."

And with that, he lets go of my hands. I can still feel them smooth in my own when he fades slowly away, and then the drizzle swirls, ghostlike, through the air that enveloped him.

THE MORNING SUN filters through the blinds when I wake that Saturday. I'm wearing my pajamas and my face has been scrubbed clean, but everything about the night before is a haze. The party seems like it happened decades ago. I can't recall returning to the party, the music dwindling into the night, saying goodbye to any of the guests. All I can remember are disjointed flashes of the car ride home, the side of my head pressed against the cool window, someone's arms around me. Feeling drowsy but comfortable. Lucky. Safe.

I pull up on my elbows and immediately see it, a little box almost hidden by a big pink bow on my nightstand, right next to the roller coaster picture. I untie the bow and open the lid, and find a beautiful, solid-gold fortune cookie on a chain. Lifting it from its cotton gauze bed and turning it in my fingers, I see a hinge in the center. I slowly open the cookie and pull out a message that says, MORGAN SPARKS CAN DO ANYTHING.

I smile for a moment, then lean back in my bed, savoring it. Yes, at this moment, I feel like I can do anything. And maybe it's because I can't remember the responsibilities of yesterday, but it feels like so much more. I'm sixteen. The world is bright and filled with possibilities.

I see more markings on the back of the paper, so I turn it over and read: MAGIC NUMBERS: 1-2-3.

I look at it. Look away. Then look back again. For some reason, it feels like there is a deeper meaning there.

Throwing on my hoodie and jeans, I fasten the chain around my neck and head to the stairs. When I'm halfway down, I grin. Standing there, looking out the window, wearing a baseball cap and jeans and looking utterly scrumptious, is Pip. I feel like I haven't seen him in ages, so I shout, "Hey, you," from the top step as I bound down to meet him.

He turns, and automatically I jump into his arms and give him a long, lingering kiss. His arms around me, that woodsy-clean scent I've come to know and love-it all feels so comfortable, so perfect. "You know, I've wanted to do that forever."

"Morgan"-he laughs-"I saw you last night."

"I know," I say, pulling him to me.

"Are you ready to go?" he murmurs, snuggling into my hair.

I pull the necklace from against my neck and hold it up to him. "Look."

He gives me a questioning glance. "A fortune cookie? Who gave you that?"

In a glimmer, I remember the name. It comes flooding back, everything, so much so that my heart jumps. Breathlessly, I say, "Cam."

Pip's face is blank. "Who?"

"Cam." I repeat the name again and again. "He's in Otherworld. Don't you remember?"

He squints at me, confused but still grinning. "You've been reading too many fantasy books, I think."

But I know it wasn't fantasy. I know it was real. And I remember.

Not so much the past, but the way I felt when we were together.

It was a feeling like I could do anything.

It's still here.

And I know that's because Cam is looking out for me.

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10/15/2009