Lie to Me

Chapter Five: Death by Roommate

I don't usually remember my dreams and this time was no exception. I woke up with pieces of bizarre dreams that didn't make much sense and the harder I tried to remember them, the more they seemed out of my reach.

Thankfully, I was back in my bed though I had no idea what day it was or even what time it was. The light that filtered in through my blinds was pale and I couldn't tell if it was early morning or evening.

"Em?" Kendall knocked on my bedroom door and then opened it without waiting for a response. Her hair was a bit messy and she offered me a small smile.

"Hey," I said. My throat was slightly dry and that made me panic. How long had I been out?

"I'm glad you're awake. I thought I heard movement. I hope you don't mind, but I emailed the school for you and told them you needed to drop your classes for the quarter because your health was failing." She stepped into my room and closed the door behind her.

Anxiety flooded me. That wouldn't look good on my transcripts. It wasn't as final as a "W," but a medical withdrawal was still nothing to overlook.

"How long have I been like this?" I asked, sitting up. I was surprised at the weakness in my limbs. I felt worse than I had in years.

"Honestly? Almost two weeks. A man brought you back and told me you'd just need to rest. He told me not to contact any doctors and that he had already done that. He gave me a note to give to your professors and the dean so you'd be granted time off. What's going on, Emerson?"

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the wall. What was my life coming to?

"I don't know. My sister got me involved in some faerie business and Lord Caitmar decided to make it his personal goal to mess up my life." I felt the urge to cry and blinked away tears.

"Lord Caitmar is involved?" I noticed the hint of fear and grimaced. His reputation was well known.

"Yes. I think that's who brought me here. He and I are bound together and he won't release me," I opened my eyes and looked at Kendall. Her face was drained of color and she chewed nervously at her lip.

"Are you in the race to become the ambassador?" Her voice shook slightly and I nodded and frowned.

"How do you know about that?"

"My father wants me to become the ambassador. If his daughter is the ambassador, it'll increase his power."

"How does your father know about this?" I studied her more intently and for the first time, I noticed her slightly pointed ears sticking out from her hair. It had never fully crossed my mind what the points meant until now.

"He's King Oberon's second in command. Lord Theramon." The name sent a chill down my spine. He was known for his cruelty more than Lord Caitmar. Lord Theramon was feared even by those who thought the fae had lost all their power.

"Lord Theramon didn't strike me as the type to have a child with a human," I said, looking at Kendall's slight points. Halflings were far from uncommon, but higher ups usually didn't want bastard children.

"My mother is a halfling herself. You might know her mother, Lady Tresfall. Lord Theramon decided a good way to tie himself to her family would be to take her half-human daughter as his," Kendall was still chewing her lip and she looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Oh," I said, not sure what to say. I had no doubt the relationship between her parents was less than ideal.

"Yeah. Well, I was born and since I'm not fully fae, he decided he wanted me to try to be the ambassador. And I can't deny my father."