The Fairy Portal Second Edition

Chapter One

content warnings: graphic depiction of drowning, manipulation, unhealthy relationships, body horror

The curved line of mushrooms should have been Blake's first clue that they'd wandered too far off the path. He'd seen fairy rings, of course, but never one so big only part of it was visible. Usually they were smaller, and while he was careful to step over the squat brown mushrooms as they passed, he didn't think much of it. Emily had been even more careless, crushing one of them with her boot. The cold autumn wind whipped through the branches overhead, crimson and yellow and orange leaves casting dappled shadows on the browning grass and dirt off the forest floor. Emily popped the collar of her jacket up. Blake pulled his hood of his own over his head. He shivered.

Soon, the forest cleared slightly, and Blake was sure the path was going to be just through those trees in that clearing ahead, but when they stepped through the wall of foliage, all that stood there was a single white oak.

It was an old, old tree, towering and gnarled and bent. A chill went down Blake's spine, and soft, ancient laughter from somewhere rang deep in his skull.

"We should go," Blake said. "We should find the path. It's going to get dark soon."

Emily took a few long strides forward. Her gait had always been so wide, big steps and big movements. Maybe it was because Blake got more attention when they were little, being the youngest twin, being the boy. Emily claimed she didn't even notice it.

"We should put our names on this tree," she said.

Blake frowned.

The wind bit through the fabric of his hoodie. Something hissed in his ear and his head jerked away. His eyes darted around the leaves and shadows. He took a step back.

"Emily --"

Keke! Keke!

They're down in the leaves!

Til they leave us in peace

We'll hang them from the trees!

Blake stilled, like a frightened cat, shoulders tight, head perfectly still as his eyes darted around the clearing. At the edges and up in the leaves of the oak was a soft, shimmering glint that looked like light bouncing off shards of mirror.

They'd walked into a fairy portal.

Keke! Keke!

They're down in the leaves!

Til they leave us in peace

We'll hang them from the trees!

The wind picked up around them and Blake shuddered. There were words under the air currents, sing-song and eerie in a voice like silk over gravel. Deceptively smooth, with sharp edges just underneath.

"We should leave," he said. "This is the Fair Folk's territory."

Keke! Keke!

They're down in the leaves!

Til they leave us in peace

We'll hang them from the trees!

The leaves beneath their feet rustled. The breeze picked up a few and sent them dancing around the two in circles.

"Don't be a baby," Emily scoffed. "Fairies aren't real. They're just stories Grandma tells to scare us into behaving." She slid her knife out of her pocket and extended the blade. "I'm just gonna --"

Kekeke! Kekeke!

"Stop!" Blake cried, but Emily sank her knife into the soft side of the tree. Dark brown bark flaked off, showing white flesh underneath. She carved her initials, then his: EM + BM. Blake groaned. Emily was smiling proudly, like she'd just done something fantastic rather than something fantastically stupid.