Love & Magic

Chapter Five - Kidnapped By Winter

A week somehow blurred, and I knew I had to slip back into reality and routine. I hadn't been to the gallery, still trying to determine when and how would be the best way to tell her about the book and have her keep it secret from Jack. I hadn't seen Moya and Oliver since discussing how to free Orion, and in fact, aside from a powwow to fill Julie and Max in on Jack's newfound humanity, I'd been a terrible friend, spending most of my free time with Jack and the rest of it attempting to catch up on the schoolwork max kept bringing home to me.

I actually sat in front of my computer and turned it on, only to realize how incredibly worthless writing this paper would be. In fact, if I was going to take up the reins of my destiny in Faerie, what good would a college degree do me? As far as I could see, I had enough on my plate without overloading my mind with an education I would never use as a fey. For the first time, I seriously thought about dropping out. I was probably on the verge of being dismissed, anyway, due to my lack of appearances. That thought saddened me; Tess and I worked so hard to me get here. And now, college was the last of my priorities.

Pushing away from the desk, I gave that some consideration as I dressed and gazed into the early morning sunlight through my window. I'd have to mull it over a bit more, but in the meantime, I had to stop putting off the inevitable. I hoped Jack would still be sleeping or at least find some way to amuse himself so I could head over to the gallery and catch Celadine's ear uninterrupted.

As I made my way to the kitchen and straight to the coffee pot, Julie stepped out of her room and stared at me. "You're up early. Is everything okay?" she asked in alarm.

"Yeah, I just have to talk to Celadine."

"Oh, okay," she replied with a relieved sigh. I guess when I usually stormed around the apartment so early I was on a mission towards trouble. We hadn't hung out much since the war. I hadn't even told Julie about Oden. I was sort of hoping that would be a dirty little secret I could take to my grave, but with the way things were going lately, it was going to come out somehow. I considered being proactive and telling her.

And poor Will. I knew he had Julie, but I was supposed to be his best friend, the only other human in the group. He was another victim of my neglect, almost a stranger to me now.

"Hey guys," I said. They both turned around on the couch to face me. I wanted so badly to tell them how much they meant to me. I wanted, in that moment, to confess all the horrible things I'd done. But, after looking back to their innocent faces, eager to accept me back into our small trio of friends, I couldn't do it. "How about a movie night tonight? And maybe spend the day together, if you guys don't have plans. I won't be long." I gave them a hopeful smile. They both brightened with surprise and appeared speechless.

"Yeah, that would be nice, Ave," Julie finally replied. She glanced at Will, who seemed taken off guard but happy. "I'll get ready."

"I'll run to grab a couple movies," Will added as he hopped off the couch. "Kung Fu?"

"No!" Julie and I both replied loudly. My friends and I laughed at one another, giddy at how easy it was to fall back into our status quo. I loved them so much; I wanted nothing more to have them back. A tear came to my eye, and I turned towards the door before they could spot it.

"See you guys in a bit!" I called and shut the door behind me.

I hugged myself tightly against the early morning chill as I strolled across the park towards the gallery. I was on cloud nine. My friends were willing to give me another chance and hopefully forget my horrible behavior over the past couple of months, and my boyfriend was human, just like me. Nothing could ruin my mood. The cold late winter air didn't even bother me.