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Part 8

The Seelie Queen's beady eyes, glare at Jeremy. She seems waiting for something. Something Jeremy didn't understand. Hatred was clear in her eyes. It seemed to burn through Jeremy and he claws at his chest screaming.

"Do you feel my pain?" The Queen's raspy voice echoed through his mind. Never in his life had he felt this much pain. "Do you feel how she made me feel?"

"How who made you feel?" Jeremy managed to cry out. He tried to look up but sensing it was a bad idea, he looked back down, "WHO?"

The Seelie Queen laughed, "Who is the one who you love but surely doesn't love you back?" Then with a swirling motion, she brought a sword down to cut his throat-

Jeremy awakens drenched with sweat. In the bed opposite him, James snores and turns over. He hasn't woken up. Good.

Tiptoeing to the wall, on the other side of the room, he sits down on the floor and weeps silently. Never before had he had a dream quite so violent. Never had the Seelie Queen shown hatred other than in real life.

And what she said. 'Who is the one who you love but surely doesn't love you back?' It makes no sense. Did she mean...Skye? But surely she loves him. Why else did they hang out? His stomach roils and he outstretches his wings, letting them flap, but not make him take to the ceiling.

"Jeremy?" James wakes up to see a dark figure in the room in an awkward pose. The figure flinches and looks at James. It is indeed Jeremy and James notices that the boy's eyes are gleaming with tears. Straightening up, he watches him slowly fall to the floor again. "Are you okay?"

"No." Jeremy breathes in a small whisper. "Nothing is okay. Never again will it."

With a sigh, James rolls over until he is at the edge of his bed. Pulling on his trousers, he tries to get to his newest friend. "What's wrong?"

Jeremy looks away from him. When he speaks, James senses disappointment, "Everything. I dreamt of my hometown. The place where I will never be welcome to again."

The tired boy groans, "That must be hard for you. Where is this town?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me. You would call me a wuss and kick me and Skye out. She has nothing to do with this!"

"I swear on my life I will never do that. Nor will I speak a word of this to anyone."

"Your people don't keep their promises well," Jeremy mutters scornfully.

"My people?" James asks, bewildered, "Are you not HUMAN?"

"Not exactly. I am... Well Skye and I are...Faeries."