Mimi's Guide to Definitely Not Being Kidnapped by Faeries

Chapter Three

Faeries are absolutely heartless.

Or maybe I'm just really out of shape.

We've been walking for what seems like hours on end, and I'm exhausted. I've requested - okay, more like begged - many times that we take a break, and every time I'm responded to with "No, it's too dangerous here" or "Fluffy the Unicorn might get us". I may or may not have made up Fluffy the Unicorn. Magical names are too confusing to remember.

I notice that the sun is starting to dip on the horizon, so I fall back to Quinn, who's keeping up the rear. "So..." I start.

"Don't worry, love, we're going to set up camp soon." Grinning, he winks.

I roll my eyes. "Quinn, I know you're only trying to distract me, so cut it out."

He looked wounded. "Who says I'm trying to distract you?"

I sigh, trying to refrain from laughing. "Whatever. You're not my type anyway." I speed up.

"I'm not your type?" he shouts after me, both rage and laughter evident in his voice.

Celeste quirks an eyebrow at me as I catch up with her. How come faeries can do that so effortlessly? Unfair. "What was going on back there?"

"Oh, you know, just rejecting my first immortal lover," I say airily.

Celeste laughs, a sweet, bubbling sound. "You'd better get used to it. Faeries tend to go crazy around beautiful mortals."

I gape at her. Celeste thinks I'm beautiful? Drop-dead, gorgeous Celeste thinks that I, plain old Mimi, am beautiful?

She continues, "And your penchant for talking back might turn a few away, but it will certainly entice many more."

"Lis, are you telling her how great I am? Tell her what a good mate I would be!" Quinn's voice shouts up to us.

I snort. "'Lis'?"

She swallows. "Quinn and I are...pretty close."

"Wait a second. Hold up." I stare at her. "Are you guys a couple?"

Celeste shakes her head quickly. Too quickly, in my opinion.

"Come on," I coax. "You know if you don't tell me I'll just ask Quinn, and he'll definitely say something embarrassing."

Celeste glares at me, but I can see the corners of her mouth are twitching upwards. "Fine, you win. Alright, so." She stops speaking for a moment.

"So...?" I encourage. Is she nervous? She's speaking with way more filler words than usual, and it's kind of endearing.

She takes a deep breath. "Quinn and I used to be a couple."

"I knew it!"

She shushes me. "If Quinn hears us talking about him, it'll inflate his already overblown ego."

I crack up. "See, Celeste, I knew you could be funny."

Celeste shoots me a miserable look, but I see the laughter in her eyes. I'm still curious.

"So what happened between you two? If you don't mind me asking," I add hastily. Yikes. I'm not the most tactful of individuals. Sometimes I think the phrase "Curiosity killed the cat" was written about me. But then again, we all know that "Satisfaction brought him back".

She shrugs. "I don't know. Our relationship kind of fell apart. It was hard, you know, when we worked together. It was a mutual breakup though." She looks at me, and I swear I see longing in her eyes.