Faetality |✓|

4.3 //The Girl Who Knew Too Much//

I opened the bedroom door; it was Dean on the other side, with a teddy bear, flowers, and a silver balloon I just knew he had snagged from downstairs.

"Sorry, I'm late. I just... I didn't even know if you wanted me here."

"I don't."

Dean's face crumbled.

"I mean--I just..." I sighed. "I can't do this right now. I need a minute."

I darted past him, rushing for the stairs.

"But you texted me!"

My bad luck couldn't be outrun. On the first floor landing, I dashed right into someone's arms.

"Who are you running from this time, Tamsyn James?" Kai's smile was déjà vu. It was like being in the dream all over again. Except this time he was real.

"You taste like mints," I breathed.

Kai chuckled. "I'd think I'd remember kissing you." His smile wavered, then disappeared. "You know what's funny? I had the strangest dream last night. And you were there."

"We went to the movies and ate cotton candy in the parking lot." I grinned. "You said I didn't have to be perfect." I grinned. "You made me feel... normal."

But Kai's smile fell. He stepped back, looking at me like he didn't know me at all. Like I was a monster.

"How could you know that? That-that's not possible."

"I know, Kai." I swallowed. "I shouldn't have said anything, it's just--" I stepped forward, crestfallen when Kai took another step back. "Everyone else tells me the truth because they don't have a choice, but you... You do it because you want to. I just wanted to return the favor. I'm sorry."

I walked past Kai with my head down, feeling like such an idiot. I would never get the hang of being Fae and Human. I couldn't be both. One day, I would have to choose.

I left the party, making my way outside, where the air was like a cold compress for my hot and flushed skin. Eyes closed, I paused on the porch, face to the sky as I inhaled, imagining a world with blue grass and blood-orange skies, where the wind always smelled sharp and sweet...

Behind me, the noise from the party swelled as someone opened and closed the front door.

"Tamsyn?"

I turned. "Lana."

She wore a polka-dot flared skirt with black suspenders. Her long-sleeved sweater had polka-dots too; her saddle shoes were black and white.

"Hi," I said. I thought you weren't coming."

Lana chuckled. "Me too. But you don't leave a friend hanging, right?"

I nodded. "Right." I leaned against one of the porch's timber columns; my gaze traveled down the steps towards the lake. Ahead, the walkway lead straight to the dock; the lights in the trees twinkled with the stars above.

Lana joined me, arms folded. "I saw you and Kai back inside. You okay? He looked pretty upset."

"It's my fault." I exhaled, eyes on my boots as I scuffed them on the porch. "I said all the wrong things. Go figure."

"Welcome to my world." Lana chuckled. "When you're honest with people, about who you really are, what you really believe--it scares them. It pushes them away. That's what happens when you get mixed up with the Fae."

I stared at Lana, who was absorbed by our surroundings.

She gave a happy sigh. "The lights are so pretty at night. There are some good things about being in the dark."