Seelie Princess (The Crown of Tír na nÓg Book 1), Page 2

  She filed onto the platform with the other commuters. No one was paying much attention to her, which was a nice change for once. Back at the court, Fay was often the center of attention. And if she bowed to the queen’s wishes, she’d be of even more interest.

  Not if she could find the girl first.

  Fay took out the stone the queen had given her. It was opaque, about the size of an egg, and it fit smoothly into her hand. Deep pulses emanated from it in a slow, rhythmic pattern. She turned south and the pulsing faded, but when she faced north, it gave off powerful beats. She was on the right track then. The train rolled into the station and Fay got on. As it rushed north, the beating of the stone grew more intense. At one stop, the beating got so fast that Fay pushed through the crowd and out of the train seconds before the door shut again.

  Using the same technique as before, she walked up to each crossroad, turned each direction, and followed the one that the stone indicated. Even after all the time she’d spent at the court, she didn’t fully grasp what made the stone work. It was a kind of magic she hadn’t seen before. One that only the queen had access to.

  On and on Fay went, houses and unknown faces flashing past her, but even without looking, she knew where she was heading. The area around Lincoln Park Zoo had always been one of her favorites. Years ago, when she was little.

  The stone was now beating fast and hard; it was hot to the touch. Fay turned a corner and hurried down a one-way street with brick houses. One last beat and the stone fell quiet.

  She had found it.

  Fay faced the two nearly identical houses. Both were two-story red brick houses with eight white windows and a white front door. One of them had a bare yard, the other white gardenias and wild ivy.

  The stone in her hand responded to the house with the flowers.

  As Fay stood there gazing at the front door, she realized how flawed her plan was. When the queen had pressed the stone into her hand, Fay had been so relieved to have been offered a chance to escape her looming responsibilities. The queen had explained how to use the stone and Fay nodded along, eager to get going.

  Now she’d reached her destination and had no idea what the next step was. But she knew her mission: locate the girl, bring her to the court. It couldn’t be that hard. After all, Fay had a few useful skills at her disposal.

  She drew closer, glancing at each window. All of them were draped with curtains, making it impossible to see inside. There was a doorbell right next to the door. Four buttons with four different names.

  Brown

  Stein

  Whittemore

  Ramirez

  Fay took the last step up to the front door and ran a finger along the names. She could just press one of those buttons and ask whoever picked up. But that would require her to know the name of the person she was after.

  The stone was the only clue she had.

  With a sigh, Fay leaned against the wall. She shouldn’t have come alone. Her friends would find a way, probably by breaking and entering. But they would have also stopped her from coming here at all. Maeve would have thought the whole thing was stupid, and Nooa would have nodded in quiet agreement with Maeve, as usual.

  Fay straightened, shaking her head. No, it was a good idea she’d come alone. She could do this. She would just ring one name and—

  The door flew inward with such force that Fay staggered back a step. A person shot out of the house and crashed right into her.

  They both collapsed to the ground, Fay onto her back and the other person on top of her. She caught a whiff of rosemary and lavender, then the weight on her was gone.

  “Oh god, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

  “Don’t worry.” Fay scrambled to her feet, dusting debris off her dress. Her left elbow felt a bit sore, but that would be fine once she returned to the court.

  Her assailant was kneeling on the ground. It was a girl about Fay’s age, her face hidden by long black hair. She was holding her backpack, surrounded by an array of things that had fallen from it. Fay glimpsed a notepad, some pens, a wallet, a charger for a phone, an acorn—

  The girl grabbed it and stuffed it into her backpack.

  “I’m very sorry,” she said. Once she’d returned all the things to her bag, she stood and glanced at Fay. “Are you okay?”

  Fay noticed the girl’s gorgeous blue eyes. They were deep blue, like the depth of the sea.

  “I’m fine,” Fay said, her mind grappling for a plan. She’d dropped the stone when the girl crashed into her and there was no time to search for it now. But that girl was carrying an acorn with her, so chances were good she was the one. “You live here?”

  The girl wasn’t even listening. “Again, I’m sorry,” she said, turned on her heels and bolted.

  Fay itched to race after her. This was her one shot! It had to be the girl. Cursing, Fay dropped to her knees. “Where did that stupid stone go?” Her hands searched the grass, finding stones that weren’t hers, until they closed around one that pulsed. Before the girl could vanish out of sight, Fay set into motion.

  3

  FAIR FOLK

  As soon as Kayla was on the bus, she flipped out her phone and texted Abby. On my way.

  Then, she opened her browser. Her thumb was hovering over the search bar for a few seconds when a message popped up. Her mom, asking if Kayla wanted to go to the movies tomorrow. Kayla swiped the message away and returned to her search.

  Where do faeries live?

  After some scrolling and clicking, she found an online version of a book called A Treasury of Irish Fairy and Folk Tales. She scanned the document. One line read, “Faeries are deenee shee or fairy people. Who are they?”

  That wasn’t helpful.

  Kayla tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear and kept scrolling. Another headline caught her attention. “T’yeer-na-n-oge.” She brought the phone closer to her face.

  “There is a country called Tír-na-nÓg,” it read, “which means the Country of the Young, for age and death have not found it. According to many stories, Tír-na-nÓg is the favorite dwelling of the faeries.”

  It did not mention where to find such a place.

  Kayla locked the screen of her phone with a sigh. She racked her brain for any clue her father had given her in his stories, but she couldn’t remember him ever mentioning where the faeries lived. He’d always said they were everywhere in nature—in the forest, at lakes, up in the mountains. She’d looked in all those places when she was growing up and she never saw any faeries.

  Except the night her father had disappeared. Kayla shuddered at the memory of the spectral woman crying in their old garden. She hadn’t been a faerie but she hadn’t been human either.

  Maybe Ms. Pinderhughes would know something about acorns and faeries. The elderly lady owned a bookshop that had many books on folklore, but Kayla would have to wait, because the shop was already closed for the day.

  When she got off the bus a few stops later, she noticed a twinge in her ankle and cursed herself for crashing into that girl earlier. She hurried two blocks down the street, approached a tall apartment building, and rang the doorbell.

  “Abs, it’s me.”

  The intercom buzzed. Kayla entered and took the elevator up to the fifth floor. She stopped in front of the door with the sign Welcome at the McCoys and waited. One… two… and three.

  The door flung open, and Abby welcomed Kayla with a frown at her wet shoes. “Do I smell coffee on you?”

  “Huh? Yeah, I had some before coming here.”

  Abby pursed her lips. “You could’ve brought me a latte.” She vanished into the apartment.

  Kayla took off her shoes and followed her friend down the hall and into her room. “Abs, I’m sorry I forgot. I wasn’t thinking…”

  Abby spun around, her eyes narrowing on Kayla. “Spill it.”

  “Spill what?”

  “You know what I’m talking about. You said you couldn’t come over, so what changed?”

&nbs
p; Kayla froze. The acorn in her backpack felt like it weighed a ton. “Plans can change, right?”

  Perhaps Abby hadn’t heard her. She went to sit on her bed, crossed her legs and then her arms, and glowered up at Kayla. Her brown eyes darkened with a fury that Kayla knew wasn’t real. But just the idea of upsetting Abby caused Kayla to cave in.

  “I didn’t feel like being at home,” she said.

  Abby’s frown softened. “Did you have an argument again?”

  Kayla slumped down on the bed next to Abby, hands folded in her lap. She knew she should just tell Abby, who always managed to cheer her up, but she also knew that Abby was a realist who didn’t believe in faeries. Last time Kayla had thought she’d seen her dad, Abby had been comforting, but she’d also insisted it had been her eyes playing tricks on her.

  “I know you miss him,” Abby had said. “But he is dead. And the dead don’t come back.”

  Kayla grabbed one of the fuzzy pillows sprawled out on Abby’s bed. “It doesn’t matter, really. Can I stay here tonight?” she asked. She would head to Ms. Pinderhughes’s bookstore first thing in the morning.

  “Of course! But you can’t stay away from home forever. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  Silence fell over the room while Kayla plucked at the fringes of the pillow. Then Abby leaped off the bed. “I know just the thing for us!” She beamed at Kayla before striding over to her closet.

  Kayla sat up. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Something black came flying Kayla’s way, hitting her right in the face. A shiny, almost translucent piece of clothing rested in her lap. “Abby, I’m not doing this.” She launched off the bed, dropping the shirt.

  Her friend peeked around the door of the closet. “You sure are. I will not miss out on another great club, you hear me? Besides, there’ll be plenty of hot guys who’ll make you forget all about your mother.”

  Kayla raised an eyebrow at Abby.

  “Or hot girls. Whatever you feel like tonight.” She winked, and Kayla blushed.

  “Even if I agreed to this, you know I don’t like to wear things like that.”

  Abby sighed. “Seriously, Kay, you shouldn’t worry.”

  “Can’t you at least give me something with a little more fabric?” Kayla picked up the shirt again. “This doesn’t seem right.”

  “Fine.” Abby disappeared into the depths of her closet again to retrieve a pair of high heels. “Don’t worry. These are for me. I’ll find you another shirt and then we’ll fix your hair.”

  “What’s wrong with my hair?”

  But Abby had already vanished into the bathroom.

  An hour later, Kayla and Abby rode a crammed L train toward the Loop. The air was heavy with sweat and cheap perfume, and Kayla tugged at the hem of the dress Abby had forced her to wear. It was a desperate attempt to gain a few inches of length.

  “Kay, you look amazing,” Abby said. “The mascara brings out the blue in your eyes.” She fluttered her glittered eyelashes at a boy squeezing past them. He grinned back at her, because no boy could resist Abby’s doe eyes or flawless golden-brown skin.

  Kayla was as pale as moonlight.

  “I look ridiculous,” Kayla said, blinking. Her eyelashes were sticking together and blurring her vision. “Did you have to do my hair?” She tried to cover her ears with her dark curls, but Abby had tied it into such a tight braid there was no way of loosening it.

  Abby gave Kayla’s hand a tap. “Stop it. You’re ruining my masterpiece.”

  Despite the harsh tone, Abby smiled and reached down to the nape of Kayla’s neck. Kayla felt a pinch as Abby removed a few bobby pins and her hair came tumbling down her back.

  “Thanks,” Kayla mumbled.

  “I don’t get why you won’t wear your hair up, though.”

  Kayla didn’t want to have that conversation again, and Abby knew better than to expect a response. So Abby changed the topic to how she hoped to run into Matt, the quarterback for their football team, and how Kayla would have to be her wingman. Kayla hated that part. She always got stuck with the boring guy.

  Kayla’s phone buzzed, and she took it out to find another message from her mom.

  Movies in the afternoon?

  She typed a quick Sounds good before shoving the phone back into the tiny beaded bag Abby had insisted she take. She already longed for her spacious backpack.

  “It’s your mom, isn’t it?” Abby asked.

  “No.” Kayla tried to tug her dress down again. “Maybe.”

  “You can’t avoid her forever.”

  Kayla slumped her shoulders. “I know. But I can for a while.”

  “You’ll work it out. You always have,” Abby said. “This is our stop.”

  People pushed toward the exit and Kayla followed the throng, holding on to Abby’s hand. Out on the streets, a wave of fresh air, smelling sweet after the rain, welcomed them. The night sky had cleared over the last hour and was now hazy with the orange glow of city lights.

  “It’s right down this way,” Abby said. They continued walking, apparently in the same direction as everyone else who had been on the train.

  A tall building rose in front of them, and its many windows reflected the city lights back on the people lining up.

  “Isn’t this great?” Abby said as they took their place in line. The heavy beats from the club carried outside, filling the streets with dull thumps.

  “I guess so.” Kayla glanced at a group of boys swaying back and forth and singing at the top of their lungs, and she found herself humming along.

  Sooner than she’d expected, she and Abby reached the entrance to the club and Kayla rummaged in her bag for her fake ID. The bouncer scanned it twice before letting her pass.

  Inside, the club was gloomy and packed with people. Kayla clutched Abby’s arm like a baby sloth clinging to its mother. Abby dragged her straight onto the dancefloor, where people were swaying to the music blaring from the speakers. The mist being pumped into the room made it difficult for Kayla to see and move around. She eventually found herself in the middle of a dancing crowd, nothing but strange faces staring at her.

  Somewhere along the way, she’d lost Abby.

  “Excuse me. Sorry. May I?” she said as she tried to press through the crowd. But people were shoving her, and then she was elbowed in the side.

  That was enough.

  Kayla stopped, only to be pushed back a few inches by a couple dancing so close that she feared she’d soon be a witness to something very intimate. She ducked just in time as another elbow came flying her way.

  The song faded out and was replaced by a voice speaking into a microphone. The fog cleared, people slowed, and Kayla could finally see where she was standing.

  “Good evening, ladies and gents!” a voice called, and many answered by pumping their fists into the air and making hooting noises. “Welcome to the Midsummer Night Bar, the place to be tonight. And now, I’m thrilled to announce our opening band, Song of Fili.”

  More shouts erupted from the crowd as people clapped and cheered. Kayla stood on tiptoes to get a glimpse of the stage, where a group of five men were preparing their instruments; one of them moved forward to talk into the microphone.

  Kayla pushed through the crowd while they were distracted by the band warming up, and she headed whichever direction would lead her out of that mess.

  When the band struck the first chord, people around Kayla broke into motion, drawing her back into the crowd once more.

  Not again.

  As she struggled to move forward, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

  “Would you like to dance?”

  Kayla whirled around, a rebuff already forming on her lips, but she stopped as her gaze found the person who had spoken. The blond-haired girl had unusual, mesmerizing green eyes and a gorgeous smile.

  Maybe Abby had been right and this was just the distraction she needed.

  “I would,” Kayla heard herself say.

 
The girl reached out a hand, which Kayla accepted in a daze, and they began to dance. Kayla was more or less jerking her limbs to the odd tune that the band played, while the other girl moved with a light-footed grace. Unlike Kayla, she appeared entirely comfortable in her black dress and denim jacket.

  The girl leaned in closer. “What’s your name?” she asked.

  “Kayla. And yours?”

  The girl smirked. “Ava.”

  “Have you been in this club before?” She realized at once how stupid that question had been, considering it was opening night. So she sucked at dancing and making conversations.

  “No,” Ava said. “I’m not from the city.”

  “Oh, where are you from?”

  “You wouldn’t know it.”

  A guitar solo from the stage filled the air.

  “What did you say?” Kayla shouted into Ava’s ear.

  “Do you want to go outside?”

  “What?!”

  “Outside?!”

  Kayla scanned the crowd for Abby, but all she could see were blurry shapes engulfed in an artificial fog. She glanced back at Ava, at her luminous green eyes. Kayla had never been spoken to by such a beautiful girl. Surely, Abby would understand…

  “Okay, let’s go!” Kayla said.

  Ava’s smile was lit up by multicolored lights. She turned and led the way through the crowd, which seemed to part for Ava. They passed the bouncer and stepped outside, into the cool night.

  Kayla sucked in a gulp of air.

  “Much better,” Ava said. “Should we walk a bit?” She held out a hand to Kayla, who took it without hesitation.

  As they walked along the sidewalk, Kayla tried not to stare at Ava. Something about this girl was… different. Her green eyes shimmered like emeralds, and her white skin was almost too pure to be real, but there was an edginess to her face. As if she was slightly older than she looked.

  Ava tipped her head and their eyes met. Blushing, Kayla averted her gaze. Then Ava tugged at Kayla’s hand and pulled her into a side alley.