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Sora settled in for a verbal and emotional battle of wits with Aiden.  She rubbed her menu, trying not to think about the rising pressure in her chest.  “What’s the plan, hmm?  Well, that’s kind of a bit of a story.  Where should I begin?”

Contrary to her thumping heart’s expectations, Aiden melted her tension like warm butter as he picked up his menu and said, “Yeah, no need to rush right now.  We have all of breakfast to get through.  I was thinking about the American Southern classic: breakfast for lunch!  Biscuits and sausage gravy, maybe with some bacon and hash browns…  Orange juice or apple?”

She smiled as he looked up at her, flipping his menu around to see the giant pitcher of juice he had on his mind.  “Orange, definitely orange juice.  I might go with some cinnamon rolls—like, the good kind!”

“Ooh.  Nice.  Sweet tooth in the morning, huh?  Respect.  Respect.  Uh, maybe it would be better just to get a handle on how you’ve been overall leading up to this whole Sela incident.”

The server entered the room with some ice water.  Aiden seemed to be done with his order because he set his menu down, smiled, and gave her his full attention as the dolphin man placed their water in front of them.

“So, let’s take it slow, order our morning fuel, and you can tell me whatever comes to mind.  I cleared my whole day.  There’s no rush here, and I’d like to get to know not only this situation but also you a lot better.  Start wherever you want.”

The tightness in her chest streamed out as he gave her all the power to direct this conversation; he’d come out and said exactly what he wanted, and then gave her the court to set the rules however she wanted.

He’s such a good, proactive guy…  Adjusting her white skirt to buy herself time, Sora crossed her legs and calmed her turbulent stomach.  Aiden’s only a year older than me, but he’s run a huge monster organization and traveled the world.  Maybe I should learn more about him, too.

Holding up her menu, her lips lifted as she pointed at the various items.  “Can I get all of this, including whatever good piece of wood that a Fire Fairy might like—maybe a variety tray?  She’s a bit sleepy right now in my hair,” she laughed, directing their attention to the bundled-up little woman in her flaming locks.

The man chuckled and nodded before surprising her with a respectful bow.  “Of course, Lady Moore.  And might I say that I am very thankful for what you have done for my community; Aiden informed many of our leaders, and your deeds are spreading fast.  I now feel so free and safe since Lord Aiden, and you have taken Miami under your wing.  Tammy has spoken nothing but praise.”

“Oh?”  Sora’s ears flicked up, her focus darted to Aiden before returning to the man.  “I don’t know if I’ve done much.  Aiden is the one handling everything.  I’m just doing what I think is right.”

Aiden chuckled, fingers running through his blond hair.  “To be fair, Sora, you are the one that made all of this possible.  Take a little credit; you’re making people’s lives better.  You’ve certainly made my life better.  I went by Tammy’s house earlier, and her girls are setting up a little thankful shrine in their house.”

“A what?”  Sora asked, lifting an eyebrow and hoping she wasn’t becoming a religious figure.  “I have shrines dedicated to me?”

He waved his hand as their server smiled and started writing down her order.  “Nothing religious.  It’s a part of their culture to wake up in the morning and give thanks to everyone they’re thankful for and to wish them well, vocalizing what they’re grateful for in order to bring positivity to their day.  Important people that cause great change have special places in that shrine.”

“That’s sweet,” Sora whispered, feeling warm inside as she thought about the dolphin woman server at the restaurant.  She looked up at the dutiful man.  “I hope to tell her in person, but if I don’t see her for a while, can you tell her that I’m happy to help?  I’d like to visit her home some time and see how things are going.”

He moved on to Aiden’s orders as the firebird pointed to the items he wanted, keeping his gaze on her, though, showing he had a wide field of vision.  “I am sure she will be tickled at the prospect of you paying her a visit, Lady Sora…  I will have these out for you within the next ten minutes.”

Sora fiddled with her fingers in her lap as he left, now feeling the positive vibes herself as she looked up at the handsome blond, waiting for her to continue.  “Do they have to call us Lord and Lady?  I’d like to make things less… formal.  Is that okay?”

“It’s their culture,” he shrugged.  “I feel you.  It’s just a lot easier for them to see things in a hierarchy of social dynamics.  I try to respect other cultures as best I can unless it conflicts with my morals, and I think I can stomach being called Lord if it makes them comfortable.”

“Fair,” she chuckled, relaxing a bit more and breathing in the warm atmosphere of the monster restaurant, its wealth of tantalizing foods making her mouth water.  “I will say that this place has the best service I think I’ve ever had, and they get the food out so fast.  I’m always impressed.

“So, back to the subject at hand,” she prompted.  “Can we start with a bit of a preface when everything started changing for me—just a bit before I met you in that meeting?”

The firebird held up his hand, giving her the floor.  His attentive, soft rainbow eyes welcomed her to take him into the tale.

“Alright, well, it began when I met Daisy—do you know Daisy?”

Taking a sip of his water before setting it down, Aiden’s lips fell a tad.  “Daisy, the blonde one-quarter succubus, who Yez’ela bullied into serving her ends?  Yeah.  I made it a point to meet just about everyone connected to our organization.  So, I had the pleasure of being introduced to you due to Daisy, huh?  Interesting.  Go on.”

Sora’s smile grew as she began the story, telling him about the path that had brought her into contact with Sela.  The Unseelie’s playful games as she picked apart her magical weaves, not all that concerned about her as a threat, leading to the contract she’d made with the gray-skinned woman.

When Sela’s whole kingdom began to fall apart and she took shelter by her side, thereby taking a more direct role in supporting her against Jenny and Devin.  How her mother purged the contract she’d made with the Unseelie, yet she still felt somewhat uneasy about leaving the woman to just die, which could mean she was a bit too soft.

Aiden shook his head, leaning back as their server brought out their food with two other attendants, who began setting them on their table.  “I wouldn’t say you’re soft, Sora.  I mean, you were anything but soft in that stadium, standing up to Eric and supporting Kari when it seemed like a hopeless situation.”

Sora’s ears tilted to the side with her lips.  “Well, to be fair, my best friend—legal sister now—was kidnapped and held hostage at the time.  I didn’t have the luxury of being soft, and I kind of feel a little bad about how hard I pushed Kari, looking back.  I was pretty harsh to her when she was in such a vulnerable place… that I put her in for Wendy’s sake.”

“Hmm.”  Aiden sucked in his cheek to lightly chew on it for a moment as he accepted the biscuits and gravy, using his fork to cut it up.  “I think you did the best you could, given the circumstances, and if you are feeling guilty, then just make it up to her now, which… I think you are doing it in spades already.”

He took his first bite, Sora doing the same with her deliciously warm and gooey cinnamon bun.  “As I understand it… you didn’t even like Kari until very recently.  Maybe like is still a bit too soon?”  he asked with a laugh.

Sora shook her head, rolling her eyes and glancing off to the side as the servers bowed and left them alone.  “No, I’d say I’m starting to like her.  I am friends with her, after all, and you have to at least like people a little to get to that stage.  Honestly, I think Eyia and her will have more in common, which is… interesting, considering their past.  Why are we talking about Kari again?  We’re supposed to be talking about Sela,” she jokingly accused.

Aiden chuckled and shrugged.  “It just came up in conversation.  Maybe I’m just looking forward to seeing my little sis happy again.  I’m guilty of that,” he admitted.  “So, I think we’re at Sela and the fae Court?  You and High Queen Titania are cooking up a plan to stop her execution?”

A small, cute voice came from behind Sora as Ember stretched out.  “The wha…  We’re doing what—fae Court eats daisies?  Aaah!  Lady Sora—blackwood—I smell blackwood and redwood bark!  Breakfast!”

The Fire Fairy flew out of her hair to settle, cross-legged in the middle of the plate of woods to gorge herself.  “Thank you, Lady Sora!”  She bit into a piece, causing sparks to flash as she chewed, but she soon froze.  “Wait… is this for me?!  Oh, no!  I’m sorry!”

“No, no, you’re fine, Ember,” Sora giggled, spinning the plate a little so she could see them both.  “We’re just getting to the good part.  Essentially, Titania thinks I can purify the Negative Force in Sela to cleanse her corruption and cure her.”

The chunk of wood fell from Ember’s hands into her lap, causing the Fairy to yelp.  “Huh?!  Ack!  No-ho-ho, my legs are going to bruise…  Wait, you can actually cure The Darkness’ corruption, Lady Sora?!  My cousin, and grandpa, and great-great-grandpa, and my dad,” she counted off her hand, “and, uh… like so many Fairies in my family were taken by it.”

Aiden furrowed his brow, using a napkin to wipe his mouth.  A hesitant look crossed his brow as he slowly articulated his thoughts:

“Purifying… Negative Force?  No, I can do that—it’s what I did with you—but you’re different.  You’re… extremely adaptable.  What you’re saying is that you want to purify the very corrupted Essence of Sela, but… that would kill them since you’re burning everything out of her.  She is a being of Negative Force now.  You can’t bend steel and fix it without totally reforging it, kind of thing.”

Sora folded her ears to the side as she thought.  “No, Titania said it was impossible, too—well, not for my mom—but I just need the power and skill to do it.  Sela’s energy is way larger than mine since she was a total bitch and pretended to be weaker than she really was to make me worry about her since… as a Fairy Queen—princess?”

She scratched her elbow, thinking back to what Titania had told her about the tragic end of Sela’s kingdom.  “Sela was a princess of a kingdom before being corrupted… and then she killed her parents and brought The Darkness to her whole kingdom.  She is a lot more skilled than me, so, as Titania said, it’s a numbers game that I can’t win how I am, but… but…”

Aiden leaned against his fist, elbow resting on the table as her mind blanked.  “Something wrong?  Let me guess, she didn’t actually tell you the process before leaving?”

“Yeah… actually,” Sora laughed.  “She woke up Ember, and that distracted me before she vanished in Fairy dust, telling me she had to prepare a bunch of stuff.  That’s the story.”

Considering her explanation, the blond played with his fork, spinning it around his palm.  “Fae can be that way when excited, expecting you to connect all the dots they did.  Hmm.  Well, if the High Queen sees a way to do it, then it’s a sure thing,” he smiled, dispelling Sora’s rising tension at a possible conflict.  “She wouldn’t want to be embarrassed in her court…  So, when do we leave?”

Sora brought his gaze to the Fire Fairy, happily munching away on her wood again.  “Ahem.  Ember?”

“Hmm?!”  Ember’s lunch dropped from her fingers again as if she’d been caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar.  “Ack!  Mmmgm-hmm-hmm!  My poor legs…  Uh, when is the daily fae Royal Court meeting?  Let’s see…”

She lifted her hand to wave a flaming, magical clock, mumbling to herself, “Adjust for Grand Tree Time… realm differential…  Uh, what time is it here, and what time zone?”  she asked, big eyes rising to look at her.  “I don’t know where we are.”

“USA Eastern Time Zone,” Aiden replied.  “We’re in Miami Beach, Florida, and it is… 2:43 p.m.”

“2:43 p.m. in the Eastern Time…  I don’t know this one,” she said with a sheepish smile, scratching the back of her flaming head.  “Do you know what the current time is for USA’s Central Time?”

“1:43 p.m.,” Sora responded with a laugh.  “One hour difference.”

“Oh, easy!”  Ember scoffed.  “It’s… going to start in three hours and seventeen minutes.  Hah!  Wait… it takes like… three hours to get there from your portal!  Ahhh!”  Ember’s hair flared as she darted into the air.  “Ahh!  I overslept!  I’m sorry!  I’m such a failure!  We’re going to be late!  My mom is going to water-slap my butt!”

Sora giggled and got to her feet, calling her purse.  “I’m sure we can make it on time, and Oberon said he’d buy us time.  We didn’t eat a lot, but I’m good for a rain check on lunch.”

“Maybe dinner if we have time,” Aiden said, rising to put on his suit jacket and pulling out his phone.  I’ll have my driver take us back; it should put us on schedule so we don’t need to rush.  “You could also use your magic to put it all in a box for us to go and eat on the way.  Thoughts?”

Eyes lighting up and tail wagging, Sora nodded, sending the desire and causing the food to lift off the plates and bowls, including their refreshments.  “Good thinking!”

Aiden snapped his fingers, sending a spark message to their server.  “They should have the containers ready by the time we check out.  Shall we?”  he asked, stepping around the table and offering his arm with a charming smile.

Feeling as light as air and more like a vulpes by the minute, Sora took his arm.  “Wouldn’t it be on-brand to arrive fashionably late to a fae trial?”

“You are a fox, after all,” he laughed.  “Coming, Ember?”

“Just gathering the wood!  Hehe.  Yeah, Mom can’t blame me.  It was Lady Sora’s fault I was late.  Totally not my fault!”

Sora snickered as they walked with him toward the front, a host of floating goods trailing behind them; the Fire Fairy’s personality was telling as to what awaited them in Avalon.

I’m actually having a lot of fun!  she internally cheered.  Aiden makes everything seem so much simpler.  Maybe it’s because he’s lightening the load?  There’s just so much drama at home, and he’s like a breath of fresh air.

Their bill booklet was already waiting for them at the front, and more servers were coming out of the kitchen with Tupperware provided to store their leftovers, including utensils.  Sora’s smile grew as a few nervous patrons waved at them, her ears burning a little as her name was passed through conversations.  It seemed her presence was becoming known in the Miami community.

Before she could get the check, Aiden signed for it, giving her a wink and adding a healthy tip that was larger than she’d planned to give; he really was a great guy, and apparently, he had money, too.

She directed their food into the plastic, neatly placing it for travel and sealing the tops.  Her tail swayed behind her as they left the restaurant, being careful not to beat the back of Aiden’s leg—which would be embarrassing—by lifting it up a bit.

The hot Miami sun blazed down on them as they entered the alleyway.  A fancy new luxury car, parked by the street, waited for them like a carriage for a princess.  She really was starting to feel special after so many years of ducking girls around corners and trying not to be noticed.  Now, everything had changed, and she held her head high.

“By the way, I love your blouse and skirt.  The black belt on the white really sets a tone, and the angled cut of the skirt looks stunning on you.”

“Thanks; Wendy picked it out with me.  I’m going to get her a matching set.  I should pierce my ears, though, so I can wear earrings again.  Thoughts?”

Trying not to let her cheeks burn too much and glad to have Ember to offer distractions, Sora’s heart fluttered a bit at the compliment.  The pressure in her chest rose as Aiden opened the door for her, allowing her to fold her skirt under and swing her legs inside.  The disguised, elderly driver she’d seen last week didn’t say a word, acting super professional.

“Hold that thought.”

He grinned and closed the door, walking around to the street-side to join her.

Ember zipped in just before it closed to sit on her bare shoulder, tittering a little at her bruised legs.  “Mhm!  It’s really elegant, Lady Sora.  I want one, too!  Earrings are cute on the Fairy Queens and High Fairies that can grow big.”

“I doubt we’ll be able to get one in your size, Ember.”

“Aww.  It is adorable, though…  How do you get it to stay on when it isn’t on your shoulders?  Wait, is that a collar attached to it?  Is it a slave shirt?!”

“Haha!  What?”  Sora asked, hand rising to the choker that the top’s strap connected to.  “No, it’s a fashion piece that keeps the bust from sliding down too far, see?”

“Oooh.  That’s fancy.  We just use magic for stuff, but I didn’t sense you using any of it.  It’s super beautiful…  I want one so bad now.”

Aiden chuckled as he slid beside her, having had to wait a second for traffic to clear so he could jump inside.  “We may be able to work out something with some of the communities around Miami.  There are some amazing Fairy designers that have met with me, interested in coming to Miami now that the Unseelie aren’t roaming everywhere.”

“No way!  I’d love that sooo much!”  Ember chimed.  “It’s so pricey in Avalon.  The Star Rubies it would cost to have custom outfits is ridiculous!  Most people wear the mass-produced stuff, which is boring!  It’s so different here on Earth,” she whispered, floating over to press her face against the glass and look at all the tourists and locals going about their business.

Aiden cleared his throat to draw her attention, shifting in his seat to study above her head.  “You were asking about earrings and piercings, right?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” she smiled, thighs pressing together as she absently lifted her fingers to brush her hair over her shoulder and poke at her sensitive ears.  “In artwork, fox girls with different earrings look super cute, so I guess I should ask if there are any places that do fox ear piercings.  Are there?”

Ember zipped between them, her small face alight with excitement.  “My sister does piercings for vulpes and all other kinds of creatures!  She lives not too far from the capital.  I can introduce you; it’s super fast, and I can probably get it done for free!”

“Really?”  Sora nodded, holding up a thumb.  “I’d like that.  Is that, like, a really big profession in Avalon?”

“Ohhh, no-no-no,” Ember quickly shook her head.  “Big Sis Trista is the failure in the family—even bigger than me, when I’m in my 35th year at the academy and still haven’t graduated—Mom and she have been in a big fight for four centuries now.  Lots of drama.  But Big Sis Trista likes me!  I’m the baby in the family,” she grinned.

“Cute,” Sora chimed, holding out her hand for Ember to sit on.  “I’d love to meet your big sister.”

“That’s convenient, but I guess Fairies have huge families,” Aiden hummed, rubbing his chin and still studying her perked-up ears.  “By the way, I’d love to see some earrings on you, Sora.  It’s hard to picture right now for me.  I’ve never seen the artwork of vulpes; I’m not on the internet much other than travel and communicating with people.”

“Fair,” Sora said, reminding herself that the blond had only been on Earth for three years.  “How about… now?!”  she said, using one hand to present her ears as she crafted an illusion of golden earrings.

Ember was quick to clap.  “Very cute and sparkly!  I love gold.  It is super rare in Avalon since most of it was burned and thrown into the Cloud Sea after the Alchemy Wars, like, forever ago.  Silver is big, though.  We have lots and lots of silver… and wood we can’t eat,” she huffed, glaring off to the side.  “Did you know eating some of the World Tree is punishable by death?  So unfair.  Why do Wood Fairies get to enjoy it so much?  Fire Fairy Discrimination!”

Sora couldn’t help laughing with Aiden at the thought of Fire Fairies rising up and burning down all of Avalon in their ravenous hunger.

“Was there any Fire Fairy uprisings in the past, Ember?”

“Wha—that was forever ago,” she balked, fiery wings fluttering with agitation.  “Sure, my mom was a part of it, but she was my age!  How can you blame a little 50-year-old Fairy for what she did when she hadn’t even reached her full wing growth?  I mean, bah.  Mom got to taste World Tree bark, though.  I’m so jealous.”

“I’m sure.  I’m sure,” Sora agreed, not knowing how to judge Fairy adolescence.  “So, you’re 50-years-old?  I’m sixteen!”

“Seventeen, here,” Aiden offered.  “Ted?”

Their elderly driver looked into the mirror with a straight face.  “A spry thirty-four, Master Aiden.”

Sora choked, unable to believe him because of his gray hair and wrinkles; of course, she hadn’t looked past his disguise to see what lay underneath.  “You look great, Ted!”

Ember crossed her arms and flatly shook her head.  “I call Toad Lilies, you’re not thirty-five!”

“Thirty-four,” Aiden corrected.

“Isn’t that what I said?”  Ember questioned, putting a finger to her mouth.  “Yeah, not thirty-three either.  Joking!  Joking!  Hehehe.  You fell for it!  He’s totally thirty-one.”

“Good guess, Madam Ember,” Ted congratulated, pulling into the hotel front entrance.  “I hope you have a lovely trip.”

Aiden reached up to pat his shoulder.  “Thanks, Ted, and… totally taking the wind out of my sail, boys,” he said as the door attendants stepped forward to open the door for Sora to exit.

Winking at the dull-eyed firebird, Sora lifted her tail and slid out.  “Too slow, Bird Boy.  Better luck next time!  You’re in my wheelhouse now.”

Ember settled on her purse as it floated after her, Aiden jogging to keep up.

“So, you’ve got a portal to Avalon inside your hotel?”

“Uh-huh.  Cool, huh?”

“Very cool.  This will be my first time in Avalon.  You?”

“Mhm!  I’m excited.  We’re going to take a flying boat, right, Ember?”

“Only if you don’t have wings… or weak wings,” Ember mumbled, glancing back at hers with a frown as she fluttered them.  “I was born with weak wings, but Mom says they’re still growing, and I’m a late flarer.”

Flarer?  I guess that’s a word for them.

“Ahh.”  Aiden crossed his arms and nodded matter-of-factly.  “It’s the same for a certain girl with a tail, I know.  She just has to give it some time, and maybe it will grow out a bit more.”

“Rude!”  Sora’s fur stood on end as she brought it around to hug, the stone-faced Foundation guards opening the doors for them.  “My tail isn’t short, Aiden!  I can easily touch the tip of my ears with it, and so what if Kari’s is longer and thicker; she’s been a wolf all her life—I bet she was born a wolf pup!”

“Woah, woah!”  Aiden laughed, raising his hands to defend himself from her light glare.  “I was talking about Vivian’s tail.”

Ears rising, Sora leveled a quizzical eye at the firebird.  “And who’s Vivian?”

“Yeah,” Ember backed her up, “who’s this Vivian foxy?  Is she rubbing her tail all over you?”

“Huh?”

“Say what?”

Sora’s bewildered stare matched Aiden’s as the narrow-eyed Fire Fairy searched the boy for answers, and she wasn’t backing down.

“There are only two reasons why boys bring up tail length when dealing with vulpes.  One, they’re trying to make the vulpes jealous and insecure about their tail-girl, or they like the tail-girl and are playing games.”  She waved her hands around as if casting a spell; she was not.  “So, what is it, ‘Bird Boy?’  What games are we playing?”

Aiden breathed in sharply and looked off to the side with a smirk.  “No, you’re totally right, I misspoke.  It wasn’t a tail-girl but this short-winged Fairy I know—not well, but well enough.”

Sora laughed as Ember’s face turned bright pink.

“Wha-What is that supposed to mean?  You’re talking about me!”

“I didn’t say that,” Aiden snickered, entering the elevator with her as it opened, Ron greeting them.  “There’s just this fiery Fairy—”

“A Fire Fairy?  I’m a Fire Fairy, and I have short wings!  What does that mean?”

“I didn’t say it was a Fire Fairy; I said, ‘A fiery Fairy.’  It could just be a Water Fairy.”

“No!  No one talks about Water Fairies like that; you’re sparkle-faced, hiding behind dazzling white teeth, big grins, and fancy word games.  I’m onto you, Birdy!  You can’t fool a Fire Fairy.  We’re very quick to jump to conclusions—the right quick conclusions!”

Sora was very happy Titania had Ember guide her; she was a treat, and her stomach was hurting by the time they got to the personal realm her mother had crafted for her, listening to Aiden tease the very assumptive Fairy.

Ron whistled as the doors opened, having stood off to the side to watch the firebird and Fairy’s verbal battle with her.  “Wow…  Uh, I heard about this, but this is my first time seeing it.  Can… I take Steph here?”

“Absolutely; I insist!”  Sora chimed, ears standing straighter as she listened to the floor above them.  No one seemed to be in her suite, but hopefully, when she came back, things wouldn’t have collapsed into the end of the world.  Knock on wood.  “Take her on a date when she gets back.”

“I will!  Well, have fun wherever you’re going.”

“Avalon.  And I’ll bring back a souvenir for you!”

Flipping around, hands held behind her back, she tuned out Aiden and Ember’s banter to study the vast, gorgeous skies with their celestial view of galaxies and moons.  The pathway was done, the landscape further terraformed with the fae’s touch, with a few facilities that could be used—even a giant mansion tree she needed to explore later with the other girls. 

Aiden held up a hand, colorful eyes scanning the fantasy world they’d walked into.  “You… are so spoiled!  You can’t be serious.  Kari would die…  She could roam and run all she wanted—find a quiet place of her own to sit down and read books—it’s perfect.  There are so many things that remind me of Mom’s realm.”

“Alva?”  Sora asked, slowing her pace a little as Ember took a back seat, listening to their conversation from atop one of their warm, floating food containers.  “Or, umm, my mom talked to me a little bit about it, but are you talking about Alina, your actual mother?”

Anxiety grabbed ahold of her chest as Aiden’s awestruck expression tempered, his lips drawing in.  “Alina…  Is that her name?”  He shook his head, showing a fake smile that didn’t hide anything with his very open aura.  “I never knew my birth mother; Alva is the only mother I ever knew, and she loved me like I was Eric, Kari, or Tiri.  Yeah, this is like Alva’s realm.”

“Sorry,” Sora whispered, her tail slowing in its beats as she considered his position.  “I didn’t mean to dig up bad memories.”

“What memories?”  he laughed, digging his hands inside his suit pockets as he continued along the path toward the shimmering gateway.  “She left me as a gift for Alva; that’s how much of that side of my family cares for their kids…  Worse than wolves.  Anyway, like I said, you should show Kari this.  Heh, although I bet once you do, you won’t see her for a week or more!”

“I will,” Sora promised, drawing into her own mind as an awkward pause came to the conversation.

Wendy’s having trouble coming to terms with the fact that her mom abandoned her after she tried so hard to be a good daughter.  Eyia was banished by… her step-mom?  Her father’s wife.  Weird.  And she was forced onto this island that did nothing but try to kill her since she was, like… five or something?  Kari’s mom made this plot to escape Fenris Territory that totally screwed up Kari, which I don’t know how to feel about…

A fire lit in her chest as she internally growled, What is up with everyone’s moms?!  At least mine is coming home.  Oh, yeah, Ember’s mom apparently thinks she’s a failure.  I have no clue about Fen and Jian.  What about dads?!  Everyone’s dad is absent, too!  Well, except my dad… but his dad is!  I don’t know who my grandpa is, and Dad is supposedly not ‘totally’ human, whatever that means, Mom!

Eric’s comment about Kari’s dad now jabbed at her brain.  He thinks her ‘weak’ side came from her father…  We know who Eric’s dad is—he murdered him—but who are Tiri and Kari’s dads?  There really are a lot of missing pieces in our family trees.  I’ll have to ask Mom about it when she gets here.

“Something on your mind?”

“Hmm?”  Sora looked up at the blond next to her, a little anxiety still in his aura from her earlier question about his mother.  “Oh, just thinking about a lot of random stuff.  So, this is Avalon, huh?”

Stopping in front of the shimmering, misty portal, glowing in all shades of color, Sora gulped.  “Ember, do we just… step through?”

“Mhm!  Follow me.  It should be coded to give you a pass when you enter.  You can only get a pass by entering this side or getting permission from someone with a pass, but there’s a procedure you need to do in order to give them one—typical security stuff.”

“Okay!  Let’s go.”

Without waiting for them, Sora walked into the gateway.  Blinking as her spelled heels stepped onto the even stone walkway on the other side, she closed an eye as a sharp gust pressed against her body, folding back her ears and bringing a nice, lavender scent.

A magical desire managed her copper locks as they whipped to the side, her fluttering skirt and shoulderless top becoming more manageable with the spell.  All thoughts left her mind as she stepped to the side of her lone gateway, situated on the edge of a cliffside, where a colossal plain of misty seas frothed and swirled in a twinkling haze.

She shivered, but not from anything like a chill; the air hummed with a vibrant, pure magical radiance that longed to be molded like clay.  The rushing roar of a surging river came from her right, where turquoise waters jetted out over the side like a geyser, making her belly squirm with delight.

Looking up, her mouth parted in disbelief.  The heavens opened up to a cosmic marvel of planets and wondrous fields of nebula-like clouds floating across a pristine tapestry of space, and they weren’t alone.   Thousands of sparkling figures and massive airships soared through it, be they Faires or other winged creatures, such as griffins.

She even saw three giant dragons the size of a castle exit one of the cosmic clouds, where a partially obscured island floated or rested on the mist.  She spun in a circle to watch the flying lizards swoop toward the giant stone and wooden academy—Avalon Academy.

“We’re… in Avalon’s backyard?”

Ember swirled around her in a swirl of red light, giggling as she spun in a sharp circle to stop near her eye level.  “It feels so much easier to fly at home; I’m weightless!  Oh, uh, wow, wow, wow!  Your home goes right to Riverside Gate.  Lucky!  You don’t have to travel far.  Oh, let’s go to the boat; the next one is coming—I can see it.”

Aiden didn’t have much more time to absorb the magical world as the Fairy ushered them to a wooden dock to their right.  On their jog to reach the boarding area, she noticed several more gateways similar to hers lining the cliffside.  Only a few passengers waited, which made sense since this was the academy’s off-season—the year wouldn’t start for another two weeks.

Ember got them onto the large flying boat, handling their boarding fee with some magical pass that was spelled onto her small silver wrist band.  It was manned by very tall and handsome elven men, and their destination would take more than two hours to reach—the fae Royal Court.

Sora leaned against the side of the railing, somewhat in a daze from the wealth of magical energy flooding her system; her ears were ringing, and her vision was a little spotty as she tried to adapt.  Aiden seemed to be experiencing the same thing because he was a lot quieter than he’d been thus far.

She smiled and nudged his side, gesturing at the food they’d brought.  He breathed out the stress in his chest and laughed, nudging his head toward the upper deck area, where tables were set up for people to eat.

“Care to finish that conversation we had at the restaurant?  I want to know more about your life.  You are taking care of my sister, after all.  I need to know you’re not suspicious,” he winked, making her giggle.

“Oh, this fox is very suspicious, and she’d love to chat.”

Sora settled in for the two-hour flight, enjoying Avalon’s magic-filled environment while passing the time with Aiden.  Somehow, he managed to get her to talk about herself more than she could get him to discuss his past, which he claimed was boring—she doubted that—he just wanted to learn more about her.  She was happy to oblige.  Overall, Aiden was turning out to be someone she could rely on and talk to.

By the time they arrived at the World Tree, she’d told him all about Kari’s life and how amazing it was that they were now budding friends.  Life was a crazy adventure of twists and turns, which sometimes left you with a tail growing out of your butt, and fox ears atop your head—well, at least her life was like that.

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