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“AISLIN?” A TENTATIVE hand on my bare calf has me jolting awake. I rub the sleep out of my eyes and look over to see Warren standing next to my bed. I hope I don’t have drool all over my face.
“What time is it?” I’m not awake at all.
“Half past morning. You slept through the night. No one wanted to wake you last night. You seemed . . . a little upset.”
Heat flushes my cheeks as I remember what had me hiding in my room the night before. Then I realize that Warren is in my room . . . his hand on my leg . . . and my dress is hitched up to my waist. I quickly push the dress down as the warmth of Warren’s hand leaves. These boys have seen more of me in one day than anyone has seen in more than twenty years.
“Uh,” Warren starts and then clears his throat. “I’ll be downstairs. Ren sent over food, and Puck has breakfast almost ready. Plus, Ren sent some coffee of the gods.”
I jump out of bed. “She never shares that!” I run to the shelf that my leggings and tunics are on. I quickly grab a bright coral top and black leggings. “Shoo, shoo! Let me change.” I hear a chuckle, and his steps going down the stairs. I rip off the stupid white shift, not caring that it won’t be able to be worn next year. I throw the clothes on and take a quick stop at the mirror to brush my hair. A quick swipe of berry wax over my lips, and I’m ready.
I slowly walk down the stairs. How am I supposed to interact with these guys? Here I abandoned them last night, not even making sure that they had blankets.
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty,” Puck says as he places a cup of coffee on the table next to a plate with berries and fruit piled high. “I didn’t know how hungry you would be, so . . .” he trails off looking at the plate of food.
“It looks great, especially the coffee. Warren said Ren sent some of her coffee?”
“She did. She said that we could mix one bean with two beans of the regular, but no more.” Puck pauses. “She tends to not give those out. Why are we special?”
I sit down at the table and bury my nose in the heavenly scent coming from the cup. “Ahh!” I couldn’t stop the moan of appreciation, one sip had me feeling more awake and alive than I had in days. I looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. A pile of blankets and pillows sit neatly folded on the couch. Orrin is nowhere to be seen. The table only has a place setting for me.
“Aren’t you guys eating?” I ask in confusion, “and where is Orrin?”
Puck laughed. “We’ve already eaten, and Orrin decided to go back to the dormitories. I’m not sure why.”
“Oh!” That A-hat is going to ruin all the peace that I have in my house. He obviously doesn’t think that this house, or the rest of us, are up to his standards.
The guys sit at the table with me, an uncomfortable silence filling the room. Part of me wants to think we have a common bond. That we are all anomalies. I imagine that they had their own issues to deal with growing up in the dormitories with all the picture perfect fairies. Their slender bodies, flawless skin, and perfect eyesight. I look to Puck and know that his short, stocky frame would be a perfect target. Next to him is Warren, his tall stick-like frame and glasses slipping down his nose endear him to me, but I can hear all those fairies in my head, taunting. I look down at my plate, blinking the tears away.
“Thanks for breakfast, you guys.” I push the plate away from me. “So, now what?” I look to them.
“Beats me,” Warren says, pushing his glasses up. I notice that he does this when he’s unsure or nervous. Maybe I’m not the only one that needs reassurance. “I planned to be in my talent classes today. But that’s obviously not happening.” Bitterness laces his voice.
“You know, being talentless isn’t a death sentence,” I say. I remember the first year that I failed to find a talent. I didn’t have anyone to help me. I went back to the dormitories and cried myself to sleep. The next day, I had nothing to do. I had finished all my classes, and no one knew what to do with me. Ren decided that I could teach the sprite classes. That was an utter failure. I think three sprites left sobbing. Then, Ren thought I could help in the kitchen, that lasted an afternoon until I set the place on fire. Ren gave up after that and decided to let me find my own way.
Fairy Nanny was the one to instigate me having my own place. I kept on taking long walks and dragging my finds back to the dormitories. I wasn’t the neatest with them, piling them in the halls and in my room. I shake myself from my thoughts. Daydreaming was one of my faults, that and my brain was like a hummingbird flitting from flower to flower, never resting on one thing for any length of time.
“I think we need to figure out where you guys are going to stay. I doubt that my floor was that comfortable.”
Warren stands and takes my plate to the kitchen area. He rubs his shoulders, “You could say that again.”
“Come on, I’ll show you the back area, and we can see what we can create.” I stand and walk to the back door. “Fairy Nanny had them make me a small work area out here. She insisted that I have a place for all my finds that wasn’t in the house”