CHAPTER TWO

 

Shay finished her oatmeal as she pondered her mother's words, "Prepare for the unexpected"

"How the heck are you supposed to do that?" The whole point of something being unexpected is that you can't prepare for it. This definitely didn't help put her mind at ease, but she knew dwelling on the what if's wasn't an option. She placed her wooden bowl in the sink and headed back upstairs to get ready for the councils arrival.

As she entered her bedroom a feeling of peace settled over her. She was so grateful she finally had a space to herself––one that she didn't have to share with her younger sisters any more. When Shay reached maturity at the age of eighteen, her mom and dad had used their fairy magick to expand their treetop home, creating a beautiful bedroom and bathroom just for her. The ceiling was lined with vines and fairy lights, and crystals of all colors shined from their facets in the walls.

Shay stared at her reflection in the mirror as the tub began to fill, she noticed her skin was shimmering a little brighter than usual, and her long platinum hair was starting to develop streaks of blue and silver throughout. Looking into her own sapphire eyes, she smiled. The process of becoming a full-fledge fairy had already begun.

Each fairy develops a specific set of magick during their transformation, and as Shay stared at the blue and silver steaks weaving their way through her hair, she couldn't have been happier. Blue meant that she'd be able to control water and emotions, and silver was a link to their Queen and the divine fairy spirits. Silver was rare magick within their clan, and meant someday she would have the potential of becoming Queen, as only those with silver magick had the necessary link to the fairy spirits required to take a royal position.

Shay slipped off her nightgown and stepped into the steaming bath, allowing herself to appreciate the relaxing lavender aroma that was a constant in any bathroom across the land. If you ran water in a kitchen it always smelled like citrus. If you ran water outside it smelled like fresh cut grass even if it was the dead of winter. But here in the bathroom it was always lavender laced.

Taking the time to let her muscles relax, Shay started to make a mental list of all the things she'd planned to take with her on the trial. Her leather vest, riding pants, and tall boots would be her chosen outfit, which was traditional. However, she planned to include a few extra things into the belt and pockets she'd added to her ensemble. Things like her favorite knife which was made from tampered steel that displayed a polished finish of rainbow colors. And the spell bottle she carried like a canteen which was a beautiful mix of blue, green, and purple glass. It was now filled to the brim with the potion she recently brewed for this specific day. For reasons beyond her understanding, she'd been guided in its creation and knew it was going to be something she'd need.

Shay had been dreaming of and preparing for this day for most of her teenage years but now that it was upon her, she couldn't help but wonder if she'd done enough.