Page 46 of Mistaken Magic

"Andyou have until the end of this week to pick your electives," he went on. "Youcan try a few classes, sit through them or join in, and that's fine.Whatyou cannot do is come hide in here while everyone else is still learning.Ifyou aren't sure what you should be doing, my office is downstairs, in the same place we went for your entrance exams."

"Theglass office,"Isaid, showingIwas keeping up.

"Exactly," he agreed. "Andnow for the bad news.Ihave to tellJohnandNancyhow you're doing."

Igroaned. "Really?"

"Mostlybecause they're worried about you coming back,Ithink."Helet out a weary sigh. "I'msure that's not what you want to hear, but you have to understand their point of view."

"Magicis scary,"Imumbled, assuming that was where he was going.

"Terrifying,"Liamsaid. "Theyhad some fosters who went out of their way to destroy the house.Sinceyou've now seen a few glimpses of what's possible, just imagine whatJohnandNancywent through.Believeit or not, the room you were living in was filled with briars.Youcouldn't even see the walls - and that was nothing.GlamoursofHellinstead ofLondon, compulsions to sleep for days, poisoned coffee that madeJohnsick enough to go to the hospital, and more.Theboys thought they were under attack because of all the iron in the house, so they fought back.Itwasn't good."

"AndtheSparksdon't know about the fae?"Ihonestly couldn't tell one way or the other, butIfiguredLiamwould know.

Hebit his lips together, looking like he was choosing his words. "Theysuspect.Theyaren't sure if it's fae or demon possession, but they are convinced it was supernatural.I'velaughed it off as much asIcan.Now,Ihave to accept that the kids were 'strange' and that the fear was real.Myusual excuse is mental illness.It'snot right, but it's easier than getting my brother to believe in anything but what he knows."

"Yeah,Ican see that,"Iagreed. "IguessIgot lucky when the crow flew in the house, huh?"

"Ihappen to think so, butIlike the fae,"Liamsaid. "Ialso think you deserve more than the system could give.Soin my opinion, this works out for both of us.Andif you do well enough here, there's a chance you could settle down in a fae community."

Whichno one had really explained to me yet. "Like, are there hidden towns or something?"

"Somethinglike that," he admitted. "Youknow how there's aChinatownin some big cities?Well, it's a similar idea, but a lot more secretive.Typically, fae don't like big cities, so they settle in small towns, creating those subdivisions of ranchettes you hear about.Sometimes, they move into the same apartment building.Thereare a few fae towns, but they're small things.Couplehundred people at most, and often not even big enough to actually be a real town."

"So, likePlainsboro?"Iasked.

"No," he said. "Plainsborois pretty normal.However, to the north of here is a settlement.Thereare about twenty-five families in a homeowners’ association.Therejust aren't enough fae to really stand out.Theirmagic would, but they just look like very pretty people."

"Iknow,"Ibreathed. "Thereare so many cute boys and beautiful girls in this school.Talkabout having to work for it!"

Hejust laughed. "Howabout you don't make me sign for birth control quite yet?Although, if you need it, you can see the nurse.Shewill need your guardian's approval, and that is me, soIwillknow.Iwill also sign,Rain.I'mnot condoning you sleeping with boys, butI'dmuch rather you didn't end up raising a fae child at seventeen either."

Ilifted both hands, holding him off. "I'vehad 'the talk' in almost every homeI'velived in,"Iassured him. "Condoms, birth control, abstinence, and more.Ipromise,I'ma pro."

"ThenI'lltrust you," he said. "Justdon't forget that while the fae are beautiful, they're also not like us.Theydon't value the same things.Theydo not understand a lot of the morals we simply take for granted because they weren't raised withChristianityanywhere in their world.Murder, theft, marriage, and all of those things are seen a little differently.Thecloser they are to a relative fromFaerie, the more different they'll seem."

"LikeAspen,"Irealized. "Shewas telling me how she remembers the garden where she grew up."

Liam'seyes narrowed. "Isthat all?"

"Shouldthere be more?"Icountered.

"There'splenty more," he said, "but she doesn't usually talk about it.Thatshe told you even that much means she must trust you.Ihave no idea what you've done, but earning their trust is not an easy thing.It'swhy those four keep to themselves.They'refromFaerie,Rain.Theyall remember it.Theysaw the war firsthand, and that sort of trauma isn't easy to deal with.Muchless when your new home is nothing like the old and you've lost everything you held dear.Becareful with them."

"Becausethey'll kill me or something?"Iasked, not quite sure how dire his warning was.

"Probablynot kill," he assured me. "Although,I'mnot sure if being locked in a glamour no one else can break would be any better.Theyaretruefae.Thetype the old stories talk about.Ontop of all that,Aspenthinks you're interesting."

Yep,Iwas starting to get nervous again. "Whydoes that now sound like a bad thing?"

"Doesn'thave to be," he promised. "Thinkof it more like walking down the street with a hundred grand in cash.Itcould be a good thing if you make it home safely.Itcould be a bad thing if someone was willing to hurt you to take it.That'show the fae work.Eitherit's a very good thing or a very bad one.Rarelyis it something in the middle."

Chapter Twenty-One

Thenext day started out as a repeat of the first.Well, without all the drama.Ididn't get called meat.Ididn't crash into anyone.Idid get aPixyStixfromAspenin second period.Shedidn't walk me to third period this time, though.Wildersmiled at me in that class, butHawkeglared the same way as before.Then, in biology,Torianhelped me do the class assignment.

Itactually worked out.Heknew what was going on, andIcould grab the things when he hesitated.Evidently, there was more iron around thanIexpected.I'djust assumed that since this was a fae school, it would've all been removed.Still, things like pens, the microscope, and more were clearly a metal he didn't like.EachtimeIsaw him pause for too long,Ioffered to do it instead, letting him knowIneeded to catch up.Theguy almost seemed appreciative.Well, in his arrogant way.

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