Page 62 of The Fae Girl 1

“What the hell just happened?” I asked.

Nela and Indi exchanged a look I couldn’t read.

“There’s things going on. Things above your head.” Nela said simply.

I looked between them. They both had the same calm expression. As if there was nothing to worry about. As if everything was under control. “That’s it?” I snapped. “That’s all the explanation I get?”

“What else do you want us to say?” Indi asked. “We clearly caught the Prince at a bad moment.”

“A bad moment?” I repeated. “He attacked me.”

“Alice.” Nela said gently sitting down opposite me. It was the first time she’d said my name. Used it.

I waited, expecting her to give me an explanation. To say anything but she didn’t. Instead she just sat there, blinking, looking as just exhausted as I felt.

“I’m going to bed.” I muttered. Clearly they were both covering for the Prince and I was done sitting here, trying to understand it.

* * *

The covers clung to me.The sheets were drenched. Though I couldn’t remember the exact scenes as they played out, the images were still there, flashes of the school. Flashes of being beaten, spat on, and then him, the Prince, attacking me once again while everyone stood by and did nothing.

I groaned, sitting up.

And then screamed.

All around me I could feel it. Magic.

It was spiralling, pirouetting about. Great patterns and swirls, as though the room was filled with smoke.

Indi and Nela came running in, stopping on the threshold, staring at me like they couldn’t figure out what was going on.

I gulped, blinking rapidly. I had no idea how to stop this. How to control this.

“What’s wrong?” Nela asked.

“What’s wrong?” I repeated pointing to it, to all of it.

They frowned exchanging more glances.

“There’s nothing there.” Indi said gently.

“Nothing?” I hissed getting out of the bed, though fearful to move, fearful to come into contact with it in case I set off some sort of reaction. “How can you not see that? How can you not feel that?”

“Because they’re not Magi.” Jelric said gently.

I turned, jumping, cringing as I realised he was now here, stood behind them. The nightgown I had on wasn’t exactly the most covering and I brought my arms up, covering myself though he was polite enough to keep his eyes on my face.

“You can feel it.” I said.

He nodded. “Yes. All the Magi can.”

“Is that why you came?”

He nodded before slipping past my guards, stepping into the room, into the magic.

“Don’t…” I said but he just smiled and moved further in, shutting his eyes. “What are you doing?”

He didn’t speak for a moment. He just stood as the colours, as the pattern swirled around him. “You’re stressed.” He said quietly.

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