Page 50 of Pixie Problems
Which gave me an idea. “Hey, Finn, do we have the equivalent of a college here?”
Finn nodded. “Yep, on the north side of the town. It’s obviously strictly for paranormals, but they teach human education alongside paranormal education. Why, you thinking of taking a few classes?”
Rhys had gotten up to stand behind me, and I swear it felt like every single molecule in my body was drawn toward him like a magnet. And then Michael, the parasite, spoke up, “I find it very interesting that you desire to be closer to him, and yet you fear to be close to him at the same time.” And he said it in that deep, vibrating voice of his that I felt clear down to my bones.
I’ll talk to you later.
“I’m surprised you’re talking to me at all. I’m sorry. Have I said that yet?”
You haven’t, but you didn’t need to. I already knew. I can’t yet say that I’m okay with what you did, but at least I understand betterwhyyou did it. You were lonely. You should have had a companion for life in Rhys, but because of his handicap, you were alone. You could hear him, but no one could hear you.
Michael was silent.
Am I right?I pushed.
Michael sighed. “You’re right, at least partially. I’m sorry, Dice.”
My eyes burned. The singular thing about having a sentient parasite inside of you is that it allowed you to feel what they felt. So Iknewthat Michael felt horrible for taking the Dice train into my brain, but I was still all kinds of mixed up about it.
Can we talk tonight?
“Yes.”
I cleared my throat and made eye-contact with Finn again. “Just a few classes. Nothing important.”
Rhys snorted, even as he rested a warm hand on my shoulder. “She wants to take emotional intelligence classes. Something that will help her to be more supportive of her very awkward and emotional friends.”
Finn looked baffled. “I’m not emotional.”
“You almost tore out my tongue because I ate your strawberry yogurt!” I said, laughing in disbelief that he’d forgotten that while also silently acknowledging that hewasone of my leastemotional friends. Mia and Lucky were my most. I eyed Rhys. And maybe Rhys. He tended to hide everything and I justknewthere was a maelstrom of emotions constantly swirling around inside of him that he kept well hidden from everyone. “And how did you know that! That’s twice you’ve picked up on something I’m thinking, and that’s just today!”
The room cleared quickly, like what I imagined an old west saloon would look like if Wyatt Erp strolled inside with two Colt six-shooters on his hips and was facing off against the Clantons. Finn gave a wave as he slung his utility belt over his arm, palmed his keys, and left after setting the wards with a hand held flat against the front door. I waved back, but my attention was one hundred percent on the elf in front of me who had a guilty look on his usually smirking face.
“It’s nothing bad, I promise.”
I folded my arms, waiting.
He shrugged. “I just get feelings coming from you sometimes.”
“What kinds of feelings?” I mean, how worried did I need to be?
Rhys started clearing the table, avoiding my eyes. “Just . . . feelings.”
Before I could delve into that more fully, Michael spoke again. “Remember that he and I are still connected. He’s feeling an echo of what I’m thinking. Since he’s aSilent One, he won’t be able to hear me directly, but he can pick up strong impressions. And since I know what you’re thinking because I’m in your mind now . . .”
Great. Just great.
I grabbed a fluffy pillow off the couch and made my way outside. Both August and Cy followed me but stayed well back—clearly reading correctly that I needed space—as I lit a fire in the fire pit and plunked myself down onto a well-cushioned deck chair. I hugged the pillow, needing comfort, and sighed. My life was pure chaos right now, and I didn’t like it one bit.
And I for sure didn’t like that I had not one, but two supernatural beings able to read my emotions and thoughts. One, extremely closely, and the other was probably just slight impressions, but still! I’d always taken for granted that the inside of my mind, my thoughts, was a place that was inviolate. Sacrosanct. Unimpeachable.
But it turns out, among other paranormals, it wasn’t all that unusual to have someone that could read your thoughts or worm their way into your brain in an oh-so-casual way. Nick for one, Michael for another. I wasn’tangrywith Michael anymore. I felt a deep empathy for the parasite. But Iwasfeeling a very definite sense of loss that I couldn’t seem to shake.
My identity was intact. I was still me. Very much so, in fact. But I was also something just a bit more, and I was still finding my footing with that. It was like . . . having a hitchhiker that just wouldn’t go away. I carried him with me, and while we were very separate beings, I couldn’t boot him out of the car either. He was always going to be along for the ride.
And that meant that Rhys knew something of my developing feelings for him. I didn’t know how much he knew yet. From what Michael had just said, it was likely only a very faint impression, but it still frustrated me. I had planned on not acting on my developing feelings.
There was a magnetism between Rhys and I that went beyond friendship or lover. It was almost like our magics were crying out for each other, and I didn’t understand or like that one bit. It freaked me out, because I’d never heard of anything like that before, and I didn’t know what it meant.
