Arcatraissa (Free Sample)

Three

Though I knew Mom hadn't wanted me to continue reading Julia's book, I kept it. Even if they were nothing but the delusional writings of a little girl the stories were interesting. Her whole world of the fae was interesting to me. I had always been a fantasy fan, and this was no exception. Even if it wasn't exactly in the form of a book or movie, the story was one I wanted to figure out. Each entry in the book was interesting in its own way, fitting together like puzzle pieces. I didn't have enough yet to see what picture the puzzle created, but the pieces were there.

I half studied the vibrantly colored illustrations and half admired the garden I sat in, a more comfortable place to read than the grim and tomb-quiet house. It was huge—a fenced and gated wonderland. Everything in it was larger than life; the trees were taller than any I'd ever seen, the flowers blossoming like they were on steroids. I was surrounded by a rainbow of gorgeous blooms, roses and tulips and lilies in every color imaginable. Many were flowers I had never seen before. The trees stretched overhead, leaving dappled sunlight and shadow across everything beneath them. Even the air was like something out of a dream, sweet with the fragrances of flowers and fruit, cool in the shade and warm in the sun. The bench I had found was cool, smooth stone, carved in a pattern of vines and leaves around the legs and edges of the seat. I could see why Julia had liked the garden. I would have spent all my childhood here, too, if I could have.

It was whispering that caught my attention. At first I thought it was just rustling leaves, but it soon became clear that they were in fact voices. Murmuring voices hidden among the plants—I couldn't make out their words.

The leaves of a bush beside me waved wildly as if something had moved through them and a giggle rang through the air. My heart jumped.

"Hello?" I called, looking around it. The silence was deafening. "Who's there?" I knew the only other people on the property were Mrs. Thurston, Julia, and my parents, and none of them seemed likely to be sneaking around the garden hoping to scare me. My heart thudded at the thought of who might be here and why. More hurried, hushed voices rose like a soft flurry and then several people laughed softly. They sounded almost like children. I stood and pushed aside the branches to find nothing. Movement flickered in the corner of my eye and I whirled to face it. Something had just darted around a tree, out of sight. I ran after it, sneakers pounding against the winding stone path.

The voices were louder now, excited, though I still couldn't decipher what they were saying. They spoke quickly, a blur of words that I quickly realized weren't English. A feminine voice called something from above and then laughed a laugh that sounded like bells. I looked up into the tree she had to be in and saw nothing.

"Who are you?" I called, still craning my neck to look into the branches. There was another peal of laughter and a smaller branch shook as if something heavy had jumped on it. I grabbed the lowest branch, hoisting myself up. "Hey!" Something shot out of the tree, only a glimpse of quick movement showing between the leaves and branches. I jumped down to the ground, hoping to get a better look—no such luck. It was gone.

The voices seemed to have stopped and the garden seemed eerie without them. I spun in circles, looking for some sign of something, anything to prove I wasn't crazy. I had seen something fly out of a tree—something too big and humanoid to be a bird. Something that talked.

Fairies weren't real. Fairies were. Not. Real.

Fairies. Faeries. Fae.

The fae know about her.

He'd like to know your name. He'll call you Cassiesa.

He'll teach you the fae tongue if you ask.