//song: smoke and mirrors - agnes obel

A loud bell woke me from my dreams.

I groaned, annoyed and reached for my phone on my nightstand. I looked at the text messages on my phone and cursed out loud.

Damn it, Damien. He was always such a morning person.

I dropped my phone on the mattress next to me and yawned. I raised my hands above my head and stretched across the stiff comforter.

The phone rang again. I picked it up and texted Damien back.

Yes, I'm awake, give me twenty minutes.

I placed my glasses on my nose from the nightstand and moved to my closet. I picked out the clothes for the day. A comfortable grey sweater for the ridiculously cold music hall and long dark jeans.

Damien appeared when I was running the last brush through my long mousy brown hair after showering and changing.

"Good morning!"

I glared at his reflection in my mirror. "You're too cheerful for this early in the morning."

He laughed. "Did I wake you?"

I sighed as I patted powder under my dull brown eyes. Dull to me, despite what my mother always claimed.

I always wished I had her green eyes. Instead, I had my father's dark brown.

"I could have slept another hour," I responded. "I'll just make it extra early to practice, that's all."

He frowned. "Practice again?"

I nodded as I put the finishing touches on my concealer. I hated that I had to use so much on my faded acne scars from when I was a teenager. "Art show tonight remember?" I nodded towards the ticket on my dresser. "That's yours if you want to go. Mom and Dad are going to be there, too."

He picked up the crisp paper in his large, thin hand. An old army injury on his dark wrist peeked out form under his long sleeve. He frowned as he looked the ticket over. "A new art installation?"

I nodded as I moved to the light switch and flipped it off. "It's a small art gallery, the grand opening is tonight with the artist." He followed me down the hall and down the stairs to the kitchen.

I shrugged. "I know it might be boring but you'll get to listen to me play."

I looked back and Damien and laughed at how he scrunched up his nose.

I waved my hand as I continued down the hall and down the stairs. "Yeah, I know, okay, you've never liked art. But there will be free food."

The hall at the bottom of the stairs opened to the living room and dining room. I moved to the end of large open floor plan to the kitchen.

When I turned into the kitchen, Damien was already there, sitting on one of the counters reading the cereal box I was about to pour into a bowl.

He handed me the box as I grabbed a bowl from the cabinet. He smiled. "Anything for free food and you're playing is not so bad." I heard him mumble his next words. "Well, not anymore."

I laughed, thinking of all the times when I first started playing my cello and I sat Damien down in front of me to show off what I had learned.

The first year I picked up the cello I had been terrible but throughout the years with dedication and practice I was able to become one of the best in my district. I even received a scholarship to help with some of the college costs. I joined the college orchestra and was able to push through the ranks and become second chair while I was a sophomore.

It was one of my biggest accomplishments and something I was most proud of.

It also meant I had to practice a lot and didn't have a social life.

Not that I had a social life to begin with.

I shook the box at him after I poured my bowl with almond milk. "Want some?"

He shook his head, making a face of displeasure. "I don't like that one."

I shrugged. "So, your majesty, what was so important that it couldn't wait?"

He looked over my shoulder and down the hall. "Your parents here?"

I shook my head. "It's Friday. They should be at work by now."

He looked at me again, smiling. His hand moved smoothly and with a small flourish, the ticket I had given him upstairs magically appeared in his hand. He held it in front of me between two fingers. "I was thinking. Maybe this could be our chance to run into her."

I frowned, chewing through the rice crispy cereal in my mouth. I swallowed before speaking. "What, like invite her and you two run into each other there?"

He nodded excitedly, his blue eyes full of glee.

My heart broke. The idea that my best friend and the woman who had made my life hell for years could be together tore me to pieces.

But he was so excited at the idea of meeting her. And he hadn't looked happy in so long...

I smiled back but it wasn't as enthusiastic as his. I moved to stand next to him, my back to the counter he sat on. I looked down at my bowl as I dug around for another spoonful. "I mean, yeah, that could work."

"Can you get another ticket?" He asked. "If not, I can just specter there and you can give her the ticket."

Specter. What the fae called the ability to appear anywhere they wished using their magic.

I sighed, frowning into my bowl. "That should work, yeah."

"Or I can glamour security."

Use magic on security to do whatever he wanted, he meant.

I nodded. "Yeah. That's true."

"Hmm."

When I looked up at him, he had the ticket up against his lips in thought. He pursed his lips as he tapped the ticket against them.

He looked so out of place in the light grey and white kitchen. Damien was always impeccably groomed in his black and gold royal garb. His dark hair was short but long enough in the front that it would fall over his light blue eyes.

He'd grown up in the years we knew each other. He went from a small boy to a tall, heartbreakingly handsome man that didn't need to use his fae magic to seduce women. He was undoubtedly fae, much more handsome than average with pointed ears.

"How can we get her the ticket before tonight?"

"I think I might have her address." I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my phone.

"Oh? You do? Were you two friends?"

I swallowed. "Not...exactly." I stayed as cryptic as possible. "We had a project to do together once. I don't think she's moved since."

A project in high school that we worked hours together on. While at her house she had been friendly and accommodating, more than willing to pull her share in the group project. She was a little frazzled, a little exasperated but nothing that stopped us from working together.

I thought we had made a good team until we went back to school to present. She completely changed and was meaner, vicious to the point she made my life a living Hell.

She even had the others join along in the bullying.

I could feel his eyes on me. I knew he wanted me to elaborate but wouldn't press me to.

I handed him my phone with the address already on the screen. "It's her parents house. Maybe they'll see it and ask her to go and pick it up."

He frowned as he took my phone in his hands. "Would that work?"

I sighed. "Unless you want to find her dorm room on campus and leave it there..."

As I said each word aloud, his expression changed. The worried lines on his forehead softened, his lips quirked upward into a large smile and his eyes widened with excitement.

I stopped. "What? No. I don't know where she lives!"

He smiled mischievously. "But you have access to the school records. You can search for her information."

I scoffed, setting my bowl down into the kitchen sink. "Hardly. I work at the college bookstore, we don't have that kind of access!"

He wiggled his fingers in front of me. A signal he always used since we were children to mean magic. "Not without a little help you don't."

I shook my head. "No, I can't believe this. Absolutely not."

He groaned. "Come on, what are you, chicken?"

I scoffed. "Yes, of course I'm chicken! I don't want to get expelled for doing this!"

He jumped off the counter with a wide smile. "You won't, I promise!" He extended a hand and I knew exactly what it meant.

I shook my head, taking a step back. "Now? No. No, not now!"

He nodded enthusiastically as he continued toward me. "Yes, the sooner the better!"

He frowned. "I'm not used to being told no."

"Well, I'm not one of you," I said as I stepped around the kitchen island so it was between us. "So I can say no."

He stopped the chase, dropping his hand to his side in defeat. His eyes couldn't meet mine, they avoided me, looking away to the floor. "I need your help, Em."

He sighed, running a nervous hand through his hair. His eyes still didn't look up from the floor. "I need this. They want to dictate my life, Em." He looked at me. There was a definite sadness in his eyes. "I was just made king less than a year ago and they want to tell who I should spend the rest of my life with. Father wouldn't stand for that." He approached me, moving around the kitchen island just like I had. "I want to do this my way." He looked at me with his perfect blue eyes. "And I can't do that without you."

I swallowed, looking away in defeat. Guilt ate through me and I remembered why I had agreed in the first place. "Fine."

The sadness was instantly gone. "Great!"   

I saw his hand shoot out towards mine.

I panicked. "Wait, don't-"

Before I could say anything else, his fingers wrapped around my wrist and he pulled into a strong embrace.

The world around us disappeared.

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