Maura sat cross-legged in the middle of her bed, staring at the open pages of a textbook spread before her. She'd read the same passage three times now, but the words might as well have been written in a foreign language. Nothing made sense to her anymore and, as far as she was concerned, the end of the school year couldn't come fast enough.

A tentative knock at her bedroom door broke the trance she was in and she blinked several times to clear her vision. "Yeah?"

The door opened a few inches, just enough for her mother to poke her head inside. "Hey there. What're you doing?"

"Studying. Or trying to."

"Oh." The corners of her mother's mouth turned down slightly. "I didn't mean to bother you. I'll go."

Maura closed the book and capped her highlighter. "You're not bothering me. I'm just having a hard time concentrating."

Her mother nodded and opened the door all the way. Leaning against the frame, she hugged her arms around her chest. "Hey, um . . . where were you today? I texted and called several times but you didn't answer. And then you were really evasive when Luke was here. That's not like you."

Maura gave a noncommittal shrug with the hope her mom wouldn't press the subject, but she was like a dog with a bone. She didn't give up easily.

"Maura, please." When Maura looked up, she saw the desperation in her mother's eyes.

"I saw Dad," she said. Her mother didn't respond, but all the color drained from her face. "I didn't tell you about it because I didn't want to get your hopes up."

Her mother nodded. "Is he . . . is he okay?"

Maura shrugged again. "Yeah. I mean, relatively speaking."

Her mother's fingers found the end of her ponytail at the base of her neck and began idly twisting strands of hair. "Did he . . . did he say anything?"

Maura knew what she was really wondering. Had her father said anything to explain his disappearance? "He thought he was protecting me by leaving."

Her mother entered the room all the way and sat on the edge of the bed, her back straight. She folded her hands in her lap, but Maura could see how tightly she was squeezing them together. "What do you mean?"

Maura reached out to touch her arm. "Don't ever doubt that Dad loved us, that he still loves us."

"I didn't doubt it," her mother said. "At least not much. It's nice to hear, though." She looked at Maura then, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. Her voice was thick when she spoke again. "Why doesn't he come home?"

"Because he can't." Maura rose and began pacing the room, wired with pent-up energy even though it was late. "The queen is holding him prisoner. She won't let him leave."

"But why?" her mother insisted. "I don't understand!"

Maura spun around. "Because I am what Siobhan has been after all this time. Me!"

"You?"

"Dad made a deal with the queen. He agreed to go back to The Otherworld in exchange for my safety, but Siobhan never intended to keep her end of the bargain."

When her mother just sat there, a confused look on her face, Maura went on. "Siobhan gave me three days, Mom. Three very short days to decide if I will let all of The Otherworld to die, or if I will do the noble thing and sacrifice myself—my soul—for the good of the kingdom."

Her mother rose abruptly, forcing Maura to take a step back. "But that's an easy choice! Siobhan and her people mean nothing to us. We can find a way to rescue your dad and go someplace far away."

Maura took another deep breath, striving for patience. "I don't think you understand. It's either me or the kingdom. It's either me . . . or Dad."

Usually strong and stoic with an answer to almost every problem, her mother sank to the bed once more. Maura knew her mother would choose her—as would her dad—but how could she condemn her father to death? How could she condemn Luke, or even Evelyn, not to mention the scores of innocent faeries who were oblivious to their turmoil?

"There might be another way," Maura said carefully.

Her mother looked up, her cheeks now wet. Maura knelt on the floor near her feet. "Mom, I'm going to fix this."

Her mother ran her hand over her head, an automatic gesture. "This should not be your problem to fix."

"But it is. So please don't worry."

"I'm your mother," she said. "It's my job to worry."

"We will find a way out of this," Maura said.

But the way out involved trusting Evelyn, the faery who had been at the queen's side for eternity.

**********

Maura dressed before the sun rose. Tip-toeing down the hallway, avoiding the creaky spots in the floor, she crept down the stairs. She was about to turn on the living room lamp when the buzz of light snoring froze her hand on the switch. Following the sound of rhythmic breathing, she discovered her mother asleep on the couch, still wearing her clothes from the night before. Normally a restless sleeper, she now slept the sleep of the truly exhausted. Watching her, Maura's heart felt like it might fracture into a million pieces. Quietly and as gently as she could, she retrieved the blanket that had fallen to the floor and draped it over her mother. If luck was on her side, she'd be back before her mother woke up and realized she was gone. Shoving her feet into her sneakers without bothering to untie them, she slipped out the front door and pulled it shut behind her with a quiet click. Luke was already waiting for her.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hi," he whispered back. He stretched out his hand, and she took it. Even though it was late spring, the morning was cool enough to raise goosebumps on her arms, despite the sweater she was wearing, and she was thankful for the additional warmth and reassurance of his touch.

"Where's Evelyn?" she asked as they began walking at a brisk pace down the road.

"In The Otherworld," he replied. "She doesn't want to rouse the queen's suspicion."

"Where are we going, by the way? Couldn't you have opened a portal at my house?"

"The less time we spend in The Otherworld where we might be seen, the better." Luke gripped her hand tighter and picked up the pace, forcing her to practically jog just to keep up with his long strides.

They walked several blocks in silence until they reached the high school. Luke stopped, and she stopped next to him. She could see her breath when she exhaled. "What now?"

Luke glanced at her. "Are you ready?" When she nodded, he opened his arms. Maura stepped into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his waist, gripping the back of his shirt with both hands. She closed her eyes and held her breath. The world around them shuddered and her stomach turned a somersault, as though they were falling through space. Just as quickly as the feeling came, though, it passed. When she opened her eyes once more, they were no longer in the mortal realm.

"Are you okay?" Luke whispered against her hair.

She nodded, swallowing hard, and took a step back. "Yeah."

"Good. Follow me."

It was nearing dawn in The Otherworld, just as it was in the mortal realm, with morning beginning to creep over the horizon. Still, the faery world was quiet, seeming entirely at peace.

"They'll be waking soon," Luke said nevertheless. "We have to get to your father before anyone notices us."

"What about the guards?" Maura asked, even though she had yet to see any standing around the castle where the high school had been just moments before.

"Don't worry about them."

Trusting that Luke could get them in to see her father without being accosted by any of Siobhan's guards, she followed closely at his side as they skirted the perimeter of the castle, ducking behind trees and bushes.

"There's an entrance on the south side that's left unguarded," Luke said, speaking low into her ear. He pointed. "Just over there."

"I don't see it," she said. Instead of answering, he took her hand and tugged her along.

Once they came upon the opening, Maura understood why it was left unguarded. Barely two feet high and hardly as wide, it was more of a hole than a proper entrance. "I hope you have a stack of dynamite in your pocket," Maura said, indicating the iron grate that crisscrossed the opening.

Without a word, Luke hefted the iron grate aside, and only then did Maura realize it had already been shorn free at some point. "You've done this before," Maura commented.

"Castle life can be a little stifling when you're the queen's son," Luke replied with a grin.

"No doubt." She peered inside the opening, but it was too dark to see anything. "Please tell me this isn't a sewer tunnel," she said, sniffing cautiously.

Luke laughed quietly. "It's not a tunnel at all. Follow after me, feet first. And be careful. There's a drop."

Maura watched Luke disappear through the opening. "Come on!" he whispered seconds later. She sat on the ground and scooted feet-first through the opening, a little awkwardly given its dimensions, and turned on her stomach the way Luke had so that she could lower herself down the rest of the way. The drop was no more than six feet, but she felt Luke's hands on her waist, easing her down. The opening, she realized, was a window.

"Where are we?" she whispered. Given the damp chill, she guessed they were underground.

"I discovered this room years ago," Luke whispered. "I don't know what it used to be, but I don't think anyone comes down here anymore." He had reached out to take her hand once again, which was more than fine with her.

"I thought you'd never get here," came a voice from the darkness. Maura jumped as though she'd touched a live wire, and her heart nearly exploded from her chest. She must have screamed because when she finally got her wits about her, she realized Luke's hand was around her mouth.

"A little warning next time," Luke said angrily.

"You can't see a thing in here," Evelyn said just as angrily. "How was I supposed to warn you without scaring you?"

"Never mind," Luke said with an irritated huff.

Maura shrugged off his hand. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping you, of course," Evelyn replied. "Now let's go. The queen finally fell asleep, though I suspect she will be awake soon enough. I've been up with her most of the night. She's not been resting easy these days."

"Do you have the vial?" Luke asked as they began to shuffle their way across the room. Maura had no idea of the room's dimensions; she could only trust that Luke knew where he was going.

"Yes, yes!" Evelyn answered. She was tense. And for good reason, Maura thought. She would be, too, if she was about to betray her queen.

But Siobhan was not her queen. Despite the fact her father was from The Otherworld, she would never consider the faery kingdom her home.

"Let's get this over with," she said.

*****

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