Darien dropped his bag to the floor and whipped around.

A strand of his hair fell into his eyes. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, pushing it back. He fixed me with a hard, unreadable expression.

At this point, he didn't even bother to hide himself from me.

In the early morning sunlight, I could see his face. His ears were pointer now and his eyes brighter than a star.

He took a step towards me and then another and another till he bracketed his arms around me. I was pressed against the armrest of the couch with only a few centimetres separating us.

His gold eyes bore down on me like a pair of twin suns. At this distance, I could see flecks of brown creeping in, his humanity blending with his Fae side.

I lifted my hand, running my thumb against the cut on his cheek.

The scent of pine wood and ash which had been comforting was now overwhelming me. Taking a breath in felt painful, my nose prickling at the smell and my eyes felt watery.

Darien was pissed.

He licked his lower lip, drawing my gaze away from his eyes. "Do you have any idea what the Fae Folkwill do to you?"

I shook my head.

"Let me tell you, Maria." He said, his fingers holding my jaw. It felt like a warning. "The Fae may look harmless and beautiful but they're anything hit that. They're like predators and humans are their favorite prey. So weak, so tempting, and so gullible."

He leaned in closer, till his breath brushed against my ear.

My heart squeezed uncomfortably in my chest. My hand came up instinctively, pressed against his chest.

"They'll make you dance in circles for their own amusement till you collapse and die,  and they will still laugh because watching the air escape from your lungs is nothing more than a dinner show to them. They will and can take your will away until you're a pretty little puppet. They can use glamour to do unmentionable things to you. I know that because I've seen it."

I felt a chill travel up my spine. I pulled away from his grasp, glaring at him.

I've never felt afraid of him until now.

"Is that what you want?" he asks harshly.

"But you said...-"

"But they can still hurt you." He pulled away, dropping his arms. "And I can't protect you, Maria. I'm not that strong."

I know that. Of course, I know that.

But Fallon just got taken away and all I could was sit back and do nothing.

Goddamnit. He's right.

I'll just get myself killed.

I don't know anything. I just learned about glamour and Fae and the Fae realm. It's like a whole new world had opened up but my ability to comprehend it is ridiculous.

Darien gets up. How can someone be here but also absent at the same time? The distance grows between us like a chasm and I'm being swallowed up by it.

"Marie, look at me." He says.

I don't want to. I'm scared.

I draw my knees to my chest and hide my face. I don't want him to see me cry.

I can hear him take a deep breath and release it. Pinewood is replaced with the smell of lemon dishwater and ash from the kitchen.

"Damnit!" He curses to himself.

I can feel his place a hand on my head, stroking my hair. I wanted to shrink away but I leaned into his touch.

Maybe he wants to apologize. Maybe he wants to stay.

It doesn't fucking matter.

"I'm sorry, Maria but I can't lose anyone else."

I feel the slight of pressed on the top of my head, just a small brush and it vanishes.

By the time I look up, Darien is gone and I'm alone.

I can't smell pinewood.

<:——<<

I must've spent an hour crying on the couch before I fell asleep.

By the time I woke up, the apartment which had been trashed was now clean.

There were no scorch marks or blood. It was as if nothing had happened and I just dreamed it all up.

Someone had thrown a blanket over me. Darien didn't do that.

I raised myself up, leaning on my elbows as I took a look around. The old analogue clock on the wall read 3:35 and there was a cup of hot chocolate sitting on the coffee table, four marshmallows floating inside.

Guess I didn't dream it all up after all.

I toss the blanket off and take the mug gingerly.

"Thank you," I throw out into the empty apartment only to be met with nothing.

I feel numb; emotionally, mentally, and physically. My best friend had been kidnapped. My kinda-sorta-not-quite-sure friend left me to go after her. And I can apparently see past glamour.

I wish I was more useful.

I take another sip and sink deeper into the couch. "So much for my day off," I mutter.

I wallowed for another hour before getting up to take a shower and hopefully clear my head.

The brownies wore a fresh set of clothes set out for me by the time I came out. I could hear them scuttling around, chittering amongst themselves.

I had the comfort of knowing that I wasn't completely alone.

Fallon's room was still the same. Even the vines that she had grown to seal the fire escape were gone, replaced by good old-fashioned brick and mortar.

I sat down on her bed, drying off my hair with a towel.

I always liked Fallon's room. It was as cosy and comforting as her apartment.

She had paid the landlady extra to paint her room a soft peach colour. I remember the day we went to a local furniture shop and bought a soft brown rug, it was the most expensive thing we ever bought but we split the cost.

I reached out, touching the four-poster bed that Darien had built for her when she moved it. Fallon had tied vines to tell, winding them throughout the room with small fairy lights.

Books were all over the room. The bookshelf in the corner was overflowing, not even the space around it was enough.

Just across her bed was a dresser with a large mirror made out of oak wood, it had been a gift from a distant relative. Fallon had stuck photos and tickets and little Post-it notes on the margins of the mirror.

I got up, picking up a Polaroid of all three of us. Darien was going his not-smile as he leaned against the tree. I had my arm around Fallon, both of us smiling brightly.

I think we took this during our sophomore year of college.

That was a simpler time. All we had to worry about was rent, tuition, and exams.

I put the picture back. There's no use dwelling on those memories.

I'm not mad at Darien and Fallon. I'm mad because of the circumstances.

I hear a dull thump as I'm about the close the door to Fallon's room. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it's just the plumbing.

Oh, who am I kidding?!

I groaned as I opened the door, dreading the thought of finding something in the room.

There was nothing there. A stack of books had fallen over at the door of her bed, making a mess.

I let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, that's just great." I leaned down to pick up a book.

The red-covered book jumped out of my hand, hitting the ground again. There was no wind by Its pages started to turn, slowly at first and then so quickly that it blurred.

I could hear a brownie shriek behind me, its small hands grabbing at my arm.

The pages finally stopped turning.

The brownies chittered behind me, their high-pitched voices muttering amongst themselves.

I felt something on my shoulder.

I turned to look and was met but a pair of small purple eyes.

"Greetings, dear friend of our mistress."