I woke up with a start. Someone was watching me. I wasn't sure who and I didn't know why. All I knew was this person wasn't your ordinary, run of the mill stalker. Something told me this person could kick my butt. I had a fleeting thought about my mother being worried then dismissed it. She was too wrapped in herself to care if her only daughter was missing. I needed to slip away without anyone noticing me. I grabbed two outfits. One was my normal uniform: baggy cargo pants and some random shirt. The other outfit was a mini skirt and a cute little tube top. It wasn't for me. It was in case I had to bribe some faeries to leave me alone. I knew where no one would think to look for me and that's exactly where I planned on going. Careful not to wake the guards, while still making enough noise to let my stalker know I was leaving, I made a beeline for the woods that surrounded the palace.
I ran hard and fast, focusing on losing the stalker or at least leading him off course. I ended up running in a zig-zag, weaving in and out of trees. Recklessly running through a meadow, doubling back and doing it all over again. My stalker probably thought I was insane if he was still following me. I stopped by a tree with little green mushrooms underneath. Where was I? I had no clue. I stomped my feet in frustration. I wished I could fly, but if I did, my stalker would know where I was. Now I was angry. My anger propelled me to walk deeper into the forest. Stupid move. Now I was even more lost.
I continued walking hoping I would reach my destination by chance. It was worth a shot. I wasn't going back home and as much as I wanted to, I wasn't going to Helio. For the first time, I realized how quiet it was. All I could hear was the sound of my own ragged breathing. Suddenly the sounds of the forest came full force. Owls made "hoo hoo" noises as if pining for a lost lover. A lone amorok howled at the full moon. A horde of bats flew overhead, the sound of their flapping wings echoing. I had been in the forest at night plenty of times and the noises never bothered me, but that night the noises sounded eerie. I knew I was being rediculous. There was no reason to be afraid of the forest, ,but I was. Ignoring every rule I had ever been taught her about being lost, I continued to walk in every which direction, becoming more and more lost with every step. After seemingly passing the same tree fifteen times, I hit that tree. Then sat down in the grass and put my head in my hands. The tree seemed to moan behind me. I patted the tree's roots. "Sorry tree."
"It is all right." I jumped. I had to be hearing things. I was praying I was having a moment of insanity, otherwise that tree just spoke to me. "Um tree?"
"Yes?" It spoke again! I instantly thought of the myth of the tree-folk and rubbed my forehead. I was losing it. I tried again. "Would you mind helping me find a disguise?" I struggled to hold in laughter. I was seeing how far my brain would take this little hallucination. "Sure, your highness. What do wish to become?" I bit my lip. "Ugly." The tree seemed to chuckle. "How ugly?" I thought for a moment. "Repulsively ugly." I giggled. The tree seemed to laugh with me, but of course that wasn't possible. It was a tree! The tree stopped laughing when I stopped. "Very well, your highness. Lean into me."
Suddenly I knew this wasn't my mind playing games with me. The myth was true. "Wait, uh...Mr. Tree?"
"Yes, your highness?"
"I would appreciate it if this didn't make me ugly inside and out , just on the outside. Also I need the disguise to disappear by Moon-day night." The tree-folk were known for twisting one's words.
The tree sighed. "I see. How about I let you turn your disguise off and on whenever you please?"
I nodded once with satisfaction. "Sounds perfect."
"Now lean into me."
I leaned into the tree and my face and scalp began to burn, but as soon as it started it was over. "What do I do to change back?" I realized I should have asked this question before I leaned into the tree.
"Take a shower...with soap that has a touch of faerie dust will change you back to normal or make you ugly again. " The tree laughed lightly. "Now I must go, your highness. Even trees must sleep."
"But wait!" The tree didn't respond. I shrugged. I took a deep breath, preparing to transform to my final form. Suddenly the tree screamed, "No! Do not transform until after you are out of your disguise. Otherwise you will appear as an teenage hag forever."
Now the tree tells me. "Yeah, yeah."
I walked in a new direction, determined not to stay lost. I brushed myself off. Not that it mattered. I was caked in mud and dirt. I was getting closer to the swamp. It had no name, it was simply 'the swamp'. I heard a twig snap behind me and jumped. I turned around quickly, ready to pounce on the stalker. I exhaled when I realized it was just a three eyed rat. I continued walking, avoiding getting any closer to the swamp. The place made my hair stand on end. At dawn's first light, I noticed a tall pink building in the distance. It couldn't be more than an hour's walk away. I gagged. So much pink. I felt a migraine coming on. How did anyone live with all this pink? I ran towards the building. I reached the building when the sun shone high over head. I smiled in spite of myself when she reached the gates. Fayla Finishing School for Faeries. Exhausted, I fell to the ground, asleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"I SUPPOSE we should wake her up." I heard a voice. Then I heard another voice. It was nasal voice that sounded like a girl I used to pick on in introductory school. "But I wanna see my honey bear! We haven't seen each other in weeks. What if he falls in love with some other girl? My life will be ruined!" Why couldn't the maids let me sleep five more minutes? I suddenly realized that I wasn't home. I was laying on grass in front of a horridly pink building. Hoping if I took long enough to look at them they would go away, I slowly sat up and stretched. I felt their presence. They were still there. Couldn't they take a hint? I growled inaudibly, took a deep breath, and decided to give these faeries a good scare.
I turned around. It took everything I had not to laugh hysterically. A faerie with red hair stared at me dumbly, the one with magenta hair took an involuntary step back, and the blonde bit her lip in an attempt not to scream. The tree did a good job. I couldn't wait to get to a mirror. Maybe living at Fayla for a while would be more fun than I thought. I finally spoke giving them my most breezy princess voice.
” Would you quit staring? You people act like you've never seen a faerie before." Of course I wasn't your ordinary faerie, but I was still a faerie. I was desperately trying to hold my laughter in and still sound angry the same time. The red head blushed deeply. "I'm so sorry. It was very rude of me to stare like that." I wanted to hold her rudeness against her, make her squirm. Unfortunately I couldn't hold my laughter in, so I was forced to 'brush it off'. "Don't worry about it.“ I looked at the blonde for a moment and then it clicked. This was the girl I used to pick on in my eighth year of introductory school. She was taller and a little bit prettier, but this was Summer of Empyrela. I smirked. "Hey Summer. Remember me?"
"I've never met anyone so ug-... I've never met anyone quite like you before." Summer stammered, her cheeks turning crimson red. Summer hadn't changed at all. Still obsessed with appearances. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. I realized how dry my lips were. The tree was thorough. I deliberately ignored the faeries' strange behavior. They might be useful later. I rolled my eyes. "I'm Nad--" I stopped short. Should I tell them my real name? I decided the fewer lies the better. "My name is Nadalie."
"I'm Amber. If you need anything, I'm your faerie!" The redhead beamed at me. The other fairy introduced herself as Maeta. I thought of an excuse to get rid of these annoying faeries. "Don’t change your plans or anything; I'll go tell the headmistress I'm here by myself." I walked towards administration office, but if the faeries had been watching long enough, they would have noticed that I made a little detour. I went straight for the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I leaned against it, laughing so hard I almost cried. I heard talking outside the door and recognized the voices Summer and the rest of her pathetic friends. They were probably waiting for the teleporter. "Nadalie needs me. I mean, look at her! A serious make over is in order." I heard Summer click her tongue. "Summer! That's so rude," Summer's two cronies yelled. I smiled. Poor losers. They didn't even know who they were dealing with.
A/N: I know I have a lot of punctuation errors and a couple of sentence structure issues. If it was a bit confusing at times, I apologize. I tried my best to work out the kinks, but there is nothing like a second pair of eyes. Don't be afraid to rip this to shreds! I need all the constructive criticism I can solicit.
