Page 149 of Mama Si's Paradise

She was maybe five feet tall, and only the bottom half of her wings was on her back, a deep, bloody red in color. Her hair was a mixture of silver at the roots and dark red at the ends that fell just below her shoulders. She could have been Genevieve’s age if I had to guess. Her eyes were red, her skin flawless, her lips shimmering just slightly. She wore a long black dress that flared up from her hips down to her ankles, the fabric full of glitter of every color in existence.

“Oh—hi,” I said, stepping back to give myself some space.

“You look like you could use some guidance,” she said, looking me up and down like she was trying to see under my skin.

“No, no, I’m fine. I’m okay,” I said with the best smile I could muster.

The woman smiled wider. “Really, I don’t mind.”

I said in a rush, “Thank you, but I’m fine.”

No idea why.

Did I think she was going to attack me or something? Because she didn’t. She simply shrugged, and she didn’t look offended. “Very well, then.”

She turned around and went back to what I assumed was her stand—a simple wooden roof with a counter in the front, a window, a door to the side, and the wordsEmerald Storiespainted on the wood in red.She slipped inside without another glance my way, and the fabric of her dress literally spit out glitter as it moved around her legs. There was glitter all over the rock and grass blades that led to her stand.

Emerald Stories.What the hell did she sell? There was nothing on the counter, nothing that I could see through thereflective glass of the window that shielded the inside from prying eyes. I moved toward it almost reluctantly until I caught my own reflection staring back at me.

The shawl was still around my head, covering half my hair, and my eyes were wide, green, my cheeks completely flushed.

I looked alive—no, no, even better—I lookedfree.

And the truth was that I could really use some guidance.

I watched my own lips stretching slowly in the reflection—I wasfree.There was no need to be afraid of these people. Nobody was going to hurt me. Nobody around here was hurting anyone that I could see. Nobody around here knew who I was.

And if a faerie was kind enough to offer me guidance, why wouldn’t I accept it? I had nothing to pay her with, but she hadn’t asked me for payment, had she? I could just ask her to show me which way I could find a boat. Which way I could leave the Isle.

So, I went right to the door, stepping over the glitter that had come off her dress, and I knocked.

“Come in!” she called almost right away, and I didn’t hesitate even though I had no clue what I’d find on the other side.

My legs stopped moving all on their own when I realized the inside was at least three times bigger than it looked from the outside. It was filled with shelves, and every shelf was filled with books.

So many books.

The smell alone grabbed me and put me back in Mama Si’s library at the Paradise. I remembered myself sitting on those floating shelves, reading—some of the best days of my life. Back then I’d been so naive, so ignorant to what really went on with the world, and I’d been happy. I thought I’d made the greatest discovery in the world.So damn happy.

It was okay, though. Today, my misery finally came to an end.

“Youchanged your mind.”

The woman was standing the middle of the library with her arms folded in front of her, smiling still.

“I did, yes. I’m sorry if I was rude. I was just—” I said, pointing my thumb toward the door that had fallen closed and cut off all the sound from the Bazaar. The window still showed the outside clearly, which meant the woman had seen me smiling at my reflection like an idiot before I came in here.

Oh, well. It didn’t matter now.

“It’s fine. You weren’t rude at all. Welcome to Emerald Stories,” she said, waving her hands to the sides. “I trust you haven’t been to the Aerie before.”

“No, this is my first time,” I said, taking in the books, slowly going deeper. “Wow, this place is amazing. So many books—and it looks so small from the outside!”

The woman laughed. “Thank you. It’s magic of my own making. Air is my friend. Together we make the best illusions.” And she waved her hand around, creating a small tornado around it that disappeared the next moment.Wow,indeed.

“That’s incredible. May I?” I asked, moving closer to the first shelf with a green lamp mounted on the side. Enough sunlight came through the windows that I saw plenty, but I couldn’t understand any of what was written on the spines.

“Of course. You’re a book lover. I can spot one from a mile away,” she said. “I’m Emerald.”

---