Page 14 of Until the Stars Fall

“Thank you again.” Mrs. Bishop took my arm and pulled me inside her room. As she closed the door, I braced myself for the coming reprimand. But she didn’t speak, let alone yell. Instead she released me and turned to go back to her bed. She sat, resting her elbows on her lap and rubbing at her temples. I stood there in this ridiculous dress, watching her, unsure what to do.

“Mrs. Bishop,” I started, even though I still hadn’t found the right words to offer.

She didn’t look at me as she responded, “Go back to your room, Lieke, and go to bed. We will talk in the morning.”

“But—” I took a step toward her, but she held up a hand, still not lifting her eyes.

“Now.”

My lip quivered slightly as I continued to watch her. She wouldn’t change her mind, but I couldn’t force my feet to move. When she repeated the word, though, with a whisper coated in anger and disappointment, I pushed my muscles to listen and did as I was told.

The next morning, I rose before the sun—and before Mrs. Bishop—eager to get the inevitable over with. I paced my room, wringing my hands as I pondered what she might have decided to do with me.

Scrubbing the dishes for the rest of my life would be too lenient.

Locking me in my room for all eternity seemed too harsh, not to mention impossible.

What punishment existed between the two?

A knock at the door startled me, and I bounded for it, pulling it open to find Mrs. Bishop holding two cups of tea. I invited her inside as she proffered one of the drinks to me. Taking it in both hands, I blew across the top of it and moved to sit on my bed. She dragged my desk chair to the center of the room and sat in front of me, studying me silently for a moment.

At least she was finally looking at me.

Sadness swirled in her soft blue eyes. Sadness and loss and dread.

“You can’t stay here,” she said in a steady but quiet voice.

My heart thudded to a stop.

My vision blurred.

My breath quickened.

What? I had to leave?

But this was all I had. This was my home.

I couldn’t fathom this.

Couldn’t think.

Couldn’t protest.

“Not forever, Lieke,” the fae said around a strained smile.

I squeezed my eyes tightly closed, unable to look at her as I asked, “How long?”

“That depends on you, Sunshine.”

What in the stars did that mean? When she didn’t elaborate, I dared to open my eyes to find her staring at me with what now looked unnervingly like hope.

“Where am I to go?” I asked.

She reached a hand into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out an envelope that was brown with age, its edges worn smooth. “Your mother left this with me long before she passed. Told me to give it to you if you ever got into trouble.”

“Glad to see she had such confidence in me,” I muttered as my head swirled with questions.

Mrs. Bishop’s gaze settled on the bruises on my neck for a moment before dropping down to the envelope. She let out a slow exhale. “As hopeful as she was, she worried what life in Emeryn would look like for the humans after Queen Durand died. The war taught us all the fragility of peace. You can’t fault her for taking precautions.”

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