Page 178 of Sigils & Spells

She blanched and Minho smacked my arm, “Dude!”

“Shush,” I ignored him, “Alice, I’m new to this whole magic thing, but I… turn into a horse now, which is a new development and it’s because a fairy queen or duchess or whatever gave me an apple but I only ate some of it so I’m not a fairy slave, which I would be if I’d eaten all of it and now I’m cursed or something and I kept waking up naked in places and I thought I was a werewolf but Minho’s werewolf dad said I’m not so it turns out I just shouldn’t sleep naked because the horse magic is different than werewolf magic. Also I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that naked thing, but that’s how I ended up on Blaze’s farm. And we’re going to fairyland in the next few days so that we can try to fix me somehow… so yeah.”

My heart was beating against the inside of my chest like a caged bird, and I knew I’d said too much. Once the words started it was impossible to shut off. The expression on Alice’s face remained unchanged.

“Ok. Cool.” she nodded blankly, as if absorbing. “I have so many questions.”

“Well they have to wait.” Minho said, grabbing my arm. On the other side of the door I could hear the Pickup man’s voice again. The next show must be over and they’d be bringing the next horse through here.

“We should get before they start wondering why Julian’s in the tack.” Minho bundled up the arm full of leather and hung it lazily on an empty hook on the wall. He herded Alice and me from the room, back out into the parking lot.

“What was it that you saw?” My voice felt quiet in the thick summer air, which seemed to stick to my skin. The sounds of loud drunk men and country music and the smell of horse ass was so familiar, and made me feel so comfortably small. Like being at a club, where the sound and the people and the smells surround you entirely, and no one sticks out more than anyone else. It’s like melting away without being alone.

Despite everything, my shoulders eased a little.

Alice rubbed her arms like she was cold, or covered in goosebumps and looked away, past the parking lot lights where nothing but blank darkness watched back.

“I’ve never said it out loud before,” she said softly, “but… I went on a date with a vampire?”

Minho and I exchanged looks. When Alice didn’t immediately elaborate I rolled my hands in a “please go on” way.

Alice sighed. “I went on a date with this guy, and after we were… making out and he was kissing my neck, but then… he bit me. Like hard. And at first thought he was just a little freaky, but then it hurt so bad. I could feel his fangs deep in my skin.”

Alice gripped one side of her neck, not looking up from the pavement. “I was convinced I was going to learn about vampires and die all in the same night, but then he pulled back and covered his mouth as if to hide the blood. He said ‘oh my god, I’m so sorry,’ and left me there on the park bench. I passed out and the police found me a couple hours later. I told them I was mugged.”

I stared at her, wide eyed, trying to imagine what that must have been like.

“After that I had a hard time being in the city at night. So I transferred schools and moved in with my uncle.”

“Anyway!” Alice shook her arms out and rolled her neck like a dog shedding water, and I understood that meant she wanted to change the subject. “So when are you going?”

“Going?”

“To fairyland.”

“Tomorrow.” Minho checked his phone, which had started buzzing. “Early morning I think. I’ll have to verify with Ruby.”

He answered his phone and Alice shot me a confused look.

“Ruby?” she asked in a stage whisper.

“His girlfriend. She’s a witch.” I clarified, and then whispered to Minho, “What is it?”

He put up his finger. “Yeah we were just talking about it. He had… an incident? We’ll tell you about it when we see you. Yeah. I love you too. We’ll be safe. See you in the morning. Bye, baby.”

I started mouthing “Minho and Ruby sitting in a tree” as he hung up. Minho flipped me off. “That was Ruby. We need to go by and tell her about ‘the incident’. And she said she had some more stuff she wanted to tell us.”

I rubbed the back of my head and looked at Alice. She was watching the concrete between her feet. “I’m sorry our date… didn’t happen, Alice. But if I survive the fairy world… I’ll call you.”

“Please.” Alice scoffed, “Obviously I’m coming with you.”

“Uh… to fairyland?”

“Julian, I found you naked in a stall with my horse and then I walked in on you turning from a horse into a person. I can’t just go home and do homework now, I’m involved.” when I just looked at her, she gave me a playful punch on the shoulder, “Consider it an extension of our date. I don’t have class tomorrow.”

“Yeah, but we could, like… die.”

“Or get enslaved to fairies.” Minho added.

---