Page 4 of The Fairy Hunter
Tamara comes to our table, and I force a smile. “Hey!”
“Hi,” she says. Paint is splattered on her clothes, like always. “I’m so glad we could all get together. It feels like outside of brunch, we never see each other any longer.”
I look at Olivia. Her expression says she’s either going to start crying or screaming. Which is not good. She needs a minute to get herself together. I know she can do this. She just needs a little extra kindness.
Scooting over, I pat the seat next to me. “Well, join us! We haven’t ordered food yet.”
The fairy slides into the booth next to me, then glances at Olivia, and her smile falters. “Are you okay?”
I answer before Olivia can say the wrong thing. “She’s okay. Just, well, menopause.”
“Oh!” Tamara smiles. “I remember those damned mood swings.”
“Yup.” I say, passing Tamara a menu.
A waitress, also a young hunter, comes by and takes our order. The fairy gets a strawberry margarita. No surprise there; the creatures love sugar. And then we get mozzarella sticks, potato skins, and a chocolate cake to share for dessert. Because this town is so small, the bar actually has decent food. Even if the atmosphere is lacking a bit.
“So, catch us up, what’s been going on with you?” I ask.
The fairy starts talking about how well her paintings have been selling and about the new art students she’s been training. All of it is bullshit, but I try to smile, nod along, and ask questions. I also try damned hard not to watch the time, because Hyun and Bethany are currently in Tamara’s house looking for the book and crystal. Trying to find any signs of what this fairy might be up to. Trying to figure out why the spirits that escaped are causing so much trouble. There’s definitely a greater plan here, just a plan we’re not seeing yet.
Her drink arrives, followed by our food. This bitch is good. She chats along like nothing at all is wrong, and I make note of when Olivia seems to slowly calm down enough to play her part. And then we’re both making conversation, talking about our own lives. While it’s in a more superficial capacity than usual, we manage it.
My phone lights up with a text, and I turn it slightly away from Tamara to read. It’s from Hyun. Not at her place. Security is too good at her gallery. Can you guys get in with her?
I answer back that we’ll try.
We finish eating, and I pay the bill. Then I force a smile. “Hey, I was thinking we haven’t been by the gallery in a while. Would you mind if we stopped by to check out your new work?”
A flash of something that I don’t understand comes and goes on the fairy’s face, Tamara’s face. “Yes, of course. I’d love that. I actually really need a couple of new eyes on some of my work, so that works out perfectly.”
“Great!” I say, but something about all of this feels off.
We leave, following the fairy out of the parking lot in our car. As soon as we’re alone, Olivia turns to me. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
“Neither do I. Maybe we should call Brenda and see if they’ve figured anything out.”
Olivia nods and calls her while we drive, knowing our time is limited. “Hey, we’re following it to the gallery. You guys have anything useful?”
“Yes and no,” Brenda says, and her voice sounds a little off. “We haven’t completely figured it out yet, but we’ll let you know when we do.”
“Uh, okay,” Olivia responds, but Brenda’s already hung up.
“That was weird,” I say. “Want to…?”
“I’m already calling them,” Olivia says. And, sure enough, Hyun doesn’t answer, so we call Bethany. Her phone rings and goes to voicemail. We call again and again before she finally picks up.
“What’s up?” she says.
And she sounds weird too.
“We’re heading to the gallery with it. But something feels off.”
“Okay, well, we have to get to the bottom of this, so go. We have our hands full with the younger members of the coven.” She almost sounds frustrated, but there’s a trace of something else. And then, she hangs up too.
I look at Olivia. “What the hell is going on?”
Olivia looks worried. “I don’t know, but my instincts are screaming.”
