Not Your Average Fairytale

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

It was a cutesy town, decorated to be almost like a German village. The number of people wandering around was the most surprising part. Adults, kids, and teenagers walked and ran and biked around.

            Some people you could immediately tell were magical. Their glow was the brightest, noticeable without even trying. Some wore costumes or dressed like their character.

            A girl about their age biked across the road directly in front of them, making Ashleigh slam on the brakes. She gestured back at the group as a kind of apology before continuing on.

            "Was that—?" Wynter began.

            "Little Red?" Brent finished for her. "One of several." The girl stayed in sight a little while longer, her bright red hoodie making her stand out.

            "Where do you live?" Arabella asked.

            "Not near the center of town, that's for sure," he replied, grinning. "Just keep going straight."

            Ashleigh complied with his directions, and they continued along through the town. A missing sign on a lamp post advertised someone looking for their daughter, with an older looking picture showing a girl with long, blonde hair reaching down past her waist.

            "How long has that poster been there?" Everett asked, pointing to the poster he'd just been looking at.

            Brent glanced up and seemed to recognize it. He grimaced almost sympathetically. "Five years at this point," he answered after looking at it for a moment longer. "She was with my sister."

            "Your sister?" Clover echoed.

            "I have a sister," Brent confirmed with a chuckle. "Her name is Nerissa. She was an Ariel. You'll probably meet her at the house, if she and Derek are visiting as they always do."

            "Who's Derek?" she asked.

            "Well, sometimes people do get lucky with their destined partner. Derek is a guy who lives in Chicago; he's not from a magic family. He was the Eric to her Ariel, and after she finished her fate, they continued to talk and spend time together and gradually fell in love. They're married now," he explained.

            "Did she have to move into the city with him?" Wynter guessed, and Brent nodded.

            "She visits all the time, though, and she's very happy. I'm happy for her," he finished, smiling again.

            They continued to drive, and Baylor noticed a wood shop a young boy ran into. "Pinocchio?" he guessed, pointing over to the shop.