Iron & Wine

Chapter Seventeen - Acceptance

"That's why you had to have the apartment this way," I realized, looking around at all of the plants that nearly filled the apartment. "So, your parents, they still don't know?" I asked.

"Oh, no, they know now. Remember that summer when we were twelve?" she asked me.

"Yeah, the only summer we ever spent apart. You went to camp." But, as I said it, I realized that it was obviously a lie.

"I was in the back yard one day, lying in the sun, when I dropped my glamour somehow. I didn't even know until my Mom looked out the window and saw me. She started screaming and ran out to get me. At first she was freaked out, but Dad calmed her down. They sat with me in the living room, just staring at me and whispering to each other. They decided to call that witch doctor again to see if he could help. And he did. They sent me away with him for the summer and he taught me to control my glamour and to even change it to how I wanted it to look. He was a fairy of course, a troll actually. He'd been banished from Faerie and lived as a solitary fey here in the Iron World, disguised as a medicine doctor. He treated humans and fairies alike and he was the only fairy I've ever known, until now." She smiled and looked at Lattie.

"Wow. So, that explains how when you came back from camp it was like you had matured years over just one summer," I pointed out. "You just made yourself look like that?"

 Julie nodded.

"You say he disguises himself as a medicine doctor?" Lattie asked.

"Yeah, but I don't know where he is now. He may not even be alive anymore for all I know," Julie replied.

Lattie smiled a big smile. "No, I think he is very much alive."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Do you know a troll who lives in the Iron World as a doctor?"

"Yes, I do. And so do you," she said, matter-of-factly. "He saved your life last night."

"Oliver, the same troll that saved me last night, saved Julie when she was a baby?" I looked to Julie and she shrugged her shoulders.

"This is a strange coincidence," I thought out loud. "But it explains how he knew CPR. I mean, that can't be something that fairies usually know, right?" I asked.

"It's true; fairies don't need to know things like that," Julie confirmed. "But back on the topic of us. Avery, are you totally freaked out by this? I'll move out if you think it will be a problem."

"God, no, Jules, this is your apartment. If anyone moves out it will be me," I insisted. Her face fell when I talked about moving out. "But, I'm not going to. You're still the same Julie that I have known and loved my entire life. So now I know you're a fairy, big deal. Besides, it's not like I am new to this," I said and looked at Lattie. She smiled and beamed proudly from the upside down cup that she sat on.

"Yeah, about that," Julie replied. "I can't believe that you have been housing a sprite and didn't even tell me! She's adorable."

"Thanks!" Lattie chirped.

This was all so strange, but it felt better than the morning. I could deal with this. At least now I didn't have to hide Lattie.

"So, can you do any magic?" I asked

Julie blushed and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, my coffee began to twirl and rise up from my cup in front of my face like a tiny tornado. I watched in amazement as it swirled in the air before me, creating whimsical swishes until it poured itself back into my mug.

I stared into my coffee cup, not believing what I just saw. I could feel Julie's unsure eyes watching me and waiting for my reaction.

"That is so cool!" I cried. "What else can you do?"

The three of us laughed and sat at the table for a few hours after that, just talking about magic and sipping coffee. I couldn't help but realize how bizarre my life really had become since I'd moved to the city. I had an impossible dream job and boss, my new roommate was a sugar addicted sprite and my best friend had been revealed as an orphan fairy. Moving to the city, I'd thought that school, a new home and surroundings would be hard to adjust to and that I would miss my simple little life in the country. But it was the furthest thing from my mind. That's okay now. Everyone leaves home eventually, but not everyone can say they know real life mythical creatures.