The Wingless Fairy

Chapter 15

Hiya. I've been really busy-- sorry about that. I've also been distracted-- what else is new? I'm always distracted somehow. Plus, this story doesn't have that many votes or comments, so... yeah. But I've also been busy with school and am always tired. Last night, I spent almost the whole afternoon sleeping. When I fell asleep, it was light, but when I woke up... it was dark. -- Private19 out.

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   It was... unusually quiet when I woke up. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and I was on alert. Usually, I'd heard Kit and Emory fighting about who should wake me up or something little and silly like that. There'd also be quiet murmurs that bounced off the walls and echoed from some of the fairies we helped. But this morning: nothing.

   I slowly got out of bed and it squeaked, making me wince at the sudden noise. I could say I was almost afraid of making noise in the silence.

   I closed my eyes and gently set a foot on the cold marble floor. Then, I pulled another foot out of the blankets and set it down, too.

   I crept into the huge hallway and peered over the stair railing. No one-- not even the staff-- were to be seen.

   "Peri?" a tired voice yawned.

   I jumped, sucking in a sharp breath, as I turned around. Emory was standing a few feet in front of me with his hair messy and cheeks pink with a slight blush. "God, Emory," I frowned, "you scared me."

   A smirk pulled at a corner of his mouth. "Did I?"

   "Yes," I nodded, "What's with the unusual silence?"

   "Everyone's out at work. You slept in for a while, so Kit and I did your morning duties. We didn't feel like waking you up because you did stay up really late last night working."

   "Really? Thanks, but I don't mind, I guess. You could've woken me up."

   "When I came to your room, you looked so cute and peaceful... like a little child. I just couldn't bring myself to wake you."

   "A child? I'm fifteen years old!"

   "That's basically an infant in out world. To be considered a teen, you have to be at least 1113 years. But since you were stuck in the human world for so long, you aged just as a normal human would. When you came back here, your aging slowed."

   "And how old are you, Mr. Emory?" I rolled my eyes.

   "1120 years, but I've stopped aging completely because I'm at my strongest. You completely stop aging when you're at your strongest." He grinned, "So I'm the boss of you."

   I rolled my eyes again. "I hate you."

   "Really?"

   The next thing I knew, I was hanging upside down twenty-five feet in the air. Emory held me by one ankle as I squeezed my eyes shut.

   "Do you hate me now?"

   "Even more," I answered.

   He let go of me ankle and I screamed only to be jerked up at the last moment before my head would hit the hard marble floor.

   "I really really hate you now," I growled.

   "You love me, because I..." he set me down. "am your best friend that is basically your right hand man. And I let you sleep in this morning."

   I yawned, "What do I have planned today?"

   Emory took out a notebook and flipped through the pages. "Hmm," he said. Then, suddenly, his light mood darkened. "Not him again."