The Faerie Guardian

Chapter Six

I jump down the stairs two at a time and skid into the kitchen. I grab an apple from the bowl of fruit and munch it down while Filigree helps himself to a few roasted nixles from a jar on the counter. "I'll be back later," I say, patting him on the head with one hand and reaching for my stylus with the other. He narrows his black eyes at me. "I know, I know, I'm breaking more rules. You don't have to remind me."

Ignoring the now familiar stab of guilt, I open a doorway on my curved kitchen wall, step through, and bring up an image of Nate's bedroom in my mind. Perhaps if I concentrate hard enough I can land exactly . . . on . . .

I drop out of the blackness of the faerie paths, hit the edge of the bed, and fall onto the floor. Oops. So much for a perfect landing. I'm up in an instant, my face flaming, but there seems to be no one here. Well, I don't mind waiting for Nate to get back from wherever he went. It's not as though I have anything else to do now that I'm banned from entering the Guild for a week.

I wander around Nate's bedroom. His shelves are a mess of old children's books, DVDs, tiny cars gathering dust, and several different chess sets. Papers and notebooks cover his desk, and the computer emits a low hum. A chemistry textbook lies in the middle of the bed, a ruler sticking out between the pages. I stretch across the bed and open to the page the ruler marks. Letters, numbers and arrows are scrawled within the margins. I twist a strand of purple hair around my finger as I try to interpret the notations.

"Vi, hey!" I snap the book shut and look up to see Nate standing in the doorway. He pulls the door closed behind him and walks to the bed. "You know, normal people would use the front door," he says.

"Normal people wouldn't even be able to see that I'm here," I tell him as I sit up.

He moves the textbook aside and sits on the edge of the bed beside me. "I guess neither of us is normal then."

I angle my head down and peer up at him through my lashes in what I hope is an alluring manner. I have zero experience in this area though, so it's possible I look like a total moron. But I must be doing something right, because Nate leans closer and raises his hand to brush his knuckles against my cheek. His gaze slips down to my mouth, and he tilts his head forward. Finally, I think. Finally, finally. He hasn't kissed me since that night on the grass. I've only been able to visit him once since then. His parents were having a loud discussion in the room next door—a definite mood-killer—then his friend phoned to ask about homework, and then Tora sent a message wanting to know why I hadn't heard her knocking at my house.

I'm about to close my eyes when Nate stops. "Oh, the hearing." He pulls away from me. "How was it?"

I let out a long sigh and drag myself across the bed to lean against the footboard. "After a lengthy debate, the Council decided perhaps it wasn't my fault I brought you back to Creepy Hollow—"

"That's great!"

"—but since it's such an important rule and I need to be made an example of, blah blah blah, I failed the assignment." Nate's face falls. "And," I add with a grimace, "the Council decided to suspend me for a week, meaning I don't get to go in and train, and I'll miss whatever assignments are given out."

Nate's hand brushes against my foot. "But you'll have plenty of time to hang out with me." He smiles, and something flutters in the region of my stomach. Tora's imaginary voice reminds me how much trouble I'd be in if anyone knew I was here. I tell the voice to get lost.

"So have you found anything of your mother's yet?" I ask Nate as I push myself up and cross my legs. Without any Guild assignments to occupy my time, I'm probably going to go into some kind of withdrawal. I need a 'project' to keep me occupied, and trying to get Nate to kiss me again doesn't count.