Faryn woke too early. Only 7 AM but it felt like the afternoon. Even if she was still exhausted, her body wouldn't let her go back to sleep, and breakfast wouldn't be served until 9.
She made herself get up and change, planning to see about washing her clothes, and also, if Peter was up, seeing if her mother had tried calling during the night.
It wasn't too hard to find the laundry room. It was more like a mini laundromat with seven washers, four of which were available. The other three weren't running but had wet clothes inside. After she put her load in and hit start, she made her way to Peter's office, not really expecting him to be in there yet. And as she expected, there was no answer when she knocked.
Faryn found a couch in the lounge to settle into until breakfast. Though no one else was around, the TV was turned on and to a Human news station. The better part of her hour and a half was spent listening to reports about an economy that didn't yet matter to her, politicians she had never heard of except for maybe one or two, and about food recalls, which might matter to her depending on from where Peter ordered his food.
When breakfast was laid out on the dining table, a spread of bagels, pastries, and fruit, she was the first to be seated. A few female Nymphs entered the room yawing and offering her tired smiles.
Once they were seated, they set about filling their plates, and Faryn took that as a sign that it was okay to dive in.
A few minutes into her breakfast feast, Peter slunk in still looking half asleep, but managed a wave and a yawn to Faryn before dropping into the seat beside her. A staff member came out of the kitchen, a latte or cappuccino or some frothy espresso drink in a shimmery silver mug in their hands, and offered it to Peter.
It was already 9 and they were only now starting breakfast. The workday must start late in Peter's house. At home, breakfast was served at 7:30 so anyone who had early classes wouldn't go on an empty stomach.
Faryn lowered her chocolate croissant to her plate. "Did my mom . . ."
Without a word, he slid his phone to her and shook his head.
She dialed her mom again, but this time when she held the phone to her ear, it went straight to voicemail.
When Cassian decided to make an appearance, Faryn was on her second latte—a decision she knew she would soon regret. He looked refreshed, his hair wet, and eased down into the chair across from her with more grace than Faryn could hope to muster while jetlagged. He plucked a blueberry tart from the center platter and cut into it with his knife.
He glanced at the two of them before taking a bite.
With his drink now empty, Peter worked on making his way through a plate of fruit. "There's a human city not far from here. I can clear out some time to go with you both so you can get anything you may need."
Faryn's bag was already rather full, but another long-sleeved shirt would be good, if they were going to Sleet City, and a pair or two of socks and underwear.
Cassian chewed his food and nodded, his focus on cutting his tart. For some reason she felt like shoving his face into it.
"We'd really appreciate that," Faryn said.
Cassian laid down his fork. "Are you sure the two of you wouldn't rather handle it on your own?"
She glowered at the Fata. Let Jack find her now. She'd go with him happily.
*****
Even though it was five days since Christmas, the small Nebraska town Faryn found herself being driven into was still fully decorated for the holiday. It was as if Nick had personally sent one of his decorators. Lights hung from nearly every establishment, and a couple had the blue star of David.
Peter drove past the center of town where a huge Christmas tree stood. An outdoor skating rink had been erected next to a gazebo where mistletoe hung from its roof.
She had snorted when she'd learned that the town was called Moonlake Valley. It could easily an Acurial city with a name like that, but this was in fact a very Human town.
Peter parked his shiny blue sportscar in front of a bakery. The scent of baking snickerdoodles wafted from the front door.
Moonlake Valley had small town charm. She would give it that, even if the fact that every single business appeared as if it had received the work of a professional decorator disgusted her. It was all too cute. Unnaturally quintessential small-town Christmas.
Their host led them across the cobblestoned town center and past the gazebo where a man and a woman were standing under the mistletoe Faryn had spotted. They were both dressed in warm peacoats that weren't shedding or wrinkled. Both looked brand new. The thick tights the woman wore had no visible runs, and the cashmere scarf around her neck was perfectly placed for both movement and warmth.
The man bent down on one knee, and the woman sniffled.
"Maggie, all these years I never knew what was right in front of me."
"Oh Kent."
"I'm so sorry it took all these years for me to realize that what I was searching for was you."
"But the promotion—"
He shook his head and grabbed her hands. "I quit. I want to help you run the non-profit."
Faryn blinked and realized that Cassian and Peter had stopped to watch the proposal as well. There were others gathering, crying, laughing, hugging each other.
She didn't like this. It felt too weird. She thought she understood Humans, knew they could be cheesy. But this, this was too much.
She tapped Peter's shoulder, and he shook his head, as if coming out of a daze.
A few minutes later, he pointed Faryn to a boutique before crossing the street with Cassian to another clothing store. The Fata had barely said a word in the car. She didn't want to be Peter right now.
Faryn wasn't sure why she went in expecting a normal boutique. It was as if commercial America had puked in here. There was a Christmas village on the center table instead of displaying the prized clothing pieces the store had to offer.
There was an ungodly amount of Christmas sweaters. Most of the long sleeve shirts had Christmas trees, snowmen, or reindeer printed on the fabric. The reindeers looked adorable and not at all like douchebags. A pity.
She managed to find a plain light blue shirt tucked under a stack of snowflake printed ones.
The underwear selection was even more frightening. She had to settle on a pair of long red and white stripped socks even if the colors were Nick's. The panties were lacy things that had salacious wintery sayings written in metallic letters.
Kiss me under the mistletoe was printed on a red pair with a mistletoe included.
Then there was:
Wintery kisses
Christmas came early
I'll be your Ho Ho Ho
She was lucky to find two plain pairs of black underwear in her size.
Someone let out a curse, and Faryn started, shocked someone swore in this picture-perfect town.
Across the shop, a woman tried to grab a cardboard box from the top of a shelf.
"Let me help you with that," a taller woman said rushing toward her. She reached her just as the smaller woman's hands snuck under the corner of the box and dislodged it. It came crashing down on top of them, chopped up pieces of white paper falling out of the box with a poof and falling around them as if they were stuck in their own snow globe.
Based on the way the two were looking at each other, she would say she wasn't far off on that assumption.
"Hi," they both breathed at the same moment.
Faryn paid for her items with her card. The British pound was currently worth more than the US dollar, but she still had to pay a transaction fee so there really was no winning.
Faryn opened the door in time to witness a woman trip on a crack in the sidewalk and collide with a man who looked like a model for Lumberjack Weekly.
"Are you all right?" he asked, staring down at the woman as if a princess had fallen into his arms, and he just happened to be a prince charming.
Faryn felt a prickling at her neck.
If it wasn't ridiculous to say, she'd claim she stumbled onto a set of a Hallmark or Lifetime movie.
She met Peter and Cassian outside of the shop for which she had last seen them headed. They both looked highly uncomfortable.
"Witness any more proposals?" she asked.
They exchanged a look, and Cassian said, "No, but we did see three meet-cutes." It was a surprise he knew the word, and her curiosity piqued over what kind of books he must read. But even more shocking was the number he'd said. Combined with hers, that was five.
Peter scratched his eyebrow. "Shit."
"What?" she asked.
"I think there's a Cupid."
Faryn felt cold, and she never felt this cold. A Cupid was not what she wanted to deal with right now.
Cassian's eyes scanned the rooftops. "Do you think Eros is here?"
"No. As far as I know, she hasn't shot anyone in years. But she is friends with Jack, so she might have sent Cupids after you."
"But don't they usually only shoot a couple and move on?" Cassian's lips turned down. "This is too many."
"A Cupid with a penchant for Hallmark movies."
Peter cut her a glance. "If that's the case, we're all in danger of being hit with an arrow. And pairing any of us together might be too tempting for a Cupid to pass up if they really are acting of their own accord."
It didn't matter if none of them would be good together. Cupids couldn't see who would be a good match. Only Eros, and she was the one who was supposed to give orders on who needed to be matched.
"We should go," Peter said, motioning for them to cross the street. As they passed through the town center, they witnessed another proposal in progress. Before they had made it past the gazebo, Cassian gripped Faryn's shoulder and dragged her behind it.
Peter tucked himself beside Faryn. "What?"
"I can smell two Elves." His nostrils flared as he looked around before his eyes settled on Peter's car across the street. There were two figures dressed in blue hovering near it.
Peter squinted and rubbed at his eyes. His eyesight wouldn't be as good as theirs, and he must not be able to make the Elves out. "Jack did have Elves with him when he visited me."
Cassian's lips peeled back, revealing his teeth. "Then what are they still doing here?"
Peter gripped onto the gazebo's railing. "Maybe they're having to wait for a flight."
Faryn inched her hand toward her dagger. "Do you think Jack's here?"
"I think this town would be blanketed in snow if he was." Peter withdrew his keys from his pocket. "I'll get the car and meet you near the boutique."
As he started to walk away, Faryn grabbed his arm. "They'll smell us on you, and if somehow they didn't, they would smell us the moment you opened the car door." She didn't like imagining her items back in Oxford being disturbed by Elves to get her scent. It made Faryn's stomach tighten that these two Elves could be related to her. They were a part of Winter court like her father. And as she knew nothing about him besides that, there was always the slimmest chance an Elf was related to her.
"What do you propose then?"
Cassian grimaced. "We'll have to wait until they leave."
Peter's nostrils flared. "They're clearly waiting for me."
"Then we keep them waiting."
"Did you miss the part where there's a Cupid running around town?"
Cassian snorted heading back the way they had come. "Would it be a tragedy if the playboy got tied down?"
Peter stalked after him. "Yes. Aren't you worried about being shot? What if you were matched with a Human? How exactly are you supposed to be the tooth fairy if the love of your life can't even see Eiraacia?"
"Clearly, I'm worried, but the immediate threat is those Elves catching our scent."
Faryn fell in line with Peter. "He's right," she said to him. "And if they smell us on you, it would be bad for you."
They crossed the street walking past a man and a woman holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes instead of watching for cars.
She spotted a library a few blocks away that could make for a good place to hide out. While they walked, Peter called someone at his house and asked for a car to come pick them up.
The three of them climbed the wooden steps leading up to the library's porch and front door. Cassian started to open the door when a musical voice chimed, "Hello there."
Faryn whirled around to find a beautiful Acurial seated crossed legged on the porch railing. She had no way to rationalize how they didn't fall off. Their golden blonde hair was cut short and curled at the ends. Their skin was porcelain white, and their eyes were a mix of purple and green, the colors arranged like a kaleidoscope. Even without their feathery white wings, she knew this creature was a Cyra, and most likely the Cupid that was responsible for the Hallmark movie they'd fallen into.
Both Cassian and Peter stepped closer to Faryn. She supposed neither of them wanted Faryn to be shot with an arrow if one of them were as well.
The Cyra watched the trio, a smile on their light pink lips. They were dressed in tight jeans and a wooly green sweater, a quiver slung over their back and a golden bow in their lap.
"Hello," Peter said, his voice slick with charm. Faryn and Cassian nodded, and Faryn even managed to murmur a "Hi."
"You two are a long way from home." They nodded to Faryn and Cassian who slipped his arm around her waist. The Cyra's eyes watched his arm with interest and slid off the railing to stand on the porch. "I'm Carys."
Their host held out his hand. "Peter."
Carys stared at it but did not take it. "I know who you all are." They smiled, and it was dazzling.
"Did Eros send you?" Peter asked.
They ran their hand over the arch of their bow. "I've had a busy morning. How about coffee?"
Faryn couldn't stomach the idea of another coffee. She was still jittery from all the espresso she'd consumed this morning, but upsetting the Cupid was about the worst thing they could do. So she smiled. "That's just what I was needing."
This chapter was one of my favorite chapters to write in Claus. I love Hallmark movies but sometimes you've just got to poke fun at them. The next chapter will be posted Friday.