Finding Life
Part 36 • Lily
"He came with a pale queen."
—Lily's Mom
•••••••••••••
I shouldn't be drinking fairy drinks.
I don't know if Death ever told me what fairy food can do to you, but I'm sure it's not a big deal. I shrug, then realize that I was shrugging to myself.
Great. I'm going insane.
I pick up a second fairy drink–another blue one–and walk away from the food. While I'm here, I might as well make a friend. I never was a social butterfly back on Earth– shit.
I can be so stupid at times. I never once gave thought to my family and friends back on Earth. Do they realize I'm gone? How long has it even been since Death took me away?
I'm sure as hell that mom's noticed I haven't called her in weeks. I'm such a terrible daughter. My parents must be worried sick, while I'm here, drinking blue liquid at a fairy party.
Sometimes I can be such an idiot. Without really thinking about it, I transport myself home. When I open my eyes, I'm standing in front of my parent's door. I can't believe I was so caught up in Death's world that I forgot about my own.
I take a huge gulp of the fairy drink in my hand and throw the glass cup on the concrete. It shatters into a million tiny peices. Oops. Mom has something to clean up.
I ring the doorbell when I realize that it's pretty late. The sky is pitch black, but winter is approaching, so it could very well be only 7:00.
The door opens.
"Mom!" I scream and gather her short frame in a hug.
I'm sure my smile is the largest it's ever been. When I pull apart, my mom looks stiff. She didn't even hug me back.
She looks shocked. There's horror in her green eyes.
"What's wrong?" I ask. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Mom chokes on words. She's trying to say something, but she can't form the words. In the end she yells for dad. He comes running to the door and I see his forehead creased with worry. When he sees me, his eyes go wide. I assume they weren't expecting to see me.
"Dad, what's going on?" I say.
He doesn't respond.
"Won't you let me in?" I ask.
They don't move. They blink and they breathe, but that's all they do.
"Mom, dad– say something!" I scream.
"He said you were dead," mom finally says.
Dead? They thought I was dead this entire time?
"I'm not! I'm perfectly alive!" I say. "Wait– who told you I died?"
"That man," mom whispers, "The one with the pale hair. He came with a pale queen. Looked like siblings, but they said they weren't. Lily died. You died."
That sounds a lot like Lucifer and Arianna.
"They lied," I say. "I'm here."
Tears drop down mom's cheeks. She shivers from the cold.
"Can we talk inside?" I ask.
Dad nods and pulls mom inside. I follow them and smile at the familiarity of my childhood home. Everything's the same.
We sit down the sofa. As I sit, I feel dizzy. Incredibly dizzy. I close my eyes and try to snap out of it.
I open my eyes and see my dad– but there's two of him. There's two of everything. What the hell? Is this a damn pregnancy side affect?
I giggle at that and mom looks at me worriedly. She talks to dad, but I can't hear them. Everything is spinning.
I feel good.
"Lily, are you okay?" Mom ask. "Where have you been lately? You haven't contacted us–or anyone–in almost two months."
How am I supposed to tell them that I was taken to the AfterLife by Death to marry him and become Life, just to be kidnapped by Lucifer and make myself pregnant, and now Death thinks that I may be I jail?
Stupidly, I say, "I was in the AfterLife. I saw all things in Heaven and Hell."
Mom raises an eyebrow. "Are you drunk, Lily?"
I might be.
Giggling, I nod my head. What makes me do that, I don't know.
"She looks like she was at a party," I hear mom say.
"I was," I say, "I was at Shaylee's party!"
I do sound drunk. But I'm not. I didn't drink and I can't– I'm pregnant. Aren't I?
"Who's Shaylee?" Dad asks.
"A- a fairy," I say.
I see both of my moms roll her eyes. "Lily, you need to give up your obsession with fairies."
I laugh. "But mom, they exist."
"Let's get you to bed, hmm?" Mom says.
I nod, feeling tired after this whirlwind of a day. I stand up, causing me to be even more dizzy, if that's even possible. Nonetheless, I walk towards the stairs. Mom holds my hand to steady me.
I decide it's a good idea to run up the stairs; after I get half way through, I miss a step. Luckily mom was there to catch me. She continues holding my hand until she tucks me in bed, just like old times.
As soon as my head hits the soft pillow, my eyes start to droop. I drift off, but I still hear mom as she talks.
"Is that a diamond ring?" she says. "Where did you get that?"
••••••••••••••••
"Wake up!" I hear someone say.
The voice is obviously female, but I can't seem to recognize her. I open my eyes and stare at a random girl. Who is she? Why does she have rainbow wings?
"Lily, don't be difficult," she says, "Shaylee sent me to get you. Do you know how worried my queen was when she found out you weren't at the party?"
I sit up in bed and my head starts to hurt. I massage my temple, hoping to get rid of the sharp pain.
"What happened to you?" the girl asks.
I look at her. Rainbow wings, blue hair, grey eyes– Iris. I start to remember everything that happened yesterday. I remember my rash decision to meet my parents. Oh, God— what did I do?
"Why does my head hurt so much?" I ask.
"Did you drink the fairy wine?" Iris asks.
"Huh?" I say. "I did drink that blue fruity stuff."
"That's fairy wine," Iris says, "It's like normal wine, but better. I guess it's more magical."
"Very funny," I say, not very amused.
Iris rolls her eyes. "We're going."
She grabs my hand and suddenly I'm blinded by light. The fairies' ability to teleport is so much better than the Supernatural's.
Still pretty asleep, I notice that I'm standing in the Unseelie Court throne room. The place is deserted, other than Queen Shaylee sitting on her throne. She looks angry– Shaylee's stare is cold and her hands are balled into fists.
She's not happy.
"Lily Andrews," Shaylee begins, "What in the Devils's name were you thinking when you left my party to go to your mundane parents' home on Earth?"
"I just wanted to see my parents," I say, "They thought I was dead. I had to show them that I'm okay. When they see that I'm not in bed–"
"We purposefully told them that you are dead," Shaylee says.
"We?"
"The leaders of the fair folk, of Hell, of Heaven, of the AfterLife and God's helpers," Shaylee says, "Arianna went up to Earth and told your parents that you died. It was supposed to stay that way!"
"I just wanted to–," I say.
"Say no more," Shaylee says, "I will see to it that Iris deals with the situation."
"Okay. What do I do?" I ask.
"You are needed at the E.A.O. headquarters in Hell. I have been told to take you there directly."
I nod. "Let's go."
Shaylee walks closer to me, a trail of pink silk embedded with peonies flowing behind her. She grabs my hand and I can see the viciousness in her dark eyes. Shaylee is pretty, but she has demon blood.
Mom's right: I have to give up by obsession with fairies.