Mersallee: Chapter 2

Finally freed of the confines of the school, Lily began to run across the field, her arms outstretched. She relished the feel of the wind flying through her hair, the cold rushing past and caressing the tips of her fingers. “This is what it means to be alive,” she thought gaily. Had any of the mortals at the school seen Lily running full-out like this, they would have known she was different. The lightness of her feet, the swiftness of her movements, the graceful arch of her neck were all telltale signs that she was anything but what she pretended to be. Lily was tiny for a human, standing only 4’7” and would have been considered slim even for a fairy. Her sharp, pointed features were indicative of her heritage had anyone chosen to look closely enough. Thick black lashes framed her wide, grass green eyes and her small, pointed ears were covered by her curly, shockingly golden hair. As a fairy, Lily had the natural grace of a dancer combined with the speed and deadly accuracy of a warrior. In fact, Lily had been trained as a warrior for the last 75 years, until her mother saw fit to exile her, anyway.

When Lily reached the edge of the forest, she felt the gentle tug at the back of her shirt that could only mean one thing: her wings. Lily savagely ripped the shirt from her body and allowed her beautiful gossamer wings unfurl behind her. It had been so long since Lily had been truly alone that her wings actually ached. Lily allowed her wings to stretch and flutter behind her in hopes of loosening the muscles. As her wings shuddered in delight, Lily craned her neck around to look at her wings. She was amazed to see the sunlight creating swirling patterns that moved fluidly causing the vivid red and pale pink and gold to merge and blend in a kaleidoscope before changing again into something completely different.

Lily had always been teased about her wings. It only took the other fairies her age a few days to realize that her wings were not like theirs. Most fairies don’t have feathers on their wings, but Lily did. Very minute, whispy feathers, but feathers nonetheless. Lily had been called things like, “Harpy,” and, “Vulture,” most of her life and had eventually learned to tune out the taunting voices. When Lily tried to ask her mother where the feathers could have come from, her mother only responded with an icy glare. Lily knew her mother well enough to know that she was not going to give out any information on the subject. Eventually Lily had let the subject drop, but always felt as though there was something different about her, something…other.

The old memories caused Lily’s body to tense. “Ah, by the angels, what is wrong with me today?” she cried aloud. Lily shook the dark feelings off and stepped farther into the clearing choosing to focus on the here and now. The first tentative flutters of her wings sent a thrill down Lily’s spine. In those few movements, her body became lighter and her feet left the hard ground. Lilly laughed, a sound like bells tinkling, and let herself drift upwards. Beneath her, the forest became small. The tops of the trees began to resemble nothing more than patches of grass as Lily soared above them. She laughed again and circled in the air enjoying the roar of the air brushing over her ears.

Lily thought back to that afternoon and felt a pang of regret for how she had treated Tristan. The exhilaration of flying was something that everyone should know, not just fairies. Tristan deserved her support, especially since flying was something that he had wanted to do so badly. Lily made a mental note to apologize to him at breakfast then pushed all mortal thoughts out of her mind. She had reached her destination.

Nestled in a valley between mountains in the Olympic Range, Lake Crescent was enormous. Lily had heard students talk about it with a sense of awe. They would talk of the mirror smooth surface and unknown depths with a sense of revelry. For the humans in this area, Lake Crescent was a font of magical power. Lily could feel that power inundating her body.

From this shore, Lily wasn’t sure where the lake ended and the tall, proud mountains began. Tall evergreens lined either side giving Lily a sense of seclusion and security that she so desperately needed right now. Lily cast a quick glamour over herself, just in case any mortals decided to have a picnic, and dove down to the surface in a graceful spiral.

Her entry didn’t make even so much as a splash. Lily was at one with the water because this was her true home. Lily was a gwragedd annwn, or water fairy. Her mothers’s home was in a lake much like this one, but far from here. Lily was sure there were water fairies in this lake, could feel their presence and power. However, they didn’t deem Lily important enough to seek out and Lily was more than happy to return that favor having never been comfortable with her own kind.

Lily laid back in the water, her wings unfurling beneath her, and closed her eyes. Lily only felt peace in the water and being away too long made her anxious and unhappy. Now that she was back in the water she could see the mistakes she’d made with Tristan and how cruel she had been. “Archangel Ariel, help me be better to Tristan and the other mortals. It’s not their fault I have no patience.”

Lily was so caught up in her happiness that she failed to hear the group of young mortals approaching. A splash in the water near her startled her. Instantly she flew up out of the water before turning to look. The group consisted of several boys from the school. All of them were dressed in swimming clothes. Lily looked down at her naked form and blushed, grateful she’d had the foresight to put a glamour on herself. She hovered there above the water for a long while watching the boys splash in true boy-fashion. It was the laughter of the other two boys sitting on a rock by the shore that caused her to turn. That’s when she saw him.

Angels, but he was beautiful. Lily sucked in her breath when her eyes seemed to meet his, her heartbeat skipping rapidly. Only his were seeing empty air, she realized. It didn’t matter. His brown eyes were matched by his mop of curly brown hair. His russet skin seemed to soak in the sunlight and then release it, lending to him an almost ethereal grace. The manner in which he held himself was lupine but much more fluid. Lily found herself wondering what he looked like in motion.

The sharp angle of his chin led to the sharp planes of his chest where smooth muscle led way to more smooth muscle. He was almost painfully beautiful to look at. Lily also felt more than saw that behind the calm exterior there was a powerful inner core. Yes, this one was definitely powerful, but Lily had never felt this particular brand of power. This being was old, much older than the boyish exterior implied.

In 205 years Lily had never seen another creature, mortal or supernatural, that had made her body react the way it did now. Her heart was strumming and her breathing was ragged. “What the hell is this boy?” Lily wondered to herself. Lily allowed her eyes to skim over the blonde boy sitting beside the gorgeous one and found herself jolted back into reality--he could see her.

She snapped her eyes back to him. The tall, lanky blonde boy was looking right at her, but not with the empty stare that he should have. No, this one could see her. Stunned, Lily held the gaze of his liquid gold eyes until they shifted ever so slightly down in a manner that was meant to remind Lily that she was nude. Lily quickly covered herself with her hands and dove back under the water while cursing herself. “How the hell could a mortal see me?” she questioned no one in particular. “What am I going to do now?” No answer was forthcoming as Lily swam to the other end of the lake and got out.

When Lily got back to her room her roommate was asleep. “Thank Michael for small favors.” Lily quickly dressed and went to bed, however, she did not sleep. Her mind wondered back to the beautiful boy by the lake. “Why haven’t I seen him before?” she asked herself. Lily finally drifted to sleep with an image of the boy burned into her eyes.