Shade swallowed her tears and sighed. There was no turning back now. She nodded at the warrior and swung her pack over her shoulder. Running her fingers through her rat’s nest of hair, she wished that she had had her brush with her, especially since she was in the presence of such a cute guy. She straightened up and followed Soap out the door.

Ilarial waved a farewell and turned away.

The walk down the corridor seemed endless. Neither of them spoke but they moved briskly on the stone floors. They soon passed the great hall, now abandoned and silent. Soap was in the lead as they continued on to the roots of the tree, where the entrance laid just beyond. Soap paused and called out the same words Jack had spoken to open the stairway. “Endora, philis montie!” He exclaimed. The roots shook and dirt sprayed around from them. The great stone staircase emerged from the dirt walls and came together in a massive spiral. The dawn’s light streamed in through the opening and stone steps sparkled in the sunlight.

“Wow,” Shade stepped forward in awe. These steps were unlike anything she had ever seen before.

Soap grinned at her comment. “It is said, that the steps were made out of crushed diamonds and stone more than a millennium ago. Nothing else can compare to such a brilliant entrance. Our queen boasts, that this is the most amazing underground palace this side of the country.” He took the steps two at a time. He looked as if he was floating like a feather for he moved so swiftly, it appeared as if he was evaporating through the ceiling as he climbed the stairs. Shade struggled to keep up but finally she cleared the opening. The morning air was thick with mist; all the leaves and flowers were brilliant with dew, glistening like rainbows. The air was fresh and clean out here in the deep forest. She watched the gravel and rock swallow the staircase until nothing was shown on the forest floor but dirt and plants. Must be closed by magic…She turned and saw Soap waiting patiently.

He picked a brilliant purple flower from a bush and smiled. “Here is a true beauty, so rare to find in the mornings, these mostly bloom at night.” He handed the flower to her and bowed. “A beauty, for a beauty.” His long brown hair swept forward and swayed in the breeze, gold highlights shone in the sun and made his hair a brilliant honey brown. It was lush and loose today.

Shade smiled, blushing pink, taking the flower and sniffing its wild aroma. “It smells amazing! I’ve never smelled anything like it.” She looked up at the young man, with her eyes wide open. She felt different, like a calm ocean had swept her away, and she was now floating gently. Her vision swayed for a moment as she shook it off, thinking it was just fatigue. These feelings were new to her and she didn’t know what to do with them.

“Night-wind tiger lily, it has a calming, sleepy effect but only when you smell it. It goes away almost immediately, but it helps calm the nerves. Good to have on hand if you suffer from insomnia, stuffing a few these petals in your pillow keeps you almost sedated. Not an effect you want to have right now, but it will relax you.” He winked and turned, his long hair swaying in the breeze. He walked through the shrubs; he moved gingery and skillfully as only a trained soldier could. Shade followed him almost as if she were in a trance. This world was absolutely amazing so far. She hoped that whatever was out there would be just as thrilling and not terrifying.

They walked swiftly, dodging bushes and ducking under branches. The woods were brimming with life, with birds chirping, squirrels racing by. The Deer glanced at them as they walked past. Insects buzzed by, they seemed intent on some unknown errands. Shade felt the life around her and it was like warm sunshine, spilling on her like never before. She wondered about that, why did the world seem so different this morning? She didn’t think anything had changed all that much. Maybe this was how the land of Faerie was all the time. She wondered why she hadn’t stumbled upon it before in her life. Maybe it’s because I avoid the outdoors like a plague.

She observed Soap. He was graceful, dodging things easily and maneuvering around like he was dancing. His body seemed to float around obstacles and trees like a flowing stream of air, rustling by. She wondered again if he was wearing glamour at all. “Soap?”

“Yes, my lady,” he said as he paused, and looked over his shoulder at her, while winking one of his gleaming green eyes.

“I was just wondering, why you didn’t remove any glamour before? Like most everyone else, do you wear any? Like Jack? Ilarial said you were part Teleen like him. Wouldn’t you have to wear glamour, like, to not electrocute things?” She pushed a branch back and let it snap back with a crack, while she fired her questions at him.

Soap slowed and came to a stop, turning slowly towards her and stared intently. “Shade, I am part of what Jack is, I am also a shape shifter, I don’t need glamour to look human. This is me. The way I am. I can shift and look full Teleen like Jack if I wish, or I could change into a bird, lion, wolf, another person or fairy, anything, even...” He paused; he had been moving closer to her while he spoke and now stood very close as he faced her. He bent down slightly, so that if either one of them stepped forward, they would bump faces. “I could even change myself to look like other people, other men or women. Anyone you could think of or want me to be.” She could feel his warmth radiating across the air and over her skin. It was warm and rippling. Her breath was caught in her throat with him so near. He smiled. “Do you want to see?” His eyes widened with a sense of mischief dancing around in them.

She nodded, hoping she wouldn’t regret that decision. In a flash, the lines around him blurred like a steamy window. Now before her stood a pale young man with jet-black spiky hair, and fair skin. Gleaming blue eyes stared back at her. He was built just like Soap but slightly shorter, and thinner, yet still taller than her. Their eyes were almost level and he stepped even closer, one hand reaching up and stroking her face. Shade felt her heart thud in her chest.

“I could look like anyone you can dream of. Anyone you could ever want to see.” His lips were mere centimeters from hers. She stepped back, feeling enthralled and woozy. What was going on here?

Soap lowered his hand, still not changing back. He glowed. “I can use enchantments on anyone, so they will forget who they are or even what they’re doing. You stepped away, why is that? I don’t seem to have absolute power over you, Shade. That’s, very strange.” He continued to look at her, frowning but studying her intensely. Curiosity gleamed in his changed blue eyes.

“Could you change back Soap, you’re scaring me.” She tilted her head staring at him. “What did you do to me exactly?” she asked with her eyes widening.

Soap smiled and just as quickly, he blurred right back into himself. His long brown hair and green-gemmed eyes glinted at her. “Pardon, my lady, I meant no harm. I will not do that again, but you can see that my magic could be quite useful. Most fey and human alike cannot resist my charm. You on the other hand…” He tilted his head, confused. “It barely touched you; it’s as if you’re immune to it or something, amazing. Oh well, can’t have everything right?” He smiled again and turned back, he continued on his way like nothing had happened. Shade took a deep breath and followed, she was slightly enraged by his admittance of using magic on her.

The forest seemed to stretch out for miles; twigs and leaves crunched under their feet, snapping and crackling as they walked. The noise seemed louder in the vastness of the woods and in the quiet of the morning. She kept her eyes on the forest floor, but she glanced up every so often to watch Soap’s long brown hair swinging in the cool breeze. He had tied it back with a leather string, matching the color of his hair. She wondered who he was, and why he was coming on this journey with her. She supposed it might be for her protection. Her mind continued to race with questions. Why was he alone as a child in this desolate forest? He could have been killed, eaten alive by an animal. She looked at the thick shrubbery around her, and shivered at the thought.

Finally they reached the forest’s edge and could hear traffic in the distance. For a brief moment Shade had almost forgotten about the reality of her world. She had been so mesmerized by Soap’s magic, charms and Faerie itself. The road was not far from the woods, and soon they were walking in the direction of her house. She wondered if her mother had already left, and she secretly wished that she might run into her anyway, just to say hello, and maybe she could get a warm hug and kiss goodbye. The little things she would miss overwhelmed her. What if she didn’t come back? When they both reached her house, they paused.

Shade stared at the worn down exterior, made of bricks and old siding that happened to be partially dry rotted. The house was old but comfy; the rust red exterior bricks were rough with age. Weeds clung to the base of the house, and toys and balls were carelessly tossed across the yard. She smiled, her little brothers and sister were loved dearly, but they were also spoiled rotten.

Shade knew how hard their mother worked, now that she was a single mom. Somehow, there was never a lack of love going around. Sometimes she did get a little absent minded, with so much going on between all of them, forgetfulness was forgivable. She was pretty sure her mother was gone. The minivan was not parked in driveway and there were no crazy little kid screams filling the house, like usual. The place seemed quite silent. It was almost eerie. Shade shook away her disappointment and started for the door. Soap followed closely.

She jingled her keys out of her pocket and turned the knob. No one came running to greet her, when she opened the door the house was still. It felt strange not to hear the usual noises echoing through rooms. She sighed and headed in, closing the door behind them. She turned towards Soap and nodded. “If it’s ok, I’ll gather my stuff. See if you can find any canned non-perishable food we can take. I’d like to take a quick shower.” She added.

He gave her a deep nod and smiled that iridescent smile of his. Gleaming white teeth flashed her for a second.

Shade smiled back nervously and turned, and raced up the stairs. Her room looked pretty much the same, because being the oldest, she and her little sister did not share a room. It was nice that her mother agreed with her that she needed her own space. Her mom asked a lot of her throughout the day and it was nice to have some privacy at night. Of course that meant Anna, her little sister, had her own room too. Shade smiled, taking in the loveliness of the room. The quilt on her bed had pink and red patches in it. The walls of her room were a light shade of rose. There were also various shades of pink and purple items scattered throughout the room. She loved to decorate and had tons of girlie stuff all around. Most of her things she had obtained from thrift stores, from people at church or from friends who had given them to her. Everything was a treasure to her.

She sighed, as she opened her drawers and began rummaging through the clothes, stuffing some in her backpack. She riffled through her closet; found and grabbed a pair of hiking shoes. After Shade finished throwing in some towels, a pillow, and a few blankets into the backpack she noticed a picture frame on her nightstand. All of her family was in it; it had been taken at the park on a sunny spring day. All of their faces were gleaming with laughter and flashing smiles that showcased their white teeth.

Shade picked up the little frame, feeling her eyes burning with tears. How she missed them already and it was just yesterday that she last saw them. She held back a sob and stuffed the picture into the pack as well. She reached over to hook up her cell phone for a quick charge while she finished packing. She then began getting things ready for the day ahead. She pulled a clean outfit out of her closet and laid that on her bed, clean undies, bra and socks were also tossed by the outfit. She peered in her dresser mirror; her hair was lying in tangled waves, glistening in the morning sun that streamed in from the windows. What a disheveled mess! She sighed and looked around once more, now… for that shower!

She finished quickly, tossing her toothbrush, toothpaste, body wash and sponge into a Ziploc bag, to stuff in her backpack. She ran her brush through the tangles of hair and groaned at the knots. She finally got them out and the brush went into her backpack too. She loved Ilarial’s spell, no need to worry about packing light with that! She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, it was still sopping wet from the shower. All set except for the water and food downstairs. She listened for a moment for Soap but he was mighty silent for cleaning out the cupboards. She shrugged and left the bathroom and went down the stairs.

Soap was standing by the kitchen window that looked out at the side yard including the front yard. He didn’t seem to notice her coming in. She paused and watched him. He seemed so serene. She wondered how old he really was and how he could pass for a senior in high school, just like her. She smiled at the thought of Soap in gym shorts and shirt, not really a fitting look for him.

He was staring at her when she came out of her thoughts. “What are you smiling at? Do I have breakfast stuck to my face?” He looked at her, furrowing his eyebrows, baffled.

Shade laughed and shook her head. “No silly, I was just thinking about how you would totally not fit in at school, you don’t really look like a human teenage boy. How old are you anyway?” She glanced down at the pile of cans and water bottles on the floor, piled neatly in the middle of the kitchen. She bent down and began shoving them into her pack.

“I am about twenty in human years, approximately. That’s about one hundred-twenty in fey years; that is if you go from me being six years old when I was found. Anyway, that was what they guessed me to be. Who knows really, I don’t remember anything before that.” He bent down to help her with the food. His long ponytail hung over his face as he kneeled over the pile.

“Wow, so you could be older or younger huh?”

He nodded, not looking up. They finished and stood. “Can you think of anything else?”