Becoming Isabella White

Prologue (Pt. 1)

I play with the hem of my dress, hating how the cotton sticks to my sweaty body. Today was one of the hottest days of the month, the kind of day where the air latches onto your skin like a blanket in the summer, heavy and unwanted. But it's twilight now, so it's finally cool enough to venture outside. A thrill works its way over my body as I cross the threshold and open the door. Will tonight be the night I finally catch a fairy? Hopefully with my white dress and dandelion crown, I'll look enough like a princess that they'll let me talk to them.

It's dark as I make my way into the forest bordering our property, leaves crunching under my feet; silvers of pale moonlight my only guide. A small flash of light catches my attention, but when I get closer I realize it's just a firefly. Using my free hand, I unscrew the lid of my mason jar and catch it. Hopefully I'll be able to collect enough of them before the moon disappears behind clouds and leaves me in the dark.

That was wishful thinking. 30 minutes later, I'm cold, hungry, and ready to return to the warmth of my bed.

"It looks like I'm not going to find any fairies today," I tell my fireflies, watching as they blink on and off. A twig snaps close by as the hairs on the back of my neck rise. I slowly turn around, praying that it's not a bear. Whatever it is is too far away for me to make out its features clearly so I step forward, holding the jar to light the way. It's stupid to walk in the dark towards some unknown life form, but I wanted to know what would chase me if I ran away. The closer I got, the more features I started to make out. Scuffed up sneakers, holey jeans, a plain white shirt, and ... oh, it's a boy. He looks to be about my age. I relax; I'm not going to die today.

"What's your name?" He stares at me and I stare back. Upon closer inspection, I realize how sad he looks. His cheeks are sunken in, and his brown eyes seem haunted. Pity fills me. My mommy always says that the best way to make someone feel better is by giving them a hug, so I step forward and wrap my arms around him, hoping that it'll make him happy again. He stiffens when at my touch, but he slowly relaxes, and after a few seconds, he even hugs me back.

We stay like this for a while before I finally pull away. "What's your name?"

He draws a circle with his right foot before looking up at me. "It's Asher."

I crinkle my nose, "Asher? That's a weird name." He laughs and I smile, happy that I made him happy. "I think I'm going to call you Puck, like in the fairy book Mommy reads me. When I first saw you, I thought you were a boy fairy, and Puck's a boy fairy, so you can be Puck."

He frowns, "But I'm not a boy fairy."

"Oh, I know, I can just pretend that you're a fairy because I've never seen any in real life. That's what I was doing tonight; looking for fairies. So if I ever find a real boy fairy, I'm gonna call him Puck, and you can go back to being Asher."

He nods, happy with my logic. "Okay. Do you want me to help you look for fairies?"

I glance up at the bright moon, "No, not tonight. I need to go back home before Mommy gets scared." He frowns and I frown along with him, "What's wrong?"

"I don't have a Mommy."

" Oh. Why not?"

"She's dead."

"Really? I would cry a lot if my mommy ever died. She's the best mommy in the entire world. Oh, I know! You can come home with me and we can share my mommy."

He sighs and shakes his head. "No, I can't. My daddy won't let me."

Right. I forgot that people have daddies. "I don't have a daddy. Mami divorced him when I was a baby. Maybe my mommy can marry your daddy and you can become my brother!"

He smiles shyly, "I would like that."

"Me too." We stare up at the stars until I hear Mommy calling my name. I turn towards Puck, "I have to go, but we should meet back here tomorrow!"

"Okay!"

I wave before turning around and running back towards the house. When I reach the clearing, I run straight into Mommy and she pulls me into a hug. "Did you find any fairies tonight?"

I start to shake my head, but I stop when I remember Puck. "No, but Mommy I met a boy!"

"A boy? He must be the new neighbor's son."

"Yeah, his name is Puck!"

She chuckles lightly, "Oh really? Is that his real name or did you decide to call him that?"

"Oh I named him Puck. His real name is Asher, but I didn't like it, so Puck seems like a better fit."

She tucks a piece of hair behind my ear, "Well, I'm glad that you made a new friend. C'mon let's get you back inside the house." I take her hand and we walk inside. Mommy fixes me some dinner, and I scarf it down. After my bath, she comes into my room to read me a story.

"What do you want to read tonight?"

I roll my eyes. "Is that even a question? The fairy book of course." She chuckles and pulls the old hardcover off of the shelf.

I lean back against the pillow and close my eyes as she starts reading. "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind ..."