The Faerie Curses

Chapter Two: The Return to Winter Academy

I smirked as I soared higher into the clouds. There were tinged with a toxic green hue, but I didn't mind much; flying does that to you. Flying makes you feel invincible. It's a type of magic all on its own.

It felt good to finally stretch my wings, since they had been folded underneath my sweater for the past few hours, and I grinned as they shimmered under the pale moonlight like masses of stars. Faerie wings are a lot like those of a dragonfly's; long and thin so that you can fly fast and swiftly, but obviously, much stronger. My long, pale hair streaked behind me as I gained speed, triumphantly clutching my backpack. That assignment couldn't have been easier. I was almost offended the Winter Academy couldn't give me more of a challenge, but what Yellow Teeth said was bothering me. The corners of my mind kept tugging ceaselessly, and I knew that I needed to tell the headmaster. The sprites don't have a master, they fend for themselves once they're exiled. How do they suddenly have a ruler?

I bit my lip distractedly, deep in thought. Something didn't feel right about all of this.

I shot out from the cloud cover, and I gazed down to see thousands of city lights winking up at me. I squinted, looking for the right place to land, until my eyes rested on a park below. It was abandoned, with just a lonely playground that sat in the warm night, and I took a breath and folded my wings. I dropped like a stone, the earth rushing up to meet me. I could see the trees, the benches, the picnic tables all drawing closer, and at the last minute I threw my wings out again and I stopped, my feet only inches above the ground.

I was able to touch down on the grass easily, which was covered in dew from the moist air.

"What the hell?" A voice exclaimed, and I scowled in irritation. I guess the park wasn't abandoned after all. A homeless man was huddled on one of the benches, his beady eyes fixed on me as his mouth dropped open.

I'd been trained to handle situations like these with the utmost care, but the guy had already seen my wings, so what's the point of wiping his memory with a complicated spell?

"Listen," I told him, "I'm not giving you trouble or anything, I'm just going for a walk. So stay out of my way, okay?"

The homeless man stared at me for a moment longer, trembling.

"What the hell?" he repeated, louder this time, and I sighed.

"Humans are so annoying," I muttered, but before I could knock him out with my backpack, the homeless man crumpled in a dead faint.

"Thanks," I told him, "You just saved me from a lot of unnecessary precautions."

I continued walking, this time being careful that no one was around. The trees swayed in the wind, their branches creaking as I approached the park's public restroom. I crinkled my nose. This night was getting more and more disgusting, but this was a better option than breaking in someplace.

I stepped inside the women's bathroom, and I had to narrowly avoid trampling damp pieces of toilet paper on the floor. It was dark and musty inside, with just a single bare lightbulb offering a bit of light for a moth to flutter around. I passed each of the stalls until I neared the sinks, where a scratched mirror hung on the wall. I tried to ignore the graffiti as I placed my hand on it's surface.

"I am Marissa of Winter Court," I whispered, and the surface of the mirror suddenly rippled like a pool of water.

I watched as my reflection grew distorted, but when the ripples went still, I was no longer looking at myself, but at a palace made of ice. The Winter Academy. It glittered under the thousands of stars above it, and surrounding its walls was white, powdery snow.