Spellbinders Secret

Perfect Matches

The following morning I woke up late. Really late. But I didn't care, because the best thing about last night, was that I didn't have any nightmares, not one. My eyes flutter open to golden sunlight flowing in from my wide windows. It takes me a little while to remember what happened, and I can't say that I was all that ready to forget about Princess Cynthia. Oh no, this wasn't over by a long shot. I got up to get dressed and think about my revenge in the shower, when an arm that was previously wrapped around my waist, drew me closer to Callum's sleeping form. He held me protectively, refusing to let my go, no matter how many times I gently tried to pry his arms away. Well, there was only one thing left to do.

"Callum!" I scream in his ear. "Wake up!" Callum's body jerks upward suddenly, taking me with him.

"What the- oh. Morning Ella," he says groggily. I smile at him as he scratches his head thoughtfully. "Why'd you wake me up?" he asks tiredly. I look at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Because you refused to let me go," I explain, pointing at his tight hold on me. Callum blushes and bites his lip guiltily.

"Oh, uh.... Sorry. I was having a dream..."

"About?" I prompt. His cheeks go from pink to red.

"Uh, stuff. Stuff that's really, really embarrassing to talk about, especially to a girl..." he mutters. Now it's my turn to be embarrassed. I avert my eyes and decide that the sheets are suddenly very fascinating.

"Yeah, um, ok," is all I manage to mumble stupidly.

Abruptly, my door bursts open and the King and Queen step in. They look incredibly worried, but when they see Callum, their faces morph from expressions of worry to that of curiosity. And then I realise how this must look. My mind starts working, trying to figure out what to say, and how to explain this rather unusual situation, but Callum beats me to it.

"Mum, Dad, I know what you're thinking, but that's not it," Callum says quickly. I glance at him, thinking 'here we go, lets confess to everyone how pathetic I am'. Boy was I wrong.

"I had a nightmare, I've been having them since Stephan tried to kill me, so I came in and slept with Ella," he explains casually. The King raises a skeptical eyebrow and turns his gaze to me.

"Is this true, Ella?" He asks. Eagerly, I nod, and the King and Queen relax. "Good, here I was thinking you'd tried to Claim each other," the King chuckled. I laugh, mostly out of relief, but also partly because its so ridiculous. Yeah, Callum and I being a Match? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard.

"What's that mean?" Callum asks, confused. I stare at him. The King and Queen shuffle uncomfortably. They seriously haven't given him the talk?

"Uh... son. Claiming has to do with Matches. Matches are a perfect couple- they're meant to be. And when a Match... well, you know, there's a special spell that binds them together," the King explains awkwardly. Callum looks at him with wide eyes.

"What does it feel like when you meet your match? Do you know?" Callum wonders aloud. The Queen considers his question.

"Yes... and no. You feel comfortable when you first meet them, and then you feel attracted to them," the Queen replies. "Then, you feel the need to keep them safe, and to trust them with your deepest secrets. It's love, true love, basically," The Queen says shrugging.

"Oh," Callum mutters.

"Anyway-"

"Callum! Oh thank the Moon, I found you!" a girly voice squeals from the doorway. Cynthia. Anger bubbles inside me, like a volcano threatening to explode. Her words from last night still ring in my ears. She runs towards Callum, who puts his hand up, halting her.

"Thanks for your concern, Princess Cynthia, and as pleasant as it was knowing you," his voice becomes cold and harsh. "I think it's time you were on your way, as there are no eligible men here."

Cynthia's mouth drops, and I can't help but smile triumphantly. I honestly want to jump up and say 'take that, Princess from hell!' but I don't, because that's undignified. I watch as she tries to convince Callum that he's making a mistake, but Callum refuses to let her weasel her way in. Satisfied, I watch the wicked witch of the west jump on her broom and leave.

***

"Thanks for that, lying to you parents, I mean," I say awkwardly. Callum looks up from his text book, a small smile on his face.

"No problem, I know you don't like talking about your problems. It took you long enough to open up to me, I didn't want to betray your trust," he admits, one hand running through his messy hair. I can't help but look at him affectionately, and admittedly, he is cute when he does that.

"You should really brush that sometime," I chastise, trying to ignore my strange thoughts. He grins and shakes his head.

"Because the way you do your hair is a stunning example to us all," Callum retorts, pointing at my messy black mop. I roll my eyes and bury my nose in a book of my own. A book about Moon Fairies. Callum glances at it curiously, and then looks at me, as though he's just remembered something. "Hey! The full moon's tomorrow night!" He exclaims excitedly. I tear my gaze away from my book and glare at him. Instantly, his enthusiasm vanishes. "Uh, sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just thought about... spending the night with you." Abruptly, I sit a little straighter in my chair. I'd forgotten all about his offer to spend the full moon with me. Suddenly, an irrational fear filled me, and my mind came up with a thousand bad scenarios. What if he thought that I was a freak? That I shouldn't exist? What if he regretted spending his time with me? I mean, I know he's a Sun Wizard and all, but still... the Moon Fay are the top dogs. You here stories about people who've tried to kill one of them off. Stories that end with 'and they were never seen or heard from again.' Yeah, they may be the good guys, but that doesn't mean they're not scary as hell.

"Yeah, I remember, do you still want too?" I ask casually. Callum stares at me like I'm stupid.

"Are you kidding me? Of course I do!" He sounds so excited. "It'll be so cool. I've never seen a Moon Fairy in their true form before," Callum continues. For some reason, I feel dissapointed. He's joining me as a friend and out of curiosity and nothing more. But that's OK, right? It's not like I expected him to be there for any other reason. No, of course not, that's ridiculous.