❝You and me, darlin', we're gonna have a whale of a time...❞
Shortly after her sixteenth birthday, Tamsyn James has her first encounter with the Fae - a deadly group of beings from a place called the Otherworld. Not long after finding out she's one...
Things were awkward at the breakfast table. Dad was dressed for work and Margot and I were ready for school, but apart from the food, the table was empty. My family knew damn well I wasn't prone to sleepwalking any more than I was to bank robbing. But no one said a word.
Margot picked idly at her plate, elbows on the table as she rearranged her eggs and sausage. Across the table, dad wasn't any more interested in his own food, his paper lying forgotten on the table. And I was in the middle, with no appetite and no real way to explain what happened last night.
Suddenly, Dad left the table with no warning; Margot and I shared hasty looks. Just how upset was he? I swallowed the lump in my throat. Dad's disappointment was his harshest punishment. Nothing made me feel worse.
Is he so fed up he's leaving?
But in place of jingling keys was the opening and closing of the fridge door, followed by the slow shuffle of Dad's feet across the kitchen tile. He rounded the corner, placing something spectacular in the center of the table.
A birthday cake.
Three layers of vanilla, and white icing applied in Dad's clumsy hand, with the words Happy 16th Birthday, Tamsyn scrawled in messy, pink frosting.
"Dad... You baked." He was an amazing cook, but baking was not a field he was expert in.
He pushed up his glasses, beaming. "Well, I tried. I know it's nothing like your mom's cakes, but I think she'd approve if she were here."
"Speak for yourself." Margot eyed the cake in distaste, as if it had flies and fur.
"Well I think it's nice." I kicked Margot beneath the table as Dad left for the candles and matches. He came back and lit the cake.
"Don't worry, I won't make you suffer through the Happy Birthday Song like when you were a kid." Dad's smiled widened, the candles not nearly as bright as him in this moment. "I just want you to know, Tamsyn, that your mother and I have never once regretted the day we adopted you. And I'm sure if she was here with us right now, she would agree that we all love you--more than anything. Happy birthday, kiddo."
Some kids yearned to be free from their parents. I dreaded the day I lost them both.
"Thank you, Dad. So much. I love you guys, too." I closed my eyes, made a silent wish to be better, and blew out the candles.
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There aren't many places like Harbor Village, the beautiful seaside town where I'd spent most of my life. I loved the Victorian houses in cotton candy colors, the happy gurgle of the giant fountain in the town square, and how the wind carried the smell of the sea. The first half of our walk through town, Margot and I remained silent, observing the orange firestorm happening all around. The trees were shedding their old skins, the leaves turning red, yellow, and orange before fluttering to the ground. Margot used her white high tops to kick them aside ruthlessly, like they were the cause of her suffering.
