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ten

Betty absorbed every word I said. We were both leaning against the tree that blocked our view of the street and my house because I’d needed a moment to just not see anything at all. A moment to gather myself.

She had her eyes cast downward, and she was lost deep in thought for a little while.

“So, the prick finally makes himself known,” she then said. “The fucker. Does he even know what these people have been doing to you all these years? Honestly, I think I want to go with so I can smack him upside the head—he’s a fucking prick.”

My best friend.

“Are you serious right now? I just told you he’s sick, almost dying.” I’d told her this—I’d told her everything. There were no secrets between Betty and me, except for the really, really dark ones I never dared to even reveal to my own self.

“Yes, well, he should have thought about coming to talk to you before he got sick, don’t you think?”

My mouth opened and closed a couple times, but I legit had no idea what to tell her.

I mean, we were here, talking about fae and another realm and a life-binding, and she didn’t question any of it for a second. Instead, she was pissed off that the guy hadn’t come here before.

Suddenly my heart broke a little. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?”

She ignored me, naturally.

“But wait, wait, hold on a minute. So, you’re just going to go there and heal the guy—and then what? What’s in it for you?”

“I’m alive , in case you missed it. Because of that guy.”

“Wait, wait,” she said, her lips stretching. “Are you going to marry him when he wakes up? Because I’m kind of picturing a reverse Sleeping Beauty situation here. Is he gonna, like, propose to you right away?” She grabbed me by the shoulders. “Are you going to be a princess, Nilah? Because I’m telling you right now that I am your maid of honor.”

I rolled my eyes. “I am not going to be a princess, for fuck’s sake.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not going to get married— I’m going to heal him of a disease!” That we were even talking about this was ridiculous.

“But after you heal him and he proposes?”

“He’s not going to propose.”

“But if he does?”

“I’ll say no .” Her mouth opened but I didn’t even let her. “Because I’m eighteen, and I don’t know him. There. ” It had to be said; otherwise, she’d have never left it alone.

Betty thought about it for a moment. “Okay, yes, fair points. But what will you be getting out of it? Seriously—how much?”

“ Nothing! He healed me first!”

She waved me off. “He’s a prince, Nilah. He’s loaded. When you do heal him or whatever, you’re going to demand he bring you back here with loads and loads of riches. We’ll take gold and diamonds and anything precious.”

“You’re fucked up in the head,” I said.

“No—I’m a smart businesswoman. This is an incredible business opportunity that is going to set us both up for life. We’re going to be billionaires and live on yachts and stuff.” She grabbed me by the shirt this time and pulled me closer until our noses touched. “Demand riches. ”

I rolled my eyes. “Sure, Bet. Sure. I’ll demand riches from people who can do actual magic .”

“Good, good,” she said. “And as soon as you get there, you find an insurance company first.”

That stopped me for a second. “What do I need an insurance company for?”

“To insure that ass.” She leaned forward and slapped me hard on my ass.

My blood came near a boiling point, and it was a damn miracle I didn’t scream. “ For fuck’s sake! ” I hissed instead.

“I’m serious. J.Lo did it. It’s a thing,” she said. “Just don’t argue with me and do it.” Yes, her face was straight as she said this. Meanwhile, I was still fuming from the ears. “And, also, when shit gets tough and you don’t know what to do or whatever, you ask yourself WWBD? And, no, BD does not stand for big dick, you dirty slut. It stands for What Would Betty Do. ” Again, she leaned in closer. “ Raise hell. That’s the answer. That’s always the answer.”

“Wow. I’d have never guessed,” I deadpanned.

“Just don’t take it lying down is all I’m saying.”

“I am not going to take anything in any kind of way. I’m going with them to the prince, and then they’re going to bring me back. Eight days,” I reminded her. “Eight days and I’m coming back.”

She nodded. “Eight days. It’s not that long.”

“Exactly,” I said. “And I need you to watch out for her, Betty. Not by getting in trouble or by getting her into more trouble—but just make sure nobody touches her, okay? Take care of Fi.” She was the only person in the world I would trust with that.

“Of course, I will,” Betty said. “That doesn’t need saying. And you’ll be back in no time— with riches . We’ll be just fine.”

I grabbed her in a tight hug and held her there for a moment. She didn’t like hugs all that much, but she would deal with it.

“Eight days,” she whispered in my ear.

“Eight days.” We pulled apart, and she wasn’t crying, and I loved her for it. If she were, I’d have been a mess by now. “I’ll be back in a blink.”

“Good. Write down everything that happens because I want details, okay?”

“You got it.”

Together, we made to go back to my house, and there was something about knowing that I was about to leave.

Leave for another realm, that is, because I doubted I’d have felt like this if I had stuck to my plan to fly to New York City.

And I wondered what would have happened if I’d left before these men found me—but when I saw the front of my house and the lights burning in the darkness, my mind was wiped clean.

“Holy fuckity-fuck-fuck,” Betty said, and we both stopped on the sidewalk, just as her mother opened the door and came out on her porch.

A lot of the neighbors had their doors open, and many were even coming closer to my house to see the man standing in the driveway, waving his glowing hands around as butterflies made of golden light flew around him, leaving behind a trail of golden glitter.

“Magic,” I whispered because that’s what the hands of that boy had looked like, too. It was magic, like melted gold that was stuck between liquid and gas, and it could make things that weren’t there.

“Come on!” Betty grabbed my hand and dragged me across the street where the butterflies now flew higher, and the people, about twenty of our neighbors, watched in awe. The guards remained in front of him, and Dad and Fi were behind the uncle.

“Sorry about throwing my shoe at you, handsome,” Betty said as she walked between the guards, but the guy didn’t even turn his head. “Holy shit, Nil, they’re hot !”

They were, but that wasn’t important right now.

“What are you doing?” I asked the uncle, and the golden light coming from his butterflies fluttering in the air about him made him look even more like a dream.

“I asked him to show them,” Fiona said, stepping away from Dad’s side. “I asked him to show the people that you were always telling the truth.”

“It’s no bother. Magic is a wonderful thing. All beings should witness it at least once in their lives—even mortals,” the uncle said.

Even mortals.

The boy had called me that, too, all those years ago. Something about that word that I didn’t like.

“It’s not working,” Betty said, and I turned to find her with her phone in her hands. “My camera’s not working!”

“Oh, your technology can’t pick up magic yet,” the man said. “Only the eyes are sophisticated enough.”

I realized others were trying to get their phones to work, too—Mr. and Mrs. Adams from the house next to ours, and the Jenkins from farther down the street, and all six kids of the Anthony family three houses down from Betty’s.

“That’s enough,” I said, feeling strange as hell now. “That’s…that’s enough.”

“They’ll know now,” Fiona said as she came closer to us. “Everyone will know.”

“Aren’t you a smart little bugger,” said Betty, rubbing the top of her head like she was a kid. “Well done, Fi. Well done.”

Fiona beamed.

“Of course,” the uncle said and fisted both hands. In the same instant all those golden butterflies disappeared into thin air.

The people whispered, and some were even calling my name—my actual name, not cuckoo— but I ignored them.

“I’m afraid we must get going now.” He looked at me. “Are you ready, Nilah Dune?”

I wanted to say yes, but a voice in my head insisted that I wasn’t. Not even close.

Still, I nodded. “Let me grab my bag.”

I’d only taken my school backpack with essentials. It felt weird to not pack my charger or at least my phone. All I took was a change of clothes, a few pairs of underwear, some makeup items, and my toothbrush.

Just eight days. I wouldn’t need more than that.

Together, we all went to the back of the house, and the entrance of the forest marked by this large oak tree that my mom had adored.

Betty hugged me—of her own free will—reminded me to find the insurance company as soon as I got there and reassured me that Fiona would be okay.

Fiona hugged me, too, and she smiled brightly, as excited as before. “You’re going to do great!” she told me, and she really believed it.

But when Dad whispered in my ear, “ I’m sorry, pup,” it became so difficult to breathe and my instincts demanded that I start running already, to get away from this feeling.

So damn heavy.

He didn’t see the tears pooling in my eyes, though, because it was dark where the streetlamps didn’t reach. The uncle shook his hand and promised him that he would bring me back as soon as he could, and then we were on our way.

Together with six men who were actual fae, I went into the forest while my family stood there and waved at me, shocked and happy and sad and everything at the same time—just like I was.

The deeper into the darkness I went, the heavier my limbs became. Fear gripped me by the neck, and I had to remind myself exactly what I was doing this for, replay that memory of the meadow in my mind as many times as I needed.

That boy had saved me, and now it was my turn—as simple as that.

I was going to be just fine.