Page 19 of Pixie Problems

"As many as you want," he promised. "I'd like the chance for us all to just sit and talk. I can tell you stories about Liam and me when we were younger and dumber, and you can tell us stories about when you were?"

"Like a getting to know each other thing?" I nodded, because that actually sounded pretty good. "Deal."

Bracken's mouth opened as he sat up - and then he laughed. "And now I'm bound. You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Mhm," I agreed, leaning back onto my hands. "I'm learning all about this fae stuff, so I'm practicing with the easy bits. Keir's beenhelping me, you know. He's kinda like the fae explainer. I mean, Aspen tries, but it's not as easy for her."

"It's not," he agreed. "Her ties to Faerie are too close."

"But she's been here since she was little," I countered. "See, that's the part I don't get. I mean, do fae just remember being babies better than humans do or something?"

"No," he assured me even as he pushed to his feet. "The problem is the magic. You see, Keir isn't very strong. Well, he is and he isn't. He has amazing defensive abilities, but they aren't dangerous." He paused to dust off his hands. "Aspen's power can be. So, growing up among humans and accidentally tearing out walls? It completely changed the experiences she went through. Plus, Keir was raised by fae parents who could explain these things to him. Aspen only had memories to guide her. Ones she likely replayed over and over, searing them into her mind." Then he offered me a hand up.

I took it, thinking this made a lot more sense, because trying to go through life blind was basically what I'd done. Trying to do it with magic that could destroy my foster parents' houses? Yeah, I could easily see how hard it would be to deal with. Then, having no one to explain how to stop it? Not fun.

"She doesn't talk about her fosters, you know." I smiled in appreciation for the hand, then moved to start rolling up the mats. "Is that also something I shouldn't ask about?"

"She spent a lot of time in a group home." He bent to help me. "She had a few, and some weren't too bad. Often, the 'new age freak' types do well for our kind. When we find those foster families, Liam tags them and checks in often to see if they have any kids with special abilities. Some call it miracles, some call it ESP, and so on. Doesn't matter how they explain away the powers we use, though. The point is that if we can funnel the faelings to them, then they can have some stability before they're old enough to come here."

"So there's not like a fae middle school?" I asked. "I mean, since the Advanced Placement thing here is the last two years of high school."

"Nope," he said. "Silver Oaks was designed for the age range where our powers can be trained. Most don't even show up until the kids are nearly sixteen. Granted, there are always exceptions to the rule, and the stronger one's power is, the earlier it will manifest. Think of it like fae puberty, in a way. The purpose of this college is to train fae to control that magic. Even the magicless ones need to know how to work around it, and howto fit into our societies without getting hurt because of it." He lifted a brow at me pointedly.

"Gotcha," I said, because I was basically one of those magicless ones.

Or I had been, before shadows started spilling out of me on the Winter Solstice. Still, that magic was Jack's. I had a feeling he could take it away any time he wanted, but I wasn't sure. I needed to ask him, but I kept forgetting. With everything else that kept popping up, I was just impressed I was doing as well as I was!

But Bracken was still explaining. "Ivy and Liam have been working to create a group of foster parents who are faelings. Many are graduates of Silver Oaks. Our hope is more of these kids will become safe havens when they're older. Fae communities to protect fae children as they stumble upon what they are, and ultimately, a way of life for the fae on your world."

I nodded, thinking that was a pretty decent plan, while we set the rolled mats to the side. A glance around showed we were basically done. "But what about going back? I mean, I get the impression a lot of people are hoping for that."

Bracken gestured towards the door, but paused. "Be careful with that," he said. "Rain, a lot of these kids think that if they could just get back to Faerie, they would be real fae. It's true, too. Faelings aren't less powerful there. At least not the ones who've inherited the ability to use magic. However, in their daydreams, a few have convinced themselves that since they use Summer magic, the Mad Queen would welcome them into her court. Instant nobility, and a power boost because of it." Then he reached for his coat.

I grabbed mine, looking back to locate Jack. "But she wouldn't?"

"She would not," he confirmed just as Jack swooped across the room to land on my shoulder. Then Bracken opened the door, gesturing for me to go first. "Granted, no one knows her mind but her, yet the woman is willing to kill children. The whole reason there aren't many who use Winter magic? It's because she killed the entire court. Every noble who'd sworn loyalty to the Winter King was destroyed, Rain. Most of their families too."

"Damn," I breathed.

He nodded. "When I left Faerie, she wasn't close to stopping her slaughter, and she was working her way through the minor nobility, all the way down to the peasants. She wanted to eradicate all Winter power to ensure that she - and only she - was the most powerful thing in the realm."

"Bitch be cray-cray," I muttered.

Caw!Jack agreed.

Together, the pair of us - and Jack - stepped outside into the winter wonderland. I paused as Bracken locked the doors, securing the gym for the night. Out here, it was both dark and white, yet once we stepped away, the trees around us erupted in a cacophony of birds cawing, muffling the sound of snow crunching under our feet.

"Evening, guys!" I called out, and the noise faded.

Bracken chuckled. "We appreciate you watching over us!" he added loudly.

"Is that what they're doing?" I asked.

He dropped his arm over my shoulder. "Mostly, they're watching over you. You see, Jack is their prince, and if they want to impress him, then protecting you and what you care about is a good way to do it."

"Gotcha," I said. "So, is that like what the faelings are doing with Summer magic? Watching over the Mad Queen's interests?"

He murmured as he thought. "I'm not actually sure. I do know that's why Aspen has had such a hard time. Wilder too, if I'm honest - although he hides it better. He also has Torian and Hawke, both of whom can use Winter magic. That means he's not alone in the dorms."