CHAPTER 3: GOODBYES

The next couple of days were a blur of activities and passed way too fast. There were bags to be packed, excuses to be made, and things to be said. Mad didn’t even have time to reflect on everything that had occurred. She, her mom, and her grandma were only focused on arranging everything since she would be gone for the whole term.

After the conversation at Vougan and Elora’s house, Mad went home and began selecting which clothes and items she would take to Nebulus. They both had advised her to pack light since Fae fashion was different from human fashion, and she could get everything she needed there. So Mad was taking basically her most prized personal belongings, like all her favorite books, some personal hygiene items and a few clothes.

Mad spent the rest of the day packing with her mom and her grandma’s help, and after fitting everything into a battered chest and a small saddlebag, she basically passed out from exhaustion. Before sleep claimed her, she thought about how twenty four hours ago everything was still normal, and how fast things had changed.

The next day, Mad had breakfast with her family, and then she and her grandma went to the village’s post office, where they made a show of opening a letter - already sent by Vougan by some magical means - and then pretended to be so surprised and happy they couldn’t keep their voices low:

“Oh Gods, Mad! You did it!” said Mad's grandma in a loud voice.

“I can’t believe it! I passed!” replied Mad in the same tone.

“Oh, wow, your mom is never going to believe it!”

That caught the attention of the village elders who made it their business to spend all day at the post office in hopes of any gossip reaching their ears. One of the elders said:

“Good evening, Milicent and Mad! Good news, hmm?”

“Yes, Sandrah! Mad just got news from a boarding school in the city. She was accepted and will be leaving tomorrow! How nice is that?”

“Oh my! A school in the city, huh? How exciting!” said the old woman.

They stayed at the post office making conversation for a few minutes, and then made excuses to go home, saying that they had to get everything ready for Mad's departure. They made two stops on the way home: the apothecary and the market, and at both places, everyone already knew the gossip.

“It worked, then! Now no one will suspect where you are really going.” Said Mad's grandma, smiling at her.

“Your plan was the best, thank you, gran.” replied Mad, smiling back at her grandma. She would miss her so much. Despite not having anyone but her mom and grandma, Mad had yet to experience true loss, since she never knew her father and couldn't remember her grandfather, who had died when she was barely two years old, so she was incapable of imagining life without someone she loved. Mad hoped it would be years before she had to experience the pain of losing someone.

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Noticing Mad’s suddenly sad expression, her grandma said: “It’s not forever, Maddie. You will go there, learn everything you need to, and then you will come back to us.”

Mad nodded and they went home holding arms and talking about Mad’s future.

When they got home, Mad's mom and Vougan were talking in the living room. By the way Vougan eyed her mom, Mad wondered if there was anything between them. She had never known her mom to have been with anyone except her father, but then again, she had never known her parents were married. Mad made a mental note to ask her mom about Vougan when they were alone.

"It worked. Grandma is quite the actress," said Mad as a way of greeting. They both laughed at that, and her mom said, "Thank the gods! You should go rest now, Mad. We slept late yesterday, and tomorrow you will leave at first light."

"That early? Why?" replied Mad, yawning.

"You will see," was Vougan’s only reply.

Mad hadn’t seen Elora or Boyd since leaving their house yesterday, but Skyler had appeared when she was packing her stuff and offered to help. She declined, insisting she wanted to spend time with her family. He took the hint and left. Vougan had been in her house since breakfast and had informed her that Elora would take her and Skyler to Nebulus, and he and Boyd would remain here for a while in case anyone suspected Mad’s heritage and wanted to hurt her mom or her grandma. Mad cringed at that thought, but he assured her they were safe, it was just a precaution. That made her feel slightly better.

Mad kissed and hugged her mom and her grandma and went to lay down. She planned to just take a quick nap and then get up for a last dinner with her family. However, she only woke up hours later, with her mom softly shaking her and saying, "Mad, it’s time. Elora and Skyler are waiting outside in the carriage."

Mad sat up and took the hot cup of chocolate her mom was offering to her. She drank it in two sips, even though her tongue protested the hotness, and then made to change clothes. Ten minutes later, Mad was at her front porch, holding her family and crying. It was kind of stupid to cry since she knew she would be seeing them in five months, but everything would be different then. She would be different. So Mad cried, not minding that Elora, Vougan, and Skyler were seeing her, and her mom and her grandma cried as well.

The three of them were red-eyed and flushed when they said their final goodbyes, and Mad turned to walk to the road where the carriage waited for her. As she approached the carriage, she saw that Skyler and Elora were already there and wondered who would conduct it. Then she saw the horses. They were the same two white horses she had seen two days ago, except now they seemed healthier and bigger. Both of them boasted sleek, white coats with a glossy sheen, but it was their wings that truly captivated Mad's gaze. Sprawling expansively, they shimmered with the ethereal glow of starlight, as if a thousand or a million stars had fallen from the sky and lodged themselves in their black wings.

"Come inside, Mad," Skyler said. "We already loaded your things."

Mad, still mesmerized by the horses, looked at him and said, "What are they?"

"Mad, meet Luna and Celestia. They are our family's Pegasus."

And with that brief explanation, Skyler took Mad’s hand and guided her into the carriage. She didn’t even have time to think before they were airborne, flying. When she finally regained her composure and remembered to look out of the window, her house had dwindled into a tiny speck in the vast landscape, and she couldn't see her grandma or her mom anymore.