Abigail

Cora is fast asleep on the mat, but I cannot rest. The ball of light has been hovering between my palms for hours. I can change its size, and if I clench my fingers hard enough, the light gets brighter. When I relax my hands, the light dims.

I spend most of the night playing with the mysterious fiery orb. It doesn’t burn me. Its warmth is comforting.

I stare into the light. The orb rotates slowly, with different shades of pink casting shadows over the room. I do not understand what is happening - how this is possible.

I wish my mother were here. She would have answers. And if she didn’t, she would find them.

Cora doesn’t know my pain because she doesn’t remember our mother. I will never forget her gentle touch. I am all Cora has now - so I will give her everything our mother gave to me. No matter the cost.

I lose focus for a moment, lost in thoughts of my mother. But something in the orb shifts and snaps me back to the present. I gasp.

“Cora!” I whisper-yell.

She stirs, but her eyes stay shut.

“Cora, wake up,” I urge, “Look at what it’s doing!”

Cora’s eyes flutter open, and then they are wide as she takes in the pink fire. It is no longer an orb - it has transformed into something new.

“It’s a bird,” Cora breathes as she moves closer to it.

I nod, watching as the small light-bird flaps its fiery wings between my palms. I spread my hands apart and it gets bigger.

The bird the size of a crow, and our drab, small room is brighter than it has ever been in my entire life. No amount of sunlight pouring through the single window could compare to this.

I spread my hands even further still until - it seems - the fire-bird gets a mind of its own. He takes off and the warmth between my hands dies instantly. Cora and I watch him fly around the room in wonder. He is alive for only moments, before the light fades into nothing, and only ashes are left scattered amongst the floor.

Quinn

I woke up to 5 missed texts and 3 missed calls from Elaina and Kylee. My anger towards Kylee was short-lived, and I was already ready to move past the spat when I read her first message.

Quinn, I’m so so sorry - I shouldn’t have been such an ass.

And then: Please let me know when you wake up. Elaina is worried that you disappeared last night.

And finally: Girl it’s noon! Answer

I also had a text from Elaina making sure I was alright.

But I think the highlight of my morning - well, afternoon - was the text from Jamie that simply read We good? I would definitely not be replying to that.

I put Elaina and Kylee in a group chat asking to meet up at the local park. None of our houses were exactly hang-out friendly, what with the drunkards and the small-children.

I rolled out of bed and brushed the alcohol taste from my teeth. I was still wearing the crop top and jeans from the night before, so I peeled them off and put on sweatpants and a sweatshirt - my M.O. My dad was nowhere to be found when I came out of my bedroom, but at least I’d seen him the night before. Or at least, I thought I saw him the night before. Everything was murky, so I don’t really remember actually going to sleep.

Kylee and Elaina were already at the park waiting for me. Elaina skipped forward to give me a rough hug, but Kylee held back. We made eye contact and she approached me slowly.

“I’m sorry dude,” she said, and I knew she meant it.

“It’s fine. My dad sucks, it’s no secret,” I shrugged.

“Yeah but… I didn’t have to say it. I’m sorry.”

“Forgiven,” I said, offering her a smile.

There was an awkward silence and then I remembered why we were even fighting in the first place.

“So did either of you end up getting questioned by the police?” I asked awkwardly.

“You didn’t hear!?” Elain said, her face lighting up with excitement.

I looked at her curiously. I hadn’t exactly flipped open the newspaper when I’d gotten home from school the previous day. After ransacking the house for any liquor for Jamie’s party, I gave up and hit the corner store. After that, it’s all a blur.

“The prince woke up!” she exclaimed. Kylee huffed in annoyance next to her.

“What prince?” I asked.

“The stone prince! The one you kissed!”

I looked at Kylee for confirmation who just shook her head.

“The statue went missing. That’s why the cops were at the house. Some people are apparently claiming that he ‘woke up,’” she explained curtly, using air quotes around the last part.

“The owners of the statue are claiming he woke up! And the very same night you kissed him!” said Elaina, “There has to be something to it, don’t you think Quinn?”

“Er… I don’t know Elaina.”

I didn’t want to crush her excitement, but she was starting to sound a bit manic.

“You have to come forward Quinn! Tell the Ellroy family that it was you who kissed him,” she pressed.

“But I - Elaina you saw the statue with your own eyes. It was a rock before I kissed it, and it was a rock afterwards.”

“But… but maybe it happened later! Maybe it’s a long process,” Elaina said hopefully.

I took a deep breath, not wanting to say the wrong thing. Elaina was fragile, more fragile than Kylee or me. When she had her heart set on something, it was difficult to say no. Her large brown eyes were wide with wonder and excitement.

“I- maybe you’re right,” I offered.

“Quinn!” Kylee said in protest.

“I-I don’t know! I just think we should wait and see what happens. Let the police investigate or- or let the family give more information. I don’t want to butt in on their business. And I especially don’t want to admit to trespassing on their property in case the statue was, in fact, stolen.”

Both of them were quiet for a minute, but then Elaina nodded. “Okay, you’re right. We’ll lay low for now.”

*****

Word about the prince’s apparent awakening spread like wildfire over the weekend. The west side was divided between the believers and the non-believers, the dreamers and the cynics. I wanted to believe the logical side - the statue had been stolen, or destroyed, or encountered some sort of isolated natural disaster that led to its disappearance. Unfortunately, the very owners of the statue sent word that the prince had awoken by some sort of spell, and that they were searching for the secret kisser. And everyone who believed seemed to have their own theory about who the mystery kisser might be.

The east side’s given nickname The Kingdom wasn’t entirely inaccurate. The inhabitants of the wealthy side at one point in history had in fact ruled the land as a monarchy. There was a king and a queen that oversaw all of Fairview (both east and west) and the surrounding towns. According to the town gossip, many of the people still living in The Kingdom were distantly related to the monarchy. But it had fallen hundreds of years ago, and therefore held no standing in our country. Despite this, westside inhabitants began predicting that - with the prince’s reawakening - the politics of the region might begin to change. Furthermore, it was rumored that the girl who kissed the prince was from the West Side.

The cynics, on the other hand, started scanning the neighborhood for suspicious footprints and studying recent police reports. Some even accused the Ellery family of committing insurance fraud, furthering their claims that all rich people were evil, money grabbing monsters. But the Ellery’s stayed true to their word in interviews and speeches.

“We are so happy that the prince has returned to us,” announced Mrs. Ellery, standing in front of her mansion and surrounded by news cameras, “And we will not stop until we find the wonderful girl who saved his soul.”

Although the prince had yet to make an appearance, he was the talk of the school. Everyone, especially the girls, had a theory.

“I kissed him over the summer for my 18th birthday - maybe it takes a few months to sink in,” Kerry Sarrunds claimed loudly to her friends at her locker.

“You mean you’re really not going to say anything?” Elaina whispered, “I mean… we were the only ones there that night. It had to be you!”

“Someone could have come afterwards,” I said, looking around to make sure no one heard the discussion as we walked to History. It was the only class I had with both Elaina and Kylee. Elaina huffed in annoyance, but I wasn’t in the mood to bicker with her.

“You aren’t even a little excited?” she asked.

I sighed, “Elaina… as nice as it sounds… I just think the town is fussing over nothing. The statue will turn up sooner or later and all of this will be like it never happened. I don’t want to get myself involved.”

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It was the truth - I hated the idea of people talking about me. If I could get through high school drawing as little attention to myself as possible, my goal would be fulfilled. For the first time this year, I was actually excited to go to class because at least it meant Elaina and everyone else might shut the hell up about the stupid legend. I sunk down in my chair, waiting for Mr. Tanner to begin his lecture. Elaina sat on one side of me, and Kylee joined a few minutes later.

“If I hear one more person suggest their involvement in this prince thing, I’m going to rip my hair out,” she groaned, sitting on my other side. I nodded in agreement, ignoring Elaina’s annoyed sigh.

Mr. Tanner stood in the front of the classroom and wrote in big letters on the chalkboard: Local Myths and Legends. I wanted to slam my head on the desk - here I thought class would be an escape. Kylee looked equally as disappointed, but I noticed quite a few students sit up a little straighter at their desks.

“Alright class, I’m sure we’ve all heard the recent news regarding the prince’s statue. It’s no secret that our town has many local legends surrounding the statue, so I figured today would be as good a day as any to delve into it!”

Mr. Tanner seemed pleased with the amount of people paying close attention to his every word today. He certainly wouldn’t miss me. I put my head down on my desk and shut my eyes, trying to block out words like “spell” and “myth” and “witch” and “love.” He gave a homework assignment at the very end of class instructing us to come up with our own theories about the statue - whether it be mythical or based in science. I knew which side I would be taking…

Elaina was practically glowing by the time the bell rang and we filed into the hallway to our respective next classes. An entire class period devoted to talking about fairytales - her dream-come true. She droned on and on about the possibilities that I totally blocked her out.

“...and apparently they are having a press conference this afternoon with more details. Rumor has it, the prince himself is going to make an appearance!” Elaina gushed.

I balked at the word press conference. The Ellerys were simply thriving off all of this attention. Disgusting.

“Whoopie! Do you think he’ll sign my tit?” Kylee said sarcastically.

Elaina ignored her, continuing on, “I wonder if they know who the kisser was! I mean, maybe they have security cameras or fingerprints! Quinn,” she turned to me excitedly, “What if they announce that it was you?”

“Elaina!” I said, exasperated, “Please, please, if you value our friendship, please stop saying that! It wasn’t me. It wasn’t Kerry Sarrunds. It wasn’t anybody. This whole thing is a PR scheme, and you’re going to feel really stupid when the truth comes out!”

Elaina looked crushed, but I had to say what I said. I didn’t want rumors spreading about me, especially rumors that weren’t true. And Elaina had a big mouth - keeping secrets was not her strong suit. We stopped walking, as I’d reached my calculus class.

“Listen, I’m sorry Elaina,” I said, “I just-”

“Whatever,” Elaina muttered, turning on her heel and stalking away.

“Nice,” Kylee said dryly, giving me a playful slap on the shoulder.

****

Lunch was awkward. While I hold grudges and go MIA when I’m upset with someone, Elaina exuberantly pretends that the fight never happened and that everything is fine. She made sure to steer clear of the forbidden subject, but gossipped away about pretty much everything else in the school.

“And apparently Hannah sent Jamie pictures of her-”

“Elaina,” I cut her off, “Elaina, I’m really sorry about earlier.”

She feigned confusion, “What about earlier? Oh… you mean that silly thing… I haven’t thought about it at all.”

It took copious amounts of self control to stop my eyes from rolling into the back of my head. But Elaina had always been understanding when I was petty and angry. It was my turn to be the sensitive one. I put my arm around her shoulder.

“Listen, what do you say we go to that press conference together? Then we can see for ourselves what’s going on. Maybe they’ll even reveal the mystery kisser,” I said, offering her an earnest smile. I wasn’t in a place to ruin friendships, and this seemed like the fastest way to show her that I really felt sorry for my outburst.

Elaina shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, but I saw the corners of her eyes turn upwards in excitement. Kylee shot me a look as if to say really? But I shot her a hard look not to push anything.

“If that’s really what you want…” Elaina said, shrugging again.

“It is,” I told her, even though we all knew my confession wasn’t in the least bit truthful.

*****

Elaina’s facade had spontaneously disappeared by the time school ended. She waited for us in the school parking lot, practically bouncing on her toes with excitement. Kylee and I slowly made our way to our overexcited friend. We both gave her a smile, but Kylee’s looked more agitated than sincere. I was a better actor than my pessimistic companion.

Elaina led the way to The Kingdom, but it seemed everyone in the school was as eager as us to hear the Ellroy's speak. We were just sheep in the mass of high school students careening towards those golden gates. I couldn’t blame my overeager peers. Fairview was rather dull, especially on the West Side. News reporters and magic were the most exciting things to happen here since… probably ever. Plus, we’d all grown up idolizing and then detesting the East Side. Everyone was curious to see the Ellroy’s in person - to hear the true golden voices of the elite.

Mrs. Ellroy was already speaking when we took our place amongst the oglers. The tall and strikingly beautiful woman wore a sleek white pantsuit. Her blond hair was piled high in an elegant updo. The very tone of her voice jingled with wealth and… power?

“-just so happy to bring Atlas home. These past few days have been the happiest we’ve had in a while. Our humble home finally feels complete,” she said, beaming. As she spoke, she made careful eye contact with each and every member of the crowd. Public speaking clearly came naturally to her. She’d done this before, probably hundreds of times. I wondered about her job - if she had one at all.

“Home feels complete?” Kylee whispered to me skeptically, “This makes no sense. She’s claiming he’s been dead for 300 years… so they’ve basically let a stranger invade their space. Hoax of the century if you ask me.”

I stifled a snort, not wanting to piss Elaina off again. Luckily, she was fully engrossed in Mrs. Ellroy’s speech, hanging onto every word like the woman was spilling some sort of secret to eternal life.

“And now, I would like to formally introduce the prince to you all,” Mrs. Ellroy smiled wider, “Please welcome Atlas Ellroy.”

The crowd began clapping, though I couldn’t understand why. Why did everyone care so much about this legend?

Mrs. Ellroy held her arm out and another person took the stage. I felt the shock overtake my face when I recognized him from some foggy, distant memory. I knew I’d seen him before. Looked into those bright blue eyes and stood nearby his muscular frame. I remember looking up at him from the… floor? No, the sidewalk. And he’d held my hair…

“Fuck,” I muttered, and both of my friends looked at me in surprise. I just shook my head and they refocused their attention on the speaker.

He - Atlas Ellroy - was the stranger from Jamie’s.

I’d met the man now speaking to the crowd the other night. I’d let him follow me home. I’d given him my name. I slowly lifted my hoodie over my head. I doubted he’d be able to pick me out in a crowd this big, but I didn’t want to take any chances.

“After 300 years, I am so… so thankful to the girl who broke the spell,” Atlas said into the mic, “It’s clear the world has changed so much since I was last awake. But I’m ready to fully embrace the present and the progress we’ve made as humans. I’m looking forward to-”

“Who was she?!” someone - a woman - yelled out from the crowd.

“Yeah, who broke the spell?” a boy yelled.

Atlas faltered for a moment, clearly surprised at the crowd’s disturbance. But he recomposed himself quickly, his smile soft wit patience.

“He is gorgeous,” Elaina breathed.

“He’s fine I guess,” Kylee muttered, “If you like polished, preppy boys.”

“While we know the identity of the spellbreaker, we are not yet ready to release that information. We would like to give the girl privacy and peace during this time,” he said, and I breathed a sigh of relief. If they did think it was me, I did not want that attention.

“Furthermore-” he continued, but was cut off from another member of the crowd.

“But you definitely know who she is? You have proof?”

Atlas looked hesitantly towards Mrs. Ellroy, who just gave a gentle nod.

“Yes, I know the identity of the spellbreaker. You see, I was frozen for 300 years but… I was still cognizant. I mean to say… I was able to see what was going on around me. I could see everything on the East side of Fairview,” Atlas admitted to the crowd. I noticed a few viewers looking at each other, unsure of whether or not to believe him.

“But your eyes were closed,” said someone, and I recognized Kerry Sarrund’s nasally voice, “What do you mean you saw?”

Atlas paused again, searching for the words, “Think of it as… think of it as a sort of omniscience. I could see, but I couldn’t feel or think or… I was just an observer of the space that was once my home.”

People began nodding their heads, like they believed him. How easily their opinions were swayed by his words!

“So, yes I was able to see myself in stone. For 300 years, I watched girl after girl venture into my tomb and kiss me. For 300 years, nothing changed. I was frozen and stuck and hopeless. Until Thursday night.”

The crowd began buzzing quietly as everyone quietly reiterated their theories.

“But she left before I transformed. The whole process took the entire night. Slowly but surely, though, I… I felt myself re entering my body. By the time the sun was coming up, I could open my eyes and move around. I couldn’t believe it - all this time and… and I was alive.”

He paused, waiting for any additional questions. The crowd, however, fell silent. Engrossed in his every word.

“And now that I’m back, I want to be as involved in this world as possible. I spent too long unable to touch and smell and taste and… and feel. I want to live a normal life now. Clearly the monarchy no longer rules the region. I’m excited to see how Fairview has changed and where I can fit in here. So, with the help of my parents, I’ve decided that I am going to enroll in high school,” he announced.

“Great,” Kylee whispered to me, “Another preppy boy joining the richy rich private schools. So original”

“Fairview High School,” Atlas clarified. A hush fell over the crowd and then… everyone burst into a round of applause. Elaina cheered loudly, pumping her first in the air. Even Kylee seemed slightly impressed by his announcement.

Atlas continued on, and the audience once again fell silent. As he spoke, he, too, looked into the eyes of each and every crowd member. He must have learned this tactic from Mrs. Ellroy.

“Thank you all for such a wholehearted welcome,” he said, “I’m so looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you. And to my kisser, my savior, if you are out there in the crowd right now” - his eyes finally met mine and my breath caught in my throat. Those blue eyes were piercing, and I couldn’t look away no matter how much I wanted to. Atlas, too, seemed to freeze, but he regained his composure and breathed into the microphone, “thank you.”

He held my gaze from 50 feet away - him on the makeshift stage behind a podium, me a face in the crowd, hoodie up, not nearly disguised enough. I was the first to break eye contact. I backed out of the crowd as quickly as possible, not bothering to say goodbye to my friends. Nobody paid me any attention as I shoved past them. When I was free from the sea of people, I sprinted home.

The front door slammed shut behind me. I was panicking, suffocating. I slid down to the floor, back still against the door, and put my head in my hands. I took a shaky deep breath, and then another. But my heart continued to pound in my ribs. My fingers trembled around my face.

When Atlas had met my gaze, he knew it was I who kissed the statue that night. He probably knew when he found me at Jamie’s, drunk and sloppy and pathetic. I wanted to sink into the floor - fall into some foreign place where nobody knew my name or face. Three people knew - that was all. And I trusted two of them with my life. Kylee wouldn’t say anything. Elaina, it would be difficult for her, but Elaina would keep my secret as well. Atlas, though, I had no idea. He was a lying fraud for all I knew - deceiving the people of Fairview while earning their praise.

Attending our high school was a smart move on his end - he would earn the approval of the West Side, the peasants, his subjects. People might begin believing that maybe, just maybe, some sort of alliance or even friendship might form between the two sides of Fairview. But I wasn’t naive enough to fall for their games.

Slowly, I stood up. My phone buzzed, and I had a few texts from Kylee and Elaina asking where I’d disappeared to. I ignored them, shutting off my phone and heading to the kitchen. Beer - I needed a beer. Opening the fridge, I sighed in relief to see a fresh six pack. The beast couldn’t keep food in the fridge, but at least we always had booze.

I cracked open the can of shitty light beer and took a long sip, feeling the warmth flood my tongue. The fizz burned my throat on the way down, but I didn’t mind. I longed for the sweet calm of drunkenness.

On my way to my small bedroom, I stopped to peek out the front window. Across the street, a black car with dark tinted windows idled. It caught my attention because it was too nice for this neighborhood. Nobody would dare leave a car like that here, for fear they would come back and the tires would be gone. I shut the curtain quickly, taking another swig of beer and secretly hoping my neighbors knew how to hotwire a car. It would be gone - either driven away by the owner or stolen - by morning.