Chapter 6

The Fairy Courts

The air grew heavier as Erin led me down the cold staircase, away from the golden doors I had been longing to approach. Every step seemed to carry me further away from the bright lights of the casino, and deeper into an unknown darkness that pressed in from all sides. My pulse quickened, and a feeling of dread wrapped itself around me, much like one of those old fairytales where the hero—me in this case—enters an enchanted forest, only to find himself lost forever.

As we moved into the shadows, my breath caught in my throat. There was something wrong about this place, something unsettling. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Was I about to walk into a trap? Would this be the moment in the story when the heroine is tricked, captured, or worse? Or maybe, this was the part where the old friend turned enemy.

The door creaked open, and Erin ushered me inside with a soft, but firm hand. The room flickered to life with a sudden surge of light that felt almost magical—sharp and bright, yet heavy, like the weight of ancient secrets hung in the air. The space was small, but grand in a way that made it feel timeless. The walls seemed to breathe with the whispers of past conversations, the echoes of long-forgotten power. And there he was, sitting at the head of the room—a solitary figure, his frail body draped in regal attire, his eyes pale and unfocused. His smile, sad yet wise, told me all I needed to know: this man was a relic, a piece of something far older than I could comprehend.

The weight of his gaze lingered as he spoke my name. "Louise."

The room shifted with his words, like the air itself changed, tightening around me. Magic stirred in my veins, subtle and tingling like a breeze carrying the scent of something old and wild. It wasn’t the comforting embrace I had expected. This wasn’t the kind of magic that caressed you and made you feel at peace. This was raw, untamed—like the spark of a fire ready to consume everything in its path. I could feel it running through me, making my heart race, my skin electric. But there was no release. No comforting warmth. Only the weight of an ancient, unresolved past.

"You’re home. Why?" The old man’s voice cut through the fog in my mind.

I wanted to scream at him, to tell him that his words meant nothing, that they couldn’t make up for what had been lost, for the years of distance I had put between myself and the forest, the people, the magic that called me. But the words caught in my throat. Something in the air—the magic, the spell, or maybe just the sheer power of the moment—stopped me from speaking.

"What do you mean why?" I found my voice, but it was weaker than I wanted it to be. "This is all anyone seems to be doing these days. Please, come home, Lisa. You must return. You people are the ones who brought me here in the first place."

His eyes, old and deep, filled with something ancient—concern or perhaps fear. "It will only get worse if you stay here," he warned, his voice barely above a whisper. He will come back for you. He always does."

The air crackled with a strange, electric energy, and I could feel the magic pressing in from every angle. "Worse?" I shot back, feeling a surge of anger bubble up. "You think my returning to the forest will only make it worse? How dare you? Have you any idea what kind of hell I’ve lived outside these walls? How much I’ve suffered being away from my forest?"

There was no response. The magic thickened. It was like I had touched something sacred, and the very room seemed to breathe deeper, pulling me into something ancient and powerful. I felt like I was at the edge of a cliff, and if I stepped too far, I would fall into the abyss.

Then, a voice echoed in the stillness, sharp and commanding. "Do not speak to your father like that."

The room froze. The air stilled, thickening until it was suffocating. My heart skipped a beat, the blood draining from my face as the words reverberated in my chest. Father. That single word felt like a curse, a chains of obligation, the final weight to crush me under.

But then, it all hit me—the cold reality that swept through me like a tidal wave. "My father died five years ago," I whispered, the words tasting like ash on my tongue. "You have no right to claim that title."

The silence that followed was deafening. The room, now suffused with an eerie glow, seemed to pulse with the energy of a thousand secrets. There was something unnatural about this place, something that had its roots in the magic of old.

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Later That Night

When I awoke, my body was heavy with a strange lethargy, the feeling of being pulled out of a dream, only to realize the dream wasn’t done yet. The room was dim, and the sound of Erin’s soft voice reached me through the fog. He was on the phone, but when he saw my eyes flutter open, he quickly ended the call and turned his attention to me.

"How are you feeling?" His words were gentle, but I could sense the undercurrent of concern.

I rubbed my temples, the familiar throb of pain reminding me that whatever had happened downstairs was far from normal. "What happened?"

Stolen story; please report.

"You fainted," Erin said, his voice betraying a hint of regret. "You were overwhelmed by something. The event might have been too much for you."

I blinked, trying to piece together the fragments of my memories. "Sorry… must have been a hassle to carry a stranger."

"Stranger?" Erin frowned. "Lisa, what exactly do you remember?"

I hesitated, the fragments coming together slowly. "Someone gave me a raffle ticket. I won. You introduced yourself, we walked upstairs… and then I guess I passed out. Why?"

Erin’s eyes narrowed, and he let out a quiet sigh. "Oh, Jesus."

His whisper was almost drowned in the strange tension that filled the room. Something wasn’t right. I wasn’t just some reporter at a party—I wasn’t just here to win some silly prize. There was something more—something magical—and I could feel it in my bones.

"Maybe we should do this another day, when you're feeling better," Erin suggested, his voice strained with an emotion I couldn’t quite place.

I shook my head, brushing aside the remnants of dizziness that clung to me. "Honestly, I’m fine. We can go up now, and after, we can grab some food. It’s been too long since I had a proper meal."

Erin didn’t argue. He offered me a hand, and I took it, the electric charge between us making my heart skip. We climbed the stairs again in silence, the magic still humming in my veins, like a song I couldn’t quite understand.

When the VIP door swung open, the energy in the room shifted. The magic was undeniable now, thick and palpable, as if the room itself was holding its breath. The faces before me—familiar and strange—looked back with a mix of surprise, apprehension, and something else I couldn’t quite place.

I saw Kira first—standing off to the side, his eyes cold, distant, but there was a flicker of recognition in his gaze. A moment of vulnerability that I knew he hadn’t intended. My heart ached with the weight of everything unsaid between us. But in this room, with this strange magic hanging in the air, I couldn’t fix it all at once. All I could do was breathe.

My eyes found Poppy next, her gaze soft, her concern almost tangible. She was the one who had given me that raffle ticket, and now, in this moment, it felt as if fate had drawn us together. The energy between us was undeniable, like a secret we had both known for a long time.

"Why are you crying?" Kira asked, his voice sharp, but underneath, a tremor of something softer.

"I’m just so happy," I whispered, my emotions too raw to hide.

Kira frowned, and I could feel the magic thickening around us, swirling like a storm ready to break. "It’s just a stupid prize. Why would that make you happy?"

Erin, sensing the rising tension, stepped in. "Kira, don’t be rude. We’re all here to welcome Lisa. Let’s introduce ourselves."

"Fine," Kira muttered. "But I’m not staying long."

And then, like the gentle pull of gravity, I turned to Poppy. "Come give your big sister a hug."

The room stood still, suspended in time. Poppy’s eyes filled with tears as she crossed the room in an instant, throwing herself into my arms. Her sobs echoed through me, the raw emotion of it nearly cracking me open. As I held her close, I could feel the magic stir once again, but this time it was warm, like sunlight after a long storm.

The others watched in stunned silence, the weight of the moment settling over us all. Saxon shifted nervously, his hair long and untamed—an echo of the past we all shared. Kira fought the tears, is eyes burning with something too complicated for words. Wyatt, ever aloof, stood in the corner, the same distant figure he always had been.

"Are you crying?"

"What? No," I muttered, turning away. "I must apologize. My allergies just act up in Bluehaven. The air’s too thick here."

I smiled at my attempt to hide the truth, The weight of everything pressing in around me felt suffocating, like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, staring into an abyss I couldn’t see, but I knew was there. Erin’s touch lingered in my mind, his hand that had caught me when I fainted, the electric pulse that still ran through me. It felt like an unspoken promise—like there was a deeper connection between us, one we hadn’t fully explored. But now, standing in the middle of this strange, magical world, I wasn’t sure what was real anymore.

The magic that filled the air, thick and intoxicating, wasn’t just about the past—it was about the future, too. Something was coming, something I wasn’t prepared for.

Kira’s presence only added to the tension. His cold eyes, distant and guarded, sent a shiver down my spine. But that flicker of vulnerability I’d caught earlier—what was that about? His words were sharp, biting, but beneath the surface, I could feel the unspoken history between us, the things we couldn’t say aloud, the weight of all we’d lost.

The others were here too, standing off to the side, watching me as though I were a ghost returning to haunt them. Saxon’s nervous energy was palpable, his disheveled appearance a stark contrast to the polished, well-kept image of Wyatt, who stood in the corner, aloof as ever. They were all pieces of a past I had abandoned, a past that seemed to be pulling me back in with each passing moment.

But even in this room, this strange blend of magic and tension, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to shift. Erin’s attempt to lighten the mood with a smile, Kira’s bitterness —it all felt like a storm waiting to break. And in the midst of it all, I was still trying to figure out where I belonged.

It was Erin’s voice that broke the silence. "Alright then," he said, his smile returning. "Lisa is our lottery winner. Let’s make her stay as welcoming as possible," Erin’s voice warm but with an undercurrent of something darker.

I nodded, forcing a smile even though everything inside me was screaming to run. I had thought returning to Bluehaven was going to be a simple task—just a story to write, a place to visit. But now, in this room, I could feel the pull of magic, the weight of history, and the overwhelming presence of everyone I had left behind. It was clear that Bluehaven wasn’t just a town. It was a living, breathing thing, and I had always been a part of it, whether I liked it or not.

As I glanced around at the faces of the people who had once been my family—my past—my heart clenched. There was no going back. This wasn’t a simple visit. It wasn’t just about the prize or the story. This was something deeper. Something that had been waiting for me, whether I was ready for it or not.

I had no idea what would happen next, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.