Shinelle first draft: Chapter Two

 

It had only been a week or two. It still gave Shinelle flutters when she ran into Jazaar and he had a gift for her. Two sprigs of orange blossoms.

“You smell like them,” He said, handing them over and enjoying her delight. She filled her lungs with the scent and smiled. The grin he was becoming too fond of for his own good. He knew what was coming.

With a twirl, she asked, “What do they look like, orange trees?” She wanted to grow one, and with a bit of branch in it the illusion would be real enough to not need maintaining.

“Well, like any fruit tree really.” He sat in the grass of the small clearing she’d created for them to talk in, and grabbed a sandwich from the basket she’d packed for their lunch. “Thin trunk, with strong leafy branches that don’t look strong enough to hold the oranges. In the spring they have these blossoms all over that fall when the leaves and fruit come in.”

A smile of his own crossed his face when she took one of the sprigs and stuck it in the ground. She closed her eyes and cupped her hands at the base of it, then it started to grow.

Branches sprouted and spread and grew until they provided a decent amount of shade, then erupted in blossoms that filled the entire clearing with the smell. His favorite smell, and coincidentally her natural one. Orange blossoms.

Shinelle climbed up and hung from one of the highest branches. “Imagine if the tree looked like this instead,” She said, waving an arm and spreading the boughs so they created almost an arch of blossoms.

She laughed and laid in the grass next to Jazaar. The shade crisscrossed their faces and she looked to see what effect it had on his intricate stripes. His eyes were on her doing the same thing.

“Can I ask you a question?” The buttery smoothness of his voice rustles the blades of grass separating them.

With her smile softening some, she answered, “Of course, you’ve humored enough of my curiosity for me to humor some of yours.” None of her questions had been important, but he’d answered all of them.

His fingers reached towards her cheek, curled away, stretched just closer. “Does your skin naturally glow?”

“Yes.” Not wanting his hesitance to keep him from something he may never have the courage or chance to do again, she slipped her hand around the back of the one half reached towards her. She pulled it to her cheek and watched his reaction. “All pixies glow.”

Eyes wide, enough that she noticed even with them being pure black, his whole body froze at the warmth of her. It seeped into the palm of his hand like honey into bread and he could almost feel whatever it was that made her so alive.

He ventured a stroke of his thumb against her jaw. He half expected her to vanish like a mirage under his touch, but her eyes just sparkled brighter.

“I have another question.” This one was harder to ask, because it was breaking so many rules but he couldn’t leave it alone. He had to try. “Will you…” He couldn’t ask. If anyone found out it would put both of them in danger.

Rolling so her body faced his, and adjusting to put an arm under her head, Shinelle whispered, “I might if you ask.”

He took a deep breath that made her realize he was extra cute when he was a little nervous. “Can I…” He slid closer so his arm rested against her side, and his hand slid from her cheek to her neck. One of his fingers traced the edges of her long, pointed ears. “When it’s time for you to go back, can…”

“Just breath and tell me what you want,” She said. Her own hand laid against his chest. She was fighting the urge to trace his stripes up to his neck.

“Can you come with me instead?”

Her urge vanished. “Come with you, instead of going home?” Stories of demons pixienapping girls they were captivated with, to keep as playthings and servants, ran through her head.

He had ideas of why she would be scared to go with him, but none of them involved fairytales. “Just, you wouldn’t have to live in fear of the brownies. I’d keep you safe and you wouldn’t have to change the forest every day or deal with any of the things you don’t like about your life.”

There had to be a better reason than the truth, he was sure. He didn’t want her to say yes just because of the truth. “You mean give up my freedom.” Her voice was accusatory, her ever present smile replaced with anger.

“No, I mean staying alive.” It would happen soon enough, why was he still keeping it from her?

Rolling away from him, Shinelle started stomping out of the clearing. There was no dance in her movements and no spring in her hair.

Then there was a scream and there was no movement in her at all. Right before she broke into that dead run she did where she moved impossibly fast.

Using her magic so the very ground pushed her towards her goal meant she couldn’t look where she was going, but she didn’t need to. This was her forest and she knew every inch. She’d made it.

The scream had come from the direction of the shack and more were coming. Sounds of screams, shouts, guns, wails.

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Hey readers. This is part of the first draft of my ebook, out on Black Friday 2025! If you like this you'll love that. Preorders available now