gave me a tight squeeze. She welcomed me into her abode, and left my for a minute in the tidy entrance hall to admire their home.
It wasn’t the largest house, but they kept it spick and span. The floors didn’t even have a trace of dust on them. The curtains were vivid, clean, the grime scrubbed off of them with weekly lavations. The one chair that was in the hall, so that one could pull their shoes on, was spotless. I could even see my reflection in the wood if I squinted hard enough. I could see that they had a security camera on the ceiling, roving and searching.
“Wow!” I said, “This is amazing!”
“Not amazing enough,” said Clive, “the kidnapper got past the whole security system! Let me show you something, kid.”
He took me past a perfect living room, filled with plush black chairs, and a small black coffee table. Goldenrod followed me as we entered into another hallway, and pointed to a simple white door. He tried to pull it open, and it rejected him with a beep, refusing to be pulled out. After the second try, a black lock popped out of the door handle, sealing the entrance off from him, and it squirted a staining blue liquid onto his hands. He couldn’t enter the room.
“That was Hyacinth and Aster’s room,” he said, “there was a special lock on the door, so that no one could get in, except for those who know the key code, but they could get out. That way, they were safe- at least, we thought they were- and they still had freedom to come and go as they pleased. They’re part of our family, we couldn’t keep them locked away. But somehow, the kidnapper was able to get through the security on that door!”
“Who knew the key code?” I asked.
He shook his head.
“Not a soul, except for us. I don’t even know how that was possible.”
“Hey, can we eat already? I’m so hungry!” Goldenrod yowled.
Barbie popped her head into the hallway, her blonde hair swinging. Behind her stood Marco, Elise and Annette, all of them munching on something, already.
“Come on into the dining room, pop a squat. I’ve made meatloaf? Are any of you kids vegetarian? If you are, I’ve made some roasted squash!”
“Yeah, meat so isn’t my thing,” Elise said, nonchalantly, “do you know how much raising livestock like cows and chickens harms the planet? It’s no wonder it’s filling up with smog.”
Marco looked vaguely impressed, and Clive nodded in agreement. I clenched my fists, my teeth grinding together. The space between my eyebrows spasmed for a second, and I forced myself to breath deeply before seating myself in the dining room, near a thin, long table. As we sat down, I watched Elise and Marco meet each others eyes, for an uncomfortable amount of time. Gag me.
“I... need some air,” I announced, pushing out my chair, and standing up.
I checked the kitchen to see how good the meatloaf looked, and I was
not let down. The scent wafted all the way across two rooms, and the food itself looked like it was a part of a daydream. On the contrary from the charred brick I had been anticipating, it was perfectly cooked, with a thin layer of softly drizzled sauce on top. I wasn’t a big meatloaf person- usually, it was pretty appalling to all five of my senses. But I’d eat that in a heart beat. No wonder there were two whole trays out! One simply wouldn’t be enough for a ravenous crowd like we were.
Barbie turned around from finishing up the loaf, and smiled at me. She was certainly taking the news about her fairies well. Good for her- nothing could keep her down, even if Clive seemed a bit more distraught. It was strange that such an opposite couple existed... they were like Yin and Yang-
Like Elise was to Marco.
I had to stifle my urge to pore over that topic forever, and enjoy my dinner already. Yin and Yang was just a concept, that didn’t apply to anything. I could get out of the rut that I had wedged myself into, if only I stopped thinking about Yin and Yang. I rushed back to the dining room, and sat back down. As I hooked my leg around the leg of the chair, I felt something brush against my leg, forcing me to turn around.
I didn’t fancy something touching my leg, especially when I was in a house that had just been broken into.
There, I saw him- a black cat. He was tall, proud, and I had intruded on his territory. The chair I had so rudely placed myself into was his domain, and he knew it. It was strange that no black hairs had been strewn around the house, with such a kitten.
I stroked his back, and he nearly bit my finger off. I yanked it away from his yawning mouth, with pearly whites protruding from his gums, a rough tongue lolling out as he licked his paws.
“You’re not a nice cat, you know that?” I snapped at him.
He mewled as if he knew that, and he appreciated every minute of it. He extended his paw out, and scratched my hand, growling. Maybe he was a stray.
Suddenly, he whirled away, evidently offended. His tail whipped against my knees as he left, and I noticed that it wasn’t entirely black. The tip of his tail was, in fact, white as the first snowflake, sharply contrasting against the rest of him. It was frosted over, like glass- a piece of light on a shadowy canvas. Then, I felt my throat go dry. The cat was black, yet he had some white on his edges. I couldn’t escape Yin and Yang, now, could I?
There is good in evil, and malevolence in purity.
“Meatloaf is served!” Barbie cried, setting a tray on the table.
I frowned. There was only one tray of meatloaf? I could have sworn that there were two. But I was too famished to care, even if I hadn’t been hungry just an hour earlier- I cut a large piece for myself, and we began to dig in.
“Thank you, Barbie, for making this meatloaf! It’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted!” Annette beamed.
Clive pouted like a petulant child in response.
“ I made that meatloaf.”
Barbie playfully smacked Clive’s thick arm, feeding him a small piece of meatloaf.
“You can’t go on tellin’ all my secrets now, can you?”
I flinched as the two of them pecked each other, and went on to serve Goldenrod a bite sized portion of meatloaf. They did it so nonchalantly! They had even measured out a perfect sized portion for Goldenrod!
They knew that because they cared so much about their fairies.
“I can’t believe that another fairy was kidnapped,” Clive said between bites, “it’s terrible! What would someone do with a Cleaning Fairy, anyways? Whoever did such a crime will get it from me when I find them. Did they understand how their actions would affect them when they made their choice? Will they do more?”
“Of course they will,” Barbie replied, “people like that don’t just give up. But having such polite guests like you kids really makes the place that’s missing in my heart get filled up, a little bit.”
“It doesn’t help that a Cleaning Fairy was taken,” Clive said, “wouldn’t they want to start targeting more affluent people?”
Marco looked up, all of a sudden. He seemed to be completely in his element, ready to battle and debate over a single subject. If he wasn’t secretly dating Elise, I would have found that endearing, possibly. But today, it made me want to hurl a chunk of meatloaf right into his face. And I’d give a double portion to my dear friend, Elise.
“Oh, they will. All we have to do is wait. It won’t be more than a week before a fairy with higher Abilities is taken. I’m so sure of that, I could bet on it. I know what this person is thinking- and they’re thinking that they’re working their way up the ladder, buying their time. But that time has almost come. It’s just a theory, though.”
He took a slow sip of the water that was in front of him, sucking all the liquid from between the crackling ice, before he raised his head again.
“It’s a tried and true strategy. And who wouldn’t want tried and true?”
“I wouldn’t. It’s dumb, and it’s boring.” Elise shared, “that’s why we have art. It’s to explore new definitions of humanity.”
Marco glared at her, his eyes slits. Then, he burst out in hysterical laughter. He even put his arm arm her. They were like Yin and Yang, light and dark. Opposites that were sure to attract, with only bits of pieces of each other that they shared. A pair, a match- I could bet that they had gone on multiple romantic dinners with each other, too! I could see it in their eyes... especially Elise’s. She had definitely fallen for him, probably during a time where they had kissed. Alone. Secretly. Trying to be discreet.
But that was none of my business! Who cared what they did in their spare time? I wouldn’t mind if they moved to Jupiter and bought thirty whale sharks- they lived their life, and I would live mine, not even caring. Oh, who was I kidding?
“ I think that you’re all wrong,” I said.
The table went silent.
“I think that we’re all looking at this the wrong way. We’re talking about it- and no one is doing anything about the situation! Philosophy is great and all- but what good is it when our idleness brings more hardships to our lives? Don’t you think that we should be there , with the Police, tracking the kidnapper down with them? And if they won’t allow it- we’ll do it ourselves. We are independent people, and we’re
not feral beasts. We have needs, too! And we need to start making a difference.”
Annette started to clap enthusiastically, everyone else simply sat, stoic. But I had shown them. I had shown them all.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Clive said, “but how about we do it tomorrow? Tonight, I want to finish my third slice of meatloaf!”
By the end of the night, everyone was completely stuffed. I had eaten slice after slice of meatloaf- and then, I’d eaten helpings of dessert. My clothes felt too tight, and I yawned. I didn’t even want to move from my chair. But I had to leave, anyways.
“Thank you for having me over, Barbie! Thank you, Clive!” I waved.
“Goodbye!” They said.
I left the house, and began to walk home, to tell my parents that I had had a nice time, shockingly. Even if Marco was with Elise , I had been able to ignore it- this time. Next time, I probably wouldn’t be able to take seeing them sitting side by side, shoulder to shoulder.
Suddenly, I realized that something was horribly wrong. Something was missing in this picture. The air was too still, too empty...
Goldenrod! She didn’t come with me!
As the thought dawned on me, my life flashed before my eyes. She could be doing anything , and I wouldn’t be there to stop her. No one would be! She could have been in the house, breaking all of our neighbors valuables! She could have been robbing a bank! She could have been careening down Niagra falls, while holding up a sign that said, in bold letters I’m Livi’s Fairy! She could have been doing anything!
I began to panic! I jogged back to Clive and Barbie’s place, and knocked on the door. They pulled it open, and inside, all I could see was Annette.
“Have you seen Goldenrod?” I asked, heart pounding.
“No, hun, sorry.” Barbie replied.
“Wait...where did Marco and Elise go? They weren’t supposed to leave yet!”
“Both of them left together, I’m afraid. Marco looked a little ill- maybe he had eaten too much meatloaf. Is there anything else I can do for you, sweets?”
I shook my head, rapidly, black spots forming onto my vision. I shut the door, and managed to get to the front stoop of my house. I couldn’t loose my fairy- I’d be held responsible for anything that she did, if she was under a certain age. And since she was so immature, I was willing to bet that she was.
Then, an even more morose thought struck me. What if the kidnappers had taken Goldenrod, too? If they had taken her, then I wouldn’t even have a bad fairy...even if I usually wished that she would get lost. If she was gone forever, I wouldn’t have a fairy ever again- and that was a terrifying prospect. Life without a fairy was not something that I wanted to face.
I could just leave her out there...she
had threatened me, blackmailed me, damaged my hair, and turned my curtains into a George Washington costume, she had taken my personal stuff, and she had eaten all my food. Who would blame me if I just told everyone that I had looked for her, but she was no where to be found? And who would go and search for her themselves? The answer was no one. No one would care enough about a Parking Fairy. It could easily be done.
I hated Goldenrod, but I wasn’t quite sure that I wished such a fate on her. It would be a dream come true if she upped and left...but there were always pros and cons. And today, the cons outweighed the pros. It was a temporary decision, but I was sure that Goldenrod would be appreciative, anyways.
Life without a fairy was akin to life on the streets. Jobs wouldn’t hire people without fairies. My brother, of course, was an exception- but Daniel was different. I was needy. And what I needed was a fairy- at least for the next few weeks.
I had to find her. It was paramount to both of our lives.
I burst into the house, frantically searching for my missing fairy.
“Goldenrod!” I cried.
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