Fae In The City, Ch. 8

Diana closed the door to Erin's room and locked them in. Turning back, she stared at the girl she'd just saved from death.

Erin straightened her T-shirt and glared back. “So what's this painkiller?”

Diana leaned back against the door, wondering what to do. Could she trust Erin with her secret? Could she believe the pain away? She was pretty certain that wouldn't work. Maybe make some drug? She meandered over to the bookshelf, trying to buy time. “Okay, let's recap. Chelsea taunted you. I intervened. You thanked me. Your dad is ditching you. You tried to kill yourself. I intervened, again.”

“What did you do, anyway? I took at least ten times the normal dose. I should be dead by now.”

Diana ignored her question, not sure how to answer. “So your note said your stepmother had ruined your life. How?”

Erin sighed. “She seduced my dad and got pregnant. My mom couldn't deal with the betrayal, and left.” Erin's mouth curled into a snarl. “Then Patrice – that's my Step-monster - moved in and had her baby, and married Dad. I wanted to move away with Mom, but Dad sued for custody of me and won because Mom was unemployed and they accused her of being hooked on pills.”

“That sucks.”

“They froze Mom out. I tried running away a couple of times, and eventually Patrice managed to convince the cops that Mom was a danger to us, and got a restraining order. I didn't know, and I ran away to Mom's... and Patrice had Mom arrested.”

Diana sat down next to Erin and put an arm around her. “I'm so sorry. That's awful.”

“Mom called her parents to bail her out, and Grandma came up from Fresno. There was a drunk driver-”

“Oh my God. Don't tell me-”

Erin took in a ragged breath, nodding. “Grandma died, and Mom went to be with her.” Tears spilled out of Erin's eyes, and she grabbed a tissue from the bedside table to wipe her nose.

“So... your stepmother is evil.”

Erin nodded. “And Dad told me last night that they're going to move away and leave me here.”

“So this isn't about Chelsea at all.”

“Except that she's Patrice's daughter, no.”

Diana stood and grabbed Erin by the shoulders. She stared into Erin's eyes. “You're shitting me!”

“Nope.”

“Chelsea is your evil stepsister?”

“Yep.”

“So the Assistant Dean is your-”

“He's Chelsea's dad from before.”

Diana let go of Erin and paced back and forth, wringing her hands. “So this is almost like a Cinderella story, only more tragic.”

Erin snorted. “And there's no Prince Charming.”

“Yeah, well... there's that dance coming up with that stupid boys' prep school. My friends and I could scout it out and find their most eligible bachelor for you. Maybe it would be good to think about the future.”

Erin shook her head. “There's no happy ending for me.”

“How do you know that? Just 'cause your life sucks now doesn't mean it can't get better. Change your stars! Make a life for yourself! Make your Mom proud!”

“Chill, Tony Robbins. Who are you in this fairy tale anyway? My Fairy Godmother?”

Diana laughed for a second, then stopped and stared at Erin. “Oh shit. Maybe I am!”

Erin smiled. “Well, at least you've got the enthusiasm for it.”

Diana paced again, fretting and wringing her hands. Could it be? Could she be a Fairy Godmother? What the heck would that mean? What should I do? Should I tell her?

“Tell me what?”

“I said that out loud?” Diana stopped pacing.

“Are you high?” Erin asked, narrowing her eyes at Diana.

“Never mind.”

“Why are you here, what did you do to keep me from dying?”

“I was worried about you. I saw you were in trouble, so I did what any self-respecting Fairy Godmother would do. I saved your ass.”

“That's not possible.”

“Well, what kind of Fairy Godmother would I be if I let you die?”

Erin stared, trying to make sense of it all. “You're insane.”

Diana could practically see the wheels turning in Erin's mind. “You look pale. You want some water?”

Erin nodded.

Diana took the glass from Erin's nightstand and handed it to her.

The girl stared at the water sloshing in it. “This was empty. Wasn't it?”

Diana guided the glass, helping Erin take a sip. “I just want to help.”

Erin drank and put the glass down. “If you really were my Fairy Godmother, I'd have to tell you that you suck. If you could've stopped all that bad stuff from happening to me, then I'd want a refund.”

“Yeah, maybe so. But wouldn't you rather have a Fairy Godmother than not have one?”

Erin laughed, almost hysterical. “You're crazy!”

“Yeah. Well, cut me some slack Cinderella.”

“I'd like to see you turn a pumpkin into a stagecoach.”

“I was thinking more like turning Chelsea's room into frog central. We know how much she loves frogs.”

Erin took a deep breath and let it out, before smiling wide. “You know, I'm not sure which would be more entertaining. Seeing how you're going to find a bunch of frogs or the look on her face when she finds them. I wonder if it'll be better than the sound of her screaming.”

“So your pain is gone?”

Erin sighed. “I think you're distracting me from it.”

Diana smiled and walked over to the wardrobe by Erin's bed and thumbed through the selection, which turned out to be nothing but the tartan skirts and white shirts of the school's uniform. She grabbed a set from a hanger and tossed it at Erin. “Get dressed. We're late for class and we have mayhem therapy to plan.”

Erin got out of bed and made her way to the tiny restroom. “I just need to freshen up a little.”

Diana paced the small room, finding it too small to get many steps before she had to turn. She felt the weight of the clock ticking and thought about class. “Oh, by the way, Chelsea started a rumor about you and me.”

Erin looked around the door, brushing her hair. “What are they saying?”

“That you an I are lesbians.”

Erin coughed and disappeared into the bathroom.

“Erin, are you okay?” Diana stepped back where she could see into the restroom. Erin was staring at her reflection in the mirror. “Are you? I mean, it's totally okay if you are. I'm not judging or whatever. But just so you know, I'm not. I mean, not a lesbian.”

Erin snorted on a laugh and pulled off her shirt before walking by Diana in nothing but underwear. She grabbed the uniform and started dressing. The seconds ticked by while Diana stared at the book case and wondered what was going on in Erin's mind. As Erin finished positioning the skirt, Diana couldn't take the suspense any longer. “Well?”

Erin sighed. “I'm not. Okay? I'm sure she's just trying to get us kicked out.”

“They'd kick us out for that?”

“Did you miss the part of the orientation where they talked about this being a respectable, conservative, and might I add religious school?”

Diana toed the doorjamb to the bathroom. “I slept through the orientation.”

Erin laughed.

“Well at least you're feeling good enough to laugh, even if it's at my expense.”

Erin grabbed her books and opened the door. “Let's go plan, Mayhem Girl. I'm dying to see how you'll round up those frogs.”

“Don't say that! Nobody's dying on my watch.”

“It's just an expression.”

(Continue to Chapter 9)