The trio of humans-well, mostly human-reached a clearing of trees just as the sun went down behind them. Kara knocked on the tall willow that she knew housed the silver haired Gifted fairy. The tree trembled, and white magic vibrated outwards from where she'd knocked. It radiated through the bark in every conceivable direction, like the rippling circles that form in water when its calm surface is disrupted. A door formed, a vibrant green one with floral patterns worn into it, along with a silver colored knob. Sylvan opened it, looking more weary than usual. She wore her usual glasses, but took them off now, squinting her eyes as she rubbed them off on her lacy white shirt. A bow was by her throat, and her hair looked greenish in the dimming light of the afternoon. "Oh, Kara, it's you," she murmured as she gazed ahead. "I thought-"
She paused to see the two other teens behind her, and rolled her cobalt eyes.
"Oh, joy," she muttered sarcastically.
"You've brought guests."
"Can they stay?" Kara asked.
"Please, they need to go somewhere."
Sylvan shrugged, her shoulders moving slowly. "I suppose so, if they really do need shelter." She waved them in. "Come in, you two.
Come in, before I change my mind."
Foster didn't react much. He just nodded and retreated into her home. Lily walked behind him, her head down, seemingly afraid to look in this fairy's direction due to her experience with Jett. Sylvan didn't say anything to her, though, only yawning and covering her mouth for a moment. Kara followed them, alarmed to see Sylvan's hair up close.
It hadn't just looked green due to the lack of light. It was green!
A pale variation of it, but still green.
Kara took this time to look around at Sylvan's home. The flower shaped lighting was the same as last time, along with the green and silver furniture. However, the things that had been green looked brownish too, now, like dying plants. Kara grew worried as she remembered Sylvan's tired state. Was she sick?
She had to ask about her hair first.
Lily and Foster were sitting down at one of the green couches, and Kara went to join them, smiling for a brief moment at Lily. She turned to Sylvan, who was slumped over on a mossy chair close to where she stood.
"Sylvan," she said with a sense of urgency.
"Yes?" Sylvan sat up a little straighter. "What's the matter?"
"Did you...dye your hair?"
The Gifted fairy of nature chuckled.
"Oh, Kara, certainly not. Fairies don't use primitive hair dyes. Even if we did, that damages hair in the long run, you know."
She ran her hands through her hair thoughtfully as she spoke.
"My hair changes color with the seasons. Currently, it is summer in Lymeria, so my hair has turned green, sort of like the changing colors of your Flightless leaves."
She smiled, stretching out her wings and back as she spoke again. "It's natural."
Kara was still confused. "But...it was fall when I was here last. It just became winter!"
"Yes, well, Lymeria's seasons are different than the ones in the Flightless world."
Sylvan was growing irritable, as she often did when she was questioned too much.
"Do you need anything else, Kara?"
"No, not really." Kara decided she'd leave the question about Sylvan's health for later. There were more important things to worry about right now. "Actually, I have one more thing to say. Foster has been..hurt."
Sylvan's exhaustion seemed to vanish as she processed what had just been said.
"Hurt? What do you mean by that?
He looks fine to me."
A sense of awkwardness coated the conversation.
Kara thought it would be best to tread lightly.
"I know, but it's not a wound he has, exactly.
It's, um..a little more complicated than that. He's got, uh..this thing that needs to be fixed.
It can't wait until later."
Sylvan blinked owlishly.
"Oh, um..okay. My apologies, but I'm not quite sure I understand. What are you getting at?"
Kara sighed. This was hard to explain to someone. Foster himself didn't quite understand what had conspired, and he was the one who had caused this to happen.
"Oh, never mind. This is hard for me to talk about. Foster?"
Foster answered, though in a soft fashion, straightening his damaged glasses as she said his name.
"Yeah?"
"Could you show Sylvan what happened, please?"
Foster's face reddened. He moved backwards upon the couch, pressing himself hurriedly against the pillow behind him as if he meant to hide himself within the furniture's cushions.
"Uh, K-Kara, I don't think that's such a good idea."
"It's fine for this situation.
Get up and show her."
"No, I can't! I'm staying here!"
"Oh, no, you're not!"
"Yes, I am!" Foster crossed his arms tightly across his chest and sat back as far as he possibly could. This action made him wince out of pain, but he continued speaking anyway.
"Don't forget, you made all of the decisions before. The choice to date me was yours, the choice to come here was yours, and the choice to almost get me killed was yours! I'm sorry if it bothers you, but for once I'd like to have some say in what I do. I don't want some crazy stranger attacking me because of the mess you got me into in the first place!"
"But I didn't! God, Foster, this was your fault! Not mine, yours! I didn't just wake up one day and think-oh wow, this seems like a good day for something bad to happen to Foster!"
"Guys, stop," Lily pleaded, trying to come between them as they continued arguing.
"Please, just stop it now.
This isn't helping anything!"
"Indeed," Sylvan added. "Kara, Foster, stop jabbering on about nothing and get on with it. What is it you three desperately wanted to show me?"
Kara went silent at last, and Foster did too.
The two exchanged glances, then obliged. Foster stood up from the couch, and turned around at once to show his back to Sylvan.
In a matter of seconds, her face seemed to be drained of all color.
"What? Wings? But-but..I-I don't understand!"
She crept closer, just to get a better look at what she thought before now was an absurd, unviable concept.
"You're a Flightless, but..you've got wings?
How is this even possible?"
"We don't know." Kara walked over to them as Foster turned back around, looking self conscious. "That's why we're here. I thought you might be able to fix this."
"Fix this?" Sylvan's voice was shrill. "Fix this?
What, do you think I can just fix anything I want?"
Kara avoided looking directly at her out of shame. "Well, kind of. I mean, you're a Gifted fairy, aren't you? From what I've heard, they can do practically anything."
"Yes, practically! But you see, I'm-I'm not the best choice for something like this. My..my magic isn't as strong as it should be.
I'd rather not say why, but it isn't reliable. I just..I can't fix something like this, not when my abilities are at the caliber they are." She crossed her arms and turned to walk away, her stance a withdrawn one.
"You'd better just..ask someone else for help."
Kara had never seen Sylvan look so distraught before. It hurt to see her this way, when she was usually so self assured and proud of what she could do.
She had to help bring up her confidence. "Sylvan, wait! Don't go! Couldn't you just..try anyway? I mean, it wouldn't hurt anything if you did."
Sylvan yawned again, then looked back at Kara from where she stood in her kitchen.
"You really don't know anything about magic, huh?"
With a small movement of her hands, a cup floated over to her, filled with water.
"Would any of you care for some herbal tea?" she said. "It helps you think."
"No, thanks." Foster crossed his arms.
Lily didn't seen to care either way, but she did answer her. "Do you have any coffee?"
Sylvan was surprised at that. "No."
"Then I'll pass."
Kara nodded. "I'll take some, Sylvan.
Thank you."
The fairy nodded and summoned a cup for her. With some flashes of light and added sweeteners, the drinks were finished.
"As I was saying," she began, bringing Kara's cup over to her as she spoke, "my magic is fickle-hard to control and even harder to focus on tasks that take a large amount of concentration. I do want to help, but I can't unless I-oh, wait! Of course!"
Sylvan murmured a few words, then tossed something silver at Kara. She caught it, then stared in wonder at the new thing she was holding. The object was a phone, but it was spun through with silvery flower patterns, and its screen shone like the gossamer material every fairy's wings were made of.
Foster's eyes widened behind his glasses, and Lily moved forward to see the object better. "Whoa," she said. "What kind of phone is that?"
"No kind a Flightless owns. It's a fairy cell-or in the old language, a pro communicationem fabrica. Gifted fairies are given them to communicate with faraway council members, so they're used sparingly.
However, they only work for fairies."
She yawned once more and continued to talk. "Could you call Peony and tell her to meet me here? If anyone could help me with Foster's little, um-plight-then it'd be her."
Kara shrugged to her.
"Okay, I will, just give me a sec."
She turned to look at her friends. Lily watched her with interest, her blue eyes focusing on the phone as if she meant to take it for herself. Foster didn't seem to care much, but he did turn to watch as she pressed the button in its center. The cell's screen flashed, and then it lit up fully, revealing a layout similar to her
phone at home. She found the icon that would let her call Peony, so she did.
With each tap of the screen, a spark like electricity would pass through her fingers.
It didn't hurt, but it startled her each time it happened. The purple haired Gifted fairy answered rather quickly, her sickly sweet voice faint over the other end.
"Sylvan, I swear to-oh, hello, Kara."
Kara was uneasy instantly.
"How did you know it was me, and also...why did you think I was Sylvan at first?"
The fairy girl laughed. "So many questions. Well, the answer to the first one is because fairies recognize users of the fairy phones by magic wavelengths. The second one is because that fairy has been...calling me more often lately."
Kara didn't believe her. "That's all?"
Peony hesitated for a moment, then responded. "Yes. I'd prefer that we change the subject for now. May we?" Kara nodded, then realizing that the fairy couldn't see her, said, "Oh, sure. Um...Sylvan wanted you to come to her house and help with Foster. He's been hurt by a demise beast, and-" Peony cut her off. "I know. I'll help you with that as soon as I can. Give me some time to arrive. Oren will accompany me, if he's in a helpful mood."
The phone beeped then, as Kara's phone did when people had hung up. She put the phone down on the nearest countertop, and Sylvan took it back. She turned it over in her hands, straightening her glasses.
"Hmm...no external damage. Good."
The fairy placed the phone down on the table. "Is Peony coming?"
"Yes, but she's bringing Oren with her. They're going to help Foster together."
Sylvan's eyes narrowed at that. "Oh...Oren?
Are you certain?"
Kara shrugged, then nodded. "Well, yeah. That's what she told me."
Sylvan pinched the bridge of her nose, then rubbed at her forehead with a certain intensity. "Oh, well...alright. I guess I'll prepare tea for them both." She left, her wings shining.
They reflected the light of the lavender scented candles she had left scattered around the room. Kara watched her, puzzled. If she didn't know any better, she might've thought that Sylvan wasn't telling her everything.