Foster sat down on the burgundy couch in his living room. His mom was at work, and his stepdad wasn't around, so he was alone in his house. He had been trying to get to sleep, but so much had happened lately that the mere memories of it all were enough to keep him awake. It was almost nine o' clock now, and the view of the sky from the skylights on the ceiling had changed to a blackish, navy blue color, with tree branches outlined against it. Moonlight streamed in steadily, making puddle like spots of white light across the carpeted floor. Foster straightened his glasses, and taking out his phone, he typed in Kara's number. When he only got her answering machine, he made a noise he didn't know he was capable of making and forcefully threw his phone down at the floor. He had tried calling Kara already, and this had been the third time she hadn't answered. Alarmed at his inhuman rage and the strength of his throw, Foster knelt down to pick his phone up again. The screen was crisscrossed with cracks that resembled a spider web. Foster scowled and fought back the urge to throw it again. Kara's fairy buddy had said he was temporarily part griffin because it took some time for a spell to fade away completely. This now meant if he got angry enough, he was prone to breaking things in his house. All of the stuff he had broken here, however, was fixable-his relationship with Kara was another story. Foster wanted to talk to her. She hadn't just been his girlfriend, she'd been his best friend too-his only friend that was trustworthy and understood the importance and strangeness of the predicament he was in. Since she wouldn't answer, he thought about who else would. He didn't have Lily's number, but wished he did. He could've contacted Kara that way. He dialed a different number this time, a number that he figured would help him reach Kara at last. The person on the other end answered almost immediately. "Oh. Hey, Foster. What are you calling so late for?"
"It's Kara. She's not answering her phone. Is she there with you?"
"No, but she'll be back soon. You can come to wait for her if you want."
Foster muttered an affirmative reply and hung up, grabbing a worn gray jacket that would go well with his dark blue sweater and faded jeans.

He reached Kara's house sooner than he'd expected to, due to the new, unnatural speed he'd been cursed with. His ex's dad opened the door for him after he rang the doorbell frantically. Caleb watched him as he entered, looking worried. "You sounded troubled over the phone. Foster, are you alright?"
"No," he snapped. "No, I'm not alright. I'm under this weird spell because of Kara's stupid trip to the fairy world."
Caleb raised his eyebrows. "She took you with her?"
"Yeah, and it nearly got me killed!"
"Do you know where she is?"
Foster stopped short at this. There was immense concern in Kara's father's voice. His problem seemed insignificant now. "Um..no, sir. Wasn't she here earlier?"
"Yes, but she left to hang out with Lily and didn't come back when I asked her to." He sighed. "She's probably back in Lymeria again."
"How do you know that?" "I don't, but I do know someone needed her help there. I was contacted about it."
Caleb stood straighter. His dark hair, so unlike his daughter's, was untidy, and and it stuck upwards at odd angles. "I have to go there too."
"What?" Foster was appalled by this. "I don't mean to offend you, Mr. Tilling, but Lymeria is incredibly dangerous! You shouldn't go. Maybe Kara'll just come back on her own."
"That's foolish thinking, Foster, and you know it." Caleb strode out of the room, grabbing a jacket gloves. "Kara is my daughter, and if anything were to happen to her because I didn't bring her back here, I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Foster trailed behind him. He understood why Caleb was doing this. If he had a kid, he knew he would do the same. "Fine," he said. "You know what, I'm coming with you. There was a time when Kara meant the world to me too, but I messed up what we had. I have to make things right between us."
Caleb smiled. "Good. It's settled, then. I'll create a Gateway tonight that'll bring us both to Lymeria. Hopefully we'll find Kara before she does anything brash."

Kara was awoken by a voice. It was thin, and kind of low, definitely one she wasn't familiar with. "Miss Tilling...Miss Tilling, get up please!" Kara opened her eyes to see a hazy, small figure standing over her, shaking her shoulder. She groaned, rolling back over and shutting her eyes again. "No..five more minutes.."
"Miss, the queen wishes to see you," the voice explained. "If I give you any more time to rest, I will have to endure her wrath."
"Well, that's..too bad. Tell the queen I'm busy."
The stranger grew impatient. "Miss, I don't have time for this. Please come with me."
"Okay, fine." Kara rubbed her eyes and sat up, yawning and wiping the sleep from her eyes. Her hair was tangly and in her face, and she pushed it away to see who was speaking. It was a small man, with fair hair and blue eyes, along with a black suit and a gold tie. The formal clothes he was wearing reminded Kara of the girl she had seen yesterday-the one with pinkish hair and pointed ears. He had the same ears, and they stuck out a little from the sides of his head. Kara pushed her covers off of herself and got up, forming words as she did so. "Do you..work here?"
"Yes. I'm a butler." The little person gestured to the door with a flourish, a friendly grin on his face. "Right this way, milady."
Kara followed him, yawning and fixing her messy hair the best she could with her fingers.
"Can't Lily come with us?"
"No, she will join us later. The queen only wants to meet with you."
Reluctantly Kara followed the servant into the hallway, reaching a room that she hadn't seen before. There was a large table at the center with a white and gold tablecloth on it. The table was large, and could've easily seated ten people. Only one person was there, though, and this person was the queen. Kara was led to a seat that was labeled with a name tag for her, and she sat down, feeling uncomfortable without Lily with her. The fairy queen addressed her as soon as she was seated.
"Good morning, dear."
"Morning," Kara mumbled.
"Will there be breakfast here?"
Confusion crossed Queen Iona's face, then realization. "Breakfast? Oh yes, yes of course. Before we dine, though, we must talk about your job. Will you do it?"
"Yes, but.." Kara's words faltered, and she tried again. "I mean, I want to help you, but I don't know how. I'm not magical, and..even if I am, I don't know how to use that magic."
The queen didn't seem worried. In fact, she seemed quite relaxed. "I know. I have already resolved the issue. One of my servants here will teach you the basics, but for now, I would like you to meet my son and daughter, the prince and princess of this land." The queen smiled, and then shrilly called for them both, one by one. "Axel! Hillary! Come here!"
Two fairies entered the room, their stride so similar that it was very much like a military march. The first to appear was the princess. Hillary's hair was golden and curly, but her eyes were blue, unlike her mother's darker ones. She wore a dress that matched her eyes with lace along the sleeves and the hem of the skirt. Her shoes were dainty white slippers.
Next was the prince. He wore a pale blue vest with copper buttons lining its front, and dark blue pants. Axel had blue-green mottled eyes, and his brown hair was neat and swept to the side. Kara took notice of the queen's expectant look, and she curtsied to them, hoping that was the right thing to do. It was. The prince and princess nodded to her, then took their seats beside their mother. Axel fixed his gaze on her, and Kara shrank back in her chair. He looked angry. "Is this..Kara, mother?" he asked, his annoyance obvious. "Yes. You both shall treat her with respect while she resides here with us."
Kara studied the prince. He still seemed displeased. Once she caught his eye, he turned away from her to pick sullenly at the food in front of him with his fork. Kara sat back in her chair, hoping his crossness wasn't because of something she did. She didn't think the queen would want her to be upsetting her children.

Lily appeared in the room soon, and after some time had passed, several trays of food were brought in. Kara hardly recognized what was offered. She was given a plate with dark mushrooms on it, topped with a blue tinted dressing. There was also some meat that was similar to steak, but was cut in thin, well cooked pieces. Their drinks were glasses of water. Lily had been given something different, but she wasn't eating. She was leaning forward in a way that threatened to get her long hair caught up in her food. There was a lost, dreamy half lidded expression on her face as she looked closely at Axel from where she was at her seat. Kara chuckled. Lily had fallen for someone. That was sort of surprising, considering her friend's bad experiences with dating in the past. Maybe she thought her chances with a fairy would be better. Once everyone had finished their meal, Axel excused himself from the table in a polite manner and left the room as quickly as he had come in. Hillary's eyes widened, and with no explanation, she left too, going after her fleeing brother. Kara turned to the queen. She hadn't reacted to her childrens' sudden departure. "Queen Iona?"
The queen had been handing her soiled dishes off to a servant, but when Kara spoke, she looked over at her with interest. "Yes?"
"Axel and Hillary...they just left, without any warning. Aren't you worried about them?"
The queen shook her head, and smiled as if Kara had just told her a joke. "Oh, no, of course not. My dear Axel and Hillary have their little disputes from time to time, but they're always resolved before they can amount to anything. It's not anything you need to worry about."
Kara frowned. That wasn't what she had wanted to hear. Shouldn't a mother care if something was going on with her children?
Without another word, Kara got up from her chair and left the room, ignoring the queen's calls. Lily was soon beside her, trying to bring her back. "Kara, wait up! Where are you going? The queen wants you to stay in there!"
"I know, but no one should treat their kids like they don't matter, not even someone like her. We have to find them and try to help somehow."
Lily was okay with that. "Fine, but while we're at it..do you think fairies have cell phones? I'd better ask. Axel seems like someone who would."