When the day of the Spring Fling finally came, Ferry had long lost his enthusiasm. It wasn't even a day like any other. That would have been easier. He knew he wouldn't like it. He couldn't have. Matilda had briefly let him know that she would not come because she did not like such a gathering. He also knew from her that neither Ben would come. But he had promised Celia; he knew the ball was important to her, and he didn't want to disappoint her. The only thing that comforted him was that he could at least see May. The rest didn't matter anymore.

After the discussion with Mr. Haughty, Ferry stopped visiting Celia. Anyway, there were only a few days left before the ball, and Celia was pleased with Ferry's dancing achievements.

Now, Ferry looked at his own reflection in the mirror from Lavender's drawing-room. The navy-blue suit fitted perfectly. Touching the fine fabric felt like the surface of peach in ripe. While waiting for Celia's driver, Ferry was lost in thought. He didn't hear his mother coming down and looking at him with a nostalgic smile on her lips.

"You're so handsome," she said. "And so big ... When did you grow up so fast?" she asked looking at him in the mirror. Standing beside her, he looked like a giant looking at a small being.

Ferry turned to her and tried to smile. But his mother knew him better than that, "What is it, my dear? You seem preoccupied lately."

Ferry sat on the sofa near the window to Lavender's garden. His mother sat beside him and wrapped him a warm look, as she usually did.

"I don't know, Mum," Ferry sighed. "I seem to ruin everything, lately ... All I do is wrong ... And I hurt a lot of people in the process. People I care about ..."

"What is it you think you did wrong?" she asked.

"How much time do you have?" he tried to joke.

His mother caressed his cheek, "I know you, Ferry. You couldn't hurt anyone, not even if you wanted to. Why don't you try to feel good at this ball? It's your first one. You should be excited about it..."

"I was ... But then, May--" And Ferry sighed again.

His mother smiled at him, "Ah, young love ... What could be more beautiful?"

"I don't know ... Maybe being with that person?"

But his mother shook her head, "But that's not the purpose of love, Ferry. What would love be without longing, without desire? ... Without pain? ... Isn't it how we realize that we truly love?"

Ferry said nothing. He looked at his polished shoes, so polished that they glittered.

"I wish it wasn't so complicated ... What I feel, I mean ..."

"You should be happy ..." his mother said. "Love at this age is disturbing, and messy, and confusing ... But so beautiful and pure. The first love stays in your heart forever. Cherish these feelings because you don't know if they will ever return."

"I know, but if she weren't so stubborn ... Nothing I do is right. I don't know what she's expecting from me. Now she's upset with me because of inviting Celia ... When she was the one who told me to invite another girl in the first place..."

His mother looked at him, confused, "Whom are you talking about?"

Ferry stopped. How had he come to talk about Matilda? His mother smiled. He heard the horn of the Haughty family car from afar, and he jumped from the divan and took his suit's jacket. He kissed his mother on the forehead and hurried out the door.

From the car, he observed the town in the light of the late afternoon. He wondered how desolate it had become, although the days were now much longer and the weather much warmer. Then a thought came to his mind: it had been almost seven years since someone had almost disappeared in the Shepherd's Forest. In their world. In the world of fairies. He understood why, before nightfall, people were retreating to their homes, children's voices were scattering, and the streets were deserted. The time was coming. And the town was waiting.

When he arrived at Haughty residence, Celia's mother was waiting for him in the large living room. Fortunately, Celia's father was at the sawmill, so Ferry was relieved. As usual, she measured him from head to toe.

"Ferry, darling, you look gorgeous," she said, arranging his buttercup flower boutonniere, matching with Celia's corsage. Her fingers walked over his chest for a few seconds, making Ferry take a step back. "Celia will be down in a moment."

But Mrs. Haughty continued to analyze him, which made Ferry increasingly uncomfortable.

"You look very noble," she told him, looking him dead in the eye. "And this without being dressed in fancy clothes. Have you ever wondered who your real parents are?" she asked.

Ferry was becoming increasingly restless. What did the Haughty family want from him? Celia's parents suddenly seemed very interested in his origin.

Fortunately, Celia's steps down the stairs made her questioning end. Haughty retreated and went to her daughter. She looked amazing. She wore a white puffed up dress which accentuated her slim waist. The underside was made of tulle of the glistening white, and the matching bodice was made of the finest lace. Her hair had been arranged in an elegant bun in which an old, silver hairpin shone. She also wore matching satin shoes.

"You look great, Celia," Ferry said. And he meant it. Celia had always been a dazzling beauty.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Elf," she smiled. The girl had a box of hair gel in her hand.

"What do you want to do with that?" asked Ferry.

"You just don't want to go to the ball with that haystack at the top of your head. Let me just put some hair gel on. It's one of the most expensive. Just a little," she asked.

Ferry sighed, and let her put that slimy gel in her hair. After an effort of a few minutes to tame his hair, Celia declared herself satisfied with the result.

Ferry then put the buttercup corsage on her hand and the two said goodbye to Celia's mother.

"Wait! Wait!" she shouted behind them, running after them with a modern camera. "I need to take your picture beforehand. I want Celia to remember this day forever. The day she became the ball's Queen."

Ferry was stuck in place. He couldn't let her take his picture. He was a fairy. Fairies never appeared in pictures. And he couldn't leave such evidence in the Haughty family's home.

He pulled Celia aside, "I can't have my picture taken, Celia," he told her, looking at her in a way that she understood he was serious about it.

Celia snorted, "What? Why?"

"I just can't."

"Come on, Ferry, this is my first ball. I have to get a picture. Don't be shy!"

But Ferry took her by the hand and looked her in the eye, "I can't take the picture, Celia," he said, reinforcing his words.

Celia stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded.

"We don't have time for the picture, Mum. We'll have it done at school. We have to go now."

And without waiting, she took Ferry by the hand and dragged him out the door.

In the car, Celia did not speak to him at all. Instead, she looked through the car's window.

They arrived at school and entered the gym room where the Spring Fling was held. The room was almost full. Boys and girls wearing their best clothes laughed and talked loudly, to cover the music that came from Mr. Adam's record player; the biology professor who was in charge of organizing the Spring Fling. All the boys wore suits, most of them made by Mr. Button, or maybe borrowed from their fathers because they seemed old-fashioned. The girls wore dresses made by the tailor ladies from their neighborhood after the models from the few fashion magazines that came from the Big City. But the materials were cheap and some of the dresses did not fit properly. Instead, the various fabrics and bright colours of the dresses made the whole room vibrate with youth and life. Most of the girls' dresses were made of glossy materials, and they had their hair styled in voluminous, fluffy buns.

Ferry looked around the room, but he didn't see May nor Billy. Andrew and Rebecca, May's girlfriend were also missing, a sign that they had not arrived yet. Celia met her friends and their partners from the football team and they all started complimenting each other, chirping like a flock of happy sparrows. The boys in the football team, on the other hand, kept staring at Celia, elbowing each other.

"You're lucky, Donovan," one of them said.

Ferry forced himself to smile, nodded, then went to the drinks table from which he took a glass of juice. He took a mouthful, but the taste was odd, like stale water, and the drink was warm. He retreated near the now-empty stage, decorated with garlands of colored paper. He didn't feel like himself. He felt uncomfortable and alone. Around him, there was colour, and music, and life. But he felt out of spunk. He shouldn't have been there. Now, he felt sorry he had involved Celia in this. He'd better stayed home. But now it was too late to change his mind.

Ferry sighed. He looked at Celia who didn't seem to notice his absence, too busy with her group of admirers. He felt the absence of his friends more than ever. If he had spoken, maybe he would have been looking for clues with Ben now or would have ridden the bike with Matilda.

The entrance turned crowded. The young people arrived one after another, in groups or in pairs. He kept his eyes on the entrance, waiting for May. Maybe she had doubts, too. Maybe she had changed her mind and gave up coming, after all. How good it would have been! She would have spared him from the pain of seeing her with another boy.

But that didn't happen. Andrew, with Rebecca hanging by his arm, entered the gym room. He laughed and kept looking behind. After a few moments, Billy appeared, holding May's hand. Ferry felt a hole in his stomach. The four remained on the edge, greeting Celia and her group.

On the other side of the room, Ferry couldn't take his eyes away from May. Unlike the other girls, with their fluffy dresses and equally voluminous hairstyles, May wore a long ivory-colored chiffon dress, which waved on her body with every move she made. The sleeves of the dress showed her bare, white shoulders. Her hair fell on her back, rich and shiny, and small, white flowers were sprinkled in her chestnut locks like tiny stars on the night's sky. May was smiling from time to time and replying briefly to the conversations around her. She didn't seem to pay attention, looking around, and searching for something. Billy let go of her hand and laughed and talked to Andrew who had forgotten about Rebecca. The music was loud, so the boys had to whisper in each other's ear so close, that they could almost touch each other. Their hands did not seem to find their rest as if in a search. They looked into each other's eyes, and their eyes smiled with each glance they cast.

May didn't seem to be upset that Billy wasn't paying her attention. She tried to smile and talk to Rebecca. But her eyes were still searching. When her eyes met Ferry's, time stood still. His heart began to race, almost jumping out of his chest. The music grew louder, but then sounded ever distant until he could no longer hear it. The dozens of people between them disappeared. The voices faded, then scattered. Other music began, sweeter and softer than any other. The distance between them became smaller as if they were face to face; as if they could just reach out and touch each other. And then, their eyes met. May's eyes gleamed at his sight, with two tears of longing trapped between her eyelashes. The girl smiled, and he smiled back. That was all they could do. But it was enough. Then, Billy took May's hand and pulled her to the dance floor in the middle of the gym room, and the spell vanished. The whispers and murmur filled the air again. The music burst loud, taking him out of the numbness he had fallen into. Everything went back to normal.

"Come on, Elf, let's dance," he heard Celia shouting in his ear and dragging him on the dance floor. Ferry tried to dance as Celia had taught him, but his eyes were still running towards May, who danced with Billy without much ado. Ferry even managed to step on Celia's foot a few times, but she continued to dance, pulling Ferry as far in the middle as possible, and thus, in the center of attention. Ferry tried to concentrate and managed to dance a little this time, just to please Celia.

"I'm thirsty," said Celia, "would you please bring me a glass of punch?"

Ferry was glad he could withdraw from the crowd that had begun to suffocate him. He went to the drinks table and poured a cloudy, red drink with a dubious odor from the punch bowl. Celia waited for him on the edge. Ferry headed for her, but his eyes searched for May again. Now, he saw Billy holding a glass of punch, offering it to May, then gently kissing her cheek. Ferry felt all his blood rushing to his head and his gaze turned blurry. He didn't even realize he bumped into someone. When his sight cleared, he saw Celia staring at her dress. And at the punch spilled on it. The red liquid had already stained her white, immaculate dress.

"Look what you did!" she shouted as the others stopped dancing, curious to find out what had happened.

Celia didn't wait; she ran from the crowd, which seemed to have become suffocating even for her. Ferry followed her. He finally reached her on the corridor leading to the girls' bathroom.

"Celia, I'm sorry ..." he said. "I'm so sorry..."

Celia sobbed. Big tears fell from her beautiful eyes. "You ruined everything!" she cried. "It was supposed to be the most beautiful day of my life. It was supposed to be my day," she said with a sigh.

"I ruined everything?" Ferry shouted back, feeling the corridor suddenly becoming too small. "I shouldn't even be here. Not with you. And you shouldn't have been with me. Why did you accept from the beginning? You knew I only invited you to make May jealous."

"Leave me alone, Ferry," she cried back. "It wasn't supposed to be this way," she said, still crying, without worrying her makeup was all over her face.

"None of these was supposed to be this way," he said, clenching his fists and feeling the air in the corridor becoming thinner.

"Oh, poor Ferry," she teased him, barely breathing. "Did May forget about you? May this, and May that. With all this infatuation of yours for her, you don't even realize you are ruining the lives of others. Why don't you leave, Ferry? Leave! Go to your precious May!" she added and slid down a wall, covering her face with her palms and sobbing.

Ferry could barely breathe. He then sat next to her on the corridor's cold floor.

"I'm sorry," he softly said. "Lately, I'm ruining everything I touch," he sighed.

Celia looked at him, her eyes still in tears. "It's not your fault," she softly said. "It's only his fault ... He doesn't even know I exist. It's all because of him that we are both here, feeling miserable."

"Who?" Ferry wondered. "Billy?"

She shook her head, "No ... Ben ..."

"Ben ?!"

Celia nodded, tears falling from her eyes again."But Celia, Ben likes you."

"If he liked just a little, he would have let me know, right?" she said with a twinkle of hope in her eyes.

"Celia, I've known Ben since I was a child. He doesn't open up easily. But he's the most passionate person I know. When he's passionate about something, he's into that forever. And he likes you. He really likes you."

"What's the use? ... she sighed. "Somehow, everything seems to separate us," she added and began to weep again on his shoulder. Ferry caressed her hair.

"Come on, go wash. Tomorrow, we will solve this problem. Now, let's try to enjoy what's left of this day."

He helped her get up, and the girl slowly headed to the girls' bathroom. Before she entered, she turned to him, "You know what? May is a fool she's not with you..."

Ferry smiled at her and headed in the opposite direction to the boys' bathroom. He went in and looked in the mirror. His suit and hair made him look like a different person. He put his head under the cold water and cleansed the gel in his hair. His rebellious hair ruffled immediately, the free strands falling into his eyes and over his pointy ears. Ferry took off his jacket and tie. Now he looked like him again.

But the cold water did not chase away his nervousness. He thought about having some air until Celia would clean and arrange herself. He went out of the gym room and took a few steps. The evening air made him feel better. The high school had a large yard full of trees, green grass and benches. Behind the gym room, there grew some old lime trees, each with a bench beneath. Ferry laid on one of the benches and looked at the sky among the branches of the tree. In the distance, there were pieces of music mingling with the wind that brought the chirps of the insects and the song of the night birds. But the wind brought something else, too--whispers and sighs coming from somewhere close. Ferry rose from the bench and listened carefully. They came from the school's greenhouse, where biology lessons were held when the weather was warm.

Ferry slid gently past the exterior walls of the greenhouse. Indeed, the door was open. Through the steamy windows, which grew wet moss, among the bush branches growing inland, Ferry could see two silhouettes. Andrew and Billy. They were kissing, their silhouettes becoming one.

"I missed you," Billy said between the kisses.

"I missed you, too," Andrew said after a few more kisses.

"I wanted to visit you at the lake house," Billy said, "but my Dad is still home. And he's always with his eyes on me."

"It doesn't matter," Andrew replied. "We can see each other at school, anyway."

"But it's not the same," Billy protested as he slid off Andrew's embrace. "I want to be with you all the time ..." he said as if begging.

Andrew sighed, "We can't do... People don't understand ... Your father would shut you down forever."

"I don't care what people say! I don't care what my dad thinks! I just want to be with you..."

"I'm not talking about this world," Andrew said in a serious tone. "I don't want anything to happen to you, '' he said, stepping closer to Billy. "I would die if anything happened to you."

"What could happen to me?" Billy. "Why can't you talk to me?"

Andrew sighed, "When it's all over, we will leave this place."

"Why can't we go now? Why should we wait?" Billy wondered.

"He would find us if we left now. Your grandfather ... he's a very powerful man. He runs this town from the shadow. He can destroy us both."

Billy's wonder grew, "How do you know about my grandfather? Why so many secrets, Andrew? Why don't you talk to me?" he softly said.

"Because I'm afraid ... I'm afraid that if you knew who I was ... you wouldn't want to know about me anymore ..."

Billy turned to him. The two were now face to face. "Whatever it is, my love for you will never change," Billy softly said.

Andrew remained silent for a few moments. "Love?" he finally asked.

Billy got even closer, "I mean ... I've never been happier. Isn't that how love must feel?" Then, seeing that Andrew is late to answer, he added, "Say something ..."

"Love is a big word ... But how I feel about you, I never for anyone, he said. And if that's not love ..."

The two boys turned quiet. Ferry saw their silhouettes in front of each other and realized they were just looking at each other. He decided to leave, but the ongoing discussion made him stay. 

Now they were talking about something that interested him.

"What about May?" asked Andrew. "Do you feel something for her?"

"May is an amazing girl," Billy said, seeming to talk seriously. "She's beautiful and gentle, and she sees what's best in people. Even in me ... But she's not you. I had to invite her," he added. "It was just so I could make my Dad let me come to the Spring Fling so I can see you. Besides, she probably agreed to make Ferry Donovan jealous."

Ferry got closer to hear better.

"She and Ferry always had a ... thing," Billy continued. "Everyone knows that. It's so palpable. They always seemed inseparable, but for some reason, something always set them apart. I'm sorry for them ... Sometimes, love is not meant to be ..."

Ferry listened to Billy's words and, for the first time, agreed with him, though he hated to admit it.

"But enough with talking about others. We'd better focus on ourselves," said Billy, getting closer to Andrew and kissing him. Andrew kissed him back and their silhouettes became one again.

Ferry walked away from the greenhouse with a heavy heart. He didn't want to think that Billy was right. That the love between him and May would never become real.

In the little park behind the gym, he saw her. May. When she saw him, her face was completely illuminated.

"Ferry, have you seen Billy?" she asked. "The ball's Queen shall be announced soon."

"He'll be right back. He's just a little ... busy... talking to Andrew."

"These boys are always together," May replied. "They never seem to have enough time to talk."

Ferry said nothing. May turned silent, too. Outside darkness fell. She looked into his eyes for a moment, but then the light in her eyes disappeared again, the clouds taking its place.

"I think I should go," she said.

But Ferry caught her hand gently before she turned. Fragments from a slow song swept up to them, in the little park beneath the lime trees.

"May, stay ..." Ferry softly said. "Dance with me..."

She stayed. She came closer, her eyes away from his gaze, and put her hands on his shoulders. Ferry reached for her thin waist and they both began to slowly move on the soft rhythm. At her touch, he felt like floating. Through the fine material, his hands felt her body, as tense and waiting as his own. May clung to him, so close that he could feel her fresh breath on his chest. The girl rested her cheek against his shoulder and they stayed there, glued to each other, without moving. Ferry felt the jasmine perfume coming over him which made him forget, again, where he was as if nobody and nothing mattered anymore. Once more, he felt her heart beating into his chest; he felt her breath on his cheek, so he lowered his cheek in search of her lips.

But May broke away from his embrace before their lips touched.

"I'm sorry, Ferry," she whispered. "I can't..."

Then, she walked away from him. Again.

When Ferry returned to the gym room, the dance floor was fuller than ever. Almost everyone danced. But he remained on the edge, looking at the effervescence around him. How many of them really enjoyed being there? He knew some who were not happy, not fully, at least. Celia should have been with Ben. Billy with Andrew. He should have been with May. And Matt ... Who should she be with? He knew Danny Stevens had not come to Spring Fling either, out of his foolish solidarity with Matilda, in his honest opinion. The thought made him even more anxious and that was the last thing he needed now.

Celia, who didn't miss a thing, observed his sadness and came to him.

"Come on, Elf, dance with me," she said, pulling him onto the dance floor. "Just a bit longer and everything will be over. Let's just have fun until then."

Ferry complied and joined her. If his day was ruined, what was the point of ruining hers, too? Celia began to dance on the alert beats of a rock and roll song. Her dress was destroyed, with a large pink stain in the middle. She had completely removed her makeup. And yet, she didn't seem to care. She, who cared about her image more than anything. The girl bounced, throwing her hands and feet randomly in the air, her moves far from the ones they repeated together so many times. Ferry did the same, fooling around as if the dance floor was theirs. Soon, everyone would join them, and the dance floor turned into a bouncy and noisy mass, emanating contagious shouts and laughter.

But the good mood was interrupted by Mr. Adams who made the announcement of the evening at the microphone on the stage. Everyone stopped dancing and retreated to the edge. Celia took Ferry by the hand and squeezed it, excited. Andrew and Billy also came back and were now standing side by side, without looking at each other, their arms touching from time to time. But in their eyes was pure happiness. Rebecca was sitting next to Andrew, pouting, but he didn't even know she was there. May was nowhere to be seen, but Billy didn't seem to mind her absence.

"And now, the moment you are all expecting," Mr. Adams announced. "The Spring Fling Queen of Goodharts High School 1961 is ..." A short pause followed, and Celia held Ferry's hand so tight, it became even whiter than it was. "Celia Haughty !!!" announced Mr. Adams with aplomb.

In the crowd's applause and cheering, Ferry offered Celia's his arm and escorted her to the stage. Then he kissed her hand as a true gentleman should, and retreated. Celia gladly accepted the ugly crown, painted in bright yellow, smiling with her perfect teeth and waving to the crowd like a queen to her subjects.

Mr. Adams was about to announce the King of the ball when suddenly the music stopped. The murmurs of the crowd melted one by one and all eyes turned to the entrance. A late and uninvited guest made his appearance. Ben. He didn't wear festive clothes, but his ordinary clean and tidy clothes.

He made his way through the crowd, went up the stage and stopped in front of Celia. He offered her his hand with his palm up, looking into her eyes without worrying about the whispers and the mumbling around him. Celia's eyes turned wide. Then, she laughed, trying to bring her arrogant smile to her lips. But Ben kept on looking at her, his hand still waiting. Ferry and everyone else watched as Celia's arrogant smile vanished and two small tears sparkled in her eyes. She slowly gave Ben her hand which he held tight, and hand in hand, they set off for the exit. Everyone made a corridor in front of them, making room for them to pass. But they didn't see anyone else anyway because they only had eyes for one another. And as they made their way out, Ferry knew their hearts belonged to one another forever.

I was always curious about something, now that things turn serious... Which is your favorite couple in this book? Can't wait to find out ;)