Fae and Felonies - Chapter 1

With all the craziness in the world over the last few months, here's a preview on my current work-in-progress!

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Kaley Wilson scribbled frantically on her trig worksheet, the paper practically glowed underneath the energy efficient LED fixtures. The damn light didn’t feel natural. The softer yellow ones would have been much more comfortable to human eyes, but West Holmes High School had to go with the lowest bidder.

What was the formula for a tangent again? She ignored classmates filtering into homeroom as she flipped through her notes, but she couldn’t filter out their scents. Nothing like the scent of manure on boots to overpower the stink of dry-erase markers and ruin one's concentration.

She found the right page, scribbled down the correct formula, and started working through the equation. How could she be an identical twin, yet advanced math was a breeze for Kirsten? And her sister refused to help her with homework last night.

Okay, maybe she shouldn't have been catching up on the post boys’ basketball game gossip with Bella Sims until midnight before she asked Kirsten for assistance. Kaley realized she forgot to carry the one and scrubbed the mistake with her eraser. If only Principal Reed hadn't suspended her from cheerleading for the week for skipping study hall on Monday. But no, Reed still held a grudge over his attempt to suspend her for fighting when all she did was step out of the way of a blow fellow cheerleader Amelia Ryder aimed at her in the girl’s locker room, so he refused to overlook one little misstep.

If Mom and Dad wouldn’t have grounded her, she could have snuck into the game, picked up some details about Brad and Amelia’s breakup, and gotten her homework done, instead of fretting in her bedroom the entire night about the whole situation. And who the heck needed trigonometry anyway? No one used it fashion marketing.

As she tried to explain to Mom and Dad, who refused to listen.

Hope Stillwell nudged Kaley's arm with the eraser end of her pencil.

“Stop it!” Kaley hissed without looking up. “I'm trying to get this last problem—”

“Hottie at two o'clock.”

Kaley looked up at the same moment alien magick tingled across her skin, raising the hairs on her arms and legs. A chill ran through her. She didn’t need the feel of his power to know the boy staring at her was fae. The white shock of hair wasn’t a color you saw on most Normals, even with the help of modern dyes.

The fae was tall as most Unseelie were. His platinum hair made his tanned skin stick out. He actually wore jeans and a sweatshirt under his coat, instead of glamouring Normal clothing. He had been staring at her, but quickly dropped his gaze and stalked to the back of the room. So he knew what she was, too.

Worry gripped her, and she automatically solidified her mental and magickal shields. The last thing they needed was even an incidental interaction between their energies. The mix wasn’t like oil and water. It was more like matter and anti-matter. And such an interaction usually resulted in the death of both the witch and the fae in question. In this close of quarters, they could take out their teacher and the entire class, too.

After the Battle of Millersburg, why the hell would the Winter Queen break the truce by sending one of her people to Holmes County?

She resisted the urge to turn around and look at him again. The fae aged at a much slower rate than humans, even those with longer lifespans like witches and weres, so he could be older than her great-aunt Jo. The only people comparable to the fae where the vampires, and fae viewed them as diseased cheaters because their extended life was courtesy of the V-virus.

“Why would someone change schools this late in the year?” Hope whispered.

“The middle of November isn’t that late in the school year,” Kaley whispered back. “And he may not have had a choice.” Which was true if he was under orders from the Winter Queen.

Kaley turned back to the problem, but her concentration was totally destroyed. The bell rang, and Mr. Thomas started calling roll. She’d have to take the hit on her homework score.

But that didn’t both her as much as the fae sitting behind her.

* * *

Kaley spotted her identical twin sister in the cafeteria. Well, identical if Kaley didn’t dye her hair blond. Kirsten kept the rich mahogany color they’d been born with, the same shade as Mom and Jo.

Kirsten sat with Hope and the rest of the varsity girl’s basketball team. Kaley charged over to their table and plopped down across from her sister. “I need to tell you something—”

“I’m not doing your damn homework.” Kirsten glared at her as she shoved a forkful of green beans into her mouth.

“No,” Kaley snapped. “There’s a new boy—”

“Crap!” Hope grinned. “I forgot to tell you about the hot new guy who showed up in trig class this morning.”

“Tall and cute in an emo way,” Olivia Burke added in a dreamy voice. Her reaction didn’t make sense. She didn’t swing toward boys.

Kirsten looked at Olivia, frowned, and looked back at Kaley. What’s going on? she asked telepathically.

He’s fae.

“You’re kidding, right?” Kirsten said aloud. Her brown eyes widened, and worry flowed from her psyche. Kaley was pretty sure that was the same expression she had on her face before the morning bell.

“Not about this,” she said. I texted Jo between classes, but I haven’t gotten an answer yet.

“Why would anyone want to move here this late in the school year?” Kirsten said.

Hope made a face. “That’s what I said.”

Kristen ignored her friend. “You think he’s related to the guys who messed with the Amish years ago?”

Kaley shrugged. “Because of the murders, the corridor project stalled. They did invest a ton of money into the commercial properties that would have adjoined the exit ramps.”

“What the heck are you guys talking about?” Olivia looked at Kaley and Kirsten like they spoke in a foreign language.

“Some ancient family history—” Kirsten’s expression changed from contemplative to solemn. “The principal is walking this way. Behave yourself.”

Kaley resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She looked over her shoulder as his shadow fell across her.

“Good afternoon, ladies.” Principal Reed’s voice was genial, but the emotion never reached his eyes. “Kirsten, we have a new student who started today. I need you to meet with him after school. Help him get caught up.”

She cocked her head. “You do realize I have basketball practice?”

“And it doesn’t start until three-thirty, which is forty-five minutes after school ends.” His tone didn’t leave any room for Kirsten to argue.

She plastered on a fake smile. “All right. But it’ll have to be thirty-five minutes so I have a chance to change and warm up.”

“Fine.” He strolled away.

“He could have at least said ‘please’ and ‘thank you’,” Kirsten grumbled.

Hope shook her head. “That would mean acknowledging us as real people.”

“Still this is our chance to check out the new kid,” Kaley said.

Kirsten’s jaw worked before she said, “Think you can get Donny to come with us?”

Kaley considered her words. Kirsten was totally oblivious to Donny Fryer’s crush on her. Donny threatened to bite Kaley if she said anything. Yet, her sister kept asking for his help with supernatural matters though she claimed he was trouble like the remaining werecoyotes in Holmes County.

“I can ask him,” Kaley said. “But why?”

Kirsten scowled. “If we can’t defend ourselves, Donny can rip the new kid’s throat out.”