Chapter One (Ava)
Ava drifted through a haze of shimmering light and whispering wind, the dream sand and ocean stretching endless and alive beneath her closed eyelids. Soft laughter floated on the breeze – half music, half mystery – and shadows danced just beyond sight, beckoning her deeper into the unknown.
Her heart beat slow and steady, until a voice – warm, urgent – cracked the silence.
“Ava! Ava, wake up!”
My mother’s voice sliced through the dream like the sunlight breaking through a fog, pulling me back.
My eyes snapped open, the fading echoes of the dream clinging like mist. Despite the beaming light piling through the window that had just been opened to the day, the room felt dim in stark comparison to the shine of the dream that had now but all, disappeared.
“Honestly Ava, what is the point in you owning an alarm clock if you don’t actually use it?” My mother’s voice came again; this time laced with amused frustration.
I groaned softly into my pillow. “I heard it, I just needed 5 more minutes.”
There was a pause, then a soft sigh. “You always say that. You’ll be late if you don’t get up now. And you don’t want to keep everybody waiting, do you?”
Reluctantly, I threw the duvet aside and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. The strange weight of the dream pressed behind my eyes, like a secret I couldn’t quite reach. Today felt different – though I couldn’t say why.
I glanced out of the window. The morning light weaving through the trees in the garden, the world already alive outside. The dulcet tones of the tube and car horns in the distance reminding me that London is awake and ready for the day. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something unseen was watching me, waiting for me to wake.
I dragged myself downstairs to the kitchen-diner, the scent of a freshly brewed cup of tea and sizzling bacon greeting me as I reached the table, wrapping around me like a warm and familiar hug. Mum was at the oven, turning and stabbing the sausages. I was certain that she was being overly cautious not to give me food poisoning on a day like today. Dad was already sat at the table, scrolling through his phone. But most unsurprisingly, my best friend Lauren was sprawled out in a chair, headphones around her neck, looking way too relaxed.
“Morning rockstar,” she teased with a grin. “Big night tonight, huh?”
I rolled my eyes and slid into the chair next to her. “Yeah. I can’t believe it’s already here. The crowd better be ready.” I gently fluffed my hair close to my ears to ensure they were covered. Lauren showing up uninvited was not unusual in my house, and I had grown accustomed to the routine of covering myself in my human masquerade before leaving my bedroom. But always better to be safe than sorry.
Dad looked up from his phone and smiled at me, his own human masquerade applied. “You’ve worked yourself to the bone around the globe Ava, but you know that no show matters more than the one on home turf. You love this city. Don’t forget to enjoy it.”
Mum placed a plate in front of me. “Just don’t let your nerves of being home get the best of you.”
I smiled, grateful for their support – even if I could still feel the nerves knotting themselves in my stomach. “Nerves are not an option. I’ve got too many songs to scream.”
Lauren laughed, bumping my shoulder. “That’s the spirit! And hey, I’ll be right in the front row, your biggest fan, cheering you on.”
“I’ve got something for you,” she continued. “I was actually in Camden myself the other day and headed to the market. You know me, I can’t resist.” She winked. “And I stumbled across some gorgeous new jewelry. Now, of course I got some for myself, but you didn’t think I’d forget about you, did you?”
She opened a paper bag and emptied the contents on the table. Two silver ear stretchers, the edges adorned in a flower design filled with glistening diamonds. A septum ring to match and an array of earrings – studs, hoops and dangles.
I took in a breath. “Lauren... these are beautiful. But you didn’t have to. This can’t have been cheap. Please, let me give you something towards them.”
Lauren scoffed. “Absolutely not! You would buy me the world if you could and have more than paid your share on our coffee dates. It’s my turn. I just wanted to see your face when you saw them.”
I smiled and looked at my best friend. She truly did know me - better than anyone else I would say, if it wasn’t for the catastrophic secret I had been hiding from her for the past ten years. How could I possibly tell her that I was fae? That part of my world lived in shadows and whispers, worlds away from the music and laughter we shared. Every time I thought about telling Lauren, my throat tightened, and my words got caught between truth and fear. What if she didn’t believe me? Or worse, what if she did? What if I exposed her to the very danger that I have been protecting her from?
As the chatter between my loved ones continued, my thoughts kept drifting back to that strange dream – the whispering ocean, the shadows watching. No matter how loud the music got today, a part of me wondered if something else was waiting in the wings.
