The Elf Girl (16 page)

“That’s a lot of questions,” he remarked.

“I’m looking for a lot of answers,” I admitted.

“Okay, let’s see, where to begin? Zora was a regular, basically a jewelry hoarder,” he joked. I smiled, realizing Zora and Dina might be a lot more alike than I once thought. Smirking, he continued with, “She used to tell me that whatever she didn’t save, she spent on jewelry.”

“So you
did
talk to her a lot?” I remarked, jumping into Nancy Drew mode. When I was eight, I had this month-long obsession with growing up to be a detective. Sure, the circumstances had changed, but I guessed being an elfen detective was close enough.

“Yes, we were fairly close. When someone comes in here as often as she did, you eventually start making friends with the clerk,” he joked. “She would come in about once a week and tell me what was new in her life. She liked talking to people; she was very outgoing.”

“Is there anything else I should know?”

“She talked to me about you a lot,” he told me.

“What?” His remark stunned me.

“Every so often she would mention your name. When she bought a piece that was particularly extravagant she would comment on how much you would have loved it. She said if you had grown up with her, you both would have had the same taste in jewelry.”

“Wow,” I said.

I could barely feel my legs. It was difficult to hear how much Zora had thought of me when I hadn’t known she existed until yesterday. I felt guilty, as if I had committed a crime or something. It sounded crazy, but I couldn’t help it. Zora spent her whole life waiting for me to come home. I spent my whole life complaining
about
my life. “I need to get going,” I said, hurrying to get out of the store because I suddenly felt a little sick to my stomach. “I have many things to do today. Thank you so much for your time.”

Aaron nodded slowly. “I understand, and you are very welcome. Come by anytime.”

“I think I’ll come back sometime and maybe buy a piece of jewelry. I don’t have anything like what you have here. It’s amazing just how different, yet also similar, the Human Realm and the Elf Realm are.”

“Although I have never been to the Human Realm myself, I understand what you mean. Many similarities exist between elves and humans. Anyway, I’ll look forward to your next visit.”

“Thanks for talking with me and…understanding my situation.”

“No problem.” He smiled.

I gave Aaron a wave and left the store. I had enjoyed meeting him. He seemed very genuine to me and I looked forward to seeing him again. Even with the countless rumors and mysteries surrounding both my past and present, he was able to look beyond that and treat me just as he would another customer in his shop.

As I headed away from the store, I started to feel even gloomier. Hearing about Zora hadn’t been as easy as I thought it would be. Even though I didn’t really know her, she was still my sister. It was torturous to me, knowing that she could be hurting.

But I had to put my emotions on hold for now, because finding Zora didn’t leave any room for pouting. It was time to check out the bookstore again and buy the book on locks. I didn’t know for sure if opening the trunk would help my search, but it was worth a try.

I must not have been used to the loose gravel on the street, because a second later I was tripping over my own feet, stumbling forward and into the arms of an elf passing by. Maybe it was fate, or just a random occurrence, but I didn’t think about the possibilities very long. I looked up at him, about to apologize…but then I saw his eyes.

They were a deep emerald green, the exact same color as mine, and they glowed with an intensity I had never witnessed before. A slash of silver crossed each one, the sun’s reflection making them sparkle like dancing crystals. The emerald irises appeared to be swirling in circles, creating the illusion that his eyes were never-ending. Flecks of darker emerald clustered around each pupil made my breath catch in my throat. Suddenly, my disheartened mood vanished, almost as if I had never felt sadness before. Something about these eyes held me in place, as if I had found a balance, blanketing me in a cocoon of comfort, free of worries and concerns.

I couldn’t look away. I was caught up in the beauty, enchanted by it. Warmth spread through me. A rush of ecstasy overtook all other senses, engulfing me completely.

I realized how content I would be if I stayed, right here, standing in front of him, forever – and this frightened me. I had never felt this way before about anything or anyone. I had never felt so whole, especially with someone I didn’t know. But those eyes – as I looked into them, nothing else mattered. They were like priceless jewels, as if they were the reason I was alive…the reason I kept on breathing.

I couldn’t tear myself away to look at his face. Our eyes were locked together. I wondered what he saw as he gazed into my own. Was he seeing the same immense beauty I saw? I couldn’t help but wonder as we gazed upon each other.

I found myself compelled to move forward. All I wanted was to be closer to him, to see if his heart was beating as swiftly as mine was. To see if he was breathing as heavily as I was. To see what would happen if our lips were close enough to meet.

He took a step forward as well. I felt his fingertips brush mine. I hadn’t even realized my hand lifting to meet his. I took a sharp breath. Touching him set off a reaction inside of me that I couldn’t put into words. I could tell that he felt it too. His eyes were smoldering, boring into mine. I had never felt so exposed, but I didn’t mind. I liked this unfamiliar way he was making me feel.

Then he blinked, breaking the connection, and suddenly I was sane again, brought back to reality.

“I am
so
sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going. Sorry to bother you.” I smiled apologetically and walked away quickly, still a little freaked out by how much he had affected me.

I could have sworn his stunning eyes watched me go.

***

After carelessly crashing into the beautiful-eyed stranger, I forgot all about the bookstore, and without even noticing where my feet were taking me, I arrived home. I realized saving the bookstore for another day was for the best. Finding Zora was important, but I was just too shaky and distracted at the moment to do any real good.

Once I started remembering the scene with the Stranger – my new nickname for him – I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I still felt like a major idiot for what had happened. I hadn’t even introduced myself. His eyes had sidetracked me from remembering the rules of common courtesy.

Had I wanted to meet him and talk to him?
Yes
. Was I feeling bad about the situation only because I had
wanted
to meet him? The answer was an even bigger
yes
. I hadn’t even been able to look at his face. I was so distracted by his eyes….

Why was I so transfixed with this elf? What made him stand out from every other elf in the crowd? As I walked home, I couldn’t get him out of my mind, wondering if I would ever see him again. Ever since the accident on the bridge, I had felt like everything was out of place. But for some reason, I had this strange inkling that the Stranger could change all of that. That he could make everything right again if I just gave him the opportunity to do so.

And looking at him hadn’t made me feel the way I did whenever I looked at Stellan. That day in the cafeteria, I had felt like a giddy teenager with a crush when I saw his face. But I knew what I felt for the Stranger was different…more mature somehow, in a way I couldn’t explain. Almost like our eyes had conveyed a deeper meaning than simple attraction for one another. But how could one look exchanged between two complete strangers determine all that?

It couldn’t, of course. I
had
to be thinking foolishly. That was the only logical explanation for these bizarre feelings I suddenly had for an elf I didn’t even know. It wasn’t like me to behave this way. The stress and information overload that had recently begun to overtake my life must have messed with both my mind and my emotions. I needed to clear my head, or pretty soon every stranger on the street would seem important to me.

Nothing out of the ordinary had occurred between us. I had to accept that. Sure, he had beautiful eyes, but that was it. Nothing else. I had to believe that…otherwise, I didn’t know what I would do. I didn’t know how I would deal with that sort of situation.

But I couldn’t seem to convince myself to stop thinking about him.

When I arrived home, still confused and frazzled, I opened the door to see a note on the dining room table written on a large piece of paper in elegant handwriting. Even before I read it, I recognized the writing:

I didn’t want to ruin your table by using my power to write on it, so I left this note for you instead. You will be joining us for dinner at seven tonight, so don’t be late!

-A

This meant she had been inside my house while I was gone. I hardly cared, though. If I were still in the Human Realm, I would be annoyed, but things were very different here. I was beginning to understand and accept that. It was barely my house anyway. I had been in it for less than a day.

I knew it was noon as soon as I thought about the word
time
. I was getting better at knowing what time it was in the Elf Realm, and the realization both startled me and made me smile. Elf stuff was weird, no doubt about that. However, I was glad that I could be a part of it, a part of
something
.

I had seven hours until dinner. It was just enough time to unwind and relax…well, maybe too much time. I would make do. I would go into my room, look through more of Zora’s things and a little bit through mine, maybe take a nap, find something to eat for lunch, and then try to find a way to kill more time. Why was the day so long for elves? In addition, with no school, no work, and no one to hang out with, I was bored out of my mind. I sighed and walked into my bedroom. I kicked off my sandals, jumped onto my bed, and began massaging my temples. I needed to relax. Maybe a nap should be the first thing on my agenda.

As I began to drift off, I felt an odd itching sensation on my arm. It felt like bugs were crawling all over me, or pins and needles jabbing into my skin. I rubbed my hand over my arm but nothing was there. I continued to itch. I ran to the bathroom and turned on the water over my arm to soothe my burning skin. The cold water didn’t help. Breathing heavily from the painful sensation, I tried to think of another way to get rid of the annoying, painful itch. Before I could dry my scorching hot arm and try something else, I noticed words appearing on my skin. I remembered Addison could write on anything with her mind, even someone’s skin. I gasped in both pain and awe as the sentences formed:

Ramsey, I forgot to mention that Stellan wants you to meet him at his restaurant at one! Hope this didn’t hurt you too much.

I washed my arm again. The words washed away as if real ink was on my arm. I dried it and took several deep breaths.
What an experience,
I thought. I held my arm close and returned to the bedroom.

I thought about ignoring the message but knew it wouldn’t be right. It would be rude of me not to see Stellan. He had played a huge part in bringing me home, after all. I also didn’t want to hurt Addison by hurting her brother. She was my closest friend in this place, and I didn’t want to lose her. I needed all the support I could get if I wanted to find my sister. I made up my mind and decided that I was going to the restaurant at one, whether I really wanted to or not. But I was still apprehensive about spending time with Stellan. Already his erratic moods weren’t easy to follow, and I hadn’t even known him for very long.

I had about forty-five minutes before I would leave to find the place. I decided to use this time to inspect my room more closely. I hadn’t looked through Zora’s clothing yet. Maybe by knowing her clothes I could picture her better and find out where to find her. It sounded crazy and I knew it was, but I was trying anything I could because I didn’t have anything else to go on. My options were limited.

I opened her wardrobe. Her clothing was startlingly bright, vibrant, and colorful. Zora obviously liked to separate herself from the pack. The
elfin
pack that is. That was another difference I noted between the two of us. However, I might have enjoyed standing out too if I hadn’t been trapped in a world full of judgmental humans.

I felt each of her shirts, skirts, and dresses. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. What had I expected – some sort of telepathic link just because we were sisters? I searched through the rest of the clothes, not very optimistic. However, while I was feeling around in the dark wardrobe, my hand reached the back and crossed over a rough part of wood. I soon was able to trace the outline of a name:
Blaire
.

Confused, I let my hand drop and then backed away from the wardrobe and sat down on Zora’s bed. Had my sister done this? Blaire left a strange note for me, and now it seemed as though my sister wanted me to meet with her as well. Was it an instruction or a warning? Was Blaire a friend or foe? I knew I would have to find out for myself. I decided that tomorrow I would visit the elfen who was called “the city’s house cleaner.”

After all, it was my first real lead.

***

For the remainder of my free time, I organized my room and used Zora’s leftover stationery to write down my to-do list. I had several things to accomplish. Organization was a way to half-convince myself that I was being useful, although I felt like a fish out of water and terribly lost, not knowing what to do about my sister’s kidnapping. Store clerks knew more about her than I did, which made self-doubt a whole lot harder to avoid.

Listing the tasks I hoped to accomplish (in no particular order) helped ease my stress:

1. Visit Blaire