MPJS Chap 2: Passion Spice Scent(James E Boston IV) © Copyright 2022 James Edward Boston IV

As I felt my heartbeat with the force of dynamite, a war was going on in my mind. I didn’t know which side would win, whether it would be sadness, fear, or happiness. As I followed Husky down the trail of the unknown, each of these emotions had me by the neck. Even though it felt as if the breath of life was being choked out of me, for the first time, I was living. I didn’t know where my savior was leading me, but anything is better than the horror show that I was living in for the past month.

“Follow me up this ladder,” said Husky as he pushed the ladder closer to the latch on the ceiling.

“So that’s why you took me to the storage room. We are going to the attic.” I said. “Why are we going up there? No one ever goes up there.”

“Mother Fée was keeping another secret from you,” said Husky, as he opened the latch on the ceiling.

“Secret! That usually means that Mother Fée doesn’t want me to do something. I can’t help but feel dirty. I guess I don’t have a choice.”

“Yeah, unless you want me to have to pick up all your pieces for your funeral,” said Husky, as he looked down at me from the ceiling.

“I wonder what awaits me in this other realm that you speak of,” I said.

“You’ll see. It is something that you have never experienced before. Trust me. You’ll feel liberated from the toxicity that you left behind.” he said as I stepped into the attic.

As I looked around the attic, all I saw were dusty boxes, broken tool supplies, and a few pipes. I looked around the attic, and nothing really caught my interest. I realized why we never enter the attic. There was nothing useful or interesting up there. Standing in there is like watching a white canvas.

“Is the attic the other realm you were talking about?” I asked.

“Nope, this is just the pathway. Most of these boxes are empty, but in one box lies a special mirror. Mother Fée has a special mirror that leads to the other realm.” he said as he opened a box.

I stepped over and looked in the box to experience the underwhelming view of an average-looking mirror. The metal part of the mirror was silver. The glass had so many smudge marks I could barely see my reflection.

“This is the magic mirror? This looks underwhelming.” I said.

“What do you expect it to look like? Mother Fée doesn’t want to bring too much attention to the mirror because this very mirror is the portal to the other realm. It is the door to freedom.” he said.

“Interesting,” I said, as I took a few steps back.

“I know that this experience is intimidating, but you have to be tough. The reality is that the toughest survive, not the nicest like Mother Fée teaches. She’s not teaching you the truth. Be thankful that I got you out of her little cult.” he said.

“Okay,” I said as I looked at the mirror as if I were peeking over the edge of a cliff.

“If it makes you feel any better, let’s jump through together,” he said.

“Yeah, let’s do that,” I said as I swiftly grabbed his hand.

“Alright, I’m ready when you are,” he said.

“Let’s go,” I said.

“One, two, three!” he said before jumping, only to land on his feet halfway there. “I thought you said you were ready. We were supposed to jump together.”

“I’m sorry. I’m ready for real this time.” I said.

“Okay. One, two, three!” he said before jumping, only to end up with the same result. “I thought you said you wanted to come with me to the other realm.”

“I do,” I responded.

“Then what are you doing?” he asked. “Stop acting like a scaredy cat! Let’s go!”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Just give me a minute. I apologize for being worried about jumping into a magic mirror with a complete stranger.” I said.

“Well, if you want to survive, let’s go,” he said firmly.

“Okay, okay,” I said. I grabbed his hand. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. “Okay, let’s go,”

“One, two, three!” he said before we both plunged into the mirror.

I screamed as I felt like I was falling into an abyss of bright white light. The thought of this moment being the end of my life passed through my mind as I fell into a seemingly infinite space of white light. The thought didn’t leave my mind until I blacked out.

I felt a drop of liquid splash on my forehead, causing me to awake. I slowly stood up, looking at the leaves on the trees that rustled with a vibrant green color. I felt the wind blow against my face, causing my hair to swing like the branches of the trees. I felt the dirt beneath my shoes that was as soft as a pillow, yet strong enough to keep me from sinking into it. I looked at the clear blue sky and heard the sounds of birds chirping as if they were putting on a musical for me.

“Interesting, isn’t it?” said Husky, jarring me before I turned around to see him leaning against a tree.

“Are we really in the human world? Is this real? Am I dreaming?” I said as I shivered because of the cold feeling of fear that went down my spine.

“So, you recognize this place. You must have really paid attention to your cloudy ball.” said Husky.

“Yeah, of course, I was the best cloudy fée.” I said as I slowly walked to the tree in front of me and placed my finger on one of the leaves. I pulled the leaf off of the tree to take a closer look. I felt just like the leaf that I plucked off the tree, for within seconds I was plucked away from the perfect society. As the wind blew the leaf out of my hand, I thought about where the wind would take me in this new land. Even though I was physically there, my mind was behind in processing that I was there like an old, slow computer.

“It is against cloudy code to go to the human world. I was plucked away from the only perfect society.” I sighed.

“Forget about the cloudy code. You were an imperfect girl in a so-called perfect world. You didn’t fit in and you never will. You have to accept that. The good news is that in this world, you don’t have to be perfect. Which is a good thing because you can become what you want to be. You can do whatever you want to do. You build the person you want to become, not some stupid cloudy code.” said Husky.

As his words entered my ears, they truly went down and touched the strings of my heart. The warm feeling of excitement developed within me, causing the cold feeling of fear to melt off of my spine. As I turned around to look at Husky, he gave me a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. I returned a smile to him.

“Can you show me around? I know a little about this world through my cloudy ball, but living here is on another level.” I asked.

“Don’t worry, I won’t leave you hanging,” said Husky, before he began walking through the woods. 

Following him through the woods was like jumping into a magic mirror again because I went from the vibrant green grass and brown dirt to the silver buildings and gray pavement. The sight of cars driving and people walking the streets gave me hope, for I was lucky to have the opportunity to become part of a community again. There were so many buildings that I was overwhelmed. I felt like a goldfish that was taken out of her fish tank and placed in a vast ocean for the first time. There were so many things to see that I didn’t know where to start.

“Don’t know where to start, huh? Follow me and I’ll show you the way.” said Husky as he stepped onto the sidewalk.

My first day in the new land was a magical adventure. He took me to some buildings called stores and gave me some clothes that were far more diverse than the clothes in my old realm. Very few cloudy fées wore black clothes. The only one that I really saw do that was Midnight, and she had to sow her own clothes.

“I know things seem fun here, but don’t think that just because you aren’t in Mother Fée’s world anymore that you don’t have to work. See these green pieces of paper? Instead of working for peace points, you are working for these. You can cash these in to get whatever you want and practically get people to do whatever you want. It is called money.” he said as he handed me a stack of green paper.

“That’s a thousand bucks right there. That should be enough to keep you afloat before finding a job. I’ve been in the human world long enough to understand how humans think. This paper is the highest ruler. There is nothing beyond this. Without this paper, nothing goes. Even if a king, president, or dictator doesn’t have it, their title means nothing. Respect is based on how much money you have. Shift your focus from trying to collect peace points to collecting this money.” he explained.

“Okay, I understand. Wow, this paper looks like art.” I said.

“Unlike peace points where you have to spend it on someone else. You can spend money on yourself. How about you treat yourself to an award? You deserve it for all you’ve been through.” He said.

“I would love to do that. Where should I go to spend it?” I asked.

“I have an idea. Let me surprise you.” he said as he took a blindfold out of the shopping cart and tied it around my eyes. He grabbed my hand and pulled me.

Once my eyes were exposed to the light, I saw multiple people traveling on shoes with wheels on a smooth wooden floor. As music played, they rode the beat like a ship traveling on the waves of the ocean. It looked like so much fun that I wish my sisters were able to experience this with me. If only I were able to tell them about my adventure.

“You’re lucky I’m feeling generous today because I’ll buy you a pair of rollerskates. Just pick out which ones you want.” he said.

“Wow! These look amazing.” I said as I looked at a pink pair.

“Ya want it, ya got it,” he said.

I attempted to skate with the crowd, but sadly, I hit the floor with a thud. The others continued to skate while I struggled to stand up because my roller skates wouldn’t stop rolling. I finally managed to stand up, but as quickly as I stood, I came tumbling down like a tree that was recently cut by a lumberjack. I believed my face was about to slam into the ground, but thanks to Husky, I didn’t lose a couple of teeth. Instead, I lied in the arms of Husky and I felt like a princess in a castle guarded by a thousand knights, for I knew that in his arms no one could hurt me. I would always be safe. I wouldn’t ever have to be tormented by the lingering feeling of anxiety again.

“Thank you for catching me,” I said as I looked up into his eyes while hugging him.

“Not a problem. You can try again now.” he said.

“Nah, I think skating can wait. Your cologne smells so pleasant.” I said. The mist of his scent was like a paintbrush for such a fragrance truly painted the picture on the blank canvas of my mind. I was no longer under the cloud of fragrance of my present nightmare. I knew I was waking up from my nightmare because the scent of my nightmare was becoming more faint and would soon become a distant memory. 

“The cologne is called All Night mist,” he said.

“Well, I know what I want to do all night with you,” I said as I laid my head against his chest.

“What happened to all the cloudy code talk?” he said.

“As you said, that doesn’t matter out here. I’m a grown girl now. We all know that grown-up girls do grown-up things.” I said.

“I’m not ready for a relationship right now. Give me some time and it might happen, but right now is not the time.” he said.

“Okay, whatever you say. You’re the man.” I said as I loosened my hug until I was just holding his hand.

“I will show you how to skate, though,” he said.

“Okay, this does look pretty cool,” I said.

As he skated along with the crowd, I held his hand and I still almost fell a few times. By closing time, my hours of practice paid off. As we were skating, he let go of my hand and, despite my thoughts of failure, such thoughts remained locked away in my mind. The reality was that I continued to skate with the crowd without falling or stumbling.

“Wow, I can skate! I can skate! Look at me! I’m skating!” I said as I looked around at the people skating with me. I saw them smile at me. If only I could see the smiles of Midnight and Sad Fée, for they would absolutely adore this experience.

“Let’s go, they’re closing,” he said.

“Aw, really, the night just began,” I said.

“Nope, it’s time to go home,” he said.

“Already, the fun just began,” I said.

“No, it didn’t,” he said as he swiftly walked out of the building.

“Why are you walking so fast, like you are scared of someone? Don’t worry, Mother Fée isn’t here to yell at us about our relationship.” I said.

“I know that, but trust me, we have to go home,” he said. 

After about a twenty-five-minute walk, we arrived at a broken down abandoned house. Shock almost left its mark on my face, but it wasn’t enough to taint my pure smile. I continued to smile despite the horrid conditions of the building. Once he opened the door, we stepped in and the interior didn’t look any better. There were cracks in the walls, bugs on the floor, broken windows, and piles of dirt on the floor.

“Is this place up for renovation?” I asked.

“Nope. Watcha see is watcha get.” he said as he sat down on a dusty green couch with tears in it. “You can sleep on the couch if you want. I don’t mind sleeping on the floor.”

“No, it’s okay. Keep laying down.” I said, while backing up towards the door. “I’ll be right back. Just give me some time to get my thoughts together.”

“Alright, I’ll be right here waiting for you,” he said.

“Alright, see you in a little bit,” I said before stepping outside and closing the door behind me.

“Was Mother Fée right? Would I have been better off in her perfect little world? She would never have me sleep in such a disgusting pile of dirt.” I said to myself.

Such words made me feel an even more disgusting taste in my mouth. I’ll never say that Mother Fée was correct in this case. I don’t need to be under her wing to live a good life. That is why I have my own wings. I still have love for her and my sisters, but I’ll do what I want when I want. I’ll continue to follow the cloudy code within reason. I’ll continue to do my work and monitor my protégé. Wait! My protégé!

“It’s been so long since I monitored him and spoiled him with my peace points!” I whispered. I peeked through the cracked window on the right of the front door to see Husky sleeping comfortably on the couch.

“I forgot my cloudy ball!” I said. The good news is that I don’t need it anymore. Since I am in the human world, I can directly communicate and see him. Husky is sound asleep on the couch. It wouldn’t hurt if I take a quick trip to see my protégé.

As I drifted off into the air like the mist of the finest perfume, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. The experience that was coming my way was truly like going into space and looking at the earth for the first time. Such an experience was beautiful, yet overwhelming at the same time. A bit of fear was an ingredient in my emotions as well. With each flap of my wings, I got closer to the being that I have longed to see.

As I hovered in the night sky, I looked down at all the houses in the area and spotted the home of my beloved protégé. As the bottom of my shoe touched upon the soft grass of his yard, I almost felt tears develop in my eyes. This moment felt surreal. It was almost as if I was wondering in a dream that I was about to wake up from.

I peeked through the window of the house to see Bryce calmly sleeping on the floor. I grabbed the doorknob and turned it, only to discover my luck. The door was unlocked, and I was able to slip right in. The sound of my shoes traveled through the quietness of the dark room. Once I stood over him, I smiled even though my heart began pumping fear through my veins.

Bryce coughed before turning over in the bed. He slowly opened his eyes to view his biggest fan and supporter. Once he completely awoke, he grabbed his glass and put them on. The next thing I knew, my eardrums were broken because of the loud scream that came from his lungs.

“Don’t worry. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m your cloudy fée. The one that brings you good fortune and protects you.” I said as I followed him while he backed into the corner of the room. “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. You’re the one that keeps me healthy and powerful.”

Once he reached the corner of the room, he fainted. As he lied on the floor, I knew that this was a disaster. As I watched him lie on the floor, I desired to thank him for everything he did for me. I knew I had to find a way to keep him calm when he awakes because if I don’t, my thank you speech will never be heard. I waited patiently until he awoke from his slumber.

“Who are you? What do you want from me? What are you?” asked Bryce as he sat in the corner.
“My name is Dysnomia and I am your cloudy fée,” I answered.

“Why are you pink? Is this some kind of costume?” he asked.

“Nope, this is my natural skin complexion,” I said.

“What is a cloudy fée?” he asked.

“Basically a protector that watches you from above.” I said.

I stuck my hand out. He looked at me and hesitated for a few seconds before grabbing my hand. I helped him get up. As he looked at me, I saw disbelief in his eyes, and I didn’t blame him. It is practically unheard of for a human to see a cloudy fée directly.

“Can you prove you are what you say you are?” he asked.

“Yeah, when you were three, you accidentally knocked over a bottle of soda and it spilled on your mother’s hair. She knew you were only three, so you weren’t punished, but that didn’t stop her from being mad for a week straight.” I said.

“I also remember when you were in middle school. You had a crush on your English teacher. Which I can see why. Pretty poofy hair, skinny waist, and nice and tall.” I said.

“How did you know that? I never told anyone that embarrassing stuff.” he said as he looked horrified.

“Because I’m your cloudy fée, silly. Don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me.” I said.

“Well, you have to be telling the truth because there is no way that you would know that,” said Bryce before I gave him a hug that I never thought would happen.

“Oh, thank you for making my wings so beautiful and bright. You’ve treated your cloudy fée, so special. I am honored to be your cloudy fée and I wouldn’t trade you in for any other protégé in the world. I am a lucky, cloudy fée.” I said before slowly letting him go.

“Well, thank you for whatever I did,” said Bryce as he fixed his glasses.

“What happened to all the nice furniture that you had?” I asked.

“I had to sell it because I lost my job,” he answered.

“Really, but you just got promoted!” I said, horrified by his answer.

“Apparently, the company was losing money, and I was one of the employees to be laid off. I don’t know what to do. I had to sell off everything that I own to have enough money to sustain myself until I get another job.” he explained.

“Did you get another job?” I asked.

“Yeah, I begin my first day there in a couple of days. The problem is that I am an assistant manager at a clothing store in a mall, making far less money than I did before. I can’t afford the on rent of this house anymore so now I am going to stay at the cheapest apartment in the cheapest part of town where there is high crime and dirty streets. All those years of college. All those years of working towards the dream job that I finally got. Within the snap of a finger it is all gone.” he said as his eyes became red with tears.

I was devastated by the words presented to me. This was all my fault. If I had been paying more attention to my protégé for the past month, I would have cashed in peace points to help him, but I got so caught up in my own problems that I lost focus on my beloved protégé. Unfortunately, I can’t spend peace points on him without my cloudy ball. I can only receive peace points.

“I’m sorry Bryce. I feel like a failure of a cloudy fée. Things haven’t been so easy on my side either. Just like you, the world was in my hands. Within the snap of a finger, I lost everything.” I said as I hugged him. “Don’t worry, I’ll never leave your side again. We work together to rebuild everything we lost.” I said, before walking to the door.

“Really, do you think we can do it?” he asked.

“If we could do it once, then we could do it again,” I said. “We control our own destiny.”

“That does make sense.” he said.

“I’ll help you get your apartment set up,” I said.

“Really, thank you. How about you take a ride with me?” he said as he walked to his car and opened the door for me.

“Thanks for the offer,” I responded.

The next thing that I knew, we were in an area of the world that I had never seen. The streets were dirty. I heard people yelling at each other, and there was a feeling of danger and hostility lurking in the shadows. Bryce never had to live in these conditions. Husky gave me a tour of the nice side of town. I had virtually zero experience in such horrid places of the world.

When we arrived in front of the door to his apartment room, I feared how it looked inside. Thankfully, after the key turned the lock and the door was opened, I wasn’t greeted to a horror show. Even though it wasn’t the greatest place to stay, it was far better than Husky’s residence. The room was small, but it had two small single sized beds, a bathroom, a kitchen that included a refrigerator and oven. It wasn’t much, but had everything that was needed to function.

He wanted me to help him clean up, and I did without hesitation. We scrubbed down the bathroom, cleaned out the refrigerator, and mopped the floor. After our cleaning session that improved the look of the modest apartment room, the results actually put a smile on his face, which naturally put one on mine.

“Thank you for everything,” he said.

“You’re welcome, my lovely protégé,” I said before staring at him for several seconds.

“Is there anything that you want?” he asked as he laid on one of the beds.

“Actually, yeah. If you don’t mind, can I live here with you?” I asked.

He lifted from his bed and placed himself in a sitting position. He looked at me for a few seconds. As he looked around the apartment room, I knew he was in deep thought. Whatever his answer would be, I would have been thankful for spending time with him, regardless.

“Sure, I need the extra help around here, anyway. I only have one question. Do you have your own source of income? Unfortunately, I can’t afford to take care of both of us.” he asked.

“If you mean money by income, then yes I do,” I answered.

“Well then, welcome to your bed over there. Good night.” he said before turning off the light.

As I laid my head on the soft pillow and snuggled in the warm fluffy covers, I couldn’t help but to feel bad about abandoning Husky. He saved my life and brought me to a new place where I can rebuild my life. Despite my feelings, I knew it was a priority to help my protégé. The good news is that I could always visit Husky, and he seems to know what he is doing. If he survived in this realm for this long, then he has to be doing something right.

The next morning I awoke at 7:00 am and washed up before heading to Husky’s house. I knocked on Husky’s door, but I didn’t see the doorknob turn. I knocked again and didn’t hear any footsteps. I took a shot in the dark and opened the door. Luckily, the door was unlocked. As I opened the door, I saw Husky waking up.

“Good morning, Dysnomia,” said Husky. “I have to take care of some business,”

“Okay, is there anything that you want me to do?” I asked.

“No, just explore the kingdom and buy things with the money I gave you. You can do that if you need something to do.” he said.

Since Husky seemed to have everything under control, I returned to my protégé’s apartment room and helped him purchase goods. We bought cleaning supplies, food, drinks, and a few chairs. I pitched in some money to help him pay. We were two artists painting the room in a way that we wanted it to look. I helped him place the chairs, and plan out where the table and tv that he is planning to get in the future will go.

“We got a lot done today,” he said.

“Yeah, cloudy power!” I said as I put my hand up in the air for a high five.

“What does that mean?” he asked while scratching his head.

“It is cloudy fée lingo, but you don’t have to be a cloudy fée to feel the cloudy power.” I said, as my smile widened.

He gave me a hi five, and my heart pumped with happiness. There was a bit of sadness that placed the tip of its finger on my mind. Such a high five reminded me of my sisters that I’ll always treasure. The tears that I would wipe off the cheeks of Sad Fée, the slick comments of Midnight, and the parties that I had with my sisters every day were all aspects of my life that I wished I never parted with. The only thing that I can do is look to the future and help my protégé live the best life that he can live.

“Do you want to get something to eat?” he asked.

“Cloudy fées don’t eat. We live off of the energy of the peace points that we get from our protégés.” I said.

“Oh, really? I guess more for me then.” He said before we both laughed.

Over the next few days, I continued helping Bryce decorate his apartment together. In the mornings and nights, I would periodically check on Husky. After Husky was sound asleep, I went back to Bryce’s apartment to enjoy the experience of sleeping myself. Eventually, Bryce’s new adventure began, and he started his new job. While he had fun at his new job, I ran errands for him and kept the room clean. Everything was flowing as smooth as the scent of a lovely fragrance traveling through the air, making everyone feel comfortable and relaxed. This was my world until I ran into one problem.

“Oh, no! Husky! I need help!” I said, as he jumped out of his sleep.

“What is the problem? What do you want?!” he said.

“I’m running out of money and I don’t know what to do?” I said.

“You’re going to have to get a job,” he said.

“How do I do that in the human world? Once I get the job, I know that I’ll be the best employee just like I was in Mother Fée’s land.” I said.

“The only problem is that you don’t have any records, work history on earth, or anything. Don’t worry, I know someone that owns a movie theater and needs another employee. He doesn’t care about that because he is always so desperate for help. I know because I used to work there before I moved on to other things.” he said as he put on his black leather jacket. “Let’s go, so we can meet him,” he said.

As we walked through the halls of the mall, I felt a cloud of nervous energy following me. The closer we got to my potential boss’s office, the larger the cloud became. It got to a point where in my mind I was wishing that everything would go well. I thought about my days of being the best cloudy fée and that gave me the dose of confidence that I needed. It wasn’t enough to make the cloud above me disappear, but it definitely shrunk it.

Once the door opened, I was greeted with the sweet smell of a candle that burned as bright as the sun that gave us the view of the morning blue sky. Such a smell put a smile on my face. I took it as a sign that things will work in my favor.

“Hey, Bernard,” said Husky as an elder man with a suit and tie looked up at him.

“Hey, Husky. How are things going?” said the man as gave Husky a handshake.

“I have someone that wants to work for you. Her name is Dysnomia, and she is a pleasure to work with.” he said.

“So, now we got a pink one, huh? First a blue one like you and then a pink one.” said Bernard.

“Yeah, I’m pink and can solve any problem with the touch of my pinkie,” I said before he laughed.

“I like her enthusiasm. Do you know anyone else that has the weird skin color condition that you have because so far y’all didn’t disappoint.” he said.

“Perhaps there are certainly plenty more that I wish would move here,” said Husky.

“Am I hired?” I asked.

“Of course. In fact, your first day starts tomorrow.” He said.

As soon as we stepped outside, I rushed with joy down, just as joy was rushing through my veins. I was finally able to become the best employee again. I was finally able to use my expertise to help someone when they need it most. I was finally able to feel like a cloudy fée again. At that moment, I screamed at the world with a sense of joy that I haven’t felt in a long time.

Nothing will ever be able to replace the hole in my heart of the past life that I lived, but the fact that I get to have a little taste of it is a miracle. I couldn’t wait to tell Bryce about my accomplishment. I knew he would be so proud of the fact that I was only in the human world for a few days and already made such a massive accomplishment. I felt like a caterpillar in the midst of butterflies. I didn’t fit in, but once I stepped out of my cocoon, my wings were the most beautiful of all.

Once I approached Bryce’s door, I began banging on it like a drummer beating on his favorite drum. My joy put on quite a show, for it pulled a magic trick and disappeared with the snap of a finger. When I saw the broken glasses, bruises, and black eye on Bryce’s face, his sadness spread to me like a virus.

“What happened, Bryce?!” I asked.

“I got robbed by some thugs. I tried to run away, but they caught up to me.” he said as a stream of tears flowed from his eyes.

It was that moment that reality set in my mind. I finally realized how cruel the human world was. Husky wasn’t lying when he said that Mother Fée crafted a little perfect world to keep us blind, naïve, and shielded from the reality of existence. Robbery doesn’t even exist in her world because it is strictly against the cloudy code that we all follow, like our lives depend on it.

“I’m sorry this happened to you, Bryce?” I said, as I grabbed a tissue and wiped the tears from his face.

“It’s okay. I just have to accept the fact that I am living in a terrible neighborhood now. Everything that I worked for, every drop of sweat, every grueling late night that I spent working, everything for nothing.” he said as he sat on his bed.

“That isn’t true.” I said as the images of the horrible events starring me flashed through my mind like a compilation of movie clips. “You don’t lose anything until you give up fighting for it. We are in this together. Just because I can’t spend any peace points doesn’t mean that you don’t have a cloudy fée behind you. We will tackle this together. Cloudy power!” I said as I stuck my hand out for a high five.

“You have a point. I wish I had a job where I made more money, though.” He said as he stood up and high-fived me.

“The good news is that now I can pitch in some money to help. I just got a job.” I said.

“Really? Where?” he asked.

“At the movie theater.” I said.

“That is impressive. It took me months to land my first job interview. That is an impressive feat, especially in this economy.” he said.

The spark of hope in his eyes was the motivation that drove me to step into the theater the next day like I was employee of the month. I was handed the uniform, and I put it on, ready to light this place on fire. That was until I couldn’t get the shirt on because of my wings. I put my dress back on before I stepped out of the bathroom. I caught a girl with dark blue hair and a theater uniform walking behind the counter.

“Hello,” I said as I held the uniform.

“Hey, you must be the new pink chick. Where does Bernard find all these freaks?” she asked.

“Where are the wing holes? What type of shirt doesn’t have wing holes?” I asked as I moved the shirt around trying to spot the wing holes.

“I don’t know if you notice, but if you look around, you can see that none of us have wings like you.” she said.

“Oh yeah, you’re right, duh,” I said as I looked down at the floor.

“Maybe you can cut some holes in it if you need to,” she said as she handed me a pair of scissors.

“Thanks,” I said as I grabbed the scissors.

“Are those wings real?” she asked.

“As real as the gal in front of ya,” I said as I cut holes into the back of the shirt.

“No way,” she responded.

“Way,” I said.

“Prove it. Can you fly?” she asked.

“Yup, like a butterfly. Actually, like something cooler. How about a dragonfly? Midnight liked dragonflies.” I said.

“Alright then, do it.” She said.

I felt my feet lift off the ground as I flapped my wings. I gave her a smirk as her jaw dropped like a hundred pound weight. She stood speechless for several seconds until my feet softly touched upon the floor.

“Wow. You earned a spot on my cool list.” She said.

“Not surprised. I’m a likable person. At least I’d like to think so. I guess you just confirmed it. So, what do we do?” I asked.

“Just stand here until someone wants to buy movie tickets. Basically nothing. No one ever comes here on Monday morning. The only one that stops by sometimes is the retired old man.” She said.
“The word nothing sounds so boring. You know what? With my crazy life, I should just take the time to enjoy doing nothing.” I said as I lied on the floor.

“You know these floors are dirty, right? You might not want to lay on it.” she said.

“You got a point, but I’m so tired I don’t even care,” I said.

“I feel you on that one.” she said as she scrolled on her cellphone.

“That’s cool that you have food here. It almost makes me wish I could eat.” I said as I picked up some popcorn out of the popcorn machine. As she scrolled on her cell phone, I tossed some popcorn at her, like I was playing a game of dodgeball.

“Why would you do that? You annoying little pink thing.” She said as I laughed at her rant, like I was watching a comedy show. “I’m going to get you back for this.”

“If you can catch me,” I said as I picked up a chocolate bar and ducked on the opposite side of the counter.

“I don’t play childish games like this because, unlike you, I don’t want to get in trouble,” she said.

“I guess I won scaredy cat,” I said as I turned around feeling like the champion of the olympics.

As I walked towards one of the movie posters, I felt the force of a box of candy smash against the back of my head. I swiftly turned around to see her laughing at me. I folded my arms and rolled my eyes.

“I can’t believe you fell for that. I didn’t even think that the trick would work, but it did. That was gold. I wish I recorded that.” She said as she laughed.

“So you think you can beat me with a cheap shot, huh? Well, I got something for you.” I said before I fluttered my wings and lifted off the ground.

As I flew, I snatched a popcorn bag off of the counter before swiftly scooping popcorn from the popcorn machine. I hovered above her head like a large gray cloud. The next thing she knew, it was raining popcorn. She covered her head until the popcorn storm finally ended.

“Looks like someone is going to be smelling like butter and salt for the rest of the day.” I said as I landed on the floor. “I hope you don’t have a date tonight.”

“You might have got me that time, but next time I’ll chew you up and spit you out like a pink piece of gum,” she said before we both laughed.

“What is your favorite movie?” she asked.

“I actually don’t know. I never watched a movie.” I said after a few seconds of pondering.

“Really?! You really are a freak. Don’t worry, it’s fine. People think I’m weird too.” She said.

“How about we see your first movie together?” she said.

“I would love to, but unfortunately I don’t have any money yet,” I said.

“Don’t worry about it. I sneak and watch movies all the time on slow days. That is probably the biggest privilege of working here.” She said. “Any movie you wanna see?”

“That one over there,” I said as I pointed at the movie poster on the far left.

“The superhero movie. Those are my favorite.” She said. “Come on, let’s go,”

As I watched the movie, it blew my mind in a way that I didn’t expect it to. The emotional depth combined with the action scenes kept me on the edge of my seat. There were scenes where I laughed, then the next thing I knew I was on the verge of crying. I was so captivated by the motion picture that I couldn’t turn my head away from it. The lighting, colors, unique costumes, special effects. It was a thrilling masterpiece that would make the harshest critic cry for its beauty.

“What did you think about the movie?” she asked as we stepped out of the theater.

“I loved it. It actually made me realize something.” I said.

“What is that?” she asked.

“Superheros are cool. I wanna be a superhero. Think about it. Everyone would love me. I get to wear a cool costume. I get to kick villain’s butts. The best part is that I get the hot guy at the end. Who wouldn’t want to be a superhero?” I said.

“No offense, but superheroes aren’t cool in this crime ridden place.” She said.

“No way,” I said.

“What do you mean, no way? We live in Royal Castle nation. Wealth is distributed terribly here. We are in the low class. We are the lowest of the low.” She said.

“What does that have to do with being a superhero?” I asked.

“This area is infested with crime.” she said.

“That sounds like the perfect area for a superhero,” I said.

“You don’t understand what I am saying. Superheroes quickly turn into zeros. Haven’t you heard about the top knight with multiple awards under his belt that got killed? No one looks up to the heroes here. Everyone would rather be the villain. Those movies are great and everything, but they definitely don’t translate well into the real world. If I were you, I would forget about the whole super hero thing. I like you. I don’t want the next time I see you to be at your funeral.” she said.

“I guess you have a point,” I said as I looked down at the ground.

Despite my feelings, I knew she was right. As she spoke to me, the image of my poor protégé’s bruised face flashed in my mind, bringing my positive energy to a lower level. I made up my mind to listen to her warning because Husky didn’t save my life just so I could end up in a casket a few weeks later. That doesn’t mean a girl can’t fantasize a little. Am I wrong?

For the rest of the day we cleaned the theater for about twenty minutes, my coworker scrolled on her phone for the rest of the day, and I doodled my imagination onto a piece of paper that I picked up from a stack of paper that I discovered in the back room. I sketched a couple of drawings of the superhero flying in the movie that I watched. I sketched him punching one of the villains. I even sketched myself flying with him, so I could help him catch a criminal.

“Hey, Miss Pink. It’s time to go. Our shift is over.” She said. “I never got your name. What is your name, by the way?”

“Dysnomia,” I said.

“That name is kind of cool. Ironically, it sounds like a supervillain name. My name is Katie.”

“Your name is so plain and boring,” I said.

“I know, but it is who I am. What can I do? See next shift.” She said.

“You too,” I said.

As I walked home, I looked at the stars in the sky as I heard someone shouting, breaking the chain of thoughts that kept my mind trapped from reaching reality. I was so tired and couldn’t wait to lie in my comfy bed, but I knew I would feel like a jerk for the rest of the night if I left him in trouble. I fought against my feelings and walked towards the man in the ripped jeans and red jacket. As I approached him, I could see the relief that fell upon his face.

“Do you have a cellphone? My car broke down and I don’t have the tools to fix it?” he said.

“No, but maybe I can go and get my friend to help you,” I said before he pulled out a device and pointed it at my face.

I was frozen as the thought of the contraption that Husky used to scare off my potential killers came to mind. I took a couple of steps back, hoping that the device wouldn’t set off an explosion in my face. He looked into my eyes as if he was ready to kill me at any second. I didn’t know what to do. There were no knights around to catch him. I didn’t have a cellphone to call Bryce. I knew I was in a serious problem.

“Come with me!” he demanded as I felt him press the cold metallic device against my forehead. “Please, don’t do this! Is this a prank?” I asked.

“Does this look like a prank to you? Get in the car!” he demanded.

“I’ll give you anything. Even my shoes. Actually, I love my shoes. How about you can take my scrunchie instead?” I said.

“What would I do with that?! Stop fooling around and get in the car!” he said.

At that moment, I thought about running away from him, but the thought of the thunderous sound that Husky’s strange device made had me frozen. I haven’t seen what such a machine could do, and I didn’t want to find out. I knew the only option I had was to submit to him and hope that Husky didn’t save my life just for me to lose it. I stepped into the back of the van, wishing I had cloudy fée watching over me.

Even though five minutes passed, it felt like an hour because I was sitting in a theater watching the movie of my life. Most of my memories were full of frolicking and fun. I didn’t expect such a bright and fun movie to take such a dark turn. Is this really how the movie ends? I didn’t want to find out, but unfortunately movie tickets are nonrefundable. I had no choice but to stick it out until the end.

Once the van stopped, he turned around and looked at me. I looked out of the window and we were parked in the middle of the woods with no one in sight. We were surrounded by an ocean of trees and darkness. The foul smell of the past filled the air, for no matter where I went, it would come back to haunt me. Eventually, the lavish smell of my future would run its course and fade into oblivion.

“Who is your loved one?!” he asked.

“Why do you want to know that?” I asked.

“Because if your loved one pays me ten thousand dollars, then I will set you free,” he said.

“Okay, I’ll tell who my loved one is. I’ll give you his name.” I said as my eyes began to tear up because of the fear that tormented my mind. “His name is Bry-” I said before cutting myself off.

The image of Bryce’s bruised face flashed through my mind. The torment that hid behind the tears of his eyes. The way that he sat in a chair of depression because he could no longer climb the rope of life. The last thing that I want is for the rope of life to wrap around his neck and choke him until his breath is no more. He had enough whiffs of the cologne of tragedy that stained his contemporary suit.

“I can’t tell you that because you might hurt him,” I said.

“I promise I won’t hurt him. I’m a man of my word.” he said.

“Can you prove it?” I asked.

“I don’t have to prove anything to you! I’m the one with the gun! Whatever I say is true and you can’t tell me otherwise!” he said. “If no one comes to get you, then I’ll sell you to someone. In fact, get out of the car!”

“Why?” I asked.

“Don’t ask any questions! Just get out!” he said as he opened the door and stepped out of the car while pointing the gun at me.

“But my clothes will get dirty!” I said.

“Trust me, that is the last thing that you should be worried about!” he said.

I slowly opened the door and stepped out. He struck me in the head with the back of his weapon like I was a baseball and he had his lucky baseball bat. I fell to the ground, feeling dizzy from the force of the strike. He tied my arms behind my back before tying my legs together. Tears rolled down my cheeks as the scene of the ritual being performed on me played in my mind. 

Perhaps it was meant to be. Why did I have to be born with diamonds on my wings? Why couldn’t I just be a regular cloudy fée like my sisters? Why do I have to be the one to be cursed with the label of a defect? Mother Fée is the wisest. Perhaps she is right. No matter where I run. No matter where I go. Fate will find me. I was born a defect and will be disposed of like one.

“I’ll give you a little more time to make the smart decision and tell me who your loved one is. Right now, you’ll lay on the dirt like a dog until one of two things happens. You tell me who your loved one is, and he pays me to set you free or you don’t tell me and I’ll sell you off.” he said.

As I laid on the ground with a gun pointed at me, the sound of a ticking clock no longer existed. The concept of time became foreign to me as I dove deep into the plane of my thoughts. I began to feel contempt for the bright, beautiful wings that I once adored. Why me? Was a question that I couldn’t seem to escape. That question was the reality that I was living, yet I didn’t have an answer. Not even a clue. It truly seems that sometimes reality makes less sense than fiction.

As I laid in the bed of my miserable existence, the sight of a bunny caught my eye. The bunny had fur as fluffy and white as the clouds that nature paints above our heads in the morning. The way the bunny’s brown eyes twinkled it reminded me of the diamonds that twinkle in the night sky. As the bunny looked in my eyes just like an artist, she drew a smile on my face. Once the bunny turned her head, I gasped.

The image of the bunny’s scar made my head drop with depression like a wilting flower lacking the exposure of the warm rays of the sun and the crystal clear drops of rain. I was a wilting flower, no longer providing the pleasant smell to bring harmony to those around me. All I desired was for the warm rays of the light of happiness to rain upon me. Even though my desire was too far for my hands to touch, I had a unique experience. I felt the feeling of comfort and warmth that the bunny’s fur provides her.

Such a scar separates the bunny from the image of being the uniformed, solid colored, perfect bunny. If someone desired the company of a pet bunny, there is a strong chance that once they saw the scar, they would gloss over her and choose a perfect bunny. Other bunnies most likely notice the difference. However, this doesn’t stop her from living her life and surviving in the wilderness. She continues to survive and shapes her life the way she wants it to be. I smiled as I glanced over at a diamond on my wing.

“Sir, can you do me a favor? Can you take one of the scrunchies off of my pigtails and place it on one of the bunny’s ears?” I asked.

“What! Why would I do that?” he said. “You know what? Fine, why not? Why not fulfill one request before I sell you off?” he said, before he took off one of my scrunchies and put it on the bunny’s left ear. As soon as he placed the bunny on the ground, it took off running into the wild like an olympian ready to beat all the competition.

“Who do you know?!” he shouted before kicking the left side of my face. “I’ll stuff your face in the dirt and make you eat it! Tell me who you know!” he shouted.

“Okay, okay, okay. His name is Husky. His name is Husky.” I said.

He froze for several seconds before taking a few steps back. He looked down at the ground and scratched his head.

“I don’t believe you. You don’t know Husky. Why are you lying to me? Do you want to die?” he said. “If you think you could pull a quick one on me, then you have another thing coming. Just for lying to me, I’m not going to sell you. I’m just going to put a bullet in your head! In fact, let me get my gun right now!” he shouted.

I screamed loud enough to cause my vocal cords to snap like a broken electrical cord. He pulled the trigger and failed to put an end to my screaming.

“I’m out of bullets,” he said. “I’ll be right back and put an end to you, spoiled brat.”

“I told you the truth! I know Husky! He saved my life! He’ll pay to have me set free!” I said.

“Shut up! You’re lying!” he said before he stepped into his vehicle and drove.

I attempted to snap the rope by pulling my arms apart, but it didn’t budge. I flapped my wings and lifted like a butterfly, but unfortunately I lacked the grace of one. My restrained arms and legs caused me to be off balance and I hit the ground with a force that caused a sharp pain in my side. I continued trying to snap the rope by pulling my arms and legs apart with every inch of energy in me. The hands on the clock continued to move, but the rope that constrained me wouldn’t budge.

Once I heard something shuffling through the leaves of the trees, all the energy that I had ceased. I laid there with my eyes as wide and bright as the sun above, yet the only vision that I saw was a future as dark as an abyss deep down below. As the sound of the rustling leaves grew louder, I knew I was about to be struck by a wave of reality. The reality was that I couldn’t escape. Husky gifted me with a second chance and I blew it.

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