Another afternoon sitting at the bar with a drink in hand. This time my laptop isnt dead and im actually focusing on the task at hand. Which is coming up with clever designs for a clothing line. My clothing line. “Not having a boss would be kind of cool” i admitted to my sister while she took my empty glass and started making me another drink. “And coming up with designs are fun! Although, i dont know if anyone would think they’re funny” i added. When she finished making my drink, she brought it over and said “I think they’re really good, honestly! Do you want to order food or something? The kitchen is open now.” She slid over the menu. “Ouu fries! Think I could get it with dressing and gravy?” I asked “For sure. You know they’re truffle fries, right?” She paused “Love those!” … We’re discussing possible business names while im eating, when the chef comes out. “I had to see who ordered dressing and gravy on their truffle fries” his eyes narrowed at me. He was clearly questioning my choice. I feel my blush creep up my neck and look down at my plate, but i try to play it cool. “It’s good! Want to try?” I hold out my fork to him He leans forward, with his own fork, and tries the fries, never breaking eye contact with me. I can tell he’s thinking it over. Then he smiles. “Thats absolutely disgusting” he saying laughing. He has such an infectious laugh i catch myself laughing along with him. That was 10 years ago, and i am still laughing with him to this day

“Im the saviour” I rolled my eyes. “Oh yeah? And do you have magic too?” “Kind of.” He whispered under his breath. Then added, “Farrah, look at me, im serious about this” I stared into his wide eyes, he seemed scared. He was really playing into this bit. I debated humouring him and going along, but it had been a long day and i wasnt in the mood. “Magic doesn’t exist and The Saviour is some kind of weird religious media stunt. You dont actually believe that some wizard is going around our city stopping crime with magic?” “I do believe that, because it’s me. I’m the saviour.” His persistance started to worry me “Penn, are you feeling okay? Is something going on? You know you can always talk to me if you’re not feeling alright” “Im trying to talk to you right now and you won’t listen to me” “Because you sound like youre losing your mind.” “Im not losing my mind, im fine. But im trying to tell you im The Saviour” he said with conviction. “Okay, im listening and not judging. Tell me. How are you The Saviour?” He twisted the face of his watch and within seconds he appeared as someone else. I was looking into the eyes of The Saviour.” I stared at him in shock. How did that just happen? Who am i dating? Am i losing _my_ mind? I step away from him, suddenly feeling dizzy, this couldn’t be true. He twists his watch again and he looks like the man i love again. “Farrah, i know this is all really confusing and i cant really explain it all but i found this watch when i was going through my grandfathers belongs after he passed and i started wearing it. Then one day i was fiddling with it and i just became someone else. A different version of me. One that has magic. I know its a lot, but i couldnt keep this to myself any longer. I hated hiding this from you. You mean the world to me and i needed you to know the real me, or the other me, i guess.” I stopped and thought about it. Thought about all the things The Saviour had done, acording to rumours. Saving strangers on the street, helping the homeless, giving to the poor. “That was all you? Its really true? Magic exists?” He looked at me like i finally saw him for the first time. He brushed his hand across my trembling fingers. “It is and I have so much to show you”

I threw my bag up on the bar and slouched down on the stool. I had the place to myself seeing it was 2pm on a weekday. I had been fired from my job a week prior and this was the first time i was leaving the house. I had wandered shops downtown, spending money i didnt have, then ended up at the dive bar my sister worked at. “Is it too early for whiskey?” “Don’t think anyone here will judge you” she laughed, looking around at the empty tables. “Can you make a manhattan then?” I asked and she nodded and turned toward the shelves of bottles. I set my laptop up on the bar, opening it to find it dead. I stared at my reflection on the black screen. I was a mess. My hair was greasy, i had left overs of yesterday’s makeup on. I looked like i felt. Getting fired definitely wasnt on my raidar, but after a blow up with my corporate dick of a boss, i really shouldnt have been surprised. I had never felt like i fit in there and getting fired confirmed i didnt belong. “You have to pay for this, you know” my sister says. I glare at her as she starts rinsing dishes. I shut my laptop, taking out my book pretending to read but my mind was spiraling downward. My selfworth, my confidence, my belief in my self all plummeting downward a mile a minute. I’m losing control. I feel the darkness closing in on me. And then someone yells, i spin around in my chair and see him. He’s smiling and laughing, joking with a friend and for a second the darkness fades away. He’s wearing all black and his eyes are cast in shadows behind a ball cap but he lights up the room. Suddeningly everything feels light and easier. His eyes meet mine and a calm washes over me. I look away but feel his presence. He continues joking with his friend about something at the end of the bar then heads into the kitchen. He’s the new chef. “Is he always like that?” I question my sister. She laughs. He’s still making people smile and he’s not even in the room. I think i just met the brightest person in the world.

You were the one there at 2am The one answering my drunk calls You were the one egging me on The one encouraging my downfall As my mind crumbled around me You stayed the same Supporting my bad decisions But never taking any blame I needed a friend I needed to be saved But the darkness inside you Led me to my grave You claimed that you loved me But wouldnt answer the phone I was scared, ashamed, dejected I felt so alone I clawed my way out I was the hero of the story You dont even get a name Im taking all the glory You show up at my door It was a mistake, a few You miss me, you need me Dont you miss me too? I could have saved you the drive Im feel sorry, i do Now you’ve come back But i no longer need you

While walking back home from town i notice a purple cast on the sky, i walk a little further and realize the colour is coming from the forest. But how can that be? The forest is to far from town to have any magic out there, and it is far too dangerous for people. “See you tomorrow, Jayne” the bookshop owner says to me as i walk out the door. I spend most of my afternoons looking through their second-hand books and reading whatever romance novel im into that week. With a small collection of books in my hand, i start my route home, but something is different. There is a purple could hanging low in the sky. It looks like it is coming from the forest. But how can that be? The forest is to far from town to have any magic out there, and it is far too dangerous for people. My curiosity gets the better of me, i grab my dagger and follow the path into the forest. As i get closer i can see that the colour in the sky is coming from a violet fire, with billowing clouds of smoke. Ive never seen something so beautiful. I keep walking until im at the fire. I sit on a nearby rock and stare, trying to make sense of what im seeing. I look around but i dont see anyone. Perhaps this is all in my head? Just as im starting to convince myself this is psychosis, I see something. There’s something in the fire. I rush closer to get a better look and realize its a book. I lean in to get a closer look and all of a sudden the smoke consumes me. It stings my eyes and i start to cough from the smoke entering my lungs. I step back to get some fresh air but the smoke moves with me. I begin to run but the smoke is so thick i cant see where i am going. As i reach for my dagger, I trip and land flat on my face. I groan and roll over, realizing the smoke has drifted away, the fire gone. Was it ever even there? It isnt until i stand up that i realize what i tripped over. Its the book. The book that i saw burning a few seconds ago. I cautiously pick up the book expecting it to be hot but it isnt. It doesnt look like its been touches at all, let alone on fire. The book is covered in a deep purple velvet and a gold spine. Without thinking i open it to the first page and gasp as i read what it says. _Property of Jayne Alder. _ __ __ How can this book be mine if i’ve never seen it? But I dont have time to think about where this book came from or how it was in the fire one second and on the ground the next. Someone is is coming out of the woods. Not just any someone, the prince. I slip the purple book into the middle of the stack I took from the bookshop and rush back towards town before the prince can see me.

I wake up covered in cold sweat, my hair sticking to my face, and my heart pounding against my chest. Except for my uneven breath, everything seems normal. My husband asleep beside me, our dog asleep at the foot of the bed. I quietly get up and go into the kitchen to get a glass of water. I turn on the sink and put my hand under the flow of water, waiting for it to turn cold. I look out the window and think about my dream. I have nightmares all the time, so its not surprising for me to wake up so dishevelled in the middle of the night. What is surprising is that the dream wasn’t like the others, i wasn’t being chased, or hunted, nothing bad was happening to my family, it wasn’t a humilating memory from my teens, it was just a face. A beautiful face. One i immediately fell in love with. One that wasn’t my husbands. This isnt normal. You see, when fae daughters reach 22 we are used as a bargining chip and sold off to the highest bidder. Arranged marriages, seen as business transactions, a transfer of _property_. Young women sold into marragies to strengthen ties with other fae families. It’s not as bad as it sounds though. A part of the wedding ceromony is a love spell, where a cherub blesses the couple with eternal lust. This spell ensures attraction and increases the likelyhood of reproduction, solidifying the family line. Mine marriage was no different. The ceromony went off without a hitch, and when i kissed him under the fireworks, signifying the ceromony was a success, i felt the lust kick in. For the rest of the night, during the entire party, all i could think about was getting him alone and exploring this new feeling. The lust and want for him didnt subside. He was always on my mind, encompassing my thoughts, hopes, and even my dreams, until last night. “What are you doing” I spin around and my husband is right behind me. “Why is your hand so cold?” He says, lifting my left hand to his mouth, blowing on my fingers to warm them up. I glance at the ring on my fourth finger and realize i dont want to be married to him anymore, im in love with someone else. Someone i dont even know. Someone i’ve only dreamed of.