Pixie (Pixie Hollow Academy Book 1) Page 2

  “Hello sister, you done mingling with the humans?” she sneers, matching her mothers’ perfectly.

  “Sit Silvia and respect your sister. One day she will rule our kingdom,” my father snaps.

  Silvia pouts, sitting by her mother’s side.

  “And take that off your head, it does not belong to you.” He snaps his fingers and a guard moves, taking the tiara from my sister’s tight grip and placing it in my father’s waiting hand.

  “Come daughter and join us in your rightful place at my side.”

  I walk on wobbly legs, Mobsy chirping in my ear sounding like a warning. When I look at him, his eyes are trained on my stepmother who is also eyeing him. It’s a look I don’t like.

  I bow before my father; he stands beaming and places the silver tiara on my head. I stand, then take my seat next to my father. I feel like a ton weight has been placed on my head.

  I look at my sister who has her arms crossed, staring straight ahead. My mother however meets my eyes and a shiver runs up my spine. Her eyes flicker black, I blink thinking I imagined it, but it happens again, then a sinister smile graces her lips making me gulp.

  Something is wrong, very wrong.

  “Everyone please welcome home my eldest daughter and your future queen,” my father declares.

  I glance at Honey who is clapping, but her eyes are trained on my sister and mother. After this, I will get to the bottom of it, but for now I will sit and smile as it seems my destiny has already been mapped out for me.

  Welcome Home

  The days blur into one, the parties ongoing because little old me has returned and apparently taken my rightful place by my father’s side.

  Then the suitors started to arrive. I have just had my nineteenth year; I am not ready to get married and especially not to a stranger.

  My stepmother sits on her throne, a sneer on her face that seems to be a permanent fixture whenever I am around. She glances my way as yet another male suitor kneels before me. I shake my head, feeling bad for rejecting him, but he is not for me.

  All of them that have been presented to me, all feel wrong, dark almost.

  “I’m done with this, send them away, it’s cruel. Plus I will not have my life dictated this way,” I say standing.

  “Sit back down Pixie and do not embarrass your family this way.” She fixes me with a stern glare. Sighing I sit back down, fidgeting as the dress I’m wearing itches my back.

  “I don’t want to do this. I will not pick some male like he’s a piece of meat. It’s degrading,” I hiss.

  Her eyes narrow into slits, her lips forming a tight line. “You will do as you are told, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

  Silvia snickers where she sits on our mother’s other side. “Have you forgotten how to act sister, being around the humans has made you soft and uncivilised.”

  “Shut up, you know nothing,” I spit. “And I have had enough of this nonsense, I’m leaving and if you have a problem with it you can kiss my ass.”

  I hear a gasp from the crowd who are here to witness who I pick as my king.

  Picking up my skirts, I step down from the dais. “How’s that for uncivilised.” I walk away from the dumb faces, their mouths open like, how do the humans say? A fish. The crowd parts, all bowing to me in respect. Honey who was stood to the side, hurries after me.

  I hear a little chirp and smile as Mobsy soars from the open window onto my shoulder. Stepmother forbade me from having him in the throne room, so I told him to roam the lands and see if the stories are true about the veils.

  So far, they are, but the lands are still dying. Vegetation drying up, people starving. All this is happening under the King’s watch, yet they don’t seem fazed by it.

  “Don’t you find it strange that all the lands around us are dying, yet ours seems to be untouched?” I say.

  “Yes, I thought that too. I mentioned it to my parents, but they are loyal to yours and said they are dealing with it.”

  “But they lied, they said that the lands were restoring. Whoever is doing this isn’t in the human world, they are here.”

  Honey gasps, her hand covering her mouth. “How can you be sure?”

  “Because, the lands in the human world are untouched. Whoever is doing this wants panic and mayhem, all the other villagers are coming here are they not? Don’t you find it strange that these pixies left because of the new ways and now they are returning out of fear of losing their lives? Our lands have been split into four, my home in the centre. But now these pixies are fearful, coming to us for aid. It just doesn’t make sense that the season lands are being touched by this and we are not.”

  “You always made sense,” Honey says with a smile. “What can we do? We have the academy induction tomorrow, or are you not going?” Her wide eyes look into my own.

  “Oh no, I’m going. We are going, and there we will find the answers to this.”

  “Why there?”

  “Because like here, the academy is untouched.”

  “Do you think it’s because the young are there?”

  “No, if that was the case then the other villages would be safe too, there are seedlings all over and they are in danger.”

  I hurry to my room, wanting out of this horrible dress. I had to hide my clothes that I brought here from the human world. My stepmother wanted them gone, said they had no place here. My father on the other hand told me I could keep them; said they are memories from my adventures.

  That was the last time I spoke to him. He is either avoiding me or my stepmother is making sure he is busy.

  Honey helps me out of my dress, and I grab my hidden bag, changing into a light dress. I pull my hair out of the tight bun, wincing when the pins are taken out. My baby blue hair tumbles around my shoulders, the lilac ends curling. I stare in the mirror, deciding to put the top half in two peaks, the back loose and curling around my heart shaped face, dropping down my shoulders.

  My mother tried to take my piercings out herself, Mobsy growled and grew a little. She backed away and I smirked. Since then she has requested that Mobsy stay out of the throne room and to stay out of the palace, but he always comes back to me staying close. Much to her annoyance.

  “We need to find my father, ask him some questions,” I say.

  “If your mother will let you near him. What’s up with that anyway?”

  “Stepmother,” I say. “No idea, she’s been acting strange since I returned. Something is off about her and my sister. They don’t seem happy that I have returned and my father announcing me as his successor.” I scratch my head confused. “Has anything changed while I’ve been gone? Apart from the darkness thing.”

  “Well your sister has been on her pedestal since you left, your stepmother doing everything in her power to convince your father to have her rule instead of you.”

  “That’s not new.” I frown.

  “No, maybe not, but lately it’s worse. My parents told me they have been arguing a lot lately. They have changed since you left. It might be the stress of this darkness. But I overheard your stepmother say that you aren’t fit to rule. Your father wasn’t happy with that,” she says with a shrug.

  “She has always said that, purely because I have no wings. Come on,” I say heading to the door. “If we leave now, I might be able to see him.”

  We head out the door, Mobsy on my shoulder. Screw my stepmother and her stupid rules.

  Walking down the winding stairs, we head to my father’s study. Heading through the corridor, the guards start to flank me again. I pause, whirling around and causing them to halt. Hands on hips, I glare at them.

  “What the hell are you following me for? Leave now,” I order.

  The two men glance at each other, I sigh, exasperated. “We’re sorry princess, but we have orders to keep you safe,” one of them says.

  “I’m in the palace, I don’t need protection,” I fume.

  “We have our orders,” the other one says, sterner. Something flic
kers in his eyes, a red tint. My eyes are playing tricks on me.

  I throw my hands in the air causing Mobsy to ruffle his feathers. The guards watch him warily knowing he can be much bigger if he wishes.

  “Fine,” I say marching off.

  As I turn the corner, I am greeted by my sister. Her arms are folded, and a smug smile graces her lips.

  “Fancy seeing you here, I thought mother told you not to disturb father.” She flicks her silver locks, jutting her lip out.

  “Bugger off Silvia.” I push past her, she growls, snatching my wrist.

  I turn to her, eyes narrowing. “Let me go.” My voice is low, threatening.

  She drops her hand, hissing, staring at her palm. My eyes widen, her hand blisters, angry red welts covering her palm.

  She lunges for me but is stopped by the guard. She flails, trying to get to me, legs kicking out and wings fluttering angrily.

  “Get your hands off me, I am the princess!” she screams.

  I roll my eyes. “The youngest princess,” I correct her. I head to the oak doors and push them open. Looking back, I say, “And don’t forget that.”

  Turning away from her red face, I enter my father’s study.

  My father sits at his desk, the big oak table taking up the far part of his study. He looks up with a frown, his face etched with stress lines. He seems older, frailer. His dull eyes light up when he sees me, his mouth breaking into a smile.

  “Ah daughter, where have you been all week?” He gestures for me to enter.

  Doing so, I close the door in my sister’s face. “I thought you were busy, stepmother said not to disturb you.”

  He sighs, seeming tired. “I have been, this plague on our lands has me troubled. I thought closing the veils would help, but this darkness seems to be stretching further.”

  “Do you think the veil to the dark lands has opened?”

  His head whips up, a frown back on his face. “How do you know about that?”

  “Mobsy told me.” Mobsy told me that morning, he told me it happened before and it corrupted the lands and even started a war. I asked him for more information, but he refused to tell me, said it wasn’t the right time.

  “How are you able to talk to him?”

  “I can only communicate when he is in full form, I can’t understand him when his small.”

  “Odd that only you and Honey can understand the creature.”

  “What do you mean? The guards can’t hear him?” I ask shocked.

  “No, I asked them when they saw you talking to him. All they could hear were growls and chuffing sounds.”

  “Interesting,” I muse. “So, the veil?” I prod.

  He sighs again. “You don’t need to worry yourself with that, it’s for me to worry about.”

  “But if it’s opened, wouldn’t that explain what is happening?” I ask.

  “It would if it was open,” he replies. “We had it checked, no sign that it has been tampered with or opened. I have guards placed at the veil; they will alert me of any changes.”

  “What if someone’s opened it and let whoever through then closed it again?” I say, unwilling to let it go, but it seems my father has had enough of my nosiness.

  “Enough Pixie!” He slams his hand on the table making me jump. “I don’t want to talk about this, I have enough going on already.” He rubs the bridge of his nose. “Now take your leave, you have the academy to attend to tomorrow.”

  “Why do I need to go, I haven’t shown any magic and,” I emphasise, “I don’t have wings; I’ll be a laughingstock.”

  “Why must you talk so, so human. You are a pixie, a royal one at that, act so.” He stands, moving to me. “Pixie, you are my successor. If you have any magic in you, the academy will know, they have the tests remember. And you know your mother never had any trouble with magic.”

  “I know,” I say. I don’t remember my mother, she died when I was young.

  The damn test reveals where you belong. There are four houses, each representing what magic you possess. There are the Earth Pixies who control the wildlife and land creatures, the Water Pixies who control the water creatures and of course water, the Ember Pixies who control fire and draw energy from the sun, and last the Air Pixies that control the weather and are the fastest pixie fliers. Each of the four seasons separate into four parts of our lands. Even though we are the high court of our lands, we still have respective rulers of each court that are appointed by my father.

  Most pixie males become guards or soldiers. They train hard and become the best, just like my mother was. She was the best, and fought in the last war when I was young.

  There was a fifth, but no one knows what that is, the adults refuse to speak about it.

  “Pixie, you are so much like your mother.” His eyes soften.

  I scoff. “No I’m not, she’s a total...” I pause, not wanting to use a bad word for the woman that raised me.

  “Not her Pixie, your real mother.”

  “Oh, you don’t talk about her much.”

  My father looks uncomfortable. “Yes well, your stepmother doesn’t like me speaking of her.”

  “My mother was like me, or I like her, you know, without wings.” I prod, wanting to hear about her.

  “Yes, we met at the academy.” He has that dreamy look again, looking younger. “She caught my eye with her lilac hair and bluebell blue ends.” He chuckles, tugging my hair. I grin at his playfulness; he hasn’t acted this way in a long time.

  “You know, her hands would glow like the sun when she got angry, she burned me once.” He lifts up his sleeve revealing a tiny scar. “She instantly regretted it, said it was my fault for being pushy.” He smiles at the memory.

  I look at my own hands, my wrist. How did Silvia get those burns on her? I didn’t see any glow.

  “I think I may have my mother’s magic, I accidently burnt Silvia when she grabbed my wrist,” I whisper.

  My father claps excitedly. “That’s wonderful,” he exclaims. “Well not the burning your sister part, but the magic part.” He beams, his white wings fluttering slightly. “Your magic doesn’t usually activate until you’re at the academy, guess your strong, like your mother.”

  “I hope so,” I say, suddenly nervous.

  He must see my concern; he pulls me into a hug. “You will be fine; I have every faith in you.” He pulls back. “When you have finished your time there, you can come home and take your place as queen. You should find a suitor at the academy; you didn’t like the ones my wife picked out for you.” His nose twitches.

  “That’s because they were all awful, either they were trying to assert dominance, or they just didn’t seem right.” I roll my eyes. I don’t mention the darkness I felt.

  “You will pick your own, just like I did.” He smiles “And by that I meant your mother, my wife was picked for me before your grandparents retired. Her family were quite pushy, but your grandfather said I can’t rule alone.” He grimaces, making me chuckle. “They loved your mother though. Now off you go, remember to write to me.”

  “I wish you would use the phone I got you, we do have human technology now.”

  “Yes, but I am still stuck in the olds ways some. This thing doesn’t like me,” he says removing it from his pocket and giving it a little shake.

  I laugh, embracing him again, I will miss him.

  Pixie hollow academy

  The only way to the academy is to fly. If you look up, the academy sits above us. The magic in pixie hollow keeps it afloat, its crazy. Mobsy stretches, his long wings fanning out. He gazes at me with big golden eyes, his furry head bent for me to stroke him.

  I watch as the guards watch him with wary eyes, some look intrigued. My sister stands with her arms crossed, stepmother by her side. Her stern look tells me she is not happy, and the sulky look of my sister tells me she wishes she was going, too.

  You don’t attend the academy until your eighteenth year. Though I have missed a year, it won’t stop me from learning. Plus
, I hope to find the secrets of the darkness spreading throughout the lands.

  My stepmother descends the stairs, coming to stand near me, though she is careful to avoid Mobsy who growls at her approach.

  “Don’t embarrass the family Pixie.” She says my name like a curse word. “I won’t tolerate it.” She turns on her heel and walks away, my sister following close behind. She stops short of the door, her head turning. “Oh, and Pixie, I won’t forget how you maimed my daughter.” Her voice is low, sinister, even my sister flinches.