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'The Fae: Once upon a time' Is a story of Ellie, who enters into a whole new world of Fairies, Vampires and Elves, danger and revelation.
The book is available to buy now, just click the link below and follow the instructions.
I hope you enjoy Ellie's first adventure. Please feel free to leave your positive feedback, and if you would like to tell your friends... well! It would be rude of me to say no. :)
I have posted a small teaser for you.
Happy reading
Bea xxx
Once upon a time:
Chapter one
The clearing was cool, the sun slanted down in cartoon rays between the leaves. Rustling grasses hid unknown plants that poked their colourful heads through lush and fragrant greenery. Birds passed lazily below clouds of brilliant white. And hornets flew with military precision around jewel-coloured bluebells.
As she sat, her back against the rough bark of the tree, Ellie looked about her with new and hungry eyes. Every detail devoured and savoured; seared into her memory. The beauty of the scene a balm to her soul. Each scent and sound swirled about her senses as if for the first time. Vibrant, alive. The verdant green of the canopy shimmered with an ethereal energy that reflected starkly in the single cold tear that slipped from her eye. Her hand lay gently against the blades of grass that struggled for life at the base of the tree, blood snaking down from the wound on her wrist to replenish the soil. An empty bottle of vodka lay discarded and forgotten beside the four bottles of over-the-counter pain relief that she had diligently been saving to fill. Two of the bottles were already empty, and with great care and deliberation, Ellie reached for the unopened bottle of tequila in the Tesco bag to her side. Slowly, with exaggerated effort, she twisted off the cap and raised the bottle to her lips. As the sun warmed glass touched her slack and senseless mouth, she slid to the ground, the bottle rolling from her grasp. The clear and potent liquid soaked thirstily into the earth as she sank into oblivion.
Unseen hands pulled Ellie to her feet, then to her toes. A feeling of immense pain and nausea swept from her numb extremities to her slack and gaping mouth, and then poured forth from her lips to splash at her feet. Again and again her stomach was pulled through to empty on the ground. A bitter and pervading odour surrounded her causing Ellie’s stomach to painfully eject what was left of her stomach lining. Then, as if a doll dropped by a giant, she crumpled to the floor. She landed in the puddle she had made and felt the gelatinous ooze enter her nose and gasping mouth. She felt the slime mix with her tears and tried to close her eyes. With more effort than she could believe possible, she rolled over and out of the mess. On her back, panting with purulence and effort, Ellie felt her eyes pulled roughly open. A light that was too, too bright filled her vision and bought fresh tears to bear. Unceremoniously, she was lifted and thrown over a shoulder, then thankfully lost consciousness again as her assaulter began to walk.
Gingerly Ellie dared to open an eye. Fear and pain froze into an icy knot in her throat. She did not know where she was. She remembered being in the woods and taking the vodka and pills but nothing else. So, was this it? Was she dead? Dead sure felt comfortable. Dead felt like a feather bed. Heaven had a clean white duvet with tiny blue rosebuds sewn on it. Heaven had a cool breeze lifting the organza curtain at the wooden sash window to her left. Heaven also had a fat brown tabby cat sitting next to her, staring intently.
The cat looked away, through the open door.
“She’s awake.” He called.
“Oh god, now I know I’m dead.” Ellie mumbled to herself, and with a wry smile she fell back to sleep.
Next time Ellie opened her eyes, a woman of such beauty sat beside her, that Ellie was now sure she was dead.
“Are you an angel?” She asked, hushed; reverent.
A light tinkling laugh, like sleigh bells on a winters’ morning, issued forth from a mouth shaped in a perfect bow, deep pink lips surrounded the straightest, whitest teeth Ellie had ever seen.
“No my dear, I am certainly no angel,” came the reply. The woman’s voice was fresh and light, like a cool clear stream tumbling down-hill. The sound of it filled Ellie with a peace that she had never known before.
“My name is Fae. I found you in the woods. I bought you here to recover as I did not know where you live. You have no I.D on you.”
“I thought I died.” Ellie whispered. “How long have I been here?”
“Oh, only a couple of days. I think we have all the poison from your system now. What on earth made you do that to yourself? How could you not want to be?” Fae’s face was filled with such concern and pity that Ellie turned her own to the pillow and sobbed quietly.
“I just… I thank you for your help, but you should have just left me. I can’t...” Ellie found that the words were stuck in her mouth. She wanted to tell this beautiful woman everything. She felt a compelling need to make Fae happy, to tell her anything she wanted to know, but shame and despair kept her words behind her teeth. Ellie pressed her face further into the pillow and shook with despair. Fae gently brushed Ellie’s hair from her face. The places her hand had touched felt cool and soothed. With this beautiful creature beside her, Ellie fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
As Fae stroked the troubled girls hair away from a soaked and sweating brow, she closed her eyes and took a breath. Very gently, she placed a hand either side of Ellie’s face and furrowed her brow in concentration. Carefully she entered into Ellie’s thoughts. All appeared black and red and vivid. Pain, loss and loneliness battled each other in a quest for dominance and Fae felt herself grow heavy with grief. With a mental shrug, she pulled her feelings back into herself and waded further in. There was Ellie as a small child, hiding under the stairs in fear. There again, Ellie as a child of six being kicked and beaten by a tall blonde woman in pointed shoes. Ellie limping away holding in her tears so as to not further antagonise. Yet doing so anyway. Ellie as a child of seven being abused by a slim, dark youth whilst a slightly older girl goaded and tormented her. As a teen, in hospital, on a drip being coaxed back to life as her wasted body struggled for energy to breathe. On the phone, calling her mother and being dismissed. Visiting the blonde woman and not being allowed in because she had no make up on? Seriously? On the phone again, the blonde woman yelling at her that…
“I have no daughter, you are nothing to me”. Ellie crying. Ellie with a knife and bloody wrists. Ellie in the woods with Vodka and pills. Ellie in the dark. Alone. Fae could take no more and pulled out quickly. With tears on her own cheek, she left the broken girl to sleep.
The smell of fresh, hot toast and coffee teased Ellie out of her slumber. The pull of the bed kept her supine. As her eyes slowly lifted, Ellie watched the beautiful woman carry a tray toward her and place it on a small table by her side. The fat cat jumped up onto the covers and plopped down beside her.
“You’re awake then”. Said the cat, looking at Ellie.
“Oh my god! Oh my god!” Ellie mumbled, unable to take her eyes off the cat. “What the… where am I? What the…? Did that cat speak? Did you hear him? He spoke!”
“I know, try not to worry daughter. That is only Peter, my cat.”
“What do you mean only your cat?” asked the cat, seemingly put out. “Only a cat indeed!” Peter sniffed, “How rude!”
Ellie couldn’t help it, she smiled at the absurdity of it all. This sure was a great dream, she could stay here forever, no rush to wake up at all. No siree! She decided that as it was only a dream, she may as well enjoy it.
“And who do I thank for taking such good care of me?” She politely asked.
“Ah, I thought you might forget. My name is Fae. I found you a couple of days ago in the woods. You appeared to be… ahem, in a little trouble, so I bought you to my home and tried to… well, I tried to help you.” Fae placed a hand lightly over Ellie’s.
“Thank you very much.” Said Ellie courteously with a smile. Strange, but she felt like a little girl in the presence of a wise and grown up princess. But hey, this was a dream, so why not? This lady, Fae, she could be a princess in her dream couldn’t she? After all, it was her dream.
“I imagine you must be hungry, so I made a little toast. If that hurts your throat, I could make something else perhaps? I have coffee here and there’s juice too if you would like some. I’m afraid I have no idea what you like eat.”
“Toast is great thank you.” Ellie replied as she sat up and took a piece. The toast was thick and rough cut, laden with melting butter and tasted like nothing on earth. Her throat hurt a little as she swallowed, but nothing was going to stop her from finishing. The coffee was rich and smooth, made with the creamiest milk that felt very satisfying as she drank. She felt fuller somehow.
“Oh, that was just fantastic thank you. I feel fabulous, it must have been all that sleep. I can’t believe how good that all tasted.”
Fae and Peter shared a look and a small smile.
“You’re welcome.” They said.
Fae had laid out Ellie’s clothes having washed and ironed them earlier, so when she was alone, Ellie reluctantly got out of bed and dressed. Walking down the stairs, she came to a large, sun dappled room. Real wood cabinets lined the walls of the kitchen and every surface held a clutter of plants, bottles and books. Clean jam jars were scattered about the worktops with posies of fresh garden flowers inside. At a large round table in the centre of the room Fae sat with Peter on her lap, absently scratching behind his ear.
“Uh… hi, thank you for cleaning my clothes,” Ellie mumbled, “I guess I should be going home now though. Thank you so very much for all you have done.”
Slowly Fae looked up and there was pity in her eyes.
“Are you sure you want to go? There is no rush, you can stay as long as you like. There is plenty of room and I was about to make lunch.”
“Well, if you don’t mind, I would quite like some lunch. I feel so reluctant to leave for some reason.”
“That’s because you aren’t ready to go yet.” Peter told her.
Ellie sat down with a bump. “I guess not if I am still hearing cats talk,” she whispered.
Fae laughed her light tinkling laugh, and at once Ellie felt better. She felt as though she had danced through a light summer rain that had left her feeling breathless and refreshed.
“Oh, Peter can talk, you are not going mad. He is a somewhat special cat.” Fae paused and looked thoughtful. “Although usually nobody can hear him but me and mine. Strange that you can. Oh, possibly it is because I had to give you some of my blood when you were ill. That must be it. Hmm! That opens up a whole new can of worms as it were…” Fae looked up at Ellie in concern.
“Not sure that’s such a good idea.” Commented Peter in a voice that could only be described as supercilious. “She’s hardly in a position to understand is she?”
“Well,” said Fae, “Having given her my blood, she kind of needs to know something, or else she is going to run into some very sticky situations. I can keep it light and relevant.”
“I am in the room” Ellie snapped. “Number one, you gave me blood? Why? And number two, what’s the biggy? Do I become a vampire or something?” She laughed. Not quite sure why. Probably nerves, she thought.
“Vampire indeed!” Hissed Peter. “The very thought!”
“No dear, not a Vampire,” smiled Fae. “Fairy.”
“Of course. Fairy. I should have known.” Ellie didn’t seem particularly impressed. Perhaps she really was still asleep.
Fae looked amused. “I’m not really used to having to explain myself,” she smiled, “but as you have some of my blood now, you will need to know. Things could change a little for you now. You may feel things stronger, taste things better, see further, just feel…enhanced. Sort of.”
“So, I’m like a superhero now?” Ellie didn’t seem to be taking this seriously at all. “Do I get super powers? Can I fly? Jump tall buildings? See through walls? Have mega strength?”
“No. Sorry, just a bit… well, enhanced is all. I wish I hadn’t told you now. It all seems such a disappointment to you.” Fae smiled fondly.
“Oh no… no, I’m grateful. Really I am. You saved me, gave me blood. Eow! Gave me ‘enhancements’ what’s not to be excited about? I’m sure when I wake up I will be very grateful. This is the most fun I’ve had dreaming since…well, forever.” Ellie was giggling now. “Oh say, do I get enhanced body parts? I’ve been thinking of a boob job for some time now.”
Peter had become restless throughout this exchange, and it was obvious that he felt the ungrateful girl should just shut up and be glad she were alive. He looked as though he felt she were mocking his mistress and he couldn’t bear it. In a flash, he hissed and lashed out at Ellie, catching her arm with a sharp scratch.
“Oh!” Ellie managed to say before she fell to the table in a dead sleep.