Everlight Academy Complete Trilogy: Everlight Academy

By Tiffany Shand

Includes all three books: Faeling, Fae Born and Fae Light

Magic can be blessing or a curse.

Seventeen-year-old Silvana Eldry, a faeling, lives in fear. Shunned by society, bullied by her classmates, and ignored by her foster parents, she's an outcast in a world ruled by the fae.

When she's offered a prestigious placement at Everlight Academy, she finds herself in a strange, new world. One filled with magic, gorgeous fae beings, and the chance to learn about her powers. But there's a catch!

There are trials and challenges ahead because Everlight doesn't just let students survive. They must earn their survival. And Silvy must tear herself from the unwavering connection she feels to a handsome fae prince.

Will her quest for a new life cost her everything or will she get the new life she craves?

Faeling is a slow-burn non-reverse harem romance with one feisty heroine who will stop at nothing to find out who she really is.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tiffany Shand
• Release date: Jul 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201359874

Tiffany Shand

Tiffany Shand was born in Essex, UK and started writing short stories when she was a child. She has always done writing in one form or another and started writing novels in her early teens. She writes both non-fiction and fiction, but mostly fantasy and paranormal romance. After doing a creative writing course in her early 20s she is now a freelance writer and professional proofreader. Tiffany lives in Essex with her two spoiled cats and one very nutty hamster.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Iducked behind a stack of shelves and clutched several items to my chest. My heart pounded in my ears as I glanced around the aisles to make sure no one had seen me. As much as I hated stealing, I knew it was a necessity.

My foster parents never spent the money they got every month to cover my needs. The last time I had pissed off my foster mum, she took away all of my toiletries. Hence, why I was here at the local marketplace stealing soap, shampoo, and toothpaste, along with some much-needed food.

The aisles of the tiny little shop were stocked full of bread, frozen meals, chocolate, and other expensive items I could never afford. I’d managed to snag a small loaf of bread off one of the shelves. Bread was something I rarely ever got to have in my foster home.

One good thing about my broken gossamer wings was they were large enough and opaque enough to hide me from the CCTV cameras. This allowed me to sneak things underneath my baggy clothing with relative ease.

Ducking into a corner, I slipped my newfound items into my drawstring bag and swung it over my shoulder. I knew where all the cameras in the shop were, so I made sure I kept my back to them as I did so. No one ever paid any attention to me other than to gawp at the sight of a faeling — a half-human, half-Fae hybrid. I looked almost human with my long scraggly blond hair, blue eyes, and gangly frame. Maybe I could even pass for an ordinary-looking schoolgirl in my navy-blue uniform and scuffed shoes. Except for the large translucent wings coming out of my back that looked like remnants of broken leaves.

I half expected the cashier — a middle-aged overweight man with greasy hair to scream at me. Hearing the words, Silvana Eldry, I’m calling your parents, you bloody faeling hadn’t been uncommon in my short seventeen-year life.

Thankfully, I’d gotten better at stealing over the years. It’s not like I had much of a choice with my current fosters. Being a faeling tended to make me stick out like a sore thumb. Plus, faelings were rarely welcomed among humans.

A glance at the cashier told me he was too occupied with a gorgeous blonde who had just walked in to pay any attention to me. The cashier’s colour was yellow which then turned to a dark orange.

That meant he was curious. I could see colours around all humans. It was their energy, their life force, their aura — whatever you want to call it. The woman had a peach coloured aura around her, muted with green and grey. She wanted to get out of here fast and away from the slimy cashier; that much I could tell.

I dashed out the front door, past the lines of shelves and away from the ever-watchful eyes of the shop’s cameras. The people outside in the street were a riot of colour. Their energy danced around them. Some were sad, some were happy, some were too wrapped up in their lives to even notice me.

However, they were always turned off whenever they caught sight of me. So, I kept my head down and kept on walking.

I made my way through the cobblestone streets of Colchester, Britain’s oldest recorded town. Dozens of Tudor style buildings and modern buildings of steel and stone were erected in a haphazard mess. This place was famous for being where the Fae had arrived half a century ago. The humans had polluted the earth so much, they almost wiped themselves out and, in the process, destroyed the other world – the world of the Fae - that coexisted with ours.

So, fifty years ago hundreds of Fae showed up here, seeking refuge. You’d think the Fae would have been angry at the humans for destroying their world but instead, they chose to save humanity. The Fae re-grew entire forests, cleansed the oceans and came up with cleaner ways of renewable energy. After saving the world from near extinction, most of the Fae disappeared, retreating into their different parts of the world. Some of them stuck around but often didn’t fit in well with human society. These days, most of the Fae usually kept to themselves.

Some humans have even interbred with them. Sadly, that part didn’t turn out so well.

Over the years the Fae had disappeared from the earth again as if they’d never been here in the first place. Some of the humans even claimed they don’t exist and that humans themselves had managed to save the earth and the rest of the surviving humanity.

However, I was living proof the Fae had been here at least once.

How else could I have been born?

Unless they thought I was a changeling.

I hurried through the streets, avoiding the usual stares. If my threadbare dress and rough shoes didn’t stand out, then the bits of my long-mangled wings sure did.

The Seelie Fae were the ones responsible for saving the humans and most of them had ethereal wings. They were stunning creatures — from what I had seen in books.

Although, when you were a half-breed like me, those same wings looked akin to a gangly monstrosity.

Shoes and clothes were expensive. And they were something my fosters refused to fork out for. So I had to make do with what I had. I’d learned a long time ago to stop being embarrassed by my appearance and meagre possessions.

I made my way through the familiar streets and ducked into an alley. I usually tried to keep my wings covered but my only coat had been stolen from me a few weeks earlier and I couldn’t hide them anymore. I would have been glad to cut off these stupid things, so I could blend in with humans a little more.

Being a faeling wasn’t a good thing and only led to more unwanted abuse for me. The humans may have loved the Fae for saving their world, but they despised any half-breeds that they had left behind.

I rifled through my bag, breathing in the sweet scent of bread. It might not be fresh, but it sure smelled good.

So much better than anything I got at home. I took a moment just to enjoy the scent.

Look here, there’s a gutter rat, said a familiar voice.

My blood went cold. No, it couldn’t be. I had left school over an hour ago and Ava didn’t live anywhere near the poor side of town as I did. How had she ended up here?

It seemed nowhere was safe from Ava Jacobs, a local human girl and the bane of my existence — well, one of them at least. I thought of her as my daytime torturer. I had other people to torture me at night.

I kept my gaze on the ground. I didn’t need to look up to recognise her perfect curly blond hair, flawless skin, and bright blue eyes. I looked like an ugly duckling compared to her perfection. My body showed the scars of my life. The most prominent being my mangled wings that looked like broken translucent leaves.

God, I wished my wings worked and were more than just a disability; that was what the humans called it at least. They had never worked even before they grew bigger. You would think I have magic too. No such luck. Aside from my ability to see auras I was as human as it gets.

How had Ava found me? Had she followed me? I wouldn’t put it past her. She lived to make my life a misery and took great pleasure in it too. I didn’t know why. I had never done anything to her. It was like my existence was an affront to her perfect human ways. Sure, I might be as poor as a mouse and a foster kid, but then I did have the right to exist like everyone else did, didn’t I?

What have you got there? Ava snatched my bag from my grasp before I had a chance to say or do anything.

I learnt a long time ago it was pointless to fight back. It only made things worse. If I hit her, she would only strike me back harder and make me suffer even more.

Can’t I get a break for once? I’d been so happy with my stash. I should have just gone home while I had the chance. But no, I had to sneak into the alley to enjoy my food. It wasn’t as if I could’ve taken it home with me anyway. If my foster parents saw I had stolen things they would just take the stuff away from me. My foster mum frequently searched through my room to make sure I didn’t have anything hidden away in there.

Idiot, Silvy. Why did you have to stick around?

Ava pulled out the bottles of soap and shampoo and snorted. God knows you need these given how much you stink. She tossed the items onto the muddy ground.

Each thud felt like a knife to my heart. Why did she have to take them? It didn’t matter if they got a bit dirty. I only prayed she wouldn’t destroy them like she did with most of my things.

What’s this? Ava held up the loaf of bread. You don’t have the money to afford this.

She was right about that. The only time my fosters gave me money was when they needed me to go and get something for them. And that never involved things for me.

Ava sank her teeth into the bread. Her aura glowed bright green and gold, signifying much pleasure she took in the act.

No! A tiny cry escaped my lips. I clapped my hands over my mouth. I wouldn’t plead with her. She’d enjoy that too much.

Ava’s gaze brightened with delight. She loved it when I begged.

Damn. I knew better than to do that.

Anger heated my blood. I had risked my life and what little freedom I had to get those items, only for her to eat half my food within a matter of seconds.

You stole these, didn’t you, Silvy? Ava demanded. I knew you were a thief, you little wretch. Shouldn’t expect anything less from a gutter rat like you. They should lock you up and throw away the key. You don’t belong in this world and you know it.

Gutter rat. I’d had that name since someone had found me abandoned in a gutter close to the Eldry Woods. That was where my surname came from. Someone had just dumped me there. They had named me Silvana as someone thought it sounded like a pretty fairy name. I preferred Silvy. Silvana sounded too old-fashioned and stupid.

I fumed at her words. She had a point and I knew it. I had never fit in amongst the humans and never would because of my wings. Then again I would never fit in amongst the Fae either due to the lack of power from my human side.

I had run into a Fae once when I was younger. The one and only time I had seen one in person. They had looked at me like I was an alien and not one of the Fae.

I made a grab for my bag, but Ava held it just out of my reach.

My anger threatened to boil over. I knew what would happen if Ava reported me to the local authorities. I’d be locked up for life or worse, executed. Faelings had been put to death for lesser crimes.

I needed my stash back. Right. Now. I enjoyed little in my short life, and I was not going to be locked up for some petty crime that I only did out of necessity.

A gust of windswept through the alley. It made my long hair stand on ends. The burst of air slammed Ava across the alley.

God, what caused that?

My heart pounded so hard, I thought it would burst through my chest. The worst thing possible was for a faeling to be suspected of using magic. That wouldn’t get me locked up, I’d be experimented on like a freaking lab rat.

That was a fate worse than anything I could endure, even my current life.

Where had that gust of wind come from? The wind didn’t throw people around like that, did it?

I decided to get out of there while I had the chance. So, I scooped up my bag and made a run for it.

To my relief, Ava didn’t chase after me. She seemed too stunned to do anything, and I was too freaked out to check on her.

There would be hell to pay when I went to school, but I’d worry about that tomorrow. She would torment me like she usually did anyways so what else was new?

Once I was clear of the alley, I turned down a narrow back street and slammed straight into someone. I yelped in alarm and stumbled back.

To my surprise, it was a teenage boy who looked barely older than me. He was a good foot taller than me with short dark black hair and eyes that shimmered like pure silver. He wore jeans and a grey shirt over a dark T-shirt. Somehow I knew he wasn’t human. He had an aura, unlike that of most humans.

Every human I had ever seen had colour glowing faintly around their bodies. This guy looked like a beacon of glowing, vibrant energy. It whirled in a rainbow kaleidoscope of colours, glowing so bright, it dazzled me.

He must be Fae, I realised. He didn’t have any wings. I had been reading about Fae for most of my life just so I could learn about the other side of my hybrid head of heritage. Every picture I had ever seen of them depicted them having wings.

Damn, he was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen.

I shook my head and wondered where that stray thought had come from.

You should be more careful, he snapped.

Sorry, I didn’t see you there. My voice came out stronger than I expected. I blinked a few times to get my eyes to adjust to his dazzling colours.

Not bumping into me. He glared at me. I meant that run-in with the human girl.

My mouth fell open. Holy crackers, had he somehow seen that freaky gust of wind? I hadn’t seen anyone else around or sensed them. I was usually pretty good at finding out if people were hiding or not. They might be able to conceal themselves, but they couldn’t hide their colours. Not from me anyway.

I closed my mouth and raised my chin. I don’t know what you mean.

His gorgeous silver eyes narrowed. Yes, you do. You should be more careful.

I glowered at him. I didn’t do anything to her. Who the hell are you anyway?

His lips quirked into a smile. You’ll find out sooner or later.

And with that, he vanished.

Poof. One second he and his glimmering aura were there and the next second, he had vanished.

My jaw dropped. This day was getting weirder and weirder.

Instead of going home, I headed straight to my only refuge I had in my life: the town library. It was a large clock tower building. The old library burned down years ago after the humans had nearly wiped themselves out. I loved the place because it had such an old-world character. A lot of buildings were destroyed during the Change. The Fae world being destroyed had caused a lot of damage and some places fell off the map.

The library was my safe haven. Even Ava didn’t bother me much whilst I was there. Probably because she didn’t want people to know how much she tormented me.

I never bothered reporting her. What good would it do? No one trusted the word of a faeling to that of a human’s. We were viewed as less than second-class people.

The warmth of the library washed over me as I headed inside. This was the only place in town where I could find books made from real paper. Since the Change, books were usually only available in digital format or some expensive new material. The Fae had outlawed the cutting down of trees.

I loved the feel of books and the smell of them. It felt like getting lost in a different world. Also, you didn’t get judged or tormented for being half-breed Fae.

Being a faeling was bad enough because some of them went mad. One male faeling had committed a bunch of mass killings of half a dozen people a few years back. The humans were just waiting for me to go psycho. Some faelings didn’t even survive childhood. Fae and human DNA didn’t mix well together.

Lucky me, I guess. I’m one of the few who survived.

I glanced around in hopes to see the librarian, Freya Goodwin. She was one of the few people, if not the only one, who had ever been nice to me.

She would even sneak in food for lunch for me whenever she could. I never got any lunch otherwise, with having no money for food. Yet another thing my foster parents refused to pay out for. I had breakfast and some dinner at their place - if I was lucky - so I had to make do.

I headed straight for one of the computer terminals and shoved my bag under the table.

As a student, I had free access. Typing in my details, I waited for it to load.

I would live in this place if I could. It was my own private world. Nothing bad could reach me whilst I was here.

I waited for the web to load and typed in faeling baby found in Eldry Woods.

Eldry Woods had only been around for a couple of decades back then. It was part of the Fae’s initiative in replanting trees in different areas. Now half the town was woodland. The humans never bothered to rebuild any of the buildings that had disappeared. I still found it strange no one had ever questioned where all of those buildings had even disappeared to. I’d been found in a gutter close to the woods, I knew from the familiar words of the newspaper article by heart.

I must’ve read it a thousand times. A faeling baby being found had been big news. According to the report, I had only been a few hours old. My mother, whoever she was, hadn’t kept me long at all. My chest tightened whenever I read that part of the report. How anyone could give up their baby, let alone leave it in the gutter, was beyond me.

From what I had read babies were rare among the Fae, and they greatly valued children. It had been one of the reasons why they had interbred with humans because having kids was so hard for them.

I had no idea whether my mother was Fae or human. They had done endless tests on me as a kid but hadn’t cared to find out who my real parents were. They only cared to know if I had magic or not.

I’d asked about my real parents a few times over the years but never got any answers. Humans couldn’t answer questions they didn’t know the answer to. Once upon a time, I had dreamed my real mother would appear one day and rescue me. That never happened of course.

I’d undergone testing every few months since I was eleven. They did it to see if I had any magic. Nothing ever showed up. I’d almost be glad if something did because that would mean I could escape my fosters and find my real mum and dad. I didn’t care which one it was, I just wanted someone to feel connected to.

Most kids took parental love for granted. I’d give anything to feel loved by someone.

Had my mother loved me? Or was she so disgusted at her half-breed baby she dumped me at the first chance she got? And did my father, whoever he was, even knew I existed?

I knew it was hopeless, but I wouldn’t give up searching for my parents. Maybe I would never get answers, but it didn’t matter. It was one of the few things that kept me going.

I scrolled through the old articles, but they didn’t reveal anything new.

No surprise there, but still, this was the only real connection I had to my mother. Whoever she was.

Chapter 2

Ihurried along the rain-soaked streets until I reached the end of my street after the library closed. The tiny house at the end had been my home for almost two years. If you could call this place home. I was a cash cow for my fosters. Nothing more.

The house had once been white, but the paint peeled off years ago. What had once been a small front garden was now bare concrete covered in weeds, rubbish, and other debris.

Home was supposed to be a place where you feel safe and loved. I’d never felt any of those things whilst here. No place I had lived in ever really felt like a true home. I was usually never there long enough or happy enough for it to feel like a welcoming place.

I did have a good foster home back when I was about twelve. The family there had seemed nice and wanted to help me. It didn’t last, though. My stupid self had rebelled and been a complete terror. I was so angry back then. At my birth mother, at the humans for the way they treated me, at the entire world. So, I had run away a lot and acted out.

I wished I could go back and talk some sense into my younger self. Tell her that place was so much better, and those fosters were good people. They had seemed like they had wanted to help me despite me being a faeling. They’d been much better than my current fosters.

The sound of Nigel and Lyn Carter echoed out as soon as I walked up the overgrown path that was covered with weeds and brambles. I sidestepped them as much as I could. But of course, a few of the nasty things pierced through my rotting shoes.

The sound of the Carters arguing was nothing new. They always got angry when they came down from their high. That’s where all the money they got for me went to. On drugs. Neither of them worked either, so they claimed state benefits, but they got much more for fostering. Even extra because I was special needs. I found that part ridiculous.

Special needs. Aside from the need for food and clothes, I had no special needs. But I had heard them complaining to the social services a few times that I needed extra care because of my condition. As if being half-Fae was some kind of illness.

Still, the government gave them extra money because of it. But never sent anyone out to see if I was okay. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had seen a social worker. They’d never done anything to help me. They had all looked at me like I was some kind of alien oddity and had wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

I opened the front door and winced at the stench of stale cigarette smoke. They always resorted to those when they ran out of their drug of choice. Dust. The walls of the narrow hallway were a dull grey mixed with dirty yellow from the stuff they consumed. It looked nothing like a normal home. There were no pictures around, no knickknacks, no items of sentimental value. The Carters didn’t have any time or inclination for that sourcing. Anything of value they had always went towards their next fix.

Where’s the Dust? Nigel yelled. We have enough to last a week. It can’t be all gone.

It’s gone because you used it all last night, Lyn retorted.

Neither of them acknowledged me as I headed down the hall and into my room.

It was a little more than a big cupboard with a skinny window, a mattress on the floor, and a clothes rail that contained what little clothes I owned.

I dropped my bag onto the mattress and pulled my duvet around myself to warm up. Nigel and Lyn rarely had money to turn the heating on, so I was used to my room being cold.

I went through my new merchandise and hid them in the space underneath the loose floorboard. I had my most precious items in there so my fosters wouldn’t find it and confiscate it.

The only real possession I had was a silk baby blanket. I pulled it out and clutched it to my chest. It was what I had been wrapped in when someone had found me. Silk was even more rare and expensive nowadays so that made me think someone had cared for me.

Maybe my mum just couldn’t keep me. Why else leave me wrapped in a luxury blanket? I’d kept it close to me over the years since it was the only real link I had to my mum. Lyn would sell it if she found it.

I tucked it away and pulled out my tablet. The devices were handed out by the school and I could only do school-related stuff on them. It was the only real piece of technology I had ever had. With a homework assignment for English class due soon, I worked till Lyn called me for dinner.

Nigel, a pale-skinned man with a pockmarked face sat the head of the table. His black greasy hair covered his dark eyes and stains covered his T-shirt and jeans.

Lyn looked like she could have been pretty once. But her long hair had turned mousy brown and limp. Severe acne covered her face from the drugs and her eyes had sunken back into her skull.

Half the time neither of them remembered I was there, so I was surprised Lyn had even bothered to cook anything.

Dinner consisted of little more than beans on toast. Manufactured bread and beans were cheap and pretty much all they ever bought — when they remembered to that is. When they were high they didn’t care about eating. Feeding me wouldn’t cross their minds either. I had gotten used to it and would make myself something most nights if there was any food left in the house.

I forced myself to eat stale bread and longed for the one I had stolen. Damn Ava for taking it. It didn’t matter though. In a few months, I would turn eighteen – then I would be an adult by human standards.

I would have the chance to get out of this hellhole. Despite all the crap in my life, I studied hard, so I could get a job once my birthday came.

Freya promised me she’d get me an internship at the library – my dream job. It wouldn’t be much money, but I could crash somewhere nearby. I would finally be free to lead my own life for the first time.

I had a little money saved up too. I snuck a little away from Lyn and Nigel whenever I got the chance to. Not much – or they would notice it. Just enough to tide me over once I turned eighteen.

How’s school? Nigel asked. His cheekbones protruded out from his face, showing the effects of consuming Dust on a daily basis. Did you bring any Dust home with you?

They often made me go and get their drugs for them. The other half of the time they expected me to get Dust whilst I was at school. As if I had the money or the knowledge to find someone who was dealing it there. I almost rolled my eyes. Whenever I was at school, the last thing I wanted to think about was getting them more drugs.

School’s fine. I kept my eyes on my plate and ignored the question about the Dust. If I said no that would only lead to more trouble.

Anything could set them off, so I did what I always did. Pretended I was invisible. I was good at that.

We are out of Dust again, Lyn complained. Nigel, you have to get some more. My head is hurting. You know how much I hate that. She rubbed her temples.

Dust came from something the Fae had brought with them. Some said it was a type of magic. Whether it was or wasn’t, it caused extreme addiction within humans. At some point, a human got into his head to inhale it and soon after, lots of them became hooked on it. Dust made humans feel euphoric and took them into another world. At least that was what I had heard from my fosters.

They forced me to try it once. I hadn’t felt any of the things they described. It only made me sick and Lyn complained about the mess when I had vomited everywhere.

That had been the only time I had ever been ill since I’m never sick. It must have been one of the few good things about my Fae blood. Probably the only good thing.

We need more Dust, Lyn repeated.

I forced the rest of my dinner down, took my plate to the sink, and turned to make for my room.

I ain’t going out in the rain. I had almost made it to my door when Nigel said, Silvy can go and get it.

I froze. No, not again. Getting drugs was worse than anything I went through at school. Even worse than the time Nigel thought I was the devil and tried cutting off my wings during one of his drug-induced hazes. Though I still had nightmares about that one.

I spun around. I-I can’t. I have homework. It sounded like a feeble excuse, even to me. But what else could I say? Damn, I needed to work on coming up with better explanations.

Although I doubted anything I said would convince them to change their minds. It never did. I could be on my death bed, and they would still whine and complain if they didn’t get their fixes.

They didn’t care about how I did at school. I only mattered when I proved useful to them.

Nigel rose and grabbed a jar from the top shelf near the sink. A few notes fell out onto the table. There’s only twenty-five pounds here. He glared at Lyn. What have you been spending it on, woman?

I haven’t spent it. Lyn glowered back at him. You are the one spending our money away. Don’t think I know you don’t use extra Dust when I’m not around.

I expected them to resume their shouting match. No such luck.

Silvy, come here, Nigel ordered.

I scurried over to him and kept my eyes on the floor.

Yes, sir? He loved it when I called him sir. It gave him an air of authority which he never got from Lyn or anyone else.

He shoved the notes into my palm. Go see Ron and get some more Dust. I want a good fifty grams. Don’t you leave with anything less.

I stared at the money. But... But it’s not enough. I’d bought Dust often enough for them to know this wasn’t anywhere near enough to cover the amount he wanted.

You get the Dust, or I’ll cut those bloody wings of yours. God knows you’d look better without those things. Nigel growled.

Please don’t make me go there. My wings wrapped around my body protectively.

My trips to Ron, my fosters’ dealer, had become much more frequent over the past few months. Ron wasn’t a good man. I hated to beg but I couldn’t bear another night of being around him.

Nigel hit me so hard, my head reeled back, and I saw stars for a moment. Get moving. You had better get that Dust, Nigel warned.

I hurried back down the hall and out the front door. My face ached from where he’d struck me.

I kept my head down as I made my way through the streets. Rain soaked me through, and my wings trailed along behind me. Once I had been able to use them to shield myself from the elements — or at least when they had been whole I had. I pulled the broken parts over my arms to keep me a little drier.

That was about all they were good for. In truth, part of me would have been glad if Nigel had cut them off. At some point, I planned to get surgery and have them removed. Maybe then I could look somewhat normal.

I waited outside the Nocturne club where Ron worked as a bouncer most nights and dealt drugs for the extra money.

The CCTV camera panned down to look at me and Ron himself opened the door.

My heart leapt into my throat. He was a huge man, all muscle and beefy veins. His aura was always the colour of mud. Sometimes there were other colours mixed in too, but they were all always dark and ominous.

He grinned. Silvy, it’s about time you came to see me, baby.

I walked in without saying a word. I shivered, more from the way he looked at me rather than the cold.

"Come to see your daddy, have you?" Ron always insisted I call him daddy. I knew it wasn’t a paternal thing. Men like that weren’t interested in girls because they wanted to be fathers.

Nigel wants some Dust. I kept my eyes on the floor. Maybe I could get the dust and be out of there without too much trouble.

Yeah, tell me how you’ve been. Have you missed your daddy?

Nigel told me to hurry home. My voice came out stronger than I’d expected. I never knew why he bothered asking me such stupid questions. Did he expect me to say I’d missed him? Fat chance of that. I would be more glad if the earth opens up and swallows him whole.

First come sit on my lap.

Ron sat down on the leather sofa and patted his knee. He always asked me to sit on his lap, but I refused. Did he really expect me to change my mind? The last thing I wanted was his grubby hands on me. What did he think I saw in him anyway?

One day soon, Ron would do something far worse; I knew it.

I pulled the wad of cash out of my pocket. You’ve only got a few more months then you will be free, I reminded myself.

Give me the Dust, I said more forcefully.

Come sit, he demanded. His colours world around him in angry shades of red and yellow.

I crossed my arms and raised my chin to meet his dark gaze. No. I have to get home. I have school tomorrow. Give me the Dust.

Ron rose to his full height. You do as I say, girl.

A stab of fear ran through me. I knew I shouldn’t risk pissing him off like this. I should have sat on his lap and acted like a good little girl. But I was sick of being pushed around all the time. By him, by my foster parents, by everyone.

Ron caught hold of my arm. God, this was it. What I had been dreading most.

Please, make him stop.

The back door burst open as a violent gust of wind swept through and slammed Ron against the far wall.

I remained rooted to the spot. Too scared to anything as the wind pounded into the back of the club.

Ron lay slumped against the wall, unmoving.

Oh God, why did this have to happen again? Bad things were always happening around me. People got hurt and I still had no idea why.

Did I somehow cause it? Or is it something else? I still didn’t have a clue as to what any of it meant.

I didn’t have magic. So I couldn’t understand why it kept happening.

Rummaging through Ron’s pockets, I pulled out several packs of Dust. His aura had dimmed a little, but he was still alive. That relieved me at least. Plus, giving my fosters a large stash would keep them occupied and hopefully buy me enough time to figure something out.

I left the money Nigel had given me on the floor and winced when Ron moaned in pain. I could never come back here. I had to come up with some excuse when Nigel asked for some more Dust. If I came back, I knew Ron would kill me.

I ran out of there without looking back.

I made it onto the alleyway still breathing hard. I stopped for a moment to catch my breath and to check behind me to make sure Ron hadn’t followed.

First Ava, now Ron. What the hell was happening to me? Where did that wind come from?

I felt like I had run away from the scene of a crime. In a way perhaps I had.

To my relief, the coast was clear. Ron hadn’t come after me and there were no blazing sirens either to signify he might have called the police.

Only small slivers of light crept into the darkened alleyway. The shadows seemed to move and watch me. But it had been a long time since I had been scared of the dark.

Still, I didn’t want to hang around here for long. Puddles splashed against me and I shivered against the onslaught of rain. Taking hold of my fragmented wings, I pulled them around my body tight like a protective shield.

Drops of water dripped into my eyes. I wiped some away with the back of my hand and slumped against the alley wall for a moment. God, what had I done?

Had I done that?

I covered my face with my hands, but I wouldn’t cry. Tears had never done me any good. What was I going to do now? If they suspected me of using magic I knew there would be hell to pay.

I’d never be allowed to stay with the Carters now — not that I wanted to. I only wanted to stay there until my birthday then I would be free.

Why did this have to happen now? If only I could just have held on a little longer, I would be free of foster care once and for all. Free from all of the awful things that plagued my life and I would have a chance to start a new one.

I knew that would be over now. One way or another I would have to figure out my next move.

A faint glimmer of colour came from up ahead and knew I was no longer alone.

Oh, what now? Couldn’t I catch a break at all today?

The glimmer was faint, but I knew it was someone’s aura. I’d seen enough of them over the years to recognise what it was.

My blood ran cold as a shiver of fear went down my spine. Had someone from the club followed me? Was it Ron?

Holy crackers, I didn’t want to have another stand-off with another potential attacker all in one night. I spotted a crowbar on the ground and grabbed hold of it. Then I tucked the switchblade away. A crowbar could probably do more damage. Sometimes the threat of a weapon was enough to get someone to back off. I never pulled it out unless I had to, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew the dangers of being a female in the human world and even more so because of being a faeling.

To my surprise, nothing happened. The shimmering lights stayed where it was. Maybe I was right. Maybe someone was following me around, and they had caused the gust of wind, not me.

I kept hold of the crowbar but didn’t raise my hand. I know you’re there. My voice came out stronger than I thought.

The shining light expanded to the boy I had run into earlier that day when Ava got knocked over materialised. He gave me a hard look and glared at me.

You. I gasped. What are you doing here? Are you following me? I put a hand on my hip. Did you cause that freaky wind?

I didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed it was him. Why did he keep showing up? Was he stalking me?

I had enough problems to deal with. I didn’t need a stalker to contend with as well.

I told you to be more careful, he snapped. Why do you never listen?

I glowered at him. "Listen? See here, mate, I don’t even know you. I want answers. Right. Now."

He moved closer to me; so close he almost looked like he was going to reach out and touch me. Something passed over his face but I couldn’t tell what. You need to be more careful, Silvy.

My mouth fell open. He knew my name. He must’ve been following me. What —?

He turned and disappeared before I had a chance to finish my sentence. His glimmering aura shimmered there for a moment before it vanished too.

Chapter 3

Ididn’t get a wink of sleep that night. The incident with Ron kept playing over in my mind. I knew Ron would be furious with what happened and would blame me.

I doubted he would report me. He would want to make me suffer first. Pity, I’d prefer being locked up compared to what he had in mind for me.

Along with thoughts of Ron, questions over my mysterious stalker plagued my mind too. Who the hell was he and why did he keep following me around? Did that strange magic come from him or me?

That part bothered me the most. If he was using magic to somehow defend me, why was he doing it? None of it made any sense.

I knew I had to talk to Freya. We had planned for what I would do when I turned eighteen. I couldn’t stay in this house much longer. But I knew I couldn’t tell her about my stalker either. Freya was human and probably didn’t know much about the Fae world. How would I explain any of it?

No, I couldn’t tell Freya. No one could help me get out of this but me. I’d have to stick it out until my birthday at least. I would leave the Carter’s house and hole up somewhere else then. Perhaps outside the library. There was an alleyway close to there, where I could sleep and in the mornings I could wash and get ready for school in the toilets there. Or maybe I would stay at the Carters’ a little longer.

No, that was a bad idea. This would be the first place Ron would come looking for me. I couldn’t stay, and I was done with being the Carter’s drug mule. No way would I keep putting myself in danger because of them. After what happened last night, I had decided I was done being afraid too.

This place wouldn’t be safe for me anymore. After school, I would go home, gather up my things, and leave for good. It wasn’t the first time I had slept in the streets and living in the Carter’s house wasn’t much better. I’d be safer on the streets than living with the constant threat of Nigel’s abuse and the danger from Ron hanging over me.

My morning classes passed in a blur. I didn’t even hear Ava’s usual taunts about the state of my hair and clothes. Or about being a thief and how much I deserved to be locked up.

What if Ron had died? That thought kept going through my mind the most. He was human and bad things happened to humans around me. One nasty foster father who had the same intentions towards me had been injured one night when he tried to attack me. After that, he had disappeared, and no one had been able to find him.

I only wonder if my stalker was somehow involved then. Maybe not. He looked too young to have been around back then. He would have been a kid himself too.

The police had questioned me but never worked out how he died. I’d been cowering in a cupboard at the time and hadn’t seen anything happening. I had heard the roar of the wind as it swept through the house. That was four years ago before I came to live with the Carters. Before that, I had bounced around between a few more different homes. None of them ever lasted long.

It seemed to be one bad thing after another.

Ava said she didn’t know how someone could stand to live the life of a faeling. I wouldn’t give up. My life might suck but one day it would be better. I would get to live life on my terms and not be pushed around by anyone any longer.

As soon as the lunch bell rang, I headed straight for the library and sat at one of the computers. The school library looked very different from the town’s library. It had a green threadbare carpet covering the entire area, which was etched with dark stains from all of the trampling feet.

Instead of being neat and organised, books were placed haphazardly over different shelves. I knew the librarian often spent hours putting things back in order, but she had given up after a while. With students rampaging in and out all day it was a lost cause.

The walls were the colour of milky coffee and did nothing to add to the space’s appeal.

My heart pounded in my ears as I waited for the web to load. Come on, I willed the local news site to load faster. Why did it have to take so long? I tapped my foot and glanced around to make sure no one else was there.

No sign of the librarian either which