I was cursed, but to some people that meant I was special. Nobody knew why I was not affected by the pull of the wicked folk. However, just because I had this power, did not make me any less of a prey. Annoyingly, it made them even more fascinated, and it genuinely enticed them to control me or kill me. It was like I had a giant sign on my forehead saying, "Look, good quality."
That was if being scrawny and looking like a zombie made you good quality. Okay, not really a zombie, close to one. I haven't slept in three days. Why, you might ask? Because of the hunt, the bloody time of the month when fairies would try to kill me, enslave me, or both. Don't ask.
Normal girls went through a different time of the month but because of being malnourished, I could forget about that aspect of being normal.
It's hard to find a job and stick to one when magical beings attack the place that just happened to be your only source of income.
Usually, if they did not try to murder me I would ignore them or roll my eyes at the disaster. But, I guess I was partially at fault last time. I snapped. Have you ever seen a crazy cat lady maneuver a broom like a samurai and hit the neighborhood children? That was the closest I could compare. I didn't even do anything wrong, I just killed their hairstyle although I might have hit some royalty.
The only good thing about dishonoring fae royalty was that, although they were crafty, malicious things, they had enemies that crawled around every corner with grudges that spanned eons. If he tried to murder me, making the neverending chase start again, I could try to find someone to ally with.
I especially needed one now. After I had not so accidentally hit his hairstyle, the fae prince turned a lovely shade of burgundy, and said, "You, lowly mortal, daughter of clay, dare lay a finger on me? Whatever makes you think, sweet, that you shall stop us like that?"
"Female intuition," I told him and prepared to hit him again. When in doubt, hit things. It worked with spiders, worms, and cockroaches. I was about to find out if it was a good fae prince repeller.
Unfortunately, my answer made him smile. It was a sweet yet grotesque sight. "You are quite lovely, Marlene Croft. So lovely and so powerful that you had managed to gain the attention of Prince Salix Viridis, your truly."
Who the hell talked about themselves in third person?
"Lucky me," I deadpanned.
"Truly, with such beautiful auburn locks and emerald eyes, you would be a sight near me, mortal."
I fumed and looked at him. Yes, he was handsome, with locks as dark as midnight, a slim built, and onyx eyes like arrows ready to penetrate your very soul. But he was also a jerk, my jerk radar told me, and it has never been wrong.
"Okay, first of all, I don't know what ancient guide to females you follow, but us, modern gals don't appreciate compliments when the guy in question tried to use enchantments to control us before the sweet talk. We also don't appreciate spoiled princes wrecking our only source of income. So thanks but no thanks."
"Why Miss Croft, whoever told you it was a choice?" he asked with a stupid smirk on his face. At that moment, his fae friends, who were busy trying to escape my broom attacks a few seconds ago, started to shield him. They were all around him, chanting some foreign song that... no, it must have been a spell. It was sweet yet macabre at the same time. I had no idea what it was about but the general tone gave it away.
As soon as it started, a soft, cooing voice like melted butter rang in my mind, "Come join me, sweet mortal, in the land of the folk. On goblin fruit, we shall dine on, and kiss until our breaths will revolt. You belong to me, you belong to me..."
Their beauty intensified, like a rose in full bloom, like dew in the morning on pretty leaves, or perhaps like security, like safety. They seemed so enticing.
I trembled and my knees buckled. I was usually so unaffected by their charm. They must have united their powers. Yet it mattered not, I stood my ground, and began shouting aloud, "Is that the best you can do?"
All the fae gaped at me as if I had insulted their mother. Sometimes, I enjoyed this cursed power, just for the look of helplessness that crossed these bloodthirsty creatures' faces.
Truthfully, after humiliating them with my resistance, I had expected whining or tantrums with collateral damage. Salix Viridis schooled his offended expression as he began to grin so widely, so openly.
"You are special, Marlene Croft. That pleases me."
I was gritting my teeth, and my blood boiled inside my veins. They gazed at me with foxy eyes while they basked in their supposed superiority before they left.
After that, I looked at the mess of broken ancient vases that cost more than my entire house and at the paintings that had suddenly sprouted horns and were singing way off-tune to surrender.
Another day, another place I was going to get fired from.
With that lovely thought in mind, I punched the painting because hey, I was going to get fired anyway. I stewed a little, hoping against hope that my boss will somehow understand, and thought of how to tell her about what happened.
At that precise moment, old Madame Bellenuit had suddenly appeared, and boy, was she irked.
"It's the third time in a row, dolly," she said with her arms crossed, and squinted, blue eyes staring right at my soul.
"I know, Madame, I am so sorry," I said, looking at my feet.
It was going to happen again. I was going to get fired. Regardless, I was thankful. She had kept me for three months, longer than anyone else would even though I brought nothing but trouble.
"Well, I can't keep you anymore, girly," she said and sighed.
"I understand," I said and was about to get out when she took hold of my blouse and said, "But my sister has been looking for new employees. She lives near your home. Her shop is called Silk Dreams. She has a kinder heart than most, you might have some luck."
I smiled and without even thinking twice I hugged her. She patted my back.
After the emotional firing process, I went to my shabby home which I shared with my mother and older sister, Madeline. Maddie was twenty years old, and four years my senior. Because our mother was old and ill, and Mads could actually hold a job, she found work somewhere she hated. Each day, she reviled her fate and cursed her job. But, at least she had one for more than three months. She was competent and I was useless.
Almost all of our money was used to procure our mother's extremely rare and expensive treatment, a fact that did not bother me. My sister and I would jump through fire for her, and be proud of it. However, it left as malnourished.
Maddie had been an excellent student and so was I, only our interests differed. While she had studied to be a fae-hunter, one of our only support against the dark creatures that tried to murder/eat/enslave us, I had studied poisons and their effect on the body and mind. Annoyingly, I could only take on part-time careers because I was still in school...
My sister had taught me everything she knew about how to combat the fae. Mostly, the ones that wanted to kill me. She was in awe at my ability to withstand their attempts of obedience without enchanted runes. I was only in awe at the vendor outside our house who sometimes gave us free sandwiches. Such kindness was rare.
I wasn't in awe at my job-destroying curse. Usually.
"Here she comes, Marly, the job holder. I am so proud of you," Maddie said, after seeing that I was a bit melancholic. She was trying to make me feel better and hopeful. No such luck.
"I was fired again," I said and sighed.
"You know what, who needs a stupid job, anyway?" she changed her tune, "If you asked me, careers are from the pit of hell, especially mine."
She took me into her arms. I felt secure like a baby chicken protected and hidden by the wings of a great hawk.
She worked in a stuffy, old bureau. Instead of letting her out in the field, she had to work as a paper pusher. It wasn't that they didn't trust her expertise, it was her temper that got in the way. And horrible job it might be, but the salary was good enough to help mom, and the closest to being in action against the fae, was to help write laws against them. Or so Maddie believed.
It was a strange mixture of love and hate. She abhorred her job but was so adamant about the results of it, the benefits, that she tolerated it with the minimum amount of sarcasm and loathing. For her.