The Forgotten Fairytales (5 page)

E
ntering the tearoom was like being transported into another land. For the most part, the parlor was crisp and white, and seemed to be situated on what I assumed was once a patio. There were three long, rectangular tables and a few small round ones. The main table sat twenty people.

Each place setting had a different tea cup, yet each had a Victorian essence. A dull gray lace lined the tables adorned by simple white rose centerpieces. Between each centerpiece were tiered trays awaiting plates of finger foods and cups of cream and sugar.

“Tea is casual,” Danielle said. “A time for us to mingle before dinner. Like a cocktail hour without the cocktails.”

I nodded. On one of the loveseats nearby sat a girl with a book her in lap, turning the pages, oblivious to us both. It wasn’t until Danielle stood above her and cleared her throat that the girl glanced up.

A ribbon held her dark hair back, its navy blue color matching the shade of her slim fit sweater dress. Gold bangles clicked down her arm when she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Bonjour.” Her smile was weak, with no admiration toward Danielle. A much different look than from Pearl. Her attention turned toward me and she sat up. “You must be Norah, I’m Beth.” She didn’t offer to shake my hand, thank goodness. “I heard about the lagoon this morning. Most girls here wouldn’t have risked ruining their clothes.”

My cheeks flushed. “It was nothing.”

“Saving someone’s life is always something.” Beth bookmarked the page and shut the book. “Finn was drowning and Norah dove from the top of the bridge and saved him. If it hadn’t been for her, he totally would’ve died.” Her whisky brown eyes widened. Had the story changed so much since this morning? No offense to her, but the chance I’d actually jump off a bridge to save someone, especially a stranger, was super slim.

“I heard he was so drunk he couldn’t remember a thing.” A voice rang from behind. I craned my neck back to look at the girl who stood behind me. She couldn’t be taller than four-eleven, even with heels on. Her short blonde hair twisted back until it formed a loose bun. I recognized her from one of my classes. Claire? “Looks like Finn’s jumped off the deep-end…again. He’s one drunken mistake away from being called a basket case.”

Danielle
tsked
as if she were disciplining children. “Really, girls, you shouldn’t believe everything you hear. Finn was in the library studying this morning with James.
Everyone
knows that. Look, here’s James now. He can settle this.”

Danielle waved her prince over. Dashing in a gray sports coat and slacks, James strutted over as if he owned the world. Danielle laced her arm in his and grinned. “Weren’t you and Finn studying this morning?”

His brows pinched together. “Uh...”

“Remember, dear,” Danielle’s voice was tight and hoarse. From my angle, I saw her fingernails dig into his skin. “You told me that’s why you missed breakfast?”

He cringed, sucking back the pinch. This dude had no balls. That or he was totally whipped. “Right. Forgot. It’s been a long day. Yeah. We hung out.”

Danielle’s smile widened and was replaced with a sense of pride and confidence. “See girls. Problem solved.”

Claire and Beth exchanged glances.

“Problem solved all right,” was all Claire said before she rolled her eyes and pranced off. Beth turned her attention to the old book. The pages were aged and thick, like something you’d find in the back section of the library where no one ever went, well, except to make out.

Tipping my head back, my attention lingered on the door. Pearl and Finn entered the parlor hand-in-hand. A dark blue sweater clung to his lean, taut muscles in all the right places. Pearl’s petite, manicured fingers grazed his bicep. Her sea foam green eyes twinkling as she laughed at whatever he said.
It probably wasn’t even that funny.
My cheeks blushed red as I gripped the chair beside me, wondering why the sight of them twisted my insides. So what, he was attractive. I’d been around attractive guys before. Hell, I dated them, kissed them. Finn was no different. Except, Finn was her prince.

Damnit, Norah, you are not going to fall for their craziness.

Trying to focus on something else, I decided to place what story people were from when they entered. Some were easier than others. Obviously the girl with hair so long you could toss it out of a window and climb down was Rapunzel.

“Hello, again.” Goosebumps spread over my skin at the sound of his thick, rich voice. Words betrayed me the second I turned around and met his fierce jade eyes. I was so engrossed with people watching I hadn’t noticed him come up behind me. “I don’t think we were properly introduced. I’m Finn.”

“Norah.”

His smooth hand grazed mine and for the first time, I didn’t mind shaking hands with someone. His eyes trailed over my body, examining me as if we were old friends reconnecting after years apart.

“Alright everyone, please find your seat!” Danielle said, though Finn’s eyes never left mine. In fact, my hand still sat in his, unable to pull away like some freak show girl who was incapable of moving or breathing. “Over here, Norah.”

Danielle sat on my left, Beth to my right and Finn and Pearl sat across from me. I refused to pair people up anymore, or to make assumptions on who-was-who because it wasn’t real.
None of this is real.

My life had to be a prank. Any second Ashton Kutcher would waltz out all sexy with his lazy, mischievous grin and tell me Dad paid him to Punk. Which wouldn’t be too bad. Ashton was super hot. Except when he had a beard—that was
so
not a good look for him. Not that he even did Punk’d anymore, but a girl could dream, right?

I counted the minutes till it ended, especially since Finn stared at me most of the evening. Not an obvious, freaky, stalker-like stare, but the kind only I noticed. The kind where he didn’t have to look directly at me to be staring. The kind that made me hyper aware of every move I made. A headache formed behind my eyes. This had to be the worst first day of school ever. I’d gladly trade places with a fly right now.

No one mentioned what happened at the lagoon. After Danielle discounted the story, everyone silenced the quiet banter that had echoed through the halls all day. She announced changes in tea, orchestrated the conversations, arranged the seating, and whenever someone attempted to ask me about where I came from, she interrupted, turning the conversation to herself.

Now the table clamored about some “ball,” which was ironic considering their nature.

“The ball committee formed over the summer, but we’d love for you to be a part of it,” Danielle said, as if she was doing me a big honor by letting me in her club. A club I had no interest in. Balls—dances—weren’t my thing. Not that I had a thing, but balls weren’t it. I tried not to feel like a hypocrite, especially after telling April to join clubs, but I didn’t have issues socializing.

Beth wrinkled her button nose and broke the end of an orange scone off.
Oh, orange scones.
I reached forward and snatched one from the top of the tiered tray, picking off the part glazed in sticky orange goop.

“I probably wouldn’t be much help. I only went to a dance once.” I was sixteen and it had been homecoming. I tripped going down the stairs in heels and twisted my ankle. After that, I swore off dances all together.

“How unfortunate.” Danielle’s frown was forced and fake. “Lucky for you, we are notorious for our balls. They’re the best out of all the schools.” Danielle squared her shoulders and sipped the tea while a few guys snickered.

“We do have nice balls,” one guy near the end of the table said.

“To our balls. May they always be filled with pleasure!” One guy raised his glass. I held in a small laugh, as did most of the guys, while the girls seemed oblivious that they were toasting to balls, not
balls
. Finn winked at me, which only stirred my already twisting stomach.

“Every year we plan a trip for the spring. With your vast travel experience you’d be a good fit to help plan,” Danielle said.

Doubtful.

“I vote for Fiji,” one guy said, winking at the girl beside him. His eyes screamed sex on the beach. Really, who wanted sand in areas where it shouldn’t be, scratching, leaving burns and sore skin. It would take days to recover and hours of scrubbing. Not that I knew, but I heard all about it from a friend in Florida.

I wouldn’t be here in the spring. Hell, I wouldn’t be here for the lame ball. Once I called Dad, I’d convinced him this place was full of freaks and April wasn’t adjusting and he’d swoop in like superman and take us away. Problem solved.

Tea ended, but not without a loud applause for Danielle. Afterward, everyone exited for dinner, which I skipped after spilling some lie about an upset stomach and wanting to unpack.

Instead, I gathered my bag of toiletries and took a shower, trying to wash the day off me. Then I changed into a tank top and some pajama shorts with mint polka dots and nestled in my bed with my iPod, the only electronic device they hadn’t confiscated. The songs shuffled as I flipped through the magazine I’d started reading earlier. Not that I cared about celebrity gossip, but it put me back home. Well, the last home I had before here.

We’d attended a small prep school in West Palm, two hundred students total. Right away I befriended Becca, a wannabe actress who—according to her—was the next Selena Gomez. During the summer play, she came over and we read lines together and painted our nails. Becca didn’t trust manicurists. She said they were out to destroy her cuticles.

Mine were still charcoal gray from our manicures before I left. She’d gotten the part of Ado Annie in Oklahoma! even though she swore up and down she was made to play Laurey. Day after day I helped her learn her lines and practice the songs. But we left right before opening night. Before I could see all her hard work pay off. Before I could say goodbye, because I was gone. In the blink of an eye.

An ear bud fell out as I bent over and sifted through my bag to find nail polish remover. Crap, I’d left it in my bag in the bathroom. I hopped out of bed and headed to the bathroom. The bedroom door opened and Danielle’s firm, hushed voice penetrated the air. Someone was with her. I ducked back. Danielle tossed her purse on the bed and glanced around, making sure they were alone.

“What the hell was that at dinner?” she snapped, pushing in on his arm. “You’re supposed to side with me. That’s what
couples
do.”

There was a long silence and the nosey part of me took over. I peeked through the crack between the door and the frame. James’s face was empty and emotionless, as if he wasn’t present at all.

“Whatever you say.” He shrugged, looking bored. There was something off about James. Like he was here but not really here at all. His soft eyes were blank, like a shell of a person who’d had something stolen from him. “Are we done here?”

Anger flamed her cheeks red. A muscle in her cheek jumped when she swallowed. With her fists clenched by her side, she looked as if wanted to scream at him. Instead she bit back whatever words danced on her lips. “We are never done.”

Without saying anything else, she headed toward the bathroom. Towards me. Shit! I ducked back, hiding behind the door as it opened. I prayed she wouldn’t see me. How freaking embarrassing. Luckily she didn’t shut the door.

She opened the medicine cabinet and retrieved a round, powder blue pill bottle from behind the ibuprofen and toothpaste. Taking one pill out, she cracked the pill open with easy and dumped the contents into the glass beside the sink. Filling it with water, the dust dissolved. She brought the water to James and let out an easy smile.

“Thirsty?” He nodded and downed the contents without questioning. My heart raced like a flipping greyhound about to take off. Had she slipped something to him? Yes, yes she had. Holy shit. My throat dried as she grabbed a sweater from the closet, changed shoes and placed her hand in James’s. “I love you.”

She pushed up on the balls on her feet and placed a soft kiss on his lips. With her eyes shut, she didn’t see the pained expression take over his face. Her eyebrows tugged inward and his body tensed. Like a flash light glowed from his skin. GLOWED. What the hell! He was glowing. Danielle smiled in approval, but he didn’t seem to notice.