Granting a Thief's Wishes

"Nick, can't you live through a day without getting into some sort of a trouble—"

"Oh my god!" Kylie shrieked giddily, her fingers touching her trembling lips as her eyes widened in shock. I could see why. On top of Nick's broken arm sat a beautiful, glittery gold sprite with a pair of dark blue eyes, staring up at us.

I didn't know where to start.

"A lucky charm!"

"As in the cereal?" Megan said, turning around as if a box of Lucky Charms just magically appeared in the room. I shot Kylie a glare. "Megan, can you give us a few minutes?"

When the door closed behind us, I noticed Kylie was practically in a trance. Her eyes were so fixated on the golden sprite. It was a minute later when she finally snapped to and realized what was awfully wrong here. "Can you…?"

"Of course I can. I'm not blind."

There was a slight tremble in Nick's voice and I couldn't help but add, "oh wow, are you freaked out by a cute little sprite?"

"No."

Kylie and I exchanged glances. "I think we need to call mom," I said thoughtfully.

"Mom? Do you think she has any single idea about this? Let's call Laila."

"She'd kill us altogether. She already has a reason to kill me."

"So your baby sister is out there trying to strangle you?" Nick said sarcastically.

"Shut up, Nick."

"Let's calm down, aite?" Kylie said.

"Because that's working out really well for all of you. Calming down."

"AH!" Kylie and I shrieked in unison.

Calm down, Suzie. It wasn't really a normal sprite so obviously it could speak. I stared at it incredulously. Amazing how a few months ago my life was like any ordinary person. And then Nicholas stole my bracelet, I met Ryan and found out that I was gonna die if I didn't know how to control whatever it was that I got, then I got my bracelet stolen. Again. Now there was a talking sprite in front of me.

Too much fairy drama.

"Okay, shut up. Everyone just…shut up. I can't hear myself think," I said, rubbing my forehead. "Let's start slowly. Why…god, why do you end up with a broken arm? And a…a busted lip. And that thing on your nose…and…"

Come to think of it, he looked pretty awful.

"What happened to your bracelet?"

"Why don't you ask your housemate?"

He sighed heavily. "Damn, I knew this would happen from the moment Rafe practically dragged me out of the hospital. He's Ryan's friend in Mythology."

Oh how perfect.

"And then he got beat up to a pulp when he tried to stop this Rafe boy. Horrible man," the sprite said, giving a little shudder. Kylie looked as if she wanted to faint from the cuteness overload. She always wanted a sprite. Those things were hard to find these days. Let alone a luck sprite.

"Next thing I know this thing was following me."

"I'm not a thing, young man. I have a name."

"Splendid," Nick muttered. I ignored his sarcasm.

"Neridae."

"Fine. Then why are you here?" I said. "My friend here, he's freaked out by these things—"

"For the love of—I'm not!"

"Indeed," Neridae said, staring at Nick.

Kylie snorted. "Neridae is the kind of sprite who can take one look at you and knows everything about you in a split second. You can't lie to a special sprite, Nicholas."

"Or what? My nose will grow an inch long every time I lie?"

"He's in denial," I whispered to Neridae. "Very much in denial."

"Am I seriously getting bullied by fairies here?"

"People can't see any kind of sprites," I muttered to Nick, sipping my cappuccino. We were in a small, local coffee shop. I needed something with caffeine to cool me down anyway. Kylie was sitting at the table behind me, playing with Neridae discreetly. Fairies and sprites get along really well.

"Why can I see it?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out right now."

"Sprites like her can make herself visible to humans," Kylie said, loud enough for us to hear but not for everyone around us to think that we were lunatics. Neridae floated to us, resting on my wrist, but she wasn't looking at me.

"Nicholas," she said, her voice melodious and sweet. "You've known Susannah Bell for quite a while, am I correct?"

Without waiting for an answer, she continued on. Nick looked as if he was transfixed by Neridae too. The sprite was holding his gaze. "You won't be in a friendship with her in the first place. But you are. And I'm sure you know why."

My eyebrows furrowed. This was too much information for me to digest. I thought we were going here to have a little talk about Ryan…since that bastard won't even answer Nicholas' calls and Megan – who had went straight to home, complaining of sore feet – told us that Ryan wasn't home either.

"You wanted to use her. For a wish."

A wave of panic appeared in Nicholas' eyes.

"So, Ryan. What do you think he's up to, exactly?" He said, clearing his throat when none of us spoke. "I mean, is it possible that another fairy can use that bracelet and…you know…"

"Nick, is this true? We wouldn't even be…friends if I wasn't some kind of a weird, wish-granting fairy?"