If her friend was shocked she didn’t let it show. Maja’s features softened as her chocolate brown eyes sought out Lora’s lighter ones. “I’m so sorry. I really am. I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re feeling right now. But I know your mum wouldn’t want you to throw your life away.”
Lora turned her face to the side. They were sitting at their usual spot, next to the window overlooking the beautifully disturbing scenery the border at the beach provided. Next to the forgotten Ferris wheel by the pier, the portal glowed brightly, like a beacon of hope. A deadly one. Her friend wasn’t wrong, yet she lacked some crucial details.
Maja continued her argument as she tried to catch Lora’s gaze, “You’re brilliant. You’re the smartest cookie I know. Which is why I know that you know how absolutely, incredibly dumb this plan is.”
Lora avoided Maja’s gaze as she reached for her pendant, the familiarity of the sensation cooling her anguish.
“Unless there’s something I don’t know,” Maja said as she read Lora’s stoic face. She’d always been able to see through Lora’s façade. “Spill it.”
Could she tell her the secret she had kept her whole life? It wasn’t that she had never wanted to share it with her best friend, but it was not only a risk, it would also open the floodgates to a million questions she’d not even let herself think about. But she did trust Maja and she needed her on her side.
“I know I can cross the border because there’s a loophole. If you’re half-human and half-fae, the border spell won’t affect you.” Lora took a deep breath as she gathered her words. She noted the expectant and baffled look in Maja’s eyes encouraging her to continue. “I’m…I’m half-fae.”
“What?” Maja’s eyes widened in surprise. Her glasses slid down her nose as she leaned forward, closer to Lora. She quickly pushed them back. “How?”
“My mother met my biological father when she worked catering at the treaty meeting 25 years ago,” she said it as if it wasn’t a big deal, trying to downplay the significance of her reveal.
Every quarter century, the fae and human leaders met in a sort of void, a place that neither belonged to Earth nor to Liraen, to renew the border treaty. Usually nothing came of it. The humans didn’t want anything from the fae except to be left alone. Everyone knew the meeting was mostly for show. To maintain the peace and keep an eye on the fae. Her mother had only been there once for work, but it had been an honour for her. An exciting adventure. Up until the moment she got her heart broken.
Lora didn’t want to go into more painful details so she simply added, “I think the rest is self-explanatory.”
Maja’s expression turned from confusion to pure excitement. “That’s amazing!”
“Is it?”
“Yes. Totally. Half-fae—that’s, like, unheard of. Maybe you’re literally one of a kind.” During the time of human slavery, pregnancies did happen, but none were viable. No matter if the mother was fae or human, half-fae had never been born. In most cases, history books stated that if the mothers didn’t immediately miscarry, they would die before even reaching their second trimester. Of course, now Lora was hoping her mother wasn’t the only one who had brought a half-fae into the world. If she was the only one, that meant her biological fae father had been wrongly informed about a half-fae crossing.
“Do you have any powers?” Maja asked.
Lora wanted nothing more than to fast-forward past these questions. “No, I don’t. Look, I know you must have a thousand questions and I’m sorry to put it off, but I need to cross as soon as possible. As in, right this minute would be best.”
Lora watched her friend’s excited mood drop to cold worry. Maja seemed to consider how to respond and settled on, “You’re sure you’ll be absolutely fine crossing?”
“Yes, promise.” At this point she was throwing out empty promises left and right. How much damage could one more do? She forced her practiced smile and added, “It’ll be an adventure. You’re always telling me to try more things. Get out of my comfort zone.”
“As in go out, meet new people. If you want to be really wild, have a one-night stand. Not go on a heroic mission to save the world.”
“Oh, please don’t put the whole world on me. Saving my family is already enough pressure,” Lora half-joked.
Maja searched Lora’s gaze, seeming to sense the heaviness that threatened to pull Lora under. “You’ll save them. With your determination, you can do anything you set your mind to.”
Lora’s aquamarine eyes brightened. She’d craved a little encouragement. “Thanks. Do you think your dad will agree to help me?”
“I’ll convince him. He’s so obsessed with the market anyway. Anything that might improve business is like music to his ears.”
Lora didn’t fail to notice the sarcastic undertone in Maja’s words. “You can’t tell him I’m half-fae,” Lora said.
“I won’t mention it. All you need to do is promise him a sample of the cure. He’ll jump at the opportunity.”
Lora nodded, feeling dazed at the possibility of being able to actually get her hands on a cure and the impact her mission could have on the world. It hadn’t crossed her mind really until Maja had brought it up. She couldn’t let her mind wander there. She couldn’t let her focus shift one bit. Her family was her priority.
“I can call him now and see if he can meet us here,” Maja said as she unlocked her phone, “but are you sure you want to leave today? Don’t you want some time to prepare?”
“I have a bag in my car—some essentials. I shouldn’t be gone long. I hope.” She had grabbed some things before leaving the house. A change of clothes, a bottle of water, some food. Then she had contemplated what she could trade. The currency in Liraen was different. So she’d done the only plausible thing and snuck into her parent’s bedroom to take any jewellery she could find after packing the few pieces she owned herself.
The hectic morning flashed before Lora’s eyes, reminding her that she wasn’t going back home. Not until she got her hands on their remedy. “I do have another favour to ask you,” Lora said.
“Sure. Shoot.”
