Fairy Tail - Part 1

Nikita finished the last of her tea, using the rest of the kettle water to clean out the mug she used every morning. The handle was chipped, but the exposed ceramic beneath the glaze made a comfortable rest for the nearest finger. It still had plenty of life left in it. She folded the camp chair she’d set out and placed it in the back of the van underneath the platform double bed. Like the mug, she took a bit of pride in the van, having converted it herself. It was purchased at a police auction for a song, and she’d spent the better part of two years building and making sure it was road ready. Her studio apartment might have had more space, but she loved van life, and couldn’t imagine going back to brick walls anytime in the near future.

“Time to pay the bills,” she said, fluffing out her hair and applying another coat of lipstick. Confident everything was in place, she picked up the selfie stick and started recording. “Hey Chill-Seekers,” she said brightly while part of her soul withered. “And welcome back to Beyond the Shadows. I’m here in Stull Kansas, just outside the cemetery by the same name, and I’ll be here all night, all week if need be, and just to clarify, I do have special permission to be here. Stull cemetery is not open to the public, but thanks to the incredible staff at Legends and Lore, I have a permit to be on the grounds tonight, and then report back to you with anything I hear or see, including as you can see,” she spun the camera around, “the witching tree where we’ve been told is a hotbed for supernatural activity, so make sure you check back tomorrow, and leave any comments below, I just ask that you keep in mind this is a place of final rest, so I won’t be doing anything disrespectful. Witching you well!” she finished with her now known tag line. "And uploding," she added, publishing the video.

“I am so sorry,” she said to no one in particular, directing the comment towards the cemetery in general. For the most part, Legend and Lore let her choose her own locations and assignments, but once in a while, they flexed their muscles and insisted, like Stull cemetery.

She traded her cell phone for her SLR camera, and took a few dozen day shots from outside the cemetery, not out of fear, but out of respect. She had a sensitivity towards the supernatural, while instincts should predicate running the opposite direction of things that went bump in the night, Nikita found herself drawn to them. And while she’d much rather be her own boss, the gig with Legend provided a layer of security. They paid well enough for gas, insurance and incidentals, and having a steady income was a relief. They’d taken her little site, Beyond the Shadows and marketed it under their brand, complete with podcast and TikTok videos. If nothing else, it fit her lifestyle - travel, seek out unexplained things, meet people, move on. She felt like an unexplained thing most of the time herself. Neither parent was in the picture, and even though she was adopted as an infant to a family she couldn’t remember, lived with an aunt she vaguely remembered, then foster family after foster family. None were all that bad, but for one reason or another, it never seemed to work out. At sixteen she became emancipated, worked odd jobs, and three years later - the van was the most at home she felt. The unexplained? That was something familiar too.

As expected, the cemetery was eerily silent except for the rustling of dry leaves which struck Nikita as odd, seeing as there was no breeze. Something flashed across the lens, an almost blinding white light that lasted for a split second, almost as if the sun reflected off a shiny surface, causing Nikita to lower the camera. There was something flickering, and not just sending out little pulses of light, it was moving amongst the headstones. Anytime she zoomed in, it flared the lens, causing spots in front of her eyes that took seconds to clear.

Nikita had learned to be cautious over the past three years, but curiosity trumped cautiousness each and every time.

“Hello?” she called out, her voice steady as the cemetery gate creaked open wide enough for her to slip through. The glow twitched, then zipped deeper into the graveyard.

Nikita followed, careful but determined, weaving between the gravestones as the light led her further, just out of reach. She immediately thought it was leading her somewhere, maybe someone, something needed help.

“What’s wrong Lassie? Is Timmy stuck in the well again?” She asked under her breath, as heartbeat quickened with anticipation.

Then, abruptly, the light stopped. It hovered near a crumbling headstone, shimmering with an almost mischievous energy. As Nikita stepped closer, the glow began to shift, stretching and shaping itself into something more.
A girl? Someone her own age, an apparition?

“Hello?” Nikita repeated.

The girl’s hair was wild and tangled with ivy, but her skin glittered as if lightly dusted with gold, and she wore a shimmery green dress. Definitely not an apparition.

“Are you afraid?” The girl asked, turning her head, curls spilling over her shoulder. Her voice was like the rustling of leaves she’d heard earlier.

“Not really. Should I be?” Nikita countered, adjusting her grip on the camera.

The girl smiled. “Only if you value your way back.”

Nikita frowned. She turned slightly, glancing back the way she came.

There was no path.

The graves had shifted, closed in around her like the cemetery itself had decided to trap her. The van, the road—it was all gone.

“Shit,” Nikita swore under her breath, trying to look unfazed as her stomach twisted in knots.

“I could show you things,” the girl whispered, her voice nowhere and everywhere all at once. “Things beyond your wildest dreams. Secrets hidden in the dark corners of the world. Magic.”

Nikita inhaled slowly. She had spent her life chasing mysteries, but she knew a trap when she heard one. “I'm good," she answered, not choosing to be murdered, not today.

The girl pouted. "Not even a little curious?"

Nikita hedged. She [i]was curious, but again, wouldn't willingly choose murder, or losing her soul or anything. "What's it going to cost me?"

The girl’s grin widened. “Oh, nothing much. Just a little thing, like… your name.”

Nikita let out a breath, giving a level look to the girl. “No,” she said firmly, recognition on her face, “You’re a fairy.”

The fairy blinked, surprised. “You won’t give it?”

“I’m not stupid.” Nikita pulled a small pouch from her pocket and tossed a pinch of salt into the air between them, wishing she’d brought something iron, wishing her voice didn’t crack with fear.

The fairy hissed, drawing back before another sweet smile crossed her face.

“Aren’t you though?” The fairy asked. “You did follow me. And here you’ll stay until I decide otherwise.”

A snarl ripped through the air as a blur of white wove through the headstones.

“You!” The fairy snapped, leaping to her feet. “Not this time, mangy cur!”

The dog was having none of it, practically frothing at the mouth and he kicked dirt behind him, lunging at the offending fairy.