We stepped out of the cab in front of a cute brick home in Catonsville. The neighborhood was filled with the spirit of fall, and orange and red leaves scattered across the lawns and sidewalks. Halloween decorations adorned many of the neighboring doors, with carved pumpkins and playful ghosts swaying in the cool October breeze. I couldn’t wait for Halloween, eager to show my true self and win best costume at a club. However, the smile quickly faded when I remembered I wouldn’t be able to do those things as a wife. Jinx handed the driver fifty dollars and told him to keep the change.
I stumbled towards the stairs, savoring a cheesy slice of pepperoni pizza loaded with sausage, extra anchovies, pineapples, mushrooms, and spinach.
“Drive safe, sir!” Jinx called out to the cab driver as he drove away.
The porch light flicked on, and the door swung open. Sin stepped out, his face twisted in a scowl. I nearly dropped my pizza in surprise. “Here we go,” Blair sighed. “Tell me about it,” Jinx whispered.
Lune appeared behind him, cradling her stomach. She lowered her head, looking apologetic as if she regretted me being caught. “Hey, honey. I didn’t expect to see you here,” I said with a forced smile.
“I thought we had a discussion about you coming here!” he seethed, his voice sharp with frustration.
“I told you, she was just out grabbing me some food,” Lune interjected softly.
“Know your place, Lune. I didn’t ask you anything,” Sin warned her.
Sin was my first boyfriend, but things didn’t work out. We were teenagers at the time, and we decided to remain friends, though we occasionally still hooked up. I was surprised he wanted to marry me when all we had was a relationship I had outgrown.
“Sin, this is my last night here. Can you try to be more understanding?” I pleaded, hoping to soften his stance.
His eyes softened as he descended the stairs toward me, dressed in a brown cloak and soft suede shoes. I’d be lying ifI said he wasn’t handsome. Sin was the same age as me and we shared the same complexion. He also had long locs, but his were pulled back and away from his face. His forest green eyes glowed, highlighting his sharp cheekbones. He was slender and tall, standing at least six foot two. Sin was born to a fairy mother and an elf father, inheriting the delicate grace and softness typical of fairies. In contrast, elves were known for their directness and a certain harshness, often serving in the military thanks to their strength and sorcery. I remembered a time when Sin’s touch used to give me butterflies, but things were no longer the same.
“Good luck,” Jinx said as she and Blair entered the house with Lune, leaving the door open behind them.
“I get worried about you, that’s all,” Sin said, gently cupping my chin.
“I know. You can trust me,” I reassured him.
He leaned in, capturing my lips in a tender kiss. “You know I love you if I’m kissing you while you have that greasy garbage on your lips,” he teased.
“Try a piece. It’s not that bad,” I laughed.
“I want to try a piece of you. Are you ready to go back home?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied, feeling a mix of emotions.
“Good, because I have a surprise for you,” he said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
“I love surprises,” I smirked, curious about what he had planned.
Sin was a sweetheart, but he was very clingy. His father, however, was a different story—an evil man who would punish any fairy or elf he deemed out of line. Hoax had a notorious reputation and wielded dragon fire from his staff to enforce his will. Sin was the opposite, but because of who his father was, many kept their distance from him.
Sin grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs into the house. From the outside, our home looked normal, but stepping inside felt like entering a slice of paradise. The interior resembled a treehouse, with branches decorating the ceilings and plants sprouting from the ground, as we had no flooring. At the center of our home was a small pool, where lily pads floated atop sparkling crystal blue water. Golden orbs hovered in the air, glowing like lightning bugs, and the floral scent permeating the air made me dread not spending the night in our getaway home. Around the pool were four pillows where we would sit, sipping forest rum and pouring our souls out to one another. Sin tugged at my hand.
“Are you okay, Eboenia? I feel like you were out partying,” he said.
“I’m fine, Sin,” I answered.
Lune sat down on a pillow, clutching her stomach. She was pregnant by a fairy who had been torched to death by Sin’s father, Hoax, three months ago for not defending a fellow fairy attacked by a warlock in Baltimore. Warlocks have been hunting fairies and elves for a century—they were monsters.
“We will see you tomorrow,” Jinx said, hugging me.
“Yes, we will be at the ceremony, of course,” Blair added, following suit. I hugged her tightly, frustrated that Sin was coming between me and my sisters.
“I’ll see you later,” Lune said sadly, rubbing her midsection. She was supposed to get married too. Her pretty gold ring with a blue glow in the band sparkled. Lune was a dark-skinned beauty with kinky hair cascading down her back and deep gray eyes that held a world of pain. Her wings fluttered, a deep, iridescent purple, like twilight captured in cobwebs. I wished I could take away her pain, but there was nothing we could do. Sin pulled out a crystal from his pocket and tossed it into the pool. The water rippled, and a shimmering archway formed above it, casting a kaleidoscope of colors across the room. Leaves and branches intertwined, weaving a bridge that seemed to grow from the portal itself.
“I’ll see you all tomorrow,” I told my sisters.
“You won’t be needing this,” Sin said, taking the pizza from me and handing it to Jinx. She put her middle finger up behind his head. We crossed the bridge, the leaves whispering beneath our feet as we disappeared into our world.
