i don't believe in fairies.
It was cold. Too cold. Tanya shivered and wrapped her free arm around herself, swinging a garbage bag around in her opposite hand. Something dripped from the edge of the roof above her, sending a cold shiver down her spine. Of course. She sighed to herself as she tossed the bag into the dumpster. The door behind her swung shut, and the music and laughter from the Halloween party inside the club was suddenly muffled. The drips from the gutter above her seemed to increase in frequency, the light drizzle giving way to a steady fall of rain. Of course it has to rain on our party.
The rain was beating down pretty consistently now, weighing down the wings of her somewhat revealing fairy costume. Tanya shivered again, drawing into herself as she reached for the door. Slender fingers found their way to the doorknob, twisting in vain. Damn, why can’t they ever fix the fucking lock? She swore to herself, wriggling the door back and forth, but it was futile.
“Hey!” She called out, slapping her hand against the door in frustration, “Someone let me in!” The music and chatter from the party within was too loud, though. So no one heard what came next.
No one heard the screams as a hand slipped around her throat, jerking the small blonde backwards into the alleyway. Tanya whipped around, but the guard’s arm was wrapped tightly around her neck, pulling her into a headlock. Panicking, she stamped on the man’s foot, simultaneously sinking her teeth into his arm.  He hollered and promptly let go, and Tanya crumpled to the ground, crawling away from the large man.
Before she could fully wrap her mind around what was happening, the guard had her pinned against the wall, lifting her inches off the ground with a single hand at her throat. She tried to screech for help, but the sounds refused to leave her lips as the man tightened his hold. Tanya was losing air, and fast. The guard was dragging her limp body toward a car, and who knew what would happen beyond that.
Tanya felt a tugging sensation at the back of her neck as the man snapped a chain, and a faint clatter penetrated her fading consciousness. He tucked her into the back of the car, a glimmer of gold in the street caught her eye: the pocket watch. Just before blacking out, the girl felt a warm, familiar, troubled word pass through her lips.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed: minutes? hours? days? No, all Tanya knew was that this place was even colder than it had been out in the rain. Judging by the dampness of her costume, though, it was the same night. Halloween.
Tanya shuddered, hiking her knees up to her chest. In her childhood, Halloween had been a time of laughter, when she could dress up and be whomever she wanted. She could be a pirate, or a princess, and have miraculous adventures, but at the end of the day, she could take off the costume and her life would return to normal. Now here she was in a dungeon cell, and she longed for nothing more than to be able to go home, take off the fairy wings, and have this nightmare of a day be over and done with.Â
“You,” a gruff voice called from outside of her cell, and another large guardsman swung the rusty bars aside, pulling her upwards by her short green dress. “Come with me.”
She obeyed the man, letting him pull her out of the cell. Another guard was walking alongside them, escorting yet another citizen of the town… Pete. Tanya caught his eye, gesturing around the hall with her head to ask what was happening, but for once, Peter Parsons was absolutely quiet.
The guards led them up a long staircase and through so many halls lined in tapestries that Tanya was unsure how any of the Court was able to navigate this place. Finally, they came to a halt just in front of a huge set of wooden doors: the Throne Room. The men looked at each other, and Tanya glanced at Pete one more time, wishing he could hear all the things that were racing through her head.
Thank you. Thank you for that day when you busted me out of class so we could sneak into the movies. Thank you for all the play dates when we were little, and all the drinks we shared now. Thank you for knowing me better than I know myself, and for always being there for me. Thank you for being my best friend. I love you, Pete…
All of this rushed through her head at about a million miles per second, just as the men opened the doors and shoved the two inside, following carefully behind them. The Red Queen sat draped across her throne as if it were a chaise lounge, turning to look at her new visitors.
“Well, aren’t you going to come in?” she called, and the guards gave the two of them a rough shove forward. Tanya wanted to reach out and take Pete’s hand, but she knew better than to attempt anything in front of Her Majesty.
The Queen kicked her feet up, bringing them around to the front of the chair so that she was now facing the two captives. “Let’s get right to the point, shall we?” she started in a sickeningly sweet voice. “I happen to know that one of you is part of what they call the rebellion.”
Tanya could feel the desire to glance at Pete burning a hole in her heart, but she remained staring straight ahead, fixated on a corner of a painting that hung above the throne. The Queen continued, and Tanya could feel her majesty’s eyes boring into her. “After everything that’s happened involving you two, I’m not sure which anymore. Either Peter here is too stupid, or you, Miss Bellman, are much too clever. Frankly, I don’t care.”
“So I thought I’d leave it up to you two. Whoever wants to talk, feel free to. Just know that both of your heads rest upon this moment.”
In the corner of her eye, Tanya could see Pete beginning to open his mouth. She had to find some way to help. She couldn’t let him say…
All eyes turned to her as Tanya felt the words rolling off of her tongue. The Queen smirked, looking her over. “Well, then, I suppose we won’t need Mr. Parsons any longer.” She turned to the guards, “Take him away. Drop him on the streets, for all I care. I want some time alone with Miss Bellman.”
Tanya’s eyes brimmed with tears, but she refused to let them fall. Her best friend’s eyes found hers for one last time before the men picked him up and dragged him out of the room, smirking evilly at her.
“Tea, Miss Bellman. I insist you have tea with me.”
She took the porcelain cup that the Queen was offering, giving it a nervous glance. The Queen took a sip from her own teacup, and so Tanya followed suit. Her Majesty would want to torture and interrogate her any minute now, searching for the whereabouts of the rebel headquarters, and she wasn’t going to let dehydration be the death of her.
The poison was almost instantaneous. Tanya dropped the cup, hearing the shattering as if it was coming from the end of a long tunnel. The room was spinning, and so was she. The floor rose up to greet her, and Tanya glanced up at the Queen as if through a kaleidoscope.
Images swam through her mind: Her friends dancing at the club, Mama Faye reaching out for a warm embrace, Pete taking her by the hand, and… Ryan. Every moment she had ever spent with him came rushing up to her in a fountain of happy memories. Perhaps this was what they meant when they said that your life flashes before your eyes when you… when you…
“I don’t appreciate being lied to, Miss Bellman. You may have saved your friend today, but rest assured, I will have my way.” She looked over the girl’s wet, ragged costume, smirking once more. “And frankly, my dear, I don’t believe in fairies.”
The Queen’s face faded, leaving the memories to flicker past like a silent film. Her eyes drooped shut, and suddenly a wave of regret of all he years she had wasted washed over her, fading to a tranquil calm. Her lips parted, letting her final word meet the cold night air, barely a whisper. “Ryan…”
Tanya’s head lulled to the side, her cheek meeting with the stone floors of the palace.
