Of Fairies and Noontime

Flight Patterns

Hadley was excited, but she also wasn't sure about all this. She didn't want to go back home — well, she knew that she had to eventually, of course — but at the same time, a little voice inside her was telling her that she was homesick. She was still trying to process the fact that she was now a pebble-sized twelve year old girl surrounded by fairies. It was kind of scary.

"I'm ready," she replied, trying to find confidence in her voice.

"Oh! I just thought of something," Ellabelle added, clasping her hands together. "After we do some training with those wings, do you wanna go to our library and see what you can find?"

"Of course!" Hadley replied. Even if today didn't go as planned, at least she had something to look forward to.

"There are also a ton of great places to eat and sightsee around here. I wanna show you all of it." Ellabelle said as she grabbed the wings from the corner of the room and helped Hadley get strapped in. She secured her from all angles, tightening loose strings and tying together leather straps. Eventually, the wings were sitting right behind Hadley's back, secured safely to her body.

"It isn't too tight, right?" Ellabelle asked, flitting around Hadley to do a final check up. Hadley shook her head. "You look amazing. If I didn't know your true identity, I'd think you were an actual fairy."

Hadley smiled, hoping that comment meant something good.

Ellabelle grabbed a bag from her closet, shoving a few things inside and letting it settle on her back.

"Let's head outside. We're going to some of my absolute favorite spots." Ellabelle said. She opened the door, letting the fresh outside smells enter the room, and they began on their journey to teach a human how to fly.

As they walked towards their trajectory, Hadley noticed something that caught her eye in the distance of the village.

"Ellabelle, what's that tree over there, next to that little cluster of houses?" Hadley asked.

Ellabelle tilted her head at the twisty tree as they walked through the busy pathways. She knew exactly what that place was, and what secrets were being held inside it, but she never had the confidence to walk inside its walls.

"Erm... it's... well... ok. It's called the Tree of Ancestors. It's where all the records of every fairy, alive or dead, are kept and stored. They have everyone's family tree as far back as it can go. I have no idea how they keep track of it all." Ellabelle said, not even noticing her increased flying speed and scratching behind her neck.

"So, that's where people go to find out more about their families?" Hadley inquired. This was her first time experiencing the town at full capacity, and she was curious about anything and everything.

"I guess you could say that." Ellabelle practically whispered. She really didn't want to talk about that place; even though no one was forcing her to go inside, she felt a strange shame for not doing so anyway. It was a stomach ache that she couldn't get rid of, no matter how hard she tried. She just couldn't face the truth.

"We can talk more about it later." Ellabelle quickly added before Hadley could ask anything more. "Come on, keep up."

Hadley wanted to know more, but she followed close behind Ellabelle, keeping her questions inside her.

Ellabelle led Hadley to a more secluded area outside of the village. The amount of fairies trickled down into none by the time they made it to the shallow waters of the brook.

"Alright," Ellabelle scratched her head, setting her bag on the ground and opening it, revealing a book that was quite large. On the front, in shiny gold letters, it read "Flying 101."

"So, you're using a cheat sheet?" Hadley said jokingly. She was still trying to get used to the feel of wings on her back.

Ellabelle smiled nervously. "I've never done this before. I need a reference." She shrugged, opening the book and flipping through its thick pages.

"If you've never done this before, why did you have a Flying 101 book just lying in your closet?" Hadley asked, watching the water flow through the land.

Ellabelle felt a pit in her stomach. For being a twelve year old, Hadley asked a lot of good questions; ones that Ellabelle didn't want to answer. "You ask some good questions, kid. I'll explain everything later." She promised. Ellabelle didn't even know how she'd explain everything; there was so much to explain. But she knew she couldn't keep all the secrets of the past within her. She had to let them out eventually.

"Alright, let's begin with... well, getting you off the ground." Ellabelle said, stepping over to Hadley. "Are you ready?"

Hadley just nodded. "I suppose."

Ellabelle turned the cork, and the mechanism started up. Hadley began hovering, her legs hanging awkwardly beneath her.

"Alright, let's try some... hovering maneuvers. Try leaning your body forward a bit and pointing the tips of your feet."

Hadley obeyed, leaning forward slightly and pointing her toes. Suddenly, she was propelled forward. She screeched.

"It's ok, it's ok! Try turning around," Ellabelle called out, trying to keep her calm. Hadley looked back at her, biting her lip.

"Like this-?" She asked, but it was too late. Her body slammed into a large rock, and she fell to the ground. Her wings were still flapping away. She held tightly onto the grass below as the rest of her body became elevated. Ellabelle fled to the scene. Hadley looked up at her with an unsure look.

"I'm not sure if I want to do this anymore," Hadley said. She felt a lump in her throat, as if she was about to cry.

Ellabelle held out her hand, and Hadley reluctantly took it. Ellabelle began hovering along next to Hadley, holding her hand tight as if she was a mother helping her child cross the street.

"Alright, let's do this together. Slower, this time." She cooed, smiling. Hadley nodded, feeling her hope being restored.

The two girls — or, fairies, if you will — were in flight. Ellabelle tried teaching Hadley everything she knew; how to make sharp turns, flying backwards, zig-zagging through obstacles, floating just above the water.

"When you want to turn, just slightly arch your back and move your body in that direction... To move yourself higher, extend your arms out and place them at your sides again while looking up. This will give you enough force to extend you into the air... Make sure you're completely aware of your surroundings at all times... Remember, real fairies can't go underwater, or their wings will be out of commission..."

Hours upon hours of training and practicing and evaluating later, Hadley felt like she finally belonged somewhere; even if the reality was exactly the opposite.

The two girls landed safely on the ground. Hadley turned the cork to turn off her wings and smiled.

"I... I did it." She breathed. She twirled around. "I did it! Ellabelle, I can fly!"

"Woah, slow down, Had! As much as I'd like to say you've improved, which you have, we still have a lot of things to go over before anyone actually believes your performance." Ellabelle said, combing her fingers through her hair. 

"What's the big deal with this place and humans? I mean, is all this really necessary?" Hadley asked, gesturing to the yellow wings clung to her back.

"Again with the questions," Ellabelle laughed. "Come on, I told you I'd explain everything later. Let's take a break and relax for a while, we've had a long day."

"Ok..." Hadley was becoming more and more curious. What all was being hidden in this place? She had so many questions, but she didn't want to overstep her bounds.

"Let's head back into town. I have a promise to deliver."

The girls headed back into the village, tired from their first training session.

Little did they know, Lord Brilland had been working around the clock to conduct his plan to spy on them, and he was ready to strike at any moment.