The Fairy Queen

Chapter 4

July 16th, 11:02 PM.

Meryl took a deep breath and exhaled. She looked around her room and sighed contentedly. She took her time to arrange it once she got back from school. Even after she got sidetracked after dinner, she still managed to get it finished before it was midnight.

The wallpaper she put up on her wall had doodles of fairies swarming around a huge tree. There was just something that resonated with her when she saw it. She finished it up with glitter, enough to make it attractive and not overly sparkling. She would hate the reflection of it in the morning.

She was too excited to continue with her dream journal. She primed and arranged things for the sake of calming her mind and picked her phone to text Coraline and Gus.

11:50 PM

Her hand was trembling too much and her phone almost fell. She locked it and placed it on her desk, picking the scented candles up instead. She smelt the first one, feeling a pleasant smell rush up her nose. It was the calming scent of gardenia, a naturally waxy smelling yet refreshing flower.

12:00 AM

It was a full moon. It seemed like the sky was devoid of clouds, which made the moon seem bigger and brighter. She put the light off and opened her windows. The glitters and decorations she had set up glowed in the moonlight. That included a light butterfly seal on her forehead.

Even if everything was lit up by the moonlight, there was no way for her to see the seal. Slowly, it erased and her body seemed to shine. She looked back at the scented candles in her hand and thought to light it.

As soon as she thought of it, something deep in her, akin to a seed, started to grow. Golden vines stretched into her veins, from the tips of her hair to the sole of her feet.

Golden threads of light extended beyond the pads of her fingers, wrapping around the tip of the candle, lighting it on fire. All these happened under the shell shocked eyes of Meryl. She blinked and the fire was no longer there. As she was about to touch the tip of the candle to confirm if what she saw was truly an illusion, the door flew open and her family burst in.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MERYL!!”

Hearing those words come from her family, right before her eyes, thinking and breathing, everything she saw felt like an illusion. She placed the candles on the table and went to hug them.

The Adam-Gallen family gathered round Meryl and sung ‘happy birthday to you’ to her very loudly. The cake her mother baked had four candles in it because it was the type that easily melted but it was also chocolate, Meryl’s favorite.

She blew the candles and made a wish that she would find a prom date. Lilith returned the cake to the fridge so they could eat it when the day broke. The family got out their gifts and started giving them out.

“Happy birthday Big sister Meryl,” Jessie says, giving her a cup shaped wrapper. She yawned tiredly when Meryl was opening it. In it was a white mug that had the words ‘World’s greatest sister” on it.

“Aw thank you Jessie, I love it!”

“You’re welcome.” Jessie smiled.

You can go to bed if you’re tired.”

“Don’t worry... I can still last,” she says, yawning in the middle of her sentence.

“Happy 18th big sis!” Lukas says, giving her his gift. It was a suspicious small box that was wrapped up. Meryl unwrapped it with a suspicious side eye and found a small jewelry box. She opened it up to reveal a silver chain bracelet on a small white pillow. It had her name ‘Meryl’ printed on it too.

“Aw, Lukas…”

“I worked hard and saved for it. I’m glad you liked it.”

Meryl embraced him and hugged him tight. He hugged her back, faced Jessie and gave her a smug look. She glared in return, pouting that she didn’t receive the same treatment as Lukas. Meryl caught this and squeezed her into a tight hug too.

It was Percy’s turn to give Meryl a gift.

“Happy birthday my darling. I would admit from the first moment you came into our lives, I was a bit suspicious but you’ve been nothing but a gift and a sweetheart. I love you with all my heart.”

“Thank you papa.”

Like Lukas’s gift, it was also a jewelry box. It just wasn’t wrapped. It was red velvet instead of the black Lukas got. She opened it and saw a golden necklace with a moonstone pendant. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

“Papa…" she trailed off while staring at him, a small smile playing on her lips."You shouldn’t have…”

“I saw it when I went to the city and it was like it was calling me. It’s the perfect gift for my baby girl turning 18.”

“Papa, you’ve already done so much...”

He held a hand up and slightly shook his head sideways. “For my children, nothing is ever enough.”

“Papa…” she trailed off again.

Tearing up, she ran into his open arms. He hugged her tightly, peppering kisses to her face. He places her down and it’s time for Lilith’s gift. Of the whole family, she’s the one with the largest gift. She places the box on Meryl’s room floor and motions to her to open it with an eager look.

Meryl got a massage chair from her mum. It was perfect for her aching back after siting for a long time, writing. She hugged Lilith immediately, grateful. The earlier events were all but gone from her mind as they chatted for a while again and retired to bed.