I Wish

Chapter 12

Time didn’t work the same way for Ivy as it did for the rest of the world, or maybe where she was from didn’t equate. It didn’t seem to matter either way to her. She always acted as if she had as much or as little time as she needed. At first, I didn’t even notice it. There were too many things going on, at first. Despite our little have-a-chat in dreamland, it still took three days for me to sneak out and meet her again. I couldn’t even remember all the things we’d talked about, or rather all the things that I’d said. I remembered what she’d said. It was nothing important. Things like her favourite colour – green, which her season of choice is – summer/spring. Okay, so in retrospect, that one was going to be important. Those three days were awful, by the way, and this was odd because they were all perfectly normal. Just without her, and I didn’t like that. Actually, it was probably just spite directed at that fact. The trip was as much of a blur as the first time, only this time it was cold. So cold that I threw on my warmest jumper. A fluffy pinkie-peach monstrosity at least two sizes too big. Looking up at the sky, I hoped the storm clouds that blanketed it would decide to hold out until I got home. It was overly optimistic, and I damn well knew it. It was going to rain, I simply didn’t care. I made it all the way past the tree line, my jumper catching on the bark the only incident.

“It’s been three days. What is it about making me wait that is so appealing to you?” Ivy said, almost giving me a heart attack and all of a sudden falling into step with me. The differences between the two sentences were night and day. The statement was a feral hiss, and the question delivered in a downright pouty whine. Whiplash Ivy, if I could have one encounter with you without it? That would be lovely. It didn’t seem like it was likely, but it would be lovely all the same.

“I never said when I was coming. In fact, I distinctly remember using the word maybe,” I said, absently linking hands with her. She squeezed mine, and let out a happy hum. Her stride, despite the size difference in her long legs and my shorter stature, matched mine perfectly and had since she appeared. Like she hadn’t had to fall into rhythm with me, because she’d always been there. I couldn’t help the small smile that crossed my face at the buzzy feeling it left in my chest.

“Maybe is just yes with conditions,” she informed me with a wry grin that sent the tiniest of crinkles around the corner of those sparkling green eyes. Pushing away the fluffiness brought on by the observation, I looked at her incredulously, and she widened her eyes in an attempt to appear innocent. For one reason or another, I didn’t find it plausible that innocent was ever a word that should be used to describe Ivy, and I could count the number of times I’d met her on my fingers. It made me curious. How exasperated were the people that had to deal with her on the regular? There was a chain reaction that toppled from that. I couldn’t help it, small giggles escaped me. Small things like hiccups dissolving into laughter until they’d strengthened into full blown hysterics. Using the hand not holding tight to hers, I wipe at the tears of sheer amusement leaking down my face.

“You’ve never been told no in your life, have you?” I asked with a watery chuckle as soon as I could breathe enough to do so. She looked at me strangely, like it was the weirdest response I could have given to that load of ridiculous crap.

“No, I have not. When I want something, I get what I want,” she said, beaming with pride. Somewhere in the back of my head something went ping, and I considered if I might categorise it as something. Like an i***t, I ignored it. Focusing back on her, and the dark forest we were walking through. Leaves crunching pleasantly under our feet, and bugs chirping.

“See, and this is why the word maybe was invented,” I told her, smiling just as brightly solely for the purpose of irritating her, “For people that don’t like to hear the word no. It gives you a grace period before they start to make your life difficult.” She was not happy about this, her lower lip poking out and daring me to kiss it, and this time I’ll admit it. She was cute. Actually, I thought, looking at her bottom lip, if she left it there for much longer I was going to have some serious issues with fighting the impulse to bite it. Just a little nibble, it couldn’t hurt… I shook myself out of it, and the pout was replaced with the biggest s**t eating grin you have ever seen in your life. She was really good at those I came to notice, and I’d probably feel better about it if it wasn’t for the fact that she was just as beautiful as when she wasn’t being a cocky bit of sunshine.

“Shut up,” I said immediately. Defensive because it was bad enough that how attractive she was impeded the necessary ability to focus on not letting her take me for a ride, now she gets to have some kind of sixth sense that lets her know it.

“I didn’t say anything,” she returned just as fast. Still just as smug. Damn her. Any response I would have made to this was sharply torn off, almost along with my arm. While I had been busy acting like a blushing maiden, she had stopped, jerking me back to a standstill next to her. We were back in the clearing where we had met the first time. A perfect ring of trees surrounding us. My arm ached and I almost fell over, but I was determined to be a baby and bring that up. Thankfully, neither did she, or maybe she didn’t notice the wince I’d tried to cover up. The wind howled loudly through the trees as I shivered. Even Ivy had a long thick knitted jumper made out of some kind of soft shimmery lavender coloured wool that stopped just above her knees with a lined hood holding her hair back like a medieval hair accessory, and a pair of skin-tight brown suede-looking leather leggings. It was a good look on her. I really had to stop perving on her at every opportunity. “So how would you like to make a trip to where I come from?” she asked me, stepping me into my space, and resting her other hand on my shoulder. How close she was and the way she murmured it made it clear that she was trying to seduce me. Considering the way my blood was rushing so burning hot through my veins, I’d say it was working. I was determined to make choices that, even if they sucked, I’d put enough thought into it that I wouldn’t regret them completely, so I resolutely refused to cave.

“What is it about this you think I’m going to object to? What’s the catch?” I said accusingly, answering her question with one of my own. All the better to stall her until I could think this through properly. I wasn’t sure what the catch was, but historically, Ivy had proven that if she was asking an innocent question there was a big one, and no matter how tempting she was, I wasn’t going to be that dumb again. Falling for something once was unfortunate, twice and you’re a fool, and three times there really is no hope for you. I wanted to be hopeful.

“What makes you think there’s a catch?” she asked, biting her lip, downright breathless, and leaning a little further towards me. I had to let out a slow breath. Or cohesive thinking was going to become a thing of the past at a rapid rate.

“So you’re telling me I could go with you, visit, and come home in a reasonable amount of time and not become trapped there forever? With no consequences?” I asked her and I was proud of the mocking edge I hit her with. Her response to this was to give me an Eskimo kiss, rubbing our noses together like she thought that I was the adorable one.

“You could,” she agreed serenely, and didn’t that just spike the last nail in the coffin.

“And will I?” I asked challengingly, letting go of her hand to curl my hand over her biceps and rub my cheek against hers. Two people can play this game, Ivy.

“This time,” she admitted childishly and pulled a face. I lean back a little and her grip on me tightens. “What? You know what this is. You know I want to keep you. Why wouldn’t I take an opportunity if you’re just going to hand it to me?” Ivy follows up her allowance, “I’ll point out where I live when I’m in the Summerland’s and everything.” I wanted to know more about this Summerland’s place, but I figured that would have to wait. There was a more pressing question.

“How would we even get there?” I asked, just to be a smart ass about it, and no, I didn’t think about how that sounded like agreement. Or at the very least like I could be talked into agreement, but the victorious look on her face and the way she seemed to be less tense about the idea of me refusing her were pretty strong hints.

“We go north,” she replied simply, “At least in this country. It works differently in different places, but here the Summerland's are always to the north. The spring court can be found in the east, winter in the south, and autumn in the west.”

“Why are you telling me all this? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad, but I’m fairly sure humans aren’t supposed to know about all this stuff,” I said, trying to make sense of her newfound straight-forwardness.

“Because you’ll need to know it someday,” Ivy says surely, “Come on. Let’s go.”

“I haven’t agreed yet,” I said, stalling again. She laughed one of those unkind laughs that is as beautiful as it is humourless and detached from me.

“Can you think of anything more interesting?” she inquired brightly, and with a stab of guilt I realised she had me. Making a dumb wish was one thing. Squandering it was another. There was just one more question I had to ask before I could live with capitulating so quickly.

“Will there be people?” I asked in a near whisper, my mouth going suspiciously dry at the idea of… just seeing people. Not even interacting with them, just being able to be somewhere where they were present.

“Thousands, if you go to the right spot,” Ivy promised. Okay, so I was going. It apparently didn’t matter that I had no proof that I could get back. A civilisation of some kind beckoned. “Ha,” she crowed, reading my face for the answer, “Gotcha.” It really bugged me that I couldn’t tell her she was wrong.