Creepy Hollow Fae: Zapper

Year of study: second
Assignment type: group (with mentor)





“First question,” says Milton-The-New-Mentor. “What’s the zapper’s real name?”

“Zoochimera.”

“Zofolofel?”

“Zany-monkey?”

Milton raises an eyebrow. “No, no, and definitely no.”

We’re standing in a supermarket aisle between bags of flour and packets of dried fruit. In the next few minutes a woman is supposedly going to come down this aisle and find herself accosted by a zapper. The four of us, guided by the newest mentor at the Guild, are supposed to save her.

“What’s wrong with zoochimera?” I demand. Offering up an incorrect answer is not something I’m used to. “The zapper’s composed of parts of different creatures, so that makes it like a chimera, right?”

“Zoochimera is a stupid name,” says Rush.

“Oh, like Zany-monkey isn’t?”

“Zany-monkey is awesome—”

“Stop being an idiot, Rush,” says Honey.

“Okay,” Milton says above all of us. “You’re all going to be looking that up for homework. Including Dale, who decided not to answer at all.”

“Hey,” I say, pointing behind Milton to where a woman has just turned her trolley into our aisle. “Do you think that’s her?” Packets of raisins suddenly explode into the air, and a zapper jumps off a shelf and onto the woman’s trolley.

It has wings like a sprite, a body like a goblin, and the hideous head of an urisk. Its tail ends in a sharp barb, which is how it earned itself the nickname ‘zapper’. It also appears to be concealing itself with a glamour, because the only thing the woman seems to find weird about this whole situation is the flying raisin phenomenon.

The zapper straightens, its tail curling up and over its shoulder, getting ready to ... well, zap.

“Okay, guys,” whispers Milton. “Just like we discussed.”

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Cover reveal: TRAITOR (CREEPY HOLLOW, #3)

Here's a pretty picture for you this fine Sunday!

Traitor is on Goodreads

I don't have a description up yet, but here's a two-line teaser for you instead!

“I mean, no matter what happens you won’t forget that I lo—that I really care about you?” 

Whoa, hang on. HANG ON. Did he almost just use the L-word?

Heeheeee! The dreaded L-word!

~  ~  ~

In other news... Who else is completely exhausted from the A to Z Challenge?! I know one shouldn't say never, but I am NEVER doing 26 flash fictions in a row again! (Well, unless my plan actually works next time and I get them all written BEFORE April. That was the plan this year. Didn't happen. Yeah, I suck.) So I, for one, am really glad that tomorrow is Z!!!

Creepy Hollow Fae: Yuromanter

Year of study: fifth
Assignment type: solo





The blonde in the miniskirt leans closer to her mirror and dabs something over her eyelids. “So then I told him that I’d just have to skip the game if he was gonna be like that, and he was all like, whatever babe, doesn’t bother me.”

Her friend, lying on the bed flipping through a magazine, looks up. “Ugh, what a douchebag.”

“I know. Total asshat, right?”

Douchebag? Asshat? I haven’t heard those before, but they sound like names I could use for Ryn when the occasion next calls for it.

“How could I ever have thought he was The One, you know?” Miniskirt Girl drags mascara over her lashes. “Like, I was gonna give myself to him. I mean, how gross.”

Okay. Did not need to know that. I wander over to the bed and check beneath it for yuromanters, but I see no sign of the tiny insect-like fae with the triangle faces. They’ll most likely aim for the dresser when they get here; they have a weird affinity for makeup. Trying not to move the closet doors too much—that would certainly look weird to a human—I peek inside. Wow. What a mess. It’s a wonder this girl can—

A scream cuts through the sound of the radio, and I whip around.

Yuromanters. Everywhere. And clearly they’re not intelligent enough to know they should glamour themselves in front of humans. Some scurry across the floor, while others zoom through the air, all heading for the makeup scattered across the dresser. Colors shift and shimmer like burning coals beneath their wings. Beautiful, but now’s really not the time to admire them.

Miniskirt Girl jumps onto the bed and clutches her friend, who is now also screeching at the top of her lungs.

I sigh and being drawing magic from deep within me. I wish the Seer has been just a little clearer about the number of yuromanters I’d be rounding up.

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Xerogoul

Year of study: fifth
Assignment type: solo





He wraps his sandpapery hands around my neck and squeezes. “You damn guardians think you can interfere in everything that isn’t your business.”

I slash at him with my knife, slicing through the front of his jacket, and then bring my knee up hard against his stomach. He stumbles backward down the cinema steps. “You make it ... our business ... when you try to kill someone,” I gasp, then throw the knife at him for good measure. He dodges the weapon, which vanishes into the air before it hits the screen.

I reach into the air and grab another knife in each hand. I throw them, one after the other, but the xerogoul jumps and somehow just keeps floating upward. I guess you can do that when you weigh little more than a sheet of paper. He looks like a washed out version of a human, but I know he’s empty inside. And I mean that literally.

“You’re gonna have to get a whole lot more knives,” he says. “’Cause your aim sucks, little girl.”

I snap my fingers and a flame appears in my palm. “You wanna come over here and say that?”

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Will-o'-the-wisp

Year of study: third
Assignment type: paired (with mentor)





“Here’s what I think,” says Jasmine between chattering teeth. “If these humans are stupid enough to go hiking in this—” she gestures to the thick mist swirling around us “—then they deserve to be led into a marsh and drowned.”

Nearby, I hear a sigh from our observing mentor, Bran.

“Well, here’s what I think,” I tell the girl who can’t seem to think of anyone but herself. “Firstly, we would fail our assignment, which is a big deal. And secondly, people would die, which, you know, is also a big deal!”

“But it’s cold!” complains Jasmine, as though that should be reason enough for letting a bunch of human hikers be led to their deaths by a will-o’-the-wisp.

“So shield yourself! You are in possession of some magical abilities, remember?”

“Oh. Yeah. I forgot.”

I’m about to ask Jasmine why she even wants to be a guardian when I see it: a bobbing light gleaming faintly through the mist.

“Hey, there’s someone else out there,” shouts one of the hikers we’ve been keeping up with.

“Okay, you ready?” I say to Jasmine.

“Wait, what are we doing again?”

I force down the almost overwhelming urge to strangle her. “We create our own lights, remember? We draw the humans this way instead. The will-o’-the-wisp gets jealous, follows the humans, and we catch it. Any of that sound familiar?”

“Uh, sort of.”

Sort of? SORT OF?

I turn back toward the will-o’-the-wisp, wondering if any trainee has ever killed their assignment partner before.

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Virika

Year of study: fourth
Assignment type: paired (without mentor)





“Get off her, you little freaks!” yells Honey. The bright red ghost-like entities crowd around me, suffocating me, feasting on my magic. Their pointed and perpetually bloodstained teeth scrape against my skin. My hands are a crisscross of fine red lines. Uselessly, I shove against them, gradually losing sight of the empty classroom around us.

“Honey ... get them ... I can’t ...”

... so weak ...  fading ...

A sudden roar fills my ears and something forces me backward onto the floor. The fuzziness in my head clears. I blink, then sit up to find myself covered in a strange white foam. The virikas, weighed down by the same white stuff, drift drunkenly through the air, bumping into one another.

“Wow, it actually worked.” Honey, looking rather pleased with herself, is standing over me with a fire extinguisher in her hands. Her eyes slide over the top of it to meet mine. “My magic wasn’t doing any good.” She shrugs. “It was the only thing I could find.”

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Urisk

Year of study: fourth
Assignment type: solo (with mentor observing)





Bald, misshapen head? Check.
Scrawny, wrinkled body? Check.
Patches of hair in random spots? Check.
Ferocious, human-devouring tendencies? Not so much.

“He looks so lonely,” I say to Tora. More than lonely, in fact. The urisk sitting on the rock beside the dam looks as though he may burst into tears at any moment.

Tora frowns. “You’re not supposed to be talking to me. I’m just here to observe, remember? Not interact.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Unless you appear to be in mortal peril.”

Now who’s talking. “Mortal peril isn’t on my agenda, so I think we’re good.” I make my way slowly toward the urisk. The Seer who passed on this assignment told Tora she’d Seen a family arrive to go out onto the dam in their boat. The urisk tried to make friends with the little girl, who fell into the dam in complete terror.

I’m here to stop that from happening.

I heard Ryn telling a first year that urisks have been known to literally scare people to death. I’m pretty sure that’s just a rumor, though. I mean, the poor guy’s not that hideous. I take a few more tentative steps forward.

“Um, hi,” I say. The urisk turns his head toward me, and the look of complete joy that lights up his unsightly face makes me feel weirdly choked up. “Um, ahem.” I swallow. “So ... I hear you’ve been looking for some friends?”

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Troll

Year of study: second
Assignment type: group (with mentor)





With gathering momentum, the troll lumbers across the parking lot, heading straight for the student in the bright red something-or-other. (I’ve never been good with car names. It’s not like I need to know them.)

“Okay, you guys ready?” shouts Bran from the grass. As a mentor, he’s not supposed to get too involved in our assignments. He’ll be in trouble if we fail and get a human squished, though. Probably why he’s looking a little green.

“We’ve got this, Bran,” I shout back to him with a thumbs up. We arrived here a few minutes before the troll did, which gave us just enough time to tie a rope around a fire hydrant and stretch it across part of the parking lot. It’s lying limp now, half-hidden in the mottled shadow of a tree.

“Go!” I shout, just as the troll passes us. Jasmine, Dale and I yank the rope taut. The troll barrels into it, dragging us right off our feet. The rope tears through our gloved hands, but it works. He stumbles, waves his tree-trunk sized arms around, and then begins to topple over. When he hits the ground, it shudders under the impact of his body. Several students scream, looking toward the invisible source of the tremor.

And now it’s Ryn’s shining moment. He leaps out from behind a car—a little too dramatic for my tastes—and whacks the troll’s thick scull with a hammer. It looks like a child’s toy next to the giant, but Ryn must have added some magic to the force of that blow. The troll’s eyes roll back into his head and he goes still.

Poor guy. Taken out by a group of trainees. I kinda feel a little sorry for him.

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Six Sentence Sunday: "I tilt my head back and..."

Today's six sentences come from the opening scene of Traiter, the third installment in the Creepy Hollow series (due to be released in late May).

I tilt my head back and let out a groan. Counseling. That thing where I have to discuss my feelings about killing someone. Great. The list of things I’m not good at is pretty short, but feelings are probably at the top. Fortunately, my kill count is pretty low, so I haven’t had to do the counseling thing too often.

Guardian Gets Around

Thanks to Smashwords' distribution program, I have found Guardian on the following ebook retail sites:

Sony
Kobo
Diesel

Sadly, though I've been consistently searching, I have yet to find Guardian on Barnes and Noble and the iBookstore. If you can find it there, please let me know! 




 

Creepy Hollow Fae: Shapeshifter

Year of study: fifth
Assignment type: solo





The faerie boy steps closer to his target, an aged librarian packing books away into a shelf. He pulls a knife from his belt, raises his hand—and that’s when I grab him around the neck and drag him backward. He melts into the form of a small child—what? A shapeshifter? The Seer didn’t tell me that—and slips easily away from me before shifting into a large man and shoving me to the ground. I sweep my leg out, tripping him. He lands heavily. I jump to my feet, calling to my bow and arrow. The shapeshifter is a skinny girl now, springing up, shifting back to the large man as he gets ready to launch himself at me. I point an arrow at him.

He stops, shifting back to what I’m guessing is his natural form—a boy only a little taller than myself, with orange eyes that match the orange highlights in his hair. The knife is in his hand.

“Well, hello, pretty lady,” he says without lowering the knife. “You shouldn’t jump out at people like that.”

“You shouldn’t go around killing old ladies,” I retort.

“Whatever,” he says with a shrug. “I’m just following orders.”

“Regardless of your reason for doing it, you have to come with me to the Guild now.”

The side of his mouth curls up in a smirk. “And what are they going to do with me? Throw me into their special prison?”

“Well, you didn’t actually hurt anyone, so no. But there are rehabilitation programs that—”

“Rehabilitation?” He laughs. “As though I have some addiction they can cure me of?”

“Do you want to do someone else’s dirty work for the rest of your life?” I shout. “Do want to die knowing you were nothing more than a criminal? Or do you want to take this opportunity to be a better person?”

I expect him to laugh even harder, but, surprisingly, he seems to be considering my words. Interesting. I’ve never tried this tactic before.

The shapeshifter crosses his arms, being careful not to stab himself with his own knife. “So, this rehabilitation thing,” he says. “Would you come and visit me there?”

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Reptiscilla

Year of study: fifth
Assignment type: solo





I slide off the window seat and creep across the room, keeping my eyes peeled for the reptiscilla. The boy I’m protecting sleeps soundly at his desk, his cheek stuck to the open page of a textbook.

I shrink into a shadowed corner and wait, thinking about that shapeshifter project I still have to—

But there she is! With a hiss, the serpent woman streaks across the room, lamplight reflecting off her scaly skin. I stretch my arms into position and feel the prickly warmth of the bow and arrow as they materialize in my hands. I pull back and let go.

The arrow flies across the room in a shower of orange-gold sparks, finding its mark in the reptiscilla’s shoulder. She cries out and stumbles, then rips the arrow from her shoulder. Flip, that must have hurt! She lunges for the boy. I toss my bow aside and dive toward him too, knocking his sleeping form to the floor. He’s awake now, which isn’t ideal, but at least he can’t see us.

I roll off him and spring to my feet, just in time for the reptiscilla to throw herself at me. We’re on the floor. She buries her fangs in my arm, but I barely register the stinging pain. I hear Tora’s voice in my head: Bend your knees, arch your back, thrust your opponent right off.

I hurl my body over and pin the reptiscilla down by her throat, my free hand already reaching into the air for another arrow. I bring it down swiftly, straight toward her heart.

But she’s gone.

Thankfully. I hate it when I have to kill them. With a heavy breath I collapse against the nearest wall, still gripping the arrow. I begin to feel the tingling ache of the reptiscilla’s bite.

“What ... the hell ... was that?”

I raise my eyes. The boy is looking at me.

At me!

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? It was adapted from the opening scene of Guardian (Creepy Hollow, #1).
Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Quirkizil

Year of study: fourth
Assignment type: paired (without mentor)





“This is so lame,” says Dale as I open a doorway to the faerie paths. “It’s just one of those little quarkazole thingies.”

“Quirkizil,” I correct, widening the doorway.

“Whatever. My point is, they’re not even dangerous. I could handle this perfectly fine on my own.”

“Sure,” I say. “I’m happy to stand back and watch while you take care of the situation. Now let’s go.” I hold my hand out. We have to maintain contact while traveling the faerie paths, or we may not arrive at the same place. Not that I’d mind if Dale ended up somewhere far away. He hesitates, eyeing my hand suspiciously. “Jeez, Dale, it’s not like I have a disease, you know.”

“That’s not what I heard,” mutters Dale.

“Excuse me?

“Nothing, let’s just do this.” He grasps my pinkie finger and tugs me into the darkness.

We step out on the other side to find a pink and purple bedroom in complete chaos. A small girl and four quirkizils are jumping madly about on a bed, flinging pillows, toys and stuffed animals around the room. I dodge a flying teacup. “Well, this looks like fun.” I say to Dale. “I believe it’s time for you ‘handle’ this?”

“Right.” He takes a step toward the bed. The quirkizils, looking like nothing more than balls of wispy hair attached to two spindly legs, freeze. Then, with squeals of glee, they leap off the bed and onto Dale. He takes a step back, trips on a Barbie car, and hits the ground.

“Ah—help me—I can’t—ah—AAAAH!” The quirkizils scurry all over him, bouncing, poking and tickling. “Violet!” he gasps. “Get them—get them—aaaah—off me!”

I cross my arms and lean against the wall, working hard to suppress a laugh. “But I thought you could handle this perfectly fine on your own, Dale?”

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Phouka

Year of study: fourth
Assignment type: paired (without mentor)





“Can’t I just have one?” asks Aria. “No one will notice.”

“No! I’m pretty sure at least one of those children will notice a cupcake vanishing off their table.” I let out a frustrated sigh. I wish I was doing this assignment with Honey; at least I’m sort of friends with her.

Aria puts on her sulky face. “They look really yummy.”

“You just want to eat it because it’s pink,” I mutter.

“Pink is awesome,” says Aria with authority, as though she has the final word on colors. She pokes me with her offensively pink stylus. “You should try it sometime.”

“How about we protect this party of children from a stampede of phoukas, and if the children are all still alive at the end you can pinch a cupcake?”

“Fine.” Aria crosses her arms. “But I don’t see how we’re supposed to stop a stampede of giant magical horses.”

Yeah, I’m still working on that problem myself. I twist a strand of hair around my finger and look over at the low table. Eight children are seated around it on small chairs, helping themselves to items of brightly colored food. Several parents are chatting under a nearby tree.

I feel a vibration beneath my feet. Peering through the park trees, I see them: shaggy manes, wild eyes, black from head to hoof—and galloping pretty darn fast. There’s no way we can stop them. They’re almost upon us. Just a few more seconds...

I spread my fingers toward the table and children. “You feeling strong, Aria?”

“What?”

“When I say ‘go’ we’re gonna lift the entire party up.”

“What? I can’t—”

“Yes, you can.”

“Violet, I can’t—”

“Go!”

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Ogre

Year of study: fourth
Assignment type: solo (with mentor observing)





“Hurry! I think we’re already late,” says Tora.

“But the Seer just gave us the assignment like five minutes ago,” I say as we rush down the hospital corridor.

“Yeah, yeah. But you know how they—Oh! Look!” Tora skids to a stop and points. Hunched over, his bald head grazing the ceiling, is the ogre. “Right, time for you to do your thing, Vi. I’ll just be in the corner. Observing.”

The ogre stares through a glass window at a room full of babies. He licks his lips, leaving a string of spit dangling from his mouth. Oh gross, is he drooling? That’s just disgusting. Raising a ginormous hand, the ogre tries to turn the handle of the door—and fails. In frustration, he begins beating the glass window. A nurse comes running, but of course all she can see is vibrating glass.

Right. I’m meant to be doing something. I try my bow and arrow. No luck; the arrows bounce right off the ogre’s rough skin. I opt for a sword, run at the ogre, and slash at his ankles. He swats absently at me, stamps his foot, and pounds on the window once more. The nurse probably thinks it’s an earthquake.

I grab hold of the ogre’s tattered clothes and pull myself up onto his back, just as his fist smashes through the window. The nurse screams. Crap. Running out of time. I climb higher and sit behind the ogre’s neck, like a child straddling the shoulders of its parent. Gritting my teeth and thinking of all the babies about to get chomped, I raise the sword above my head and bring the hilt smashing down onto the ogre’s skull.

He stops. Sways. Begins falling. And now I’m about to be squished!

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Nascryl

Year of study: second
Assignment type: group (with mentor)





Black leathery wings. A beak for a mouth. Skinny, clawed feet like the bottom part of a burned chicken. And sparkly bangles on each of its wrists. All around, a very attractive combination.

Not.

“So who’s going to do the honors?” asks Rowan. He’s sitting on one of the stationery bikes, looking bored as he swings his legs back and forth. As far as mentors go, he’s pretty useless.

Ryn steps on my shoe. “What’s wrong, Pixie Sticks? Can’t do this one?”

I slide my foot away, swivel it, and press the heel of my boot down hard on his toes. “Not can’t.” I say. “Won’t.” I’m not about to embarrass myself.

“Well, would one of you do it already,” says Rowan, “’cause this nascryl is about to make a meal out of a bodybuilder.” Sure enough, the nascryl is eyeing a man with muscles so large it’s a wonder they haven’t burst free from his skin.

“Gross,” mutters Mai. “Humans are absurd.”

“Completely,” says Rowan, not really listening to her. “Dale? You want to get rid of the nascryl?”

Dale puffs his chest out, probably trying to imitate the humans that fill this place. “Uh, I don’t really think it’s my thing, sir.”

There’s a sigh from Rowan, accompanied by an eye roll.

“Fine, I’ll do it,” says Mai, stepping forward to face the nascryl clinging to the treadmill’s TV screen. She opens her mouth and begins belting out some inane song about blind mice. I don’t know where she learned it, but it seems to be doing the trick. The nascryl covers its ears and shrieks in agony, crumpling in on itself until it vanishes into a cloud of bad-smelling smoke.

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Merrow

Year of study: fifth
Assignment type: solo





I hit the stormy waves and feel myself tugged down amidst a vortex of bubbles. A hand, its grip like iron, is wrapped around my ankle, dragging me deeper. I kick and struggle, writhing from side to side. Where is the human girl? Is the merrow pulling her down too?

I think of my sword, and a second later it appears in my flailing hand. I sweep it through the water, so much slower than through air, and feel it connect with the merrow’s fist. His grip loosens enough for me to kick free. With a rush of bubbles, he surges up through the water behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. I catch a flash of his silver tail as he drags me down once more.

I send magic shooting down to my hands. I heat them up as fast as I can, then clamp them over the merrow’s arms. He jerks away immediately, the heat searing through his skin. With lungs screaming for air, I kick for the surface. I pull at the water, but it’s slow, so slow. Just like my nightmares.

You have magic, dammit, use it!

Right, how the hell did I forget that? I aim my hands down and force a blast of magic out of each one, propelling myself up and up and up until my head breaks the surface. I gasp, taking in great gulps of deliciously cold air.

Where is she? Where is the girl who was pulled off the pier by that merrow? I see her then, fighting the waves to get to shore. But she’ll never reach it before the merrow reaches her. I plunge through the water after her, feeling the ghost of the merrow’s grip on my ankles.

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Leanan sídhe

Year of study: fourth
Assignment type: paired





“How do you even say that?” asks Honey, peering over my shoulder at the assignment briefing.

“Um, I think it’s something like Lah-nan Shee-uh,” I say, trying to remember what I learned in Classification of Fae in first year.

Honey sits down beside me on the Guild staircase and absently plucks a leave off the banister vine, which hoots in protest. She doesn’t notice. “Wait, don’t tell me.” She twists the leaf between her fingers. “The Leanan sídhe is ... a woman, right?”

I can’t help rolling my eyes. “Oh yes, it’s important to get the gender right.”

“Yay, one point for me!” My sarcasm has obviously gone right over Honey’s head. “Okay, okay,” she continues, “I know this one. Um ... she seeks out human lovers?” I nod. “And she always goes after the artsy kind, right? Because she’s kind of like their ... what’s that word?”

“Muse?”

“Yes! She inspires artists. And in turn she drains their life force.” Honey pauses. “And they go mad. And die young.”

We stare at nothing for a moment.

“It’s kind of tragic,” whispers Honey.

“Yup. Totally. So let’s go save this guy’s artsy butt.”

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Kelpie

Year of study:  fifth
Assignment type: solo





The girl laughs, tucks a strand of hair behind one ear, and leans back on her hands. The boy stretches out on the grass beside her, accidentally-on-purpose brushing her arm with his. He makes a bad joke, and she laughs as though he’s the world’s greatest comedian.

Ugh. Do I really have to watch this?

I cross my arms, my eyes flitting around the clearing: Trees thick enough for someone to hide behind, and a pond deep enough for a creature to submerge itself. This boy obviously needs help when it comes to choosing romantic settings. The girl picks up a small, flat stone and plays with it. The boy takes it from her and, idiot that he clearly is, tries to skip it across the water.

That’s right. There’s a dark and mysteriously motionless body of water, so let’s throw something into it. Moron. The water, black like a pool of ink, ripples in a way that seems unnaturally slow. I’m about to chuck a branch at the boy to scare him away from the pond when a head breaks the surface of the water. It’s a horse’s head, black as night, its dripping mane tangled with reeds. The boy and girl are about to share their first kiss, so of course neither of them notices the unglamoured kelpie gliding toward them.

My bow and arrow tingle beneath my fingers. I take aim and let an arrow loose. The moment it pierces the kelpie’s neck a shrill howl tears through the night. Water churns and froths, and the girl and boy scramble away in terror. The kelpie tosses its head, flinging droplets of water in all directions. It finds me. Narrowing its eyes, it charges out of the water, heading straight for me. But I’ve already opened a doorway on the nearest tree. I wave politely as I step into it.

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Jangle

Year of study: fourth
Assignment type: solo (with mentor observing)





Tora told me to pretend she isn’t here, but that’s a little difficult when I can sense her right behind me, watching my every move. She’s come along on assignments before, of course, but I was always with another trainee. This is the first time I get to do it alone—if you can call it alone with a mentor practically breathing down your neck.

I step quietly along the corridor toward the bathroom. Over the spray of water, I catch the muffled sound of someone singing. Crap. I forgot to ask if it’s a boy or girl I’m protecting. Please, please let it be a girl. It’s awkward enough to have someone watching me without the added embarrassment of a naked boy.

The door is closed, which means I have to find my own way into the bathroom. I write a doorway onto the wall with my stylus, letting Tora follow me into the faerie paths before I try to picture the bathroom on the other side of the wall. A new doorway opens up in front of me. Steam drifts lazily through the air, and the singing immediately becomes louder. It’s the voice of a girl. Phew.

Okay, now where is this silly little fae creature I’m supposed to catch? It doesn’t take me long to spot it. Seated on top of the shower head is the jangle. Tiny bells hang from each of the fae’s toes and fingers. It even has a bell on its head, though that’s obviously just a fashion accessory. The jangle extends its fingers, getting ready to tinkle out a melody the human girl with find irresistible. I raise my arms. Time to show Tora I can do this on my own.

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Ispee

Year of study: third
Assignment type: paired (with mentor)





She is the size of a dragonfly. Her hair is like threads of silk. Her wings, bright splashes of color against the night, ripple in undulating motion. Up close, I can see tiny rings glittering on her eight fingers. Spurs jutting out from her heels flash dangerously in the moonlight.

It’s those spurs that we’re currently trying to avoid.

“Ow, I think she got me!” complains Jasmine as the ispee darts toward her neck and then flits out of reach.

“No she didn’t,” says Tina, our mentor for this evening. “Just keep your shield up and you’ll be fine, Jas.” She stands at the edge of the garden, keeping out of our way, but close enough to intervene if things go south.

The ispee goes for Jasmine’s neck again, which I find a little weird. The textbook said ispees usually hang around ground level and sting whatever legs get too close to their flowery habitat. They’re very protective of their floral homes.

Oh. Perhaps that’s it. “I think she likes your perfume, Jas,” I say. “Maybe you could just stand still for a bit and bare your neck. Then once she settles on it we can catch her.”

Jasmine glares at me. “Stand still and bare my neck? I don’t think so, Violet.” She dodges the ispee once more. “How about you be the bait?”

“I would, but you’re the one who thought drenching yourself in perfume right before an assignment would be a good idea.”

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

WINNER ANNOUNCED!

The winner of the My Memories Suite digital scrapbooking software is

Kittie Howard!

Creepy Hollow Fae: Halfling

Year of study: fifth
Assignment type: solo





It’s a half-goblin, half-dryad (yeah, don’t ask me how that happened; that dryad obviously had highly questionable taste) and it won’t shut up.

“Come dance with me, little guardian wannabe.” It skips on the spot, then prances in a circle around the porch swing. It has that hunched, hairy goblin look, combined with the floaty dress, long hair and somewhat transparent features of the dryad. Not attractive. I can’t even figure out if it’s male or female.

The little girl lying on the swing reading a book and humming to herself is completely unaware.

“Just step away from the human, would you?”

“I’ll step if you step. Step, step, step.”

Great. Just my luck to end up with a psycho assignment.

“How about we step down here?” I suggest. I’m standing on the lawn, a safe distance away from the house.

The halfling does a jig on the stairs and begins singing some nonsense song. “Come catch me, come catch me, stick insect girl...”

“Stick insect?”

“... With little stick legs and little stick arms, she has no charm, and she—”

“Enough!” With a snap, a whip appears in my hand. It flashes through the air, wraps around the halfling’s left leg and yanks it clear off the porch. With a wail and a puff of gag-inducing smoke, the halfling disappears in mid air.

The little girl turns a page and carries on humming.

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

For those of you who were expecting hairy-footed hobbits ... sorry. Not in this world!

Creepy Hollow Fae: Goblin

Year of study: fifth
Assignment type: solo





Half buried beneath the pile of sand and pebbles, the goblin glares up at me. His long, pointed ears quiver in anger. I perch on the tree branch, pointing an arrow directly at his forehead.

“You really going to kill me, little guardian girl?”

I sigh. “You know how this works, goblin. If you disappear, I won’t be able follow you. If you stick around to fight back, you have to accept the consequences.”

“Death,” he hisses.

“Well, yeah, if it comes to that. Or I knock you out, tie you up, and take you in to the Guild. You want to choose?”

“Death sounds more fun.”

Okay, he really is as stupid as he looks. “You sure? That option’s a lot messier for me.”

“Death for you, not me!” he cries as he explodes from the mound of dirt. His hairy hands wrap around the branch I’m balancing on, causing it to sag and creak beneath his weight. I somersault backward, my bow and arrow disappearing as I let go of them. I land on my feet, just in time to see the goblin swinging toward me. His clawed feet strike me in the chest, knocking me flat on my back. I sit up, gasping for air. He drops from the branch and runs at me.

Sword, sword, SWORD! It appears in my fist—and the goblin runs right into it. It pierces all the way through his flesh, skewering him like a giant kebab. He slumps down on top of me, pressing me to the ground again. I try to keep the hilt of the sword from digging into my chest.

“You ... kill us,” he wheezes, the stench of his breath making me feel ill. I try to push him off me. He struggles for a few moments, then becomes still. His eyes stare through me, unblinking.

He’s dead. There is a dead body on top of me.

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Flimsickle

Year of study: second
Assignment type: group (with mentor)





“Look at its funny wings,” says Aria. “It’s so weird how they’re attached to its head.”

“Ooh, look, look, it’s flying now,” says Honey.

The flimsickle’s membranous wings spin around the top of its head as it glides from the fitting room door onto a rack of jackets. Its slender, pale blue body is no taller than the spiked heels lining a shelf not too far away. Hard to believe this creature can cause damage to anyone. “It reminds me of one of those things humans fly in.” I say. “What do you call them?”

“Helicopter,” says Ryn, sending a smirk my way. He enjoys it way too much when he knows something I don’t. “Hey, Tora,” he says as our mentor hurries into the shop. “When can we do a real assignment? I mean, this flimsickle thing is like the most pathetic fae ever.”

“The most pathetic fae ever is about to land on your head,” I point out. Ryn’s mask of contempt slips from his face as he backs into a shelf of jeans. He grabs a pair and swats at the flimsickle.

“Don’t aggravate it!” says Tora. “The very reason we’re here is to stop it from shedding its wing dust, not to give it a reason to shed even sooner.” She herds the four of us into the nearest fitting room. “Okay, get your gloves on, everyone.” She pauses while we mentally call to the gloves that are part of our invisible cache of guardian weapons. They appear on our hands, sparkling as though lit from within by a golden light. “Good,” says Tora. “And remember the shielding spell we learned to protect our eyes?” We all nod. Ryn slips an eye-roll in when Tora’s not looking. “Okay, let’s make this a competition. Vi and Honey on one team, and Ryn and Aria on the other. Now, let’s see who can catch the flimsickle first.”

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

P.S. Don't forget the giveaway happening here till the end of today (EST)!
The winner will be announced on Monday when I return.

Creepy Hollow Fae: Elf

Year of study: fifth
Assignment type: solo





“I’m confused,” I say to the elf. “I thought you guys didn’t mind humans. Why are you trying to stab this one in his sleep?”

The elf loops a strand of hair behind her pointy ear and crosses her arms. “I love him, okay? And it’s none of your business. Or the Guild’s. So get lost.”

“You love him...” Oh, I see. Now it makes sense. Not.

“And he rejected me!” She glares down at the sleeping boy. “He chose some stupid human girl with glasses. Over me!”

“Wait, so he’s seen you? Uh ... you know it’s against Guild Law to reveal yourself to a human, right?”

“I glamoured my ears, obviously. He thought I was human.”

Okay, too much talking. I need to get this crazy elf out of here. “Look. I found you standing over this boy with a knife to his throat, so I’m kind of obligated to take you in to the Guild. But if you come quietly, I promise it won’t be too bad for you.”

She narrows her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere with you, guardian.” For a split second, neither of us moves. Then she jumps and kicks at my chest. I spin out of the way, but her foot catches my arm. She stumbles, her balance off, and I sweep my leg out behind her knees. She lands on her side and rolls away from me. I run at her, but she’s on her feet already, spinning on the spot, her long hair fanning out around her. She vanishes, leaving behind a shower of green sparkles.

I stop. My sigh comes out in a huff. I pull my amber out of my pocket and my stylus out of my boot. Time to message Tora so she can send someone to put protective spells around this house. I have a feeling this elf’s not done with her revenge.

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

P.S. Don't forget the giveaway happening here till the end of Friday (EST)!

Creepy Hollow Fae: Dryad

Year of study: fourth
Assignment type: paired (without mentor)





“I thought dryads weren’t dangerous,” says Aria, leaning back against the Guild’s central staircase. “Are you sure the briefing said ‘dryad’?”

“No, Aria, I just made it up.” She looks at me as though trying to figure out whether I’m being serious. “Of course I’m sure. Didn’t you read the briefing yourself?”

She shrugs. “Why should I? I knew you would.”

“That is so not the—oh, just come on. We’re going to be late and some poor human will wind up prey to a group of dancing dryads.”

The faerie paths take us directly to the willow grove of Pontolion Botanic Gardens. It’s late afternoon, and orange-gold beams of sunlight filter through the trees. An enchanting melody reaches my ears. Not too far away, a group of dryads are dancing in a circle. They’re strangely transparent, seeming to barely touch the ground as they twirl about. Flowers adorn their hair and they’re clothed in simple dresses. In the center of their ring is a young man. Dancing. Like an idiot.

Aria’s right that dryads aren’t really dangerous, but they do love their dancing. And any human caught under the spell of their music will keep dancing until the music ends. Which could be days from now. And that would be bad for this human. Very bad.

“See?” I say to Aria. “We’re already late. Now we have to contact a mentor and get someone to come clear his memory.” Aria rolls her eyes and mutters something under her breath. It takes a lot of patience not to snap at her. “Okay, you distract the dryads. I’m going to take out the source of their music.”

~  ~  ~

Like this flash fiction? Find out more about the Creepy Hollow series.
If you'd like to know more about my A to Z flash fiction pieces, read my A to Z Challenge Theme for 2012 post.

P.S. Don't forget the giveaway happening here till the end of Friday (EST)!