Free Meanmna: Book One of the Daearen Realms by Emmy Gatrell

birthday to tomorrow, does that totally screw up your plans?
    Mat hew: Not really. What’s wrong?
    Sarette: Tell you tomorrow. Mom’s taking me to Cabelas & lunch. I’ll text when I get home
    Mathew: Going camping?
    Sarette: Not so much
    Mathew: Non-committal answers worry me
    Sarette: No worries--we’ll talk tomorrow
    Mathew: Text me. Love ya
    Sarette: Love ya 2
    I debated asking Ma thew to come right over and talk about all this, but I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t believe I had to find a mate and get married, like now. It was a good thing I had someone in mind. Elwin had said I was his “job”, but his eyes told a different story. I really needed to see him.
    I put my phone down and walked over to the crystals on my desk, waving my hand over both of them. I felt a buzz over the second one, so I placed it gently on my nightstand. Elwin said if I fell asleep with the larger piece of the amazonite I’d go to the dream plane. He hadn’t told me anything else, though, like what I would show up wearing. The first time I saw Elwin in my dream I was wearing a dress—and I hadn’t chosen my attire. But the second time I was wearing my own clothes. I decided to put on my cutest pajamas just in case this worked and I ended up on the beach. I dug to the bottom of my dresser drawer and found the black, silky, never-worn pajamas Mom had bought me on sale. The one-piece jumper had spaghetti straps, buttons down the front and a red ribbon tie at the waist. It had never been my style, but now I pulled off the tags and slipped into it, enjoying the feel of the material against my skin.  But how do I look in it? When I stood before the mirror, I was pleasantly surprised. It showed off my small waist and flared gently about my hips like a little skirt, even though it was actually shorts that hit about mid-thigh. The V-cut top didn’t show much, but still looked sexy. I knew I was trying too hard, but how was I supposed to get ready to be a princess? I just couldn’t see myself running around a castle in boxers and a braless tank.
    I left my necklace on—it really showed off my pale skin and I had already decided I would never take it off. I brushed my hair and talked myself out of putting on makeup before I climbed into bed. I was likely doing all this for nothing. After all, Elwin was clearly not interested in me personally. I’m his job! How many different times and ways had he said that? “Grrr!” I grabbed the Hello Kitty pillow and put it over my face, muffling the sound of my frustration. “Screw it!” I rolled to my side and looked at the crystal. As I reached to turn out the lamp, my hand gently skimmed the surface of the crystal and I felt the buzz again. Ignoring it, I closed my eyes and tried to calm my racing mind.
    Tomorrow would be a big shopping day; Mom was taking me to Cabela’s outfitters store. I hoped I was not going camping in fey land. That would suck. And poor Mathew. What would I tell him? My life as I knew it was coming to an abrupt halt. Would it still be necessary to write that article for the paper? Would there be a GED program in la-la land? Would I even need to go to school? Would my friends at school even miss me? How would Mom explain my disappearance?
    Trying my usual get-to-sleep routine, I began mentally listing songs that Widespread Panic had played: “Space Wrangler”. . . “Superstition” . . . “Red Hot Mama” . . . “Love Tractor”. . . I wonder what I should wear to dinner tomorrow. Maybe I can find something at Cabela’s. Elwin might like cammo; you never know . . . “Thought Sausage”. . . “Imitation Leather Shoes” . . . “Georgia” . . .
    I start ed hearing JB singing “Georgia” in my head. New Year’s 2005 was the best show I’d ever seen. Hearing the boys play cover for Ray Charles, that was a moment for sure. Crap! I’m never going to see another show again either.
    This fairy princess thing certainly came with a lot of strings. I didn’t really have a