We stood a the door an hour after Chris let me go. Well, I stood a step inside it, because I wasn’t allowed to leave the house, per Chris’ rules. I folded and and flexed my fingers as I stood there, trying to dispel my pent up worry. I had done all I could. I tried to talk him out of this crazy idea, and when that didn’t work, I told him all I could to keep him safe. I didn’t think it would be enough.

“Remember, she can’t use harmful magic on you unless she gets some power over you, so don’t tell her your full name. Don’t accept any gifts or food, unless . . . no, nevermind, just don’t. Don’t trespass. Don’t break anything she owns. Don’t step into a circle of flowers, mushrooms, or stones. Whatever you do, don’t hurt her. As long as you do that, you should be safe. Ish.”

“For the third time, I understand.”

“Well, sorry for trying to keep you safe. What are you even going to do to convince her to ‘lift my curse?’” I said, even using air quotations. It frustrated me so much that Chris refused to listen. He had a stupid, insane plan in his head, and he knew it was a stupid, insane plan. But he was going to go through with it, anyway.

“I’m still working on that,” Chris said with a shrug.

“Dammit, you don’t have a plan, just admit it. You had one, but you realized after what I told you that you won’t be able to do it. But you’re so damn stubborn that you’re not going to back down now.”

Chris didn’t say anything, but the way he shrugged his shoulders and looked away told me that I was right.

“Please, just come back inside and I’ll tell you more about my life since I got transformed. I can tell you how I became a tooth fairy.”

“Maybe another time, when you’re back to normal.”

I felt a pang of sadness when Chris said that. “What do I have to do to convince you that this is really me?”

Chris said nothing, just turned and walked down the sidewalk to his truck. I stayed in the doorway and watched him leave. I wouldn’t even be able to see him until the morning, I was sure. What I wasn’t sure about was what sort of spell Chris would be under.

Would Wellowyyn wipe his memory, assuming she was able? Turn back the clock so that Chris had no memory of wands, fairies, or Brianne. Which would mean I would go back to being Brian, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

With a pit fully formed in my stomach, I closed the door and walked back to the living room. I picked up my phone and called the one person I could trust to talk to. I switched the call to video chat and waited patiently for Roslyn to pick up.

It took a moment, but she answered. I saw her standing in her own dollhouse living room. She had a the body of an adult woman with dragonfly wings folded neatly behind her, but even in the dollhouse, she seemed small. We had mounted her phone on the living room wall like it was a TV that was bigger than either of us.

Roslyn was a sprite like me, but unlike me she was born a sprite. She had black and red hair that partially covered one eye, and a wore black tank top with the decal of a rose wrapped around a skull, the thorns drawing red blood.

I smiled as I saw her, “Hey, Rose, how’s it going?” I tried to feign being ok.

But Rose took one look at me and asked. “Bri, is everything alright? You look scared.”

“I’m a lot of things right now. Chris knows.” I don’t think I meant to say that. It tumbled from my mouth, and I suddenly wished to pull it back in. Even though it was the very reason I was calling.

Rose narrowed her eyes, “Chris knows what?”

“Everything. He found my wand. He’s seen me as a Sprite. He knows about how I got changed.”

“Shiiiiiiiiit.” Roslyn said, and I was just glad she wasn’t telling me ‘I told you so.’

“He thinks I’m cursed. He’s going to see Wellowyn to do . . . something. I don’t know. He’s going to try and convince her to change me back, I guess.”

“Why aren’t you doing anything?”

“Can’t. He caught me, made me stay here while he goes and gets himself enthralled or whatever.”

“Wait. You got captured by a fucking normie?” Rose asked, a wry smile spreading on her face.

“Shut up.”

“Look, I’m coming over. Talk more when I get there, ok?”

I shook my head. It was still strange enough that I was Brianne in this house. If Rose came over, the worlds I had fought so hard to keep separate would continue to collapse into each other, and I wasn’t sure where that would lead. “No, that’s ok. I’m fine. I don’t want to ruin your night or bother you too much.”

“Oh, don’t fucking do that to me. You’re not ruining anything, and you’re never a bother. I’m coming over.”

That got a laugh from me. Once Rose got an idea, good or bad, in her mind, it was impossible to get it back out. She was a lot like Chris that way.

“Ok. See you soon.”

We ended the call and I breathed out a sigh of relief. The pit was still there, I was still worried about my best human friend. But at least my best fairy friend was coming to help.