A Human’s Guide to Surviving Magical Mishaps

Ashton takes full advantage of this new position and I can't say I mind in the slightest. I'm still not totally sure how I ended up in this situation, but the more Ashton strokes his hands down my spine and the more he kisses me, the less I'm inclined to care. Actually the more he kisses me the less I'm inclined to think about anything at all. This lack of thinking is probably why I don't immediately anyone entering the room. It's not until I hear a child giggling that I yank myself away from Ashton. Standing in the doorway are two kids, maybe around ten years old? A boy and a girl. They both have horns like Ashton and his mum. The little girl is the one giggling, the boy looks kind of grossed out. I guess he isn't old enough to be interested in things like kissing. The door swings open and Fin rushes in.

"Apologies, I tried to stop them." Fin says dryly. He tried... But I'm not sure how HARD he tried. How difficult can it be to stop two kids from running wild? Okay, I don't even need to say that out loud to know it's an unfair thought. Kids are weirdly capable when they want something. I bet magical fae kids are even worse to deal with.

I turn my gaze back to Ashton and I'm a little gratified to see that he seems similarly distracted. I think I'd be kind of offended if he was all perfectly composed right now. As it is, I'm still sitting on the dining table with Ashton WAY too close for anyone to be actually seeing. I wait for him to step back but it's not until he drops his hands to my calves that I realise I have locked my legs around him. Oops? I release him and he takes a step back. I climb off the table, trying to maintain what little dignity I have left. My legs are kind of shaky so I appreciate it when Ashton loops an arm around my waist, even if it is a little embarrassing. I'm not sure this situation can GET any more uncomfortable. Maybe if Ashton's mum walked in on us? That just makes me think of my suspicion that his dad saw us making out and my pink face is now burning. Ugh, I hate blushing, it clashes so badly with my hair. Ashton walks us both over to where Fin and the kids are waiting. The kids are wearing fae clothes like we are, although they're noticeably a little more substantial. Not a lot, more like they're the same style but instead of being fashioned to be alluring or flattering, they're just meant to be flowy and comfortable. "What are you two doing here? I didn't know that you were visiting today." Ashton remarks with a friendly smile. Apparently he knows these children.

"Mama said that there was a HUMAN here. Raylee wanted to see her." The boy insists, sticking his nose into the air kind of haughtily. The little girl glares at him.

"It wasn't just me! You wanted to see the human too. Mama and her friend were talking and they said that cousin Ashton was holding the human girl's HAND! She also said that he saved the human girl's life using his magic." The little girl whirls to face me.

"Is that true? Did my cousin save your life? Robin said he didn't believe it. Cousin Ashton's magic doesn't heal people. But I think it would be terribly romantic if he saved you. So is the story right? Did he save you?" She asks eagerly. I'm a little overwhelmed. So these are apparently Ashton's cousins. It's got to be on his mum's side, they look a lot like Amelia. Apparently dark hair and horns run in the family. They don't have her gorgeous green eyes like Ashton does though. "Uh, yes? I suppose Ashton did use his magic to save my life." I glance at him for help and he smiles unhelpfully. I nudge him with my elbow and he relents.

"It isn't polite to interrogate my guests. You didn't even ask her name." Ashton scolds his cousins. The little girl (Raylee?) looks suitably chastened, but the boy, Robin, just crosses his arms over his chest defiantly.

"Sorry. I'm Raylee and this is my brother Robin. Ashton's mum is my mum's sister. What's your name and are you gonna marry my cousin?" The little girl asks with wide, innocent eyes. My jaw drops and Ashton glares. His face is red now too. Interesting how that question embarrassed him more than being caught making out by a couple of kids.

"Raylee!" He narrows his eyes at her and she yelps, clearly realising that she went too far. I blink and she's gone.

"Sorry Ashton, sorry human lady." her little voice says from behind me. I whirl around and find her ducking behind a chair. What the hell? How did she get all the way over there? I'm blinking in total confusion. Robin snorts out a laugh. "Hah! Don't you know magic when you see it? Humans can't do magic can they? That sounds boring." I'm starting to think Ashton's cousin is a bit of a snob. Oh well, he's young. I'm sure he'll grow out of it. Still, I decide to have a little fun with him.

"Who told you that? Humans can do VERY powerful magic. Something that no fae can do." I say, my tone imperious. The little boy's eyes widen in shock and awe.

"Really? What is it?" He asks eagerly. I smirk as I meet his eyes.

"We can lie. Now, I would like to start this introduction over again and I would like you to be polite this time. Both of you." I glance back at Raylee who is now sitting on the chair, swinging her legs over the edge. Ashton looks proud and Fin looks amused.

"So, my name is Katerina Fall. You may call me Kat. To answer your questions; yes I am human, yes Ashton did use magic to save my life. No humans do not use magic and yes we can lie. I do not know a lot about magic because I have never had much reason or opportunity to learn, just like you do not know much about humans. It is unkind of you to make fun of me for not knowing something. So, would you please explain to me what magic it is that your sister did? I would love to learn and you sound like you are an expert on the subject." I finish my speech with a bit of flattery. The kid is clearly embarrassed after my lecture, I'd prefer to give him a bit of a chance to save face. I give him a pleasant smile and wait for his response.

"Oh, uh, well... I guess I could explain. My sister and I have jumping magic. We can go from one spot to another. But because we aren't fully grown we can't go very far. Only a few steps away." He grumbles.

"Ah, but you're still growing. One day you will have a much better range I'm sure. But in the meantime, what have we told you about jumping through closed doors?" Ashton raises an eyebrow and Robin sighs. "Don't go through closed doors." He mumbles.

"Or?" Ashton pushes.

"Or mama will take our bedroom doors away." He sighs. Huh? I glance at Ashton who shrugs.

"In an attempt to teach them to respect other people's privacy, and to teach them the importance of locked doors, my aunt has banned jumping through closed doors. She has threatened to remove their own bedroom doors in the past insisting that if they don't let others have privacy then they shouldn't have any either." He explains.

"Ooh, harsh. But I suppose it is fair." I conclude. Raylee suddenly appears back in front of us. This 'jumping' thing is going to take some getting used to.

"You didn't answer all MY questions." She pouts. I have to think for a moment to work out what she's asking. Oh, she asked if I was going to marry her cousin.

"Oh. Well... We have not discussed anything like that." I answer awkwardly, kind of hoping Ashton will rescue me.

"I thought I might take Kat to see the horses. Do you want to come?" He offers, just completely changing the subject. I don't expect it to work, but unexpectedly the two children both smile with glee.

"YES PLEASE!" They both yell. Huh... I guess they're a little more easily distracted than I thought.noveldrama