Margaret Thornbury's Arc

Chapter 3 of 5

They read the papers at Margaret's kitchen table. Theo held the folder like a shield. His scowl never left his face. Each page named the Quiet Cul-de-Sac Bungalow. Each page carried a signature Margaret had never made. Outside, under the flowering tree, the winged fae watched through the window. She did not blink. Margaret understood. The trade was still moving. If she did nothing, the house would finish passing hands, and Theo's family would lose everything. "These aren't real," Margaret said. "I never signed. I never bought a thing." "The paper says you did." Theo tapped the page. His voice was flat and tired. "Papers don't lie. People do." "A fae did this." Margaret pointed at the window. "She's collecting a price for a wish I refused. Your home is the price." Theo followed her finger. He saw the small gold figure in the roots. His arms uncrossed. For a moment his anger cracked into fear. Margaret stood. She walked outside, and Theo followed. The fae folded her bright wings and smiled. "You brought your bill inside," the fae said. "How sweet." "The bargain needs two," Margaret said. "You told me so. One thing I own but don't use, taken for a man who spins me around. But I never got the man. You started taking before I agreed. That breaks your own terms." The fae's smile thinned. "I only need your yes." "You need the trade to complete." Margaret's heart pounded. "No man came. No spin. No wish granted. So there's nothing to pay for. Give it back, or you owe me a debt you can't fill." The fae's wings stiffened. Her bright eyes went hard. She glanced at the papers in Theo's hands, then at the tree, then back at Margaret. A long silence stretched. "Clever mortal," the fae said at last. "You leave me holding an empty bargain." She raised one gold-marked hand. The papers in Theo's grip curled and browned. They crumbled to gray ash and blew across the yard. The signatures went with them. Theo stared at his empty hands. "They're gone." "The house is yours again," the fae said. She looked at Margaret with cold respect. "But wishes don't forget. You still want your storybook. I remember every word." Her wings opened. She sank into the roots and vanished. Margaret let out a breath. Theo turned to her. His scowl was gone. In its place was something new, something unsure. "You could have kept quiet," he said. "Let it happen. Gotten your wish." "I don't want a home that isn't mine," Margaret said. "Or a love that costs one." Theo looked at her for a long moment. Then, slowly, he set his shoulders back. "My family owes you a supper. At least." Margaret smiled. The bargain was broken. But the fae's promise still hung in the air, waiting.