If You Happen To Be Magic

"Piper wake up..." I wake up to see Chitter leaning over me. They brush their tail over my nose and I sneeze. "What's wrong with you Chitter?" I ask and brush an acorn out of my hair. "Wrong with me?!" Chitter squeals "Check the date Piper!" I look at the calendar. "Shoot!" I jump out of bed and Chitter flies across the room and clutches to a wall.

"It's a good thing I'm a flying squirrel otherwise that would had really hurt!" Chitter says. I sigh and begin doing my hair. "You aren't a flying squirrel, you're a normal squirrel." I say through a bobby pin. "Oh hey! Maybe that's why it hurt so dang much!" Chitter says and glares at me. "I'll make it up to you after the meeting." I say and finish putting my icey blue hair into a loose curly braid.

I stretch my wings. My wings stick out like a sore thumb in the human world but in the fairy world they're quite beautiful. They look like multicolored fly wings. The turquoise stem of the wings stretch out like vines or tree roots across the wings. The middles look like a starry night with iridescent purple stars. My wings usually need to be stretched after a long night.

I pull on my best dress. It looks much like a baby blue lolita dress with two holes for my wings. My wings slide through the holes as easily as my arms slide through the sleeves.

Chitter jumps on my shoulder and nessels there. I fix a stray strand of hair on his head. He sighs and paws me eagerly.

I rush out the door of my tiny hut and make my way above the canopy of trees. Going from bridge to bridge too preoccupied doing my makeup to use my wings.

I slide to a halt when I reach city hall almost knocking Chitter off my shoulder. The city hall is a pristine building. Though it is very overgrown and covered in rose filled vines it's beautiful. It is in the distinct shape of a circle to represent unity. I push the tall wooden doors open and slip inside hoping I go unnoticed which is almost impossible considering how big and loud the doors are.

The doors slam to a close behind me and I wince as every fairy in the room looks over at me. "Well, well, well, look who's late." Lolitile says in an annoyed voice "Piper take a seat next to Poss." He gestures to Poss.

Poss pats the seat next to him and I sit down uncomfortably. "You think our names will be called?" He whispers in my ear. "Perhaps but I've been eligible for four years and I'm not off with the Sprites." I say back. "Oh I only just became eligible last year." Poss says and ruds the back of his head.

"You're a nice kid, what did you do?" I ask. "It's not what I did. It's what I didn't do." He says. "You weren't able to perform a transportation spell?" I ask and he nods dully.

Lolitile raises his hand for silence. All the murmuring in the room ceases and he picks up a stack of files. He reads through them hastily and frowns. He looks up and smiles a smile so fake it twitches at the edges.

He sighs and begins. "Kilook you have your first mission." He says"There's a rogue fair on the four o five in the human world." Kilook stretches their wings and gets up. They grab the folder.

Lolitile reads through the rest of the letters as he does every week. I silently beg for him to say my name. "The last person as much as it pains me to say it," I'm at the edge of my seat "Is Piper."

I get up awkwardly and grab the folder. Once outside I read through the mission. Apparently there's a witch in the human world and I need to bring them here to be dealt with.

Once back in my hut I change my appearance. I magic my wings away. My blue hair turns into a dirty blonde. I keep my eyes the same light blue but decide to put glasses over them. My dress turns into a ratty tank top and torn jeans. My nails magicly receive a messy nail job making them look like a hot pink mess. I throw a band pin covered backpack over my shoulders and put a lollipop stick in my mouth for good measure.

I look in the mirror at a girl that's not me. I decide my name should be Kathy Taylor. I put my hair in a half-bun and put a bandaid over my nose. I magic freckles onto my face. I look into the mirror. I look like a normal-ish human teenager and not a teenage fairy.

Chitter frowns. "You look much better as a fairy Piper." He says. "I call it Kathy." I say. "Yeah well Kathy is so...how do I say quirky without hurting your feelings?" he says. I roll my eyes.

"Are you coming on this mission?" I ask. "Oh no way jose! Let's just say that kind of stuff is not my cut of the acorn!" He shrieks. I shrug. He nestles on my pillow counting to himself for some reason like he is doing a dance called The Sleepy Squirrel.

I fix my hair and vanish in a puff of smoke.

*

I sigh and tap my foot to the ground. I look at Tabby sitting on the window sill. "What's wrong Iris?" Tabby meows rubbing his black tail against the widow. He's a small black cat, but a good familiar nonetheless.

"Well I can't exactly explain it but I feel something magic." I say. "As far as I'm concerned you're the only magical thing in this world." Tabby says with a sigh. I know he's right but I get this feeling at the back of my neck that makes my skin spike.

Tabby looks through the window. "It's quite sunny out today." Tabby says gingerly. "Well yeah but my horoscope said it'll rain tomorrow so I would do your sunbathing today." I say. "All day every day." Tabby says and stretches.

I peek out the window. Tabby is right, it's a nice day. The sun rains down on my street and a girl strides down it. I stare at her for a minute and stumble backwards.

There's no denying it, that girl is a fairy.

*

I go down the street of a nice looking neighborhood trying to look as inconspicuous as fairily possible. I come to a beautiful house and take a deep breath.

I ring the doorbell and a tired looking woman answers the door. "Hiya!" I say "I'm Kathy, Iris' classmate. I'm doing a project with him!" The lady chuckles under her breath. "Nice to see Iris is making friends." She says with a grin "He's upstairs. Third door to the right, you can't miss it." I smile at her and walk up the stairs.

She was right when she said I can't miss it. Iris' door is covered in stickers. I knock on the door but no one answers.

I knock again. "Iris! It's me Kathy. I'm new at school and I was wondering if you would help me with a project." I say. I hear shuffling inside the room and the turn of the door knob.

A boy stands there. Dark blue hair falls lazily over his ocean blue eyes. His eye twitches rapidly and looks very annoyed. He wears a blue button up shirt and jeans. His hands fiddle with something behind his back (probably a wand to hex me). There's no denying it, that boy is a witch.

I decide to keep up my act just to confuse him. "Well hiya!" I say and his expression changes rapidly into confusion "I'm doing a project on witches for history mind helping me out? You seem to know a lot about them when I see you in class." He sighs slightly. "Um...sure." He says in a husky voice.

His room can't scream witch more. It's very goth looking with skulls and candles. There are books upon books on the walls. There is a black cat sitting on the window sill looking terrified of me.

I assume he already knows I'm a fairy which defeats the point of my costume but I keep up the charade.

"Your kitty doesn't seem to like me." I say "But then again I have a bad history with cats." The cat twitches his tail annoyingly.

"What I know so far is that in the old days witches were burned at the stake." I sit down and he sits down uncomfortably next to me "I think it's a little stupid but nevertheless it is history and history always stays true."

He gulps at my comments and looks at me wearingly."Um well witches as I feel it are uh misunderstood." Iris says but it won't help his case "If you have magic I think you should use it. Not that I'm saying magic is real but if I had it it would be stupid to not use it." I raise my eyebrow.

"Don't you hate how witches use their magic. Hexes and curses. I think that that kind of magic is a little dark for my taste." I say. He gulps and beads of sweat roll down his forehead. "I guess." He mumbles out of the side of his mouth.

I laugh sweetly. "But magic isn't real so it's a silly topic to talk about right?" I giggle. He hardly looks at me. "I suppose so." Iris says.

"Hmm your room looks quite witchy." I say trying to make him slip up " It even has a familiar." I gesture to the cat on the window sill.

"That's Tabby." He says quickly. "You named a black cat Tabby?" I ask holding in a laugh. "It's unique isn't it?" He asks. I nod.

"You ever wonder what it's like to be a witch?" I ask him. He shakes his head "Not really." This kid is getting on my nerves. "I have." I say simply and look at him eagerly. He shows no signs of cracking besides his nervous fidgeting.

This kid is making me crack. I can feel my face burning and my mouth twitching. I can't do it anymore. "You can drop the act." I say quietly "I know you're a witch half pint."

he smiles slightly. "Oh yeah?" He asks. I roll my eyes "Of course." I say and slowly turn back into myself with only the hairdo, freckles, and band aid left.

"If I am what'll you do?" Iris asks "Burn me at the stake?”He sounds brave but I hear a hint of panic. "Maybe." I say "As you probably know by now, I'm a fairy in the Sprite class. I keep magic from the world of humans and you kid are chock full of magic."

"Aren't you a kid too?" Iris asks. I think. "Not in this world." I say "I'm about ten thousand years old here." Iris chuckles under his breath.

"I'd like you to know I'm not going anywhere." He says. "Oh you don't have a choice." I say. "I'm afraid I do." He says and a small blue flame appears in his hand.

"Hexes and curses, they aren't my cup of tea." I say. "Ha ha." Iris laughs through his teeth "You're a very smart fairy but you'll never catch me and if you do you won't find me guilty."

"Dang it Chitter." I say under my breath "You would have been real helpful right about now."

We both circle each other waiting for the other make the first move. I'll win either way. He has almost no chance of winning.

He throws the fire at me but I duck and disappear in a puff of smoke. I reappear behind him. I jump on top of him and hold his hands behind his back.

"I would say this won't hurt but it really will." I say. With the snap of my fingers we're both back in my hut.

 Chitter jumps. "Can't anyone get any sleep here!" he squeals "Y'all smell like cat! Out out out!" I roll my eyes. "Butt out Chitter!" I yell at him.

I reach out my hand and rope materializes out of thin air. I tie it around Iris' wrists and pull him up. "You might have caught me but you won't win." He says.

Chitter kicks the door open. "Yeah yeah yeah please just literally tell it to the judge." He says half-heartedly "Get out! Out out out!" he hits Iris with his paw while I shove him out the door.

"Don't fairies use magic?" He asks. "Yup." I say "Your point?" He laughs under his breath. "Technically you can't really charge me for anything." He says "You kidnapped me and I only used magic to defend myself. I don't curse people nor do I hex them."

I eye him suspiciously. "As I said, your point?" I ask him again. "My point is, I have no idea why you tied me up." He says "I might be a witch, but you have no crimes against me. In fact, I've only used magic for good." I scoff. "What happens to you is not for me to decide." I say.

"Nice place you got here." Iris says "Though I'd would love to know how we got here." I don't answer knowing nothing I say will help.

I rush him to the Sprite center. It is a sturdy building and the only one not covered in vines. I open the doors.

"Eep!" A girl inside squeals "I don't know what it is but for some reason whenever a witch comes in here it freaks me out!" She twists her hair around her finger. "This one looks well...mmm...odd." She says "They're normally very rude old ladys."

"Thank goodness you brought um him so quickly." She says "With the new Sprite system it's hard to keep up. Doing trials right after the witch is caught to ensure that they don't have a chance to escape. I'm sorry to say that you must attend their stupid trial. I don't think we've had a single witch not guilty of their crimes, apparently Pixie paperwork never lies. Us Fay don't know what we're even doing here anymore."

I nod quickly and half drag Iris into the courtroom. "We've been waiting, what took you so long?" The judge, a chubby fairy with wings to tiny for his body asks. "It's only been," I check my watch "fifty four minutes." The judge smiles. "Well then Miss.Smartypants have a seat." I sit down.

"Iris Faye you have accused of being a witch." The judge begins bitterly once Iris sits down "How do you plead?" Iris is barely listening. "Guilty." He says "I am a witch, and that is why I can't stay here long." The judge rolls his eyes. "Is that so." He mocks. "Yup." Iris says "I'll get out of my restraints and knock out both guards by the door. Then I'll go back to the human realm or stay here but either way I'll escape and let me just say you won't catch me again."

Before the judge can answer Iris holds up his freed hands.

He throws powder into the faces of both the guards. They fall to the ground with a thud. He kicks the door open. Iris turns around and bows. "Now I say goodbye." he says and disappears in a puff of smoke.