Half and Half

Dawn looked at the boy, startled by his loud words.

“Um... my name is Dawn, and I’m looking for a pixie family that could help me,” Dawn said. The boy laughed excitedly.

“My mama got a message from the Queen!” He said, jumping up and down. “The Queen said to expect a pretty girl with sunny hair! An’ freckles, too!”

Dawn looked at the little boy in bewilderment. Alinar climbed out of Dawn’s bag and looked up at the little boy in surprise.

“Well, could you lead me to your mother?” Dawn asked. The boy nodded, grabbed Dawn’s hand, and then pulled her towards a black house with a pure white roof. There was a woman pixie outside, wearing a soft coral pink dress, and she was putting a rose plant inside a large pot.

“Mama!” The little boy cried out. The woman looked up, and Dawn saw her face. She had black, wavy hair that hung down to her shoulders, and her expression was kind.

“Yes, Akela?” The woman asked.

“I found the girl! The one the Queen told ya about!” He dragged Dawn over to the woman, who smiled at Dawn and shook her hand.

“Hello,” she said. “My name is Adela Titanbraid. The Queen said you would come here.” Dawn looked at the Adela and sighed.

“Nice to meet you. Where am I, exactly? And how can you help me?”

“You’re in Mixed-up Meadow,” Adela said.

“Why is it called that?”

“It’s not because it’s odd, or messy,” Adela said. “It’s because there are a mix of races living here. There are some fairies and some pixies, all living together.” Dawn stared at Adela, with her mouth half-open.

“But...but what about the big war? All the pixies and the fairies fighting against each other?” Adela frowned at Dawn.

“That’s not true. The humans were fighting against both the fairies and the pixies, and they fought back, but not at each other,” Adela said. Then Dawn frowned.

“That can’t be right,” she said slowly, recalling every bit of information she had learned at school on the war. “There were a lot of people who said that the fairies killed some pixies.” Adela nodded.

“Yes that is true, but it’s not their fault. Come inside? I’ll tell you what you need to know.” Dawn nodded and followed Adela inside the house, with Akela following. He had found Alinar, and was holding him inside cupped hands, preventing his escape. Alinar did not look very pleased with the situation.

Inside the house was very, very simple. It was one large, square room, with a large bed in one corner, and three smaller beds side by side in another corner. There was a cooking stove and a brick counter with bowls of fruits and vegetables on top. There was also a table with five chairs, a couple boxes, and a metal bookshelf.

Sitting on one green bed was another pixie, who was about Dawn’s age. She had wavy brown hair and dark eyes, which were behind purple glasses. She had a book open on her lap, and looked up when Dawn came in.

There was also a circular mat on the floor, and on top of it was a girl (also a pixie) who had curly nut-brown hair and a toothy grin. She was missing her two top teeth, and she was playing with two dolls woven from grass.

“Girls, this is Dawn,” Adela said. The older girl put down her book and went over to Dawn.

“Hello. My name is Seda. We got a message from--”

“The Queen?” Dawn interrupted without meaning to. Seda looked taken aback, but quickly smiled.

“Yes, from the Queen.” Then the younger girl came over and hid behind Seda, looking shy.

“And this is Chara,” Adela said. Then she spotted Akela, dangling Alinar by one foot. She gasped.

“Akela! What in the world are you doing with that...thing?” Akela looked up.

“I dunno what he is. What is he?” Dawn resisted the urge to laugh, as Adela looked terrified, as she had never seen an elf before.

“He’s my friend, Alinar. He’s looking for his sister in Pixie Grove, so we’re travelling together. He’s an Elf,” Adela looked curious.

“I thought Elves were only in myths. Akela, put the nice Elf down please.” Reluctantly, Akela dropped Alinar, who scurried off and climbed into Dawn’s bag, hiding himself under her dress. Dawn giggled.

“Alright, now we can--” Adela was interrupted when she heard the sound of somebody knocking on the door. She sighed, opened it, and a man came inside. He had dark skin, and black hair with whiskers. He wore a black T shirt and black pants, and was carrying a black case.

“Dawn, this is my husband, Jerek," Adela said. Dawn smiled at Jerek. He went over to a small desk Dawn had not noticed before, and began to write something on a piece of paper.

"Alright, sit down please," Adela said. Dawn sat down on the small dining table. Adela sat down across from her.

"Now, to get to Pixie Grove you'll have to use the Box," she said. Dawn raised an eyebrow.

"What's the Box?" She asked.

"Pixies use the Box to transport to other pixie lands. The Queen asked us to help you, because we are one of the few out there that would let a fairy use their Box," Adela replied.

"I don't know if I'm a fairy or not. That's what I'm trying to find out. And thank you for letting me use your--um, box. Could you tell me how it works?" asked Dawn.

"Well, we have a secret room underground," explained Adela. "Inside there's a large box big enough for a grown person to get inside. Every Box is connected, and you can travel from one Box to another--it's complicated to explain, but you'll see. Anyways, Pixie Grove is very enclosed. Only a pixie can get in there, using their Box." Dawn nodded, and then she remembered how hungry she was.

"Excuse me, Adela, but I'm very hungry--so is Alinar. I kind of lost my basket on the way here," Dawn said.

"I'll get you something to eat. Hang on, what's wrong with your wing?" Adela had gotten up from the table and spotted the absence of one wing on Dawn's back.

"I was flying to the West Road, and then I crashed into a tree. My wing was hanging from a branch, and I couldn't reach. Is there any way I can fix it?" Dawn asked hopefully. Adela hesitated.

"I'm sure there is a way," she said. "I've had my fair share of fixing scraped knees and all that, but I haven't had a chance to mend a broken wing." Dawn nodded sadly. Adela went over to her small kitchen area and started to chop something. Dawn looked around and saw that Seda and Chara were whispering together in the corner. Dawn walked over to them cautiously.

"Hello," Chara said. She was not so shy now.

"Hi," Dawn replied. Akela went over to the corner and started to sing:

"BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP HAVE YOU ANY WOLF! YES SIR YES SIR TREE BAGS FULL. ONE FOR THE SISTER, ONE FOR THE BROTHER, AND ONE FOR THE DANGEROUS AND ONE FOR THE FINE!" Dawn gasped and covered her ears. Seda noticed them.

"Are you a pixie or a fairy?" she asked Dawn.

"I'm not very sure. That's why I'm going to Pixie Grove, to find out what I am." Seda nodded.

Adela brought Dawn a bowl of salad and some avocado toast, which she shared with Alinar. Then Adela walked her over to a small trapdoor under the circular mat.

She pressed a black button and it opened. Dawn went down and found herself inside a very small room, with creamy walls. Inside the middle was a very large rectangular box. It was made from wood, and there were gold carvings on it.

"This Box is very old," Adela said. "It's been in our family for five hundred years. All you have to do is get inside. Then think very hard about the place you want to go." Dawn nodded and opened the lid on the box. The inside was lined with red cloth.

"Thank you for helping me!" Dawn waved to Adela as she climbed into the box with Alinar. She lay down and closed the door. It was dark inside, and smelled of mothballs. She took a breath and thought hard:

I want to go to Pixie Grove! She thought hard with all her might. Then there was a feeling, as if someone was pulling her hair. Then there was a whooshing feeling, as if she was zooming down a long tube, although she was still inside the box. When the feeling stopped, Dawn cautiously opened the box.