Page 3 of Wings of Reverie

Slush hopped off his snowboard first, wearing his usual laid-back smile. He was a glacier-talent fairy, but from the wild state of his hair and clothes, he didn’t look much like he’d been practicing. “Where were you boarding?” Spike yelled, hands cupped around her mouth. “The Drift? Snow Globe Mountain?”

Slush made a face, jamming his beanie on over his hair. “Yeah, right. If I wanted to wipe out that hard, I might as well head over to Skull Rock.”

Their other friend, Sled, was an animal-talent fairy, pale with dark hair and a natural charm that never let him down. From the animal fur all over his shirt, he looked like he and Fletcher had been saying goodbye to Sled’s favorite family of rabbits near Snowcap Glade.

And Fletcher…Well.

He’d essentially clapped eyes on Periwinkle at his Arrival and decided he’d seen enough to fall for her. Periwinkle was still deciding what she thought of this.

“Serious question,” Spike said, turning to Periwinkle. “Does Fletcher ever stop smiling?”

“Come on, Spike. Fletcher’s…nice.” Periwinkle winced at the strain in her own voice.

“He’s like a puppy,” Spike said. “But I guess if you want someone to stare at you adoringly, follow you around wherever you go, and slobber all over you—”

“This metaphor is getting really weird,” Periwinkle interrupted.

“You’re inevitable,” Spike said. “It’s boring.He’sboring. Butyou’re pretty, and he’s pretty, and we all know it’s going to happen, so. Whatever makes you happy.”

As Gliss and the guys crossed the glade back toward her and Spike, Periwinkle tried to study Fletcher objectively.

Objectively, he was handsome. Gold hair, green eyes, fair skin, sturdy build. Fletcher was an icicle-talent, popular for being straightforward and cheerful—pleasant, always, with everyone.

Pleasant. Handsome. She might as well have been talking about the weather, or a really friendly animal.

There was another thing, too. Periwinkle dreamed about her friends all the time—Spike and Gliss, and Dewey, the Keeper who oversaw the Hall of Winter. Sled and Slush showed up sometimes, too.

She hadn’t dreamed about Fletcher even once. And yet she felt somehow like she was just drifting toward him, like a glacier in a long slow slide.

“Hear me out,” Gliss said, spreading her hands as her smile spread across her face.

“No,” Spike said. “No. The guys aren’t invited.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to invite them over,” Gliss began.

“Good.” Periwinkle gave a sigh of relief. She turned to explain to Slush and Sled, doing her best to avoid looking at Fletcher, who’d come to stand beside her. “Tonight’s our last girls’ night before we head to the Mainland. We’re going to talk, cuddle up with our snacks, do frosty eye masks, go to sleep early—”

“Gliss said you guys might come to that snowflake prep partyin Juniper Glade,” Fletcher said, giving an open, friendly smile. “It could be fun.”

Gliss winced, looking guilty. Periwinkle gave her a long-suffering stare.

She’d gotten an invitation, of course. Periwinkle was always getting invitations. And the prep parties were fun.

But Periwinkle had had a long fall season, and she’d planned for an evening in with her best friends.

She’d also been counting on a long night of dreaming.

“Peri, you know we don’t have to go tonight if you don’t want to,” Spike said. She was squinting curiously at Periwinkle, like something was just dawning on her.

Gliss held up a hand. “Um, yes she does?” And then she and Spike were at it, quicker than anyone but Periwinkle could follow, and she couldn’t help laughing.

“So.” Fletcher looked down at her. “What do you think? It could be fun to hang out.”

His eyes really were a nice shade of green.

When Periwinkle gave a polite smile and a nod, his answering smile was sunshine-brilliant. “I guess,” she said. “If everyone else wants to.”

It was all she could think to say. Because Fletcher was asking her about the party, but he was asking her about more than that, too.