“Knock, knock,” I said as I knocked on the boat that Jed and Fred were messing around on. The brothers looked up and frowned. My smile disappeared as I noticed the twins’ expressions. Lily sent a wave of love and acceptance to me that bolstered my courage. The pixie was trailing behind me.

“What do you want Jase?” Fred asked.

“I thought we could talk. We haven’t seen each other since the mayor had summoned me a week ago.”

The brothers exchanged another look. “We’ve been busy and spending our free time with our fiancés,” Fred replied.

“We’re busy now too,” Jed added.

“You don’t look busy.”

“Well, we are.”

“Come on. We’ve known each other and been friends basically all our lives,” I said.

“Things change,” Fred replied. “Look Jase, you’re already shunned because you don’t have a familiar.”

“But…”

“But nothing. We don’t want to associate with, much less be friends with someone that will be an outcast soon enough,” Jed said bluntly.

I think my heart broke then. “But I have a familiar,” I muttered. As I said that, Jim’s osprey dived out of the sky claws extended.

I ducked, but I wasn’t the target. Lily had moved up closer to me. I spun as I felt her fear spike. She dodged the flying predator and threw something at it. The familiar crashed into the ground and beat its tail against the sand.

“Link!” Jed screamed in alarm.

“Lily, are you alright?” I asked as I stood.

“That’s what you get you stupid overgrown chicken! I’m not a snack!” Lily yelled out loud at the osprey.

Fred’s eyes widened in alarm as his familiar took flight. “Pixies can talk?”

“Who cares. Look what it did to Link!” Jed retorted rushing past me to the osprey to check on his familiar.

Lily flew to me and landed on my open left hand. I cupped my right hand around her and pulled the pixie close. “I’m fine! Thank you for the concern.”

“Good. Lily, you spoke out loud!”

“Oops!” my familiar replied as she flew up and sat on my right shoulder. The osprey took flight and landed on a stand a few feet away. It watched Lily intently.

“So, it’s true. You really are a freak,” Fred said. “Leave now. We don’t want to have anything to do with you ever again.”

I felt motion behind me and spun as Lily took flight. Jed had tried to grab her off my shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“If I catch that pixie, I’m going to rip its wings off!” Jed exclaimed.

“Lily is a girl, not an it.”

“I don’t care. You better leave before I decide to avenge what the pixie did to my Link on you!” Jed said. Fred grabbed his brother’s arm.

“Don’t. Dad will not want to piss off his mother because we need her potions and salves.”

“You’re right,” Jed told his brother. He pushed me hard in the chest. “Leave before I punch you anyway.”

“Alright,” I replied. “Come on Lily.” I turned and walked away from the two people that I had thought would be friends for life.

*

“I know their rejection hurt you. Do you want to talk about it?” Lily asked from my left shoulder as I walked back home.

“No,” I answered wiping a tear from my cheek. Lily kissed my cheek.

“I won’t push you to then but know I will always be here for you and will never leave you.”

“Thanks Lily. I really appreciate that.”

“I know. I can feel your emotions,” the pixie replied.

“And I can feel yours. I sense your love for me and the mischievousness in you at the moment. What do you have in mind?”

“Just a prank on those two and their familiars,” Lily answered with all the innocence she could muster. She reminded me of a small child then, so I laughed. She laughed as well.

“Please don’t. I don’t want to give them another reason to not want to have anything to do with me.”

“Ok. I won’t do anything to do,” Lily replied.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” the pixie said. She said in a whisper, “I’ll have other pixies do it for me.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing!”

“Uh huh,” I replied. I decided to let it go. “What did you do to the osprey?”

“I shot it with magic! A spark to be exact.”

“Spark? Like fireballs?” I asked. I saw Lily nod her head in the affirmative from the corner of my eye. “You can shoot fireballs?”

“All pixies can. We can also use other magic,” Lily proudly proclaimed and let me change the subject.

“Like what?”

“Oh, this and that.”

“Give me a hint at least.”

“Telekinesis is a main branch of magic we do,” Lily answered.

“Moving things with your minds?”

“Yep! We do most things by hand, but we use magic when we don’t want to get caught. That’s rare though. Most of the time we don’t care if people see us since it adds to the fun!”

“Are there any more pixie secrets I should know about?”

“Probably!” Lily answered flying up and circling my head.

“And you’re not going to tell me, are you?”

“Nope! It’ll more fun for you to learn them as we go!”

“Why do I feel I might regret that?” I asked as I opened the back door to our house. Lily giggled in answer.

“Regret what?” dad asked as he and mom looked up from the kitchen table.

“Pixie secrets,” I answered.

“Why don’t you explain that?” mom asked. I got some juice and a straw. I sat with them and for the next little while I explained what had happened and what I chatted with Lily about.

“Well, the pixie magic and secrets are probably nothing to worry about since they are naughtier and more playful than anything else,” dad said when I finished. Lily sipped from the straw. He shared a look with my mother. “The falling out with your friends is something else though.”

“You think it’s just the start for me being ostracized from the village?” I asked.

Dad nodded in agreement. He shared another look with mom. “Jase, you’re an adult now and it might be best if you move.”

“Why do you say that?”

“We’ve both heard grumblings from several others since the day of the choosing,” mom said. She reached for my left hand and gave it a squeeze. “There is talk of kicking you out of the village.”

I felt like I had been punched in the gut once more. Lily flew up and landed on my right shoulder. She hugged my neck and kissed my cheek while sending love my way. I reached up and gently patted her back.

“They can’t do that!”

“They can, son. As I said, you’re an adult now.”

“You would let them?” I asked in disbelief.

“We couldn’t stop them,” dad replied. “All we could do is go with you.”

“Why don’t we move then?”

“Because we hoped you would leave and make your own way in the world.”

“That’s cold.”

“No dear. That is life,” mother replied with a sad smile on her face. “We both left our parents when we came of age. As your father said, we hoped you would continue the tradition.”

“You do dream of leaving this place,” Lily interjected quietly. I nodded in agreement.

“I know. It’s just…”

“Not something you really planned on,” dad concluded. I nodded in agreement again.

“I’ve been sending messages to friends and family in other villages,” mom said. “Some of those villages should want or need a new alchemist.”

“But I’m not ready,” I objected. Lily, mom, and dad laughed. Kyra and Rust made sounds that might have been laughter too. “What?”

“You’re more knowledgeable in alchemy than anybody either of us have ever met at your age,” dad said.

“I’ve taught you almost everything I know,” mom added. “You’re far more ready than I was at your age when I started working on my own.”

“Ok,” I said after taking a deep breath and realizing that me leaving might be for the best. I really couldn’t blame my folks for not wanting to leave their home after thinking about it a little. “How long until you hear back from your messages?”

“Hopefully just a few more days,” mom answered while giving my hand another squeeze. “Now, let’s fix lunch.”

“And get more juice!” Lily said. She burped. “I drank the whole cup.”