Millie moved and danced with her eyes closed and a serene smile on her lips, her body flowing gracefully with the enchanting rhythm. Eliza gasped as Millie licked her exposed arms and silver fingertips sensually.

 

All around her, the fairies’ chanting seemed to heighten in response to Millie’s actions. Eliza sensed a dangerous hunger growing rapidly with the silver creatures. Something grand, and familiar was about to happen. The drums beat faster and the circle of fairies tightened around Millie. Eliza struggled to remember what happened next. You can even watch if you want to, the fairy had told her, a large smile on her lips.

 

Eliza wasn’t sure what the fairy had meant but she knew now that it wasn’t going to be pretty.
Without another thought, Eliza leapt into the tiny circle and wrapped her arms around Millie, trying to shield her on all sides from the silver mouths and glowing eyes.

 

Immediately, the songs cut off and hostile cries and whispers surrounded them as the fairies
barred their pointed teeth. Move away, angry voices screamed in her mind. Eliza held on tighter. This isn’t how it’s done. Move away or suffer the same fate, the numerous voices growled ferociously.

 

“Millie? Millie, please snap out of it! Snap out of it, we have to run!” Eliza cried, grabbing her
friend by the shoulders and shaking her. “Millie!”

 

It took a moment for Millie to respond, but slowly her friend began to come to life under Eliza’s
hold and her eyelids flickered. At last she opened her eyes and stared back at Eliza. Eliza screamed at the top of her lungs and fell away from Millie with a muted thud as the wet earth swallowed her. This couldn’t be real.

Instead of her beautiful blue eyes, Millie stared back at Eliza with unseeing silver discs. The
lovely color had been completely bleached out and she resembled one of the fairies, with no pupils, no sign of humanity within.

 

“Millie?” Eliza whispered, afraid to move or run. “Millie, what happened?” Relying on her
hearing now, Millie’s head turned and angled downward to where Eliza sat on the damp grass.

 

Millie titled her neck; her long brown hair was now streaked with silver and cascaded over her face. “Millie, please, it’s me. It’s Liza. I’m here to take you back. You need help, Millie,” Eliza cried.

 

Millie remained silent, but the angry fairies voiced their infuriated rants directly at Eliza. What
have you done? Get away, get out of the realm! The ritual must continue! You have done your part; let us finish what must be done!

 

The fairies snapped their teeth together, edging closer and closer to where the two girls waited.

 

Eliza shook her head, desperate to stop the chilling words weaving through her mind. She rose and took a careful step toward Millie, reached out and took her friend’s hand in hers.

 

“Millie, I need you to run. I need you to trust me,” Eliza whispered, scanning the area around
them for any sign of an escape back to the orphanage. The shrubs were nowhere in sight but that didn’t matter. They would do what they did last time, run until they made it out. Don’t take her, Eliza. You know what will happen if you try. You do this every time. Just get away from her!

 

“Now! Run Mills!” Eliza screamed, shouting over the hundreds of voices pouring through her.

 

She dashed through the thick screen of silver bodies blocking them in, keeping a firm grip on
Millie. Eliza propelled the two of them through the silver realm, joy filling her as she realized the fairies weren’t swarming after them. The feeling was abruptly diminished by the sudden weight of dread dropping into her stomach. Eliza looked back at her friend. A few fairies trailed behind her, suspended in the air like brilliant silver stars.

 

Fear clutched Eliza’s heart as the fairies whispered once more in her head. We told you, Eliza.
Say goodbye to your friend. The poison cannot be stopped; they said, their lips pulling back wickedly to reveal needle-like teeth. Eliza looked around for any sign of an approaching attacker, her eyes settling at last on Millie. Her blind friend was staring at her with an odd expression, like an animal sniffing the air for prey. Fear made Eliza drop Millie’s hand and she took a step back, the hair on the back of her neck spiking.

 

“Millie?”

 

Without pause, Millie snarled viciously and lunged at Eliza, her hands outstretched like claws.
Caught off-guard, Eliza stumbled back and Millie collided with her, sending them both sprawling to the ground. The sound of gnashing teeth and rabid breathing filled the night air and Eliza struggled to fight her friend off her.

 

“Millie, stop! Stop it!” Eliza screamed, but her pleas did nothing to stem the aggressive
onslaught Millie unleashed. All around her, Eliza felt her skin shred and break as Millie’s sharp nails sliced through it and the terrifying sound of clicking teeth became the new soundtrack as Millie tried to latch onto any skin she could find. There was no way to get Millie off without hurting her. Eliza whimpered as she pulled back her arm and let her fist fly, connecting solidly with Millie’s nose. The unexpected hit sent Millie rolling backward, giving Eliza time to jump to her feet. “Millie, please, calm down!” Eliza shrieked as her friend righted herself and snarled like a wild animal in her direction. “Millie, no!”

 

Eliza’s cries did nothing and Millie sprinted toward her with a frightening burst of speed. Eliza
turned and ran as fast as she could, her feet somehow acquiring an unnatural grace, maneuvering over the sinking ground and treacherous tree roots. The silver foliage began to disappear, turning a natural green. Eliza kept running, desperate to find the tall shrubs.
Finally, after a hard five minutes, Eliza caught a glimpse of the orphanage roof line and relief
filled her. Her lungs burned as she inhaled the cold night air and her legs felt like rubber bands. Just a little further and she would be safe. The towering shrubs loomed above her and Eliza gritted her teeth and dove through, closing her eyes against the cutting branches and sharp leaves.

 

Her body hit the ground with a solid thud and the air exploded out of her lungs with a giant
whoosh. Her body screamed at her to stop, but the fear of what was chasing her was stronger.
Desperate to reach the open yard, Eliza clawed at the dirt and dead pine needles, pulling her body out of the swamp. Her muscles protested with the effort, until at last Eliza wiggled her torso free.

Pulling her legs out from underneath the shrubs, she felt a sharp pain stab her calves. Glancing
over her shoulder, Eliza screamed as Millie’s solid silver eyes flashed before her, along with her gaping mouth.

​

“Millie, no! Please!”

Eliza cried, tears pouring from her eyes. It was too much, too much. Eliza had no more energy
left to keep running. Behind her, Millie continued to snarl and growl maliciously, pulling her back inch by inch under the cover of the shrubs. Eliza grabbed at the earth in front of her, but the yard was once again dry and brittle and the hay broke apart in her fingers, leaving her with nothing but dust to hold onto.

 

“Help! Please help me!” Eliza bellowed at the top of her lungs, but the sound that came out was
barely above a whisper as her fear overtook her. Eliza could feel Millie’s sharp, jagged nails cut and slice into her bare legs as she was pulled further and further back under the shrubs.
She envisioned the horrible death that awaited her on the other side. Hurried footsteps
slammed against the hard, dry earth. Eliza looked up from the dust and saw Sister Emily rushing toward her, the police right behind her.

“Eliza?” Sister Emily called out. “Eliza!”

“Help me! Sister Emily, please!” Eliza choked out, sobbing, trying one last time to grasp a dead
root or something to keep her from disappearing to the other side.

“Hold on! Just hold on!” the nun cried. She waved one hand wildly toward Eliza, motioning the
police force forward. “Get her out! There, she’s right there!”