Local-news.ca is thrilled to present part four of Mia Greene’s serial novel, titled Party of Misfits. In a nod to the literary traditions of the Victorian era, where renowned authors like Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins captivated readers with serialized narratives, we bring you a modern twist on this classic form. Our talented writer Mia is a Burlington high school student and one of last year’s Burlington Public Library short story contest winners. Set in the contemporary world, Mia’s monthly installments of Party of Misfits will whisk you away into an enchanted fantasy realm. Join us on this literary adventure as we unfold the pages of Party of Misfits exclusively on Local-news.ca, where tradition meets the digital age, and storytelling takes on a whole new dimension.
To start from the beginning, read Part 1 of Party of Misfits: click here. For the previous installment, Part 4, click here.
Party of Misfits: Part 5
Parasitic Thoughts
Thanking Thalia for her warm hospitality, Aarwyn tried her very best to nestle on top of the couch in Thalia’s home and sleep.
Walking through Thalia’s burrow a few moments ago had earned her a laugh, as Aarwyn had to bend down significantly to be able to enter the home carved inside of a hill. The plush couch with a fluffy blanket that Thalia had provided for Aarwyn was a tad small for her frame, though she tried to get as cozy as possible while the thought of sleep teased her playfully. Thalia had offered her bed to Aarwyn, though Aarwyn politely declined. She had started to regret that choice just a little bit as the inability to fully stretch out her legs made itself known.
Aarwyn closed her eyes, moonlight streaming in through the singular open window above the kitchen sink, the faint chatter of pixies still awake outside filling her ears. Expecting to fall asleep right away as this new-to-her world had overwhelmed her tired brain, Aarwyn grew frustrated after tossing and turning a zillion times, never once feeling comfortable enough to relax.
Sure, the tiny couch wasn’t the best way to achieve quality sleep for Aarwyn, but the real thing distracting her from rest was her annoyingly awake mind, prodding her with endless thoughts like a small child with a squeaky voice and runny nose.
Aarwyn was still in shock over the fact that she wasn’t at home in her own bed right now, unable to fall asleep due to the dread of tomorrow’s work day. In a way, she felt lighter not being in the “mortal world,” as the fae called it, and excited to be exploring a new setting — after all, how many people got the chance to see a whole new world?
As she tried to settle her body and mind on the too-short couch, Aarwyn’s mind kept trailing back to Mother Mab’s words from earlier about the long-lost elf princess. Questions with answers Aarwyn knew she couldn’t possibly find kept flooding her brain, pushing those mental gears in fruitless circles.
The familiar itch of fingers aching to write soon began to greet Aarwyn, and eventually, she pushed herself up from the couch, stretched her legs and stood to go find Thalia. Aarwyn scanned Thalia’s night sky-clad living area for paper. Did they even have paper in Eyuviell? Aarwyn wondered. Giving up quickly, Aarwyn walked into the hall where she had seen Thalia disappear earlier, just after bidding Aarwyn a good night and explaining that should Aarwyn need anything, Thalia’s bedroom would be the first and only door to the right. Thalia was probably thinking Aarwyn might need an extra blanket or something, and Aarwyn felt awful to disrupt her rest, but she would rip her own hair out if she didn’t get some paper and a pen immediately.
She was nervous to disturb Thalia, but something about the tale of the lost elf princess and Elme Alora was itching her mind, propelling her to Thalia’s bedroom door. In all she had heard and seen today, for some reason, it was the missing princess and the queen’s odd surrender to her daughter’s unknown fate that was somehow compelling her to find more information. Aarwyn felt like there was an elusive clue that kept slipping away from her consciousness, and that putting everything to paper might allow her to finally grip an answer tightly in her hands.
“Thalia?” Aarwyn rapped quietly on the oak wood door.
Thalia opened the door, and Aarwyn sheepishly asked for paper and a writing utensil. Thalia seemed confused but didn’t question Aarwyn in the slightest. She went to a drawer in her room and pulled out a few coffee-colour-soaked pages and a delicate feather-quill pen, handing them to Aarwyn with a sleepy smile.
The second Aarwyn sat back down on Thalia’s plush couch, her hand guided the pen to the paper, and she wrote without picking up the pen from the page once. It was a stream of consciousness — Aarwyn releasing her myriad jumbled thoughts onto paper, everything from the moment she had arrived in Eyuviell to reminiscences of her childhood — there seemed to be no rhythm or rhyme to it. She recalled how she used to journal like this frequently, and how every time she had done it, it was the greatest feeling of relief and relaxation. There wasn’t anyone to judge her thoughts or how she was feeling, especially while she worked to put them in order. Journalling now again, Aarwyn was glad for the familiarity and sense of comfort in a world where she knew absolutely nothing. It had been a while since Aarwyn had pulled out the hardcover maroon journal she kept in her nightstand, and writing on Thalia’s crinkled paper wasn’t exactly the same, but it would have to do for the time being.
Time passed rapidly as Aarwyn attempted to sort out her thoughts and questions regarding the mystery of the long-lost elf princess with what little information she had. Frowning, she came to the conclusion that the mystery would not be solved overnight, nor should it be her mystery to solve. Mother Mab’s eyes had looked cold when she explained how Queen Aelin shut down the expedition of the group of elves who had gone searching for her daughter. Aarwyn had no standing in Eyuviell to show disrespect to the Queen, she thought, but she also felt deeply that she could not just leave the fae, who had shown her so much love, to a world that had the possibility of turning dark under the rule of Prince Zaos.
She felt the urge to talk to Prince Zaos immediately, to figure out what exactly his plans were once he was king but laughed sadly at the realization that she couldn’t do that. He was a prince, and she was just a mortal girl he didn’t know — nothing she ever said would alter whatever decisions he held in his elven palms.
Maybe though, just maybe, someone else might have more answers. Somewhat satisfied, Aarwyn ended her way-too-late night journalling session with a list of questions, freeing her mind from them. Tomorrow, she would ask Thalia about who in Eyuviell might have more information about the princess’ disappearance.
For too long, practically all her life really, Aarwyn never seemed to feel she had a purpose or that she truly belonged somewhere. Not even when she moved to New York City, the big city of her dreams, and landed her dream job writing for Manhattan Media. Something always felt off.
Here, however, in Eyuviell, on Thalia’s couch, weaving through this map of mystery, she felt like she was exactly where she should be, despite her very different surroundings. Aarwyn was more curious than she had ever been writing a piece for Manhattan Media. Something inside of her was telling her that she could figure out what happened to the absent elf princess, that she could get the answers that no one else could.
With the last question mark inked onto the paper with Thalia’s feathered pen, Aarwyn set down the papers, wrapped the blanket tighter around her torso, and dozed off much easier now for the calming absence of her parasitic thoughts.
