A Human’s Guide to Surviving Magical Mishaps by Kit Bryan
Rule 94- If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito.

I spend the next two days pretending to relax. I take a bath, watch a few movies, go for a couple of walks (WALKING not jogging!) and even clean my room. It should have been fun or relaxing but it's not because I'm moping. I know I'm sulking. My house is lonely and far too quiet, even with Lucy dropping by for dinner both nights. She seems cheerful but when she thinks no one is looking the smile falls from her face and she looks as miserable as I feel. Still we carry on. I set a day to return to work late next week and actively ignore calls from the mayor because I just can't be bothered dealing with him. I sleep in late every day and have more early nights than I've taken in years. Despite all that, I have a lingering exhaustion that I can't seem to kick, or maybe it's just depression. Even worse is I feel irritated with myself for being so upset over a guy. I mean, I want to believe that I'm strong and independent. I don't NEED a guy, yet here I am carrying on and acting like there's nothing left in my life which is stupid. I have my dad and my friends. I guess I have my job although I'm starting to think I should look for something new because after the last few weeks of excitement and a few days off, my job seems more boring than ever. I kind of feel like I want to do something more with my time. But I have no idea what. I could study something, but I wouldn't know what to choose. Really I'm just stuck in an endless loop of 'what do I want to do?'

I'm in the bathroom just doing some pointless cleaning. Pointless because I cleaned yesterday and it really doesn't need much but what else am I going to do. I hear a loud knocking on my front door and quickly glance in the mirror first. Am I dressed presentably enough to actually answer the door? Pants? Check. Top? Well... I'm wearing a sports bra, that'll do. Well, whatever, I'm not naked. I'm also happy to note that the cut on my arm is basically gone. There's maybe a bit of a red mark that might take a bit longer to fade, but I don't think it'll scar or anything which is lucky, and it doesn't bother me at all any more. I don't know who might be at the door. Dad, Lucy and Marcus are all at work... Am I waiting on a package or something? Although I think the sun has just gone down so it's maybe a little late for that. I answer the front door and I'm momentarily stumped. The woman standing on my doorstep is... odd to be polite. She is young and pretty, and her outfit definitely accentuates that. I'm wearing pants and a sports bra but her clothes show more skin than mine. She has Long, brown hair that falls down below her waist and as I look her over I notice that she isn't wearing shoes. Ooh, I bet she's fae. They all seem to avoid shoes for some reason. Maybe they're just not a thing where they come from. I'm instantly excited. Does that mean Ashton is back? I mentally scold myself. If Ashton was back, he wouldn't have sent some fae woman to see me. Unless he didn't send her? I should really stop staring and figure out what's going on.

"Uh, hello?" I greet her awkwardly.

"Are you Miss Katerina Fall?" She asks politely and I nod.

"Yes, that's me." I respond. A bright smile graces her pretty face.

"Lovely. I have a delivery from Prince Ashton Rallowend. Might I come inside please?" She asks.

"Oh sure, uh... What's your name?" I ask and the woman's eyes widen.

"My apologies! I completely forgot to introduce myself. My name is Pandra Ari. You may call me Pan if you wish." She says pleasantly. I step aside and she follows me in. What could she possibly be delivering? Something small I guess, she isn't holding anything and while she does have a bag it's tiny, like a little purse or something. Maybe it's a letter? I have to work to hide my excitement. I lead Pan into the living room and gesture for her to take a seat. She moves gracefully but strangely. The movements are kind of familiar and I realise where I've seen them before. She dances around furniture the same way Fin does. I know he does it to avoid crushing his wings... Does that mean she has wings too? I bet she does. Although I'll have to figure out a way to see through her glamour to be sure. But it would explain how she got here without help. Not sure how she found her way to me though. Pan perches on the edge of the couch, all but confirming my suspicions that she has wings.

"Sorry if this is rude, but I was wondering. How did you find me? Did someone tell you where I live? Give you directions or something?" I ask. Pan laughs easily.

"Oh no, it is not rude, and no I was not given any directions. It is my natural magic that allowed me to find you. I have seeker magic. It allows me to locate a person as long as I know certain details about them. It has limitations, but it can be quite useful. I am often hired to find missing people or deliver messages to people who are hard to locate." She explains.

"What kinds of limitations?" I ask. Why didn't Ashton bring her here when he was looking for the assassins? If she can just track people down, even people she hasn't met, wouldn't that be a lot easier than trying to find them through their actions?

"To begin with, I cannot find someone who truly does not wish to be found." She answers. Oh... Well that explains why she couldn't help find the criminals.

"I also need to know a few details about who I am looking for. That would be their name and what they look like. A painting or drawing of someone may be enough if it is fairly accurate. I once managed to find someone from a description given by their friend, however that person had a very distinctive appearance which helped greatly. I cannot find someone based on the glamour they wear though. In your case, the prince told me your name and showed me a picture of you on a small device. It was very accurate. I wish everyone could provide such detailed images for my assignments." She sighs. Ah, Ashton must have shown her a photo of me from his phone. I guess it hasn't gone flat yet. That's possible if he's turning it off when it's not in use I guess. I bet she would be great at finding missing people here. There are tons of pictures of everyone. I should remember that. Next time dad has a really bad missing person's case he could request help from the fae... That is if we can ever work out a way to communicate with them properly other than just waiting for them to stop by.

My nosy questions answered, Pan slips the little bag off of the belt at her hip and places it on the table. It thumps down loudly, it must be heavier than it looks. I watch in astonishment as she unties the little lace at the top of the bag and pulls it open. However, instead of opening a small pouch. As she pulls on the top it just gets wider and wider, stretching the bag until it's as big as my handbag, then my backpack. When she stops, it's as big as a large duffel bag. What the hell?! I lean forward in amazement and flinch when something brushes against my knee. My eyes dart down and that's when I notice how strange Pan's skirt is sitting. Is the edge of it... Floating? Or maybe not. It looks like there's something propping it up. That realisation is enough to see through her glamour and it all of a sudden makes sense. Pan, it seems, has a tail.