I woke up to a note. A piece of paper. That was it. There was no warning. No explanation that it would be so quick. When Nathan woke up he found me crying on the edge of the bed. My heart broken from the fact that instead of saying goodbye Ailis had just left a note. I didn't know he was going to leave so soon. I wasn't aware of the fact that I would never see him again.

I cursed myself for not reading the contract I had signed closer. Maybe there was something in there that said I would get so close to him only to have him ripped from my life as if he was never here. Nathan jumps up in bed rushing to console me as he wraps his arms around me reading the note over my shoulder.

I couldn't think about what it had said. The fact that he would miss me and I would forever be in his heart, but for some reason something told me that I wouldn't last more than a little while. He had so many things going on, so many cool things in his world. There was no reason for him to remember me, but he had been such a huge impact on my life. He taught me so many things.

I was frustrated I wouldn't know how well he had done on his assignment. I wouldn't know if he passed. If he would be allowed to continue living in the magic realm or if he would be drifted to somewhere else. Somewhere he would never be able to see his family or friends.

I hadn't realized how selfish I had been. I never even thought to ask about his family. I never thought to ask him about what he liked to do. I knew he would have told me that it wasn't my job to worry about that. He was only here to take care of me for a small little while. I never realizing that the time would go by so quickly. The world seemed like it was spinning around me and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

I wanted just another week with him. It felt like he had passed away and I'd lost everything. I knew that wasn't the case. I knew he was somewhere and maybe that was worse. Because there was a chance I would be able to see him again one day, but not anytime soon. Not in this lifetime or this world, but I knew we were coexisting. Just like the fairies and even his friend Rumpelstiltskin had done my entire life.

My heart pounds in my chest. How would I make it through school today? Nathan and I both had classes and I wasn't going to have my sidekick with me. My support system was gone. Sure I still had my mother and sister, if she even counted, but I also had Nathan, it's just none of them would ever understand what Ailis and I had gone through.

The night he caught me stealing. The night he made me sign the contract and the way he had treated me when he busted me stealing yet again. He was so good to me. I would never have a friend as great as him.

I wished I would have treated him better. He was such a good person and now he was gone.

"Emerson it's going to be okay," Nathan whispered as she pulled the note out of my hand. I mentally thanked him but wasn't able to get the words out through all of the tears. I felt a new sense of anxiety that I hadn't felt in so long. The thought of going to school without Ailis was nearly crippling. I couldn't imagine what I had done before he came into my life.

He hadn't been around that long but for some reason everything seemed to remind me of him.

"I know," I sputtered out. Trying to console myself, to remind myself that even though it hurt right now things would go back to some sense of normality. This was the same pain I had felt when I first moved out of my mother's home. The thought of missing her, of things never being the same again. I hated it. I wanted things to stay just the way they were. I wanted Ailis in my life.

I wanted to be at his graduation. I wasn't sure if that was a thing. I should have spent more time getting to know about these things. Maybe if I would have paid attention then I would have been able to prepare myself for this.

"Emerson, we need to get ready for school," I knew Nathan was right, but at this moment I couldn't think of anything other than the tiny green creature that had just left. I nodded my head. Pulling myself away from Nathan I head towards the closet of old tattered clothes that didn't really match well. Everything here seemed so old and outdated, especially compared to the clothes that had once occupied this space. I shook my head. I didn't have anything to wear and I couldn't just ask Ailis to fix it for me. I had gotten so used to this. So used to having the help of magic that it seemed like normal life would be too difficult to go through.

"This shirt looks really nice," Nathan pulled out a bright emerald green shirt. I started to cry a little bit harder as I took the shirt from him. Trying to muster up a smile I pulled it close to my chest and head towards the bathroom. I would pick a pair of jeans out in a moment, but right now I needed a second to compose myself. I didn't expect to cry so much. I wasn't ready to handle this kind of pain. There was no way Ailis's assignment could be done. I wasn't ready to be on my own.

I shook my head throwing the shirt on the floor as I turn to look at Nathan.

"I just can't do it today. It doesn't feel right. I feel like I've lost someone so close to me and going to school like nothing happened is just not going to be possible," Nathan nodded his head as he rushed across the room to wrap his arms around me once again.

"Let's stay here then, let's just take care of you, let you cry, do what you need to do to work through this. I didn't know him as well as you did, but I can understand how devastating this is for you, especially after you explained everything to me. All he's done for you," Nathan was the most supportive thing I'd ever met and in this moment it was exactly what I needed.

"Thank you, I'm not sure you understand how much this means to me," I felt like I was blubbering like a baby. My mind was all over the place but one thing was constant and that was that Nathan would be here for me. Throughout the entire day. I knew he would let me cry, let me do what I needed to do. I wandered why he was so willing to do all of this for me.

"I thought he was going to be here for a little bit longer and I'm sorry that he had to leave so soon, I'm glad I got to meet him. I'm sure you will see him again, there is no way they would bring him into your life and just never allow you to see him again," Nathan shook his head as he pulled me back to the bed. We collapsed onto the messy sheets as he held me close to his chest. His fingers dancing through my hair as he brushes it out of my face.

"I hope so, I thought he was going to be around for the wedding," Nathan nodded his head looking at the ceiling. Suddenly it hit me. I hadn't invited him to the wedding yet. I shook my head realizing this was the worst time to ask him but after everything he'd done for me and everything he was willing to do for me. I realized he needed to go with me. He was constant, he was everything I'd ever wanted and I was starting to slowly fall in love with him. I wished I would have had a minute to ask Ailis if I was going to be with Nathan forever or if he wasn't the one. Maybe Ailis would have been able to answer that for me but maybe not.

"Do you want to be my date to the wedding?" I questioned, my tears slowing down as I was finally able to find something else to focus my thoughts onto. If Ailis wasn't going to be there then maybe at least Nathan would be able to support me on my mother's big day.

"Of course," Nathan mumbles as he leans down and kissing my forehead. My stomach was twisting in knots as I snuggled myself further into him.

My heart skips in my chest as I think about Nathan meeting my family on such a special day. My eyes closed as I tried to stop the tears from falling. They had slowed quite a bit but I still felt like they could collapse into another stream of waves here any second.

"Do you want to go out and get some ice cream or something? We don't have to go to school but we could still go do something to cheer you up, something to get your mind off of things. How does that sound?" Nathan's voice was so soft and as I listened I could find myself drifting off. My heart had slowed back down as he still ran his fingers through my hair. This was the kind of moment that I never wanted to give up.

"Can you just give me a little bit longer?" I questioned, my mind drifting back to the creature that had become such a big deal in my life. I never realized when I signed the contract that I would hurt this badly. My mind thought back to how annoying he used to be. How difficult he was to manage and to keep hidden. Now it was like second nature and I wasn't going to be able to do it anymore. I felt like I lost a child.

"Yes of course," Nathan whispered, his voice yet again so soothing that I found myself wishing he would just talk for hours. I wanted him to keep me entertained. Like Ailis used to. I thought about the nights we would stay awake and tell each other stories. He mostly told me about his gambling pals and what they would do with the money, but never would he tell me things too personal. Did he have a family? Siblings? Anyone that would be excited to have him home? Maybe I was being ridiculously selfish by wanting him to stay here with me. What if he had his own wife, children, friends, family, anything. He probably had people that were missing him on the other side.

I shook my head at the thought of teleportation. I was thankful I wasn't going to have to do that again. That had left me feeling so sick that I could barely function. I remember meeting with the council and that in itself reminded me of the promise I made to Ailis. The promise that I would tell the council myself that I had introduced Nathan to Ailis. How was I supposed to do that though? I was never told how to do these things or if I was even allowed to.

I thought back to the note. One simple sentence. Just one line, to say goodbye to everything we had been through. My mind was racing as it tried to figure out the thought process Ailis had gone through to write the note. He must have had more to say than just one simple sentence. One generic sentence. It was kind of frustrating to realize that there was no way for me to ever figure out what had actually happened.

My mind thought back to reading the paper this morning though. The way it made me feel as I held it between my fingers. Ailis was really gone and there was nothing I was able to do about it.

'Thank you for all you've done. Enjoy the rest of your life,"