Ferry still felt the taste of Matilda's kiss on his lips when he entered the gate of his home. Every time he would taste a strawberry, the memory of that day was to follow him for the rest of his life.

But the sweet memory of the first kiss faded away as soon as he stepped inside his house. He found his whole family waiting for him in the living room. He studied everyone's faces as he entered. Her mother's eyes were red. Andrew was sitting on the sofa, dangling his leg. And Peter was walking along and across the room, his fists clenched.

"Finally, you're home..." he spat the words as soon as he laid eyes on Ferry.

"Sorry I'm late... " he dared. "I was— "

"I don't care where you've been!" Peter shouted. "You have some explaining to do, boy. And it'd better be good," he threatened. And, his eyes red with fury, he threw a thick roll of money on the coffee table.

Ferry frowned. He didn't understand a thing.

"Don't pretend you don't know!" he roared."My money! My lifetime savings! In your room!" he barked. 

Now, he was beginning to understand.

"I don't know how it got there," Ferry calmly said. "I never touched it."

A burst of nervous laughter emerged from his father's throat, "Then, how did it get there? Like magic?"

"Why don't you ask Andrew?" he snapped back at him. "He seems to be making things appear like magic lately."

Andrew raised his eyes, looking surprised, "Dad, I wouldn't... You know how grateful I am for having me in your home. Why would I steal from you?"

"Stop blaming Andrew for every bad thing you do!" Peter roared, taking a step closer to Ferry. "If you ever dare to steal from me again, I swear to God I'm calling the Police, and you're going to prison, boy! You're lucky your mother— "

Ferry didn't flinch, "Fine!" he raised his voice, "Why don't you call the Police? I know I'm innocent. Go on! Call it! You never cared about me anyway!" he yelled, taking a step closer towards Peter.

"How dare you raise your voice at me?" Peter shouted so loud, the walls trembled. "Get out! Get out of my house NOW!!!"

Ferry didn't wait to be told twice. He went up to his room, shivering with rage. He began stuffing clothes and books randomly inside an old trunk. In his hurry, he knocked down a jar with coloured rubber balls he collected when he was younger. The balls fell on the floor with a small thud, scattering all over the room like a broken rainbow. He tried to collect them, his hands shaking and his tears almost falling.

He throbbed when he felt a gentle touch of a hand on his shoulder. He raised his eyes and discovered his mother's warm look upon him.

*

Ferry and his mother found shelter under the welcoming roof of Lavender Sky. On the upper floor, after they unpacked and had a bowl of Lavender's famous vegetable soup, life seemed simple and without worries. But Ferry knew the peaceful days had come to an end and blurry times were stretching ahead.

After his mother fell asleep, Ferry went to the garden and joined his worried fairy friends. They all surrounded him quietly.

"Maybe it's for the better," Parsley, the lizard, tried to comfort him. "You'll be closer to us. You'll have more time for practicing to become a fairy. And your mother would be better without her husband."

"That's not how things are meant in the world of humans," Thyme shook his head. "They have laws for the children without parents and for the women without husbands. And women in this world are not as cherished as in ours. Especially the women without husbands. They are judged and blamed and seen as oddities... " 

"And they can't adopt a child if they divorce their husbands," Lavender added.

"Those laws are stupid," said Ferry, throwing the shavings he was holding and nervously playing with.

"Yet as long as you live in the world of humans, you must obey their law," said Thyme.

"What are you going to do next?" Sage asked.

Ferry sighed, "I don't know..."

"Whatever that is," Lavender interrupted him, "you and your mother are always welcome to my house. You can stay for as long as you want. You can stay forever..."

*

Eileen Donovan was never the person to take something for granted. She was the oldest of her siblings in a family with seven children. She'd been the only one who went to school. She had married Peter fast (maybe too fast), and because of that, her family broke any connection with her.

She had followed Peter without protesting, without complaining, and not expecting too much from life. They moved from one place to another where they could find a job good enough to survive. It hadn't been easy, but at least she had the man she loved beside her.

Life had taken a nice turn when Peter discovered an announcement in the newspaper on a gloomy autumn morning. They lived in an unheated small room in the Great City and none of them were working at that time. They survived from one day to another out of the money they made from their occasional jobs: a fence to be painted, a hedge to be trimmed, a window to be washed.

That day, that odd announcement changed their lives. It said that the Pride and Haughty Sawmill from a small, but prosperous town called Goodharts was hiring. Nothing out of the ordinary so far. The strange part was that the ad was asking the workers to be married men of white rase and so their wives. If one of the spouses was of a different race, they had to at least be a half-breed, so that their children could be as close as can be to the white race. They didn't ask for experience, nor for recommendations. So Peter considered he was the perfect candidate for the job. And he was right because he was hired on the spot.

Life in Goodharts turned out to be simple and beautiful. Peter worked hard, but the satisfaction was just as good: they had their own house and what to put on the table. Eileen had proved herself to be very skilled at washing clothes and was soon to be the city's laundry lady.

Then, their son was born. And after a month since his birth, everything changed.

Yet the Donovans got over all the challenges of raising a special child. And now, Eileen had to learn how to live without Peter.

Even though they had a roof above their heads, Eileen was aware she had a boy to raise. Ferry needed food, clothes, and all the necessary school supplies. So she talked to Mrs. Pride who offered her a job as a cleaning lady at Pride Mansion. The payment wasn't much, but the mistress of the house showed her generosity by offering Ferry a job as the gardener's help. Ferry had to go to the Pride Mansion every day after school and take care of the big garden of the family and the lawn where the famous Pride parties were held.

Ferry was now telling Ben about all the events over the weekend. His friend was listening quietly, shaking his head from time to time. They met in front of the school because now; they lived on opposite sides of the town. Matilda had also found out about the latest changes in Ferry's life, but he didn't see her that Monday morning. He didn't see Andrew, either.

Matilda showed up before noon. She seemed gloomy and in a bad mood. She was still sitting next to Ferry as they had promised to each other on the first day of school, in the third grade. She threw her books on the desk and took her seat without saying a word. The teacher came in right after her.

"Matt, where have you been?" Ferry whispered. "I have so much to tell you..."

"I had some work to do at home," she said, looking ahead.

"What work?"

"It doesn't matter. Now shut up and let me pay attention to the lesson," she answered without looking at him.

Ferry didn't say anything. He let her be, thinking it was one of Matilda's bad days.

Yet Matilda didn't mind him the entire day. She didn't spend the lunch break with him and they didn't share their sandwiches as they used to. The other breaks, she rushed to get out of the class before Ferry could talk to her.

He met her again before the Gym class started. She was heading to the girls' locker room. But then, May got on his way, and Matilda disappeared before he could reach her.

"I heard what happened to your house," said May, and her pretty eyes turned sad. "Rosemary told me. If there's anything I can do..."

"Thanks, May," he said, "but there's nothing you could do..."

"I could ask my father to find a job for you at the flower shop. But things are not doing great with sales lately," she said in a low voice.

"Don't worry," said Ferry trying to look confident. "I'll be fine."

May smiled and placed her hand on his arm. Her touch was electrifying, giving him tingles all over his body. Ferry discovered they were the only ones on the school's hallway, and that they were late for the Gym class. And, just like every time May was around, his heart began to race, and a nice warmth took him over. May's hand rested on his arm one second too long, and her gaze turned away. Ferry had the feeling the girl leaned towards him as if she wanted to rest her head on his chest. He didn't make any gesture, frozen still, almost forgetting to breathe.

"Hey, you two, don't you have a class to attend?" a harsh man's voice made them startle. The school's guardian was watching them from the other side of the hallway.

Ferry and May left in opposite directions without saying a word.

When the classes ended, Matilda picked up her books in a hurry and stormed out. Ferry had to run to reach her.

"Matt, wait," he shouted behind her.

But the girl kept on walking. So Ferry had to cut her off in order to make her stop.

"Matt," he said catching his breath, "how about seeing each other later? You can visit me at Lavender's cottage anytime this evening."

"I'm sorry," she said, still avoiding his gaze, "but I have things to do."

"Things? What things?"

"Well... I have to study..." Ferry burst into laughter, "Study? Since when do you study?"

This time, Matilda glared at him, and Ferry stopped laughing as by magic.

"I thought maybe you want to help me with the training... After you study, of course."

"I can't, this week," she cut him short. "I have to... I have to help my Mom with making pickles. Now, I have to go," she said and passed by Ferry. She walked fast without looking back.

Ferry was stuck in place, unable to talk or walk. Ben was right — you never know what's in a girl's mind.

*

Ferry was waiting in the big drawing-room of the Pride Mansion. He hoped with all his heart he wouldn't bump into Billy. He was the last person he wanted to see. He studied the room. It was decorated entirely with a green tapestry. The Baroque furniture, made of solid wood, the Persian carpets, the heavy velvet curtains made the whole room seem oppressive. As if inside the old walls, thousands of thoughts and memories of long-gone lives were coming out to blend with the lives of the living.

The heavy oak door opened with a long groan, interrupting his thoughts. Mrs. Pride entered the room like a nymph, her white silk robe fluttering behind her. She was accompanied by a subtle scent of exotic flowers and fine cigarettes. The time had put its mark on her face, and thin wrinkles had appeared at the corners of her mouth and eyes. Her hair was shorter than he remembered, styled perfectly in big locks that touched her shoulders. Nevertheless, she had no grey hair, a sign that the expensive hair dye Mrs. Pride's dark-blonde colour.

She took a seat on the green sofa and stared at Ferry with her head slightly tilted back. He felt uncomfortable under her staring gaze.

"You have grown up," she eventually said with a melodic voice.

She made a sign for him to sit on the other side of the coffee table. Ferry sat on the edge of the chair, waiting. Mrs. Pride picked up a cup from the silver tray and poured herself some coffee. Then, she poured some lemonade in a crystal glass and handed it to Ferry. For a second, their fingers touched and Ferry retreated his hand a bit too fast, almost spilling his drink.

Mrs. Pride smiled and lighted up a cigarette. She blew a bundle of smoke towards him, making him cough.

"Your mother said you are good with gardening," she said. "I need someone to trim the lawn and the hedge line. I'm afraid Ol' Joseph can't handle it by himself anymore, no matter how hard he tries. So the job is yours."

Ferry nodded, taking a sip from the lemonade, and swallowing it with difficulty. Her presence, the room, and the entire mansion felt like suffocating him. But he had no choice.

"Thank you, Mrs. Pride," he said.

She puffed from her cigarette again, studying him from head to toe. Her gaze stopped on his young chest. Ferry felt troubled and took another sip, choking on it. She smiled, amused, waiting for him to recollect.

"But there are rules to be followed if you really want the job," she continued, turning serious. "You have to be here right after school. You'll have a break at five in the afternoon. You have the right to a snack that you can have in the kitchen, during the break, with the other employees. That way, you won't have to deal with my beloved son with whom I know you're not in the best relations.

"Your program ends at six o'clock. You can rest in the employee-are, on the ground floor. And there's another rule I insist you strictly follow: never, under no circumstances, you are allowed to the third floor of the mansion. It is a floor entirely destined to Mr. Pride and his business partners. And he doesn't like his employees prying into around there. Am I clear?" she raised her voice and her gaze turned ice cold. "Especially in the last room on the third floor. It is forbidden to step foot in that room! " 

Ferry nodded, surprised with her change of mood. Then, she got up.

"That would be all," she said, putting out the cigarette on the marble ashtray on the coffee table and heading towards the door.

Ferry also stood up, putting the glass on the table and hurrying to follow her.

But before she went out the door, she turned to him again. This time, she was close. Her hand clenched on his arm like a claw.

"For your own good," she hissed, with the look of a hunted prey, "stay away from the last room on the third floor!" 

Well, what do you think? Hard times are waiting for Ferry. A teen's life is never simple.

As always, thank you for being the most amazing readers on this site and on this planet! ;)