Chapter one

The dirt road crunched under the tires as the small light blue car slowly made its way towards the cottage at the other end. Green branches towered over head, creating a natural tunnel. It had been years since she had been to the summer cottage. The last time, was when her parents were still married. At that time her mother hadn't completely lost it, but she still had her weird moments. Like the time she thought that the fey folk were hiding jewelry or stealing her money. Despite all of that, Lilith still loved her.

     However, there was still one thing that she hated and that was the fact that her mother had kept something from her to more precise, a secret. Lilith hated secrets, they always had that nasty habit of turning on anyone who kept them. So why she decided to come down here was a mystery, even though her mothers will stated that she should get the cottage.  But that was beside the point. Some where out there was her long lost half brother, and this old cottage was the key to finding him.

     A forest surrounded the cottage and dotted amongst the trees, in small clearings were other cottages. She parked the car, on what she assumed to be the front lawn, and part of the huge lake came into view. She smiled as fond childhood memories surfaced. Once, she and the neighboring kids had spent hours playing all kinds of games along the sandy beach. At that point in time, Indians and mermaids lived down by that lake. However, she couldn't help but think that one of those kids might be her brother.

     Boats whizzed past the entrance that led to the small cove that the cottage was in. Each one hoping to make back to its dock before nightfall claimed all visibility. Waves left in their wake lapped against the docks, adding to the symphony of crickets and spring peepers that surrounded her. The full moon lazily dragged its fingers over the water and the whole experience felt magical. If she were younger, she would be in her room with a ring of metal around her bed, reading a book and sipping the hot coco that her mom made. Looking back, she couldn't believe how childish she was by believing in fairies and other mythical beings that obviously didn't exist. But she was older now, and was above such childish beliefs. You would never catch her leaving offerings of food and shiny trinkets either on the dock or by the waters edge ever again.

     She got out of the car with a loud sigh and carefully made her way down the overgrown twisting flagstone pathway. The holly bushes were nothing but overgrown nuisances now, and she had gotten her clothes stuck on their sharp leaves more than a few times already. She almost missed the door, as it was covered in the ivy that her mother loved and after searching for the knob, she dug out her key. A loud protesting squeal echoed throughout the empty cottage as the door opened on rusty hinges. Spider webs and other signs of animals were everywhere; a shudder ran through Lilith at the horrendous sight. "Animals need to know their place," she hissed as squirrels scrambled for cover. If there was one thing that she hated more than secrets it was dirt, grime, and dust. Basically she hated a messy house, to her it screamed 'I am incapable of keeping myself and my life in order.' For a perfectionist, like herself, this was impossible. Everything needed to be in its rightful place, especially dust.

     Gritting her teeth, she went back to her car and gathered up the suitcases that contained her cleaning regime. She started by sweeping, then vacuuming, after that came mopping, bleaching, and finally sorting everything into trash and keep piles. Anything she kept had to be washed three times before it was deemed to be free from anything that could possibly infect or kill her in some horrendous and unforeseen way. She supposedly had a cleaning and appearance OCD, but after her experience she knew that doctors were known to lie. One told her that she was pregnant, but that was impossible since she had never been alone with anyone. Not since her parents got divorced when she was five and that was over twenty years ago. 

     Now that the basic cleaning was done, all that was left was to go through all the furniture, drawers, closets and anything else that that had hidden cubby holes. Then and only then could she get new beds, couches, and other cloth based items. Since the old ones were germ ridden, and insect filled. "And I thought that this was going was to be easy," she muttered as she struggled to open the old pulley system windows. She slammed her hand against the wooden frame, when for a third time it refused to budge. "You stupid thing!" she yelled.

     "It can't hear you miss," a gruff voice said from the doorway.

     "I am perfectly aware of that sir," she replied as she turned away from the old man.

     "You must be Sarah's daughter," the man said affectionately, "the world lost a bright light yesterday."

     "Y-you knew my mother?" she asked, looking at the old man. Pure white hair and a smiling grandfatherly face greeted her. A cane was in his left hand, and his right one holding onto the door frame. He seemed out place here, but the again, so did the cottage. Both seemed like they should be in the Irish countryside, with its forty shades of green and gently rolling hills. She always wanted to go there and she would once the air ports heard of cheap air fare. She was not going to pay over three thousand dollars for a round trip. I'm not cheap, she thought, I just don't have that kind of money to throw around. After all I'm only a librarian. Realizing that she was staring at the old man, Lilith quickly looked away and started to pick at the dust bunnies that decided to make her clothes their new home.

     The old man simply smiled and nodded. "Aye girl, that I did..." he sighed, "There aren't many of us from the old country left nowadays."

     "The old country?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

     "Now is not the time for sad tales," the man answered shaking his head ruefully, "the present is filled with its own sad tales, there is no room for old ones."

     Lilith stood there thoroughly confused as the old man walked away, his cane clicking against the stone walkway. "The nerve of him!" she huffed, "Who does he think he his, a king?" She slammed her fist against the window and heard faint clinking. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw strange coins. One had a deer on it while the other had a fish. "Great," she muttered, "just what I need, more mysteries!" She pocketed the coins and went back to searching the nearby closet.

     "Nothing but old brooms, mops, vacuums and old shoes," she muttered as a shudder ran up and down her spine. Using her thumb, and forefinger, she tossed the moldy items outside; ran squealing to the sink when she was finished. After washing her hands three times, she returned to the closet for one last inspection. Something glinted under a shelf and Lilith stooped to see what it was. Why's a door knob in here? she thought, but more importantly, why is there a door hidden in here? This side of the house is against a hill.

     The brass door knob felt cool against her skin, and a blast of cool air hit her face as the door opened. Dead leaves crunched her feet, and they muffled her footsteps as the mossy stone steps lead her deeper underground. Light slowly faded, and her heart thudded against her rib cage. She couldn't tell if her palms were sweating or not, as they glided over the damp cave walls that were her only guides. Just when she couldn't take it anymore, the light slowly came back. She practically jumped down the last few steps and ran through the exit, desperate for the warmth and safety that it offered. However, instead safety and warmth weren't waiting for her on the other side of the exit.

     Autumn colored trees, and the sights of a bountiful fall harvest wrecked confusion on her fragile mind. "B-but how?" she asked, "Isn't it summer?"

     "Maybe where ye come from mortal, but for us fey folk, it's the Autumnal Equinox." a voice purred in response. Lilith gasped and whirled around, her heart making a desperate attempt to crawl up into her throat. A tall silver haired young man stood behind her, his pointy ears poking up through his shoulder length hair. "You mortals are so funny," the man laughed. His laughter poured around her, and at times reminded her of a gently flowing stream. Lilith shook her head, she didn't have time to stand here and analyze a voice.

     "I'm leaving," she stated walking past him.

     "How rude," the man growled, clamping a hand over her mouth. Lilith squirmed, her hands clawing against the stranger's that was preventing her from breathing. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, and her mind became fascinated by the glowing lights that danced in front her. "Relax kitten, everything will be over soon," the man purred as her sleep claimed her.