Matchbox Girls by Chrysoula Tzavelas Read Free Book Online

had a cat growing up.” She felt weak, as if she was flexing muscles she'd never used before.
    The kitten tilted her head attentively, the same way she listened to Marley when it was close to dinnertime.
    Marley beckoned to Neath. It was odd that she was dreaming, and odder that she was aware of it, but she was not uncomfortable. She felt totally relaxed, better than she'd felt in years.
    The cat ignored the summons and shifted her gaze to the bottom of Marley’s bed, ears swiveling. A moment later, Marley heard it, too: a tiny grunt, as of somebody squeezing through a tight space.
    Something was hiding under her bed.
    When she’d been very small, sometimes she’d leap off the bed to avoid grasping hands, or huddle under the covers and worry about sharks in the sea that masqueraded as a floor. But that had been in her real bedroom, in her little single bed with the princess frame. This was the bedroom of her mind. If she was safe anywhere, she was safe here. She knew this, and trusted it.
    She leaned over the edge of the bed and peeked under. “Hello?”
    There was a glint, and a sparkle. Then a small shape crawled out from under the bed, shaking its head, amidst a puff of dust. “Not what I expected,” it said, in a pleasant, boyish voice. Neath arched her back and hissed.
    Once clear from the bed, it stood up and inspected itself, glancing at bare arms and leaf-clad legs, and then twisted around to look at the dragonfly wings on its back. “But it’ll do. Greetings and salutations, fair lady.”
    Marley blinked. “You’re a fairy fashion doll.” But that wasn’t quite right. It was male, to start with, and quite alive. Neath began to growl.
    Lips far more expressive than a doll’s twitched in response. “It’s too soon for that conversation, don’t you think? We’ve haven't even intro—oh shit!” The little figure disappeared under a biting, clawing kitten.
    Marley watched in concern. She’d never seen Neath angry before, and it was different from how she played with her toy mouse. There was a flash of bare chest under the kitten. A green leg kicked. Curses mingled with the yowling. A tiny fist plunked Neath on the nose and the sprite scrambled away while the kitten looked at herself cross-eyed. Crimson scratches glistened on his torso.
    Then Neath refocused and leapt again. This time, he was ready, rolling with her and kicking out with both legs. The kitten squeaked breathlessly as she tumbled off him and failed to land on her feet.
    Marley intervened, scooping up Neath. “Hey,” she said mildly. “Don’t hurt my cat.”
    The sprite glared up at her. “Don't ‘hey’ me! Who’s the one bleeding here?”
    Neath hissed.
    “Bleeding—and winged! Fly away.” She stuck her tongue out as the sprite gave her a startled look. It seemed like the right thing to do in the environment. “What are you doing here, anyhow?”
    “Right, introductions.” He looked over his shoulder at his wings again. “I wonder if these things work.” He flicked one with a pointy-nailed finger, and it quivered. Then they whirred to life and the sprite lifted into the air. “Whee!” He buzzed around the room.
    Neath started growling again. It was a strange sound, much smaller than a dog’s growl but far more menacing. The sprite paused in midair and pointed a finger at Marley. “You keep that cat away from me, or I’ll go right back where I came from.”
    “Why doesn’t she like you?”
    “Do you think I know? Do you think I spend a lot of time around great gawky cats longer than I am tall? Silly thing can’t even land on its feet. Who ever heard of a cat not landing on its feet?”
    “She’s just a baby,” said Marley defensively. That baby’s claws were sinking into her hand quite painfully, though. “Maybe you’d better introduce yourself before I let her go again.”
    “That would be a mistake,” the little figure snapped. Then he took a deep breath. “But you’re right. Fine! I am the great fairy