Once Upon Stilettos

“Oh, no, honey,” she said, shaking her head. “These are the shoes that get you out of Kansas. Go on, at least try them on.”



“You’re the one who likes them so much. You get them.”



“They’d make me look like the Jolly Green Giant. I’d tower over Philip.” Philip was her boyfriend, and the fact that she’d given up towering heels for him was a sure sign of true love. Philip also used to be a frog, but she didn’t know that. It’s a long story. Suffice it to say, there was more than a hint of weirdness to my life. “But Ethan’s really tall, and you’re not all that tall, so you could totally wear these.”



I could probably even wear them and still be shorter than a certain someone who wasn’t quite as tall as Ethan, but I’d promised myself I wasn’t going to think about him all weekend. “Gemma, I don’t think so. Not yet. This is only a second date. I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard, and those shoes scream ‘pulling out all the stops.’ I don’t want to give him that impression.”



“So we’re playing it cool?”



“Yeah, playing it cool. A strategy taught to me by a certain person named Gemma.”



With a deep sigh, she replaced the shoe on its display. I grabbed her arm to drag her to the escalators so we could look at clothes I could actually afford, but when I turned around, I saw something that made me do a double take: two women with wings looking at shoes in the adjacent boutique.



For most people, the wings would be the cause of the double take. That’s not something you see every day. But the fairies caught my eye because I knew them, and they didn’t strike me as the kind of people who shopped at Bloomingdale’s. I had them pegged as the type who wouldn’t think of buying anything north of Fourteenth Street.



I was trying to think of a way to get Gemma to another department, fast, when one of the fairies said, “Katie! What are you doing here?”



“I was about to ask you the same question,” I said, trying to keep my voice light and casual even as I glared at them. I was pretty sure Gemma couldn’t see that there was anything odd about them—other than that they were so obviously downtown girls who probably wouldn’t wear most of what was in that store—but I still wasn’t comfortable mingling my work life and my personal life.



I work for a company called Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc.—it’s kind of like a Microsoft for magic users, only not as into world domination. I’m not actually magical myself, but I have this strange immunity to magic and illusion, which in the magical world counts as sort of a superpower. I hadn’t yet shared this information with my nonmagical friends, who thought I was just another administrative assistant at a boring corporation.



“We’re out shopping,” said the taller fairy, whose name was Ari.



“Same here,” I said.



“Oh yeah, tonight’s the big date,” said the smaller fairy, whose name was Trix. “Getting something special to wear?”



“I’m trying to, without much luck.”



“Friends of yours?” Gemma asked.



Remembering my manners, I made introductions. “Gemma, this is Ari and Trix. We work together. And this is Gemma, my roommate and fashion consultant,” I said, watching Gemma’s reaction to the fairies. I wouldn’t have put it past Ari’s twisted sense of humor to let her magical veil drop so everyone could see her wings, just so I’d have to scramble for an explanation to Gemma.



Fortunately, Gemma didn’t seem to think anything was weird. “Nice to meet you,” she said. “Maybe you can offer a second opinion. Don’t you think Katie should at least try on these shoes?” She headed back toward the shoe boutique, and Ari and Trix followed.



“Katie can’t afford these shoes,” I said as I brought up the rear of the procession, irked at Gemma trying to get around my objections even as I was relieved that she hadn’t questioned why I was talking to people with wings.



“Oh, fabulous,” Trix breathed when Gemma held the sample shoe up for all to admire.



“Not your usual style,” Ari said while staring hungrily at the shoes. “But there’s nothing wrong with giving your image a little shake-up.”



“See?” Gemma gloated. “Just try them on.”



The three of them were practically drooling. Yeah, it was an eye-catching shoe, but I couldn’t imagine it changing my life. I mentally added this to the list of popular things I just didn’t get, along with George Clooney, designer-logo handbags, and reality television. As I watched them discussing the merits of the red shoes, I wondered once more what Ari and Trix were doing there. I had a very strong feeling they were following me. I shouldn’t have been surprised; it was barely a week since I’d played a crucial role in giving the competition a major setback, so I probably needed a magical bodyguard or two. But I’d prefer it if I didn’t have to face them when I was with a nonmagical friend. I could cope with fairies, people making coffee by flicking their wrists, and talking gargoyles at the office, but it still gave me a jolt when I saw those things in the “real” world when I was with people who weren’t in on the secret.