Falling for the Fairy Prince

Ellie sat behind the dull white counter, drumming her fingers across its rough surface as she flipped through a celebrity gossip magazine. It had been hours since anyone had come into the little gas station that she worked at, and she still had another hour to go before she would be released from this hell. She yawned and closed the magazine, too bored to focus on what she was reading. Instead, she got up and began wandering around the tiny station, straightening bags of chips that weren’t out of place and making sure that the refrigerators were fully stocked. After fifteen minutes of repeating her tour of the store, she returned to the counter and plopped down on the stool behind the register. She leaned against the counter and propped her head up on her hands, gazing around at the shop without actually seeing what she was looking at.

The gas station that Ellie worked at – Hail Mary Gas Station – was one of the last places to get gas at before you hit nothing but desert for 100 miles. The two-lane road outside connected two towns to one another, the one Ellie lived in, and one just like hers: tiny, shabby, and the kind of place where only people who were criminals or running away from something lived. In her case, she was running, and she would do anything she could to keep away from her past. Ellie sighed heavily and turned the dial on the small, grimy white oscillating fan that sat on the counter to 3, hoping that it would help cool her down. Instead, the warm, heavy air around her was blown around her face, making her feel as if she were suffocating.

Her eyes roamed to the large windows to her right and she stared out at the barren land. She could see nothing but cacti, sand and dust, and waves of heat rising from the scorched ground. She hated living here, but it was the best place for her to hide from her problems. Everyone back home knew how much she hated the heat and sand, so it made perfect sense for her to hide away in a tiny Arizona town. Ellie looked up and down the road, searching for any passing vehicles. As expected, there was no one around for miles. She yawned again and pulled her cellphone out of her pocket. Four-thirty. She still had thirty minutes before her shift ended and John took over.

Of course, that's only if he decides to come in on time. Ellie rolled her eyes at the thought. She hated working here. Her coworkers were always late for their shifts, the customers were usually older men that acted like pigs, and the pay was terrible. Still, it was enough to pay for her little apartment in town and have a little extra each week, so she really couldn’t complain. As long as he doesn't find me, I’m fine, she reminded herself. Anything would be better than going back home.

Ellie sat up and stretched, her back aching from slouching. Movement caught her eye outside, and she was surprised to see a man walking up to the store. She couldn’t see a vehicle anywhere. It almost seemed like he had popped out of thin air. She slid off the stool as he strolled inside and plastered a fake smile on her face, hoping that he wouldn’t be a pig like the last customer that came in.

The man was dressed in a pair of simple jeans and a black t-shirt. He was tall and slim, but Ellie could tell that despite being slim, he was strong and somewhat muscular. Long, shoulder-length pale orange hair framed his angular face and shone in the poor lighting of the store. As soon as the door closed behind him, he looked to the counter, his jade-colored eyes taking in every detail in front of him.

Immediately, the hairs on the back of Ellie’s neck stood on end as his eyes bored into hers. Her smile fell and a cold sweat broke out across her forehead. Every bone in her body was screaming for her to run. An unexplained panic rose in her chest and Ellie had to use all her will to fight it down. There was no reason that she should fear this man, and yet every fiber of her being was begging her to get away. She swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat and forced another smile as she looked at the man in front of her. He returned her smile, but something about it reminded her of a predator stalking its prey.

The man turned away and headed to the coolers in the back. Ellie quickly pulled out her cellphone and dialed 911, ready to press call if something happened. She pulled it discreetly onto her lap and placed her left hand under the counter, her finger hovering above the call button. It would be virtually useless if she did need to call, but she hoped that an officer might be somewhere on the godforsaken road outside. The gas station was twenty miles away from her town and a hundred miles from the other town. Unless someone was already heading this way, help wouldn’t come fast enough. *Just breathe. You don’t even know if this guy is dangerous. There’s no reason to be worked up over nothing, she thought, trying to calm herself down. *

She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and took a deep breath, trying to get her nerves under control. The man lingered in the back, taking his time choosing what beverage he wanted. Ellie glanced at the clock. Four-forty. John was supposed to come in and take over when her shift ended at five. She only hoped that he would be on time.

The man had finally decided on what drink he wanted and headed over to the chips, walking at a leisurely pace. Ellie realized that he kept glancing at her and the camera that faced out from the counter. Clearly, he was up to no good.

Please, John. Please, for once in your life, come in early, she pleaded silently. As if the universe had heard her pleas, John’s old red Toyota Corolla rattled into the parking lot. Ellie glanced up at the clock and breathed a sigh of relief. John was nearly twenty minutes early, a first for him. She watched as he climbed quickly out of his car, slammed his door shut, and headed to the gas station door, looking agitated. She didn’t care why he was here so early. She was just thankful he had arrived. He flung the door open and stomped over to the counter, completely ignoring the man as he passed by.

“Hi, John,” she said, trying to hide her relief. John scowled at her and took his blue cap off, throwing it on the counter between them.

“You won’t believe what just happened,” he said grumpily as he leaned across the counter toward her. Ellie’s eyes widened and she leaned in, curious as to why he was so upset. “I just caught my wife in bed with someone else!”

“No!” Ellie whispered with feigned shock. John nodded his head gravely, despair on his haggard face. In all honesty, she didn’t care about John and his problems. John was like many of the male customers that came through. He was rude, cruel, and viewed women as objects instead of people. He had spent plenty of time harassing Ellie in front of his wife, Mary-Anne, so Ellie was glad that she found someone else. Still, she wanted the man behind John to think that she was too busy to notice him. It wasn’t true, of course. She had noticed the way his eyes flashed with anger when John walked into the store, and it terrified her.

“Yes!” John said angrily, pulling her attention back to him. “I know I’m not a good guy,” he admitted bitterly, “But I just can’t believe that I found her in bed – with my sister!”

Ellie’s jaw dropped in actual shock.* Well, I wasn’t expecting that*, she thought as John continued ranting about Mary-Anne. Ellie shook her head every once in a while, feeling more and more sympathy toward Mary-Anne as John detailed their lives together and how he had “worked so hard to provide for that ungrateful cow.” After ten minutes of listening to him bemoan his life, she glanced behind him to see that the man was now standing directly behind John.

“Pardon me,” he said in a deep, gravelly voice, “but I’m ready to check out now.” John grunted and made his way behind the counter. Ellie stepped back and gratefully let John take over.

“Bye, John! I’m out for the day!” she called over her shoulder as she rushed out of the door. John muttered something as the door swung shut behind her, but Ellie was already scurrying across the parking lot before he had a chance to finish his sentence. She was determined to put some distance between her and the orange-haired man in the store.

The arid, afternoon Arizona heat sucked the breath from her lungs, and she quickened her pace to her little grey Kia Soul. Ellie unlocked the door and clambered inside. The heat inside the car was intense, but she didn’t leave her door open to let any of it out. Instead, she slammed her door shut and pushed a button to lock all the doors. She jammed the key in the ignition and pulled her seatbelt over her shoulder, clicking it into place. Sweat poured down her face as she switched the A/C into high. Hot air blasted her face, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to get as far away from here as possible. Ellie threw her car into reverse and looked over her shoulder, making sure that there was no one behind her.

As she was looking back, she realized that the man from inside was now standing next to the door, leaning casually against the wall. She could feel his eyes watching her and alarm bells began ringing in her head. He was watching her like a lion watched its prey before it attacked. He popped the top on his soda can and took a slow, deliberate drink, staring intently at her car as he did.* Shit! I can’t go home! What if he follows me?*

Ellie shivered and backed up quickly, pulling to the edge of the lot. She needed to go left to go home, but instead, she turned right and sped away. She glanced in her rearview mirror and breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the man’s figure grow smaller and smaller. She had never felt anything like that before, and she hoped she never would again. Now that she was putting some distance between her and the man at the gas station, she had begun to relax. The air had finally started to cool, and Ellie turned on the radio, thankful for the oldies station that played loudly, distracting her from all her worries.

It took only an hour and half for Ellie to reach the other city, but by the time she got there, she was exhausted. Still, she was happy to have made it safely, and she hoped that the fact that there were no cars behind her as she drove meant that she hadn’t been followed. A chiming sound pulled her attention to her dashboard, and she was dismayed to see her gas light had come on.

*Damn. I forgot to get gas this morning.