What's Left Behind

It's common knowledge among those who have been there that time in the Faerie realm doesn't work the same way it does in the so-called "real world." Some who were taken find that hundreds of years passed in what seemed like days, or even minutes. Some have returned to a time before they were taken, some before they were even born. Most frightening of all, however, is the knowledge that many who enter never make it out at all. Sometimes people get lost. Heather and Zeke, braving the Faerie realm to save their friend's life, know this all too well. Both of them were lucky enough to escape the Faerie once, but neither one came back human. They never wanted to go back to that place; the land all nightmares spring from, the place that strips away your humanity until you have nothing left to guide you home, but Liam needed their help. They are the only ones who can save him, and they must do it by bartering pieces of themselves to the Faeries in order to restore him. Any mistake bargaining with a Faerie creature could cost them their lives or their sanity, dooming all three to remain forever. The words of each deal have to be perfect. They cannot offer anything they can't bear to give up. They must try not to lose too much of themselves to find their way back. Keeping this in mind, they race to restore Liam's health before he runs out of time. Meanwhile, Melinda and Stephanie wait for their friends to return, fearing the worst as the weeks fly by. They struggle to carry on as though nothing has happened, knowing that the truth of their friends' absence would only be believed by those who know about the Faerie. Lying to the people she loves hurts Melinda, but Stephanie has no one to turn to at all. Both are plagued with worry for their friends, terrible guilt, and bitter regrets. When an argument breaks out between them it leaves both women even more isolated and vulnerable, just when they need each other most. Reconciling may be impossible, but the challenges ahead may very well destroy one of them if they cannot learn to trust each other.