“I know who you are,” she said. “You’re the new Mixologist.”
“You’re famous.” Poppy elbowed me. “This is Elle. She’s the secretary here, but don’t let the job title fool you. She runs this place.”
Elle shook her head. “I’ve just been here a long time. Knowledge seeps in over the years, you know.”
“Surely you haven’t been here more than five or ten years,” I said. “You’re not old enough.”
Both Elle and Poppy broke out in a laugh. “Try five hundred years,” Poppy said. “Elle is Fae. Here on The Isle, Fae live long lives. She never forgets anything, either, which can be a real bummer for people who try to cross her. Someone stole her lunch three hundred years ago, and the poor witch still doesn’t have a parking spot for her broomstick.”
“It’s a blessing and a curse,” Elle said with a grin. “Here you are, Lily. Just put your wrist out.”
I extended my wrist, shooting a curious glance at Poppy.
“It doesn’t hurt,” Poppy explained. “Relax.”
Elle took my wrist in her long, delicate fingers and held it so that my palm faced up. She pressed her thumb onto my forearm for a long second.
“You have a beautiful manicure,” I said, trying to ease the awkwardness as Elle continued to press down on my arm with a cool touch. “I like that color.”
Elle gave a half smile and glanced at her glittering silver nails. “Thanks, I’ll give you the name of the witch who does it. Really skilled.”
“Wonderful,” I said. Running out of things to talk about, I gazed around the room some more until Elle’s fingers heated against my skin. “What’s happening?”
“We don’t use those human badges,” Poppy said. “Not needed. My mom told me about those plastic cards. We use a much simpler and foolproof method here. A Fae’s touch leaves a dusting of magic on your skin. It’ll allow you access to all of the places you need to go, no more and no less. It wears off in about an hour, so we should get moving.”
“It was great to meet you, Lily,” the beautiful creature said. “I’ve been meaning to stop by Magic & Mixology, but I haven’t gotten around to it.”
“I imagine they keep you busy down here.” I couldn’t help but return her smile. Somehow, even her intense beauty couldn’t offset her genuinely pleasant personality. That a person so gorgeous could also be so kind, however, made me wonder if there was hope for the rest of us on this island.
“That they do, but I enjoy it.” Elle grinned. “Never a dull moment here.”
Poppy took my arm, whistled for our cousin and Hettie to follow. They didn’t seem to hear.
“What are they doing?” she muttered. “I can’t take them anywhere.”
A few more stern whistles got their attention, and soon Hettie and Zin had marks on their arms courtesy of Elle. We set off down one of the long, dark hallways, the only light to guide us stemming from tiny, star-like dots along the wall. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust.
“It feels like we’re on the Milky Way,” I whispered. For some reason, the eerie quiet seemed sacred.
Poppy’s laugh echoed off the walls. “We’re so far from space that you’re more likely to see the center of the earth than the moon. We’re underground. Deep underground.”
“How long have you worked here?”
“On and off since I turned eighteen,” Poppy said. “I still split my time working dispatch and the supply store. We have a few other girls on dispatch rotation, so it’s a pretty flexible schedule. Good benefits, and all of those ‘adult’ things, you know.”
“I’d have never guessed,” I said, my eyes still drawn to the dark, mysterious walls. “Benefits. That’s funny for some reason.”
Poppy raised an eyebrow. “Vamp Vites aren’t cheap, ya know. How are those coming along, anyway?”
“I’m missing one ingredient,” I said with a sigh.
When I first arrived on the island and learned about Poppy’s blood-intolerance issue, she’d explained that our grandfather, who was the Mixologist at the time she was born, had concocted a beverage that provided all the nutrients a normal vampire might need.
“I can’t figure out where he ordered Dust of the Devil. There are no stores on The Isle that carry it. I’ve checked them all. I even asked Harpin.”
“How is that possible? Where else could he get it from?” Poppy led the way out of the tunnel, showing us into a hallway that was all reflective gray. Metallic walls below, above, and to our sides. “He was getting it from somewhere.”