Enemy Fire | J. Saltzman - Legacies [3]

S I X T E E N

Josie doesn't know what she expected of Stella's mind. A library, maybe? Or even just a small town-style life. Stella has never really been into stories the same way Josie has: Stella lives in the real, albeit reluctantly, while Josie has always been trapped in a fantasy, whether it is a school for supernatural creatures or a land of princesses and sentient birds.

She does not expect a forest.

Josie is the last one to appear in Stella's head after MG helped send them here. The group of three stands at the edge of a dense forest, the trees vibrant and colorful against the moon from above. Despite the night, Josie can see everything perfectly from the light of stars twinkling in the sky and the particles drifting through the air.

When Josie had announced that she would join, she herself had been more excited than she should be, but Stella never seemed thrilled. It sent a pang through her heart that Stella looked miserable at just the idea of Josie being in her head, though the girl never spoke against it—in fact, Stella didn't breathe a word.

Now, standing in the girl's head, Josie's breath catches in her throat when she looks over at her. Stella faces the forest with her head tilted, her face scrunched in concentration with a silver glow pulsing around her. The aura is faint, but it brings a smile to Josie's face.

Her father's voice ruins it as he asks, "A forest? Really?"

"What'd you expect?" Stella snaps. "Butterflies and unicorns? Please. My mom apparently has a similar consciousness, but I can assure you, it's different."

"How so?"

Stella arches a brow as she walks over to the nearest tree and places a hand on it. Her eyes close as the bark of the tree presses into her palm while Josie watches; images flood the tree with echoing laughter from a memory that makes a small smile stretch on Stella's lips as she pulls away.

"The living trees are happy," she says as they watch a five-year-old Stella play around at her birthday party, a wide sash across her chest. "Each one is some memory of mine."

Alaric clears his throat as the memory fades into a simple tree once more. "So, where's Nyx?"

"You mean her body?" Stella deadpans. "Quite a walk. It's past the trees all the way across."

"Across what?" Josie asks.

Stella glances at her. "You'll see. It's not just trees in here. My consciousness has...evolved a bit, to say the least. Since we accepted the bond, actually."

"So how far is she?" Alaric asks.

"Far. Follow me and keep your hands to yourselves." She turns back to the trees, her voice softening. "I let you in here to show you Nyx's corpse, not to show you my memories. So, just keep in mind that when you activate one, I relive it. Some memories I'd rather forget."

Josie's expression crumbles as Stella takes the first step into the small dirt path already waiting for them. It looks as if someone had walked it many times before but has stayed away for a long time. She clenches her jaw as she follows, sending her father a look that conveys her anger with him: she can't understand how he can be so cold to a person who only ever tried to protect them.

Walking through the woods—Stella leading the way, Josie in the middle, and Alaric heading up the back—a warmth surrounds the group, comforting them and swathing them in happiness. Josie can tell by the relaxed posture of her eljun that she can feel it too while Alaric's face slackens despite his attempts to remain stoic. Each tree whispers in her ear like a spirit wishing to be freed. Though tempting, Josie shoves her hands into her pockets (thankful she had chosen a skirt with pockets) and clenches them into fists to avoid reaching forward to see the happy memories.