𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝 - 𝐀 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠

CHAPTER 8

"Whoa."

That was all I could manage as I stumbled into the centre of the room, admiring my surroundings.

I was in a wide, open space with bookshelves stacked above each other that reached up to the ceiling- which seemed miles away. Long violet vines draped around the walls like a delicate curtain. Cushy furniture cluttered the far right corner of the room, beside a roaring fire. Pixie dust hovered in the air, gently illuminating the space as it glittered and winked. 

This place looked magical. It was magic. 

"I know, right?" Jilly piped up beside me. "It always takes my breath away."

I stood for a moment longer, my eyes lingering hungrily on all the leather-spined books, itching to pull them out for a spell-binding read. 

But Flora intervened. Again. 

"Would you like to take a seat?" She asked, "It's time we had a little chat."

The way she said it made it sound as though she was a school principal and I was about to get expelled.

My stomach turned queasy. I nodded. 

She eyed the other children as I flopped into a large velvet armchair. "In private."

Oh, great.

They trudged out of a large door behind me, at a turtle's pace. I watched them over my shoulder, the corners of my lips frowning in disappointment.

It slammed shut. 

I was trapped. 

"Tea?" A silvery voice asked.

I stifled a scream. 

A puppy-sized creature with long, pointed ears, a hooked nose and glassy, shimmering wings fluttered over the couch's arm. She was holding a small, silver tray with a matching tea set, high above her head. 

Flora smiled encouragingly. "This is Poppy, our local tea-pixie," she introduced. 

"Hello, Poppy," I smiled politely and accepted the steaming cup of deep golden gloop. My mind, however, was spinning. 

A tea-pixie? Never heard of them before. 

Poppy gave me a toothy grin before disappearing into nothing with a soft POP! 

Wow... How?

"Okay," Flora began. I jolted out of my daydreams. "You ask me some questions, I answer. Got it?"

"Got it," I echoed nonchalantly. "First off, what does O.F.R. mean? It's printed everywhere."

Flora stiffened; the teacup wobbled dangerously on her plate. "That is classified. You will know when the time is right."

For real?  I sighed loudly and took the tiniest sip of the tea. Mmmm... Springberries. 

"Okay... how long has this place been for?" I prodded. 

"For the last thirty years,"

"Does anyone else know about it?"

"Yes, but only our agents that are scattered around the world." 

"Is it even legal? "

"No," mumbled Flora, "It is illegal." She rubbed her temples. 

"How did you find me?"

"We have spies everywhere." She smirked slyly, dabbing her face with a napkin. "Even in the Forbidden Forests,"

"I see..." I trailed off. "Why do you want me in?"

"We knew your story before the rest," Flora explained, sipping her tea with pursed lips. "We know about your father and mother's disappearance. Don't you want to figure out why? Why the government is doing this? How to rescue them? How to stop this?" 

"I do." I paused, off-track. "You said something about my father?"

"He was Robin Hood, of course. Executed for his deeds. You were four." She said unapologetically. 

Something bubbled up in my chest. Fury? Sorrow? Betrayal? 

Mother had told me that it was because of an illness that they were unable to treat. What fables. He was the legendary Robin Hood! He fought for justice. Why this? I felt as though I wanted to punch something. 

"I have my final question," I announced as I calmed down, taking a large swig of the tea. The sweet, tangy taste bloomed in my tongue. "Why are you here as a leader or something? What's it in for you?" 

For a millisecond, the room felt unnaturally still. Pixie dust refrained from bouncing around. The fire seemed to weaken. The tea stopped sloshing around in its cups. 

"My son," Flora whispered. "He was The Boy Who Cried Wolf."

I sucked in a breath. 

Flora continued, her voice cracking. "I can tell you with full sincerity, he would never lie. He was attacked. Thrice. Though the sheep were unharmed, he returned home with deep, gashing wounds. I knew that this wasn't the work of a normal wolf. The Big Bad Wolf didn't eat animals, only humans."

My stomach churned. The Big Bad Wolf? The one I murdered? 

"He was only twelve. Nobody believed him. He died on the third night, during the third assassination attempt-" A glistening tear trickled down her chin; she choked down a sob."That's when I decided to seek help. And here I am. Fighting for the truth." 

I felt as though I wanted to hug her. Poor mum, I thought. 

"Will you join us, Red?" 

What would I do with my life if I don't join them? I would be worthless. I need to find mum. I need to prove them wrong. My life is in my hands now. Not a bakery's, not a wolf's.

With the word 'wolf', the pieces clicked. I knew that this was the right choice. No regrets whatsoever. 

"I'm in."

***

Whew! I think that's one of my longest chapters yet! What did you think of it? Please vote, comment and share! :D

~ LKS ❤ ➡ outttt