The Woods

Chapter Twenty-Seven

I sat on the floor before a small trunk, which was all that was left of Mother. The wedding party had ended hours ago, and the moon was high in the sky, but I found myself hesitating before the trunk. My mind was clear and my stomach wasn't twisting, and yet I found myself wondering if I wanted to know anything.

It was a long while before my trembling fingers unlatched the trunk and opened it. It was so empty, having only a few small boxes within.

I pulled out one made from elegantly carved wood, stroking the design of the ocean and moon. Within the velvet lining sat a silver necklace with a sapphire the size of a quail's egg. I gaped at it, unable to even think of an explanation. First the dress, and now jewellery worth its weight in gold.

I quickly shut the box, having to take a few breaths to calm myself. There was simply no way that my family could have afforded it.

The next box was larger, and I found a simple white dress inside. A wedding dress. Unlike the blue one, this one would have fit the normal weddings of the town. Simple and cheap. But it didn't settle my thoughts, rather it suggested Mother had a completely different life before meeting Father.

Shuddering, I put the dress back into its box and pulled out the second to last box from the trunk. It was full of letters and paintings of Mother and Father. Apparently, Father had travelled to a neighbouring town at some point, taking me with him.

The next piece of paper made my heart stop. It was a newspaper clipping, old and yellowing. A woman had been burned at the stake for witchcraft. It was my mother's name.

My breaths were shuddering and I ran my fingers through my hair. It explained what the Head Representative was talking about. He said the last burning had happened sixteen years ago. He said people would associate me with her.

I had to close my eyes to compose myself, and even then, tears still ran down my cheeks. A glance at the dates told me it had happened when Father was away. How horrible he must have felt. To return and find his wife murdered.

Shaking my head, I pulled out the final box and opened it. Inside was graphite, charcoal and a few sheets of paper. The papers had sketches, one of Father and another with Mother. The one of Father was cleaner, as if the artist was skilled. The one of Mother was rougher, suggesting the artist hadn't drawn for long. Perhaps they had drawn each other.

"Ears," I suddenly blurted, even though I was alone. The sketch of Mother had animalistic ears poking out from her hair. I jumped up and ran to the dresser, fumbling for the painting of her that an artist had done. She wore a shawl around her head.

I was trembling so hard that I dropped it, sending it clattering to the floor. Mother had been Fae.

Just like Merida, she had worn a shawl to hide the ears. There was no other explanation other than her being Fae.

I glanced at the box with the necklace in it. It explained how she could afford the items. Had she brought them with her? Why did she leave the Woods?

But what my thoughts mainly dwelled on was myself. I was demi-Fae. I remembered all the times Casper mentioned how strange I was; my eye colour, a light he saw. And the time I snapped at Dimah. In those moments, I was controlled by nothing but pride and raw instinct. It must've come from the Fae in my blood.

I still couldn't wrap my head around it. I sunk to my knees and buried my face in my hands. My breathing was still ragged. I tried to take control of my broken breaths, curling into a ball and taking deep breaths. After a few minutes, I somehow calmed myself enough to open my eyes and glance at the boxes before me.

What was I to do with myself? The Head Representative made it clear that he knew what I was, and that it was only a matter of time before the people turned on me. With Delilah gone, there was no one for me to hide behind.

I needed to go back.

The thought pounded through me, and I found myself getting up and all but running through the building. I was at the town's edge within a few minutes and slammed into the barrier, having forgotten its presence.

"Please, please," I murmured, hitting the barrier with my hand. Did Cain and Casper know what I was? Or did they simply think it was all a coincidence? I slammed my hand against the wall more desperate than before, a sob rising from my throat.

I found myself sinking to the ground, my breaths shuddering once more and tears running down my face. My final blow at the barrier was weak, and I pressed my head against it, sobbing.

I didn't understand why I cried. Perhaps it was the fear of losing my life, or perhaps it was because I had been forced to leave the place I had stayed for a month, that felt more like home than the place I had lived for seventeen years.

Either way, I sat there in the cold night, crying until the darkness of sleep took me.

***

I jolted awake at the sound of a creaking chair. Glancing around, I saw I was in my bed, wrapped in a blanket. I didn't remember returning from the barrier.

"Fida." I turned to see Cain sitting on a stool a few feet away, giving me a curious look.

"Cain." We silently stared at each other for a few moments. "Why did you come?"

"I . . . felt you," he replied. "There was a ripple of sorts. I wanted to know why."

A rush of adrenalin filled my veins and I ran my fingers through my hair. I didn't know if it would explain anything, but I suddenly blurted, "My mother was Fae." He jolted, sitting up straight with wide eyes.

"What was her name?" he asked.

"Amber Clark."

He shook his head. "I have never known a Fae with that name."

Climbing out of bed, I plucked the painting of her from my dresser and passed it to him. His eyes widened slightly and he opened his mouth a few times as if to say something, but nothing came out.

"Ash Cawther." From the Wolf House. "She was Drake's mother. No wonder you two became so close; your blood must've called to his."

"But why did she come here?" I asked. I made my way to my parents' room and he followed, silent as I passed him the sapphire necklace.

"Henry gave this to her as a wedding gift," he said quietly. "It's a family heirloom of the Wolf House." He still hadn't answered my question. After a few moments, he let out a sigh. "He is a wicked man. Ash and I were close friends, and I noticed bruises peeking out from under her clothes. She always had to wear long sleeves."

I remembered when Drake got a bruise for smashing a vase. "She ran out of fear." He nodded.

"She didn't tell any of us, and we assumed she was dead." His eyes landed on the newspaper clipping and he let out a shuddering breath.

"A woman came to me about a week ago. She called herself Merida, and she had wolf ears."

"Ash's sister. A horrid woman. What happened to her?" I cringed at the memory and he pursed his lips, nodding slightly.

We stood in silence for a few minutes, both of us trying to take everything in.

"Your face was still wet when I found you," he said quietly. "Perhaps all the emotions you were feeling at once made you release a burst of power, causing the ripple I felt."

I nodded, though I couldn't make sense of it. I didn't have magic. But even as I thought this, I remembered snapping at Dimah. It had been enough to make her call me a freak. Perhaps she sensed something then. Having no status, she would've felt it much stronger than anyone else.

"So, what's next?" I asked. He smiled grimly.

"We return to the Woods and figure out what to do."

I didn't know whether to feel relieved or nervous.