Those In The Forest

Part 98: Hazel

"I love you."

          Those three little words we had been praying to hear from her. For a while, we began to think she would never say it, but we were wrong, and I've never been so happy to be wrong.

           She stood before us, tears in our eyes. We had been quiet for too long. If we didn't say anything soon, she might take it back.

          "I don't know what to say that won't spook you," Rose said honestly, and Reagan laughed. Her tears came out harder and faster.

          Instinctively, we all started laughing with her. "That is not at all what I thought you would say," she said, the tears not stopping. Reaching out, I ran my thumb under her eyes, wiping them.

          "Are these happy or sad tears?" I asked, worried about the answer. I couldn't get a clear reading of her scent.

          She shrugged. "Both," she cradled herself in my hand. "I'm feeling so many things right now," she exhaled hard. "But I know what all of my feelings mean. This entire week... we've been somewhat ignoring what I did. You've been trying to make me feel normal; I just want you to know I've noticed."

          "Are you... regretting it?" Iris reached out, placing her hand on Reagan's thigh.

          If she regretted it, we would do our best to help her realize she wasn't in the wrong. What she did was valid. It was to help her. Help us. Alan was a shit man, and he had hurt her. It wasn't just the revenge that pushed her to kill him. It was pain, hurt, sadness.

          She needed to be able to move on, and killing him was the first step.

          "No, I don't regret it, but it has lingered in my mind. This week, I have been trying to see how everyone in the cabin acts toward me after what I did, and it's been the same," she smiled. Well, that is until Lennox kind of snapped and forced me to shift. You all have treated me like family, and it's been more than I deserved. Or at least I thought that. Now... now I know you all love me, and I love you."

          She repeated it, so it wasn't just spur of the moment. She said it because she meant it, which made it all the better.

          She had an unsure expression. "I expected you all to hug me with hugs and kisses. Honestly, I'm disappointed you aren't."

           "Trust me, it was my first instinct, but I figured you would run away," Ivy spoke honestly.

           We still didn't jump her with hugs and kisses, only when we knew the uncertainties if we did.

          She threw her head back in a fit of laughter and responded, "I do believe I told you all I'm not delicate anymore. If you want me to be normal, I expect the same of you. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss your coddling. But only the good parts. The parts like you always wanted to touch me, not having separate conversations about my feelings."

          We all cringed. "You know about that?" Rose asked, shamed.

          Reagan raised a brow. "About you all deciding to use pen and paper to talk about me, yes, I know about that." she pointed to her ears. "These things work fucking fantastic. I heard you scribbling something down before you came to me about food last week. One look at your face, and I knew."

          Very intuitive.

          "We're sorry?" I said, unsure what to say to do right now.

          "Is that a question?"

          My eyes shifted away from hers, her gaze too intimidating to keep looking at. "No?"