Exillium's Story

Chapter Thirteen

(3rd POV)

As the four's bodies reformed, they were met with the sight of the once beautiful garden that three of them had grown to call home.

"Where are we?" Mystery Girl asked. "Before answering that, to avoid any mix ups, introductions first," Tam said. At the 'to avoid any mixups' part, his head turned slightly towards (Y/n).

Tam then threw back his hood, and tore off his mask; Linh copying him, revealing their complexions. They both had creamy skin and pink lips, with the palest blue eyes ever seen, with specks of silver in them glinting in the sunlight.

The touches of silver in the two's dark hair enhanced the effect. The girl's waist-length jet-black hair looked like the ends had been dipped in platinum, and the tips of the boy's jagged bangs glinted when he tossed them out of his eyes.

(Y/n) could tell that Mystery Girl was slightly awe-struck, and had the urge to say, "I felt the same way seeing them the first time too." But had decided against it, given that it would basically be a death wish for any future teasing.

Then, the girl they knew as Mystery Girl, said, "You're brother and sister." "Twins," Tam corrected. "Is that going to be a problem?" "Why would it..." the girl started before going silent in thought.

"Of course not," she promised. "I know what if feels like to be different." She then threw down her hood and pulled off her mask, as the twins gawked at her eyes.

Tam glanced at Linh before saying, "I'm Tam, and this is Linh. And I'm sure she," Tam said, cocking his head towards (Y/n), "would like to introduce herself." Mystery Girl smiled before saying, "I'm Sophie."

"That's a human name," Tam said. "It is," Sophie responded. "So, now that you guys have all been introduced, I'm just gonna make this quick, since you all happen to already know me," (Y/n) said.

She threw down her hood, and pulled off her mask, revealing her (H/l) (H/c) hair, (S/c) skin, and (E/c) eyes. For a second, she could've sworn she saw Sophie's eyes go misty.

"What do you mean?" Linh asked, looking between Sophie and (Y/n) confused. "I promise, I'll tell you both more later, but for now, let's narrow it down to saying Sophie and I knew each other for a bit before I came to Exillium," (Y/n) said, sounding awkward.

'You said you didn't know her,' Tam's voice rang through (Y/n)'s head. I said I wasn't sure if it was her. Listen, I have things to tell you, and I said I'd tell you at the right time, and I promise that right time will be tonight. But for now, let's focus on figuring out how Sophie can help, okay? 'Fine.'

"So, where are we?" Sophie asked again. She wanted to check on (Y/n), hug her, ask her how she was doing, if she was okay, but she couldn't at the time.

Sophie had a mission to gather information, and couldn't stray from it. "Home sweet home." Tam kicked a piece of rotten, speckled fruit.

"It used to be beautiful, we used to feel so lucky we found it. But that was before the gnomes fell ill," Linh said.

"Wait," Sophie said, climbing on a fallen trunk to get a better view. Farther down the weed-lined path, she spotted a grove of black, collapsing trees with coloured pieces of wood in their trunks, like doors. "Was this the Wildwood Colony?"

Linh nodded, "They used to bring us dinner every night, and I loved to fall asleep to their songs." Linh brushed aside a blackened vine as she whispered, "Do you know what happened to them?"

"Only that they're in quarantine, and that they're all still alive." Sophie added to reassure her. "But wait, you're the teenagers who made the footprints they found?" "Who are they?" Tam demanded.