Return to Faerie

Chapter Three

A sharp laugh escaped her lips. "Our home? Jack, what are you talking about?"

"It's been a while, but this is your home. Your real home," Jack said.

As he spoke, Layla felt a calm sense of knowing spread over her, as if she had just remembered the tune of one of her favourite songs, or the name of a beloved childhood book. It made no sense, but what he was saying rang true. How could she feel so peaceful and at home somewhere she had never even seen before, she wondered as she finally tore her eyes away from his to properly scan the forest around them. A fine mist had settled in the air around the pond, sparkling in the sunlight. The surrounding forest was made up of silver birches, pines and ancient-looking oak trees towering above them. Flowers grew abundantly amidst the trunks: purple, pink, yellow and white. A narrow path cut through the trees, extending as far as Layla could see. She inhaled, noticing the air smelled like roses and lilacs.

"You'll remember soon enough. But there's a reason I brought you here, Layla," Jack said, his expression turning gloomy. "I didn't want to bring this up so soon, but I—we—desperately need your help."

"With what?" Layla asked, smiling stupidly as she enjoyed the lovely sights, sounds and smells around her. It was as if all her senses had suddenly become super sharp: she could hear the flapping wings of a butterfly that had landed on a flower nearby, and she could see tiny particles floating in the sunlight. The forest looked like a regular forest but somehow brighter, more dazzling, as if they had just stepped into a Disney Princess movie.

Jack laughed as he watched her delight in her surroundings. "Listen, I know it's beautiful, but you have to focus," he wrapped his hands around her head once again and looked into her eyes. "You hold the answer to our problems."

"Oh, okay, no pressure. What problems?" Layla felt her heart flutter as Jack's eyes continued to penetrate hers, unblinking. "And who is we?"

"There are evil forces at work. Spirits from another realm that have invaded our land and are trying to ruin us," Jack said without taking his eyes off hers.

Layla felt a chill run down her spine as he spoke. A ripple of cold air blew through her hair. Again, she felt a sense of inner knowing that what Jack was saying was undeniably true.

"But where do I fit into this? How could I possibly help you?"

"This is your birthright," Jack said seriously. "You were born here, Layla. You are a changeling. Do you know what that means?"

Layla vaguely recalled hearing the term in a movie she had watched about a child being switched at birth and replaced with a devil child.

"Um, so I'm an evil creature? What are you talking about Jack? This isn't funny, I want to go home," she said, suddenly feeling very cold, wet and scared.

"Listen, I'm sorry it had to be done this way. I wanted to bring you back to your homeland slowly, bit by bit. Then on your eighteenth birthday we would have given you a chance to either keep your human life or stay in this realm with us. That has always been the plan."

"Us? Who is us?" Layla swam away from Jack, kicking the water with full force and sending droplets dancing up into the air. "Jack, you're really freaking me out." She scrambled up onto the grassy shore and leaned up against a large oak tree, feeling more peaceful as its warm, strong energy comforted her.

Jack had followed her, crouching beside the tree but keeping his distance. He was silent for a moment as Layla caught her breath.

"You're one of us. A faerie," he said. His voice was so soft and velvety smooth it was almost inaudible amidst the chatter of the forest.