The Broken Ones

Chapter 22

Felix:

The setting sun matched the sprawled flowers throughout the scene, ranging from orange to green. Fairy lights-no, actual fairies-lined the treetops in glistening colors. Garlands of yet more flowers circled around the scene of laughter and dancing, looping between each lamp and table. In the very back stood a table, holding delicacies I had yet to hear of. But one of the most shocking parts was the guests, none of which human.

Short people with pointy ears, taller with deer-like eyes, some with wings, some with sharp teeth, skin ranging from colors of beige to purple. The couple who seemed to be getting married consisted of two people, both with those deer-like features: big, beady eyes, spots around their shoulders and face, and elegant horns springing from their heads. I noticed, in a pond not too far away, a group of creatures splashing around happily to the music. Mermaids, if my guess was correct and I hadn't gone insane.

We were at a loss for words. This was something you heard of in books, watched in movies, something from a story your parents would tell you to get you to sleep. Certainly never real. But after everything we had already seen, could it be so far off? I thought I saw a few normal people standing around until they turned to reveal their bottom half to be of a horse's.

Kat's slight stutters made up for our thoughts.

Suddenly, through the violins and cheerful dancing, someone shouted, "Look!"

My heart hammered when I saw she, a woman with a third eye in between her others, pointed to us. Two other people next to he turned to look. Maybe they were looking at something behind us? I highly doubted it . . .

Taylor clutched at my hand slightly. In a voice barely above a whisper, she asked, "Should we run?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully.

But then the three people were walking in our direction. One man held an awkward structure that turned out to be partly from the tree limbs sprouting from his skin. What looked to be bark formed over parts of his body. The woman next to the third eye one also resembled a deer.

We all began backing up. The one in front quickly held open her hand when she noticed what we were doing. "Oh, no, we mean no harm."

Shouldn't we be saying that?

"Please, come forward."

We stayed glued to spot, not one of us really knowing what to do. We could run right now, which sounded like the smarter option. But a thought occurred to me. These people know plenty more about the forest then we do. Maybe they would be able to help us out. So, in a great leap of faith, I stepped forward slightly, Kat and Taylor following. "They could help with the Hole," I whispered. Whether or not they understood, I didn't get a chance to ask. The three strangers were clutching at us before we could turn back.

"Oh, yes, humans if I am correct."

"Strong nature."

"So peculiar."

"These three could do for a break."

"Flower crowns, yes?"

Somehow, Taylor finally found her voice. She urged their hands off of her with a strong glare, saying, "What is going on."

The three of them looked at each other, then back at us. The middle on nodded towards Taylor, "Pink crown for her then."

"And a pretty yellow dress for this one." The deer-like one smiled at Kat. Taylor's mouth dropped open, dumbfounded, when her white-eyed friend beamed at this statement. I couldn't blame her.

"Dark green for this lad, here. Oh yes." The man ruffled my hair. I was too stunned to react much.

Taylor just seemed livid as she said, "What makes you think we're just going to-"

But before she could finish, the three-eyed lady and her friend dragged Kat and Taylor somewhere off into the trees happily while I was dragged by this tree lunatic.

His barky grip on my wrist made me cringe. What was happening? "Don't worry," he smiled. "We'll have you dancing and laughing in no time."

"Oh, lovely," I answered sarcastically.

When he began stripping off my pants, I accidentally punched him in the face. I didn't mean to, it was simply part of my reflexes. The man was trying to take my pants off. But after much apologizing, he said he would forgive me if I were to put on a dark green tunic he held up. Putting on clothes sounded like a small sacrifice for information on our journey, so I obliged and did so. He matched it with a pair of dark pants and tall leather boots, wrapping my other clothes in my cloak and putting them aside. I felt like a movie character. Adjusting to the lifestyle still hadn't struck me.

Finally, we walked out to join the party. Kat and Taylor were nowhere in sight. I felt awkward standing there while everyone danced, arms hanging limp at my sides. A giant, almost eight-foot, creature bumped into my shoulder as he walked by. "Sorry, excuse me," he said in a deep, apologetic voice.

Who knew a giant could be so friendly.

Out of the corner of my eyes, four girls emerged from the trees. The two strangers from before, and like a punch in my stomach, Kat and Taylor. Kat was in a long yellow dress, lined with floral silk and puffy at the sleeves. Her hair held shimmers of diamond, her lips painted red. She couldn't stop smiling as she twirled in circles. And then there was Taylor. In that moment, I wondered if anyone else could see my heart visibly hammering against my chest.

A simple, baby blue dress stopping at her feet. At her waist was a garland of small white flowers, her forearms holding silver bands encrusted with jewels. Lips painted a faint pink, hair tied back in a loose, short braid with the same white flowers popping out. She was beyond breathtaking. Gorgeous couldn't even begin to describe her.

Something was placed on my head, pulling me out of my trance. A crown of deep green plants and small white flowers circled my hair. Kat held one with yellow flowers, Taylor with blue. I wondered if I looked like a complete idiot next to them. Probably. They were physically glowing. Taylor's faint freckles seemed to stand out more from my view of her.

"Hi," she said nervously. Her arms were folded close to her. She didn't seem to know what to do with her twiddling hands.

I smiled down at her. "You are . . ."

Where was I again?

Kat cut in for me with a large grin on her face. "Radiant. Beautiful. Everything you have dreamed off and more?"

I nodded. "And more, yeah."

Her face dusted over with a light blush she desperately tried to hide with her hair. My heart hammered harder. "What exactly are we doing here?" she question, glancing over her shoulders.

I mentally punched myself to get back into character. I couldn't go losing myself now. "Right. Well, I was figuring every . . . one here could help out with information. Tell us what we need to know."

Kat arched an eyebrow. "So just start questioning?"

"Yes," I nodded. "Right after hitting the food table."

"My thoughts exactly," Taylor said. Her blue eyes glowed against her outfit. I took a deep breath in before the three of us edged our way to the table.

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