Not My Home Anymore

Chapter Three

That night, I couldn’t sleep, no matter how engulfed in peace I was. The truth is, I was waiting for him. I did have questions, not to mention things to accuse him of. But really, I just wanted to know more about him. His piercing gaze still burned into the back of my skull whenever my eyes closed, all I wanted to do was make his eyes lighten, and look at me in love.

I gasped, “Victoria, are you listening to yourself!”  I whispered angrily at myself, cursing how I could forget about my Gran’s warning to just dream about some man’s eyes.

I sighed and fell back on my bed, the little box standing securely on my abdomen. As I let my eyes close I opened my ears to the night. I could hear the rustling of little animal feet as they slumped into a good night’s rest, the sound of the tired wind humming against the house. All of these sounds were familiar and reminded me of the wonderful childhood I had. But they also reminded me of him.

I sat up frustrated, looking towards my window and in spite of myself I walked towards it. Looking out I almost expected him to just float his way up here and invite me out in the dark for a moonlit waltz. I shook my head, muttering again to myself.

“Hello there, love,” The voice comes from behind, shocking me.

I spin, bringing my hands up slightly, “W-what?” I stammer.

The figure moves out of the darkness and comes to rest a patterned hand on my cheek. Intrigued I look at his hand, taking it to flip it over gently, looking at the different kinds of leaves tattooed on his hand.

“You.. How do you know my Grandmother?” I finally ask a question that doesn’t sound like it was strangled out of me.

He smiles at me, making my hand disappear in his as he leads me back to my bed and sits down. Suggesting I should do the same with the wave of his hand. “I know your Grandmother because she spoke to me about you often, especially when she began to get very old. She explained to me, that even if you were stubborn to take care of Victoria, or else.”

Giggling, I sit beside him, “Why did you seem so angry at me before?” I know these were selfish questions, but I needed to get them out, or I would never be able to sleep.

He looked at me for a very long time, his eyes had softened extremely but a hard glint was still very clear. Then he slowly looked back to my window, seeming to drift off. I could see his face shape into an expression of love and hate, as if he was dealing with a battle within his soul.

I follow his gaze, trying to arrange my thoughts again. The note my grandmother gave me, maybe he could tell me something about it. Also, the way the trees could talk to me, since I was a child. Maybe he could even show me how to listen to them better!  But even as I think of that, a very important question slides into the frontal lobe of my brain.

"What's your name?” I ask shyly, peeking at him to watch his expression.

A smile does escape his concentrated look and he looks down at me. It surprises me because this is actually the first time I’ve noticed how tall he really is, he must be at least four inches taller than my meek five foot eight height.

His shoulders shift into a relaxed manner, and he speaks softly as if telling me a secret, “Avery. It means elfin ruler,” He almost blushes, shaking his head at his name.

I look at him for a very long time, and I come to the strangest conclusion I have ever thought of. “You must live in the forest,” I announce to him, trying to follow his soft tone but failing miserably. “Avery, you must have been the one who would tell the trees to talk with me.”

Again, he smiled at me, “I have been with you since both of us were children. I do live in the forest, but only your Grandparents would allow me to stay. Ever since we were children, your Grandmother wished me to stay near you, but I could only achieve her goals when you were here.”

I nod, following what he is saying but I still have one last question. A question, that by all means but be answered tonight.

“Avery, what does the warning mean?”

A cool breeze suddenly makes its way into my room, and I notice that my window was open the entire time. The trees outside my window begin to move and shuffle to the wind, shrieking warnings out to their very roots. I feel the entire forest surrounding my Grandparents home start to send little whispers into my ears, filling my concentration with jumbled up messages.

Avery finally speaks, taking my hands in his; breaking my concentration immediately, “I think it’s about time I told you. But if I tell you, you must come with me.”  His voice is stern.

I nod.

“You are going to die, Victoria.”

How do you like Avery???? Do you think he's a good guy or not? Please comment on what you think of the story so far!!

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