I Am Where You Are | Mystical Flowers#1 (Ongoing)

Chapter Thirteen

"Prophecy?"

The fairy nodded, taking my hands in hers. She closed her eyes for a moment, chanting a few spells under her breath. Her hands were soft but I shivered from the coolness of her touch. A few minutes passed and I glanced at Archer nervously. He was watching us, his face stern. As soon as he saw me look his way, he locked his eyes onto mine, giving me a reassuring nod. I swallowed and turned back to the fairy. Her face looked peaceful yet sad. I wondered how long she had been here as a statue, not being able to use her powers or feel the world around her.

She opened her eyes and looked at me, but her gaze was unfocused. She seemed to be looking at something far off in the distance. Her blue eyes glowed brighter than ever as she spoke, her voice flowing around the room like the melody of a lost song.

"child of the forest, beware,
for the woods whisper secrets in your absence,
you shall give in to fear or despair,
as the stars glitter in your defence"

As soon as she stopped speaking, the glow in her eyes subsided and the fairy closed her eyes, stumbling a little. I held her hands tightly, giving her support. She looked at me and smiled, holding one hand against my cheek. "Listen carefully to the whispers of the wind. They'll show you the way." Her voice was barely audible. I nodded and guided her towards my room, helping her into the bed. She looked extremely tired and let out a sigh as she drifted off to sleep.
I looked towards the doorway and saw Archer and Viva watching us, their faces concerned. I walked over to them and shut the door quietly.

"She's exhausted. We should let her sleep", I said. Archer nodded and walked into the living room, Viva tagging along behind him. I followed them, scared to enter the room. It reminded me of the pure horror I'd felt when I'd seen that old woman walking towards us, basket in hand. I sat down across from Archer and sighed, wondering what would happen now that Rumelda knew where I was.

"What do you think it means?", he asked, looking at me. "The prophecy?", I asked, meeting his glance. He nodded slowly. I looked away, not sure what to say.
"I don't know." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry", he said finally.
I looked at him then, not sure why he was apologising. "For what?", I asked.

"I'm supposed to be your guardian. I should be the one looking after you. Not the other way around. I'm sorry." He looked away, embarrassed.
"Don't apologise. You don't have to be in control of everything, you know. It would do you good to loosen up a little", I said, smiling at him. He returned the smile, but I sensed another emotion running through his mind. I looked at the living room, which was a mess after what had just happened. I looked back at him, wondering why he was always so quiet. He looked into the distance, and just for a second, I saw hurt flash across his face.
"What are you thinking about?", I asked. He looked back at me, the look of hurt now evident in his face. He paused for a moment, before answering. "My sister."

* * *
I blinked, surprised. "You have a sister?", I asked, realising suddenly that I knew nothing about him, other than the fact that he was my guardian and that his parents were dead. He nodded, looking back at the forest. "She's a year younger than me. It's been years since I last saw her." Viva sat at his feet, her eyes sad. He stroked her ear and she leaned into his touch, purring softly. "Her name was Aerys. She was a forest spirit, just like me."
I watched him silently. His face softened when he talked about her, and it was clear that he had loved her dearly. "What happened to her?", I asked.
He looked down at Viva, who was slumped against his leg, her eyes closed. I saw his lips start to curl up in a smile, but he saw me watching and immediately went back to keeping a straight face. A few moments later, he sighed, looking at me.
"She disappeared. No one knows what happened to her. She left without a trace."

I nodded, looking down so he wouldn't see the tears in my eyes. Suddenly, Viva let out a snort and looked up at both of us. She tilted her head, observing Archer. He looked at her, startled. As soon as she had gotten his attention, she ran into his room. Archer got up, his fists clenched. "Take your dragon out of my room..", he said, looking at me furiously. I shrugged and started to walk towards his room. He stopped me, putting his hand on my arm. "I meant call her back. It wasn't an invitation to enter my room", he said, his green eyes blazing. He took his hand away, keeping his eyes on me.

Just as I started to call her name, Viva came rushing back with a portrait of a girl in her mouth. She ran over to me and dropped it at my feet, wagging her tail in excitement. Archer took one look at the portrait and froze. I picked it up from the floor, running my hands over the hard frame. The girl stared back at me, her eyes playful. She looked about my age, but her face resembled Archer's. Her hair hung loose about her and extended past her shoulders in beautiful white locks. Her green eyes stared back at me and her smile looked like it hid many secrets. She wore a dark cloak just like Archer's, but that wasn't what had caught my attention. It was her eyes. They were green like Archer's, but a more rich shade of green. I looked down at Viva who sat quietly at my feet, looking up at me. Her green eyes held my gaze for a moment, and I felt like she was trying to tell me something.

"Archer, who's this?", I asked him, even when I knew the answer. He looked at me, his expression blank. "That's my sister."
I looked down at Viva just as the skies thundered and roared. She looked back at me, her green eyes sparkling. That's when the forest started whispering.