“
Really?
”
“
Yes, now close your eyes.
”
He stood behind me and
covered my eyes with his hands.
Locked in darkness, I said,
“
This isn
’
t you going crazy and slaughtering me in the middle of the woods is it?
”
His chuckle reverberated from his chest t
o mine and I smiled.
“
Tempting, b
ut no. Just watch your step and don
’
t peek.
”
“
Funny. How do you suppose I watch my feet with your hands over my
eyes?
”
He was quiet for a second, and then I heard him give out a short laugh.
“
Good point. Okay, just keep walking and trust me. We
’
re almost there.
”
With his hands around me, Ayden led me further and further into the forest until I thought we
’
d seriously gotten lost. Every time I asked where we were, he kissed me just to get me to shut up. I couldn
’
t complain, of course, because his lips were my biggest weakness, but I still would have liked to know where he planned on taking me.
Finally, we stopped and Ayden whispered in my ear,
“
When I let go, you have to be very still. One movement and you
’
ll scare them off.
”
Scare them off?
“
Okay, I promise.
”
Ayden silently counted to three and released his hold on me. My vision came back in a blur and settled on the sun
poking out behind a cloud
. Then I saw the slight movement below me and nearly swallowed my tongue as I gasped. I le
t out a hysterical
giggle as I watched the millions of butterflies
alighted on the thousands of bleeding hearts around us. It was, by far, the hugest and most colorful garden I
’
d ever seen.
“
Shout something,
”
Ayden whispered
, a smile on his face.
I shook out my hands and screamed,
“
I
’
m free!
”
My voice echoed in the clearing and within seconds the butterflies had taken flight, capturing us in a fluttering sea of pinks, yellows, and blues. I clung to
Ayden
’
s side and didn
’
t dare
let him go. When wings brushed my cheek, I laughed as if I
’
d just
discovered the meaning of life and reached out to touch them. I spun in circles
and reveled in the way they responded. I allowed myself this time, feeling alive in this moment.
When all the butterflies had long gone, I glanced back at Ayden and asked the question that seemed to be on my mind the whole time.
“
How did you find this place?
”
He shrugged and guided me further into the clearing, being careful not to step on the hearts.
“
I found it when I was smaller, maybe around ten. I was angry about our move here to Shadow Hills and just kept running until I found myself here.
”
“
And what is here?
”
“
I don
’
t know. Some sort of garden, but in a way, it
’
s not. I
’
ve never seen those kind of butterflies anywhere but here.
”
I smiled big and squeezed his hand.
“
I love it. Thank you.
”
I brushed a stray hair from my face and climbed to my toes to kiss him. Like always, I melted against him. If it weren
’
t for his hands
placed securely around my waist
, I would have fallen to the ground.
When the kiss ended, Ayden said,
“
This place makes me think of you. Your smile, your hair.
”
He grinned and kissed my nose.
“
Your lips…your eyes. Eyes so blue I swear I can see my soul within them like my own view of clarity.
In the light they are almost iridescent and they light up every time I see you. They are only a part of you, I know, but they make you that more special. So…innocent and pure.
”
I smiled slightly and allowed his words to carry
with the wind
. They would never grow old as I would never tire from him. Ever. I kissed him again and said,
“
Truthfully, you are the first to ever be so honest with me. That
’
s all I ever wanted, and while others found it ridiculously hard, you give the truth so freely. I couldn
’
t ask for anything more.
”
The glint in his eyes told me he loved the sound of that. When we settled into the grass and watched up at the sky as funny shaped clouds rolled by, seconds
that had
turned into hours seemed to come and go fa
ster than either of us wanted them
to.
The sky bled an inky red-orange as I lay in Ayden
’
s arms and he told me hilarious stories of his family. I only wished I had stories of my own, something good to remember. But all I had were broken dreams and a broken heart. There was nothing funny about that and I refused to bring up the already forgotten past.
Forgotten? Probably never, but I sure as hell could ignore it.
“
What are you thinking?
”
Ayden whispered.
I sat between his legs and played with the torn thread of his pant
s. He told me he liked them that way
and it gave him an
‘
edge
’
, but I had only laughed to hide my confusion. It did give him a bit of a bad boy look, but clothes weren
’
t important to me. He—himself as a whole—was all I needed to worry about.
“
I
’
m thinking I really loved today. I can
’
t thank you enough.
”
“
But…
”
Ayden added, his forehead furrowing.
I sighed and faced the clearing and open skies.
“
But my mind has been on everything New Haven since I woke up this morning. I wonder if they
’
ve even begun the search for me.
Or maybe they already know where I am.
”
Ayden
’
s arms tightened around my waist and he held me closer.
“
Didn
’
t we promise to not talk about it? And anyway, you can
’
t expect everything to just disappear, Echo. It
’
s the memories that hurt the most that last the longest.
”
I considered his words as I lay in his arms, refusing to move or do anything but think.
“
I have a feeling that this will not be easy, no matter how bad I want it to be. I can
’
t picture my father ever being okay with this, especially after he threatened your life.
”
“
He can
’
t take you from me,
”
Ayden said simply.
“
He
’
s taken enough, and while I can admit I did nothing to stop him before, I refuse to let him take what
’
s left of my happiness.
”
I took his hand in mine and pressed our palms together. I smiled at the way his practically covered mine.
“
I refuse as well.
There is only so much time I have on this world; I do not want to spend it alone if I can spend it happily with you.
”
“
You mean that?
”
Ayden asked. He feathered a kiss to my cheek and I sighed.
“
I do.
”
“
So
,
you
’
ll fight?
”
I thought about my life in New Haven and how much it differed from my two nights in Shadow Hills. Maybe I was wrong when I thought there to be no differences in the people. Inferiority put
Old Haven people
in difficult situations where contemplating death was the easy way out.
It humbled them—most, if not all—and made them look at life from a different perspective. Even in the light of this, they strived. That was one thing New Haven lacked
—
perseverance
. When things got old, they traded it for new. When things weren
’
t going according to plan, tempers fumed and people were slaughtered. If only they could see the world from the other side of the country like I could, maybe they
’
d wise up. Maybe they wouldn
’
t.
Looking Ayden in the eyes and finding my reason to strive, I said,
“
I
’
ll fight.
”
T W E N T
Y–
F I V E
Ayden
I
t wasn
’
t possible that I could get any happier. This was it, and Echo here with me was the highlight of my being. It
’
d been only two days, but she
’
d quickly made her stay here comfortable. She fascinated me in the smallest ways
and managed to make me fall even more in love with her every second. She was such a free spirit and I
’
d finally found the sanity I
’
d been craving in her.
“
A is for apple,
”
she sang. Milo and Misty stared at her in awe. It was the silliest song I
’
d ever heard, but just the fact that Echo was singing it made it sound brilliant.
We
’
d been out here in the back yard by the garden for hours, Echo attempting to teach them a few words. They knew very little, but were fast learners like myself.
“
A is for apple,
”
Milo and Misty sang in unison.
“
See, not so hard, right? And it
’
s really fun to sing.
”
Echo smiled at the twins and I laughed when Milo deadpanned her.
“
What
’
s
so fun about singing?
”
Milo countered. He crossed his arms across his chest and his sandy brown hair fell into his eyes.
“
Oh, shut up, Milo,
”
Misty grumbled.
“
I quite enjoy the singing. Thank you for teaching us Aly.
”
At that, Echo smiled.
“
You
’
re very welcome. Did you know Ayden knows it too? He can sing the whole thing.
”
I groaned and looked away.
“
Does he?
”
Milo asked, a challenge in his tone.
“
Okay, I
’
d love to hear it, tough guy.
”
“
I
’
d like to hear it, too,
”
Misty chirped in.
Echo sm
irked
at me and said,
“
I
’
d
love
to.
”
I rubbed the back of my neck and shook my head at Echo. This was a game to her and I could see it in her eyes. She was a complete tease, knowing well that I didn
’
t want to sing the song.
“
I
’
d rather not.
”
“
Oh,
please
. Pretty please, Ayd,
”
Misty whined. She gave me that look I could never resist and Echo
’
s devious smile grew wider.
“
Okay, but just once.
”
They nodded and I began singing the damn song from A to Z. When I hit the high note I heard someone laugh, but continued to sing till the end anyway. When I finished, I said,
“
Happy?
”
Milo and Misty immediately busted into fits of laughter and I scowled at them. Echo, on the other hand, had the softest smile on her lips as she
regarded
me.
“
Very. You earned yourself a reward
, Ayden Grey.
”
“
Wait, why does he get the reward?
”
Milo sniped. He jabbed his thumb in my direction.
“
Fine, all of you get a reward.
”
The twins and I said in unison,
“
What kind of reward?
”
“
A reward kind,
”
Echo quipped.
Misty
’
s forehead furrowed and Milo just sat staring at her.
“
I feel as if there is something we
’
re missing, Milo.
What is a reward kind of a reward?
”
Misty asked whimsically.
“
I don
’
t know, but she
’
s scaring me.
”
Milo pulled Misty to her feet and dragged her in the direction of the garden.
I bit back a smile, but Echo didn
’
t think it was so funny.
“
What did you tell him?
He doesn
’
t seem to like me very much.
”
“
It
’
s nothing
,
”
I
replied with a smirk.
“
But I think we need to talk about my reward.
”
“
Really, do we?
”
A smile came to her lips and she moved closer to me until our arms touched.
“
I don
’
t think you
’
ve earned yourself a reward quite yet. Tell me what you told him.
”
“
I
’
d rather not talk at all.
”
When I leaned in to kiss her, she turned away, making me feel like I
’
d done something wrong. Though, when I caught the look in her eyes, I knew she was purposely trying to annoy me.
“
So that
’
s my reward, huh? A kiss.
”
Echo rolled her eyes and tried her best not to smile. It never worked, of course.
“
What did you tell him, Ayden? I want him to like me, but the boy is insistent
on making me feel like a pariah.
”
“
I told him you casted spells on me,
”
I said curtly with a coy smile. When she gasped I added,
“
I was trying to tell him how I felt about you, but he seems to assume you
’
re a witch.
”
“
And what did you say about me?
”
she asked.
“
That you
’
re really hard to look away from and your dimples make me smile.
”
I touched her cheek and felt her shiver.
“
Telling him that you aggravate me and make me love you at the same time may have led him to believe the whole witch thing, but it was worth the reaction from him. He
’
ll get over it.
”
I leaned in closer to her and she stared up at me longingly.
“
Do you know how badly I want to kiss you right now?
”
“
Yeah? I think you
’
ve earned it,
”
she whispered, her eyes on my lips.
“
But one last thing.
”
“
What?
”
“
Do my dimples really make you smile?
”
Laughing, I said,
“
Rhetorical question.
I
’
m taking my reward now.
”
My lips met hers in a sweet embrace, the smell of her peach-scented hair overwhelming my senses.
We got lost in the mome
nt for only a second before ice
cold water broke us apart. Echo shrieked and moved from me, shaking off the water from her hair. When I looked to my left, Milo stood there with the garden hose in his hands.
“
Why the hell did you do that?
”
Milo dropped the hose and smiled.
“
Witch, remember?
”
he whispered.
Sighing, I stood to my feet and brushed myself off.
“
I think we need to talk.
”
I pulled him over to the side while Ec
h
o and Misty tended to the garden.
“
You can
’
t keep calling her a witc
h. When I said she casts spells, I meant that I really loved her and was enthralled by her.
”
“
I thought she
’
s just a friend?
”
h
e asked.
“
That
’
s what you told M
other.
”
I knelt down to his level and spoke softly, concealing my frustration to the best of my ability.
“
She
’
s not my friend, Milo
. She means a lot to me and I love her. I lied to Mother because really bad things might happen if they figure out there is more between us.
”
Milo crossed his arms and stared back at me. He was as stubborn as I was.
“
Why? What
’
s going on? Who is she, Ayden?
”
“
Aleksandria Esolen, exactly who she said she is.
She
’
s just different, okay?
Stop being so mean.
”
Milo nodded and, for now, it would suffice. I wasn
’
t sure if he would warm up to Echo as fast as I would have liked, but it was a start.
“
D
id you talk to him?
”
Echo asked
when I came to stand behind her.
“
Yeah. Something like that. Look—
”
“
Ayden, Aly. Come, I want to show you something,
”
Mother called from the house. I glanced over my shoulder and sighed.
“
We were actually planning to head for the markets.
”
“
We were?
”
Echo asked silently behind me.
Mother shook her head and looked at Echo
.
“
It
’
ll only take a moment.
”
“
And then we can go?
”
Whatever Mother had
to show us had to be important, but so was me taking Echo to the markets. Probably even more so.
“
Yes, now can you get in here? Milo and Misty get ready for a bath
!
”
Mother walked back into the house and the twins groaned as they followed suit.
She
sat us down at the kitchen table as she brewed something on the stove. Over her shoulder, she said,
“
How have you enjoyed your stay, Aleksandria?
”
“
Quite well, thank you,
”
Echo muttered. She rubbed her hands down the front of the dress she wore and occasionally played with the thin fabric. I grabbed her hand to stop the nervous habit and she smiled up at me.
“
And does your family know you
’
ve been staying with Ayden? I would love to meet them.
”
Mother moved from the stove and took the seat across from us at the table.
“
Er, yes.
”
Echo, as humble as she was, nodded her head and decided to ignore the upbringing of her family.
“
Her father owns a butcher shop and thought it would be better if she stayed with me while he takes care of the moving in business and all that,
”
I said.
“
And how does he know you?
”
“
Work.
”
It was the first thing that came to mind and
M
other never knew my working schedules anyway.
“
I worked for him for a while, which is when I met Aly.
”
“
Oh? Well,
I wanted to show you what came in the mail today. It
’
s for Aly.
”
Echo stilled at my side and my curiosity was officially piqued.
How would anyone even know Echo was here? How would they know to address it to Aleksandria? Fear prickled up my spine and anxiety dominated, shedding light to a disturbing reality. When Mother walked into the living room to get the package, I turned to Echo and she stared helplessly back.