The Elf Girl (28 page)

“No, let’s walk instead,” he decided.

He led me out the door and onto the dirt street. As we walked, I took in the cool night air. In the Elf Realm, everything was clearer. This place made me feel alive. I wished I could enjoy it without the stress. My head was the only thing not so clear here.

“Ramsey, is everything okay?” Stellan asked, his expression full of concern.

I blinked at him and thought about my answer.

“Just thinking,” I replied.

“About?”

I exhaled. “Everything.”

“I see.”

A moment of silence passed between us.

“Are you scared, Stellan?” I wondered.

“Scared of what?”

“Going to prison, for one,” I reminded him.

“I’m not going to prison.”

“That’s a little overconfident, don’t you think?” I asked, bumping him in the side with my hip.

“Not at all. I know you will find Zora in time,” he told me.

I sighed, taking in his response. “Thanks for the faith, but I don’t deserve it,” I told him.

“Yes, you do,” he said, looking intently at me with those big green eyes. I tried not to, but I couldn’t help but notice how much his eyes paled in comparison to the Stranger’s. But that was wrong. I shouldn’t be comparing Stellan to someone I didn’t know, especially since we were, well, together. What was wrong with me lately? You would think that after years of being shunned by guys, I wouldn’t take Stellan for granted. He made me feel…well, he just made me
feel
. What it was, I couldn’t exactly put into words, but it was better than anything I had ever felt before. I had to stop thinking as though my interests could be divided. I was with Stellan, and that’s how it would remain, how I
wanted
it to remain. Stellan brushed a gentle hand against my cheek, bringing me back to reality. “You may not see it yourself, but I do.”

Realizing I would never win this argument, I nodded slowly. “Well, thanks.”

“Of course,” he replied.

We were at my door after that, so we didn’t continue our conversation. The house was cold and empty as I stepped inside. It didn’t soothe me one bit. Stellan lit a fire as I changed in my room. I could feel its warmth already spreading through the house. I could see the firelight dancing on the walls as I walked out into the parlor.

“I guess I’ll go home now. We all need rest,” Stellan remarked.

My stomach clenched. I was nervous, but I had to ask. I didn’t want to be alone tonight, no matter what. I was too afraid. It was stupid, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t safe alone anymore. After what had happened the last time I was alone, I wasn’t ready. I just felt too uneasy.

“Stay,” I told him.

“What?” he asked. He looked stunned, and a little confused.

“Don’t go home. Stay here with me. I don’t want to be alone,” I pleaded.

“What exactly do you want me to do?” he asked, still looking confused.

“Just sleep here,” I said, nervously looking down at my feet.

“You mean
with
you?”

When I realized what he was getting at, I gasped. “Not that way! My God, Stellan! I’m not
that
kind of girl…I mean, elfen. I meant like on the couch or something. Jeez, just in the house so I feel safer and not so lonely.”

His face reddened. “Oh…yes, that makes sense.”

I nodded, laughing despite my worries. It was amusing to see Stellan, who was always so cool and collected, become so embarrassed.

“So can you?” I asked. “I hate being in this empty house. It gives me the creeps.”

He let out a deep breath and nodded. “Sure.”

I beamed. “Thank you!” I wrapped my arms around him and gave his waist a light squeeze.

“Yes, yes, I’ll be on the couch,” he said, hugging me back and sighing. “I hope it’s comfy.”

“I’m sure you’ll live,” I said, and winked.

He sighed again and went over to his new “bed.” I waited until he settled in before retreating to my own room.

“I knew you would say yes,” I said, as I walked into my room and got into my own bed.

“You did?” he asked, his voice muffled and distant because we were no longer in the same room.

“Yeah, I did,” I called.

I heard him chuckle. “You seem to be a lot more confident than you let on.”

“That’s the point,” I retorted, my smile wider than it had been since the vision with Zora.

I heard him laugh again. “Goodnight, Ramsey.”

“Night, Stellan!”

I yawned and drifted off quickly, no longer afraid.

***

I was back in the city bookstore. This time, everything looked different. Books were floating in the air like birds, as well as sitting on shelves. I realized then that I was dreaming.

I grabbed a book out of the air and began to read. It was a story about an elfen who didn’t know she was an elfen. She had lived in the Human Realm until she was found and taken back to rescue her sister. She was just about to go on a journey to the capital.…

It took me a while to realize that the book was about me. I closed it, tossed it on the ground, and then picked up another.

That one was about an elfen girl who met an elf and they connected right away. He was a little odd sometimes, but he was handsome and kind. He always knew how to make her smile. I threw that one to the ground as well when I realized it was about Stellan and me. I didn’t need to read stories I already knew.

The last book I picked up had a picture of the Stranger on the front cover. Although his eyes were not nearly as beautiful in my dream state, they still took my breath away. I opened it up curiously and there was one word written in a large, bolded font: FATE.

“Ramsey, it’s time to go,” Stellan said softly, as he woke me from my slumber.

I struggled to open my eyes against the sunlight that was streaming slightly through my windows. I rubbed them and yawned.

“Sleep well?” I asked.

“Horrible.”

“What?” I said. My eyes widened.

Instead of continuing to be serious, he chuckled.

“So not funny,” I told him.

I punched him in the arm and got up from bed. He was still dressed in his clothes from last night. I wondered if he would bother to change. I grabbed a beige peasant shirt and a pair of brown knee-length pants from my wardrobe. It wasn’t very attractive, but I guessed it was good for traveling purposes. I grabbed my bundle and headed for the bathroom. Once inside, I washed my face, dressed, and went into the parlor to see Stellan sitting at my table. In front of him was a bowl of fruit and bread and butter waiting on two plates.

“He made breakfast?” I wondered aloud, putting a hand over my mouth to stimulate a look of amazement. “I’m impressed.”

He chuckled and gestured to the open chair beside him. “Come sit and eat. We have to leave in a few minutes.”

I sat down beside him and ate as quickly as I could manage. He did the same, and soon we were both full enough to survive. I ran back into my room and pulled on a pair of brown boots I had found in the back of the wardrobe. Then I stuffed my money, Zora’s journal, some paper, a pen, and a navy blue summer dress into my shoulder bag. I didn’t know exactly what I would need, so I just grabbed the basics. I put on my silver cross and decided to add some fruit from the kitchen into the bag as well. I had everything I would need.

“Ready?” Stellan asked when I arrived at the door.

“Ready,” I confirmed.

He took my hand as we stepped outside. Before he teleported us to Addison’s, I took one last look at my home. I was a little sad to be leaving it so soon. I prayed I would return to enjoy it.

In a matter of seconds, we were inside his house. Aaliyah was drinking tea in the kitchen. She pointed to Addison’s room and rolled her eyes. I could tell she meant Addison was still getting ready. The similarities between the elfens here and my human sister Dina were actually beginning to pile up.

“Elfens…,” Stellan muttered.

I glared at him and he apologized by giving me a kiss on the cheek.
What a guy
, I thought.

While we waited for Addison to join us, my mind trailed back to my strange dream. It was normal until the Stranger part had come into play. I wondered why I had thought of the word
FATE
. Why was the Stranger becoming such a significant part of my life? What was his role in all of this? Why did I feel so strongly about him in ways I couldn’t explain? The dream had completely unnerved me, and I wondered if it meant anything. Maybe it was just random, with no significance to my life whatsoever…or maybe it was more. But I had no idea. I realized I wouldn’t have time to figure it out when Addison walked over, repeating, “I’m ready, let’s go!” numerous times.

Stellan and I nodded and we turned our attention to Aaliyah. Addison and Stellan each hugged her and she wished them well. When she got to me, she took both of my hands in hers. For a short moment, I saw the happy, glowing Zora. I couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to have a new image of her in my head. After my connection, all I could see was the fatally thin and miserable Zora. Now I had the lovely, carefree Zora.

“Bring her back, Ramsey. I know you can,” Aaliyah said.

“I will, Aaliyah. I will do everything possible to bring her home,” I promised her.

We hugged and then the three of us walked out of the house, leaving Aaliyah behind. It was then I remembered the book on locks still lying in my room. I wanted to go back for it, but I knew we didn’t have time for books or mysterious wooden trunks. The real journey was beginning. I just hoped that the trunk didn’t contain anything vital to our search for Zora.

I didn’t know which way we were supposed to go, so I followed closely behind Addison, who led the way. Stellan held my hand most of the time.

When we were out of the city, I paid more attention to my surroundings. We walked through beautiful fields; vibrant wildflowers and bright green blades of grass dotted the countryside. The wind made the long grass tickle my legs as it swayed back and forth. The sun, high and shining brilliantly in the blue sky, made me warm; everything around me seemed brighter. The blue sky was cloudless and serene. However, because of the sun, we were soon very hot. The closest trees were only a thin line on the horizon.

After admiring the fields, I passed the time by thinking. It probably wasn’t a good idea, because thinking always led to worrying these days. I didn’t feel like talking, however, so it was the only option left. I thought about what my secret could be. Was I going to have a special ability no one else had? Would I have a power that could end the war? Maybe I was royalty or something. I thought of several possibilities, but nothing seemed to fit right. What was I? Why was I special? I wanted so badly to know.

All of this led to Zora. She knew my secret; she had confirmed that to me many times. When I found her, she would have to tell me. She had to, because I
needed
to know.

I stopped thinking once we reached the forest. I recognized all the trees as tall birches. Various green and leafy plants grew beneath the trees. Not many flowers bloomed, so the only color I really noticed was green.

“This is Birchwood Forest. It surrounds most of the city except to the west,” Addison told me. “No other types of trees grow in this forest.”

“That’s right! I noticed that the forest we went through to get to Birchwood that first day was full of birch trees. I hadn’t put it together then, because I didn’t know the city’s name,” I remembered.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Magical.”

Addison smiled and nodded, then continued to lead. Stellan had remained quiet most of the way. He looked deep in thought, and I wondered what was going on in his head. I didn’t ask, though, because I didn’t want to badger him. I could feel his hand tighten on mine. What was making him so tense?

I found it hard not to trip over the various white logs and stones in the forest. I loved hiking and spending time outdoors, but I had never been in a forest as wild as this one. It was a good experience, but a tough one. As I tramped along, I noticed how many animals appeared and scurried around the trees. The wildlife here was plentiful and happy. I couldn’t believe how the Human Realm could ever have let this slip away. I knew that I would
never
go back, nor want to go back. Even though I was more stressed here than I had been in my whole life, I knew that would all go away once my sister was safe. Then I would have the chance to fully experience this incredible place.

We traveled for several uneventful hours. I found myself losing focus and becoming unaware of my surroundings. I noticed the time passing as we walked. Ten, eleven, twelve, one, two….We stopped every few hours to catch our breath and rest our feet, and we lunched together around two. We ate dried strips of beef, which I noticed were just like beef jerky from the Human Realm, and munched on bread. I decided we could have the fruit I brought another time. What we had was enough to keep us going. We traveled until it became too dark to see and looked for a place to spend the night.

We finally settled down in a small clearing. Stellan built a fire while Addison and I laid out a few blankets for each of us. Together we found a way to cook some of the meat using a slab of rock and creatively propping it up over the orange flames. A stream nearby gave us plenty of water, and after we ate, Stellan roasted some nuts he had brought along to eat the next day. Then Addison brought out an instrument that was long and circular, with the neck of a violin.

“What’s that?” I asked her.

“It’s a medieval fiddle. It’s different from your string instruments. Humans used these a long time ago as well.”

“Will you play?” I asked.

“Of course I will! Why else did you think I brought it?” She giggled, placed the fiddle at her neck with bow in hand, and then began to play.

The melody was beautiful and flowed elegantly from the fiddle, warming my heart. Strangely, I felt the urge to sing along, but didn’t know the words. Instead, Addison sang, her lovely voice ringing in the darkness of the night: