Seren had never seen the forest outside the city before. The pine trees grew so high that only the lowest branches were visible from the carriage windows.

“Are we going to stop in the forest?” Seren asked excitedly.

“No, there are fae in the forest.” Mr. Asche said monotonously.

“Oh yeah,” Seren said, they didn’t actually understand. Mr. Asche looked up and then to their dad.

“Has Serenity been told about the fae?” He asked, their dad shrugged. “You didn’t tell them?!”

“They’re a child and their mother was taken by them!” Their dad objected, Seren turned away from the window to look back and forth between the two.

“I know about the fae. Everyone’s scared of them ‘cause they can do magic and steal babies.” Seren said.

“Well… more or less.” Mr. Asche nodded slowly. “The mythos is that they are greedy and make unfair deals with intent to steal infants and make them into tormented slaves in the fae realm.” Seren’s eyes widened and they looked at their dad in pure panic.

“It’s okay,” he pulled Seren into his arms and shot a sharp glare at Mr. Asche. Not that Mr. Asche noticed from his book. “It’s just a legend, we don’t know what happens to the people that disappear into the forest. But it’s probably safer to stay out of them.”

“Well no one who's ever been taken by the fae ever comes back. I think it's a popular rumor that they might eat people.” Mr. Asche turned the page of his book without looking up. Not realizing that Seren’s eyes were getting wider and they were clinging just a little harder to their dad.

“That’s a bunch of campfire nonsense meant to scare children into behaving.” Their dad snapped. “And I think it’s a good idea to change the subject. What did you and Seren do all morning?” Finally Mr. Asche looked up from his book in offense at Seren’s dad. He caught sight of Seren and shot a confused look at him.

“They’re still afraid of the fae?” He asked.

“They’re a child,’” their dad said.

“They’re sixteen.”

“They’re thirteen.”

Mr. Asche put his book down and stared Seren up and down confused.

“Really?” He asked, Seren’s dad sighed and covered his eyes. Mr. Asche hummed and went back to his book. Seren stared at the floor of the carriage and at a rock that found its way in with them as it bounced along the wooden boards. When they got bored of that, they scooted away from their dad again so they could look out the window.

The forest around them stretched for hours. Seren tried to keep themself entertained by counting the trees but lost count after twenty and had to start over.Though even that tired them after a bit and their imagination took over. Imagining what it would be like to live wild in the forest.

Hunting through the snowy brush, tracking a wild animal. It’s been years since they’d last seen another person and food supplies dwindled down to nothing. Without this catch, they’d starve before the spring thaw. On they pressed, their winter gear barely keeping out the chill of the snow that was up to their hips. They had to trudge along, tracking the animal and hoping for a deer but not knowing if it was a prey animal or a predator.

They followed the tracks to a clearing where a family of deer were digging through the snow to find grazable grass. Crouching down to use the snow as their cover, they drew an arrow back and trained it at the biggest deer in the clearing. Not a single sound could be heard in the forest, like the earth itself was holding its breath.

“We’re here.”

Seren snapped out of their fantasy just as they shot the arrow. They blinked and the forest in their mind vanished and revealed the empty and abandoned farm town that was barely standing. The farm and ranch land stretched for a while but it was all grown over with weeds that poked through the snow, alerting to their thorny danger,

“Where’s here?” Seren’s dad asked. The carriage parked and Mr. Asche unlatched the door. Before he could stand up, Seren jumped out and plunged into powder untouched snow as high as the top of their ribcage. They laughed hysterically and began trudging through the snow.

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“Oh, Seren.” Their dad called from the carriage sadly. “Don’t wander too far! Or get too wet!” He dropped out of the carriage. Keeping on the road where the snow was cleared.

“Where are they going?” Mr. Asche asked as he got out and into the snow.

“They’re a child, they aren’t watching where they’re going.” Their dad said. “Speaking of, what are we doing here?”

“You’re welcome to stay in the carriage. No one asked you to come.” Mr. Asche said. He looked back as the driver finished carving out a parking spot and led the horses in. He decided that waiting for the driver to dig out paths wasn’t worth the time and trudge through the snow toward the buildings.

“Where are you going?” Seren’s dad called.

“I didn’t come all this way to stand on the side of the road for hours.” Mr. Asche snapped. Their dad huffed, but stepped up into the snow and walked over the packed down snow left behind by Mr. Asche.

Seren made little bunny trails through the snow, making their way into the cluster of buildings. The buildings sobbed in the wind. As cracked and broken as their own home, but much more reclaimed by the land around them.

They broke free of the snow and entered the first old building. It shuddered and slouched as if it was overcome by emotion from having company again. Inside the building were old tables that were broken and on the floor. Crumbled books and paper laying and nearly dust. Whatever had been on the walls was torn and peeling. The wind sang through the cracks and broken windows like an old forgotten lullaby. Dust and powder from the snow drifted down and a light coat of ice preserved everything in the single room.

Seren stepped into the room, the whole place felt so cold. They shivered and hugged themselves for warmth. The ice crunching beneath their feet as they walked further into the room. Their breath came out in long clouds that drifted with the wind. Seren felt like they were walking through a snow globe.

There you are,” their dad said from the doorway. Seren turned around, their dad kicked the wood frame to get the snow off of his shoes. Behind him, Mr. Asche doubled back to look in the building.

“I think it’s a school house.” Seren said as they looked around the room. “I think. It doesn’t look much like the classrooms at the academy.”

“It is a school house.” Mr. Asche said. Seren’s dad moved into the building so the narrow doorway was vacant for Mr. Asche to enter. “It didn’t have the same kind of funds that the academy does, so it was one building and everyone was taught by level not grades. The day was broken into four parts; Morning, noon, evening, and night. You could sit for the entire day and learn everything.”

“Ooh,” Seren said as they continued to explore the corners.

“Seren be careful, this building looks like it could collapse any minute.” Their dad called. Staring worriedly at the roof where the snow drifted down from. The two adults watched Seren poke around in the corners.

“What kinda stuff did they teach here?” Seren called. “Was it latin and engineering like in the academy?”

“No, mostly reading, writing. Core things.” Mr. Asche said.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d almost ask if you went to school here.” Seren’s dad said. Sliding his hands into his coat pockets.

“I did.” Mr. Asche said. Seren’s dad looked at him confused.

“I thought you went to the academy for your education.” He asked.

“I did. I transferred like you did.” Mr. Asche said. Seren’s dad clicked and nodded understandingly though that changed again.

“Wait, no. That makes less sense.” He said. “I thought you were related to the Summers family? Why would they send you all the way out here for schooling?”

“Stop talking.” Mr. Asche said. Watching Seren investigate the bookshelf.

“Am I at least allowed to ask why you brought my child all the way out here?” Seren’s dad asked.

“I don’t have an answer you’d believe.” Mr. Asche said. Seren’s dad stepped closer and lowered his voice.

“My wife tried to sell my infant to the fae. Only to then be kidnapped by the fae. My threshold for unbelievability is generous.”

“I think I’m being haunted.” Mr. Asche said. “And it’s possible Seren can see something I can’t.”

“Ah.” Seren’s dad nodded. “Well they can, not because they’re magic. But because they’re a child, honest, and they have no concept of the world you come from.” Mr. Asche turned to say something but was interrupted by Seren.

“I found something!” They stood up. The roof creaked threateningly.

“Great, keep your voice down and come back this way.” Their dad whispered. Seren brought a book over and presented it to the adults. Before Mr. Asche could take it, Seren’s dad swept the two of them out of the building.

“What’d you find?” Their dad asked. Seren shrugged.

“It makes the same noise the fae silver does. But in a different kinda of… um..” Seren waved their hand like rolling hills.

“Let me see,” Mr. Asche took the book and opened it. All the pages were written in silvery ink. “It’s the teacher’s old gradebook. Has all the grades for the students and the notes for them. Each student has their own page.”

“Are you in it?” Seren asked.

“No, probably not. It was a long time since-” Mr. Asche flipped through the book. Pausing as he flipped to a page with his name.