A light whistle calls from beyond the wooden walls. A soft, familiar fur tickles my bare arms. A comfortable cushion lies beneath me. A simple warmth fills the air, giving the room a homey feeling.

I roll over and pull my fur blanket over my shoulder. Warm. Smacking my lips, I yawn and tightly snuggle against my blanket. So comfy…

---

"Mmmmm…" I groan as I slowly open my eyes.

Wooden rings on the ceiling ripple toward the smooth, solid-wood walls. Hmm? Through squinted eyes, I sit up and see small, fairy-sized furniture decorating a dim, open room.

Scanning the area, there are three doors, the flower chamber immediately to my left, one that leads outside across the room, and the bathroom door on a wall to my right. In the center of the room is a dining table with a single chair positioned by it. The kitchen occupies the far left wall, with a sink located beneath the lone window. In the far right corner of the room is a window, and an empty, cushioned chair placed by it, where I would often relax.

Home. Pausing for a few seconds, I observe the room once more and notice there are things missing. I glance to my right. Where's Revus' bed? Turning to my left, I see an odd, empty space. His work bench isn’t here either?

I crawl out of bed, clinging to my fur blanket, wrapping it around myself. “Revus?” I call out, “Are you here?” I walk over to the bathroom and knock on the door. “Revus, are you in there?”

A dull whistling from outside the house answers me.

Is he outside? I back away from the bathroom and glance at the front door. No… I turn to my left where Revus’ missing bed should be. …something’s wrong. My eyes drift to the flower chamber door as an eerie feeling runs through me.

Slowly, I walk around my bed, keeping my eyes focused on the wooden exit. I reach my hand out, grip the handle, open the door slightly.

Wooosh.

An abrupt, icy wind blows past me from beyond the door. I hug the cold door and peek into the room with one eye. The radiant, white flower I awoke on is nothing like I remember. Instead, it is withered. The glamorous, white petals are now flaky, dark-gray, and have shriveled up. The stalk has wilted and the entire flower droops down, its miserable petals almost touching the ground. Long, thin, strands of white hang from the lifeless flower.

“What the?” I whisper as I push the door open a bit more.

Creeeeaaak.

As the hinge whines, I jump back, look at the door, and exhale heavily. My heart aggressively pounds against my chest as I direct my attention back into the frigid chamber. I survey the room again, shivering slightly. Where’s the table? And what’s that? I squint my eyes as I focus on a silvery thread that runs over the floor. I turn my head slowly as my eyes follow it toward the wall. I lean forward slightly and look around the doorframe, the line expands into a mess of fibers that cover the wall. Wha… That looks like… Gradually, I direct my eyes up, tilting my head to help me gaze at the large, spacious area beneath the ceiling. I gulp as I notice a pattern of silvery threads that disappear into a black void. I squint, trying to focus on the dark space. As my eyes adjust, I realize what I am looking at.

I gasp as I trip and land on my butt, the warm, fur blanket falling to the ground. Idling near the ceiling is a massive, eight-legged monstrosity. Its body is covered in hair and its eyes shine a profound cyan color. It has an odd familiarity that pulls at my chest. Mesmerized, I stare at the hulking beast, a black dot appearing within each of its eyes. Slowly, the black dots fill the eyes, then completely shroud them in darkness.

BAM.

“Ah!” I shout, jumping and spinning around as a loud bang resounds from behind me.

The front door hangs open, the bright light from outside shining into the bleak room. I look back up at the spider. Oh no. Frantically, my eyes dart about, scanning the dark chamber for the missing predator. Where? Where? Not seeing the monster, I crawl backward, away from the open chamber.

Sitting in the middle of the room, I lean back and place my arms behind me to prop myself up, then stare at the ringed ceiling. What’s… I take a deep breath then exhale heavily. …going on? I glance back down through the door-sized hole before me, the dying flower stranded in its gloomy center. I exhale once more. I need to find Revus. I stand up, face the front door, and walk toward it. Once at the house’s entrance, I scan the familiar landscape outside.

The towering trees are stretched out toward the gray sky. The bark, a deep brown, and the leaves, a faded green. The shrubs, grasses, and other flora that blanket the land all lack their usual luster. A sinister whistle runs through the nooks and crannies of the forest, carried by the cackling winds. The usual fresh aroma is instead musky, and a foul clamminess fills the air.

I bring my arms up to my chest and clench them tightly. That’s unpleasant. I summon my wings and, as they appear, look over my shoulder. My mouth hangs open as I stare in utter disbelief. They are torn and unusable. “Why?” I spin around trying to get a better look at their tattered form, but, as they are secured to my back, they elude me.

I stop in place, looking at the ground as tears start to well up in my eyes. “Why…” I sniffle, “They were supposed to be healing.”

I bite my lower lip, look through the front door, and wipe away my tears. I take a deep breath and walk outside.

From the recently-exited door, a chill whisper slithers through the rancid air, “…you… stay…”

The ominous words wrap around my ears and I freeze. I blink, look over my shoulder, then slowly turn around. I face the center of the house, the flower chamber on the opposite side of the room. Carefully, my eyes sweep the place, checking for anything that could have spoken.

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“Hello?” I warily call out, “I-is somebody here?”

“Home… safe…” the ghostly voice says as a sharp wind blows in from behind me.

I wrap my hands over my elbows as I briskly make my way back into the room.

“Wh-whoever you are, y-you can come out,” I stutter, continuing to look around from the middle of the house.

“I… be… back…” it states from the front door.

Quickly spinning to face voice, I see Revus walking away from me, a slight haze obscuring him.

“Revus.” His name escapes my lips before he suddenly disappears, like smoke dispersed by wind. “Revus!” I shout, running outside after him. I search the surroundings for him but he is nowhere to be found.

AAAAKRE!

The sudden screech of a besāād interrupts the eerie, but otherwise calm atmosphere of the forest. The piercing sound invades my ears and shakes my vision.

“Argh,” I wince in pain as I clutch my head. “Why now?” I groan as I stumble back inside, slowly heading deeper into the house. Need to get- Instantly I stop as my eyes lock onto the dying flower ahead of me. No. I can’t go-

AAAKRE!

I drop to my knees and look to my left at the bathroom door. As I start to crawl toward the lone remaining escape, a tiny, red petal floats past me. A burning heat spreads through the air and, as I glance to my right, I see my bed on fire. The room takes on a threatening, red glow as the flames rapidly swallow everything. No.

“You… stay…” Revus’ voice quietly whispers into my ear.

My heart pounds against my chest as I continue to crawl forward, the vague image of wiry, silver threads covers the door to my salvation.

“Home… safe…”

“No…” I murmur as an intense heat spreads around me.

“I… be… back…”

“No… Revus…” I whine as tears run down my cheeks. Red flames fill my vision and, as I turn to look at the flower chamber, I see everything engulfed in fire. No. No…

---

“No…” I whisper, my eyes flying open. My heart slams against my chest as I feel sweat roll down my forehead. I stare up at the dark room and sigh. Just a dream. I rest the back of my right forearm over my eyes. What was all that? I take a deep breath, calming my nerves, and bring my left arm to my chest. Revus was there and our house… I sit up, feeling dizzy. I scan the top of the pillow. Faraine’s not here and… I sigh. …still no Revus. Slowly, I force myself up and walk over to the edge of the pillow.

“You’re awake?” Faraine inquires, her voice beneath me.

Looking down, I see her sitting with her feet hanging off the dresser.

“Yeah,” I mutter, “I had a nightmare.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Faraine glumly responds.

“What about you?” I ask as I slide down the pillow and walk up next to her.

“Couldn’t sleep.”

I sit down next to her quietly and we both sit in silence for a moment. I lean over and rest my head against her shoulder. I feel her hair brush over my head as she looks at me.

“Was your nightmare about Revus?” Faraine asks, her words heavy, as if she is trying not to choke on them.

“Mhm. Part of it anyway.”

Following that single question, we once again sit in silence for well over a minute. I calm my anxious breathing and close my eyes. I feel the slight shift of Faraine’s body as she softly breathes.. I reposition myself and feel my moist hair sticking to Faraine.

“Sorry if I’m sweaty.”

“Hah… It’s okay,” she lightheartedly replies.

“Faraine, can we please go look for Revus tomorrow?”

She leans toward me, resting her head on mine.

“You know… That’s why I couldn’t sleep.” She sighs, then takes a deep, full breath. “I’m worried about him too, but…”

“You don’t want anything to happen to me,” I voice her concerns, “I know.”

“I’m sorry,” she remarks. She sounds like she’s in pain.

“It’s okay, I’m used to it.”

“It’s not okay,” Faraine breaks down, her voice cracking as her words turn into sobs. “I know you’re more worried about him than I am but… if we go out and something happens to us… to you… then…”

I gulp, then feel something wet fall onto my hand. I glance down as a bead of water rolls from my hand, onto the dresser.

“I don’t want to stay here if Revus isn’t here,” I state.

“Hmph,” I feel Faraine chuckle, “I know, but…” She exhales anxiously, “If we leave and Revus comes back-”

“I’ll yell at him, so don’t worry,” I console, “It’ll be his fault for being gone for so long. Besides, I can’t imagine Revus being dead.” As the words escape my mouth, the fresh memory of Revus fading away in my nightmare leaves a sour taste.

“Heh,” Faraine laughs, “Honestly me neither.” She continues, chuckling, “Knowing him, he’d probably cause some kind of commotion before that happened.”

I half-heartedly smile, “Yeah, that sounds like him.”

“Which means…” Faraine exhales, “him not being back is either because he’s found something or…”

“Something happened to him.”

“Yeah.”

We sit silently leaning against one another for a bit before I ask, “So can we go look for him tomorrow?”

Fararine remains quiet.

“I can fly on my own and-”

“I’d rather we wait one more day,” she interjects.

“Why?!” I raise my voice, pull away from the discordant fairy, and glare at her. Faraine’s red eyes look weak and filled with concern. Her knitted brows a frame for her distress. Her quivering, pursed lips expose her foreboding fear.

“Because if there is a chance that he did find something important, he might still come back on his own,” she explains. “Also,” she gulps, “the hunters arrived earlier and it didn’t sound like they had captured him.”

I bite my lip and clench my fists. I look down at the wooden surface beneath us and bark, “But what if something did happen?”

“If that’s the case, then we’ll go look for him.”

“It’s been two days already though!” I argue, avoiding Faraine’s gaze, “He would’ve been back by now!”

“Would he?”

What? I stop. Speechless, I slowly raise my head and lock eyes with the red-eyed fairy. “What do you mean?”

“Evetta, up until now, has Revus had anything else to do other than give you his full attention?”

I furrow my brows, “I still don’t get what you’re trying to say.”

Faraine sighs, then states, “For the first time, I assume, since you’ve been born, Revus has someone to rely on to help keep you safe.” She gestures toward herself, then adds, “Now, with me here to help watch you, and with the possibility to learn about where the hunters are keeping the fairies, perhaps he doesn’t feel like he needs to be here for you all the time.”

“But…” Would Revus really do something like that without saying anything? I stare at Faraine, squinting. Would he really leave me here with Faraine just like that?

“That’s why, just one more day,” Faraine requests, “If he doesn’t come back tomorrow, then we’ll go look for him, okay?”

I purse my lips as I feel my eyes start to water. I look down and nod, “Okay.”

“I’ll ask Rhys to go look around again tomorrow. Hopefully he’ll find something.”

“Yeah… Hopefully.”

“I am sorry,” Faraine wimpers, “but we can’t make reckless decisions considering where we are and…”

“And…” I repeat, looking back up at her.

“And… If your condition acts up while we’re out, that’ll immediately give us away, so I want to wait another day to confirm that nothing is going to happen to you.”

“Fine. You win,” I snivel, “We’ll wait one more day, but… you have to promise that we’ll go look for him if he’s not back tomorrow night.”

Faraine smiles, “I promise.”

I slump my shoulders and look down, defeated. I lean forward and plant my head against Faraine’s arm. Once more, we silently sit there for a while. The quiet is occasionally broken by my soft sniffling as I fight back tears. We both shift around, wordlessly adjusting ourselves until we are leaning against each other. The peaceful night threatens to lull me into slumber once again.

“Hey Faraine,” I yawn.

“Yeah?”

“Can I sleep next to you tonight?”

I feel her hair tickle my head as she looks down at me.

“Hehe,” she laughs lightly, “Sure.”

“Hey Faraine.”

“Yes?”

“I’m scared.”

She sits next to me silently for a moment before whispering, almost too quietly for me to hear, “Me too.”