Yelena couldn’t force herself to get up. Every morning she waited as long as possible before opening her eyes. What was the point, she thought to herself. She was alone and it was all her fault. Everyone was gone. It was because of her and she knew it. Though… it didn’t matter anyways. No one was there to tell her she was wrong… or right for that matter. Or to make her feel better. In such a short time her entire family had vanished… gone...
She felt strangely cold as a shiver ran up her spine. She scrunched her body into a ball and pulled the blankets up around her more. The shivers continued to wrack her body as it tried to fight back the cold. Suddenly a shadow crept into her mind like ink poured into water. She felt the darkness taint her mind with sad and painful emotions. She’d been trying to avoid thinking about all she’d lost but they kept slipping back in without permission. ”No… THEY abandoned HER. How could they all just leave? They didn’t love her. How could they love her if they left. It had to mean they didn’t actually love her at all. They had to have known that her and Lilith needed them. Especially Lily, How could mother just leave them like that when Lily was changing. It's...it's all her fault, she's the reason Lilith changed. Mother hadn’t even tried to get better. And Lilith… she didn’t talk to her about how she felt, or what was happening to her. She had to have wanted to leave too.”
As overwhelming sadness and anger began to well up, suddenly Yelena’s body locked up. Her body felt like it was on fire but she couldn't move or make a noise. Her vision turned a shade of red before it darkened. Her whole body began to sweat from the strain of her rigid limbs. The feathers in her wings shivered as her body shook. Every bone in her body felt like it was shattering, even the hair follicles felt like tiny needles jabbing through her. She had no idea how long it lasted, it felt like a lifetime. Then just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. Her body went limp as she lost strength and conscious thought. Immediately the flames inside resided and were replaced by what felt like warm waves washing over her. In an almost dream-like drunken state she sat up. Her eyes refused to focus on anything as her vision slowly came back.
What was she just doing? Something felt different, as she twisted to look at her wings she felt fine… better than fine in fact. She rolled her shoulders, stretched her arms outward before she remembered her family. Her dead parents and her sister. Oh yeah. . . The pain in her heart was back.
Over the next three days she struggled to find the energy to do anything... not that she wanted too. She forced herself to eat now and again, but she could barely get herself to get out of her bed. When she did she would find herself wondering, looking for something… no maybe waiting for something. But what? No one was left in her life. What point was there in getting up everyday?
A sudden knock at the door startled her, it rang in her ears painfully. She covered her hands over her ears. Hoping she could make reality go away.
“Yelena? Can I come in…. please.” She knew that voice, like a distant memory of sunshine in the winter, but she couldn’t put a face to it. The image in her mind was blurry, the name on the tip of her tongue. It angered her that she couldn’t remember. She felt her blood sizzle in her veins in frustration at not being able to think of it.
“Hello? Yelena I know you’re in there… I’m coming in.” Before she could object, the door wrenched open.
As the door swung open light poured in. She shielded her eyes to the best of her ability as the brightness stung her pupils. When had she closed all the cloth blinds in the house? As the light stung her eyes she had to stop herself from running into the darker corner of the entryway. A strange urge to growl was quickly smothered. What was wrong with her?… She had never had those reactions to anything let alone sunlight in her life. She loved the sunlight and being outside.
“Yelena! Why haven’t you been responding to me? I’ve knocked on your door for the last day and a half!? I was trying to give you a little space because… well... you know.” He looked to the side at the windows a little uncomfortably.
All she could do was stare. What did he mean he’d been knocking for days? This was the first time she’d heard any knocking or voices. Had she slept through it and not realized? Why were there blank spots in her memory? Suddenly she had a strong urge to go to her bedroom. Before she was able to rationalize why her body was turning, she started walking slowly towards her bedroom.
“Yelena wait… what’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you responding to me?” She felt warm fingers encircle her wrist. Slowly she looked down at them. She was distinctly aware of how cold she felt in comparison. They felt good on her skin. The urge to huddle close in his arms was overwhelming. She hadn’t realized how much she missed human contact. How long had she been in the house? Slowly she looked up into Joseph's face. Their eyes met, and she saw fear suddenly replace concern in his eyes.
“Oh no…” he whispered under his breath. “Yelena… when was the last time you looked at your reflection?” He spoke like he was struggling to remain calm. “Come on, let’s go to the reflective stone in your room.” Grabbing her hand he started leading her out of the entryway and to her bedroom. His hand was shaking in her own, his grip hard as they walked. She stared at his hand holding hers. It was so warm, and soft. She wished it were bigger. Big enough to encompass her whole body. She shivered at the coldness in the room. Why couldn’t she shake the cold gripping her body?
Before she realized, he pulled her in front of the large thin stone slab that had been so meticulously cut, buffed and cleaned. It was like looking at your reflection in a clear pool of water. As her eyes focused on herself she felt her stomach drop. Her skin was gray, her bright beautiful feathers usually a glossy silvery blue, started turning a darker navy almost midnight blue at the tips. Looking up to her face she saw how dead and ratted her beautiful hair had gotten. What truly made her skin crawl, was her eyes. Her light emerald green eyes have darkened. Around the edges a ring of dark blood red began to creep towards the center.
Looking into her eyes all she could do was think of Lilith and how her eyes had looked just like hers. She reached her hand up and tried to rub at her eyes. Her palms came away wet. She was crying, her eyes began to pour tears down her cheeks.
“What… what should I do… how do I fix this?” She could barely speak through the sobs.
At that moment Joseph grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into an embrace. Together they slid to the ground as she continued to bawl onto his shoulder. He held her hard, crushing her to him.
“We ..we can go to the healers, we can fix this. I’ll do this with you. I won't leave you alone. I promise.” He began to stroke her hair. “How about we make something to eat? I left a basket of food outside your door… Come on, let's go get it together.”
Helping her up, he held her hand as they shuffled down the hall together. “Thank you.” She whispered through a sniffle.
“So I brought my mother’s spiced rice. I’ll warm it up on the hearth.” She watched him start the fire and place a clay bowl over top filling it with the rice and sweetly spiced broth. She slumped down on the chair on the opposite side of the room. How could she not realise what was happening? Is this how Lilith had felt, how could she have been so blind to this. Her body began to shake. The cold was creeping in again.
Just as the shivers were about to consume her she felt warm arms encircle her. Instantly the cold was flushed away by a tide of warmth. Her body sighed as Joseph held her.
“Here, eat this then we can go to the healers.” He said as he handed her a large bowl of the porridge. She ate slowly, it was warm but she could barely taste anything. She put down the bowl. “I don’t think I can eat much more… Can we go now?.. I just want to be better.”
“Yeah... yeah, let’s get going.” He said, gently setting the bowl aside before helping her up. “I don’t want you to let go of my hand until we arrive. Okay?” She nodded as he took her hand and they walked out the door.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sitting in the room she was surrounded by the smell of incense and crushed herbs. Holding a heavy crystal in her palms as the healer examined her wings, nails, and hair. Joseph sat anxiously on the other side of the room.
“You’re just barely in the early stages. It’s a good thing you came to see me now.” The healers musical voice chimed. Her serious gaze rested on Joseph. “She cannot be left alone.” Looking back at Yelena, she continued, “It will take a few weeks before you will be back to normal, but you need to talk out what’s wrong with someone you care about. You need to spend time in the sun and in nature. Most of all, do not wander off alone. I’m going to make an herbal tea blend and you are to take it three times a day. It should instill in you a sense of calm and warmth which will help keep the cold at bay.”
The healer walked out of the room, the soft bells jingling around her feet. Yelena looked down at the large purple crystal in her hands, the healer said she couldn't be left alone… but… she was alone. She had no family to look after her, only an empty house.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Startled from being deep in her own self pity. “And you’re not going back home alone… either I'm staying with you or you’re coming back to my parents house. I think what we should do is spend a few days at your house… until you feel a little more like yourself and then you can come to my parents house. My brother and sister will be there and we can all spend time together so you’re not just around me.”
All she could hear was we… he said we, like he cared about her, like he was a part of her life, and her life affected him. They had been friends for so many years, why was this a surprise for her… her head was pounding again.
The light sound of bells allerted her to the healer walking into the room. Her voice chiming much like the bells she wore around her ankle. “Here is the tea blend, it should last four days at which I would like to see you again to monitor your progress. Who will be supervising you dear?”
Before she could respond Joseph popped up from behind her. “My family and I will be making sure she is being watched and taken care of.”
Nodding the healer continued, now facing Joseph. “She should try to eat warm comforting foods, be somewhere that's calming and peaceful such as the woods as often as possible. But for the sake of her life do not leave her alone. If her state changes for the worse please bring her back and we can keep her here under our watch and care.”
“Yes healer, and thank you.” Joseph turned and looked at Yelena. “We should head back and stop at the market so we can get things you like to eat.”
Cocking her head to the side a little she nodded slowly, she didn't really understand what was happening. Getting up she placed the crystal on the soft wood she had been sitting on, and thanked the healer. Joseph extended his hand towards her and motioned to the exit. Getting up they walked out the door. She blinked, stepping into the sunlight, she felt him gently tug her hand as he started down the path to the market. A passing feeling of wanting to yank her hand away, run and hide flitted in the back of her mind. She shook her head of the thought, how long was she going to be this way?
They were almost at the long open street of the market. She could smell the herbs, spices and meats cooking in some of the open wooden stalls where people were getting a quick snack before going about their errands. Though the smell was amazing the thought of eating made her stomach churn; yet again the fleeting thought of running away and hiding passed through her mind.
“So what are some things you like to eat? I'm not a really good cook but I'm sure we could figure out how to make it together. Oh remember we have to make you warm food also.”
How was she supposed to think of things she wanted to eat, she didn't want to eat… “I… I don't know.” She whispered.
Joseph stopped and turned around. She saw concern in his eyes.
“Well, I can tell you my favorites and if any of them stick out to you, we can try them?” Looking down and away she nodded.
“Okay! Well, let's see….” She watched him. As he thought; his brow scrunched up, and his mouth smirked slightly to one side. She couldn't take her eyes off him.
“I think I have a few...we can make meat and veggie momos… or…..” as he rattled off a list of foods she remembered eating, many of them with her own family. The idea of eating them made her heart hurt. She felt empty knowing she would never be able to eat those foods with her family again. Before she felt the tears begin to well up she stopped him.
“Joseph, any one of those sounds fine… why don't you just pick a few so we can start heading back? I'm not feeling well.”
“Oh okay, let's just go get the ingredients then.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
That night she could barely get the food down. Under normal circumstances she would have found it delicious; Joseph seemed very proud of himself with his skills in the kitchen. She found his half smirk endearing as he cleaned up the wooden bowls.
“So I brought some scrolls for us to read, they are mostly for herbal gathering and remedies but I thought it would be good for both our training just to learn a little here and there. Maybe in a day or two we could travel to the forest and do a hands-on herbal gathering?”
She nodded not really knowing how to respond. She knew that spending time with a friend like Joseph would normally delight her, but she couldn't figure what that should feel like. He motioned her to follow him to the larger gathering room where her and her family used to spend evenings playing games and telling stories. She had been avoiding this and her parents' room. Joseph began lighting the evening candle and the small fire hearth in the center of the room. He dragged over the large sitting pillows and a few heavy blankets.
“Remember when I used to come over when we were little and read scrolls together? I still have a scar from when we wrestled and my head hit the fireplace.”
A flash of a memory of them playing and laughing danced in her mind. A slight white light of joy fluttered for a moment in her heart. She watched as he arranged the massive pillows around the circular fireplace and after grabbing the armful of scrolls plopped down. She sat down gingerly next to him as he spread out the array of scrolls proudly.
“So which one tonight? Point to whichever one looks the most interesting to you.” He said as he pulled up one of the large blankets over her and proceeded to grab another for himself. She looked down at the scrolls. They were well taken care of. They each had different colors and symbols on the wooden knobs at either end. She pointed to the white and green colored one.
“I was hoping you'd pick that one or the one next to it. I really want to start memorizing wildflowers and their medicinal properties. Plus I know of the perfect wildflower field we can go to tomorrow.” He began carefully unrolling the revealing beautiful intricate renditions of flowers she grew up seeing her mom work with. They mesmerized her. Joseph began to read about Aconitum Ferox, a plant that helped to cure poison as well as relieve body pain. She listened to him read long into the night.
Next thing she knew, Yelena woke to the smell of floral herbs. Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She had fallen asleep in the gathering room. Joseph was sitting cross-legged in front of the small fire he was stirring a copper pot over the flames.
“Your tea will be ready in a moment; I was going to wake you with it.” He said as he busied himself preparing their drinks.
“When did I fall asleep? Did you sleep out here too?” Yelena asked as she ran her hands through her hair.
“You fell asleep about halfway through the third scroll… yeah…. I didn't want to wake you up.”
“Thank you, I'm glad you didn't, that was the first time I've slept through the night since… Well….” She looked down at the fire. She felt more rested than she had since her mother had fallen ill. Joseph grabbed a small clay mug and carefully filled it with fragrant liquid before handing it to her.
“I added a little honey, but make sure you drink the whole thing. I'm going to bring some with us on our walk today in the water skin.” Holding the warm mug in her hand she inhaled the wonderful smell. It reminded her of sunshine and summer breezes. She took a sip and meadow flowers danced across her taste buds. The bite of licorice came after and cooled the heat from the water. From deep inside she felt her body warm a little but just as quickly as it came it was replaced by cold. Well she thought to herself it's a start…
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Two days later, with a woven basket strapped around his back full of supplies; tea, a half loaf of nut bread, rope, herb scroll, and still plenty of room for herbs they would gather. Joseph held her hand as they strode towards the path that led to the mountain side.
“So when we fly down I’m going to hold your hand but I brought this rope that we can tie around our waists so if the wind picks up we won't get separated.” She nodded as he secured them together with a six foot woven rope. Walking to the edge they looked down. She had gotten much stronger in flying before everything happened. She hadn’t opened her wings except to stretch since her mother had passed. Apprehensively she looked at Joseph, he had already opened his four large lavender wings. She had forgotten how magnificent they were, spanning nearly 9 feet across in the soft morning light she could see the slight shine of iridescence across his feathers.
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“Mmmm you should probably go first, it’ll be easier to have you in front and follow your movements. We are basically going straight down to the left of the mountain towards the large field.”
She nodded, stepping closer to the edge. The sudden memory of tumbling through the sky flashed before her eyes. Shaking, she opened her wings. They had grown so much since they emerged; they were almost 8 feet from tip to tip. They almost seemed like they were glowing a beautiful silvery blue, her heart dropped. The very tips of her beautiful wings were still so dark they looked almost black. She had to remind herself that it had only been two days, the change back would take time.
“Yelena, ready?” she felt his hand on her shoulder.
“Yeah… I think so.”
“I’ll be right behind you” he smiled reassuringly.
Taking a deep breath she let herself fall. The rush of wind felt like being dunked in cold water, as her wings opened to embrace the sky she felt her heart lighten. Excitement and joy raced through her veins and she felt a smile touch her lips. How could she have forgotten this feeling, what it was to fly. Looking up she saw Joseph above her, his wings lightly cupping the air as he came closer to her. She flapped her wings in synchrony and loved how she could hear the air swish around her feathers. As they moved in a figure 8 pattern she was aware of every muscle through her body. Joseph glided next to her and together they extended their wings to their fullest. Side by side they glided on the air cupping their wings as they approached the ground. Their feet touched the ground as they jogged to a stop. She looked around, the field around them a rainbow of colors dotted all over the valley. She felt overwhelmed by the beauty around her, flowers dancing in the breeze beckoned her to come closer and appreciate their beauty.
“Wow everything is in full bloom, it looks beautiful. We should focus on gathering for floral herbal teas; all these flowers will make tons. I know that there are alot of different types of musk rose around here.” He pointed to a small bush covered in light pink buds. “I think I see some over on that side, by that stump over there.”
As she began to head towards the stump she felt a strange pull in her body. It was as if she had waded into a stream that was flowing towards the stump, attempting to sweep her with the water. She stopped and looked back at Joseph. He was smirking at her with his head cocked to the side in a playful way.
“What's going on, and why are you looking at me like that?” She asked nervously.
“Well if you keep walking towards the stump you’ll find out. Don't worry, I promise it's completely safe.”
She hesitated for a minute, taking a cautious step forward, she felt the pull again. As she approached the stump she could see a small sprout shooting up out of the center. Curious about the odd draw she felt towards this seemingly normal aspect of any natural scene she began to inspect the stump. It was a normal stump except that there seemed to be thin red veins of gold winding between the valleys of the bark that were barely visible to the naked eye. Following them up the bark they all converged at the base of the sprout in the center of the stump. Curious, she inspected the sprout. It had seven small leaves sprouting out along the stem, each light green leaf had miniscule veins of gold like the bark of the trunk. Hearing Joseph approach she turned to him, he was grinning from ear to ear.
“What is this? I've never seen any kind of plant like this.” Yelena asked as she looked down in curiosity.
Joseph started circling around the small stump as he explained, “It's the Seriphiel tree. I've been wanting to show you this for a while. I overheard the elders mention it after your mother died. I got curious and looked for a scroll on it in the record hall where I found out its location as well as what it was. It's pretty amazing, and I found out its existence has to do with you.”
With her? How? “What…. what do you mean?”
Squatting down next to the stump he motioned her to follow. “So according to what I read the stump is dormant until a Seriphiel is born, then it grows a sprout, the sprout grows incredibly slow but the gold veins you see in it, that's part of the Seriphiels’ power. It flows from within the Earth and they may call upon it in great need.”
She stared at the small sprout. This little plant was one of her connections to the power she holds. She reached out and touched one of the small leaves, which felt like the softest thinnest leather between her fingers. It was warm, and though it must have been her imagination it felt as though the little leaf leaned into her touch. A warm spark of happiness glowed within her and spread throughout her body.
Wanting to express how she felt, she said, “Joseph… Thank you, I….”
Suddenly she heard the caws of the guardian crows from far above them at the gate, followed by a tremendous crash on the far side of the field behind them. Spinning around she could make out a staggering thin figure gutting up. Her breath caught in her throat, as it stood up it's four dark steely grey/black wings extended; one of which stayed at an abnormal angle and hung very low by its side. It's red eyes glared at them from below a mess of sweat soaked dull brown hair. A Mara.
“I found you.” The voice was a raspy growl.
“Yelena, get behind me now.” Joseph whispered as he slowly began to move his body in front of hers.
The figure twitched a bit as it continued to speak, “Step away from my prey. The change has just begun, she must join the ranks of her true kind.”
She could see the figure moving closer, panic welled up in her chest. She was getting better, how could it have found her? She began shaking, there was a tiny little voice deep inside whispering to her to go towards it, maybe she did belong with them… maybe…
Joseph was shaking with what she assumed was anger and probably fear, “She is already with her kind monster, fly back to the depths from which you crawl before the guardians come and finish destroying what's left of you.”
Ignoring the slithering voice in her mind she turned her head to look at him. Joseph was standing as tall as he could with his wings fanned out in an aggressive stance. He cared enough about her to put his life in jeopardy to defend her? How could she walk away from someone who cared that much without even being family. Reaching out she grasped his hand.
Holding his hand, she felt stronger, “I am no mara, nor will I ever willingly go with you. Leave now monster!” She forced herself to scream.
With a snarl the mara charged at them. Its wings flapped to increase speed to make up for the one being dragged behind. It's talon like nails aimed towards them as it charged. As it drew nearer, Joseph pushed himself in front to fully shield her from the creature. He then hastily attempted to throw up a magical barrier with little success. Being so young and new to his training he only was just beginning the basics. Though it was impressive how far along he was in his training already.
Yelena felt hopeless fear bubble up inside her. A pulse from behind made the fear hault. A gold translucent dome engulfed the two of them suddenly as the mara was about to crash, claws first into them. Instead the mara crashed into the barrier of shimmering liquid like gold and began to spasm as if it was being electrocuted. Within seconds the mara let out a vile scream of pain and crumpled to the ground in an unmoving heap.
Without realizing it they both had been holding their breath and simultaneously let it out looking at each other in shock.
“Did you do that?” They both asked each other at the same time.
“No… mine was a sad failed attempt… you must have done it….?” Joseph stuttered, his voice shaking.
“No I… I don’t even know how to make a barrier.. I wait… do you think…” She jerked her head toward Joseph.
In synchrony they both slowly turned to look at the stump which was now covered in large pulsing gold veins. The leaves of the sprout were completely gold. And the small sprout had grown about half a foot more.
“Do you… do you think the tree saved us?” Joseph looked at her with wide eyes.
“I don't know. It must have, look at it… it's glowing.” Just as she said it the glow began to slowly receide. A minute later as they watched the stump and the sprout looked normal again.
“We need to tell the elders about this.” Joseph turned to their bags and started packing away their stuff.
“Yeah we do… um thank you for jumping in front of me. I couldn't move. I was so scared and you just did that. It was really amazing.”
Joseph paused, his arm midair with a small scroll in his hand, “I didn't even think. I just knew I had to protect you… we should leave. I shouldn't have brought you so far from the village. I'm sorry Yelena I put you in danger. I… I will understand if you want someone else to watch over you while you’re getting better; we could probably get a healer to..”
Shocked by his reaction, she walked over to him and set her hand on his shoulder as she looked into his eyes. “Joseph, you have been making me feel more and more myself. Than you jumped in front of a charging mara for me, knowing there was nothing you could do to protect either of us. I don't think anyone else would do all of that and continue to be such a good friend. Please, I don't want anyone else. Why don't we go back to your house and be with your family after we talk to the elders about what happened?”
Smiling and blushing a little, Joseph took her hand as they began to jog before taking off toward the village.
~~~~~
The vision began to fade in its usual way; she was becoming accustomed and familiar with it. Sitting up she was relieved that Lilith was nowhere in sight. Zack seemed to be getting used to her passing out; She didn’t know if that was good or bad.
As she acclimated herself back to reality, she heard Zack mumble something next to her. She leaned forward and asked, “What?”
Next to her Zack had his elbows pinned to his knees, with both hands intertwined over his down turned head. His head jerked up, as his eyes met her own. What she saw gave her goosebumps, he was not the same Zack. He was spooked and angry, he seemed ready to fight. She had never seen him so tense; his jaw and hands were clenched while his eyes were focused and darting around looking for the danger that had passed. “I knew something didn’t feel right about her in the coffee shop.”
He stood up and walked a few steps away, “Why hadn’t I listened to my instincts the other day?” He jerked his hand down and pounded it onto the side of his thigh. The water in the lake splashed upwards, creating a large wave that crashed into the waterfall.
She didn’t know how to react to angry Zack, so she remained quiet. Waiting for him to calm down.
Zack spun around and stalked over to her, his body visibly shaking from his frustration, “And why didn’t you do anything?! Why did you just let her get that close? She could have killed you if she wanted to!” His voice echoed in the air and froze the waterfall in place. Small droplets of frozen water trailed down the side. Her body uncontrollably flinched to his outburst at her. The blood in her veins seemed to freeze in reaction to him. Her body shivered, fighting her attempt to sit still.
It took awhile for the both of them to feel safe again. Ayalet took in a long slow breath to calm her nerves. Everything was changing so fast, now all of a sudden she was in danger from someone whom she didn’t even know? And on top of that she had a friend who cared enough about her to be angry when she didn’t know how to protect herself properly.
Zack turned to Ayalet, “That’s it, we need to help you get better control of your powers. I wanted to help you slowly but that’s out of the question now. Especially now that we know... Lilith wants to hurt you.” His voice laced with acid as he spat out her name.
She nodded before slowly looking away from him. What could she do? He was right. If Lilith was going to attack her again, she needed to get better control of her powers. Whether she was crazy for thinking she had powers didn’t matter if she was dead. She’d take crazy over dead any day.
For the next few days they worked on her ability to control the wind. It was slow going but after the third day she finally got the air to listen and do what she wanted. . . well, most of the time. Zack was relentless. She was exhausted but he kept pushing her. A couple times she whacked herself in the face with something she was trying to move. She was getting the vibe the wind was like a wild horse, fighting against her to be tamed. The air all around sizzled with excitement, twisting tendrils of hair around her face so she couldn't see and blowing the leaves to make it sound like laughter.
For most of her life, she always looked at the wind as if it was just an unfeeling emotionless thing. Looking deeper, she realized she felt faint feelings and small reactions that to most were unnoticeable; to her HAD been unnoticeable. What the wind did and didn’t want to do intrigued her as she attempted to manipulate it. She could feel it’s reaction to what she wanted it to do; whether it didn’t like something or not.
One morning, when she stood at the top of the waterfall looking out at the scenery. The wind tickled her cheek before it pushed her from behind. It was as if it wanted her to jump, to join it in the open air. How badly she wished she could fly. It was so playful, every so often she felt it blow her hair into her face or pull at her shirt, trying to get her attention. Sometimes it even seemed like it was whispering in her ear, telling her secrets it’d heard from other conversations.
The loneliness that had once crept its way inside her was now being dispelled with the happiness that was making its way to her heart. Meeting Zack really helped and now that she had this connection to the wind, her heart felt less empty; almost as if she found a little piece of herself or her family back.
Thinking about Zack, she looked over at him playing in the lake. He was so carefree and chipper. He seemed to truly care about her. She was used to her aunt being mad at her over something but it was strange having someone mad at you for your own safety. Having him around made her happy; so much so, that it was going to be hard not having him around. As she lost herself to her thoughts, he moved water in an arch above her head creating a rainbow. “That’s beautiful!”
“It seemed to fit the mood, you were smiling.” He said with a huge cheeky grin.
“I am happy, it’s so nice, relaxing and peaceful now that the danger has passed; I can forget the world out here. Do you know how long it’s been?”
“Um, I think 4 or 5 days. . .”
“Wow, time seems to go a bit faster whenever I’m out in the woods.” Going over to her bag she took out her watch. It was nearly 4 pm. “I’ll probably go ahead and head back. Speaking of home, why haven’t you gone home yet? Don’t your parents miss you?”
“Actually, it’s not uncommon for people to leave the caves for weeks at a time. Especially the kids around my age. Once we hit about 15, we’re allowed to leave the caves and explore a bit; though most of us don’t start seriously exploring until we’re 17. No one freaks out as long as we’re back or notify someone within a 2 week span of time.”
“Your family is so laid back.”
“Yeah, it’s nice. What will you be doing once you get home?”
“I should probably check in with my Aunt. It’d be the responsible thing to do, even if she doesn’t care.” A mixture of emotions swam through her at the thought of heading back to her aunt’s.
“So why do you bother… if she doesn't care. I mean you have your own house, and you’re miserable around her… even the thought of her makes you unhappy.”
“I dont have anyone else Zack… or well I didn’t anyway. She did take me in regardless of whether or not she wanted to. . . and she is still family.” It kind of hurt to admit that she was so alone in the world.
“Ayalet, a toxic relationship is toxic regardless of whether or not they are related to you. Although it is your choice. It’s really unhealthy to continue to have her be a part of your life.” He said looking concerned.
“Well it seems like I’m destined to have unhealthy relationships. I mean this random powerful…. woman… thing…. essentially wants to torture or kill me. To make it worse, she claims to be my sister. My aunt seems harmless in comparison.” She shrugged.
Thinking back to her memories of Lilith she was surprised she hadn’t tried to kill her. How had she known who she was? “Zack, you said I give off a feeling that lets you know I’m a seraph?”
He looked back up at her, this time the color had returned to his face, “All creatures give off a pretty powerful signature; most of the time only other mythical creatures can tell what the signature means. Considering how long it’s been I’d imagine most wouldn’t know what you are. My grandmother used to tell me what it felt like and that’s how I was able to distinguish it.” He paused, seeming to consider what he was about to say next.
“Within the same species you can often distinguish who each person is and where. Depending on how powerful or strong the being is, the easier it is to feel their presence. Lilith almost felt like you but like a cold winter wind that just freezes your entire body. I can’t tell, but she doesn’t quite feel like a seraph… I’ve never felt anything like her.”
She looked down at his question, trying to remember what Yelena had called them, “I think she’s called a Mara. They’re beings that used to be seraphs, though I don’t remember what causes the transition. Some memories are easier to remember than others. I think it’s when they go through a really traumatic situation that changes them emotionally as an individual so completely they almost become a new person. I’m not sure how correct that is but I don’t even know how much the seraphs knew why it happened. In one of my visions Lilith, Yelena’s younger sister, started transforming into a Mara after their mother died. Lilith was abducted mid transformation. I don’t know what happened.”
Ayalet paused as she thought about Lilith from the memories. That was so long ago. “I didn’t think it was possible she could even still be alive. The medieval optimum was over 1000 years ago, how could she still be alive?!”
Zack looked thoughtful, “Actually, it’s not uncommon for elemental beings and dimensional creatures to live an exceptionally long time. My grandma is in her late 330’s and barely looks old enough to be 40 in human years; though it is strange that Lilith would look so young despite her being older than my grandma. If that even is the same Lilith.”
“Well maybe my visions or whatever they are will answer those questions at some point.” She heaved a sigh and watched the trees dance with the gentle winds of the afternoon.
Zack began to play with the water again, blocking and dodging as the water tried to squirt little streams at him. As he glided through the water, he came to a stop as the sun beat down on him. A beam of sunlight streamed through the treetops warming a patch of water. As he faced into the light, no doubt enjoying the heat Ayalet suddenly noticed how pale his skin was when he was in the water. He looked more white in the light than she expected. She began to wonder what others like him looked like. If she had never met Zack and someone told her that there were.. people.. that lived in water she would instantly have an image of a classic mermaid in her head. Looking at Zack, she couldn’t help but start to wonder.
“So.. what are merrows like, is the rest of your family as pale as you?” She knew she was being a little blunt but she couldn’t stop her sudden curiosity.
“Yeah, we’re so pale for two reasons; one is that as water elementals we take on aspects of our corresponding elements, also we spend most of our time down in the sea caves underground. Down there, there are certain areas where rocks are too packed to swim through; which protects us from anything or anyone not elementally able to travel through water. The stalactites’ and stalagmites down there glow extremely bright despite our presence so it’s really easy to see. I would love to bring you there, the caves are gorgeous! Everything is bathed in a beautiful blue/green light from the algae. The water is crystal clear and it looks like glass, you can see the beautiful massive quartz stones that formed naturally all over the caverns. There is deep water coral and plants blanketing the ocean floor, in some areas it looks like a jungle. I doubt I can really explain it all that well, it’s all just so beautiful.”
“No Zack they sound beautiful, I’ve visited caves before but not any that sound like that.” Their conversation faded away as they stared out onto the scenery. The birds were calling off in the distance and a strange butterfly flew by Ayalets face. It was a vibrant pink color on the inside and bright purple on the outside.
The two of them sat in silence as they enjoyed the peace of the lake. Water splashed against the rocks from the top of the waterfall, creating a relaxing sound that she had been enjoying falling asleep to. As Zack and Ayalet sat by the water, Zack interrupted the silence, “I think I should head home for a few days. Check in with my family, let them know I’m okay.” Maybe talking of home made him homesick?
She nodded in agreement, “That’s probably a good idea, I’m sure they are getting worried about you.” She thought back to her aunt, doubting Krista would be worried about her. “When do you think you’ll be back?”
“Aya, are you gonna miss me?” He teasingly bumped into her shoulder. When she didn’t respond right away he tilted his head to look into her face.
“Yeah, I will. It’s nice having you around.” At her confession, he pulled her into a hug.
“It’s nice to hear you admit it. I won’t leave for too long. Two days at most, Okay?” He raised his eyebrows in the form of a question?
She nodded before leaning her head against his shoulder. She actually felt herself fighting not to cry, she didn’t like the idea of being alone again. In her ear, he whispered, as his arms tightened around her, “Be careful.” All she could do was nod her head in acknowledgement as she fought not to cry.
After they finished packing up their stuff, Zack ensured she knew the way back before he jumped into the lake. As his form disappeared in the water, she whispered, “Hurry back.” Ayalet turned her back and started the lonely trek back to her aunt’s house.