Even though it hurts, I force myself to keep going, trying to focus on my surroundings in an attempt to ignore the pain that’s spreading throughout my wings.
The sight of adorable houses comes into view, every fairy designs their home in their own way, and one specific home catches my attention.
The house is a cold, dark brown and built with tree trunks. Even though it’s dark, the colorful flowers growing on it make it stand out. Its flowers with strong colors such as neon pink, fire orange and sunny yellow.
Bringing forth my pocket watch, I check the time which shows one hour past lunch.
Almost at Fairy City, I fly down towards the ground hoping to ask someone for directions or, if maybe, they might have another map.
A girl with beautiful dark ocean-blue hair and night-black stripes catches my eye. She looks to be around the same age as me, or even a bit younger.
Landing on the sandy ground a few feet away from her, I walk towards her and introduce myself. I feel nervous, my stomach churning and telling me to turn around and ask someone else.
“Excuse me, hi! I’m Genevieve.” She looks at me with her crimson eyes and gives me a nasty, judging look.
“Hi? I’m Taya. Can I help you or something?”
“Maybe,” my body tells me to stop, but I don’t listen, “I’m looking for the best way to get to the magic well. If you have heard about that tale, do you know anything about it or the way there? Maybe there’s another map somewhere in this city?”
She looks at me like I’m a fool for speaking. The judgement in her eyes was so strong it could make a dry forest turn into flames. Her eyebrows drew in, her eyes squinted, and a smirk of evil stared back at me. And all I wanted to do was to run.
“I can get you to a madhouse for the insane ones instead!” She let out with a deep laugh, instantly humiliating me.
Not only were her eyes staring at me, it felt like hundreds. My body wanted to crumble, to disappear, and hide behind a corner where I could never be found.
Oh.I should have listened to my gut.
I have a hard time understanding how some people can be so rude. If someone came up to me with a question, no matter how weird, I would never dare to respond in such a way.
Lifting off of the ground without speaking another word, face red with embarrassment, I decide to trust my intuition to show me the right path to follow.
I keep flying for a few minutes even though my wings are begging me to stop. Just when I’m about to take a little break, I see a tall man with dark hair walking beneath me. There’s something about the way his midnight strands flow in the windthat seems oddly familiar, the way he moves, and even his clothes.
Could it behim?
He’s about to enter the same woods as myself.
Not letting go of the thought that has been stuck in my head, I keep wondering, why is he walking? And why is he hiding his wings underneath his sweater? It’s brutally hot today, the sun standing high on the cloudless sky... So why in the world is he covering himself up?
Flying a bit closer to him, I see something in his hands. Something white, yet dirty and dusty. It was paper, not any paper, it was old just like... The map!
I felt like a fool as my stomach sank within me. The way my breath caught in my lungs made me feel even more embarrassed than before.
Naive little girl…The words echoed in the back of my mind.
The depth of my trust had never been something good in the eyes of others, only something that needed to be fixed. Why would I trust someone I didn’t know? It was a mystery some felt compelled to solve.
And every time it was mentioned, I couldn’t help but wonder why these people let new ones into their lives, only ever expecting to be hurt by meaningless lies.
So yes, hedidin fact rip out the map before he handed me the book, and maybe I was stupid for trusting him. Butwhy?Why would he do such a thing?
Chapter 4
Ector
I’m going to find this magic well and get my wings back so I can have some kind of happiness in my shitty and miserable life.
It’s been years since I last smiled or laughed, not even being able to recall what my own laugh sounds like. My chest tightens as I think of it.
