I think of a half-dozen other places I can sneak away to, but honestly, Bay knows about all of them. Not that I think she’ll realize I’m gone and not that I think she’ll come to find me.
With a strangled sigh, I press on. I can’t believe I’m doing this, but I am. I’m seeking refuge with the humans.
Which means I need to stop flying.
I land and considering taping my wings down. It hurt when Damon did it that one time, but the wings had to be as tight against me as possible to make sure they didn’t interfere with the parachute, only my parachute hadn’t worked.
In the end, I use a vine to tie them down. Yes, I’ll do illusions to ensure that none of the humans realize I’m not like them. I’ll blend right in.
Now that’s one course I’m not surprised I never had to take. I’ve been creating illusions since I was two. Sometimes, I even made it so that my parents couldn’t tell which of us was which out of Bay and myself. Even Bay, all of two, got confused. It was hilarious! Although Bay did end up crying because she had been so confused. I almost forgot about that. She doesn’t cry much at all, so that convinced Mom and Dad all the more that she was Rosemary.
Maybe I have had some darkness inside of me all along.
Normally, I don't care about what others think of me. I've always been more worried about Bay and her reputation. Why is that? Because I assumed they would think her dark? And that they wouldn't think the same about me?
Yes.
What’s worse is that they do think that about me.
I walk along a street. People hustle and bustle, and most pay me no mind. After all, the free-thinking fairies, the ones not involved with the fairy courts, tend to dress very much like humans. The fancy dresses and all of that is more for fae royalty. Back in ancient times, all fae, regardless of royal blood or not, wore finery day in and day out. Not anymore.
The more I walk, the more glances I get, but it might be because I’m careful to keep some distance from everyone despite the overly crowded glops of people on the sidewalk.
Then someone lets out a low whistle.
I recognize the sound. Bay's had it directed her way before. Disgusted, I glare at the offender, whose smile dies. He holds up his hands as if to show he meant no offense, and he hurries away.
Hmm. I guess my expression shows how much I do not want to be messed with.
Fire and brimstone, what am I doing here? If I don’t want to talk to any of the humans, there’s no point in being here.
With a new destination in mind, I hurry along, pressing through the people. I need to get out of this city, whatever it’s called.
Due south, I find the more spread-out area, the houses farther apart, and then I find a forest. Ah, nature. There, I can try to center my thoughts, to feel refreshed and renewed. At least, that’s the hope.
Nature class has been a bit of a letdown, if I'm being honest. I don't care much for the professor. He drones on and on about the plants, whereas I want to know more about using nature and its peace to find peace within. Maybe times, instead of working on my assignments in the course, I instead seek to learn more about centering and finding one's self through nature. The plants I already know about between what my mom taught me before I ever set wing inside Light Fae Academy and between Chlorokinesis.
There’s no clearing that I can find within the forest, so I merely find a chopped-down tree and sit on its stump. The animals nearby owe this land, and I do my best to not disturb them at all. My eyes close, and I can feel the weight of the air, the gentlest of breezes, the thriving hum of life. The sun shines brightly here, and I feel her rays despite the canopy of overgrown branches high above my head. The trees here are tall, very tall, and I enjoy their shade.
Scampering underfoot. Tiny claws against rocks. Rustling underbrush. There’s a cycle to life here, if one can urge oneself to be perfectly still and allow nature to run its course.
The scent of berries forces my eyes open, and I rise to my feet, almost gliding. Graceful as ever to try to prevent ruining nature’s careful balance, I step slowly to the right, following my nose. A few rabbits are nibbling at the bottom of a blackberry bush. They linger despite my presence, and I drop a few into my mouth. Deliciously bitter. Not everything I eat has to be sickeningly sweet.
A few paces away are more berry bushes, and I leave the rabbits to gnaw on the blackberries and leaves to indulge in another. This place feels so very removed from the rest of the world. It almost doesn't feel as if it belongs to humans, fairies, angels, or demons. This forest merely exists for the animals, for the sake of nature.
I wander along, watching birds fly from tree to tree. Squirrels race about on the ground and scramble up trees. A deer notices me, dips her head, and jumps away.
Curious, I follow her to a stream. Several animals are drinking, but many more are heading down stream. It’s so strange how I can almost see annoyance on their furry features. Something is bothering them.
Not quite alarmed but a little unsettled, I move upstream. At first, I see and hear nothing, but then I hear wild thrashing. Someone is in great distress.
Just then, I hear screaming. The words are inaudible, mumbled messes of distressing sounds, and I race toward the source, my eyes straying more toward the water
