Darlings (26 page)

“Let’s go,” Gwen whispered not wanting to
stick around to hear where the scream was coming from. The bird
flew fast, making Gwen and Rynnal have to run to keep up. They
dodged trees and jumped rocks. Making turn upon turn until all of
the sudden the ground gave way. They fell a good twenty feet until
they landed upon something almost soft. Hay. Gwen fell feet first
and Rynnal landed on his belly. Gwen rubbed her ankle and looked
around. 

“Where are we?” she whispered. 

Rynnal shook his head. “I don’t know.” It
appeared to be a system of tunnels. 

They owl swooped in and swiftly disappeared
down one of the tunnel options. 

“Guess we follow it?” Ry asked
hesitantly. 

Gwen answered by running quickly down the far
right tunnel. Pitch blackness. There was no light except at the
very end. The warm glow started around the size of a candle flame
and grew as Gwen ran closer. Their feathered fearless leader swept
inside and sat perfectly still in the doorway at the end. There was
no door. Gwen slowed and crept slowly ahead. It looked like a
living quarters from what she could tell. Dirt walls surrounded the
hole. There was a small blanket on the ground beside a single chair
and gray tree stump to serve as a table. A small fire danced upon
colorless logs in the opposite corner. The smoke was emitted out a
tiny hole in the top of ceiling that led to the surface. 

“What is this place?” Ry asked. 

“I don’t know,” Gwen answered flatly as the
owl hopped onto the table and eerily stared at Gwen.  She
noticed a small white box tucked into a makeshift cubby shelf in
the wall and was instantly drawn to it. 

“What are you doing?” Rynnal hissed. “We
don’t know who lives here what if they come back.” 

Gwen didn’t answer as she pulled the wooden
box from the shelf. She opened it slowly and a porcelain ballerina
began spinning around and around in the pink velvet lined box. Gwen
didn’t have to worry if the person who lived there came back
because she already knew them. 

“Gwen?” A woman’s voice sounded in the
doorway. 

Gwen didn’t turn before she
answered. 

“Emma.” Spinning on the balls of her feet,
she saw a girl around eighteen. “Oh sorry…I…I thought you were
someone else.” Gwen eyed the girls flowing auburn hair and hazel
eyes. Her small pink lips were fuller than Gwen’s and she had a
much frailer figure. She wasn’t colorless but not in full color
either. A half dead.  She wore a pale blue sack-like dress
covered by a barley yellow shall. 

“No, you were right sister…I’m Emma,” the
girl answered. 

Gwen shook her head in disbelief. “No…you
can’t be Emma. Emma is three years old –” Gwen began to
explain. 

The girl smiled. “I was three the last time I
saw you. I…forcefully grew up here. No one has much use for
children.” 

The girl’s stood staring at one another.
Their looks were uncannily similar. Though, Emma was taller and
much, much thinner.  “Emma.” Gwen tripped over the gray chair
as she embraced her sister. It felt as if her arms were moving
through liquid. 

“We can’t really touch,” Emma smiled. I’m
only half dead. 

“Right.” Gwen said. “The box. I…I remember
it. You loved it. How is it here?” 

Emma’s face hardened. “When I, um…was killed
I was playing with that box in my stroller. The impact of the
vehicle impaled the box into by body….” Emma left out some
unnecessary details of her accident. It crossed over with me
somehow. I put most of the pieces back together and surprisingly it
works. I felt you enter. I sent the bird.” 

“I figured you sent out winged friend here”
Gwen said eyeing the bird through the corner of her eye remembering
his attack on her foot.  

“You live here?” Ry asked from beside the
fire. 

“Oh sorry, Emma, this is Rynnal. I don’t know
how much you know about the people of Everland but he’s an
alchemist. 

Emma nodded. “Hello Rynnal. Yes, I know much
about Everland and I do live here. We all do. The half deads I
mean. There are twelve of us right now.” 

“Right now?” Ry asked running his hands
together in front of the fire to no avail.

“Yes. Our numbers diminish when the dark
ones…take us,” she explained lips pursed. 

“Take you? Why?” Gwen questioned. 

“Because they grow stronger when they take
our human energy. Much, much stronger.” 

“Do you eat?” Ry asked again. 

“Yes a little. Around once a week. Half
dead’s don’t eat much.” 

Gwen couldn’t help but to stare at her sister
she didn’t even know. 

“Do you remember…anything?” Gwen
asked. 

“I remember you,” Emma answered with a soft
smile. “You used to play dolls with me, and snuggle in bed with me
and mom some mornings-”

“Sundays,” Gwen interrupted. “It was Sundays
before breakfast.” 

“Right, I didn’t know my days then,” Emma
smiled again, remembering a world lost to her for so many years she
wasn’t even sure it still existed. “Why did you come
Gwen?” 

“I need…help…your help,” Gwen twisted her
finger together nervously. 

“With what?” 

“I need you to help me find a dark fairy,”
Gwen began briefly explaining the events that led her to Emma. Emma
listened intensely as Gwen told her of the pirates, her brothers,
Samuel Etu and Adeline…Pete and Andrew. 

“So you see, we don’t have much time we need
the fairy.” 

Emma sat in the wooden chair and threw a
stick into the fire. 

“I know of one…” she said twisting her hair
around her skinny finger. “She might be willing to help…” Emma
stared blankly at the black wall, lost in thought. 

“Will you take us?” Gwen asked. 

She sighed. “Yes. We’ll have to be quick. The
dark ones know you’re here, they felt you too. They’ll be
searching. Catching you would mean great power.”

Emma breathed hard and rose to her feet.
“We’ll need help. Come on.” 

The thin girl disappeared quickly down the
dark tunnel that smelled of worms and flower pots. Gwen followed
her sister, examining her shadowy form. She’d always wondered what
Emma would look like. Gwen knew she’d be beautiful, but not so
thin. There was so much Gwen wanted to ask her...tell her. They
reached the central hole where they fell. 

“This way,” Emma whispered and she crouched
to enter another tunnel, this time smaller. Gwen ducked and glanced
at Rynnal behind her. He was basically crawling due to his tall
stature. It was similar to the tunnel that lead to Emma’s…hole.
Emma moved fast and the two struggled to keep up. Gwen could feel
her thighs turning to jello and was thankful when they arrived at
the next dwelling that she could stand again. The hole looked
pretty much like Emma’s without the table. Remarkably good sketched
photos were stuck on the dirt wall using gray wood slivers. They
appeared to have been taken in the 1800’s. Though all were
particularly beautiful, one caught Gwen’s eye. It was a ballroom
scene of dashing couples dancing across the floor. The girls wore
puffy dresses and their hair in long ringlets, and the boys looked
so debonair in their uniforms. 

“Analise, wake up,” Emma said, barley loud
enough for anyone else to hear. Paper thin blankets rustled and a
girl poked her head out. She had long light auburn hair and brown
eyes. Gwen recognized her in the sketches as a girl with an
especially full dress being escorted down a grand staircase by a
handsome man with a mustache. She was a picture of poised
perfection in the sketch, holding out her dainty gloved hand for
the man to gently hold, his other positioned behind him. Gwen
looked closer and saw a delicate ornate crown drawn onto her
buoyant ringlets.  

“What?” the girl asked, rubbing her sleepy
eyes.

 “Remember when you said you found
Hollow’s hole?” Emma asked, quickly sitting on the ground by the
girl. 

“Yes…” Analise answered eyeing her unexpected
guests. 

Emma continued, “I need you to lead me to
it.” 

The tired girl sat up straighter. “Why would
you want to go back there-”

Emma cut her off. “Just do it,
okay?” 

“Yah…sure…” The girl slid from her blankets
and threw on a pair of wooden shoes. She brushed her hair from her
eyes and looked closer at Gwen and Rynnal. “Who are
they?” 

“They’re…friends,” Emma answered. 

Friends? Gwen thought, but decided to ignore
it…for now. 

“Alright. We’d better go quick, Gus will be
back soon. You know we’re not supposed to go out after sleep
time.” 

“I know but it’s…important ok?” Emma
said. 

“Okay, okay I won’t ask Em. Let’s go then.”
Analise led the way as the others followed close behind. As they
reached the central hole, the wooden shoed girl methodically
grabbed a tall ladder from the wall and placed it just to the
hole’s rim. She crawled up slowly sticking her head out. The
stealthy girl nodded, confirming the coast was clear and they
climbed the ladder behind her to the surface. It felt freezing to
Gwen in their world, though Ry didn’t seem to mind. Her teeth
chattered as they began running through the gray frosted forest.
They ran over logs and under icing tree limbs, though there was no
snow. They ran the rough terrain until Gwen thought she couldn’t
take another step when suddenly, Analise stopped dead in her tracks
holding up her hand. 

She listened and swiftly climbed a nearby
tree like some sort of monkey. Emma followed and motioned for
Rynnal and Gwen to follow suit. Rynnal struggled with the first
branch but finally managed to swing his lanky legs up and over. He
climbed to the next set, making way for Gwen. No one spoke a word.
Gwen jumped and grabbed the ice covered branch. Her hands burned
like fire and she prayed she’d be able to pry them off. Thankfully,
her hands slid free and she scrambled up into the thick leaves. Icy
leaves, that’s a new one Gwen thought. 

She climbed higher and higher until she felt
the branches sway. There she sat still as possible trembling in her
cocktail dress. It was then she realized she couldn’t feel her
feet…a bad sign, frostbite would be in her future if they didn’t
get out of the tree soon. Then, a small black figure came into
view. She was a small woman with large black wings covered in a
flowing black robe. Her face was covered in what looked like burns
and her eyes….were gone. She didn’t fly despite her large wings,
but walked barefoot instead. Her jagged toenails dug into the
ground and she slowly made her way to a nearby hole in a rather
large old tree. The hole was the size of a quarter and Gwen
wondered if she would insert a key? Find a hidden door? Neither.
The fairy shrank to miniature size before their eyes. Now, no
larger than a wasp, she flew into the hole. 

From farther up, Analise whispered, “There,”
as she scuttled down the large tree. Without another word, she was
gone. Emma hopped from icy branch to icy branch with ease, until
she was crouched next to Gwen. 

“That’s her,” Emma murmured. Gwen nodded
shifting from one frozen foot to another. Noticing her sister’s
pain, Emma took off her own cloth shoes and tied them around Gwen’s
purple feet. 

They stared at one another. “Thank you,” Gwen
whispered. Emma returned her gratitude with a soft smile and
nod. 

“Ready?” Emma asked. Not waiting for an
answer, she hopped down the tree and landed in a stooped position
on the ground. She made sure the coast was clear and motioned for
Gwen and Rynnal to join her. Gwen made a wobbly exit and clumsy
Rynnal plain fell out face first with a thud as he hit the ground.
Shaking her head, Emma began walking to the tree hole as Gwen and
Ry followed. She put her luscious lips to the hole and surrounded
them with her cupped hands, saying something Gwen couldn’t quite
hear. Quickly backing up, she pushed Gwen behind her. The small
fairy emerged like a honey bee from its hive and suddenly took on
her larger form. 

The fairy was very different from Tina. Her
mouth was twisted as she spoke in a low hiss. “Half-dead….you are
foolish to come back here. Have you attempted to meet your
inevitable fate?” 

Emma swallowed hard. “I have…but I ask
something in return.” Inevitable fate? Gwen was confused.

“Ah yes. The spirit walker you have with
you…is it about her?” the dark fairy asked.

“Yes…she needs you to bring three back.” Emma
stated sternly. 

The fairy laughed low eerily. “Why would I do
such a thing? I should take you now.” 

“You could,” Emma agreed. “You could take me
now. I’d fight you, but you’d more than likely win. But…if you
don’t and you wait…I’ll take you to the others.” Gwen felt her
heart stop. 

“No. Emma, no. You cannot sacrifice yourself
for me,” Gwen whispered. 

Emma strong-armed Gwen back behind her, which
only turned out to be a nudge through her liquid-like
form. 

“Interesting proposal…” The fairy raised her
crooked finger. “Done. Take me to the ones you wish to bring
back.” 

“No,” Gwen said as Emma walked briskly back
toward the way they came, not stopping to look back. A plan Gwen
thought. Emma had to have a plan. She took off after her, Rynnal
silently following. 

The fairy quickly took on her insect sized
form as she fluttered behind them. They walked hastily in silence
as they made their way through the forest, avoiding the central
hole. Gwen played out scenario after scenario, but couldn’t figure
out what Emma was going to do. She was surely not going to turn
herself over…was she? They walked in thick silence until they
finally arrived back at the gateway tree. 

“Samuel? Adeline? Etu?” Gwen called softly.
The three emerged cautiously, Etu leading the way. 

Gwen looked back and to her surprise, the
fairy was in her human scaled form. 

“I see,” the dark woman growled. “Come,” she
said revealing a crystal from beneath her black cloak. A midnight
blue crystal hanging from a gold chain. It reminded Gwen of a
dagger. Suddenly, as fast as lightening, the fairy pricked Gwen’s
arm, and drew blood onto the dagger. Gwen didn’t even have time to
feel the pain. “Who will be first?”