Zoey crumbled the flower drawing into a ball, but instead of throwing it away, she stuck it into her pocket. Her mind was racing as she paced around the room and was glad she didn’t accidently wake her sister. Moments ago, she had run into the hallway, hoping to catch the red-haired woman, but unfortunately, the woman had vanished without a trace.
Zoey was angry at herself for being so desperate to save her sister that she was willing to take advice from a stranger. She was even angrier at herself that she was considering going into the Wandering Woods. Zoey stopped pacing when she heard footsteps and looked at the door, where Eric now stood.
“Hi.” Her greeting was breathy.
He approached her and wrapped her into a big hug that did not last nearly as long as she wanted it to. He smelled like a forest – trees, grass, and fresh water. When he pulled away, Zoey couldn’t help but wipe the dirt from his cheek. He must have been outside because his nails were also dirty and his hair a mess with twigs in. Zoey stopped herself before she reached for his hair.
“Hi.” He looked over at Violet. “How is she?”
Zoey shrugged and decided it was best not to answer because she feared that if she did, she’d begin to cry. When they were kids, she had cried in front of Eric all the time, but now she couldn’t even bear the thought of doing so. She’d cried when she scraped her knees, she’d cried when they had a fight, cried when they had to say goodbye. When had it become so hard to show weakness in front of him?
She realized Eric was still waiting for an answer. “Have you been hunting?”
“Yes.” He self-consciously ran his dirty fingers through his hair and pulled out a twig. Eric studied it in surprise, his cheeks red, then he dropped the twig to the floor. “I came here directly from the woods – I was setting up bear traps. I didn’t have time to shower – if I did, I would have missed visiting hours.”
The hospital had strict visiting hours, but given Violet’s condition and private room, Zoey and her parents were allowed to stay with her as long as they liked. Eric respected the rules and only ever came when allowed. Zoey was glad he was here and couldn’t help but take note of how cute his embarrassment was. She reached up, but not by much, and pulled the other twigs from his brown hair.
“I don’t mind,” she said honestly. How could she care if he was a little bit dirty when, as kids, they used to play in the mud together?
He smiled sweetly, and she stopped herself from stepping even closer to him. She frowned when she recalled that he said he had been in the woods.
“In what woods were you?”
“The Wandering Woods.” He cocked his head.
“Isn’t it dangerous to go in there?” she asked.
He laughed. “Don’t tell me you believe all the stories about the Fata.”
Her face grew warm, and she turned away to try to hide her embarrassment. “No,” she growled. “I meant: aren’t there many dangerous animals?”
“Hunting dangerous animals is what my father and I do for sport,” Eric reminded her.
The Phillips house was filled with animal trophies and hunting photos. They had a basement filled with traps, knives, and guns. Donny always told her to stay out of there because it was “no place for a girl.” But Eric loved spending time down there, and she loved spending time with Eric. As kids they had played there all the time, and as they grew older, Eric had taught her the basics – how to fire a gun, how to set and release a bear trap, how to use a knife.
If Eric went into the Wandering Woods, surely it could not be that bad or scary. For a moment, Zoey considered telling him about the flower but then she realized how stupid she would sound. How would she explain that she wanted to go into the Wandering Woods to search for a mystical flower with healing properties, to save her sister’s life, because a stranger told her it would work? Eric would laugh at her, and she would not be able to handle that.
“What’s on your mind?” Eric asked.
They had been standing in silence for too long.
“Just Violet. She’s not doing well.”
His chocolaty eyes saddened like those of a puppy. Zoey expected him to hug her again, and she was truly disappointed when he did not. She drew a deep breath and realized she did not know what else there was to say. When had it become so hard to talk to him?
Falling in love made her stupid. It made her heart beat so loudly she couldn’t focus on what he said. It made her palms sweat which resulted in her feeling self-conscious and awkward. Falling in love made her act like a moron.
“Zoey and Eric,” her mother, Marcia, said as she entered the room. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and Zoey knew what the doctors had told her. Marcia pulled Zoey into a hug before hugging Eric. Rudolf followed her into the room with his head hanging and his shoulders rounded. He put a gentle hand on Zoey’s shoulder and nodded a silent greeting to Eric. He was clearly also torn up.
“Hi everyone,” Violet said sleepily.
“Hi, Baby,” Marcia said and went to grasp Violet’s hand tightly, as if she could keep her there with her forever. “How are you feeling?”
“Excellent,” Violet said, although it was an obvious lie.
Rudolf sat down in the chair next to the bed, while Eric and Zoey approached Violet. They gathered around her like grieving family members would around a coffin.
“Just tell me,” Violet groaned. “What did the doctor say?”
Zoey’s heart started beating faster as she realized what Marcia was about to tell her. She wanted to tell her mother to stop. She wanted to tell everyone that the doctors were wrong, but before she could speak up, her mother said in a gentle, angelic voice, “There is nothing more the doctors can do.”
You’re going to die. The unsaid words hung heavily in the air. They were choking Zoey. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.
She met her sister’s glazed eyes and took a step backward. Violet started crying, and their parents reached to comfort her. Zoey knew she was supposed to hug her sister and accept her fate.
But she could not.
The moment was overwhelming, and Zoey took off, running out of the room and down the long hospital halls. If they called after her, she did not hear. She almost collided with a nurse but managed to swing out of her way in time. The nurse cursed, but Zoey did not care. She flung open the hospital doors and rushed outside, where she was greeted by a parking lot, busy street, and lively breeze.
It was an early spring afternoon in Columbus, Ohio. Beautiful flowers were blooming everywhere, and their delicious scent filled Zoey’s nose, but all they made her think of were funeral flowers.
Zoey did not stop running, and she didn’t think ahead which path she should follow. Any path that took her away from the hospital, away from her pain, would do. She ran until her legs hurt, and then she ran some more. When she stopped, she was out of breath and her legs were burning. Yet, the pain in her heart was still there, and she realized she was unable to escape it.
She flicked the hair out of her eyes and focused on what was in front of her. Tall, thick trees reached into the sky. They were intimidating, like giants, but not as fascinating as the line of toadstools that grew around the forest. According to legend, this was the border between the human and the Fata lands.
Zoey almost laughed and reminded herself there was no such thing as faeries. She straightened before stepping over the border – into the Wandering Woods. For a moment, she simply stood there – as if she was expecting something to happen.
She had been holding her breath and released it just before the wind picked up, dancing between the flowers and making it sound as if the woods were whispering.
Zoey looked back, to the road home, to the road back to familiarity. She was all too aware of the crumpled flower drawing in her pocket. She had not planned to come to the woods, so she was unprepared. She did not have food, a warm jacket or water. The logical thing to do was turn around.
Zoey shook off the haunting feeling in her heart and entered the woods as if she owned the place.