Zoey opened the door for Eric, but he did not enter. There was no more talking about Fata or flowers once he arrived. His eyes searched her head to toe before he said anything.
“I’m fine,” Zoey said by way of greeting.
“You should go home right away,” Bree said from behind her and offered Eric a smile. Eric nodded, evidently unaware that the old lady feared Zoey would return to the woods to search for the Fluver-luzile.
Zoey turned to Bree. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Of course. You’re welcome anytime,” she said in a lonely, little voice.
They left the house, and Bree softly closed the door behind them. Eric had parked his father’s old pickup truck on the side of the street under one of the streetlights. As they headed to the car, he handed Zoey his jacket, which suggested that he’d noticed her shivering. She accepted it and got into the truck. It was so old she couldn’t recall Donny ever driving anything else. It was rusty, and something rattled when they drove. The leather seats were worn and peeling, and the air conditioner was broken.
Eric’s gaze was fixed on the road, but Zoey knew he was not focused on driving. He was waiting for her to explain, so she did, “I did not mean to stay out this late.”
“I bet,” he responded calmly, “but I get it. You’re going through a lot. You needed space.”
He knew her so well. How could he not? He had known her his whole life. “My parents must be worried sick. I am going to be in so much trouble.”
Eric gave her a sympathetic look. “Let’s tell them you stayed with me for the night, and I forgot to tell them in advance.”
She smiled at Eric and took a moment to appreciate that he was still looking out for her. Would he always be around? Things had changed so much as they got older, and she assumed it would change even more.
“We have not had a sleepover in a long time.” She tried to keep the sadness from her voice, but when Eric glanced at her, she knew she’d failed.
It took them thirty minutes to reach Eric’s wooden house and untrimmed garden. He parked the truck in the weapons-filled garage, and they entered the house through the back door. His home looked just like she remembered it. It was not fancy or decorated beautifully, nor was it very tidy. Plenty of canned and microwave food indicated that the residents did not enjoy cooking. The laundry room, which was next to the kitchen, had clothes all over the floor. It was obvious there was no woman in the house, as there were no dresses or female underwear among the laundry.
Zoey made her way to the living room while Eric fetched blankets and a pillow. The living room had two small couches and one big one. When they had been younger, they used to play video games and fall asleep, next to each other, in front of the TV.
“You can sleep in my room,” Eric said, which reminded her how many things had changed.
She shook her head and told herself that they were eighteen years old, not dating, and it would be inappropriate for her to sleep next to him. But if she did, would it lead to cuddling? Or maybe a bit more than innocent cuddles?
“Are you tired already?” she asked, although it was way past midnight.
“Would you like some hot chocolate first?”
“Yes! It is my favorite.” She watched him go to the kitchen but did not join him because she didn’t want to appear needy or as if she was following him everywhere.
She found the television remote between the couch cushions and switched it on. Zoey flipped through the channels, unsurprised that nothing entertaining was broadcast at this hour. Eric returned and handed her the cup of hot chocolate. She took a sip, and when she stopped drinking, Eric smiled widely at her.
“What is it?” His smile was contagious.
“You have a moustache.” Eric leaned closer and ran his finger over her top lip. Would he lick it off afterward? He didn’t. For a moment, he was so close, but then he pulled away, and Zoey’s heart fell.
An awkward silence stretched between them, and desperate to break it, Zoey said the first thing that came into her mind. “I hiked through the Wandering Woods today.”
“You did what?” Eric asked loudly, all awkwardness and tension instantly gone. Zoey would prefer the awkwardness above this fear and disappointment Eric now expressed.
“It’s not a big deal.”
“Zoey, you could get lost in those woods!”
And she had gotten lost, but she was not going to tell him that. She rolled her eyes at him. “You are overreacting.”
“I’m not. I’ve seen things in those woods.”
“What things?” she asked curiously, as her thought drifted to the Fata.
“Bears and snakes.”
She almost laughed but managed to stop herself. Eric was scared she would run into a bear or a snake? If only he knew about the Fata she had encountered.
“Seriously, calm down. You go into the woods all the time.”
“I can protect myself,” he said. “I know I’ll walk out of the woods.”
“I will also walk out, just fine.”
“I’m sure my mom thought the same thing.”
There. That was it. That was what this was about. Eric connected those woods to his mother because that was where she had gone to commit suicide. If it was so painful, why would he venture into them? Maybe it made him feel more connected to her.
Eric reached out to touch her arm, and her gaze went from his hand to his serious eyes. “Promise me you won’t go back there.”
His chocolate eyes held her gaze, and she was glad he couldn’t hear her heart beating. Eric was asking her so nicely, and he never asked her for anything. She did not want to disappoint or anger him.
But she had to get that flower for her sister. If the Fata were real, then the flower was real, and it could save Violet’s life. She had no choice but to go back, but next time she would be better prepared.
“I promise,” Zoey said.
***
Zoey woke up on the couch with a blanket over her. She had fallen asleep there, despite Eric offering her his bed. She stretched, got up, and looked around the house but did not see Eric. She had a good idea where he was and went to the garage. Once she was inside, Eric looked up from the hunting rifle he was cleaning. His hands were dirty like the table in front of him, and he hadn’t changed his clothes.
“Good morning,” he said.
“What time is it?”
He checked his waterproof watch. “Eleven.”
“Eleven? How could you let me sleep this late? My parents—”
“Relax, I already told them you are here.” He ran his fingers through his hair, and Zoey couldn’t help but wonder if it was soft, like fur, or rough, like bushes.
Zoey sighed in relief after letting Eric’s words sink in; her parents knew she was here. She was not going to be in trouble.
She took in Eric’s wrinkled clothes. “Was it uncomfortable sleeping on the couch?”
“Not as uncomfortable as sleeping on the floor – like when we were kids.”
Zoey smiled at the memory but also because he had fallen asleep next to her last night. One moment they had been watching the television and the next she had fallen asleep. She had a feeling that he had still been awake, and could have gone to his own bed, but had chosen to stay. Her chest felt oddly warm, although there had been no cuddling.
“Can I help you?” She gestured to the guns.
“If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty.”
She helped him clean the guns by following his instructions. For once, things weren’t awkward, and it almost felt as if they were best friends again. Eric told her multiple hunting stories, and she listened attentively.
It was around noon when she decided to leave. She wanted to stay with him, but Violet needed her more. Eric was kind enough to drop her off at the hospital, where she hugged him goodbye. Violet was asleep in her bed, so Zoey sat down on the chair, relieved to find her handbag on the bedside table where she had left it. She took her phone so that she could Google the Fata.
She read one article after the next, but all had different takes. In the end, Zoey decided that humans did not know much about them, and the only thing all these articles agreed on was that the Fata were deadly.
Violet woke, and Zoey spent some time with her. Marcia and Rudolf came to the hospital after work, and the three of them left together. That night, Zoey went to bed early, having planned her next trip to the forest.
When she woke, she tied her hair into a ponytail, put on a long camouflage pants with hiking boots and a black spaghetti-strap shirt. She filled her backpack with a water bottle, sandwich, and an apple.
“You look cheerful,” Marcia pointed out when she and Rudolf came into the kitchen.
“Of course she does,” Rudolf said. “Violet is coming home today.”
He said that as if it was a good thing, although she was only coming home because the doctors could not help her. They were sending her home to die.
Rudolf kissed Zoey on the cheek and looked at her outfit. “You look like you are going on an adventure.”
“Every day is an adventure, Dad.”
She had decided she was skipping school today – but she was not going to tell her parents that. They always told her how important good grades were, but there were more important things to do – like save Violet.
Zoey did not have a car, and her mother dropped her off at school every day on her way to work. Zoey waved her off then headed toward the forest. It was a long walk, but Zoey was fit, healthy, and determined.
Once she reached the woods, Zoey stepped across the line of toadstools. She looked around, hoping to see a Twixie, but all she saw were ferns, trees, and flowers. Maybe the Twixies were easier to see in the dark because of their lights?
She entered the woods, and this time, she had a map – she had found it on the internet and printed it first thing when she woke. She would remain on the footpaths this time to avoid getting lost again.
Zoey walked on, and after a while, she found the river and was relieved when no Fata were drinking from it. She approached the water cautiously, as if expecting them to appear at any moment. Between the grasses lay the bear trap, clamped shut around a broken stick. The Fata must have pushed a stick in there to close it, to prevent others from stepping in it.
Zoey stood by the edge of crystal-clear water and watched the river flow from a pond at the base of a waterfall. She approached the powerful waterfall and admired its beauty, noticing the rocks at the base of the waterfall that formed a natural wall.
Zoey was about to turn around and leave when she heard soft whispering. She looked around, thinking that some magical being was going to appear, but nothing did. Then it was quiet, and the silence made her think that she was imagining things. But when the whispering started again, she knew it was real. She could not make out what the voices were saying, but her gut told her they were calling to her.
“Hello?” She looked around to find the source.
Her eyes came to a rest of the rock wall behind the waterfall. It can’t be. She stepped into the water and ignored the cold. Then she waded through the pond, the water up to her knees. Her wet pants clung to her legs, and she almost slipped on a slimy rock. She stepped into the waterfall and allowed the water to wash over her.
She touched the solid rock wall then put her ear against it. Despite the rushing of the water, she could hear the whispering. Was it possible that someone was stuck behind the rocks? The rocks were big and heavy, and it would be impossible for her to move.
She put both hands against the wall and tried to make out what the voices were saying. As she leaned forward, she placed her body’s weight on the wall. Slowly it started moving. It was so unexpected she got a fright and stepped backward, slipping on the wet rocks, and tumbling into the pond. Since the water was shallow, she sat up and coughed. The rock wall had moved ever so slightly inward, and the corner was open like a door by an inch. Zoey couldn’t see inside, but she guessed it led to a cave. The cave would be dark, and she did not have a flashlight. There was no point in exploring in there because she was looking for a flower, and most flowers couldn’t grow without sunlight.
She didn’t push the rock wall any further. The little bit she had hardly made a difference. One would have to study the wall in detail to notice the tiny crack.
Zoey checked the time and decided she needed to go home. She wanted to go to the hospital with her parents to collect Violet, and she could spend more time in the forest tomorrow.