Three
1493 Words
I’m running as fast as I can, weaving between stooping tree branches and leaping over risen roots.
“Willow.” A voice called. I’m coming!
My bare feet collided against the soil, failing to care what got snapped beneath me. My heart thundered in anticipation, why did the voice feel so far away?
“Willow.” He called again. For the love of god I’m running as fast as I can.
I look back over my shoulder, the weeping willow trees have descended far into the distance. I must be close by now.
I come to a halt, taking a minute to determine which way I should go. In the far distance, sunlight beams beyond a collection of tree stumps like a golden path, indicating this could be the way out.
I take a deep breath to fill my lungs, preparing for my next sprint. With a determined nod, I plan to set off again, but something gets a hold on my shoulder.
Jumping out of my skin, I quickly spin to see who’s there. A man towers over me, wearing a concerned expression. His raven locks cascade down his shoulder, his silver eyes boring into mine.
I push my brows together as I observe him, determining whether I should be afraid. He holds his hands up in surrender, aiming to assure me he means no harm. “Willow.”
My eyes widened as I took a step back. “Who are you?” I questioned, I’d never met this man before, yet he spoke as though he knew me.
“Willow,” he gave me a pointed look as he kept his hands up. “Please don’t panic, I’m not trying to hurt you.”
I narrowed my eyes on him, crossing my arms against my chest. “I asked who you were.” I reiterated. He wasn’t one of the two men I usually ended up meeting.
His lips curled slightly as his eyes softened. “I’m Wroe.” He let out a quick breath, shuffling on his feet. “I’m your brother.”
I quirked my brow, looking at him in disbelief as my eyes bored into his. “I don’t have a brother.” I told him matter-of-factly.
He chuckled at my response, shaking his head slightly. “In the human world, you don’t have a brother.”
In the human world?
I snorted, creasing my forehead in his direction. “In the human world?”
The man confidently bowed his head. “Yes.”
I let out a breath as I rolled my eyes. “And what’s this? A magical, faerie world?”
The man grinned, finding my sarcasm amusing. “We prefer to call it the supernatural realm.”
The supernatural realm? This guy needed to be sectioned. “Sure…” I dragged out, not for a second buying into his act.
He shook his head, letting out a deep huff. “Look, we don’t have much time. Things are about to change for you and you need to be ready.”
I frowned in response. “Ready for what?”
“To return home.” He said. “You’re turning 21 soon and whether you choose to believe it or not, big changes are coming your way, Willow. You have a destiny to fulfil.”
I scoffed at his dramatics. “A destiny?” I taunted. “These dreams are getting stranger.” I muttered to myself.
“They aren’t dreams, Willow. This is your home, you were sent to the human realm to protect you until you came of age. But the time is coming for you to return to us.”
“What do you mean these aren’t dreams? This place isn’t real.” I scrunched up my face in distaste.
Wroe deadpanned in my direction, clearly unhappy with my level of cooperation. “Right now, you aren’t dreaming, Willow. Your soul is really here, in this realm. This is where you belong.”
I frowned. “What about those two men I keep meeting? If it was real, surely I wouldn’t keep reliving the same scene over and over again.”
The man’s face contorted, evidently not pleased at the mention of the two I often found myself with. “Yes, that sequence is different. You keep seeing them so you’ll recognise them when the time comes, think of it as though when you see them, you’re experiencing a vision of the future. I had you pulled you out of the sequence so I could talk to you.”
The future? What?
I rubbed my fingers over my temples, this was growing old quickly. “Look, dude-”
“Wroe." He corrected.
“Guy who thinks he’s my brother-”
“Definitely am your brother, your twin in fact.” Wroe asserted.
I squinted my eyes in his direction, I suppose we did have some similarities. He had the same strange, silver eyes as I did and I guess you could say we had the same straight, narrow nose but so could a lot of people, it didn’t mean anything.
“If you’re my brother, why was I sent to this so-called ‘human realm’ and you were left here?” I queried suspiciously, quirking a brow.
He pressed his lips together, forming a fine line as he thought about what to say. “Our destiny’s are different, Willow. You’re special, your very existence threatens the lives of many. Mother had to hide you to keep you safe, but that necklace-” he pointed to the locket hanging around my neck. “That’s your tether to this world, the tether that will bring you back.”
I wrapped my fingers around the locket, my mother had said it was the only item that had been left with me when I arrived on her doorstep.
“Keep me safe from who?” I frowned.
Wroe gulped. “From them.”
I furrowed my brows. “Who is them?”
He shook his head in refusal. “I can’t tell you yet, it’s not time and you’re not ready. But listen to me, Willow. The supernatural world is real, those bedtime stories your adoptive parents told you about vampires, werewolves and faeries? They’re real and you are from their world. You’re about to experience some changes, which may be scary and confusing, but in time will all make sense. I can’t tell you anymore at this point, only that you’re about to meet a woman who goes by the name Gladdis. You can trust her, she’s on our side and she will help you. I’ll come and see you again soon, but now you must go back.”
I parted my lips, unsure where to even start in terms of responding to any of that. I had so many questions, yet I still wasn’t convinced any of this was real. “Prove this isn’t a dream.” Was all I could say, feeling stunned by the overload of information.
Wroe quickly cast his eyes around us, surveying the scene for anyone who may be near, before pulling out a sharp pocket knife.
My eyes widened as I stumbled backwards, holding my hands up in surrender. “I didn’t mean by killing me!”
He rolled his eyes as he reached for my palm, dragging it closer to him. “I should have known you’d have mother’s dramatic flare.” He turned my palm so it faced upright, before carefully trailing the edge of the knife against my flesh.
“Ouch,” I winced, scowling at him. “Was that necessary?”
He chuckled as he wiped the blade against his black tee, before putting it away. “Check your hand when you wake up. Now go.” He ordered.
“Wait!” I protested. “When will I see you again?” I frowned, did I want to see him again? I was still so confused by the whole interaction.
He smiled warmly, highlighting a singular dimple in his right cheek, just like mine. “Soon. It was good to finally meet you, sis. Now, wake up.”
I jolted up from my bed, panting relentlessly as I took a moment to adjust to my surroundings. I squeezed my eyes shut, giving myself a moment to completely wake up as sunlight beamed through the gap in my curtains.
Steadying my breathing, I opened my eyes and felt a rush of relief to be sat in my bedroom, no longer in dreamland. They were getting more intense each time.
I grabbed the edge of the duvet, about to wrap it around myself once again, when a pain shot through my palm.
I anxiously turned it over, convincing myself it was just a coincidence. But what I saw had the potential to send me into a cardiac arrest.
Right down the centre of my palm was a long, narrow slit, exactly like the one Wroe had created.
- Writer
