“I also have this for you,” Emmett said, handing over my cell phone.
I jerked the device out of his hand and looked down at the screen. I had several missed calls and texts-- mostly from my parents and a few from my friend, Alice.
“I need to go now,” I said, urgency ringing from my voice.
Emmett nodded and held out his hand. “I can get you home in an instant. Let’s go,” he said, walking over to the window.
“What are you doing?” I stammered, unsure of his plan.
“We will fly,” he spoke, continuing to walk to the window.
I watched with unease as he slid the window open and jumped up onto the windowsill. He looked back at me expectantly and held out his hand.
I stood there, unsure of what to do. Biting my lip, I thought about what it was like to fly with him last night. It had all felt so surreal-- like a dream. If I hadn’t woken up here, I would have sworn it was a dream.
“Come on, I promise I won’t drop you,” he said, grinning.
I couldn’t help the smile that filled my face. I slowly walked to him and placed my small hand inside his. He pulled me to him and scooped me up into his arms. I gasped as the cool, morning air hit me in the face. I shivered and Emmett took notice.
“I will deliver you home safely, I swear,” he added.
“I know you will. It’s cold outside and I was just startled,” I admitted.
Nodding, Emmett held me tighter and then leaped from the window, launching us high into the air.
The moment stole my breath away, and I closed my eyes until we were floating around the gray clouds in the sky. It was exhilarating to fly in his arms and know that it was really happening.
In mere moments, I spotted my street and then my house. I expected him to land us on the grass somewhere in my yard. Instead, he stopped right outside my bedroom window.
“How did you…” I didn’t finish my sentence because Emmett slid my window open with one arm and gently placed me inside. His hand was still wrapped around my waist as I felt the plush carpet of my bedroom under my feet. Everything in my bedroom looked the same but for some reason, everything felt wildly different.
“I told you, I have known about you for a very long time,” Emmett winked before he flew away from the window, leaving me in a stunned silence.
I heard voices coming from somewhere down the hall and noticed my bedroom door was wide open. With quick thinking, I rushed to my bed and faked sleeping.
My parents rushed inside my room, calling my name.
“Willow, is that you?” my mom cried as she ran into my room.
I could hear my dad’s heavy footsteps close behind her.
They both landed on my bed and I pretended to wake up groggy and confused.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“You never came home,” my mom cried out, looking at me like I was a figment of her imagination.
“I’m sorry,” I said, looking down at the sheets. “I was upset after the funeral and went for a long walk. I found some friends and decided to just hang out and calm down. I guess I fell asleep. I came home sometime early this morning. I knew you had been worried, but I didn’t’ want to wake you,” I said, tears filling my eyes.
Those were real.
“We tried calling and texting you all night,” my dad said sternly.
“I know. My phone died and I couldn’t charge it until I got home,” I added.
I hated lying to my parents, but I knew the truth would surely drive them over the edge. My mom just lost her mother-- the last thing she needed was my telling her that I had been kidnaped by a Ferryman.
Latching onto me, my mom pulled me into a warm embrace. Her tears were soaking my dress and I knew I had really messed up. “I was just so worried,” she cried out.
“I really am sorry,” I said, hugging her back.
“If this happens again, you will be grounded,” my dad stated, standing up next to the bed. “You have never given us reason to not trust you, Willow. I know last night was difficult for us all, so I will give you a pass this one time. But, don’t let us down again,” he said, before turning and walking out of my room.
I knew I had gotten away with a huge lie and I was grateful for their understanding. My mom hugged me again and then stood up. “I need to go shower and get dressed. Your dad and I have to meet with the attorney who will handle your grandmother’s will. You can stay home and we will talk more about this tonight,” my mom said gently.
She left me alone and once I knew she was far enough away, I jumped up out of my bed and rushed back to the window.
I knew it was a futile attempt to look for Emmett, I was sure he was long gone by now. I would probably never see him again. But, suddenly my eyes spotted something high in the sky. Straining my eyes, I leaned out my still open window. To my utter surprise, Emmett was perched atop a large oak tree, high in the sky, and smiling down at me.
My heart began to pound and all I could do in that moment was smile back at him. Then, just as fast as he had soared into my life, he was gone. Taking my heart with him.
Chapter 7
Willow
There were two things I was very certain of. The first was that my life could never go back to normal. The second, was that I wasn’t sure how I could just go back to my everyday life and pretend like I didn’t know monsters existed.
After spending the remainder of my weekend with my mom, I knew Monday was supposed to bring a type of normalcy to my life. My mom was going to spend the next week cleaning out my grandmother’s apartment and getting everything, she had closed and finalized. I was supposed to go back to school and just act like my entire world hadn’t been turned upside down.
“Willow, are you ready?” I heard my mom’s voice as she knocked on my bedroom door.
I was sitting in a comfortable blue chair under my window, staring out at the open, morning sky. She had startled me and I tried to act as though I wasn’t transfixed by the idea of soaring through that sky again.
“Sure. I was just about to head downstairs,” I replied, standing up and walking to my bed.
I threw my backpack over my shoulder and offered her a smile.
My mom sighed and dropped her shoulders. “Willow, I know your grandmother’s death has been difficult on you. We just need to go on with our lives. You know she would be so mad at us right now if she saw us moping around,” she laughed.
I couldn’t help but laugh, too. She was right. My grandmother was a spitfire of a woman, which now made sense after discovering she was helping the supernatural beings in Shady Oaks.
I made my way downstairs and even managed to eat breakfast before I headed off to school.
As I drove through Shady Oaks, I couldn’t help but pay closer attention to the setting around me. Things I had never thought as special or unique now stood out to me like a sparkling diamond. I drove past the small park in town, and focused on the trees that had been burned and broken in the freak tornado storm that had hit last year. As I continued my drive through Main Street, I locked eyes on the deep forest where Emmett had taken me to and wondered what other creatures lurked just behind those trees. Were there other parts of Shady Oaks I had never seen before?
As I turned off Main Street, I caught a glimpse of the Ice Castle that was nestled behind its own wooded area. It had always been a rumor and joke of the town that the family that lived in that large mansion were royalty-- or at least they thought they were. Sophie, who went to Shady Oaks High School lived in that large mansion and her father owned a local jewelry store. She was nice, but now I couldn’t help but wonder if she could be part of the supernaturals here in Shady Oaks. Her boyfriend, Pierce, was a little odd, too. Sure, he was gorgeous, but he was another of the people here that I now added to my list of suspected supernaturals. I had seen him hanging around Emmett before.
I spotted Caden driving through town. He worked on a local farm here in Shady Oaks. His girlfriend, Dorry, was always by his side. Caden k
ept to himself, but he was nice enough.
As I pull into the parking lot of school, I spot Livienne and her boyfriend, Sylar. Sylar is skateboarding around the parking lot and Livienne is watching him closely. I offer them a slight wave as I drive past them. I am not in their circle of friends, but they have always been nice to me.
I park and get out of my car as Dani pulls up next to me. Her boyfriend, Ari, is walking by her side with his Football jacket on.
I begin to make my way up to the school and Liam and Nora are talking to someone over by one of the large oak trees in the school’s front yard. I can’t see who they are talking to, but Nora and Liam keep looking back at me. It wasn’t too long ago that our school was faced with a string of tragic deaths. It happened right after Nora moved to Shady Oaks.
I continue walking into the school and just as I push through the front doors, Nora moves and I spot Emmett huddled up with them. Of course, they would be talking to Emmett. They were all friends.
That thought made me stop mid-step.
“Hey, watch where you are going,” someone shouts at me as they shove past me.
“Sorry,” I mumble, as I spin around and watch all of the teens outside of the school. They are all friends with Emmett, or at least friendly acquaintances. Do they know who he really is? Are they like him, too?
My head is swimming and I catch myself inspecting everyone around me. Conspiracy theories race through my mind and I feel my stomach begin to churn. It’s all too much to handle. I turn around and start to run back to the school parking lot.
“Willow, where are you going?” I hear my best friend, Alice, calling my name.
She chases after me and I continue running until I reach my car.
She grabs my arm just as I reach my door handle.
“What are you doing?” she asks again, this time turning me so that I am facing her.
Tears are streaming down my face now and I have no idea how to explain this. I can’t tell her what I am truly feeling.
“I can’t do this,” I whisper.
Alice pulls me into a hug and I cry against her shoulder. She soothes me and I feel comforted.
“It’s ok. I know you are upset about your grandmother passing away. I will walk with you to class,” she offers.
I know she assumes my tears are from my grandmother-- and partly they are. But, right now, my anxiety and worries about the world around me that isn’t the world I once knew. I can’t explain to her what happened to me. She would think I was insane. So, I just let her think I am having an emotional attack while grieving over the loss of my grandmother.
“Thanks,” I say.
She wraps her arm around mine and together we walk back into Shady Oaks High School. I don’t see Emmett anymore that day and I am glad. His friends stay away from me, too, and I only have a few students and teachers offering me their sympathies about my loss. In the end, the day was as normal as expected. At least for what my life is now.
Chapter 8
Emmett
It was growing more difficult each day, hour, minute, and second.
I knew I had made a mistake by bringing Willow to our house. I had spent my life hiding amongst the humans-- being taught to never allow them to see me for what I really am. And, in one night, I had thrown everything away.
Was it worth it?
Yes.
Would I do it all again?
Yes.
I knew Micah wouldn’t understand. He was still angry and jaded by her-- a woman he had given his heart to and had single-handedly destroyed him. However, the rest of my ‘friends’ would know what I was feeling. The pain of not being able to be with someone, trying to hide your true self to protect another. They had all done it, but then they had fallen and allowed their hearts to win over their minds. Liam had done it with Nora. She was human and he had risked his life and eternity for her. They were all like me and had somehow found a way to fall in love and live life among humans here in Shady Oaks. I knew it was a possibility for me, too. I wasn’t so lost that I couldn’t still find a piece of happiness for myself.
Or, was I?
As I walked the halls of Shady Oaks High, I kept my head up and I managed to avoid seeing or having to talk with Willow today. I knew eventually I would have to face her, but for today, I knew she needed her space. It’s crazy to think that we had gone to school together these last few years, and she never knew I even existed. Partly because I liked my privacy and hid among the other supernatural creatures who tried to not bring attention to ourselves. And, because Willow was lost in her own world-- she didn’t run in the same social circles as most of the other kids did here. I wasn’t sure if it were by her choice or theirs; but either way, it made me like her that much more.
I was sitting in my math class, a course I had taken several times, when my phone buzzed in my pocket. Making sure the teacher wasn’t paying attention to me, I pulled out my phone and looked at the screen.
Micah: I need you home now
Me: I am still in school, you know that.
Micah: This is important. I can’t text it; I have to tell you in person.
Me: I will be there soon.
I tucked my phone back inside my pocket and raised my hand. By the startled expression on my teacher’s face, I could tell he knew this was serious. I never raised my hand in class-- honestly, I never spoke in class unless I absolutely had to.
“Yes?” Mr. Collins asked.
Every head in the class looked back at me and I cringed. This was what I hated most-- being seen.
“I am not feeling well, can I go to the nurse?” I asked.
Mr. Collins nodded and I jumped out of my seat and quickly made my way out of the class. I could feel their eyes burning into my back and I refused to look back to see if I were correct or not.
If Micah were texting me and demanding that I come home, knowing I was at school, this had to be important.
I ran out of the school and once I made it to the edge of the forest line, I flew the rest of the way home.
Chapter 9
Willow
I was beyond bored as I sat in my Social Studies class. I had finished my test and was waiting for the rest of the class to finish, too.
Suddenly, something out of the corner of my eye sparked my attention. I saw a flash of black hair race past the window.
Opening my eyes wider, I watched as he ran at lightning speed toward the forest. From the way he kept glancing around, it was evident that he didn’t want anyone seeing him. The more I thought about it and watched his actions, I realized that until the night at the funeral home, I don’t really ever remember seeing Emmett here at school, or around town either. I know he said he was private, but he took hiding out to an entirely new level.
Curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to know where he was going in such a rush. I knew it was wrong. He and Micah had both warned me about delving into their lives, but I just couldn’t help myself.
There were so many questions swirling around in my mind and I just had to get answers. I needed to know more about his relationship with my grandmother. I also wanted-- no, needed to know more about the hidden world of supernaturals living in Shady Oaks.
Without thinking, I raised my hand.
“Yes, Willow. Do you need something?” Mr. Dailey asked.
“I am not feeling well, can I go to the nurse?” I asked.
“Yes, just bring me your test,” he said, nodding and offering a sympathetic smile.
I quickly gathered my books and backpack and handed him my test. Once free of the classroom, I ran to the nurse’s office where I pretended to be sick and got an excuse to go home.
Walking out of the school doors, I felt a wild sense of freedom I had never felt before. I wasn’t the girl who skipped school or lied to teachers. I knew I should march myself right back into school and go back to class, but I just couldn’t do that now.
So, taking in a deep breath, I dropped my backpack off in my car and then headed towar
d the back of the school where the forest line began.
The forest seemed to be shadowed by the thick canopy of tree leaves and massive branches that reached high into the sky. It was dark compared to the bright sunlight of the world just beyond its reach.
Taking my first step inside, I felt a rush of adrenaline spike through me. I wasn’t sure where I was going. This was insane, what if I got lost? What if an animal attacked me?
I was on the brink of madness here. With one foot inside the forest and the other safely back in my world, I knew I needed to back out now, but something inside of me kept me frozen in place.
Suddenly, I heard a twig snap somewhere ahead of me and my heart began to race.
“Hey, what are you doing?” a voice called out to me.
Startled, I stumbled forward and found myself immersed inside the forest. I somehow managed to catch myself before falling and when I stood back up, I saw a figure walking toward me.
It was Emmett!
To my surprise, he was looking at me with anger in his eyes.
“What are you doing here?” he snapped at me.
Gasping, I took a step back and felt my back slam into a large tree trunk. He looked so angry-- a very different contrast from when I had seen him last.
“I uh…” Words evaded me and I didn’t know what to do. This was such a mistake and now I felt fearful being all alone in these woods with Emmett.
Seeing my fear, Emmett’s eyes grew softer and his body relaxed a little. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so rude, but you can’t be in here. I told you, this place is dangerous,” Emmett stated, waving his arms around the forest.
“I know, but I wanted to see where you were going. I saw you leave the school and then run into the woods,” I admitted, looking down.
Sighing, Emmett took another step closer to me. “Willow, I know you still have so many questions and I promise I will do my best to help you understand, but right now isn’t the best time. I have to get home.”
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