The Elf Girl

by Grabo, Markelle

  “So I met a gnome, Mac, who told me about the war,” I said, trying to get our minds off the Element fairy in the orchard.

  “Everything about the war?” she asked.

  “Yes. Everything,” I replied.

  “Addison won’t be happy about that,” she warned me.

  “Why is it so bad that I know?” I asked.

  “She wanted an elf, particularly Queen Taryn, to explain things. You are new to this, Ramsey. We don’t want you thinking that all elves are awful because of Queen Taryn’s sister.”

  “Look, it’s okay. Everyone does things they aren’t proud of, and everyone makes mistakes. I’m not going to be scared away that easily.”

  Aaliyah took my hand and smiled. “Good.”

  I nodded, but I wasn’t feeling so good. Sure, we had escaped, but seeing the Element fairy had suddenly made my dangerous situation very real to me. Now that I had seen one, I knew it was inevitable that I would meet more in the future, especially if I was to rescue my sister. I didn’t know how I would handle my fear, or if I would be strong enough to face such dangerous foes as the fae.

  “I can tell you’re stressed, Ramsey. I can’t imagine what this must be like for you,” Aaliyah mentioned as we walked together into Birchwood City.

  “I have no idea what to do, Aaliyah,” I admitted.

  “You will. Believe in yourself and believe in Zora. If she said you could help her, then you can. I’ve said that before, and I’ll say it again. I see Zora in you, Ramsey. I see her gentle nature, her free spirit, and her courage. I will always be there to help you, and don’t forget that Addison and Stellan will be as well. Zora was like a daughter to me, and I feel as if you are one, too.”

  Her kind, sincere words brought tears to my eyes. “Thank you, Aaliyah, for saying that. You have helped me so much today, with everything. I am so grateful.”

  “I mean it,” she said, smiling warmly. “Thankfully, we avoided the fairy. I will have to speak with Stellan and Addison about it, though. It isn’t safe with Element fairies anywhere in the Realm, in Birchwood especially, because you are here. You need protection so you can find your sister and avoid being taken instead. Don’t worry, I will take care of everything. I advise that you just go home and rest for a while. It will help you to clear your mind and rejuvenate.”

  “I will. Thank you so much, Aaliyah.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  I was relieved and thankful. It didn’t matter now if Addison had only brought me back for Zora, because Aaliyah was here for me. I knew she cared for me, and not just because of Zora. As I walked home, I knew talking with Aaliyah had been the right thing to do. I felt surer now of which direction to take. She had reassured me of my place here. My mind was at peace. Sure, there were many problems with my life now, but I knew I could overcome them. I just needed to figure out how. I laughed. If only it was that easy to accomplish, I thought to myself.

  When I finally walked through the door, it was near six, and I still had time before I had to be at Addison’s house. I walked into my room and sat down on my bed. Aaliyah told me to rest, but I felt as if I should be doing something.

  After a few minutes of running ideas through my head, I went to the wardrobe and took out the bag I had brought from the Human Realm. For the first time since coming to the Elf Realm, I reached inside and grabbed my copy of The Mysterious Guide to Fantasy. I wanted to see if the guide held anything on Element fairies.

  Unfortunately, the only section on fairies was very general. The descriptions reminded me of what Aaliyah told me of Flower fairies. Butterfly wings and flower petals weren’t going to enlighten me on the habits of my new enemies.

  I shut the book, dismayed at the lack of information on Element fairies, and tucked it under my bed. Then I realized how tired I was, and finally decided to take Aaliyah’s advice and nap to pass the remaining time. What else was there to do?

  I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes. I didn’t bother changing into a nightgown. I would be sleeping only for a little while. I hoped I would wake up in time for dinner, because there weren’t any alarm clocks here. I had closed my eyes for only a few seconds before I was dreaming.

  Even though everything was dark, I knew I was dreaming because I could no longer feel the comfort of my bed, and I certainly didn’t smell my flowery and herbal scented room anymore. Instead, the smell was musty, and reminded me strangely of hay. There was even a faint scent of blood in the air. I was standing, instead of lying down. Was I having some kind of nightmare?

  I braced myself for some man-eating monster or a blood-crazy vampire, but everything was silent. Then, like a lit match to my skin, the Mood Diamond resting on my chest started to burn. I could see it glowing at my neck. The fire was almost too much to bear. I could barely keep from screaming. Soon, my whole body felt insanely hot; images of flames flashed behind my closed eyes, shut tight to fight off the pain. My fists clenched to stop the spasms pulsing through me. What was happening? How could a dream be so painful? How could a dream be so real?

  Finally, the pain began to ebb away, and I was able to open my eyes. I gasped, finding myself standing before my sister.

  She was lying against a wooden wall, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly open. Her hands clutched the Mood Diamond tightly against her chest. The horror finally reached me as I took time to look at her closely. She was nothing like the beautiful memory Aaliyah had shared with me earlier that day. This view was the complete opposite. It was more terrible than anything I could have imagined.

  Until I saw Zora, I hadn’t believed anyone could be any paler than I – or any other elf for that matter – could ever be. She appeared stark white, dead white. I sighed in relief when I noticed the slight rise and fall of her chest that told me she was still alive – although just barely. Dressed in brown cloth rags that hung limply on her thin frame, I had never seen anyone look so…well, anorexic was the best way to describe it. But this seemed even worse.

  Zora had patches of dirt and grime from the tips of her shoulders to the ends of her toes. The patches looked like soot from a fireplace or some kind of burn. Several cuts that reminded me of lashes from a whip were still bleeding on her hands and wrists. Her pale hair was ragged and dirty. I realized with horror that she had severe burn marks on her neck, face, and upper arms. She was also sweating with fever.

  I reached out to touch my sister. I hoped that if I touched her, I would wake up, like splashing a hand onto a reflection in a pool, and the terrible image of Zora would disappear. Maybe this would all go away, just a nightmare. Unfortunately, touching her didn’t wake me up. My hand rested on hers, and she opened her eyes slowly and stared into mine. The emerald irises were empty of their glow, replaced by fear, grief, and pain.

  “Zora,” I choked. “Zora…what happened to you?” I was barely able to ask. The sight was just so horrible….

  Tears fell silently from my eyes and ran down my cheeks. I wiped them away with my free hand, trying to appear stronger and more in control than I felt.

  “I’m so sorry, Ramsey. I’m sorry,” she kept repeating, over and over again, her own tears leaving lines of pale skin where they washed away the grime.

  Tears clouded my vision again. I blinked them back and shook my head. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” I assured her.

  “Yes, I do. I should have found you sooner. I should have told someone…,” Zora trailed off.

  “All of that is in the past now. It doesn’t matter. What matters is getting you away from here. Come on.” I grabbed her hand as gently as I could and started to pull, but she wasn’t trying to get up.

  “I can’t leave, Ramsey. This is only a spiritual connection, a vision…a glimpse. You aren’t here with me, and I’m not there with you. You are still in your room. I connected with you using the diamond. It took a while…but it finally worked.”

  “Then what can we do?”I asked her.

  “Find me, Ramsey. Look around and remember this place. Then come for
me. You must hurry. I don’t have much time left before they finish me. The Element fairies want to learn your secret, but I won’t tell them. I promise, Ramsey,” she said, her eyes fierce and determined, appearing more alive than before. “I will die before I tell them anything about you. But as soon as they realize that, they will kill me.”

  “That won’t happen. I will come for you,” I promised her. Then I had an idea. “What is the secret, Zora? Please tell me now. Maybe it can help save you.”

  Before she could respond, I heard the clanging of a door opening. I tried to find a place to hide, but tripped in the darkness. Trying to steady myself, I allowed one of my hands to fall on top of Zora’s Mood Diamond. Suddenly, the scene changed. I was still in the room, but now I was sitting against the wooden wall. Pain came at me in great waves. I looked down and gasped in shock at my hands, covered in slashes and my knuckles raw, blood oozing slowly. The smell made me queasy. I could tell right away that they were not really my hands. They were Zora’s hands. The Mood Diamond had connected us further. I was seeing through Zora and feeling what Zora felt. I struggled to stay conscious. The pain was making me dizzy and weak.

  A dark figure fluttered through the door. His red wings glistened like the blood from Zora’s hands. His thick dark hair flowed from the wind his wings created as he flew over to us. I knew right away he was an Element Fairy, and his element was fire. Was he the fairy I had seen in the orchard? I wasn’t sure.

  The fairy was dressed in a red peasant shirt and ragged, cut-off red shorts. His feet were bare, his arms toned, and I could see his muscles tense as he saw the horrible state of my sister. He was terribly beautiful, both attractive and menacing. He reached a hand down and caressed my – I mean, Zora’s – cheek. I could feel Zora’s body stiffen. Just the nearness of him made me feel cold. Although his looks were striking, I could detect the cloud of darkness that surrounded him, a warning not to be deceived by his beauty.

  “You poor thing, I didn’t know my friends and I had harmed you so badly. I am sorry about this, really sorry,” he said darkly.

  “I find it hard to believe you are sorry,” we seemed to say together.

  It was weird because even though I wasn’t thinking of the response, I still knew what to say. Everything Zora thought and said, I did as well because of how close we were connected. Unfortunately, every word brought on more pain and burning.

  “Zora, you know what we want. All of this can end if you just tell me about your sister. We know she is valuable.”

  “How could you possibly know anything about my sister?” Zora challenged.

  “Ah, Zora, you are so naïve,” the fire fairy said with a hearty chuckle. “You have no idea what happened to them, do you? You have no clue as to what happened to your parents.”

  Chills ran through us. Fear settled into the pit of Zora’s stomach. I could feel her unease and worry. She and I both were expecting the worst.

  “You see, Zora dear, when your parents abandoned you it wasn’t long before they were caught…by my soldiers.” He strode forward and knelt down in front of us. Cupping Zora’s chin in his hand, he grinned maliciously. “You want to know how I know about your sister? Why she is so valuable to us?” He paused, obviously for effect. I waited with grim anticipation. “Well, your father told me so…before he died.”

  “No,” she whimpered, shaking her head. But she knew, just as I did, that the fire fairy wasn’t lying. Hearing the news saddened me, but I couldn’t feel heartbroken. I hadn’t truly lost my father, only the hope that we would someday meet again. Zora’s despair went deeper. She had really known him. I hadn’t. I didn’t remember our father the way she did, and I was too busy concentrating on the immense pain I was feeling to feel much else.

  Zora started shaking, but her sobs were barely audible because of the pain her movement was sending to the both of us. The agony clouded my entire mind, engulfing me. When it was finally too much to bear, Zora fell silent, unmoving. Anymore stress on our bodies, on our hearts, and we would surely break. She had to stop grieving, because if she didn’t, we would die.

  “Finn…you monster…,” we said, hardly able to speak through the burning.

  I now knew the fairy’s name. Even though it was hard to do because of the strong connection with Zora’s mind, I said it repeatedly so I would remember it in my own mind for the future. Finn shook his head silently. “I’m no monster, Zora. I only did what was necessary.”

  “I…will…never…tell…,” we told him, determination in our joined voices.

  “I don’t believe you, Zora. Your father told me even though he said he wouldn’t. Of course, it wasn’t enough information, because if it was, I wouldn’t have needed you. He only told me that Ramsey had a secret, a very powerful one at that, concerning both fairies and elves. You need to tell me what that secret is. I know he told you. I could see it in his eyes that he knew, and I can see it in yours that you know as well.”

  “NEVER!” we screamed.

  We had made a huge mistake. I didn’t think the pain could get any worse, but now it was an icy kind of fire, freezing our limbs as it washed through our very veins. It would have been easy to succumb to the darkness, let go of what tied me to life. I couldn’t give up, though, because so many depended on me, especially Zora. But it was tremendously difficult to stay conscious. I had never felt such torture. I was running out of words to describe how miserable these feelings were. I imagined they were even worse for Zora, because she was actually experiencing the pain, not just feeling it like I was.

  Finn chuckled. “I can see that your life is dwindling. You will tell me soon, Zora. When you do, your life will end quickly and there will be no more suffering. I know you don’t want to bear this for the few days you have left. Let me know when you have had enough. Wynter is just outside as always. Just speak her name and she will call for me,” Finn said.

  He turned and flew out of the room. Without the fiery light from his wings, the room returned to partial darkness.

  After that, everything was thrown into chaos. Suddenly released from part of the connection with Zora, I fell over onto the wooden floor. I wrapped my arms around my body, trying to pull myself together. I was afraid of falling apart if I let go. My breath came out in sharp gasps. I could barely breathe. I looked over at Zora. Her eyes were closed tightly, and she was slowly rocking back and forth, as if she was trying to fight the pain. I knew just by looking at her that it wouldn’t work. Her condition had worsened. She was broken. Only I could put her back together again, by finding and saving her.

  If I didn’t accomplish this soon, she would die this way.

  “Find me, Ramsey,” she said, almost too quiet for me to understand.

  “I will, Zora. I promise that I will save you…no matter what it takes,” I told her.

  The room began to spin, and the Mood Diamond glowed brighter than before. I shook my head to keep away the dizziness, but nothing changed. The room just spun faster and faster.

  “Zora, what’s happening?” I cried.

  “Don’t look for me in the...Realm!” she screamed with every ounce of energy she had left as the room continued to spin around before my eyes.

  “Which Realm?” I asked her.

  “The…”

  Before she could say any more, everything was total darkness once again….

  Screams echoed from my lungs as I sat up in bed. My hands flew over my heart and pressed against it tightly. I felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. The burning subsided, but in its place was a terrible aching, the aching of loss. I had finally experienced what everyone else had when the fairies took Zora. I now knew what it was like to lose her. I hated the feeling. It hurt even worse than the burning fire and Zora’s pain put together, because this pain wasn’t physical. It was emotional. And it wouldn’t end. Nothing could make it go away, nothing, except to have Zora at my side.

  The connection was the worst thing I had ever experienced. I was afraid. I couldn’t believe it
had been so real. I was terrified; I never wanted to feel that way again. The pain, the burning, the way Finn’s eyes glinted in the darkness of the room…all were images I couldn’t erase from my mind no matter how hard I tried. I couldn’t stop feeling this way. I felt as though fear was now a part of me, and that scared me more than anything else did. Fear of fear….

  The burning was still there, only it had now concentrated around my neck area where the Mood Diamond still lay glowing. I wanted to rip it off, but I couldn’t remove my hands from my heart. I was too afraid of the risk, afraid of the pain that could ensue.

  I hadn’t realized I was still screaming until Stellan – Addison and Aaliyah following closely behind – ran into my room. The screaming turned into sobs as Stellan sat on the bed and cradled me. He wrapped his arms around me, trying to stop me from shaking. I wanted to stop. I was begging God to let me stop. I couldn’t. The shaking continued and the sobbing continued as Stellan rocked me back and forth. Seconds, then minutes passed, and nothing changed.

  “Oh my God, Stellan, look what that Mood Diamond did to her! What had Zora been thinking by giving her that necklace? It could have killed her!” Addison cried.

  I could see through my tears that she was pacing back and forth in the room. Her clenched fists made her knuckles paler than the rest of her skin. It reminded me of Zora and my sobs grew louder.

  “She won’t stop, Mother. What can we do?” I heard Stellan ask.

  I could hear the pain in his voice. Seeing me like this must be killing him, I thought, surprised that I could still think coherently. But I could do nothing to end this agonizing trance.

  “I…I don’t know,” Aaliyah said.

  “Give her a memory. Give her something that can make her feel better,” Stellan suggested.

  “I think that would make things worse,” Aaliyah admitted.

  “Just do something…anything! I can’t take seeing her this way!” Addison screamed.

  I could feel Aaliyah’s hands slip into mine. I tried pulling away, because I didn’t want my hands to leave my heart, but she only held me tighter.