“So, how did you guys get here so fast?” Annabel asked Emma after they all had dinner. They were reclining on sofas in the smaller sitting room which didn’t befog Emma’s mind like the big one.
After Annabel had found them at her doorstep, after they had exchanged pleasantries, she had taken them to the rooms which she had been preparing for them before the knock had sounded on the door.
At first, Annabel had thought it was an intruder, someone lost, knocking on the door. Over the months and years, she had usually gotten them, people that lost their way, and seeing an old gigantic mission in the middle of nowhere, had thought to seek refuge. Some, she gave refuge. Some, she turned away.
She was very skilled in knowing the intent behind a request. But then she had found Emma, the new friend that she had made on the airplane, the girl who had the fate of this particular earth in her hands.
That was huge work. She had thought when she had been let in on the destiny of Emma, by whatever spirit that hovered over her, that had guarded her family for centuries.
Now, seeing the redhead in her house, Annabel didn’t know exactly what to think. Especially, with her guests who seemed natural, but was anything but that. She could feel it.
Annabel watched now as Emma pointed to the squirrel sitting on the girl’s lap, the girl whom she had introduced as her sister.
“He is good at teleportation.”
Annabel’s eyes widened, as she perused Prescott who stared at her blankly.
“Is there anything else he can do?”
Emma shrugged. “Plenty of things. He is not your everyday squirrel.”
Annable snorted with humor. Of course she knew that. Everyday squirrels do not teleport. “So, tell me all the things that have been happening. You know that you can trust me.”
Emma’s heart raced as Annabel’s gaze bore into her, her friend’s expression a mix of faith and curiosity.
“Emma, please,” Annabel urged gently, as if knowing the indecision racking Emma, breaking the tense silence that hung between them. “I need to know everything that’s been happening. How did you… meet the squirrel?”
Emma’s mind whirled with conflicting emotions as she struggled to find the words to explain. On one hand, she longed to confide in Annabel, to share the weight of her secret and seek solace in her friend’s understanding. But on the other hand, doubt gnawed at her, whispering tales of betrayal and mistrust.
“I-I don’t know where to start,” Emma stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. She avoided Annabel’s gaze, unable to meet the intensity of her friend’s eyes.
Annabel reached out, her hand resting gently on Emma’s arm. “You can trust me, Emma,” she said softly, her tone earnest. “I’m here for you, no matter what.”
Emma’s heart ached at Annabel’s words, torn between the desire to believe and the fear of being let down. Could she really trust Annabel with her deepest secrets, with the truth of her newfound abilities? Could she trust her, like Amelia?
Emma’s hesitance began to melt away in the warmth of Annabel’s earnest gaze, her doubts fading as she realized she didn’t have to bear the burden alone.
“Okay,” she whispered, her voice steadier now. “I’ll tell you everything.”
Emma opened her mouth to actually recount the entirety of events that had happened since she set foot on England , but Prescott put up his hand.
“No. We can’t just let her in like that. She is still a human. Just a test to know if she is worthy-We can try to create a mind path with her.”
Annabel chuckled, garnering their attention. “A talking squirrel too? I thought I would never see the day.”
For the first time in the longest while, Emma saw the shock cloud Prescott’s face.
“You can hear him?” She heard Amelia ask, heard the undertone of lame jealousy, and found it funny.
“Yeah. What test do you have for me, big man?”
Prescott was too shocked to speak. Emma found it hilarious. She would have spoken for him, given him time to recuperate from the feeling but she hadn’t known the rest of the test that he was talking about, apart from the mind path. And so there was silence.
For a moment, the room was filled with nothing but the sound of Prescott’s quiet astonishment, his usually articulate voice rendered speechless by the magnitude of what he had just witnessed. It was a moment frozen in time, a testament to Annabel’s hidden depths and the profound impact of her unexpected triumph. And as Prescott finally found his voice, it was with a newfound respect and admiration for the quiet strength that lay beneath Annabel’s unassuming exterior.
“You can tell her.” He said, before burrowing deeper into Amelia’s embrace as if shy.
Emma sighed in relief. As she gathered her thoughts, she took a deep breath, steeling herself to reveal everything to Annabel.
**
“And then,” Emma continued, her voice tinged with uncertainty, “My mother… she left me a message about these coordinates.” She paused, her fingers trembling slightly as she retrieved a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket. “She said I should wait for her there. Do you have any idea where this is?”
Annabel’s eyes widened in surprise as she recognized the numbers scrawled on the paper. “Emma,” She whispered, her voice barely above a breath, “those coordinates… I know where it points to.”
***
Amelia’s master arrived at the secluded cabin deep in the woods. His steps were purposeful, his dark cloak billowing behind him as he approached the modest structure hidden among the trees.
With a flick of his wrist, the door swung open, revealing the dimly lit interior. But as his eyes swept over the empty room, his brow furrowed in confusion, not believing that Amelia could be so stupid.
A low growl rumbled in his throat as he realized he had been deceived. His fists clenched with fury, his nails digging into his palms as he hissed in anger. How could this have happened? He almost had the chosen one in his hands!
In a fit of rage, he stormed out of the cabin, his cloak swirling around him in a whirlwind of fury. With a snap of his fingers, he summoned the power of the elements, unleashing a torrent of flames that consumed the cabin in a blaze of destruction within mere seconds.
With a final glance at the wreckage amidst black flames, he turned and disappeared into the darkness, his mind already calculating his next move. A silent vow echoed after him in the stillness of the forest: no one crosses him and lives to tell the tale.
**
As the flames engulfed the cabin, casting an eerie glow across the forest, Casper’s ghostly form hovered nearby, watching with silent solemnity.
His translucent figure wavered in the heat of the blaze, his eyes fixed on the destruction unfolding before him. He would follow the strange man.