“The most important things are the hardest to say because words diminish them…” -Stephen King.



The night was spent in my room. Andy sat on my bed, leaning against the wall. I sat next to him, we did not touch, but I wanted to.

“Everything was just…different.” I murmured. I looked up and took a deep breath, scanning the room with my eyes. “I couldn’t stay, it was like I walked into a whole new world.” The sun had set a few hours ago and the moon let in glimmering light that danced on the floor and bed sheets.

Andy took my hand and squeezed it hard. He took a deep breath and the let go of my hand. “Why do you forgive me?”

I looked over to him to see that he was staring at me. I gulped and leaned against him. “The first day I was in the dark forest, a little green light,” I picked my hand up and waved it slowly across us, trying to mimic what the light had done. “It led me out of the forest.” I put my hand back down. “When I found out that my mother had been killed by a beast…” I paused, not knowing how to phrase it, “when I found that she was killed in the dark forest I did some searching when I got back home. I knew my grandfather was banished into the forest years before I was born, the question was, why? I got a look into old record and found that he was a wizard. Then I remembered that my mother and he would have private meetings almost daily. So, I went into the forest again. To my grandfather’s old cabin.”

“Do you know how dangerous that is for someone who does not have magic?” He pulled me away from him.

I pressed my lips together and nodded slightly, “in my old house I found a false wall. Inside was this beautiful green gem. I took it to a blacksmith and he told me it was believed to have magic inside, that whoever held it had protection. I had him make put it in a necklace.” Andy rested back and continued to listen to my story. “When I went to my grandfather’s place again I saw the green light. It did circles around me and lifted up my necklace. I was scared shitless. But…” I paused, licking my lips. “It stopped suddenly and led me to the back of the house. I found books of spells and various spices. When I asked how it knew to find this stuff it took the form of my mother.”

“Any magic holder can take any form they want.” Again, he pulled away from me.

“She…knew things no one did. About my childhood, she even reminded me that I knew you before.” I looked to him, with more of a question than anything.

When he looked away I knew I was right. “Uh...I used to pick flowers for you. Your mother, she was my only friend in the orphanage.”

I rested my hands on his. “She forgives you.” When I saw his eyes start to water, he took a deep breath and stood up from the bed. He ran his hands roughly through his hair. He was facing away from me. When I heard him breathe deeply again, he shot his head up. “She knows you had no control, that, you didn’t want this.”

He fell to his hands and knees. “I loved her like my own mother…” he started sobbing.

I shot up and knelt down beside him, putting an arm around his back. I rested my cheek against his shoulder. We sat together on floor. In silence, he held me close and I did the same in return. When his sobs died down he kissed my cheek. I smiled at him and held him tighter.

“I’ve been waiting too long for you to look at me that way.” He chuckled.

I smiled in return, but said nothing about the matter. “I should get some sleep.”

His arms loosened their grip. His smile fell and he looked down at my hands. “Sleep tight, Kenna.”

He kissed my forehead, and left the room, closing the door behind him. I sat back on the bed. Staring outside at the stars. I could not figure out if I loved him or not. I knew it wasn’t his fault for anything, but, I couldn’t help but wonder if he liked doing it. Most animals who turn to blood never look back. I couldn’t help that pit in my stomach that told me to run, run fast and never looked back. I didn’t know what I wanted to believe more.

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