//------------------------------// // XIV // Story: Finding Harmony // by Alice Eddor //------------------------------// It took quite some time to calm Thimble down, something that Wind Storm wasn't very good at. The three of them set up camp in the Everfree Forest itself, a safe distance away from the infested city. It had taken a lot of convincing to get Thimble into the forest, and still more to get Wind Storm to go back in. In the end they had found a small hut in a tress that was extremely over-grown but present. Inside were bottles and jars full of things that looked like they hadn't been touched in decades, accompanied by a strange, slightly stagnant, smell that none of them could place. What was odd was that as soon as they walked into the slightly eerie, dark, one-room home, Wind Storm was incredibly at ease while Terra and Thimble hesitated at the door. "There's nothing here," he said, glancing around. "Nothing but old masks." Terra stepped into the doorway, her arm around Thimble defensively. "This place has a bad vibe," she said, looking around anxiously. Wind Storm frowned. "Maybe to you. But we can stay here, there's nothing hostile." Terra, after a couple seconds of hesitation, followed him in and directed Thimble to a worn-out bed in a corner of the hut. Wind Storm watched them, and then turned his attention to the slightly rotten wood masks on the walls. Thimble was pale and trembling, tears still trickling gently down her face, carving a path through the blood that stained her cheeks. Terra covered the heel of her hand with her sleeve and wiped what she could off. She knew the girl had been shaken, and wanted to do her best to help her, but was Wind Storm right? Was her father dead? How would he know? "Why don't you lie down, Thimble is it? You look like you've had quite the time." Thimble nodded slowly and leaned onto the bed on her side, her eyes still wide open. Terra decided that she probably needed some time to mull things over in her mind and figure out exactly what happened. In the mean time, Terra had a few choice words to share with Wind Storm. She walked over to him as he put a mask carefully back on the wall and put a hand on his shoulder. He jumped, poor kid. Severe anxiety. "Would you come outside with me?" she asked him quietly, glancing back at Thimble. He blinked once, as though clearing his head, then nodded. The two of them left, walking around to the opposite side of the house so that Thimble couldn't hear them. Wind Storm stayed as close to the building as he could, for reasons that Terra didn't quite want to know. "Okay, kid, every time we go somewhere, you freak out. When I met you, you were being attacked by something I couldn't see. You talk to the air, react to things that I don't react to. You didn't see the shadows, the hut doesn't bother you, you knew what had happened to Thimble without anyone saying anything, I just thought it was in your head but I'm starting to think I was wrong." Wind Storm looked away. That was all the confirmation Terra needed. She was wrong, there was something up with this boy. He took a breath and met her eyes. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Terra almost laughed, there was nothing he could tell her that she hadn't already heard. "Try me." "I can see, talk to, and touch dead people." Okay, she had never heard that before, especially not said with such sincerity. "What?" "I also see the things that society has forgotten about, creatures that have existed, but aren't recognized anymore. Like the flying kangaroo behind you." Terra whipped around, but saw nothing except the trees and plants. "Where?" "That's my point. You can't see it and I can. It's one of the- less grotesque things in this forest." "Are you serious?" Terra asked, turning back to face him. "I wouldn't lie about this. This sight has torn my life apart. Do you think I wanted to live in an alley in Dodge City? If I had my way, I would still be in Cloudsdale with my family, going to flight school, learning things that everyone like me should learn. But I'm not, am I? I'm here, with you and a shell-shocked seamstress because I see too much." He sounded bitter, almost resentful. "Is that why you didn't see the shadows?" "Sure. I don't know. Probably." Terra looked down. She was having a few problems accepting this, after being taught that these things didn't exist, that it was likely something in their heads, she couldn't let this sink in. But he was so sincere, and it was the only way to explain these things that had happened, unless he had set it all up or something. "So, what does that mean?" There had to be something more to this, something more believable. "Exactly what it means." "You can touch them, can they touch you?" He winced. "That only makes sense, doesn't it?" "That's why your wing was broken." Wind Storm said nothing. "You lived in Cloudsdale?" Nothing. "So, you're not insane?" The last question was slightly desperate. He had to say something. There was a short pause before he replied. "I've questioned that. I don't think I am. But I might be. Point is, I don't generally move from place to place. I tried once, but there's no getting away from it, is there? There's nothing around here though, nothing hostile. This hut keeps things away. They're there, but they won't come any closer." "You're sure?" Wind Storm nodded. Why did she believe him? He could be lying, he could actually be insane and be completely convinced of these things, but she believed him. "Alright, yeah, sure. So, how did you know Thimble-?" "Her father told me. He was following her. He didn't come into the Forest though. Don't know why." "So you saw her father." "He wants the best for her. We need to protect her, get her through this." "A dying wish?" "Post-mortem wish. If we keep her safe, he can move on happily." "Should I ask?" Wind Storm sighed. "No, don't bother. I'm going back inside, maybe I can actually get a decent sleep tonight. Look after Thimble, I don't know where to begin." He turned and walked back around the hut, leaving Terra confused and saddened in the middle of the Everfree Forest.