I took the child’s hand. It was surprisingly warm.
The sweet creature smiled up at me, and we trailed behind the tall woman. We crossed the grass and moved into the dense woods. The child led me over rocks and fallen logs. Within a few moments, we reached a clearing. The tall woman was sitting at an old well. It was stone at its base and had a pitched wooden roof covering it. A short distance away was a dilapidated old cottage. I had never noticed it before, but I knew there were old houses deep in the forest.
The child let go of my hand and ran to the woman.
The woman smiled at me. “Are you afraid?” she asked. Her voice was light and sweet like the sound of a songbird.
I had wondered if they would ever talk. “No,” I replied.
She smiled. “Vasilisa was not afraid either.”
Vasilisa was my grandmother’s given name. “My grandmother feared little.”
“The old blood, the wise blood, that ran in her veins showed her right from wrong, good from evil. It helped her see.”
Again, my grandmother’s words. “And what should I see?” I asked the woman.
She looked thoughtfully at me. “Why ask me? You already know. The old blood is in you as well.”
“The men who came are not human.”
“Not anymore,” the woman answered.
“And they are a threat.”
“Yes.”
“What should I do?”
“Try to stop the people from going.”
“And if I cannot?”
She looked down into the well and motioned for me to join her.
I came to the well and looked inside. At first I saw only my reflection in the spring sunlight. After a moment, however, the image swirled, and I saw myself talking to the townspeople who looked back at me with frowning faces. Shadows appeared amongst them, whispering in their ears. The image swirled again, and I saw a massive boat docked at the end of the community pier. Everyone was walking toward it. Moonlight bounced on the water then black clouds covered the moon and everything went black. The image disappeared.
“You must protect them,” she told me.
I looked at the woman. The girl had moved off in the distance and was picking flowers. The doe-eyed lady whose skin was also tinged green at the edges smiled sympathetically at me. “Who are you?” I asked.
“Vasilisa called us Leshi, forest spirits. Many years ago, a girl named Berwyn lived in that house; she called us Aes Sídhe. The old ones of this land, they have also come to you, called us Pukwudgie.”
“Why do the forest spirits care what happens to us? To me?”
She set her hand on mine. “Mankind has finally consumed itself. Can any spark of humanity survive? You must go now. And you must try. Much depends on you.”
I rose and turned to go back. Before I left, I looked at her once more. “What is your name?”
Her facial features softened. “Peryn.”
I nodded and headed back out of the woods.
“Farewell and be blessed, Layla,” she called.
When I looked back again, they were both gone.
Chapter 21
When I got to the cabin, Frenchie and the girls were not there.
I slid on the bike and headed for the school. When I got there, I found the townspeople packing the supplies.
“What are you doing?” I demanded loudly when I entered.
They stopped. Everyone looked confused. “We’re getting ready,” Summer replied.
Frenchie didn’t look at me.
“Who says we are going? We haven’t even discussed it.”
Tom set a box down. “We didn’t know there was anything to discuss.”
Ian and Jamie emerged from the back.
“Well, there is. We can’t go with those people,” I said.
Everyone looked surprised.
“Why not?” Mrs. Finch asked.
“It’s not safe. Didn’t you all see it? They aren’t right. They aren’t normal. We can’t believe their story. They want something from us.”
Jamie looked worried.
“They are shell-shocked just like we are. It’s a chance at a fresh start,” Pastor Frank said.
“Didn’t you notice it, Pastor? Didn’t you see it? You’re a man of God, after all.”
“See what?”
I shook my head. “I’m telling you all—those people are dangerous.”
Everyone looked blindsided.
“You’re just being paranoid,” Jeff informed me.
“We need to do something. We can’t just sit here and wait to get attacked again. We’re never going to make it,” Mr. Jones said.
“We made it all winter,” I retorted.
“It’s not just that. Here we are just surviving. We need to move on,” Tom told me.
“Well, I, for one, am going,” Jeff said. “No offense, but it is pretty much a sausage fest around here.”
I rolled my eyes. “Please listen to me,” I pleaded and cast a glance at Jamie and Ian for help. “Please, I’m telling you. Those people are not what they seem. Don’t you think they had too many good answers? Too many ready and easy explanations? They are dangerous.”