when you give back

 This was such a bad idea. what was I thinking, she hissed quietly,  as to not disturb the forest life with human sounds. Although it was useless to try to make as little sound as she could, this forest had ears everywhere, and even the soft green moss would not cover her loud running steps, never give her any cover. Nature was against her, and the sooner she realized that the better. She could trust no one but herself. Amarantha would find shelter with or without nature's help. She had to. 

 she continued walking through the trees. she needed to find shelter before sunset, and the sky was fading into a soft glowing pink, telling her dusk was almost here. in the distance, she could see the small silhouette of a dilapidated building. Approaching the steps leading up to the house, despite it being old and broken, she felt like all she had been through had led her here. The girl could tell it was old, it looked as though it had stood there, in solitude for more than a few decades. But she could see herself in it. this would be her home. she could find shelter in it, away from all the bad in the world.

 6 years later and it was perfect, the house seemed rejuvenated, new, even if the world was still in ruins. The house had an aura of happiness and love, it was the ideal place to live in. With it being secluded, in the darkest and deepest part of the forest, no one could bother her. Or hurt her, as many had done in the past. she was still stuck inside it though.it was also her jail. she could never leave. she was supposed to live in the place that had saved her once so long ago, wasn't she? she pondered the question, absently running her hands through the hair that had grown past her waist. The hair that was adorned with flowers of all kinds.  

 There was just one thing that worried her about living here. all the flowery gifts left at the foot of her bed every night, left for her to find in her morning haze. she never knew where they came from. Even if she had lived there for six years and searched through every nook and cranny, she still had not found the source of those beautiful gifts. Every night she tried staying awake, trying to find the person who had helped her overcome the darkness when she had first arrived, but it was useless. There was always that stench of magic in the air, a metallic taste left in her mouth when waiting for the intruder on her bed. It lulled her to sleep, and she wouldn’t wake up until the next morning. 

Amarantha stopped by the kitchen counter, it was full of the gifts the stranger had given her. She sighed through her nose, her nostrils flaring in annoyance, why couldn’t she find out who was the kind soul who gave her these beautiful offerings. Maybe it was a fae beast who showered her with love. But then that was impossible since they all had hearts of stone. Maybe a small pixie, full of light, who knew exactly how to cheer her up. Well whoever it was, they had a special place in heaven. Thank y- her silent grateful thought was interrupted by a slight tremor that shook the house; it’s very foundation. The sound was similar to one made by someone who slammed against a wall, with enough force for it to be felt all throughout the house. But she lived alone. No one else knew where she lived. And the front door was right behind her, she would've heard or seen someone coming in the house. Besides, she made sure to set traps at every corner of the house so she would be alerted the minute an intruder set foot inside her home.

 She pressed her back against the kitchen counter, noisy gasps leaving her mouth. This can’t be happening. A black wave of anxiety was rising for the dark pits of her soul threatening to consume her from the inside out.  her eyes were lined with silver, she tried pushing the unwelcome tears back into the depths where they came from. As the tremor finished resonating through the walls she was once again transported to a time she tried so hard to forget. The place she had run from so long ago, trying to heal her pathetic soul. There was a loud bang coming from her parents room, she could feel the sound bouncing from wall to wall. Her curiosity got the best of her and she stalked closer to the door which was hiding something that would leave her broken for the rest of her life. Throwing caution to the wind she crossed the doors threshold, toward her father. Her father, her glorious father who had once made her laugh with so much glee, lifting her up toward the sun, was lying in a pool of his own blood. Her shriek shattered the ominous silence, “dad, oh no, DAD!” choking back a sob she reached for him, folding her arms around his dead body. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, her neck and into her dad's hair. She stayed in the same position, cradling his dead body until it wasn’t warm anymore. Not giving a thought to who had killed him, they could also kill her for all she cared, she just wanted to be put out of her misery. Blood drenched her fingers as she finally peeled herself away from the corpse. Then she ran. Ran away from the pain, from home, from the rotting corpse. And from a damaged world, which was crumbling from neglect. 

She headed for the forest. Somewhere where no other humans would find her. She was safe once and for all. To protect her broken heart from shattering any further she ran as far as she could, finding this house in need of rescuing her, and the house gave her something in return, it healed her back. That thought brought her back to the future. 

There was a faint ringing in her ears as she stood up from the place she had curled up in, using the kitchen counter to steady her. Foolishness was guiding her steps, leading her to where she thought the sound might have come from. Slowly walking toward the wall beside the kitchen counter she felt a sense of righteousness, as if this was the path she had to go down to find the gold at the end of the rainbow. Grabbing the gun laid beside her she pushed her hand against the wall, not expecting anything to happen. There was a slight click and hiss and a handle popped out of the wall. 

There, inside a wall, was a door underneath the cement. Tentatively she turned the handle and pushed with all her strength forward, it actually opened, so Amarantha stepped forward with a confidence she didn't feel. The door closed and locked behind her. Panic rose up from within her threatening to consume her, suddenly a shadow moved in the corner of her eye. She pointed the gun towards it and shot it. Not caring what or who it hit. Light started emanating from torches lining the wall, and she could see there was a large passage leading into darkness.

 Then it dawned on her, it's a secret passage, there was a secret passage inside her cottage in the woods. There had to be magic involved in this, secret doors just don’t appear inside a wall. She ran a hand down the musty walls, it was lined with green ivy strands. There were wilted flowers here and there, like someone tried to bring life to this dead place a long time ago. Walking without shoes in there she could feel tiny pieces of glass, something similar to shattered window glass, but it’s a catacomb, why would there be windows here? Amarantha mused quietly. Feeling watched she turned slowly, shame coloring her cheeks for being so careless, she shot something and didn’t bother to check what or who it was. There was someone watching her from the shadows, only gray eyes were visible. She stepped closer to get a better look and heard a gasp leave her mouth. With the dim light of the torches she could see the beautiful gray eyes belonging to a man, his pale skin was glistening with sweat, his face was contorted in pain.  his grey eyes darkened to the color of rain clouds, clearly showing just how much pain he was in. Pain she has inflicted on him. He frowned, leaning against the wall breathing heavily, clutching his side. She could swear she saw his lips twitch as if suppressing a smile, There was blood running from through the fingers holding his side, “so… slight problem” the words left his mouth before his legs gave out and he collapsed. History was repeating itself, but instead of an unknown presence killing someone she loved, she was going to kill someone if she didn’t do something. “I’m sorry” Amarantha whispered, her voice cracking while tears pooled once again in her eyes. 

She crouched by his side, feeling the need to touch him. Bringing him closer, she stood up and tried dragging the boy's warm body behind her. She continued into the darkness, feeling the wall every so often when pausing to rest, trying to feel for an opening, another place where she could take the nameless boy and patch him up. They finally reached a gargantuan room, similar to a ballroom for that matter, it was filled with ancient tombstones. She couldn’t see her feet, as there was too much fog on the ground. She neared a coffin shaped stone and rolled the boy onto it. Ripping her shirt, she made some instant bandages to stop the blood flow. Large tears cascaded down her cheeks, a familiar sense of sorrow growing inside her. Then she heard a muffled thud. She looked down at him but saw nothing that could have made the sound. The boy groaned, his eyes flickering behind his eyelids, then gray eyes were staring up at her, longing etched into his perfect features. Too perfect. What manner of creature is he? 

He snatched something from his side, it was the bullet that had injured him. His eyebrows lifted in surprise, “is this the way to treat the person who helped you throughout your time living here? Showering you with gifts left and right?”

Bewitched by his beauty she muttered her apologies under her breath. This was the man that had pulled her off the edge facing the precipice, and this was how she repaid him. He had left all of those gifts for her to find, knowing she needed the reassurance that someone still cared about her. 

He looked at her with a grin on his face, “I’m Jack, pleased to meet you Amarantha. I had been hoping you’d find me, that had been my wish for a long time. And now that you’re finally here I can tell that you are very confused. Well if you must know I am a forest faerie. I was charged with protecting you until I believed you were ready to assume your spot as fae. Protecting this house.” Jack stood up as if nothing had happened, regarding her with palpable wariness, he probably didn’t want to startle her. 

Amarantha was taken aback by his offhand comment about becoming fae, not knowing how to react she stepped back, gaping at him. Is this what this underground passage was? A turning place, from human to fae?  

“This passageway leads to the river in the heart of the woods, there is where you will be turned. You will become the helping hand of this enchanted house, and you will be my partner.” he took notice that she had stepped further away from him, making her body be flush against the wall. Jack stepped closer to her, but she slapped him before he could say anything. Jack grabbed her arm and pushed her further into the wall, stooping low to whisper in her ear, “I suggest you don’t try that again.” 

Her heart stumbled and her breath hitched in her throat. “Okay, I’m sorry, I won’t. This is just a lot to take in.” she held out her hand for jack to take and lead her to the turning place. The house had given her so much she had to give something back in return. Besides, becoming a fae wasn’t so bad if she could stay with Jack. Once inside the passage she looked behind her, silently thanking the house for it’s help, it was the last time her human eyes would see it, even if there was only darkness and concrete where the door once was. 

Jack led her forward, pulling her hand, grinning like a little boy. Then the smell of stale air started to lighten, fresh air once again penetrating the darkness. She closed her eyes for a split second, feeling the moss under her feet as they were once again surrounded by trees. She continued forward, her hand still enveloped by jacks. Jack pushed her into the river in front of them without warning, then jumped in after her. He grasped her shoulders and said with a smirk on his face, “are you ready to be turned?”

Amarantha nodded slowly, wondering how it was going to happen and how she was going to feel. Jack pushed her under the water, not giving her time to hold her breath. She started thrashing and flailing her limbs under the water, oxygen being consumed by her body until there was none left. It was too painful not to take a breath. So she did. She opened her mouth and let the water in. Her life started flashing before her eyes just like everyone predicted. The death of her dad was the one that hurt the most. Her eyes turned glassy as the water filled her lungs. This was it, she was going to fade away into nothing, no one to remember her. But then she didn’t, the water passing through her lungs was a welcome feeling, it made her feel stronger, invincible.

 It was done, she was turned. And she felt amazing. It was a feeling like nothing before, she could feel the life of everything in the wood, she could sense everything that was going on under the grass. Her eyesight was crystal clear, she could see far away, and she could hear the sound of the birds chirping , the willow trees singing. Amarantha stepped out of the water, onto the moss covered grass, under the cover of the willow branches, which were letting barely any sunlight in. gesturing to Jack so lay beside her, she laid down her head, a sense of euphoria filling her. 

Jack looked down at her with his signature grin, “the house isn’t your prison Amarantha, it’s your friend, contrary to what you might believe. It listens to you and your needs, even when you were a human, but now that you're fae it will provide anything you need. It’s your turn to give back, you will help whatever despaired owner comes to reside here.”

Amarantha nodded sleepy, closing her eyes as the song of the willow lulled her to sleep. This time, when she closed her eyes she wasn’t worried about the future or what was to come, but rather she was thankful that Jack had found her and helped her and now she had a chance to help someone else too. Finally she fell asleep with calm and thankful thoughts under the canopy of leaves. The branches swaying in the