The Guardians of the Forest: Book Two by Kelly Napoli
CHAPTER 61
UNITED
You’re really going to let her stay here?
Kiethara ignored Tinya as her mind spun in the essence of her dream. She could not make sense of her surroundings. It was mostly black, but out of the corner of her eye she could sometimes catch a glimpse of the endless fields that lay just outside the forest.
Interesting. She knew that she did not want to be there, of all places. Maybe that’s why the majority of her vision was in darkness, because she did not want to be there. If she got there, this dream would soon become a nightmare. She knew that for certain.
It seemed like sheer will power could not keep her consciousness free from the plains for long.
She felt an odd, swooping sensation in her stomach. The green was slowly becoming more dominant in her line of vision.
Suddenly, she was standing in a sea of grass, with endless blue stretching from horizon to horizon above her. It was so big, so empty…she knew she could scream for hours and nothing would ever change. No one would come.
Ah, but there was someone coming. A small dot was bobbing in the distance, weaving through the waist long grass at a brisk pace. Kiethara squinted towards it, hardly daring to believe what she saw. What if it was a trick of her mind?
But it wasn’t a trick. It was Camella.
She was huffing her way over the gentle slopes with all of her packages in tow. Kiethara watched her approach, feeling uneasy. Camella then walked right by her without even a glance in her direction.
Don’t you see?
Kiethara did not understand the question. She saw her empty surroundings. She saw her friend determinedly making her way across the plains. She also saw that Camella was completely unaware of her presence.
I’m talking about the fact that you don’t belong here, outside the forest. This isn’t your world.
Kiethara rolled her eyes. She had already known that for quite some time now. Tinya sounded so solemn, as though she were confessing some great secret.
Pay attention! she snapped, sounding more like herself. I meant that you don’t belong here, but she does. Just like you belong in the forest, when she doesn’t.
Kiethara pursed her lips. She finally understood what she was getting at, even if she did not agree.
Why don’t you invite all of Redawn, then? They can all take a dip in Aaron’s lake and sleep in your hammock.
Kiethara shook her head as she gazed at Camella’s retreating figure. You worry too much.
And as always, you don’t worry enough.
That, Kiethara thought, was a matter of opinion.
UNITED
You’re really going to let her stay here?
Kiethara ignored Tinya as her mind spun in the essence of her dream. She could not make sense of her surroundings. It was mostly black, but out of the corner of her eye she could sometimes catch a glimpse of the endless fields that lay just outside the forest.
Interesting. She knew that she did not want to be there, of all places. Maybe that’s why the majority of her vision was in darkness, because she did not want to be there. If she got there, this dream would soon become a nightmare. She knew that for certain.
It seemed like sheer will power could not keep her consciousness free from the plains for long.
She felt an odd, swooping sensation in her stomach. The green was slowly becoming more dominant in her line of vision.
Suddenly, she was standing in a sea of grass, with endless blue stretching from horizon to horizon above her. It was so big, so empty…she knew she could scream for hours and nothing would ever change. No one would come.
Ah, but there was someone coming. A small dot was bobbing in the distance, weaving through the waist long grass at a brisk pace. Kiethara squinted towards it, hardly daring to believe what she saw. What if it was a trick of her mind?
But it wasn’t a trick. It was Camella.
She was huffing her way over the gentle slopes with all of her packages in tow. Kiethara watched her approach, feeling uneasy. Camella then walked right by her without even a glance in her direction.
Don’t you see?
Kiethara did not understand the question. She saw her empty surroundings. She saw her friend determinedly making her way across the plains. She also saw that Camella was completely unaware of her presence.
I’m talking about the fact that you don’t belong here, outside the forest. This isn’t your world.
Kiethara rolled her eyes. She had already known that for quite some time now. Tinya sounded so solemn, as though she were confessing some great secret.
Pay attention! she snapped, sounding more like herself. I meant that you don’t belong here, but she does. Just like you belong in the forest, when she doesn’t.
Kiethara pursed her lips. She finally understood what she was getting at, even if she did not agree.
Why don’t you invite all of Redawn, then? They can all take a dip in Aaron’s lake and sleep in your hammock.
Kiethara shook her head as she gazed at Camella’s retreating figure. You worry too much.
And as always, you don’t worry enough.
That, Kiethara thought, was a matter of opinion.