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I also couldn’t tell if it was the mark or my own true feelings, but I yearned to see Vas. After spending so much time together in the mine I’d gotten used to his company. It didn’t feel right to sleep alone in my giant bed when I’d become accustomed to cuddling close to him in the tiny, claustrophobic pod.
I missed him more and more each day.
Since I wasn’t attending classes, I hadn’t seen much of Peter. There was a pain in my heart about that because I missed him, too.
I paid a visit to Ren and Demi to check how she was settling in. Ren had been right about his grandmother accepting her with open arms. Mrs Tanaka seemed to already know Demi even though they’d never met. Since she was a clairvoyant witch, I suspected she’d seen visions of Demi at least a few times, just like Ren had suggested.
We sat in their living room, while Demi was in the kitchen with Mrs Tanaka baking cookies. The young girl fit right into their lives, like she was always meant to be there.
“Does she ever speak of Maya?” I asked Ren and he rubbed his chin.
“Sometimes. I expect she’s still grieving. But she seems settled here. Every little thing amazes her. I’ve found I quite enjoy teaching her how everything works in this realm.”
“What about school? She’ll have to start attending eventually.”
“It’s not that easy. I’ve been teaching her English but she has a long way to go. Gran’s due to retire from St. Bastian’s next year. She’s been considering home schooling her.”
“Wow, that’s a big commitment.”
“I know, but I’m her only grandchild. My mother was her only daughter and she died so young. Gran sees Demi as another chance at family.” He paused, glancing down.
Sensing he was feeling emotional, I reached out and took his hand. “Ren, are you okay?”
He nodded, sniffling. “I don’t think I realised how alone I felt after my parents passed away. There were all these wild rumours going around the school when I first arrived that perhaps I’d killed them, but the simple truth is that they were in a horrendous car accident that stole their lives.”
A tear fell down his cheek and I shifted closer, pulling him into a hug. “I’m so sorry, Ren.”
“The house has been quiet with just me and Gran, but with Demi here it’s like it’s come alive. I already think of her as a little sister. It’s like having a family again.”
Emotion caught in my throat. I’d known his parents were dead but I had no clue he’d still been grieving for them. He always came across so cheerful and carefree at school, but it went to show that people often hid their pain behind their smiles.
I’d taken to having long daily walks in the Yellowbranch forest. After a few weeks of good behaviour, (or so they thought), my parents became less strict about my comings and goings, which made me feel even guiltier about keeping my trip to Oreylia a secret from them.
Walking in the forest got me out of the house. The solitude of nature calmed my frayed soul. The forest was vast, thousands of acres of untouched woods where you could get lost, forget about all your worries. I could hike for endless miles without getting too tired thanks to my dhampir genes.
I sat at the crest of a hill, taking in the lush scenery below. There were redwood trees as high as tall buildings, streams and even a vast lake. It was a sort of paradise in a way. I started to wonder if people could inhabit this place without destroying the eco-system. Was there a way to live in harmony with the forest?
Ever since I started my walks I’d wondered if it was a place where the miners from Treyu could live. Because I couldn’t just free them and bring them to this realm without having a place in mind for them to go. Demi was lucky to have Ren and Mrs Tanaka to take her under their wing. Others wouldn’t fare so well trying to integrate into a world they knew nothing about. But here, within the peaceful confines of the forest, they could forge a life.
It was a pipe dream, really.
I envisioned a magical place, houses built into the trees, greenhouses to grow food and markets where goods could be exchanged. Was this what I was meant for? Could this be the way I would lead?
It felt like the right thing to do, but it also didn’t feel like enough. Sure, there might be citizens of Treyu who wanted to come here, but there would be far more who didn’t. Most, like Jalio, would want to overthrow the entire system their city ran on. They would want to take down the Dicteps and turn Treyu into a place where all could live freely, no matter if they were fully demon or not.
