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“Well, she was special. Whether he wanted to marry her for her gift or for her, I don’t know. It was going to end the war. The king signed a treaty for it, but since she was stranded here, she never made it to the wedding.” He chuckles soundlessly.
“I never knew that...” I walk beside him, the skull growing larger by the second as we near.
“King Midicious chose to honor the treaty anyway, to let us live in the outer realm, out from beneath his rule and his protections. It’s probably the most noble thing he’s ever done. Though he’s broken it through the years, we could still be at war. I’m not talking about the occasional village being attacked by blood witches, either. That’s nothing compared to what happened before the treaty... Who knows, in a different world, we might not have been this.” He gestures between us. “We might’ve been family.”
As we approach the skull house, I let my gaze wander over the intricate details carved into the bone—swirling patterns and symbols that seem to dance beneath the flickering light of the boundary. The door is framed by a twisting vine that appears to have grown naturally into the shape of an archway.
“Are you ready to see where I grew up?”
I turn to him, eyes wide. “You lived here?
Sebastian nods, his eyes distant as he looks around. “Yeah. My mother and I would stay here, and my father, of course, when he wasn’t on the ship.”
I furrow my brow in confusion. “Why would your mother want to stay on the island? Your father could’ve taken her anywhere.”
Sebastian’s expression softens for a moment. “She lost all of her family on that ship when she was stranded here,” he says quietly. “And if she left, the realm would find out she lived.”
“She would’ve had to marry my father.” I skim my fingers over the carved wooden door as Sebastian turns the knob and we step inside.
“Aye, and by then she’d fallen in love with my father. Still, this place was like her sanctuary.” Sadness washes over Sebastian’s features, and silence hangs heavily in the air.
“What’s wrong?” My brow furrows.
“Nothing.” He sighs, pulling his hand from his pocket and stepping out of the door frame so I can go in.
We step inside the skull house, and I’m instantly transported to a world of memories. The interior is surprisingly cozy, with furniture made from driftwood and various trinkets scattered throughout the space. My gaze is drawn to the titan’s eye sockets, now grand windows that frame the ever-mysterious forest outside. The walls are bone-colored and the floors are made of an old dark wood. There’s a fireplace on the far wall and a large bed tucked to one side of the vast room. A couch and some chairs, along with a small kitchen, make up the other portion of the bottom floor. A ladder leads to a balcony, and I can see handmade children’s toys pushed along the railed edge.
Sebastian doesn’t miss a beat. He jumps into action, getting the fireplace on and shaking things out. “We’ll be safe here. No one can get through the boundary besides my sister. Everyone else would have to be escorted, man or monster.”
I open my mouth, ready to ask what I can do to help, but he’s speed-walking toward me before I can get a word out.
“I’ll be right back,” he tells me. “I know where I can find something for us to eat. Stay inside the house.” He leans down and presses a gentle kiss to my forehead before walking out the door.
Hook
Istareatthelittle garden near the house. I'm not sure when it happened, but I know it had something to do with me dying—or almost dying. Maybe it was Scarlet's magic… Whatever the case is, memories have started to resurface. Memories I didn't think were real until we came into the clearing. Part of me wishes I could forget them all over again or trap them behind a wall, but I can't. I shouldn't.
My uncle was right… My father must've spelled me to forget them somehow, but he didn't only take the bad ones, like the day my mother died. He stole good ones too. Sucking in a breath, I walk through the overgrown rows of plants, stopping at one in particular, and I do my best to not think about it as I fill the bowl with ripened red berries.
Heading back inside, the creak of the door hinges announces my arrival as I step into the dimly lit room, a bowl full of berries from my mother’s overgrown garden in hand. The scent of burning wood fills my nostrils, the fireplace crackling and casting an eerie glow on the walls. I can feel Scarlet’s sadness ripple through our shared bond and my heart clenches at the sight of her sitting by the fire.
She tries to manipulate the flickering light, daring it to cast her shadow on the wall. But it doesn’t appear. I breathe out deeply, knowing that feeling all too well. I must’ve tried for weeks afterward, and each time my shadow didn’t appear, it was like experiencing the heartbreak all over again.
For a moment, she stares at the flames, licking off the wood I put in the hearth. Then, in hurried movements, she swats away a tear and grips the necklace around her neck. It’s like she’s worried she’ll lose the nerve to take it off, but she does. The moonstone glints as she holds it up, and with a shake of her head, she places it on the floor beside her.
I know what she’s doing—removing the moonstone to numb herself emotionally, seeking solace in the void that’s left behind. If you can’t feel, then you can’t cry.
Carefully, I sit down beside Scarlet on the floor. She looks up at me, her hazel eyes reflecting the orange flames. I see the frustration etched on her face, and I want nothing more than to ease her pain. But how? When I lost my shadow, no one could help me either. All that remained was anger festering inside me like a wound that refused to heal.
“Darling,” I say, reaching out to hand her hand. “I know how you feel. It seems like the world has ended, that you’re empty, but trust me when I say that being numb won’t make it go away. Wearing that is nothing like you’re used to, but you’ll still be you.”
Her eyes meet mine, searching for something—anything—that might offer her comfort. “I just... What if it doesn’t come back?”
“We won’t know for a day or two, but there’s no point in worrying about what you can’t control. We’ll figure it out. I promise,” I tell her, bringing her knuckles to my lips. “Don’t turn it off. Please.”
The silence stretches between us, the crackling fire the only sound filling the room. I watch as Scarlet’s expression softens, and she takes a deep breath. Finally, she nods, and I pick up the necklace and slip it over her head. Scarlet pulls her hair through, and I can’t help but watch it fall over her shoulders.
“Here,” I say, offering her the berries I brought. “My mother loved these. Said they tasted like happiness.” It’s a small thing, but if it brings even a flicker of joy to her face, it’s worth it.
