Chapter
2 – (15-18 years prior)
Drea
was born on the east side of the island.
East Phonola’s main inhabitants were compiled of three originating bloodlines. Intertwined over the years, the families
lived an extremely simple and purist lifestyle.
Strangers rarely past through the cookie cutter village and were almost
never welcomed. The young Drea was part
of the East bloodline though treated with as much respect as a drifter. Forced
to live a life of unhappiness and solitude constantly reminded her how different
she was from the world. Her parents treated her like a monster. Unable to understand their daughter, they
became terrified and negligent. The girl
was clearly cursed by the devil.
Drea
spend most of her youth in the attic of her family’s home. She had known this to be both her safe place
and prison. She was roughly five years
old when it became clear to her parents how different she really was. Drea was often found in the yard speaking aloud;
yet no one was ever seen.
Drea’s
home was located on miles of rich farm land butted against Phonola’s grand
forest. Being an only child with frigid
parents, Drea was left to entertain herself.
When she wasn’t secluded to her attic prison, she was frequently found
just beyond her family’s property line; never far enough to enter Phonola’s
forest.
Today
was an incredibly special day for Drea.
She put on her best party dress; well the best party dress an adolescent
girl with very little luxuries could wear.
Thankfully, her imagination had few limitations. What a
perfect choice for today’s event. She
stood in front of an old free standing mirror, twirling round and round
admiring her beautiful costume.
Pink and
ruffled, wavy hem, polka-dot texture with a ribbon waist. Her auburn ringlets loosely tied back into a
matching pink bow. She skipped down the
rickety steps; hand on the banister, grinning from ear to ear. Once outside the house, she eagerly ran
barefoot through the grassy, over-grown field until she came to the top of the
hill. Catching her tiny breath, she sat
next to a patch of colorful wildflowers.
Turning around she glared at the farmhouse in the distance. Thankful for the space between herself and
the structure she laid on her back to stare into the sky. Closing her eyes, she could hear various
whispers. As the wind blew, the voices gradually
became louder. She could hear the trees
speaking to the leaves who whispered to the grass circulating messages to the
flowers sending tingles through her tiny body.
The whispers encouraged her to continue her short journey to the forest
line. She stood, brushed off her pink
dress and continued to walk through the field.
The
whispers grew louder, bouncing in every direction. “Drea, you look
beautiful!” said a voice
fluttering in the distance. “I told you
she’d come!” a deeper voice equally as soft skimming the top of the
field. Drea was used to hearing everything around
her but these voices were not familiar.
Increasing her pace she began skipping through the soft meadow taking in
her surroundings. She wiggled her tiny
toes, spreading them apart allowing the soft cool grass to poke
through. The sweet scent and vibrant colors of newly
bloomed flowers brought a warm smile to Drea’s pale face. Even the
weeds had a place in this beautiful
setting, reminding Drea of the simple imperfections of life. As
little princesses do, she began to spin around, arms out, nose pointed
to the
sun. This was her release and mental
escape from the rickety farm house in the distance. Here, she felt
loved, not feared or
alone. Again, the whispers grew louder. “Maybe she isn’t able to hear
us. “ Sighed the soft voice. “Well, make her see then” muttered the
deep
fluttering presence. “We need to be
sensitive and not frighten the child.”
Drea, dizzy from spinning stopped to steady herself. Spheres of bright
light levitated several
inches from her worried face. “What did
I tell you? Don’t you see she is
afraid?”
The
child was no stranger to peculiar phenomenon, this occasion being no
exception. Fear did not explain Drea’s
feelings, though curiosity summed it up quite simply. Very interested in her new visitors, Drea
stared into the fluttering lights ahead of her.
“Are you the voices I’ve been hearing?”
Drea asked inquisitively.
Immediately following Drea’s question, the glowing burned out, leaving
the outline of two fluttering creatures.
Slowly, Drea stepped closer. The
smaller female creature fluttered round and round Drea’s head, causing the
child to spin in circles. “Enough!” Declared the male voice Drea had become
familiar with. “Show yourself to
me. It’s only fair; you seem to know me
already. I’ve been hearing you talk
amongst yourselves for some time now.”
Spoke Drea in a firm tone. The
masculine presence fluttered his way to Drea as she lifted her small hand. Palm up, fingers spread, he knelt on the soft
surface. “Hahahaha, stop! That tickles” the child reacting to the
winged creature as he landed, intentionally dragging his translucent, glass
like wings against Drea’s skin. “My name
is Oren, and my overly animated sister there is Lily.” He had sandy blond hair that flipped up
slightly, framing his pointy face. Pale,
crystal blue eyes gleamed back at Drea.
Lily misjudged her landing, slipping off the side of Drea’s palm,
frantically gripping for her baby finger.
Pulling herself up to her feet, gathering her composure, she glared up
at Drea with beautiful crystal blue eyes.
“Hi Drea, we’ve been waiting for you.”
Smiled the miniature winged creature.
“I’m pleased to meet both of you.
I’m always happy to have new friends.”
Drea looked down at her bare feet, nervously biting her bottom lip. Glaring up at her extended hand, the child’s
eyes began to light up. “Why have you
been waiting for me? I’ve been here for
all of my life you know and have never seen but heard your whispers.” “We didn’t think you were ready Drea, most
children are quite curious but shy away from us.” whispered Oren. “Oren, we knew she wasn’t like most
children.” Lily declared
matter-of-factly.
Jumping
off of Drea’s hand, the winged creatures fluttered their wings mid air, inches
from the child’s face. Flinching
slightly, Drea remained curious as to the purpose of Lily and Oren’s visit. “You are positively small, the both of
you. What are you? ..I uh…I mean…why are you here?” Drea’s cheeks turned a soft crimson while fidgeting
with her hand. Looking down she hoped
she hadn’t insulted her new friends.
“It’s ok Drea.” Lily said in a
reassuring voice. “We anticipated your questions. We are wood pixies, from deep within the
Phonola Forest.”
She
cocked her head, raising one eyebrow.
“I’ve never met a pixie before.
Hmmm…you still haven’t answered me.
Not that I’m ungrateful for meeting such interesting creatures, but why
have
you been waiting for me?” “We’ve come to
take you away from this place Drea. You
don’t belong here.” Fluttering
backwards, with his chest facing towards the child; Oren had the look of
concern painted over his tiny surface.
“Don’t be silly Oren, I belong here just fine. Mom and Dad and my room,
they are just up the
hill there.” Pointed the child. “We’ve said enough Oren; let’s get her
on her
way.” Pushing her brother to the side,
Lily fluttered to the child’s shoulder changing the subject. “I love
your dress Drea. May we accompany you?” “Thank you Lily. Of course
you may but we have to hurry. I must make it back home before dark.”
Drea muttered in a saddened tone. “Well, what are we waiting for then?”
Lily
exclaimed with a wide grin. “I’ll race
you Oren!”
The
trio quickened their pace, one skipping in long strides as the other two,
playfully fluttered their wings in unison.
Contagious laughter filled the air as the new friends made their way to
the property’s edge.
Welcoming
the threesome was an eclectic collection of stuffed animals and dolls dressed
to impress. They lined the Forest’s
edge, waiting ever so patiently. Teddy
bears, baby dolls, new and old all draped in brightly colored fabrics. “Hello everyone, thank you for joining us, I
met some friends on the way. Oren and
Lily these are my best friends.” Drea
pointed to the dozen cotton filled dolls.
The fairies glanced at Drea’s plush army, awkwardly waving as not to be
rude. “Drea thank you for your
hospitality. What is the special occasion that brings all of your…best friends
together?” asked Oren in a soft
voice. “Oh! It’s Oscar’s birthday. He’s very shy but we wanted to do something
special for him.” Beamed Drea. She ran to retrieve a small basket from
behind the trunk of a large willow tree.
Quickly removing its contents she revealed a shredded quilt that at one
time was most likely a beautiful piece of art.
She lifted it high in the sky several times shaking out the many
wrinkles. Flat on the ground now, she
presented each of her party guests with various elements. Rotted barn pieces became fine china.
Large leaves, the salad bowls and chipped cups and saucers were used for
tea of course. “Lily will you help me
set the table please? Oscar should be
arriving any time” Lily fluttered to Drea’s side pretending to lift the pieces
that were many times her size. “These
are the dishes we will use to eat Oscar’s birthday cake! They are the most beautiful pieces aren’t
they Oren?” Rustling noises in the
bushes interrupted Oren from responding to Drea’s tiny pleas.
Peering
from the greenery stood a beautifully awkward buck. He cautiously
lowered his head sniffing
wildly towards the pixie siblings. Large
almond shaped black eyes stared back at the party goers. His muscular
body was a beautiful brown suede
like surface supported by four long twig like legs. He curiously cocked
his head staring at the
young girl. “Oscar!” beamed Drea. “You’ve come too early; we are not
ready for
you.” Panic was evident in Drea’s tiny
voice. The Buck stepped closer to the
group sniffing wildly. “What is this about
Drea?” the animal asked while surveying the crowd. “Well, don’t be rude
Oscar. I’ve brought my new friends to meet you. Lily and Oren, this
is Oscar” the strangers,
all nodded their heads politely. “They
are here to celebrate your birthday.
I’ve even made a cake to share.”
Drea, reached for the platter from the quilt which oddly resembled her
mother’s cast iron skillet. The child
struggled with both hands to pick up the heavy dish. “Have a look” she
motioned for the buck to
come in close. “Thank you Drea, this is
a wonderful surprise.” Oscar nodded at
the dish, scanning the plush party animals.
“It is nice of you both to show up so unexpectedly.” Oscar gritted his
teeth, glaring at the pixies
with doubting eyes.
Hours
went by. Innocent laughter and giddy
screams were heard as Oscar playfully chased the child around the field.
Drea and Oscar fell to the ground, exhausted
from running and laughing they watched the sun set in the distance. As if a switch had been turned on, Drea
jumped from the grass. “It is nearly
dark, I must go back home.” She said in
a panicked voice. Oscar lowered his head
to allow Drea’s tiny arms to wrap around him.
She released the young buck from her grip, waived to the remaining
guests and made her way back to the farmhouse.
Drea
was far enough in the distance, giving Oscar the opportunity to confront
Oren
and Lily. “I’ve never heard of you. What is your business with Drea?”
He asked in a stiff tone. “We mean her no harm Oscar. We are her
watchers.” Said Oren squinting his eyes toward the four
legged animal. “Who sent you? Where are you from?” Oscar continued to
interrogate the fluttering
creatures. “We understand your concern
for the child. We are residents of the
Phonola Forest but that is all we can speak of.” Whispered the male
fairy.
Lily
fluttered to Oscar’s side. “I can assure
you that we wish to keep Drea free of harm as much as you. You have our
word. I must ask you a few questions about tonight
if you don’t mind.” Nodding his
approval, Oscar anticipated her obvious questions. “Alright.
The cake we ate, although quite delicious, it lacked something. The
cake part.” Lily raised one eyebrow and shrugged her tiny
shoulders. “And what of the dolly firing
squad?” Lily pointed towards the party
guests. Staring at the ground, Oscar answered
Lily’s many questions. “It is not my
birthday. I am all she has so I play
along with whatever it is that brings light to her face. The truth is
today is…her birthday. She knows nothing of the joys of being a
child. No birthday celebrations. No presents.
No hugs or guidance. No love or
acceptance. At least not from her
parents. I am her family now and do my best
to help her along the way. She is a
child so of course she has an endless imagination which clearly explains
the
cake she served.” Oscar raised his head
to the direction of the farmhouse in an instant. “Something is wrong!”
The group headed for the farmhouse in the
distance.