What did they mean? I knew who I was, didn't I? I was Rosalia Mallory, a girl left on the doorstep of our town's foster agency to find a new home. From there I went through three homes before at the age of 16 instead of having to live in the group h...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Rosalia's POV:
"Please tell me that's not what I think it is?" Ash asks, sounding fearful. I sit close by him, watching his eyes as he silently communicates with Eris. Frowning in concentration I draw on one of my new powers and suddenly their hushed conversation becomes clear. I don't know what to think. This appeared after you guys left earlier so that's why I decided to warn you to keep away from the barrier. I don't know where they are since I haven't opened the letter.
Well, you should Eri. It could contain something important that we need to know. Or it could be a bluff to make us feel threatened. Either way, we need to know what's going on and so do the others. Ash sounds convinced and I hear Eris's resulting sigh minutes before she speaks. She looks to him for support but he just shakes his head.
"Eris? What happened?" This time it's Hannah who speaks from where she's nestled in a blanket near the fire. Her eyes reflect the flames which serve to make them appear brighter. I can see a steely determination in her gaze which shocks me. What's so worrying? "Eris, please. We need to know. Whatever the letter says."
Eris looks faintly ill. "I don't know what it says. I hadn't opened it yet." The group is silent, all laughter sucked from the room like a vacuum. All of us look at her with nervous anticipation and she can't seem to stop shaking. Slipping out from the circle I go over to Eris and offer to take the note. She hands it over gratefully and slips back into my spot.
I frown and look down at the card she had been grasping tightly in her hands. It looked pretty harmless to me but when I saw the Triskellion sigil something inside me shrank away in fear. Breaking the seal I pull out a single piece of paper with an elaborate cursive note on which takes me a second to understand. "They asked - sorry requested - a meeting with us." I frown and read the message over again.
"Is that it?" Luca looks confused and I nod. Well technically they asked to meet with me but I know the others won't allow it so I negate to mention that fact. "When? Did they give a time and place?"
I give another quick nod. "Tomorrow late afternoon in a clearing near the barrier called..." I scan the note again, my brows knitted in confusion. Damn cursive. No wonder I was struggling to read it. "They said tomorrow late afternoon in a clearing near the barrier called the Lonely Fir Wilds."
"That's a collection of clearings," Jackson speaks up. "I know where it is. It's near the edge of the barrier but I don't think anyone's used it in some time." He gives a pensive frown and looks back at me. "Rosa are you sure that's where they said?" I silently hand the note over and his expression morphs into one of shock. "You're not going. Not alone." I give an exasperated sigh. I know that. That's why I didn't mention they said they wanted to speak to me alone. Well me and the gold-eyed wolf that's currently giving me dagger looks. If looks could kill I'd be six feet under already. Yikes. I didn't say she - they - wanted to see me alone because I knew you'd never allow it. And I don't trust them. Something about the whole meeting seems shifty and suspicious but eventually - after many heated arguments about who's going, who's not going and if anyone goes at all - we all agree that we have to show up but that I would be the only one in my human form, the rest would come as wolves and Eris would hang back where she could see what happened but not be seen.
