*Mila*
When I woke up, I slled fresh, earthy air and I heard crows cawing. There was soft dirt beneath and trees hung over my head. I was out in the forest.
Sitting up, I stretched and reached out with my hands, yawning. My hands were so small!
Startled, I looked down at the rest of my body. I’d been transford into a four-year-old girl, but I was still . I had all my thoughts and mories.
What was going on? Was this part of the spell?
I’d been turned back into a little child. I wondered if this was how old I was when the mory April was connecting with took place.
Was this actually my past?
Standing up, I looked around the forest. It looked much larger than I rembered but I couldn’t tell if that was because I was smaller and younger or if the forest was really supposed to be this large.
Glancing around, I realized it wasn’t just the forest that was familiar, it was the spot I was standing in. This was where Helen would always take in my dreams. It was where I’d gone in Miltern to find her.
Was this just another dream, then? If so, where was Helen?
“Hello?” I called into the endless, eerie darkness. “Helen?”
My voice echoed through the trees, carrying for what seed like miles. This forest was a lot larger than the one in Miltern. But it was the sa forest.
How was that possible?
Was my mory making it bigger in this dream?
I left the spot where I’d woken up and tried looking around. Every now and then, I glanced back to make sure I could still see the spot I’d woken up.
The size of the forest wasn’t the only weird thing.
Where was Soren? Hadn’t he co into this dream or mory with ?
I couldn’t see any sign of him anywhere.
“Soren?” I shouted into the woods.
Crows cawed and flapped out of the trees, startled by my voice. The forest got quiet again and there was no answer.
Frustrated, I stomped through the woods, forgetting to keep track of where I had woken up.
“These woods aren’t that big!” I grumbled to myself.
“Awwooooo”
I froze as that howl ripped through . My little child legs shook and my mouth went dry.
There were wolves in these woods. Possibly shifters. I was a tiny child and completely defenseless.
I didn’t know what this mory was or if I was in any danger. There were too many unknowns for to trust random wolves running through the woods.
“AWWOOOOO!”
The howl was getting louder and closer.
I ran to a nearby tree and hugged the trunk. I slid to the ground, hiding in so of the underbrush.
My heart hamred in my chest and I covered my mouth so my heavy breaths wouldn’t draw attention.
Around the other side of the tree, I heard thumping footsteps and the sniffling sounds of a wolf sniffing around. I hadn’t done anything to cover my scent.
Standing up, slowly and quietly, I peeked around the tree trunk to see if it was a wild wolf or a shifter.
A massive, sleek, black wolf was sniffing around tree trunks and following my trail.
Sighing, warmth flooded through and I rushed out from around the tree. I’d only seen him a few tis but I’d recognize his wolf anywhere.
Soren.
I ran out from around the tree and the wolf stopped, one front paw raised, and stared at .
“Soren! I’m so glad to see you,” I said, running over to him.
He cocked his head at and took a cautious step back.
I looked down, rembering that I was a child again. Sighing, I rolled my eyes.
“Soren, it’s , Mila. I don’t know why I look like this. Maybe... this is how old I was for this mory,” I said, voicing my theory.
Soren nodded and stepped toward . His warm, golden eyes settled gently on .
Suddenly, the forest burst into flas around us.
“Ahh!” I shielded my face as the bright, burning blaze nearly overtook us.
Soren barked and I peeked out from under my arms.
He was lying on the ground and nodded to his back.
I ran over to him and grabbed his fur, struggling with my little legs and arms to pull myself up. As soon as I got a leg over, Soren burst into a run and carried away from the burning flas.
If this was a mory and the forest had lit on fire, that would explain why it was so much smaller in the present tis.
I couldn’t think about it too much because the flas were closing in on us fast. I clung hard to Soren’s silky fur and buried my face in his neck.
Soren ran faster, his body bumping up and down, jostling around.
I hugged him tightly with my arms and legs to keep from falling off.
Soren’s wolf howled again and he picked up speed.
We outran the fire and ca to the edge of the forest. The trees thinned out and Soren slowed down, panting.
I didn’t have to cling as tightly now that Soren was walking. Raising my head, I saw a hill in the distance with a large mansion on it.
“Go that way,” I urged Soren, pointing to the mansion.
He grunted and trotted toward the hill. As we got closer, I saw this beautiful garden spread out on the front lawn. Sunlight bathed the flowers and the man-made pond beautifully. There were no clouds in the sky and it was perfectly blue. The mansion looked warm and cozy.
Soren’s nails clicked on the walkway as we got closer to the mansion. It felt very familiar to but I couldn’t rember being there. It was too beautiful of a ho to be at Saboreef.
“Wait, stop here,” I instructed, patting Soren’s head.
He stopped short and I slid off his back.
There was a large oak tree in the garden, close to the front door of the house. I stared at the tree. Sothing was off about it. Sothing was missing.
Soren’s wet nose nudged my shoulder and I giggled, swatting playfully at him.
“That tree, there’s supposed to be a wooden swing there,” I said, pointing.
Suddenly, the front door of the house opened and a handso man walked out onto the large, wrap-around porch. He had a wooden swing in his hands and headed right to the tree.
Instinctively, I hid behind Soren.
He growled and gave a look, reminding with his eyes that they couldn’t see us. We were watching a mory.
I glared at him and ca back around where I could see the man hanging the swing on the tree, just as I rembered it.
“Co on, who wants to give it a try?” the man called back toward the house.
A little girl ran out of the partially opened door. She had bouncing golden curls and blue eyes. Her curls bounced as she ran down the steps toward the swing.
“! Daddy, ! I want to swing!” she shouted, running right up to the man.
He grinned and scooped her up in his arms. He tickled her until she squealed with laughter and then he blew a raspberry on her cheek.
“Stop it, stop it!” the girl laughed.
The man chuckled and hugged the girl tightly. He put her on the swing and started pushing her.
“Higher, Daddy, higher! I want to touch the sky,” the girl called, kicking her feet back and forth.
I smiled at the girl and her father, my heart pattering in my chest. Tears pricked my eyes and I sniffled. I couldn’t help but feel like I was seeing the childhood I should have had.
What had gone wrong? What had ripped away from my family?
The front door opened again and a beautiful woman ca to the porch. She looked out at the girl and her father and she sighed, shaking her head.
Elegantly, she picked up her skirt and practically floated down the steps. She moved gracefully and gently as she joined the man and the little girl.
In her free hand, she held a book, her fingers holding her place in the text.
“Kaleb, you couldn’t wait until after the lesson?” she asked with another sigh. She held up the book.
I could see that there was a magical word written on the cover of the book.
“I was teaching her an important spell. You couldn’t wait on the swing until then?” she asked a little sternly.
Kaleb chuckled and stepped up to her side. He slipped his arm around her waist and they shared a very affectionate look.
“Relax, my beautiful wife. She’s just a little kid. Having fun is important,” Kaleb said. He leaned in and kissed her warmly on the lips.
The woman gave in for a mont, leaning into the kiss. Then she pulled back and glared at the man.
“Don’t try to distract like that,” she said, shaking her head.
“What can I say, pushing my daughter on the swing makes nostalgic for another one,” Caleb teased.
The woman scoffed. “We can’t have another until I teach the first one so basic magic. You know that our bloodline is different.”
“I know,” Kaleb said, hugging her hips tightly.
“The earlier we start training her the more powerful she’ll be. We can’t miss this opportunity. It is the best age for her,” the woman said.
“Agreed. But she’s still going to have fun. What is the rush, really?” Kaleb asked.
The woman frowned and shrugged. “Lately, I’ve been having this feeling. Like sothing horrible is going to happen.”
Kaleb sighed and hugged her again. He kissed her cheek.
“Jessica, I love you, but you’re worrying too much. Everything will be fine. We’ll all be okay,” Kaleb assured.
Jessica smiled.
Suddenly, the roaring fire from the forest caught up to us and completely engulfed the mansion and garden.
Screaming, I ducked down and covered myself.
Soren’s wolf ca around , protecting my tiny body from the flas.
The fire wasn’t hot, though, and it didn’t burn my skin. I couldn’t sll smoke and I could still breathe just fine.
Tears stung my eyes as I imagined the mansion and that perfect little family being burned to death.
Soren hugged tighter, his arms around now that he was back in human form.
I opened my eyes and pressed my forehead to his chest. His heart beat heavily in his chest and it helped steady .
The bright fire was gone. The sun was out again and the sky was blue.
I sighed with relief and looked at myself. I was back to my normal size and age.
When I tried to pull away from Soren, he put a hand on the back of my head and held in place. I realized that he could see what had happened to the mansion.
Chewing the inside of my cheek, I pulled away from him and looked back at the mansion.
The family was gone.
The mansion was caved in and blood was splattered all over the outside. Bodies were strewn on the lawn and cawing crows pecked at the bodies, pulling bits off and eating them.
My stomach turned.
“No,” I gasped. “NO!” I ran from Soren, right to the mansion.
“Mila!” Soren shouted after . I could feel him chasing .
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