Chapter 1
Gazing down at the clear waters of the forest pond, Esperanza smiled at her reflection. Brown eyes filled with mirth stared right back at her as her legs kicked back and forth behind her. A strand of long, brown hair slipped down her shoulder, almost touching the water’s surface. She continued to gaze lovingly at her image, not even reacting when she heard the bushes behind her rustle.
“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Esperanza didn’t need to turn around to see who it was and chose to pretend she didn’t hear a single thing, choosing to fiddle with the strand of hair from before.
“Don’t you ignore me, Esperanza Boyle. Your mother has been looking everywhere for you. She needs you to return right away for the festival.”
With an exasperated sigh, Esperanza rolled onto her back and pushed herself into a sitting position. The dryad waved impatiently at her to follow, the leaves of her clothes rustling with the motion.
“What does Mother need me for?” she asked, standing up and brushing the dust off her yellow gown. “It’s still too early to perform the ritual unless it’s been changed at the last minute.”
“Don’t take that tone with me, young lady. It’s about time you finally learn your duties. Your mother has been far too lenient with you, especially after what happened with that human boy two summers ago,” the dryad said, shaking a finger at her.
In an instant, Esperanza’s expression chilled.
She didn’t need to be reminded of her stupidity and humiliation. Those events still left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth and a scar that refused to heal even after all this time.
Unbeknownst to her, the flowers at her feet shuddered and drooped.
“Watch the flowers,” the dryad snapped, shaking Esperanza out of her dark memories.
When she glanced down and saw what she had done, she immediately squatted down and reached out to the flowers to coax them. After she whispered some apologies and sweet words, they were back to their original state.
Esperanza looked up in time to see the dryad shake her head and turn her back on Esperanza as she said, “If you’re done throwing a tantrum, let’s go.”
She made a face at the dryad’s back but reluctantly followed.
There was no point dragging it out. She would have eventually gone to see her mother anyway to help with the ritual. Besides, she was a bit curious about what her mother needed her for. Her mother rarely called upon her to do anything, choosing to let Esperanza wander freely in the forest without a care in the world. She didn’t believe in enforcing her will on others even when Esperanza had foolhardily involved herself with a human boy.
Esperanza grimaced, frustrated that the memory of him continued to plague her even after two years.
She had thought she had finally gotten rid of the rot that was Emanuel Buck, but he popped right back like a disease that couldn’t be cured. Esperanza wanted to blame it on the dryad for bringing him up after so long, as it had been a taboo subject. Unfortunately, she knew better. Something would always remind her of him, ensuring she could never escape him.
Why couldn’t the memory of him leave her be? Wasn’t it enough that he had deceived her and nearly succeeded in harming her mother? Would she never be free of him?
Esperanza clenched her fists, trying to get her emotions under control.
The forest didn’t need to suffer because she couldn’t get a grip on her emotions. It did nothing to deserve it. The real target of her ire would never dirty this place with his presence. That was if he wanted to live.
She took several calming breaths, thinking up happier memories like her mother combing her hair as she hummed a gentle tune and dancing in the wind with the aurai as they glided over the treetops. Once she was certain that her emotions were under control, she loosened her fists and briefly glanced at them. Fortunately, they were only slightly red from the pressure, so she didn’t have to worry about her mother noticing something off.
Her mother certainly deserved better.
They traversed the forest without fanfare, passing by various critters who would take a moment to acknowledge their presence before returning to what they had been doing before. Esperanza smiled at each and every one of them, though it wasn’t as bright as it had been before. The moment they stepped into a clearing, she spotted her mother, an almost perfect copy of herself down to even the clothes they wore, standing among a crowd of forest creatures.
As if sensing their presence, which was very likely since they were not at all subtle, her mother turned her gaze in their direction and smiled. “Esperanza, you’re here. Come on.”
The creatures surrounding her mother scattered like leaves on the wind the instant her mother held her arms out to her. They didn’t go very far and watched Esperanza being embraced by her mother.
“Mother, I was told you needed me for the festival. I thought the ritual wasn’t until tonight,” Esperanza said.
“Oh, that’s not the reason I called you here, my dear,” her mother said as they broke the hug. “I asked my dear friend here to ask you to join the festival. She must have misunderstood my request.”
Esperanza was pretty sure it hadn’t been a misunderstanding but chose to keep silent about it. She didn’t want to give her mother any reason to worry about her, especially on the day of the festival. One had already been ruined by her. There was no need to repeat it a second time.
“Well, since I’m here now, I might as well help,” Esperanza said, patting her mother’s shoulder.
Her mother returned her smile. “If you wish. There are so many things to be done and so little time.”
“In that case, what are we waiting for?”
