Spirits and Sorrows
TWENTY-THREE

Laura and Ruben stood in the back of the crowd as Hannah told everyone about her vision with Bianca Moonblood and the Golden Island, the Iron Arrow’s location. That was where they had to go next.

Laura tried to listen, knowing this was important, but she still couldn’t get Larissa’s terrified face or pained screams out of her mind. It’d been three weeks and the event was still fresh.

She couldn’t wrap her head around the fact she’d torn her best friend - or someone who’d supposed to be her best friend - to pieces. The guilt she felt was pure agony.

She wished she could’ve tried to help her friend escape it. Try to take her hostage and get her to break out of whatever trance Kane had placed on her, do anything to help her instead of brutally murdering her.

Larissa had been her best friend for most of her life. They had drifted apart and weren’t as close as they used to be when she started dating Ruben and met Peter. Larissa, who had started dating her boyfriend around that time had been doing her own thing. Even after not being as close as they used to be, they still kept in contact and went to each other for everything when Laura needed a girl’s opinion rather than going to Peter.

She’d taken lives before, and every time was difficult and agonizing to get through, but this one she felt a crushing wave of grief and helplessness that she’d never gone through before, not even with her parents or Derek. Her parents and Derek nearly did her in, but the fact that someone she cared about died from her hands. . .

She tried to focus on what Hannah was telling everyone as much as she could but what happened between her and Larissa kept running through her end and wouldn’t stop.

She hadn’t told Ruben or Alison what’d happened. Both of them were going through their trauma and she didn’t want to burden them. She knew Ruben was still struggling with what happened on the last scout mission and she knew Alison was still reeling from being attacked by Nick and seeing him get beheaded.

Hannah finished and Hendrix announced to everyone, “You heard Hannah. We now have a destination to go on. The Golden Island is difficult to get to but not impossible. We need to head out now.”

With that command, everyone set out through the woods, traveling to Ocean Falls. She tried to be optimistic, telling herself that this was a step to saving everyone but all the hope she felt was gone. She’d committed an act that completely damaged her soul and she didn’t know if she could ever recover. Usually, she would muster some sort of optimism but she felt numb.

The journey to Ocean Falls took four days. The whole group moved tirelessly to the territory, only stopping to rest at night. They ate whatever food they had on the way and all of them kept their eyes peeled for any signs of danger. Hardly anyone ever talked except for saying they should stop there or to make sure they’re getting enough supplies. Even the children barely spoke, their faces grave. Laura’s heart broke for them. Their childhoods were destroyed and they were going to be scarred for life.

She didn’t speak to Ruben, Alison, or Peter during the whole journey. She didn’t speak to them not just because of how silent they all had to be but because she was still in such a state of shock over Larissa that she physically wasn’t able to. She got zero sleep and was in a foggy daze.

On the fourth day, they stopped to rest before continuing. They were almost there.

She sat away from the others and idly picked at the berries Alison had given her. Her stomach growled, her body weak from hunger, but whenever she tried to eat anything it tasted like wood and she had to spit it out.

She sensed someone sitting down next to her and didn’t need to look over to see who it was.

Ruben took her hand and gently rubbed his thumb over her skin. “Babe, you haven’t said a word to me in four days.”

“Neither have you,” she managed to say in a soft voice, letting him know her words weren’t meant to be harsh. “None of us had had the chance to talk. All of us were supposed to be quiet.”

“But it feels like you’ve been avoiding me. You know you can talk to me about anything. When we married, we swore we would never keep things from each other.”

Laura winced when she replayed Larissa’s death again. She squeezed her eyes shut as a tear rolled down her face. She rested her head on his shoulder and said, “I can’t talk about it. Not now.”

Luckily, he didn’t press. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer. “Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here.”

She leaned closer to him and breathed a sigh of relief that he was there.

It was sundown by the time they reached the entrance of Ocean Falls.

This was it. They were another step ahead.

“The children and families stay here and make camp,” Hendrix said. “The journey will be dangerous and this is a relatively safe spot Dawn will watch over you.”

Dawn led the families to the spot they would stay at for the time being. It was another faerie hideout though smaller. Hendrix opened the passage for them and Laura watched as she led them inside. Her heart broke once again and her mind went to her own family. She wished her parents and brother were here. She wished these children didn’t have to go through this. She wished none of this had happened. Melancholy swarmed over her and she felt like she was drowning in it.

“Everyone else, it’s time to go in,” Hendrix said and everyone got ready to enter Ocean Falls.

Ruben took her hand. “Are you ready?”

No, she wasn’t, but she had to be. For everyone else.

She nodded and they entered Ocean Falls.

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