Siena (Forestfolk, Book 1)

Chapter 13a

When my eyes creaked open, the familiar roof of my cabin greeted me. My body ached. I snuggled deeper into the blanket and winced as it scraped against my sensitive skin. My burned skin. The memory of yesterday's pandemonium nearly suffocated me.

I didn't notice the little girl sitting in the chair until I turned my head. Her eyes were filled with concern over my grunting.

"Are you okay?" she whispered. Soot smudged her pale skin, and red hair frayed out of the short, messy braid behind her back.

"I think so," I croaked and cleared my throat. "You're Goben's sister, right?"

She nodded and continued watching me, as if trying to discern my state of health from the expressions on my face. She was sullen and shy, but I didn't see grief. This gave me hope that I had succeeded, that her parents had survived.

"I'm Sember," she said, her voice small. "Are you sure you're okay?"

I tried to sit up and sucked in a quick breath as my skin scraped against what felt like gravel. My arms were covered in bandages, and for an instant, I wondered where my soft shirt had gone.

Sember edged closer to me. "You're like me," she said, her voice hushed as if telling a secret. "Only you help people instead of hurting them." Her green eyes were dark with shame.

I couldn't even begin to imagine what she must be feeling, nearly killing both her parents. Coming so close to burning down an entire community. A community that had accepted her with open arms.

"Sember"—I scooted back again and gritted my teeth against the chafing on my back— "are your parents . . ." I couldn't finish the sentence. They had to be alive.

"They survived, thanks to you." She dropped her gaze to her hands. "And no thanks to me."

My heart ached for her obvious anguish. "It was an accident, right?"

"I was mad."

I struggled to find the right words to say to a guilt-stricken little girl, because I had been that girl once. It was hard to think straight, though, because my skin still felt like it was on fire.

With a quick glance at the front door, I peeled back the blanket. Sember gasped at the angry, red skin, welted in some places, across my torso. My back felt worse, and my arms must have been severe for them to have bandaged them.

Laying my healing hands over my belly, I felt the warm tingle as the angriness left my skin. My nerves soothed, and soon, I was awash with relief. I was able to sit up easily then, and pulled the blanket back up to my chest.

"Could you hand me that dress?" I asked, pointing to the folded garment on the corner of the table.

She scrambled quickly for it and handed it to me. I unfolded it, pausing to poke a finger through the hole in the shoulder. The hide material was washed clean, but this hole would always remind me of that arrow, of that night. With a small sigh, I pulled the dress over my head and swung my legs over the side to face Sember.

"I wish I could do what you do," she whispered. "It's amazing."

"All of us are amazing," I said, wanting to believe the words. "Our gifts make us amazing."

"I don't have a gift," she spat. "It's a curse."

She looked so lost.

"How old are you?" I asked.

"Six."

"When I was six, I didn't know what I was doing, either."

She looked at me like she didn't believe me. "But you didn't hurt people."

"Maybe not, but . . ." My eyes flicked to the doorway again. "Can you keep a secret?"

Her eyes got big, and she nodded while leaning forward.

"I—" My chest tightened. Was I really going to tell her? Sember seemed so burdened by guilt. I wanted her to know she wasn't alone. "My mother was killed because of me." My heart wrenched at the admission. It felt so strange to say it aloud, like my voice was not my own.

Sember's eyes grew even bigger and her mouth was open. "How?"

I sighed and smoothed one edge of the blanket with my fingers. "Plainsmen don't trust the Gifted. They call us Aberrations. My mother tried to hide my gift from them. When they found out, they"—my voice faltered, fingers gathering the blanket into a fist—"they executed her," I finished with a whisper.

She closed her mouth, and her little brows knitted together, indignant. "But that wasn't your fault. Those were mean people."

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. She died because I couldn't control myself. If you want to avoid hurting people, you need to control it."

"But how?"

"The next time you feel yourself getting angry, leave. If you can't control your feelings, then control your legs. Run in the opposite direction. Run until you feel the anger go away. Then go back, and try again."

Sember considered my advice, looked down at her hands again, then nodded her head.

"When someone makes you mad, what do you do?"

"I leave," she replied with surprising resolve.

"Good." I nodded. "Now can you help me take these bandages off?"

She nodded, eager to help, and tugged at the ends of the bandages, unwinding them from my arms. She marveled at the now-healthy skin beneath. "Wow," she breathed. "Yesterday they looked terrible!"

"Yesterday they felt terrible." I ran a hand over one arm and smiled. "Did you stay here all night?"

"Yes. It was my fault you got burned." Her face was grave, much too serious for a child of six.

"I'm better now, so cheer up, okay? I'm starving. How about you?"

She nodded, and we left the cabin. I decided to forgo the shoes. I had found them on the floor next to the bed, but they were filthy with soot, dirt, and slightly singed at the edges. I would wash them later, along with my hair, which still smelled like smoke.

Outside, the sun had already passed its mid-day zenith, and I squinted in the bright light. "How long was I out?"

"Since yesterday," Sember answered.

I raised my eyebrows. All day, all night, and most of today. No wonder I was starving.

As we made our way to the commons for some food, I couldn't help noticing the stares and furtive glances. Barefoot and back in the dress I had been wearing when I'd arrived, I felt like the new girl all over again. I had gotten glances when I'd first arrived, but it hadn't felt anything like this. Everyone knew now. I felt every bit the outcast, as I had back at the compound.

Sember walked beside me, seemingly unaware.

I wanted to sink into the ground.

What does the day hold in store for Siena now that she's been revealed? A quick vote before you find out?