Gazelle woke to movement beside her. Groggily, she rubbed her eyes and massaged her stiff neck. Then, realization hit. She scrambled backward, nearly falling off the bed as she squinted at the man sleeping next to her.
"Hey!" she screamed. "Wake up!"
Raven opened his eyes slowly, unfazed by the shouting. He sat up, the duvet falling to his waist. Gazelle swallowed hard. He was wearing only boxers.
"You…" she whispered, her eyes glancing down to her own body. She was wearing his clothes. An oversized shirt, loose pants.
"We..." Her voice trembled. She couldn't have had sex with a book character, could she?
Raven frowned, his dark eyes sharpening as he realized what she was thinking.
"No," he said sternly. His voice was rough with sleep but cold as ice. "You were freezing last night. You were soaked. I gave you my dry clothes so you wouldn't get sick, and I slept under the duvet to keep from freezing myself. Nothing happened."
Gazelle stared at him. His expression was so solemn, so offended, that the terrifying truth settled in: he was telling the truth. He looked angry that she would even think that of him.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. Shame burned in her chest. She couldn't even thank him for saving her life.
Without another word, Raven stood up and walked to the living room. Gazelle watched from the doorway as he deftly wrapped fresh bandages around his torso and arms. He paused at the door, his hand on the latch.
"Don't go anywhere," he said without looking back. "I know someone who can help you. I'll find her and bring her here."
He stepped out into the rain, slamming the door behind him.
Gazelle flinched. As he walked away, she saw the red glint of fury in his eyes. He was hurt. He thought she saw him as a monster who would take advantage of a desperate girl.
Gazelle waited by the window until his figure disappeared into the trees. Of course, she wasn't going to wait.
She needed to breathe. She needed to explore.
She stepped out of the hut. The first thing she saw was a small sapling growing directly over the old man's grave. Its roots seemed to hug the earth, embracing the body beneath. A sharp ache throbbed in her nose, the scent of damp earth and decay.
When she sees death, she says hello, but she can never say goodbye.
"So little time and so many stories..." Gazelle whispered, walking aimlessly into the woods. "Time is a thief."
The forest felt like a dark fairy tale. She saw a cheetah, fresh blood staining its mouth, licking its chops. She knew she should be afraid, but the forest seemed to whisper a different message: You belong here.
Further ahead, she saw a girl hugging a massive tree, but as Gazelle blinked, the girl vanished.
"Weird…" she muttered, chuckling nervously. "I must be going crazy."
When she turned around, the little girl was there. Right in front of her.
Gazelle clutched her heart, her pulse racing.
The child was kneeling on the damp earth, hands clasped in prayer. A huge butterfly rested on her fingers. Her tiny lips moved in a rapid, silent chant, eyes squeezed shut.
Gazelle wanted to reach out. She wanted to ask, but the words died in her throat.
"The weight of memories," the little girl whispered, her eyes still closed. "The return of what you buried."
The girl opened her eyes. They were brown, beautiful, and filled with tears. Gazelle felt her own heart break at the sight.
"Don't cry," Gazelle whispered.
A single tear rolled down the child's cheek.
Suddenly, a flock of birds took flight from the trees, the sound of their wings startling Gazelle. She looked up at the sky, and when she looked back, the girl was gone.
A voice drifted from deep within the forest:
"Do not forget me."
Gazelle ran. She ran toward the voice, her lungs burning, her heart pounding against her ribs.
She slowed only when she heard the sound of water. Through the trees, a vast expanse of blue opened up.
"A lake," she breathed. "A huge lake in the middle of the forest."
She walked to the end of the wooden pier and sat down, dangling her legs over the water. She stared at the horizon, lost in the beauty of it. "Wow..."
She didn't know how long she sat there, but the sound of heavy footsteps made her jump.
Raven stood behind her. He didn't look out of breath, though he must have tracked her down.
"I told you to wait in the cabin."
"I know."
"Do you ever listen?"
"I don't."
Silence stretched between them, comfortable yet heavy.
"I found the person who can help you," Raven said. "She's waiting at the hut. We have to go."
Gazelle looked at the water. She didn't want to leave.
"I…" she began, looking around helplessly. Her eyes landed on a small wooden boat tied to the pier. She stood up, looking Raven in the eye with a mischievous smile. "I want to go on the boat."
Raven frowned. "Why?"
"Some things don't need a reason."
Raven stared at her. Her eyes were shining like the sun after a storm. He sighed, defeated. Was it possible to say no to those eyes?
"Okay."
Gazelle hopped into the boat excitedly, and Raven followed, taking the oars. They glided silently across the glassy surface.
When they were far enough from the shore, Gazelle looked down at the water. Petals from the flowering trees floated on the surface. She reached out, her fingertips grazing the cold water, touching the drifting flowers.
Then, she froze.
Her lower lip trembled.
In the water, she didn't see her own reflection.
Through the ripples, she saw another boat and in it sat a beautiful little girl with long hair and rosy cheeks, mirroring Gazelle's movement, touching the same floating flowers.
"Is this a memory or a dream?" she whispered.
Raven's voice was soft. "You feel you've been here before. In a memory you thought wasn't yours."
Gazelle heard the little girl's voice in her head, clear as a bell, before she could even look at Raven, and the realization of who the girl was hit her like a physical blow.
"I don't have fangs or claws," the child's voice echoed. "I tried to hide myself because I wasn't accepted, but if you had stroked my hair, maybe all my fears would have disappeared. One day, someone would have believed I was harmless, but instead of loving me, you ran away from me. I wasn't a monster, and now, my eyes are blind. I'm running after you because when I needed you... You gouged my eyes out."
The little girl praying in the forest. The child in the reflection touching the flowers.
It was Gazelle's childhood.
Gazelle looked at Raven in horror. No matter how hard she tried to erase it, her past had found her. In a world that didn't even exist, her trauma was real. It was caught in her throat, choking her.
"Are you okay?" Raven asked, his expression shifting to worry.
Gazelle opened her mouth, but she couldn't utter a single word.