After school the next day, I ran down the path through the woods, automatically headed for the shadow part. I pushed aside the small curtain of vines cutting Chaiyn’s area off from the rest of the world. The Seer was at his table, jotting down notes in a notebook with his pen. He didn’t seem to notice me until I had walked up behind him. Once I was close enough to see over his shoulder, he closed the book and looked over his shoulder at me. “Back so soon?” He walked over to his bookshelf and slid the notebook into its place. I nodded. “I wanted answers, and I really have nothing else to do.” “You could study.” “Already done that.” He sighed, walking over to another shelf and glancing over at his hourglass. “What do you want to know?” “What did you mean by how much time you have left?” I asked, referring to the hourglass. “Where did you come from and why were you sent here? Why did you mention magical societies? Why were you… fading yesterday after we left?” His face paled at the last question. “You saw that?” I nodded. “Yes. Why did it happen?” He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. “Long story.” “I’ve got time.” He gritted his teeth and opened his eyes. “You’re not going to give up, are you?” I smirked slightly and shook my head. “Not a chance.” He sighed. “Let’s start with this.” He pulled his long hair away from his ears, revealing them. At first glance they seemed normal, but with further examination… “You’re an elf?” I asked, staring at the pointed tips of his ears. He nodded, letting the hair fall back into its original place. “Half-elf, but yes. I’m from another world, from a village near a place you might know of. Does the Kaka Forest ring a bell?” My eyes widened. “Yeah. It does.” The elf twins that Brazen and Harlow had met were also from there. His hand flashed in and out of sight for a second. He gritted his teeth in annoyance. “I guess I'll mention that as well. I was banished here, cursed by my own family. As a kid, I tinkered with everything I found. Magical items, regular everyday contraptions, you name it. I had gained a reputation as a dangerous, rebellious little boy, both from my hobby and my powers. Sight-Seers were frowned upon as too smart and too scary. They were just afraid of what I knew. “Almost six years ago, one of my experiments… Well, it ended badly. My little sister was scarred for life and that was the final straw for my parents. They gave - more like forced upon me a cursed ring.” He paused, holding up his left hand. A ring glinted in the dim lighting. “I can’t send letters or teleport back to my home land. Before they left me here, my father… he said that I was dead to this family, that I should never have been born.” He swallowed, taking a pause for breath. “I woke up here after he slapped me hard across the face. That hourglass… away from one’s home world, they only have six years, max, until they’ll fade away completely. That hourglass is keeping track of the time I have left. I tell people that I’ve spent all my spare time studying the shadow part, but that’s not exactly true. Observing other worlds comes easily to me, I only spent around ten percent of my time here studying this section of the woods. The other ninety percent I’ve spent trying to break the cursed ring.” I didn’t want to know the answer to this question, but I asked anyway. “How much time do you have left?” He looked down. “Less than a month. If I don’t break the curse by February twenty-first, I’m gone.” His hand flashed again, this time a good chunk of his whole arm. “That happens because you’re slowly fading?” I asked softly. He nodded. “I can barely control it. That’s why I was slightly invisible by the time you left yesterday, I’d been holding it in the whole time.” I looked at his ring. “I’m guessing you can’t take it off.” He laughed without humor. “Believe me, I’ve tried. No amount of spells that I’ve tried will break it either. I don’t know what to do anymore,” he confessed, voice breaking. I put a tentative hand on his shoulder, as he was facing away from me, staring at his hourglass. “We’ll figure something out. My friends and I can help.” He nodded. “You don’t have to. I barely even know you guys.” I shrugged. “I’ll help when I can, even when I don’t know you.” He looked over his shoulder to meet my eyes and smiled. “I can see why other people follow you so well. You barely even seemed phased on the outside. On the inside, though… The two of us are similar. Just remember, if you hide your pain too much, eventually it’ll scar beyond repair.” I nodded, slightly unnerved. The dinner bell rang a few moments later, and I backed out of the clearing. “I’ll be back tomorrow with Harlow and Naomi,” I called as I ran out. “I’ll be counting on it,” Chaiyn called back, watching me go. Those startling gray eyes seemed to pierce through my soul as I ran back to the school.
Notes/Credits: If you're reading this, you probably know I wrote The Wolf Boy. Well, here's the sequel: The Monster's Curse. This is Chapter 21. Previous Chapter(s): Chapter 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/652476202/ Chapter 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/652950608/ Chapter 3: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655177024/ Chapter 4: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655177565/ Chapter 5: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655621072/ Chapter 6: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/656955201/ Chapter 7: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657580423/ Chapter 8: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657583863/ Chapter 9: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657586191/ Chapter 10: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657668860/ Chapter 11: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/658404211/ Chapter 12: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659115920/ Chapter 13: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659116659/ Chapter 14: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659117186/ Chapter 15: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659420154/ Chapter 16: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/661425573/ Chapter 17: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/661428771/ Chapter 18: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/661974554/ Chapter 19: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/662108449/ Chpt 20 Pt 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/663144219/ Chpt 20 Pt 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/663156194/ Credits: Me, for being the author Shannon Messenger, JK Rowling, Eoin Colfer, and many other authors for inspo @aqua_di_angelo, @AL600AWESOME, @Lanze_cupcake_face11, and @Yayabinks for inspo and supporting the story! QOTC: Do you think Chaiyn will be able to break the curse in time?
