song of the forest ♪ [OLD VERSION]

ꄲꋊꏂ

ρ͢σ͢ѵ͢:
ꋪ꒐꒦ꏂꋊ

The new house was undoubtedly big. There were two stories, plus a cozy half-sunken basement nook under the deck. But Riven wasn't particularly thrilled with the idea of moving there. They didn't exactly have a lot of close friends at home- more acquaintances who would ask them for help on an English assignment- but what few he had were irreplaceable.

I pulled myself out of the narrative in my head. Now wasn't the time to daydream. Yes, I stood in the foyer (we had a foyer now?) with my backpack, my dad standing behind me. Yes, it was the kind of dramatic move you'd see in a novel, the kind where the main character loses all their friends, finds new ones, and goes on a great supernatural adventure to save their new town (or the world, if the book was exciting). But sadly, the reason for our move wasn't that exciting.

My dad sent me up to find my room. "Second door on the right when you turn from the stairs," he'd instructed me. The door was old wood, the hinges creaky. The doorknob was vintage crystal.

I couldn't help but mutter a faint, "wow," at the sight of the room. There was a wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling bookshelf along one wall, with a desk built into the center. Surrounding the desk, the shelves were instead little apothecary drawers. I could see why my dad had been so excited for me to see my room. The walls needed a fresh coat of paint, and the shelves needed dusting, but wow.

"Aza, the movers are here. Do you want to help?" Dad called from downstairs. It wasn't a question. I clambered down the stairs, almost face-planting on the last step, and stood next to my dad awkwardly.

"Hey, Ernie. This is my daughter, Azalea."

I wondered how my dad knew the mover guy- Ernie- well enough to be on a first-name, child-introducing basis. Nevertheless, I put out my hand for Ernie to shake like any self-respecting person. Even if he was a troll or-

There were. A lot. Of boxes. Thankfully, I only had to help with a few of them- Dad let me off after around two hours when the guys started moving beds and nightstands and other things that might crush a petite fourteen-year-old.

I decided to start unpacking- this would give me time for daydreaming. I couldn't wait to escape to the woods behind my house where I could just relax, but for now I had to get my lizard out of her plastic tub. She was getting antsy, clawing at the smooth sides of the container

Finally, Riven could escape to the forest. But he only got so far...

Before I knew it, my dad was calling me downstairs for dinner. "Do you... wanna change?" my dad asked, looking me up and down.

"Well I was just gonna wear this to bed- we having company?" I looked down at my cactus-patterned sweatpants.

"I invited the neighbors over."

He did what now? I never understood why adults did things like that- inviting strangers over for pizza when we hadn't been here five hours. They could be serial killers or trolls wearing human skin or Titans in disguise... "Sounds great, Dad. When will they be here?"

"They'll be over in ten. Why don't you go change?"

"Yeah, okay."

"They have a daughter around your age!" Dad called as I ascended the stairs.

"That's nice, Dad!" I shouted back.

ρ͢σ͢ѵ͢:
ꋬꇙ꒐ꁴꋬ

I stood in front of the mirror with the door locked, trying to perfect my appearance. Growing a strand of hair here, adding a freckle there. This happened ever time. I got nervous, my power went awry. Eventually I was completely and fully a strawberry-blond teenager with braces and two ear piercings (the things humans did to their bodies).