Marked By The Unseelie

Chapter 2 Pixie Lights

Chapter 2
I started making coffee as soon as I woke up. I wanted to go back to sleep and return to my dream, but I know that dreams don't work that way. And even if it did, I am not sure that Steve would be there. He rarely appears in my dreams anyway so I don't think that he would be there again.
    This is weird. Why am I getting attached to a guy from my imagination? I need to get a life...
    The door to the trailer car opens and my mother comes inside, looking tired.
    She looks up upon seeing me making coffee, her face brightens. "Oh, good. Did you make me one?" She closes the door behind her and makes her way to join me in the kitchen.
    "I didn't." I say before grabbing an extra cup from the cupboard and pouring coffee in it. "But I did make enough for two. No sugar and milk, right?" I handed her a cup.
    "Yes, thank you." She receives the cup with relief and smells it. "It's just how I like it." I sit on a chair while I watch her sip her coffee.
    "Is it over? The fire rather." I was getting bored with staying inside. I want to go out and stretch my legs, but I remember what my mom warned me earlier.
    "It is. They're just trying to salvage and clean up whatever is left in the place." She starts to stretch her back and soon begins to yawn.
    "Can I take a look around outside?" I flash her a grin and batted my eyes to assist my pleading. My mother eyed me carefully, like she was weighing her decision. "Please? I'm bored inside. And it's not like we can talk because it seems like you are ready to take a nap. Would you rather have me nearby while you are sleeping?" As a nurse and volunteer, I know how much my mother values her previous quiet time for sleeping.
    My plan worked because I saw her rubbing her temples, a sign that she was considering it, before she nods. "Be back before dinner, alright? And don't wander too far into the woods again." She adds the last part with a stern look, letting me know that she was serious.
    "Thanks, mom!" I ran to hug her and transferred my coffee in an insulated tumbler before running out of the trailer.
The air was so dry outside that I almost regretted my decision of going out. Then again, what would I do back in the trailer if not for watching shows and trying not to wake up my mom?
    Although the place was still crowded and noisy, it wasn't as bad as it had been before. The place was a little calmer now.
    I started drinking my coffee and simply watching the firemen trying to scout the area for damage and other animals that could have survived the fire. They were wearing masks to protect themselves from the fumes that the fire left.
    I squinted my eyes and saw a sparkle of yellow light in the direction of where the firefighters were headed.
    There was another thing that changed in me when I awoke from my comma. Small pixie lights appear to be following all living things. That's part of the reason why I keep knowing where the animals are during a fire. But I can only tell those who have a brighter glow since I have trouble keeping up when there's a fire.
    A dimming glow appeared in my peripheral vision near the forest. I turn in the direction of it and then noticed that it was beginning to dim. It can only mean that the creature with that glow is hurt or dying.
    One thing about me is that I love animals, which is why I find it hard to look in the other direction whenever I see a trail of dimming pixie light. I mean, I try to, but I just can't keep away from it.
    I started scratching my arm - it is a habit that I do when I become anxious.
    Who am I kidding? What am I standing around here for when I know that I am just going to head over there myself?
    I grabbed my napkin and goggles attached to the back of my belt. I wrapped the napkin over my nose and wore my goggles before heading to the forest.
    "My mother is going to kill me if she finds out." I mutter under my breath while I follow the trail of light. The ground was covered in a mixture of ash and moist soil, probably from getting doused with water. I need to clean my shoes after this or my mother will figure out that I headed into the forest. Again.
I was getting close judging from the collective lights in the area.
Good. It seems like the animal is still alive. Even though I don't know what it is yet, I can tell its situation because of the glow.
I soon found myself heading for a massive boulder in the middle of a burnt clearing. I see a tail hidden behind the smaller rocks and I immediately know what type of animal it is. It is a snake, which means that I have to be more careful about how I am going to approach it.
    Snakes. I have dealt with reptiles before, but not the snappy ones like snakes.
    I don't fear anything when I see snakes. Despite what people think, snakes are actually more afraid of humans than we are of them. The only time that they'd strike is when they think that they feel threatened or when they are trying to protect something.
    This is going to be challenging.
    I carefully moved the smaller rocks and saw the tail move to hide itself.
    At least it has not struck me yet.
    When I successfully discarded all the rocks and pebbles, I saw a python hissing at me. Patches of burn marks were all over its body. Half of its face was also missing its scales because of the burn.   
    "Easy there. I don't want to harm you. I just want to take you back with me so I can have someone check up on you." I know that there's no chance that it can understand me, but I usually find it effective when calming down animals. I once read that even if they could not understand our words, they could sense what we were telling them through our tone.
    The snake continues to hiss at me.
    Okay? Maybe it needs a little more convincing.
How I wish I could have brought a damp towel with me.
    Or maybe I don't need to.
    I took off my napkin from my face and placed some damp dirt on it before offering it to the snake. It's not as good as water but at least it is saturated. "Your skin is burned. Let me help."
    I made the mistake of inching closer to it that it struck my arm.
    "Fricking petunia!" My mother never liked cussing in the house, so I made a habit of making up words as a cuss.
    It hurts, but at least the snake wasn't poisonous. I kept my arm still because I figured that pulling would only make it worse.
    "Please, I am only trying to help." I poured the damn soil over hald of it's burned face. It's not as good as water, but at least it was helping to keep it cool. Thank goodness that it did because that finally got through to the snake that I wasn't a threat. It realesed it's hold from me and finally starts to calm down enough that I could carry it in my arms - well, bleeding arm that is.
    My mother is certainly going to throw a fit if she finds out about this bite.
    "Impressive. You managed to tame that snake." A voice behind me says, which I didn't even notice him coming up to me. He must be a rescuer. "Aren't you afraid?"
    "I was." I say as I got up with the python in my hands before turning around to face my audience. "But when you realize that it is just another living creature that is in need of help, you just have to-" I paused what I was going to say when I got a better look at the man before me. He's a man alright, with dark blue hair, bluish skin, and unnaturally green eyes.
    'Never let these creatures know that you can see them.' That was my grandmother's words to me when I told her about my sight before she passed away. Maybe I was too focused on taking care of the snake that I got careless because not only did I look at him, but I also answered his question.
    I watch and swallow when the fairy before me smirks.
    Suddenly, I could hear the voice of my grandmother's warning at the back of my head.
    'If they know about your sight, you will damn yourself to them forever.'