Nirrin (Forestfolk, Book 3)

Chapter 10a

I didn't want to be alone in the tent anymore. By the time I felt stable enough to stand, my stomach was ready to consume itself. How long had it been since I'd eaten? I pushed myself to my feet and approached the tent flap.

What would I find when I came out? A village? Another campsite? Were we even in the forest anymore?

Just as I placed a hand on the flap to push it open, someone on the opposite side pushed in. Someone strong, because I went sprawling to the ground.

Fen stepped in, saw me lying there in a heap, and gave me a sheepish smile. "You're awake."

"Well, I was. I might be unconscious now. Did you even notice you bumped into something?"

"Sorry about that." He held out a hand.

I took it, and he hauled me up easily.

"I like that you're not afraid to touch me," he said once I was on my feet.

"Why would I be?"

He gave me a pointed look.

I sighed. "Why is everyone here so eager to point out what they look like? You're different. I get it. But that doesn't define you."

"You don't get it," he ground out. "Because you've never lived it. No one calls us 'Gifted,' because no one wants to be us. No one wants to look at us, much less look like us. You, with your normal hair and your normal skin. You could never know what it's like."

Stung, I held back a pout. "It doesn't mean I can't sympathize."

"We don't want your sympathy," he spat.

"Then what do you want?" I lifted my chin, daring him to tell me the truth. So far, it seemed Tessia was the only one being straight with me.

A conflicted expression crossed his face, reminding me of a lost little boy, despite the un-boyish texture of his skin.

A noisy gurgle from my stomach distracted us both. "Sorry," I said, blushing a little. "I feel like I haven't eaten for days."

"Let's get you some food." He reached out a hand, and as always, I automatically took it.

"You know," I said, once we were outside, "you seem to like holding my hand a lot."

I meant it as a joke, but the segments around his face seemed to pinken a little, and he immediately dropped my hand. "I just, uh, wanted to make sure you didn't fall." He cleared his throat and walked ahead of me.

We were in yet another section of unfamiliar forest. This camp didn't look as makeshift as the last one. Larger tents formed a circle around a firepit, laundry hung from ropes between trees, and stacks of firewood lay nearby. But it didn't look like long-term housing, either. The ground wasn't cleared of leaves and twigs, and I saw travois—wooden frames often used by traders for transporting loads too big for packs. It looked like they were ready to pick up and leave at any time.

A child ran past me, his head covered in spikes instead of hair, while another one chased him, running on all fours. They paid me no mind, but the adults did stop to stare at me. One man even had three eyes to stare with. It seemed like everyone in this camp displayed obvious traits that marked them as Gifted.

"Fen," I said when I caught up with him, "what is this place?"

"It's home."

"But not like Foresthome. Nothing looks permanent here."

He glanced around. "No, nothing is permanent."

"But why?"

"It's how we find discarded Aberrations."

My brows drew together. "Discarded? By whom? And who still calls you that, anyway?"

He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, as if rallying some patience. "Nirrin, maybe you're sheltered from living in Foresthome. Those with special talents, like your fire friend, who still look like normal people, are called Gifted now. But we"—he gestured to himself and the rest of the camp—"are still called Aberrations. We look strange, and are therefore still aberrant."

I pursed my lips. "So . . . parents just give you their different-looking children?"

"Sometimes. Other times we rescue them."

The thought of any parent giving up their child just because it looked strange made my fists clench. The thought carried me right back to why I'd followed Fen in the first place. "You think Niralessa is my mother. If that's true, then why would she dump me somewhere, when you guys go around collecting kids?"

He gave me a long look, full of either sympathy or trepidation.

I didn't want either. "Can I talk to Niralessa now?"

Time to get some answers worth voting for!