THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND EXCITEMENT ILY ALL!!
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"Before we leave, we need to research," Barley said. He lead you and Ian up to the second floor of the house.
"Research what?" you asked. "We don't know who the voice is or what they want. We don't even know who I am."
"Oh, my love," he said, shaking his head with a laugh. "The answer is most always right in front of us. It's just too obvious to notice."
You glanced behind you at Ian, who shrugged.
Up in Barley's messy room, he hurried to his desk and dropped a box of cards on the desk. You recognized them at once as the Quests of Yore card deck. He flipped through them quickly. He must've had the entire collection memorized by now.
"Where is it, where is it? Uh... ah-ha! Here we go!"
"Cards again, Barley?" Ian asked.
"They helped us once before, like I told you they would," he reminded his brother. He held up a single card and grinned, flipping it around. He read it aloud in a loud whisper: "The Enchanted Forest."
"The what?" Ian asked.
"___ said that she woke up the spirits. That's who you saw in your vision when you first heard the voice, right?"
"Yeah..." you said.
"Well, here in the Enchanted Forest, the spirits are the rulers. And legend has it that there are four spirits, all connected by a mysterious fifth spirit."
You took the card from him. "Do you think the fifth spirit is calling me?"
"Maybe!" he exclaimed. "I think it's worth a shot to check."
"It sounds right," you said. "It feels right."
"If it feels right to you, then we'll go there," he said. His hands touched your shoulders. "Look at me, ___."
You did.
"I know you're scared, and hey, that's okay, but you gotta know that you are so much more than you think you are. You have ice powers. That's awesome! And they don't make you a monster. What's happening outside doesn't make you a monster. We all want answers, you know. And that's what we are all going to find. We'll do it together."
Your eyes were wet as you blinked. "Thank you," you whispered.
"It's you, me, and Iandore," he said. He hooked his arms with yours and Ian's. "Let's go solve a mystery and save the town!"
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You brushed your messy hair off of your face as you climbed in the back of the van. Ian and Barley put on their seat belts and the van started with a slight rumble.
"Alright, here we go!" Barley exclaimed, and then the van was moving.
You sat in the back with your feet pulled up underneath you. You braided your hair absentmindedly as the two talked up front. Things got silent when you saw a wreck on the side of the road. It wasn't hard to understand that it was caused by the strong winds that were blowing even the van so hard that it felt like it would tip. It had caused the driver to swerve off the road and hit a parked car.
"Barley," you said, voice strained with fear.
He slowed down as he passed. You caught his eye in the rear view mirror. "I-It's okay. It doesn't look like anyone got hurt."
You swallowed hard and looked down before you turned away from the window completely and turned your attention back to braiding your hair. Barley got on the highway and pulled a map out of his pocket. He passed it to Ian before he glanced in the rear view mirror again.
"How you doin' back there, babe?"
"Fine," you said, gripping the seat as he swerved the car into the next lane.
"Still hearing the voice?" he asked.
"Sometimes," you said. You swallowed hard. No matter how much you wanted to hide it, you were nervous about everything. "I think I'll take a nap for a while."
"Sure," he said. "The blanket we use for our picnics are back there."
You nodded and turned, laying back on the seat and shutting your eyes. Maybe you would feel better if you were well rested when you went to the forest. Maybe.
You were asleep in minutes, your body still spent from everything that has happened today. Ian kept glancing back to check on you during the drive.
"Something wrong?" Barley asked, eyes on the road.
"She's really nervous, huh?" Ian frowned.
"Oh, yeah," Barley said. He nodded. "You know, she's always been like this about her powers and stuff. She's never known her parents, or where she was born..."
"What? She doesn't know her parents?"
He shook his head. "She was in foster homes growing up, you know, but no one wanted her for a long amount of time. They thought she was dangerous or cursed so she never got adopted. She's had a really tough life, hopping from home to home... and all the while, she's hated herself for her powers."
He looked down. "I-I didn't know that."
"Aw, she doesn't like to talk about it," he said with a shrug. "That's why I'm worried about her and this whole thing, you know? I don't want her to blame herself for this happening. She isn't the one causing the wind or anything and she isn't a monster."
Ian was quiet for a minute. "Do you think we'll find out who her parents are? Maybe they're the ones calling her, you know."
"Maybe. It would mean everything to her if she found out where she came from. I know it would." Barley smiled as he pictured that kind of happiness for you. He sighed. "Just gotta get her there and see."
"But what if... who is calling her isn't good? What if she could get hurt?"
Barley's eyebrows furrowed as he thought about it for a minute. "She can take care of herself."
"What if she doesn't think it's dangerous?" he asked.
"I'm not going to let anything happen to her. It's my job to protect her, and I will."
Ian's lips curled slightly upward. "You really care about her, don't you?"
"'Course I do," he said, glancing at his brother. "She's my girlfriend. I love her with everything in me."
"Is she it then?" He elbowed his brother.
Barley grinned at Ian. "Oh, without a doubt. She doesn't know that yet though. But yeah, she will." He pursed his lips and nodded. "Soon, probably."
"Soon? No way! Barley, does Mom know?"
"Probably not," he said. "But hey, it'll be a nice surprise for her later on."
He shook his head, his shoulders shaking with laughter. "I really like her too, Barley. I think she's cool."
"Yeah," he said. He took his eyes off the road and grabbed his brother, yanking him in for a tight side hug. "Thanks, man. It means a lot coming from you."
You quickly sat up in the seat, a gasp slipping out of your lips, "Wait! Barley, stop the van!"
