The Girl in the Woods

Chapter 4

The city of Feloix Felaii didn't seem to want to sleep, even when the sky darkened into an inky black and the moon peeked out from behind thin clouds. If the city had been a mass of lights in daylight, it was a super nova in the night time; the lights only seemed brighter in the dark, and if possible everything seemed to speed up. I didn't think I'd ever get tired of looking out over the city - the place still felt like a dream.

I sat on a crystal balcony just outside the doors of the chamber, my legs dangling off the edge between the cool bars. Several other people meandered outside the huge doors, obviously waiting for the results of the conversation. Apollo had encouraged me to go exploring before he'd ducked inside, but I stayed rooted to the spot. The concept of me exploring the place on my own was terrifying.

 Although night had fallen it was curiously warm; I knew it was a spell though, because Feloix Felaii was situated in the largest forest in Russia. Thinking about Russia made me think of Jannosh and Myrnah, and I realized that I missed them.

"Lovely view, isn't it?"

I looked up, startled. A slender, beautiful boy stood just behind me, his hands stuck deep into the pockets of shimmery pants the colour of champagne. His shirt was made of the same material, and it seemed to float around him. He looked strikingly similar to the girl in the chamber Astera had called a solstae; his skin was glowing warmly like sunlight, and his large eyes were a bottomless deep , dark blue.

"Yeah." I said, impressed with my social skills.

He smiled, flashing blindingly white teeth. "I never get tired of visiting this city - I could watch it forever."

"Weird." I replied. "I was just thinking that."

The solstae laughed; the sound was like rippling water on the beach on a summer day. "Great minds think alike! Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Not at all." I turned to look back over the city. The solstae sat beside me with barely any sound - he smelled like sunlight too.

"My name is Helios, and yours is Lilah?" I could feel his eyes on my face.

I nodded. I don't know what it was about him, but I couldn't find the words to speak. It wasn't a nervous silence, it was more reverent; Helios was a creature I couldn't have dreamed up.

"If you're wondering, I'm a part of the group who call themselves the solstae." He said conversationally. "Has Apollo told you about us?"

"Not really."

"Well, we live in the sky." He said nonchalantly, as if it was normal. I guess for him it was.

"In the sky...?"

"Well, in the clouds, to be more accurate. We can only survive this low in altitude for a couple weeks; our infants can't come here at all."

"That's cool." I said in awe, forgetting my silence around him. That sounded amazing!

He shrugged delicately beside me. The material of his clothes shifted like water over his glowing skin, and I couldn't help but sneak side long glances. "I suppose it would be for you. However, I spend most of my days wishing I was down here like everyone else."

"Why?" I turned my head to face him in curiosity. His indigo eyes met mine, and they looked amused and bitter at the same time; it was a strange combination.

"Well just put yourself in my shoes for a minute. We solstae live among clouds and sunlight all the time; there is no night or darkness for us, and our 'landscape' is always the same. However, when you look down at the earth, it's like looking at a mirage - you look in one place and see sparkling water, and you look at another and you see expansive desert." Helios flashed a dazzling smile at me. "Lilah, you live on a gigantic canvas that someone extremely talented took to with a brush; you live in something more beautiful than the sun."