The Shadow Wanderers

Chapter 18

Just because Calista had decided to no longer go to school didn't mean Naomi had to as well. The next day was a weekday and Calista found herself sitting cross-legged on her bed with nothing to do but stare out the window into the street. Her father went to the hospital, Naomi to the school, and the rest of the Erini to their pointless errands, unaware that their 'witch' was back and was currently chilling in her room.

Calista had cleared her wardrobe in the morning and made sure to put all the full-sleeved shirts in the front which she could wear under the short-sleeved ones. She still wasn't ready to show her father the mark of what she'd endured in Vakenes.

In Vakenes, for a short time, she had felt homesick. Here, it was different. Erini had only been bearable before because she could go out for walks near the cliffs, stroll through the woods, enjoy the salty air of the beach, digging her feet in the sand. But now, she figured she would have to stay up late, go out in the darkness of the late hour for night strolls when the rest of the Erini was asleep. She couldn't risk recognition in the daylight, and couldn't even disguise herself because everyone knew everyone in Erini.

When she thought about Naomi still going to school without her, she felt her stomach twist with guilt. She couldn't even ask her to drop out. She couldn't put Naomi's future at risk when she no longer saw her own, at least on the island. Making a living for herself in Erini would be almost unachievable. Just because Calista had decided not to show her face to Erini, it didn't mean Naomi had to, as well. Besides, her parents would never agree. And it wasn't like the girls could run away from Erini—like it already believed Calista did—and find a life somewhere out there. Regardless, they wished they could.

And sometimes, imagination helped. Sometimes, Calista imagined going somewhere outside of Erini and telling people where she was from. Even though she'd never make Erini her identity, she'd imagine the confused expressions on their faces at never having heard the name of the island before.

Staring out the window of her room, Calista found herself wondering about Zayden and his army. They were still on the island, keeping Calista and the others safe from any potential threats by the demon. She wanted to go see Zayden, wanted to see him working with his army, devising strategies for the safety of people, and capturing Arik.

Naomi visited her after school and talked about how boring everything was without her, but gratefully, no one talked or even glanced at her. Even Adeline, Michael, and the other students who had previously admired Calista for practicing the legend didn't approach Naomi after the incident with the burning woods. They were the ones warning them about the reaction of Erinians should something happen, but their own reactions weren't that neglectable.

Isaac himself surprisingly stayed out of her way—there had only been a few awkward eye contacts. His staying-out-of-the-way behavior confused Calista as much as it did Naomi. Naomi wondered if he'd gotten personal reprimands from the mayor to stay away from all those the 'witch' knew. But Calista doubted it. She hadn't heard the mayor's take on the 'witchy' situation, neither from any person nor any rumor, and as far as she knew, Elijah Scott was an unbiased and considerate man.

The uncertainty of her future in Erini was twisting her heart and stomach in painful knots. If she could remove the memories of Erinians regarding the incidents, only then she could go back to living a normal life in her hometown. And if she wanted to make her life on Erini bearable, she needed to talk to the mayor.

A little after midnight that day, Calista sneaked out of her house to breathe the fresh Erinian air after being locked up in her house all day. She felt like she could finally breathe as she inhaled the dewy midnight air. A scarf wrapped around her shoulders; she made her way to the cliffs to reach the woods. She had no idea how she was going to locate Zayden's army in the dark and vast woods. As she neared the cliffs, she saw a horror that had completely slipped from her mind. Frozen dead in her tracks, Calista found herself staring at the burnt woods, the dead trees standing eerily naked; no leaves rustling in the wind, their thin boughs glistening in the moonlight.