A Search for Paradise (On Hold)

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Mae curled up against me as her mother stormed around the forest, shouting occasionally.

“Mila, calm down,” I tried to sooth, but it didn’t work.

“Calm?” Mila said in a hysterical voice. “How can I calm! I’ve just been chucked out of my home! I know you’ve always been the type to adjust, but that doesn’t mean I am! You’ve always been the ungrateful one. Vera’ always been the perfect girl, but no you just had to rebel as always!” Her words it me like a slap in the face because I knew they were the truth.

“Come on,” I said gently, putting my arm around her and leading her to Seraphine’s hut. “Seraphine will know what to do.”

Mila calmed down slightly as we walking in silence to Seraphine’s hut. She wasn’t mad at me but her disappointment was worse. I had let her down.

Seraphine was waiting for us as if she’d expected us to come. She had a blanket ready and wrapped it around Mila’s shaking body. I picked up Mae and walking inside.

Seraphine’s fireplace was giving off waves off heat, which was a relief as the weather had gotten freezing.

“We need a place to stay,” I informed Seraphine.

“You will stay with me,” Seraphine said simply. I smiled thankfully and settled Mae down with Mila.

“I have to find Vera,” I informed Seraphine before running back to the village. Vera would freak out if she found out Mila and I got kicked out of the village.

Vera wasn’t hard to find. Obviously she had already heard the news since I found her sobbing by the gate. I grabbed her hand and pulled her to Seraphine’s house.

The next morning when Mila was acting slightly less deranged and had settled down, Seraphine took Vera and Mae to go pick some fruit. She was going to show them the best ones to pick and why, just like she did to me once.

I stayed with Mila. She was still looking pale and wasn’t acting herself. I was worried about her.

“Are you feeling okay?” I asked timidly after Seraphine, Vera and Mae left the hut.

Mila thought about it for a moment before replying. “Physically, I feel fine. Mentally… I’m not so sure.”

“You can talk to me, you know. I know what it’s like to not be able to talk to somebody and it’s better to get it off your chest.”

Mila nodded. “Listening to the elders speaking about our ancestor, Serenity, brought back some memories from the past,” she said finally. “About Mae. You’re not the only one who’s rebelled.”

“What did you do, Mila?” I asked, surprised. Mila wasn’t the sort to go against the rules.

“It’s quite a long story…” Mila trailed off.

“Oh come on, we have time!” I scoffed.

“Alright then. When I was twenty-seven years old, I was madly in love with Arlo, as you probably remember. You were fourteen at the time, I think. I would do anything for Arlo to be my husband. Plus we were struggling at the time, just the three of us. You have no idea how hard it was to raise such a difficult girl even if Vera was pleasant enough.”

I playfully slapped Mila’s arm and she laughed.

“One day, Arlo told me that if I could marry him if I passed a test. I accepted, and that night he took me to the Hunter’s Forest. I was curious to see what the test was, but scared as well.

“Arlo led me into the depths of the forest and chained me to a thick tree. He said that if I lasted the night, I would be proven worthy of being his wife. He knew that I was terrified of the forest, but him being the malicious man he was, thought it was fun to see me so terrified.

“Arlo left and the sun went down, the forest cooling down. I called out for help but nobody answered. It was only Arlo who knew I was there. I thought I was going to die.” Mila shuddered and I gasped. Arlo was so horrible and I didn’t even know the extent of how awful he was.

“I never stopped shouting. I had to get home to you and Vera because if I didn’t, I knew you would never last. Anya is a harsh place, Sara. No place for two young girls without a guardian. Anyway, I kept calling out for help until I felt the chain fall to the ground. I looked around behind the tree and there stood a man, crossbow in hand. He had saved my life and I was so thankful you have no idea.

“The man introduced himself as Austic and invited me to his hut. I couldn’t go back to the village since it was still night, so I accepted the offer. I was frightened when he led me to Forbidden Bay, but not as nervous as I was back in the forest, so I swallowed my fear.

“When we got to the hut, I saw his face for the first time. He was so startlingly handsome. I knew at that moment Arlo no longer meant anything to me. Austic was my everything.” Mila’s eyes looked far away and a hint of a smile was on her lips.

“As the sun began to rise, Austic took me back to the forest so that Arlo would think I spent the night there. I didn’t want him to, but he said Arlo was who I was destined to be with, not him. I fought with him about it, for the first time not caring that I was being reckless, but Austic remained stubborn.” Mila sighed. “I guess that’s where Mae gets her stubbornness from.”

“Mae isn’t Arlo’s daughter, is she?” I gasped. Mila shook her head.

“Mae is Austic’s daughter. Arlo only thought she was his.”

“What happened next?” I asked.

“Arlo saw that I’d survived the night, we got married and I found out I was pregnant. Arlo didn’t suspect a thing. Mae was born and even though she hated him, Arlo didn’t even notice it.”

“That’s awful,” I whispered. Mila nodded in agreement and seeing her hurt face, I made a promise to myself that I would make her happy.