Aspen Heights, Book 2: Forgotten

Cassie

The leaves crunched under our feet as we walked through the forbidden woods behind the school. "Guys, come on, it's just a little further," Sophia said, using her hand to guard her eyes from the late afternoon sun. Ben and I followed lazily behind her, our shoulders slumped in exhaustion. "You realize you've brought us to the middle of nowhere, right?" I asked. "I'm pretty sure at the beginning of the year Ms. Porter told us not to come here," Ben added, biting his lip. "Do you want to help Elita or not? Now come on!" Sophia insisted, being her usual bossy self. "I am never wearing the right clothes for these things," I complained, staring down at my bright pink, patterned shirt. "Uh, I kinda left my glasses in my dorm room so I can't really see anything," Ben announced, squinting. I had noticed. How could I not? He looked even more amazing without them, if that's even possible. "This was seriously such a bad wardrobe choice," I continued, my white flats pinching my toes and blistering my heals with each step. "Yeah, I know, we're trying to blend in and you're wearing florals," Sophia said mockingly. I thought about how weird it is that at this point, I almost consider Sophia a friend. At the beginning of the year I hardly knew her, let alone spoke to her! Suddenly Sophia gasped, stopping dead in her tracks. I stopped too, but Ben kept walking. He bumped into me and I bumped into Sophia. There was a chorus of "ow"s and "hey"s but we all managed to keep our balance. "I told you guys I don't have my glasses!" Ben said, blushing profusely. "If you walk out the door without your glasses, wouldn't you notice cause, you know, you can't see!" I said. "I'm not blind Cassie!" He replied. "Guys look!" Sophia cut in, pointing to the ground. "My mom said she'd put out this red string so that we would find her. Come on, let's follow it!" she said excitedly. "Yeah, that looks promising," I replied sarcastically. We followed the string for what felt like an eternity, but finally we reached the end. "This is it," Sophia remarked. "This is it?" I asked, staring blankly at the giant tree trunk in front of us. "It's all that's here," Sophia replied, looking a bit quizzical herself. "You know, when we do come upon your mother she had better help us, because as it seems, it's very difficult to find her," Ben said, pointedly. "I don't know what to do now," Sophia confessed. "Stand back Sophia," I said, holding my head high. "I've got this," I added, charging towards the tree. I ran right into it's hard, bumpy surface. "Ow," I murmured, grabbing my aching head. So maybe that wasn't the best idea. "Anyone else have any ideas?" Ben asked. "Let's just go back," I replied, hanging my head in defeat. But then the ground started to shake. The tree rumbled and squealed, coming to life. "Oh my gosh," I said, staring at the once ordinary tree trunk. It had opened up and now there was a gaping hole in it! "Well, let's go inside!" Sophia said, excitedly. We walked, one by one, through the entrance. I jumped in surprise as it closed up behind me. "Um, Mom? Hello! Mom? Is there anyone here?" Sophia called, venturing farther into the depths of the tree. "Maybe we should just go back," I whispered to Ben. "It'll be fine Cassie, just keep going," Ben replied, urging me forward. "Ok," I replied, gulping nervously. It was pitch black and I couldn't see a thing. I began cautiously walking forward. "Ah!" I shrieked, as I tripped over a root in the ground. I reached out and grabbed Ben's hand. It was soft and warm. "Uhhhh..." Ben said awkwardly. "Sorry! I'm just gonna keep going, I didn't even mean to do that! So sorry!" I sputtered, yanking my hand away. Ben followed behind. As I continued tiptoeing through the darkness I noticed a light up ahead. As I walked around the corner my eyes grew wide. We were in a room, a tree room! "Woah," Ben muttered, scanning the strange room. It was filled with interesting objects. Antiques, vases, porcelain figurines, books, bottles and rocks. It was almost like an office, there was a desk, a book shelf and a reading nook. "What is this place?" I asked in amazement. "I guess this is where my mom wanted to meet," Sophia replied, equally mesmerized. "Where is she?" Ben asked. "Sophia! There you are!" came a voice from behind a large china cabinet. A figure appeared. Sophia's mom. Her hair was strawberry blond, not nearly as bold as Sophia's. She was wearing glasses which sat slightly askew on the bridge of her nose. "I was so worried that you weren't going to be able to find this place, let alone open it and get in. But you did! Here you are!" she sang gleefully. "Mom, what is this place?" Sophia asked. "Somewhere safe. Somewhere they won't be able to find us. Now introduce me to your friends!" her mother insisted. "Oh, right, Mom this is Ben, and this is Cassie, she's my roommate," Sophia explained, gesturing to each of us in turn. "Mom, we need to talk about Elita," she continued, clearly wanting to get straight to the point. "You mean the chosen one? The Elita? I already told you, it's dangerous for me to talk about that person," her mother said. Her eyes darted around the room worriedly, as if someone might be listening in on our conversation. "No mom, we're talking about Elita," Sophia repeated persistently. "She is the Elita too though," I added, not sure why Sophia was beating around the bush. "The chosen one's name is Elita?! Sophia why did you tell me that?" her mother asked, her eyes wide. "Because, they already know," Sophia replied. "You know what can happen though, right? If they know her name?" Sophia's mother asked, cringing at the thought of it. "Yes, because it's already happened," Sophia explained. "She doesn't have control anymore," I said sadly. "I guess I know why you need my help now," her mother nodded. "Is there any way that we could...you know, get her back?" Ben asked hopefully. "That's something that she needs to do on her own. However, there might be something that we could do to help push her in the right direction," Sophia's mom suggested. "Then we have to do it," Ben replied. "Before we do anything you need to fully understand the Aspens and the Hiats and where they come from," she said, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Centuries ago there were twin daughters. One named Aspen, the other Hiat. They were very similar, yet very different. Aspen was born with something Hiat wasn't," she explained. "What?" asked Ben. "I'll tell you, but first, you see, like the chosen one-" "Elita," Cassie interrupted. "Like Elita has a scar, so did Aspen. In fact, every Aspen ever born had a scar or 'birthmark', each one different, and all meaning something different. Predicting your fate, your destiny! Aspen's birthmark meant 'the beginning'. So now I'm going to tell you a little story about the two girls," she said, grabbing a book from the book shelf. She sat down in the near by rocking chair and cleared her throat before beginning. "Once upon a time, long, long ago, there lived two sisters. The sisters were twins and resembled each other quite closely. They both had light brown hair (Aspen's a bit curlier than Hiat's), blue eyes (Aspen's a bit brighter) and freckly faces (Aspen's a bit more freckled) but they were two very different people. Aspen was born with a birthmark on the right side of her neck. It looked like a half filled triangle with three dots below it. One day Aspen was standing in the garden outside her family's small cottage, staring at the locket which was levitating above her hand, satisfied. She concentrated hard on the shiny, gold object before her, so as not to let it fall. Little did she know her sister, Hiat, was approaching her from behind. "Aspen, mom says-" her sister started, but paused when she realized what Aspen was doing. "Aspen?" she asked, staring at the floating piece of jewelry in amazement. "Hiat," Aspen replied, the locket falling to the dirt. "Aspen...how were you doing that with your locket?" Hiat asked suspiciously. "I...I don't really know. This has been happening for the last couple of weeks. It's like I'm just doing it with my mind," Aspen explained, blushing. She hadn't planned on her sister finding out. "You're a witch Aspen!" Hiat gasped. "No! I'm not! Please, you can't tell Mom and Dad!" Aspen begged. "They won't send you away, they love you," Hiat replied. "Not when they see what I can do. You've seen what they do to witches...what our own father has done to witches," Aspen insisted. "He would never do that to you! Now come on, it's time for supper," Hiat said, motioning for Aspen to follow her back inside. "I'm not going back there until you promise me that you're not going to tell them!" Aspen said. "If that's really what you want, then I won't tell them Aspen. Now come on," Hiat said, turning to go inside. But Hiat didn't have to tell her parents, they found out all on their own. And when they did, they kicked both Aspen and Hiat out immediately. Their idea was that if one twin was a witch then the other must be too. Aspen and Hiat stood near the woods, about a mile away from their house, where they were no longer welcome. "I'm not a witch like you! I shouldn't have to leave!" Hiat spat angrily, stomping her foot. "I'm sorry Hiat, I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I don't feel like a witch..." Aspen said, looking down at her feet in shame. "Well, you are. Come on," Hiat said, walking closer to the forest. "Where are you going?" Aspen asked. "We can't stay here. We need to find somewhere to live," Hiat said. "Once we find somewhere, don't you think it's best to stay hidden?" Aspen suggested. "Sure," Hiat agreed. It didn't take long for the girls to find somewhere they felt safe. They found a hollow tree to live in, where no one could find them. One day Aspen was standing in what she and Hiat now knew as home, holding a necklace with a heart shaped charm in her outstretched palm. "What are you doing?" Hiat asked as she walked in. "You made me loose my concentration," Aspen replied. "I'm sorry. Wait, is that mom's necklace?" Hiat asked, pointing to the heart shaped charm in Aspen's hand. "I mean technically it's mine. I made it for her birthday just last year," Aspen reminded her sister. "That doesn't mean it's yours! She loved that necklace!" Hiat insisted, annoyed by her sister's greed. "I just wanted a little piece of her," Aspen explained, sadly. "They kicked you out because of who you are! Why would you want a piece of that? What are you even doing with it?" Hiat asked. "I'm trying to enchant it," Aspen explained. Hiat sighed in disbelief. "More witchcraft?" she asked, secretly jealous of her sister's powers. "Well, since I'm here I might as well. I'm not hiding from anyone anymore!" Aspen replied. "Really? Is that why we live in a tree trunk? We're still wearing the same clothes we did when we were back there!" Hiat complained, eyeing Aspen's dirty dress in disgust. "Just leave me be," Aspen said. "Gosh, you know, I am so sick of being in this place!" Hiat cried, throwing her arms into the air. Her cheeks were bright pink with frustration. "Then leave Hiat!" Aspen replied. "Fine. Maybe I will," Hiat said, stomping away. And she didn't come back. Hiat left her sister so she could go explore the world and see what was really out there, away from the tree trunk. Aspen didn't see her sister again until almost two weeks later. She came running into the treehouse yelling "Aspen! Aspen!" She was wearing a frilly white dress and her hair was all curled up. "Hiat! You're back!" Aspen shouted with glee. "Of course I'm back! And I'm back with amazing news! You have to come with me! Beyond the trunk of this tree! It's an amazing world out there! So much has changed while you were away!" Hiat insisted, looking to her sister with pleading eyes. Aspen's face fell. "I'm glad you like it, but really, I shouldn't go," she said, forcing a smile. "If you just don't use your powers it shouldn't be a problem! Come on! You need new clothes anyways," said Hiat, seeing that Aspen was still in the same pink dress. "And...I met a boy!" Hiat said dreamily. "A boy?!" Aspen replied, staggering back in surprise. "Yes! We're getting married!" Hiat cheered. "You've been gone for a week and a half! You can't just marry this person! How long have you known him?!" Aspen sputtered, her eyes growing wide. She was appalled by her sister's foolishness. "A week. But it doesn't matter, we're in love!" Hiat squealed, twirling in a circle. "People do this all the time now!" she explained. "Hiat, you're being ridiculous!" Aspen said, annoyed by her sister's stupidity. "No I'm not, and you're coming with me!" Hiat persisted, longing to be with her sister again. "No Hiat, I'm not interested, now please leave me alone," Aspen said. "Don't be such a downer, come on," Hiat begged. "I'm happy here," Aspen replied. "Fine. I'll see you later on," Hiat said, sadly. And then she left yet again. It took almost two years for Hiat to return. "Aspen! I'm home!" Hiat called, walking into the old tree trunk house. She was wearing a red, floral dress, even more beautiful than the last. "Hiat?! Is that you? It's been almost two years!" Aspen cried, overjoyed to see her twin again. "I said I'd be back didn't I?" Hiat said. "Yes...but I assumed you'd be back within the week!" Aspen explained. "Well I got married, and turns out I'm not quite the marrying type!" Hiat said, grimacing. "You went through with that?" Aspen asked. "Yes. And it didn't exactly work out. But does it matter? I'm back now! And I have the best idea, and a slight favor to ask," Hiat replied. "Anything," Aspen said loyally. "Great! So here's my vision. "You and I..well mostly you, create an entire kingdom! A metropolis of some sort. People are tired of the ways of the world right now. They need a new place, a new country, to live in. And we're on acres of land. It might be small but we'll have complete control over it," Hiat suggested, a gleam in her eye. "You want to make a kingdom? Who will rule it?" Aspen asked skeptically. "I will! I mean we will! Together. With your powers I'm sure you can build it within a week right?" Hiat questioned. "I've never done anything like that Hiat," Aspen replied with uncertainty. "It will be fine. I believe in you. Plus, you wouldn't have to live in this tree anymore. You could live in a kingdom, a castle, with me! You can get married, have the kids you've always wanted and I'll rule over the country. You can just sit back and relax. But there's one other thing, if I'm to be queen, I don't want to be know as a sweet, innocent little girl. When people see me all they see is my caramel hair and blue eyes, they think I must be fragile. But I'm not. I don't want to be," Hiat said. "Well who do you want to be?" asked Aspen. "I want you to make me strong, courageous and powerful. The only hard part will be the beginning. You making the place, and making me powerful. But after that,beverything will go so smoothly and perfectly. So, are you in?" Hiat asked her sister, desperation in her eyes. Hiat wanted power more than anything in the world. She wanted control over everything. She craved perfection. "Uh..." Aspen replied uncertainly. She fiddled with the heart shaped necklace that now hung around her neck. "It'll be fine, you're powerful!" Hiat insisted. "Sure Hiat, I'm in," Aspen finally agreed. "Awesome. Well you better get started," Hiat said. And Aspen did. She felt she had no other choice. She simply couldn't disappoint her sister. So she began working. Working with elements she had never worked with before. She exhausted herself. The week dragged on but finally Aspen finished. She lay in her bed, breathing shallowly, hardly able to move. "There you are! People have been looking for you everywhere!" Hiat exclaimed, barging into Aspen's tree room. "They want to thank you. You did it! You made an entire kingdom!" Hiat face glowed with joy. "You like it?" Aspen asked wearily. "I love it! Everyone does! Now come out to the castle. You don't want to sleep in here anymore," Hiat said. "I'll sleep in the castle tomorrow night, I'm just exhausted right now," Aspen replied. "That's fine. So I was thinking for tomorrow we could start getting me my new skills, if you know what I mean. People are still thinking of me as some innocent little girl and I'm so tired of it," Hiat complained. "Isn't the people's respect something you should earn?" Aspen asked. "I've tried that Aspen! You're my last hope. So, tomorrow then," Hiat repeated, making sure her sister understood. "If that's what you want," Aspen replied. Of coarse it is! Love you sis," Hiat replied. However, as the days and weeks and months went by Aspen was still not able to give her sister the one and only thing she wanted. "Aspen! Where are you?!" Hiat shouted, entering Aspen's house yet again. "I'm right here," Aspen replied, dark circles under her eyes. "Oh my gosh, when's the last time you changed your outfit or brushed your hair?" Hiat sneered. "I don't know Hiat. I've been working on this for you for months and nothing's working, and I haven't had time for anything else," Aspen explained, looking defeated. "Well I came here to tell you that your last spell didn't work either," Hiat sighed impatiently. "Oh no, what did I do wrong? Ok, let me go over this," Aspen said. She scrambled around the room, pulling books from shelves and papers from drawers. The room was in shambles. "And I'm also here to tell you that you're no longer allowed to work down here," Hiat added, turning her nose up at the dark, dirty tree stump home. "It's dirty and gross and cluttered and I'm not coming down here to visit you anymore. I've created an entire wing for you in the castle and that's where you can do your work," Hiat said, fluffing the fur on her expensive, fur-trimmed coat. "I'm so tired Hiat. I don't have any time to move. Everything's here and I know where it is. I'd like to stay here," Aspen decided. "Too bad. Now try another spell on me!" Hiat demanded. "I don't have anything else prepared right now," Aspen replied. "Gosh you're frustrating!" Hiat spat. "I've been trying Hiat! I've been trying," Aspen whimpered. "Not hard enough. I'll be in the castle. I'll see you there tomorrow," Hiat said. Aspen sighed in response. The next day Aspen started working on another potion. She gathered all the ingredients and began reciting the spell aloud. She was so consumed in her work that she didn't notice a boy approaching her. He heard her murmuring the strange words and asked what she was doing. Aspen replied automatically without thinking. "I'm making a potion," She said. "I mean, I'm... I'm just collecting sticks. I'm not a witch or anything!" She lied, trying to correct her mistake. The boy had blue eyes, quite dull in comparison to Aspen's. His hair was dark brown and wavy. "Yes you are. And that's ok. You're the one that created this whole place, huh?" The boy asked, smiling a crooked smile. "Oh, uh, yeah. Who are you?" Aspen questioned. "I'm Anderson. I'm like you. If you don't believe me just look," he said, turning his head to reveal a white symbol on his neck. It was swirly and looked a bit like an ocean wave. "You have a birthmark on your neck too," Aspen gasped. "Why...what do they mean?" she stammered. "Well yours means the beginning. Mine means helper," he replied, shrugging. "I don't get it," Aspen said. "It's a mark. It symbolizes who you are," Anderson explained. "And who am I?" Aspen asked. "You're a witch! Yours is more of a birthmark where as mine's a scar," he said. "How did you get it?" Aspen asked, her eyes still wide in shock. It was hard for her to take it all in. "It was in a dream. I was told I needed to help you, and then I woke up with this scar," Anderson said, his hand brushing the unique marking. "And I found you, finally," he said. "I don't need your help," Aspen said, crossing her arms defiantly. "Really? Because the potion won't work by the way," Anderson laughed, smirking at Aspen. "You need something much stronger, especially since you've never done this before," Anderson said. "Ok, since you know everything, how am I supposed to help my sister?" Aspen asked. "I don't even know why you'd want to help her," he replied, shaking his head. "Because I love her!" Aspen said without hesitation. "You do?" "Of course I do!" "Good. Then use that. Love is a lot stronger than a potion. Use this," Anderson suggested, grabbing the heart necklace still around Aspen's neck. "You enchanted it years ago didn't you?" He asked. "Yeah but..." Aspen trailed off, wondering what that had to do with anything. "The more you use it the more power it will have," he said. "Love," Aspen repeated, nodding in understanding. "Love," Andsrson replied. And it worked. For awhile everyone was happy. But Hiat was constantly draining Aspen's energy. So much so that within six years Aspen was dead. Not before, however, she had married Anderson and had their two children. A boy and a girl, who were born with power, just like her. The end," Sophia's mom finished, closing the book. "I don't get it though. How did there become two kingdoms, back then there was only the one," I said, tilting my head in confusion. "That happened between Hiat's children and Aspen's children. Aspen's kids split off into another realm, created a better kingdom for themselves and their children," Sophia's mom explained. "That was a really interesting story Mom, but what does it have to do with Elita?" Sophia asked. "Well, a while ago when I was searching though her things, I found this," she replied. She stood up from her chair and walked over to the book shelf. She pulled a stack of books from the shelf, revealing a box hidden behind. She opened it up and pulled out a long gold chain. At the end there was a charm. A heart charm. "This was Aspen's," she confirmed. "I don't know how much good it will do Elita. She really is the only one who will be able to regain control of her own body. However this may be able to help her..ward off any invaders," she explained. "We'll try anything," Ben replied. "Good. Now you guys better get back. And don't forget, keep this place a secret. It was Aspen's special place," Sophia's mom said, her eyes drifting around the room, admiring the strange yet beautiful place. "Of course mom, we will," Sophia replied. Now things were finally starting to make some sense.