The Woods

Part 5

    "Bri! Bri!" Quintin yelled, his voice strained from yelling his little sister's name for so long. Once again, there was no response. He was freezing, and the sky was dotted with the first snowflakes of the season, floating down to the ground, covering the grass in a white sheet of snow. The cold reminded him of Bridget's sickness, and he was filled with vigor to find his sick sibling. "Bridget!" He called. "Br-" His call was interrupted with a fit of coughing that caused him to double over onto his knees. His choking slowly subsided to tears that ran down his cheeks and into the snow. Bridget was gone. Quintin hadn't cried for... As long as he could remember. The mountains of Lighthill did that to you. But now... He couldn't imagine a life without Bri. She always brightened his day, no matter how tough it was. He looked down at the ground where his tears had fallen and saw a bouquet of flowers. Bri's flowers. Wiping his face, Quintin stood up, flowers cradled in his arms and turned to go to the small cottage separated from town. The cottage that would never be the same. He stumbled through the thin layer of snow, his eyes dry from the shock, his mind blank. He had stood outside of Learning for hours, and it was already night. A harsh breeze blew at him, but he continued to walk. Once again, Bri's words from the other night returned to him.

    "You didn't buy this, did you? And even though you stole it... Mother still didn't want you to give it to me. Why does she hate me so?" Quintin shook his head as if he was reliving that night, but instead of leaving, he stopped walking and muttered something under his breath, something someone would not even hear if they stood beside him, but held more meaning than any other words ever spoken. To others, if they heard it, it may sound stupid or foolish, but it made sense to Quintin.

"She does not hate you Bri, she cares. She just doesn't know how to show it. You were born, after all, the day Father died. I bet that when I tell her, she will cry just as I am, no matter how much the mountain toughened her out. She will cry for you as she cried for Father that night."

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Quintin knows of the rumors about the Girl of the Forest, but pays them no mind. They are only rumors, stories exaggerated. Besides, the story is always different. Some say she was born with powers, others say she was cursed. But she doesn't exist, so it doesn't matter. But Bridget Laina Regazzini does. Quintin's only sister does matter. At least to him.