My Mistake (Sequel to My Life) #WATTYS2019

Chapter 15

Suddenly, all eyes turned to me. "Vanessa? How?" Victoria asked. I also nodded, confused. Charlie sighed. I could tell that he hated to talk this much. "... It's... It's just something I can tell..." he said softly, his voice trailing off. I looked at Jack, who was intently staring at me.

"It makes sense you know... If Vanessa is the daughter of Chaos, then she can probably make things appear whenever she wants," Jack mused out loud. One of the twins- I think it was Devon this time- jumped in. "She, like, totally earth-bended the land! She made that slab of earth for Nico and Tori!" He said excitedly. "Which one are you?" I asked, tilting my head a little. "I'm Damion, and the other one is Devon," he answered. I made a 'tsk' noise.

Nico tapped his sword against a tree. "Guys we still need to talk about how Van summoned the Grove," he said, looking at the group in front of us. "Maybe she was wishing for it subconsciously... Whenever mama needed food, she'd make this thinking face and BAM! food is in front of us," Aileen explained in her soft, airy voice. Everyone flinched, and it didn't go unnoticed by the young banshee. I bit my lip, leaning against one of the trees. "May-" I was cut off with a squeal from Kayla.

"H-Hey!" she said, fear seeping into her voice. I turned, seeing a figure run. I motioned for everyone to follow. As quietly as we could, we rushed to the figure. "Hey! Stop!" Jack shouted after we reached what we thought was a dead end. The being turned to face us, but its face was partly shrouded by the foliage and shadows. But I saw a bright, burning red eye. ​​​​​​​

With a flick of its wrist, it disappeared, leaving behind only ashes in its place. I walked towards it, but I was pulled back by Nico. "I wouldn't if I were you... Can't you smell that? I've smelt it somewhere before... It's poisonous, trust me on that." I nodded in understanding.

"Guys, I think we should have our camp here for the night," said Victoria. Looking up, I noticed that it was getting dark. How long have we been following that... thing? I nodded and put my little backpack down. "... Is there anything that you can summon for us to eat?" Kayla asked hopefully. I bit my lip. I haven't tried that out.

I took a deep breath and gave them a half smile. "I can try."

Looking at the empty space before me I concentrated on a hare or a large boar to appear. We needed to eat, and I could tell that they haven't really eaten a proper meal in ages. I heard a gasp and I opened my eyes (when did I close them?). In front of me were four large, mangled birds.

"They, uh... died painfully..." said Jack softly. Everyone nodded. Nico got up. "Well, I'll go gather some wood. Maybe some leaves as well," he said, looking at everyone for a moment. Victoria stood up as well. "I'll help," she said with a soft smile. I narrowed my eyes a bit, and thankfully for the darkness, no one saw my glare towards the girl. Nico cleared his throat and gave her an awkward smile. "Um... sure."

I watched as they walked away. What's wrong with me? I have no right to be mad... it's just gathering firewood and leaves... right? Am I possibly jealous of this girl? I sighed and looked at everyone "Well, let's set up as best as can," I told everyone as cheerily as possible.

As everyone set to work, I remembered my mental note. I looked at Aileen who was sitting very far away from everyone. My heart cracked watching her sad figure float all alone.

"Aileen? Can I talk to you for a moment?" I asked softly, approaching her. The young monster stared at me. "Yes?" she asked softly. I could hear the sadness in her voice. "Listen... not everyone understands what you are... So don't let them get to you. First, explain why you are here, why you're not with your mother..." I said softly. She made a small noise of understanding. "Can I explain during dinner?" Aileen asked, tilting her head. I nodded, smiling.

She gave me a small smile back and turned away. I knew she wanted her time to herself, so I (awkwardly) made my way back to the others. By now, Nico and Victoria was back. They were talking lowly with each other and I tried to rip my eyes away. Finally, I was able to stop. "Okay, we should start a fire," I announced.