Unknown L (Book 1)

~~~ Actions And Reactions ~~~

Bryce looked in Folen's direction this time, and he grinned toothily back at him. L had a feeling that's exactly what he was planning to say if asked.

They all dispersed a few seconds later. Emilia patted L's shoulder in an almost affectionate manner before she gave Bryce a smile and left.

L watched her go and then walked over to Bryce.

"I still can't believe you have a sister, and a niece for that matter. You seem like the only child, lone ranger type."

Bryce's brow quirked as he picked up his bag and turned to look at her.

"Is that the impression I give off? I didn't realise, but family is a complicated issue with Elves, especially my family." He cleared his throat, "Anyway, I'll walk you back to your cottage so you can get a bag packed; get some clothes and some snacks, that's all you'll really need. I'll call back a little before we have to go... Oh, and I'll make sure to mention to Maeve and Matilda that you don't need any company tonight. Give you some time to yourself since you'll be surrounded by the group for the next week or so."

L was grateful to him for telling them not to call in. She did need some alone time. Though she was surprised that this mission would take so long.

"A week? That's a long time to be gone for. Is it gonna be that hard?"

"Well, we don't know what will happen or how much fighting there will be." He hesitated and stared at her face for a moment. "We also don't know what the Worcesters state of health will be. That's something we have to take into consideration for the journey back."

He said the last part a little softer, and L nodded but didn't say anything else. It had already been playing on her mind, and she didn't want to discuss it with Bryce.

He walked her back to her cottage, but this time, they didn't sneak. It would have looked like they were coming back from a stroll, and nobody paid them much attention. Bryce took them on a different route this time that didn't pass by the Council's cottage, but it took a little longer. L didn't mind. She was thinking about what Bryce had said about her back in the meadow and how he had described her. She knew she was all of those things, but how much would they help?

She found herself caught up in thoughts of what might happen once they were back out in the world. She might have to face up to Demons again and possibly fight some. She wasn't afraid of that possibility, however. If they were the things keeping Robbie prisoner, then she would slaughter a thousand just to get him back. She was painfully reminded of the state of their house, the deserted farm beyond, and how long it had been since she'd spoken to him.

Bryce left her and her thoughts outside of her cottage. She watched him go and then retreated into the house to focus and start packing. She moved naturally but she couldn't stop thinking about the spell and how it was memorising her movements; she wondered if it would mimic her moods too because right now it would only be getting anger and frustration. She distracted herself with packing and then jobs around the cottage. There wasn't much to do, and when she was done, she went to get a shower. It washed away some of her rage and the dirt from when she'd been climbing.

L was almost reluctant to put her old human clothes on and was surprised that she thought of them in that way now. She pondered the idea of asking Matilda to get her some more of these new clothes before they left, but she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to get rid of her once she did. And how would she explain why she needed them or why she was going out in the middle of the night.

L decided to put pyjamas on instead since she didn't plan on going back out. She took her parents' note from the pocket of her clothes and took it downstairs with her and got comfortable on the sofa. She stared at the note, though it was etched into her mind; the shake of the handwriting, the colour of the ink and now that she knew more of her story it made her question if she knew her parents better.