Summer was slowly fading away leaving the fall to take over the small town between the hills. The trees were trembling under the caress of the wind and the sun was preparing for his journey to other places.
Life followed its natural course for the people of Goodharts. Andrew was not news anymore. Everything was slowly going back to normal.
Except for Ferry. Andrew's arrival has set his parents apart even more than before. His mother seemed to have resigned herself, finding refuge in her daily chores. She's never been a chatty person. Now, her silence spoke volumes.
At school, Andrew was friendly with everyone and he was loved by his classmates and teachers. He was always smiling, always paying attention in class, and always kind to everyone. Andrew turned out to be one of the most popular students in school in the shortest amount of time. The girls in particular seemed to look for his company. But even the boys seemed to enjoy his presence. For that matter, Billy Pride was seeing him with suspicious eyes. He still hasn't forgotten their first meeting. This boy looked just too good to be true.
Even at running, Andrew proved to be the best, beating Ferry who's been the fastest boy in Goodharts until then. Which seemed to particularly delight Billy. Maybe he didn't like Andrew, but he despised Ferry more.
"Well, it looks like you're a failure in pretty much everything, Donovan," he said after the race ended.
"You lost your touch, Ferry," his gym teacher told him, shaking his head in disapproval. "What happened?" Then, turning to Andrew, "Congratulations, Andrew! Well done!"
"Thanks!" Andrew simply said. "Ferry, we can train together if you like."
"No, thanks," said Ferry and walked away, still in disbelief about what just happened. He knew his friends were in the audience, at the edge of the sports field. They were always there, cheering and jumping with joy each time he won. Now, he felt like he had let them down. But most of all, he felt disappointed with himself that he had lost in front of May who was also in the audience. He looked at her for a second. When their eyes met, he could read the confusion in her eyes.
He wiped off the sweat on his forehead and left the sports field without saying a word. At school, things were not going well either. Ferry couldn't focus and his grades were the proof of that. He was a good student. He's never been brilliant in Math, like Ben. But he was the best in Biology. Or at least, he had been.
Mr. Robert Adams, the Biology teacher had noticed, the change and called Ferry to his office. He was one of the few young teachers of the high school and has moved to Goodharts recently. He had innovating ideas about teaching and he always encouraged his students to do their best in everything. Ferry was one of his favourite students. He was always intrigued by the boy's ability to understand plants, animals, and nature in general. As if he could, somehow, communicate with them all.
Ferry entered Mr. Adams's office with a frowned face.
"Did you call me, Mr. Adams?"
"Come in, Ferry, come in. I wanted to have a chat with you."
"Sure... About what?" he asked, taking a seat.
"About nothing in particular. I just wanted to know how you've been? How you're feeling?" he said, playing with the heavy iron ashtray while smoking a cigarette. Ferry felt the dizziness taking over him little by little. Apart from iron, tobacco also had a bad influence on fairies.
"Fine... I think..." he said, feeling his breath getting heavier.
"What about your brother?"
"He's fine, too. It seems he adjusted pretty well."
"And you are okay with that? I've talked to the Headmaster about you. People at the Town Hall need to clarify your situation. Because you're not the real Andrew Donovan, you know... Technically, in documents, you don't exist," he added, pushing the ashtray by mistake a few inches closer to Ferry.
"I know..." said Ferry and his foot began to twitch. It wasn't the time nor the place for this conversation. "But Mom... The Donovans want to adopt me..."
"Good, good," said the teacher, noticing his growing agitation. "I'd like to ask you something. I made a small greenhouse in my backyard. It's not much... Could you come when you have the time and take a look? I know you're good with plants," he said, smiling.
"Sure," said Ferry. "May I leave now?" he asked, feeling the room getting smaller and the air getting thinner.
"Of course," said Mr. Adams. "Hope to see you soon."
Ferry didn't have the time to say goodbye, that strong the sensation of failing was. He stormed out the door, although he still had the Physics class before the school day ended. But he didn't stay. He was running, and he didn't stop until he got far, as far as you can reach when you live in a small town. To the Shepherd's Forest.
*
"Where have you been?" Matilda snapped at Ferry as soon as she met him, wandering the streets. "We've been looking all over for you, me and Ben. I even had to carry your schoolbag," she said, throwing the schoolbag at him. Ferry could barely have the time to catch it.
"I'm sorry, Matt. I just needed to clear my mind a little..." he said without mentioning the forest. Although dangerous, Shepherd's Forest seemed to have brought ease to him.
"You could've told us," she continued scolding him. "I was so, so worried about you! Don't you ever do that to me!" she said, punching him in the arm. Then, she blushed. "To us..." she added in a calmer tone.
Ferry rose three fingers, "I won't. Fairy's honour!" he tried to make a joke.
"Matt's right," said Ben who's been a few steps away from Matilda's rage. "You know it's our duty to look after you."
Matilda seemed to have calmed down, "We're going to Lavender's," she decided. "We need to talk."
In Lavender's garden, away from the evening hustle and bustle of the town, Ferry and his Guardians, both humans and fairies were debating the last events.
"So, as far as we know, this boy is not affected by iron, he sleeps, he eats... He behaves like a human," Thyme was the first to speak.
"Maybe that's what he is. A human. An ordinary boy," said Matilda.
But Ferry shook his head, "What about the seizure he had? And that he hurt Billy without touching him? Or that he made a mark on his body appear? That he's the fastest at running? Faster than me... Arent's those proves he's not an ordinary boy?"
Silence fell. They were all thinking about his sayings.
"What do you think, Ben?" asked Parsley.
Ben frowned, "Well if he is indeed a fairy, we just have to prove it."
"Yeah, but how?"
"With the raven's stone. Anyone who looks through that stone can see fairies or their fairy appearance. Even people. Maybe that's how we can find out who he really is."
But Thyme shook his head, "But I don't have another stone. We lost the first in Tenalach. And it's too dangerous to go to fairyland and find another..."
"Until then, we need to calm down and think maybe Andrew is who he's saying he is — the Donovans's lost son," Matilda concluded.
The fairy Guardians exchanged a few meaningful looks.
"Let's not be hasty," said Lavender who's been listening all along. "I've lived in this town for so long and nobody ever suspected I was a fairy. Fairies are shifty creatures. They can take unsuspected shapes without humans, or their own kind even knowing..."
*
That night, even though tired beyond words, Ferry couldn't sleep. There was no sound coming from his house. They all went to bed earlier. The bedtime changed in the Donovan home once autumn came. Peter had returned to the matrimonial bedroom and things seemed to have been back to normal.
Yet Ferry couldn't find peace. So he got up his bed and flew out the window; even though he had promised not to do it for a while.
He flew over the town a few times, but that didn't bring him the long-awaited quiet. So he flew further, towards the Shepherd's Forest. But before he reached the forest, he stopped. He heard whispers in the distance as he hasn't heard in a long time. The gentle breeze that started out of the blue brought them closer or further away. Yet Ferry couldn't understand those whispers.
With his sharp look, he distinguished two silhouettes at the edge of the forest. One of them was Andrew. He could recognise him from his favourite red sports jacket and his tall stature. The other silhouette was frailer, wrapped from head to toe in a dark cloak. The two were talking, and Andrew was gesticulating. He seemed agitated which it wasn't in his nature.
Ferry climbed a higher tree branch so he could see better. He couldn't hear much, anyway. From the stature and the white, thin hands that were coming out of the cloak, it looked like a woman. But he could have been wrong. All of a sudden, the soft wind grew stronger, and Ferry was about to fall off the tree branch. That moment, Andrew turned his head and looked straight at him. Ferry was certain he'd seen him.
He didn't wait any longer. He took flight and didn't stop until he reached his attic room. After his heart calmed down, he sneaked to Andrew's room. He tried the door handle and discovered the door was unlocked. He slowly opened it. He could see Andrew sleeping, tucked in his bed, wrapped in the blanket up to his chin. Breathing softly as if without a care in the world.
A shorter chapter, this time, but I hope just as interesting. Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think ;)