Ferry had crawled on the sofa in Lavender's living room as he returned from the Spring Fling and fell asleep immediately. He woke up when he felt someone's hand gently shake his shoulder. Between his half-open eyelashes, he saw Lavender bent over him.
"You have a visitor," she told him.
Ferry sat up and saw Ben at the entrance. He was wearing glasses again and smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Let's take a walk," he suggested.
They both went out to Lavender's garden, and Ferry washed his face and arms with rainwater from a wooden barrel that Lavender kept in the garden, under the open sky. The cold water, with the smell of fresh air and spring, immediately drifted him away from sleep.
"What a night, right?" Ferry laughed, shaking his head to remove the water drops from his hair."Yeah ..." Ben replied, looking away.
It was Saturday morning and the world seemed to be preparing for a day with generous sun and clear sky. They took a few steps through the grass where the dew glittered like pearls of cold light.
Ben cleared his throat before saying, "Listen, Ferry, I'm sorry for how I behaved lately ..."
"You could have told me, Ben," Ferry said. You know I would never have done anything that would hurt you. You're my best friend..."
"I know," Ben said slowly. "I just let myself be driven by ... I should have known better what was going on ..."
"It's all right, Ben," Ferry smiled, "Let's forget about that. Next time, talk to me, whatever it is. Promise?"
Ben smiled, "Promise."
Ferry noticed him with the corner of his eye. It was the same Ben. Now, the glasses were back and Ben adjusted them from time to time when he didn't know what to do or say. But something had changed in him. He was shining.
"So... You and Celia," Ferry said, elbowing him.
Ben blushed to the top of his ears, "Yeah ..." he said in a low voice.
"You know, I really admire your courage. Doing that in front of everyone ... I don't think I could have done it ... not even for May ..."
"I'm sorry for what happened between you, last night..." Ben said. Celia told me."
Ferry nodded. Last night was quite different for him than it was for Ben. "Let's just leave that ... Better tell me, what happened next?"
"Well, we walked until we reached the lakeshore near her house, under a willow tree on the other side of the lake house. She told me that it had once been her favorite place. And as of now, the place under the willow will be her new favorite place. You know, the sky somehow looks closer under that willow."
"That's all you did? Talked? ... What can you talk about for hours?"
"Well, considering we haven't talked at all until now ... We talked about everything and nothing, really. Then, we didn't talk at all ... Celia is exactly as I always imagined her to be," he softly said.Ferry smiled. He was happy for Ben. But he was also saddened he and May had never had such moments. There was always something between us, as thin as the air, but there nonetheless.
"And now?" Ferry asked.
"Now, we have decided not to rush things between us. We'll not make a parade with this ... Her parents are not exactly the nicest people in the world ... We'll meet in secret. After all, being together is all that matters."
"I know," sighed Ferry. I had the pleasure of meeting her parents. Speaking of her parents ... Her dad behaved very strangely when I met him," said Ferry, frowning. It was as if ..."
"As if?"
"As if he knew who I was ... What I was..."
Ben adjusted his glasses, giving it a thought, "It's weird ... Celia didn't tell me anything about it ..."
" I think her parents are hiding a lot from her. Just like Billy's parents."
"What do you think they're hiding?"
"I don't know ... But I think it has to do with the Quest. Celia's father seemed very upset about what happened seven years ago. Somehow, our departure in Tenalach is related to this secret meeting."
Ben scratched his head, "I don't know, Ferry. So many secrets ... The Quest, the disappearances in the forest, the mysterious guest ... I think you should be more careful, now that Thyme is away."
"Plus Lily Jones being a fairy and her relationship with Andrew. And Anne... Last time I saw her--"
"What happened?"
"It was as if it wasn't her anymore ... She attacked me."
Ben shook his head, "You don't know that girl, Ferry. She can be mentally or emotionally unstable."
"That's not it. When I visit her, she's kind and nice. When we meet in town, she's wild and she doesn't seem to recognize me."
"It's really weird," Ben admitted. "But there are many strange things happening in this town.
Maybe you are looking for answers in the wrong places."
"Where should I look for them?" Ferry wondered.
"In the past," Ben said in a mysterious voice.
"What do you mean?"
"I think you should read Mrs.Cobbs's diary. And the letters from the mysterious man."
Ferry shook his head no, "I can't. They're too intimate."
"They are the only ones that could hold the key to these mysteries. How about having a meeting, all three of us, me, you and Matt and read them together. Like in the old days. Three heads are better than one," he added, smiling.
Ferry turned sad, "Matt hasn't talked to me since before the ball ... She's mad at me."
Ben smiled, "Why don't you go see her? It's Saturday. Why not invite her for a bike ride? Matt would never refuse a bike ride. Besides, you know she can't stay upset with you for too long."
*
After Ben left, Ferry took his bike and pedaled heatedly to Matilda's house. They hadn't talked for a week, but it seemed like an eternity. The air was fresh and filled with the scents of spring flowers. The blossomed cherry and peach trees on the sides of the road looked like guests wearing celebration attire and preparing for the glamorous party only spring could throw.
Ferry left his bicycle near Matilda's gate and knocked on the door. Matilda's mother answered. "Ferry! she wondered. "Did something happen?" she asked, seeing him so impatiently.
"Hello, Mrs. Harper," he said between gasps. "Is Matt home?"
"Yes, she was making some cookies with Shadow. Matilda!" she called. Then, turning to him, "Do you want something to drink? I'm afraid you have to wait until the cookies are ready. We just put them in the oven ..."
"No, thank you," said Ferry. "I just want to talk to Matt."
Matilda came from the kitchen and she stood stock-still at Ferry's sight. She had flour in her hair, on her clothes and face. She dusted off the flour, slightly embarrassed, "Ferry, what are you doing here?"
"I came to take you on a bike ride," he told her, smiling. "What do you say?"After a moment of wonder, the girl's look squinted, "I thought you were tired after the ball. How was it?" she snapped.
"Interesting to some. Boring for me. I'll tell you more along the way," he said. "Can we go now?"
Matilda seemed pleased with the answer, "Alright, let me just get my sweater from my room."
"I'll bring it to you, Ferry offered himself and started up the stairs without waiting. He couldn't stand to stay under Matilda's mother and Sage's gaze who also appeared from the kitchen and now exchanged meaningful looks with the girl's mother.
Ferry opened the door of the room and headed for the closet. His entrance into the room created an air drift that formed between the door and the open window which fluffed the curtain and scattered the pages of the notebooks on Matilda's study table. A few papers scattered on the floor, too. Ferry leaned over to gather them. On the papers, he recognised Matilda's small and careless handwriting; he also found some pieces of paper, cut into small, square shapes. They were newspaper clippings. Ferry picked up one and studied it closely. His heart began to race. He recognized it immediately--it was identical to the cuts in the message left at art class; the one who revealed May's secret. Ferry searched the notebooks on the table more carefully. Between the pages of one of them, there were several newspaper clippings. He looked at the name on the cover. It was Matilda's notebook.
"Ferry, what's taking you so long?" he heard Matilda's voice behind him.
He turned to her with the pieces of paper in his hand, "Matt, what's this?"
Matilda stared at his hands as if she saw him holding her biggest nightmare. With slow moves, she bent down and began to gather the paper cuts. Her hands trembled.
"Please, say something," Ferry said in a low voice.
But she said nothing. She out the papers on the table then dashed out the door and down the stairs. Ferry followed her, "Matt, wait!"
But the girl was faster. She ran out of the house, rode her bike and started pedaling as Ferry had never seen her before. He also took his bicycle and started pedaling at speed, trying not to lose her from his sight. The girl crossed the town in a blink of an eye, then headed for the northern hills. She didn't stop at Lavender's house. Instead, she stopped under the hazelnut beside the tall grass. The tree of their first kiss. The wheel of the bike, now abandoned near the road, was still spinning when the Ferry finally arrived.
Matilda was standing under the hazelnut tree, her back to him. He slowly stepped closer to her. But she didn't turn.
"It was me," she said in a low voice. "I wrote the message about May at the Art class."
"But how did you know? When?" asked Ferry softly.
"It happened at the Fires in the Hills, after the basket bidding, she said just as softly. "I told Finn to follow you. He hid in a bush at the edge of the forest. You know how he is -- he can become almost invisible if he wants to. I told him to listen to what you were talking about and repeat everything, word for word. He does this weird thing: he knows how to perfectly imitate a person. And when he came back, he kept repeating, May is a 19-year-old grandma. Again and again. So I thought maybe there was some truth in his sayings." Then, she turned to Ferry, Thyme is right --you're careless and reckless when you're with her. You don't care about anything else. I could as well have been in that bush wearing an alien costume. It would have been the same."
"But why, Matt?" Ferry asked, feeling his blood rushing to his head. "Why? You knew how much May meant to me."
"Why?" she asked, smiling bitterly. "Come on, Ferry, don't say you didn't even suspect it. Why do you think?" she added, looking into his eyes. Then, she turned her back on him again. "I love you ..." she softly said, and her voice broke. "I've loved you so much, for so long ... I thought it was just a silly childhood phase and it will pass. Like I will meet someone who will only have eyes for me while you only had eyes for her. And I did. But nothing compares to you ..."
Ferry got closer, so close, that he could smell the cookie scent in her hair, "Matt, I don't know what to say ..."
She turned to him; she wiped away the tears that dripped from her dark eyes, as dark and as deep as a forest.
"It's true ... I've always loved you ..." she said with a sigh. "It's not because you have superpowers, or because you are the savior of a far-off land, or because you are a prince or future king, or because a great destiny awaits you. I love you because of you," she slowly added. "Because you're kind and you want to help everyone, and you can't hurt anyone. And because you like to run, climb the trees, fly on the bike, and be free ... But sometimes you can be so stupid ... And I love you even for that," she said and tears began to fall from her eyes again.
"Matt, I didn't know ..."
But Matilda was Matilda, even in the most dramatic situations, "Well, if you didn't have eyes only for May and if you didn't follow her everywhere like a puppy, you might have noticed ..." she snapped.
Ferry felt his blood rushing to his head again, "Yeah, says the one who's been stalking me since third grade ..." he snapped back.
"Stalking you?! Stalking you?!" she shouted. "Who was your friend when they all looked at you like a freak? Who was with you in Tenalach so you won't be alone among strangers? Who is always with you and always keeps your back when you do something stupid?"
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry I didn't realize it, okay?"
But Matilda shook her head, "No. No, you're not, Ferry. Because I'm tired ... Tired of being the second or the third choice. And sometimes, not even that. When May was no longer your choice for the prom, what did you do? You invited Celia. I don't like half measures. You know I don't," she said with clenched fists.
Ferry took a deep breath, "Okay. Let's calm down. Let's take a break a few days and then--"
But Matilda shook her head no, "No ... You can be with May, Celia or your fairies. I won't stand in your way."
Ferry felt his heart aching, "Wha-- What do you mean?"
She turned back to him and buried her face in her hands. She sobbed as he had never seen her before, "It's over, Ferry."
Ferry shook his head. He took her in his arms and pressed his face against her hair, "No, Matt, no ... You can't do this ... I can't lose you ... I want everything to be like before. Why can't everything be as before?" he whispered into her hair, feeling he's lacking the air.
"Can't you see it can't? Not after this ... Nothing hurts like you do," she softly said.
But Ferry couldn't let go. He felt her heart beating in the arm wrapped around her body, just as she probably felt his.
"Please, Matt ... Please ..."
But she slowly pulled away from his embrace and left. He could barely breathe. He felt as if an arrow hit him straight in the heart. He turned to her and saw her moving away.
Before picking up her bike, she turned once more, "You know those people who always ask themselves, What if? I always felt sorry for them. But now ... Everyone has a What if... I guess you're going to be mine."
Then, she walked away on the path between the tall grass.
Ferry felt his face wet. He looked at the sky among the branches of the hazelnut tree, the tree of their kiss. There was no cloud. The sun was shining just as bright. There was no rain. There were just his tears. He didn't hold them back anymore. He let them flow freely.
Ferry and Matilda have a painful breakup. How do you see their relationship in the future? Also, what do you think about the songs accompanying the latest chapters? Do you think they fit or do you prefer pictures? Let me know. Can't wait for your thoughts :)