[Hannah Kerela]

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride.
-"Annabel Lee", Edgar Allan Poe

Koysi wandered through the forest carefully, pushing limbs aside - who needed a path? She had an ethereal beauty about her in the filtered moonlight, hidden in the translucent fog that covered the ground. Her eyes were pale, and empty-looking, as if an entire abyss was contained within them. She was silent as she walked, only pausing every now and then to glance up at the brief snatches of sky that were occasionally visible.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she murmured to her companion, as her pace slowed and she looked upward.

[Hannah Kerela]

"I thought you didn't care for the stars," Ebony commented.

She followed Koysi as they walked. The younger girl had asked for her company, and she'd come willingly. It was an odd friendship, theirs. They both had their secrets, their lines not to be crossed. They'd somehow come to an unspoken mutual agreement to stay on the right sides of those lines, to merely be company for one another. She knew more than others did about Koysi, though. She knew the girl behind the distant exterior, just like Koysi saw her beneath her piles of books. She didn't know, however, what she was doing here.

[Hannah Kerela]

"That doesn't mean I can't appreciate their beauty," Koysi returned.

She kept walking. Her mind was consumed with what she was doing - getting away from that new girl, that Aine, for a while. She'd asked Ebony because Ebony could be trusted not to ask questions. And Whisper Forest... Whisper Forest was quiet, unbiased. It was easy. She glanced at Ebony out of the corner of her eye.

[Hannah Kerela]

"Whatever you say," Ebony responded.

She caught the glance, and smiled thinly. She shoved her hands deeper into the pockets of her white labcoat, now slightly dirtied from usage in such a moist, dirty place. She wasn't going to press Koysi for details, though she couldn't deny her curiosity. She walked on behind Koysi, silent. Koysi would talk when she was ready; that was how things worked between them.

[Hannah Kerela]

Koysi let the conversation drop.

She walked onward, glancing every so often at Ebony. Finally, they reached a relatively clear area and she stopped, turning to look at Ebony.

"Thank you for coming," she said. She watched the other girl, who shifted stance to look back at her. She could see the curiosity in her eyes, could taste it in the air around her, sweet like honey. She was quietly thankful that the girl had waited to press, though. Being far out of civilization's reach would make this far easier.

[Hannah Kerela]

Ebony nodded. "Of course," she assured her friend.

So Koysi did intend to explain. She rocked back onto her heels, waiting. She could see the indecision in Koysi's eyes, and contemplated the emotions within it. There was fear, of course, and embarrassment. She wondered what Koysi could be so worried about. Surely, there wouldn't be anything worse in what she had to say than what Ebony's own life encompassed - left alone for the simple reason that she was unwanted, nothing more, nothing less. Surely, Koysi wasn't as bad.

[Hannah Kerela]

"I'm not human... and I'm being hunted."

There, it was out. She'd known that she had to tell someone, of course. However, she hadn't expected it to feel so freeing. She looked at Ebony, watched the girl's facial expression change. It was remarkable, the speed with which she saw surprise, disbelief, reasoning, and conditional acceptance flash through Ebony's eyes. It was one of the reasons she trusted the girl; she could count on her to wait until she had evidence to make a judgment.

[Hannah Kerela]

Ebony considered this for a long time. She looked at Koysi, trying to size her up. Was she lying?

No signs of lying. She's tense, but it's apprehension, not stress - she's worried that I'll turn on her, not that I'll disbelieve her.

The thought of Koysi's trust was touching, actually. With a secret this outrageous, she trusted her to come to the right judgment. The thought was astounding - but, then, what was science except one surprise after another? Her mind moved onto the next option. Was Koysi fully conscious, or was this the result of an altered state of mind?

Pupils aren't dilated. Muscle movement is good and natural, and her eyes are focusing well. She's responding to stimuli normally. Not drugged, then, or drunk, and probably not asleep. She's not relaxed enough to be hypnotized, but hypnosis' effects have been contested anyways.

Conscious, then, and honest. There were only two options left: Koysi was either mad, or correct. She knew that Koysi was not mad. Therefore, she was correct. Koysi was not human. She nodded to Koysi.

"Go on."

[Hannah Kerela]

Koysi sighed. "I'm... fae," she said. "Truly. Though, no, I do not have wings," she said, the last part accompanied by an amused smirk.

Her bravado was mostly faked now - she didn't want Ebony to run out on her, or deem her mad. She liked the girl, wanted to keep her close - Ebony was not only trustworthy and kind, but smart. She would be willing and also able to help her not get caught in Aine's snares.

"Aine is, too," she added. "I can feel it in her. And whoever sent her isn't a friend to me, that I can assure you. This can't be a coincidence; things don't work that way for us. I have little doubt in my mind that she is either hunting me or was sent to spy on me for whomever is."

[Hannah Kerela]

Ebony frowned. "Why?" she asked, simply.

She stayed impassive on the outside, though inwardly she rebelled at the thought - how dare Aine! She couldn't comprehend how anyone could stomach betraying the people who had taken them in, especially a girl like Koysi. She had to suppress a growl of anger and frustration.

She could tell that Koysi caught the flash in her eyes, though, because the girl visibly considered what to say next. That was fine; Ebony was capable of patience, for Koysi.

[Hannah Kerela]

"Because people think I'm dangerous, is all." Koysi kept her voice carefully even. "It's unsurprising, but... frustrating."

She looked at Ebony. She didn't want the girl to overreact, certainly, but... Well, she had to confide in someone. She watched, waiting for Ebony's reaction. She couldn't help but look a little scared - it was unnerving to be spied upon, and then to out yourself to your friend.

So, yes, she was terrified.

[Hannah Kerela]

"...We'll wait it out for now," Ebony said. "I'm on your side, so we'll keep an eye out and if you feel like you're in danger, then come to me and we'll deal with it, or get someone else to deal with it."

She couldn't really say anything else, without the facts. She held out a hand to Koysi. "Come on, let's go for now." She smiled. "It's getting dark." She took Koysi's hand, heading back the way they'd come. "Don't fear."

She wrapped an arm around Koysi's shoulder, giving her a one-armed hug. She wanted to assure her friend that she was there for her, after all.