The Forest

Chapter Ten

She went to her parent`s house on Saturday evening, right after work. This time there was something else she wanted to know and she needed her mother. Not just for the information, but for hugs and love that only a mother could give.

` Hey mom?` she asked her while she was drinking her coffee and eating a strawberry cheesecake. She hesitated a little since she never asked before but when she swallowed she looked at her and asked.` What was grandma like? `

` Why do you want to know? You`ve never asked about her. ` her mom said, loosing the smile and playing with a loose strawberry on her plate. She then looked at her as if she needed to know why.

` I`m just trying to understand something. ` said Tilia, not lying to her mother but withholding the truth and everything that`s been happening to her in the past few days. It made her sad but she had to do it.

` Okay… well, she was busy. Really busy, all the time. ` she said, looking at Magda`s picture on the wall. She smiled even though she wasn`t remembering the nice things. Then she turned to Tilia. `She was a lot like you - you know, when you open up. But she was like that all the time. She had no filter. She was smart, brave, strong… I loved that about her. When I was a kid, I saw her as the dragon who could save me from anything. Sometimes I feel like I should have been more like her, you know. But I`m more like my dad. ` she said and took another bite of cheesecake.

Tilia looked at her grandmother`s picture. She had a full head of purple hair that she dyed that way until the very last day. Her eyes were Tilia`s eyes - green, piercing, almost see-through. She had a lot of jewelery and nice clothes and a tiny scar above her left eyebrow. Tilia turned to her mother.

` Was she happy? ` she asked.

Her mother sighed and looked at the portrait again. ` Yeah, I think so. But sometimes she would sit alone on our porch with a book and I remember, she would wonder off and she looked like the saddest person in the world.`

Tilia`s mom seemed sad about her mother. It seemed like she never really reached the point where she was happy with her mother or where her mother was happy with her. Tilia stood up and hugged her mother. She always smelled like cookies. Her hair and cheeks were warm and soft and Tilia loved to dig her nose into her, there where she felt safe and loved.

` I wish I got to know her. ` she said, still hugging her mother.

` Me too honey. She would love you. And she would probably say that you need to loosen up a little bit. But out of all people I know, you resemble her the most. ` her mom said, petting her hair and back.

` Thank you, mom. ` Tilia said hugging her even tighter.

` I need to show you something. ` said Tilia`s mom and she led her through a long hallway to a room that smelled like fresh flowers. It was the master bedroom and everything in there resembled Tilia`s mom. She approached the vanity and opened up a box. A special box ornate with sapphires, rubies and silver vines all over the lid. Her mom followed one of those vines with her fingers and reached a ruby. Tilia thought it was beautuful. Inside she saw a necklace which had a bird carved into the pendant.

` This has been in the family for centuries. That`s a nightingale. ` said her mom touching the deep lines.

` Oh, it` beautiful. ` said Tilia admiring it, trying to see what does it look like from every side.

` You can have it. ` her mom said leaning on her daughter`s shoulder and smiling.

` Really? ` Tilia asked, adoring every bit of that piece of jewelery that connected her to her grandmother.

` You need it more than I do. She never took it off.` said Tilia`s mom. ` So that you know that you`re a Nightingale and you have a history of strong women behind you`

` Why did she wear it all the time? ` Tilia asked.

Her mother shrugged. ` We are an old family, and she was proud of that. That`s why you have her last name and not your father`s. It`s a tradition in our family that all daughters are a Nightingale. ` her mom said giggling.

` And dad had no problem with that? ` Tilia asked.

` It took him some time to accept it but once my mother`s mind was set on something, there was no turning back. ` Tilia`s mom said.

` She was hard to deal with, huh? `Tilia asked. Her mom walked over to the window and looked across the street at her parent`s old house. There was another family living there now and Tilia thought that it must have been hard. She watched her mother smile and then sigh and lean on the window. She looked lost until Tilia decided to call her.

` Hey, mom, are you okay? ` she asked.

` Oh yes. What did you ask… was she hard to deal with?` Tilia nodded. ` Yeah, but all interesting people are. `

***

` So, why are we all here? ` Mrs. Caddie asked, her arms crossed at The Lime.

` I wanted to talk to you. ` Tilia said, looking at each of them.

` I don`t like this place at all. Why did we have to meet here? ` asked Caddie, persistent in her anger and unwillingness to be seen at such a place.

` Shut up Pat. ` growled Vinnie who was squeezed- or did he squeeze them- between Caddie and Cross, drinking his latte through the straw.

` Oh, Vinnie, don`t you use those cop tricks on me. ` said Caddie, trying to take up as much space as she could to make him more uncomfortable. He looked amused by that tiny creature pushing him but he didn`t say anything. Fear is bigger than any man.

` What are these two doing here? ` Maria asked, sitting next to Tilia in her most colorful outfit, trying to stare Patty to death.

` Calm down, everyone. ` she said. ` I have to talk to you about something. ` They all looked at her and she blushed.

` What? ` quacked Caddie.

` Look, I know I said that I don`t want to do this but I changed my mind. ` said Tilia. Patty`s face smooshed into an ugly expression.

` You are wearing her nightingale necklace. ` she screamed.

` Yes, my mother gave it to me. ` Tilia said, trying to stay calm.

` You don`t deserve to wear it. Right, Gabe? ` she crossed her arms again staring at the shiny nightingale symbol on her pendant.

` Right, Patty. You are all just too loud. ` said Cross who looked completely unamused by the entire ordeal and just wanted to go home where it`s quiet.

` This is mine. My grandmother left it for me. She also left me The Book. ` Tilia said, enjoying her victory over Patty.

` The Book? ` asked Cross.

` She can`t leave you The Book. ` Patty said, her face becoming even more red than before.

` Yes she can. She sealed it with her blood so that only my mother and I can find it and open it. ` said Tilia with a smile on her face.

` What? Well that`s just stupid. ` said Patty looking away.

` No, it`s her way of protecting our family. ` Tilia said mentally giving a high five to herself.

` Protecting? From what, us? ` she asked angrily.

` Just shut up Pat. You know that Magda cared a lot about her legacy and here she is. If she is our only way of finding that damn book then so be it. ` said Vinnie when he caught his straw and took a sip.

` You are just gonna let this kid walk around with something that could possibly destroy this world?` Patty waved her hand trying to explain how big that world that could be destroyed is.

` If she`s Magda`s granddaughter, yes.` said Vinnie, looking down at her.

` Guys, I`m still here. ` Tilia said when she was done rooting for Vinnie The Bear.

` We know. And now you`re never going away. ` said Patty.

` Honey, are you sure?` asked Maria, putting her hand over Tilia`s.

` Yes I am. This is the only way for me to find out who killed Mr. Grimm and show everyone that I didn`t do it. ` she said.

` We`ll help you. ` said Philip.

` Johnson, you knew about this the entire time? ` asked Vinnie looking at Philip. The table wasn`t wide enough. If Vinnie decided to show him his mighty fist he would barely have to move a muscle.

` Sir… Um, yes, kind of. ` he said and backed away just a little.

` Please, don`t fire him, he`s a good detective. ` Tilia said.

` I know. But from now on, report everything to me. ` he said to Phillip who sighed in relief and later claimed that he wasn`t even scared.

` Where do we start? ` asked Maria.

` His house? ` asked Philip.

` Already been there, not much else to find other than a letter. ` said Maria.

` Well of course, dummies. Who would keep stuff like that around their house. You have to go to the forest. ` said Patty looking not much happier than before. She wouldn`t miss her opportunity to call them dumb.

` The forest? Where those creatures are? ` Maria asked.

` Yes. Why, are you afraid? ` asked Patty, resembling a child, almost putting her tongue out.

` No, of course not. ` said Maria not letting an old lady beat her.

` What`s in the forest? ` asked Phillip.

` Our base. ` said Cross.

` A base? ` asked Tilia. She didn`t imagine that there was anything other than those creatures in the forest. But now there was a base.

` Yes, a safe house, somewhere where we used to gather and talk about these things. ` said Caddie.

` So you picked a house in the forest where you can just get grabbed by those creatures? `asked Maria.

` Well you can`t get grabbed if you have that necklace. ` said Vinnie, pointing at Tilia`s neck.

` What? ` Tilia, maria and Philip asked unanimously.

` Why do you think she always wore it? It`s because they are afraid of nightingales. ` said Patty.

` The creatures that kill people are afraid of little birdies. ` said Philip.

` Yes. Don`t ask, everyone has a weak spot. Apparently theirs are nightingales. ` said Vinnie waving his hand and almost hitting Cross` nose. He carefully avoided it and continued to sip his tea.

` So we just go behind her or what? ` asked Maria.

` Yes, you have to walk close to the necklace or you`re dead. `said Cross smelling his cinnamon apple.

` Well that`ll be fun. ` said Phillip.

` We haven`t been there ever since she died.` said Vinnie.

` So?` asked Maria.

` So that place must be in ruins by now. `said Vinnie with a sad look on his face.

` We`ll see. It might be where she hid the book. ` said Tilia.

` Possibly. ` said Maria, a little worried about going to the forest.

` Give me back the key. `said Tilia putting her open palm on the table and looking at Patty. She looked angry but pulled out the key from her pocket and slamming the key on her hand so hard it was red long after. Poison comes in small bottles.

` We can go immediately. Come on, you two. ` said Tilia to Philip and Maria.

` What about the rest of us? ` asked Vinnie. Tilia looked at the three of them on one part of the booth and smiled.

` Well… I didn`t think you would like to go. ` she said thinking mostly of Caddie and Cross.

` So, would you? ` asked Maria.

` Who`s in? ` asked Phillip and the three members of the Council - some of them unwillingly-said unanimously: ` I`m in. `