Moonbound Secrets

EPISODE THREE — WHAT THE HOLLOW TAKES

Silverpine Hollow was not glad to have Isla return.

It put up with her.

Isla knew she was not welcome back and that feeling made Isla uncomfortable down to her bones.

She had by the kitchen window, her coffee growing cold in her hands, observing the trees. The woods surrounded the house, its limbs bending. She felt more aware of her surroundings now, more observant now.

Elias was in his own world. He sat at the far-left corner of the kitchen table. He was focused on his coloring, he couldn’t be bothered about anything. He quietly sung to himself, a melody without tune that caused the hairs on Isla’s arms to stand.

“Elias,” she said gently, “where did you hear that tune from?”

“It’s the trees mom."

She clenched the mug more firmly. "The trees do not sing."

"They do so here," he answered flatly.

A wave of shock ran through her body.

Before she could reply to his words, there was sharp a knock at the door.

Isla stood still.

Elias ceased humming immediately.

They gazed at one another.

“I’ll go get it, you stay here” Isla remarked. She placed the mug down and began to move across the room, every instinct poised for conflict.

Isla reached for the door and upon opening it, she found two women waiting on the porch.

One she knew.

It was Mrs. Hale.

The second woman seemed much younger—perhaps in her late twenties— she was wearing her blonde hair tightly braided down her back, her eyes fixed with a mix of curiosity and judgment.

“Good morning, Isla” Mrs. Hale remarked cheerfully. “We figured we’d drop in.”

Isla managed a courteous smile. “Is there a problem?”

The younger female initiated the conversation. “We learned there was… a disturbance the other evening.”

Mrs. Hale gave her a cautionary glance. “Lena.”

Isla's heart raced. "What sort of problems?"

"The sort that draws wolves from the woods," Lena remarked calmly. Her eyes moved beyond Isla, resting directly on Elias.

Elias glanced at her without any trepidation.

“Hi,” he replied happily.

Lena jumped, then covered it up swiftly. “He’s… youthful.”

"He's four," Isla stated, gently positioning herself between them.

Mrs. Hale coughed gently. “The council aims to ensure everything’s resolved.”

The term council echoed clearly and sharply in Isla's ears.

“I’m not accountable to a council,” Isla stated calmly. “I don’t belong to your group.”

“Not at all,” Mrs. Hale concurred. “However, you reside in our town.”

“And my son has the right to grow up in safety,” Isla retorted. “I believe this is something we all desire.”

Lena’s lips tightened. “Safety is… subjective.”

Isla stood firm.

The atmosphere changed behind her.

Heated. Firm.

Caleb’s being occupied the entrance even without uttering anything.

The response was instant.

Mrs. Hale’s stance became rigid. Lena's eyes slightly widened.

“Alpha,” Mrs. Hale whispered.

Caleb bowed his head in a courteous manner. "Mrs. Hale." Lena.” He said acknowledging their presence

Lena gulped. “Master.”

Isla sensed it then—the nuanced yet significant change. The manner in which the air curved around him. The manner in which the women's instincts yielded before they noticed it.

"Is there an issue?" Caleb inquired quietly.

"Mrs. Hale responded swiftly, 'No.'" "We were simply touching base."

Caleb’s thumb lightly grazed Isla’s spine—almost imperceptible, yet stabilizing.

"She is safeguarded by me," he stated plainly. "If there's worry, it is directed to me."

A moment went by.

“Certainly,” Mrs. Hale replied. “Glad to have you back, Isla.”

The words resonated differently this time.

More cautious.

They soon turned and departed, leaving behind a silence louder than any words.

Isla’s breath became unsteady. "You didn't have to do that."

“I know,” Caleb replied softly. "I did so."

She rotated to confront him. "You’re going to make the situation worse."

“I’m ensuring their honesty.” He assured holding her gaze firmly

Her heart beat painfully. "It isn't the same thing."

"I agree with you," he acknowledged. "Yet it’s the sole option for this to conclude without violence."

Elias pulled at Caleb’s sleeve. “Are you intimidating to them?”

Caleb knelt down to his height. “A bit.”

“Why is that?”

“Because at times,” Caleb said cautiously, “individuals are afraid of what signifies that change is approaching.”

Elias reflected on this, then nodded earnestly. “Sure.”

Isla looked at them—father and son—feeling an unexpected warmth and ache rising within her.

That scared her more than the council ever could.

The Hollow didn't merely seize objects.

Occasionally—

It returned them.

And that was much more perilous.

By midmorning, Silverpine Hollow had chosen to examine Isla.

Not in public. Not disrespectfully.

However, intentionally.

She sensed it the instant she arrived on Main Street, holding Elias’s tiny hand in hers. Discussions waned, then started again in softer voices. Doors remained ajar a bit longer than required. Gazes held.

Endured, she reflected once more.

That term trailed behind her like a shadow.

“Why is everyone speaking in hushed tones?” Elias inquired, swinging their clasped hands happily.

“They aren't murmuring,” Isla deceived. “They’re simply… inquisitive.”

"Me?" he inquired.

Her chest grew constricted. “Pertaining to us.”

The bell rang as Isla and Elias walked into the general store, there were greeted by the well-known aroma of flour and wood polish. For an instant, she felt she could ease up then she noticed the clerk wasn’t smiling.

“Good morning,” Isla said.

The woman nodded rigidly. "Isla Hart."

It wasn't a salutation.

Elias glanced over the counter. “Do you possess honey sticks?”

The clerk was startled, blinked, then nodded. “Row three.”

“Thanks!” Elias smiled brightly.

While Isla made the payment, the woman leaned in a bit. “Are you thinking of sticking around for a while?”

Isla maintained steady eye contact. "Affirmative."

The clerk's lips became narrower. "Next, you should be aware of your… impact."

Isla's heartbeat quickened. “What did you say?”

Before the woman had a chance to respond, Elias inhaled quietly.

Isla glanced just as a glass jar fell from the shelf—untouched by anyone—before Elias raised his tiny hand reflexively.

The jar halted in the air.

On hold.

Absolutely motionless.

The whole shop became quiet.

Isla felt her blood freeze.

“Eli,” she softly urged. “Set it down.”

He knitted his brows in focus and gradually dropped his hand. He returned the jar to the shelf with a gentle ease.

Isla noticed a woman by the entrance making the sign of the cross. Another person stepped back.

Elias gazed at Isla, puzzled. "I didn't intend to."

Isla lifted him immediately, heart racing. "I understand, darling." “I’m aware.”

She did not wait for responses.

She departed.

Outdoors, the atmosphere seemed crisper, chillier.

Her hands trembled as she lowered Elias, crouching before him. “You're not allowed to do that again." “Not in a place visible to others.”

Elias began to shed tears. “I was simply assisting.”

She wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I know my love." "its okay."

Yet dread constricted heavily in her heart.

They didn’t even last a week.

Caleb discovered them two blocks afterward.

He never inquired about what occurred.

He was able to detect the scent.

"They observed," he spoke softly.

Isla nodded slightly, tears stinging. "It occurred by chance."

"I’m aware."

She turned on him, her voice cracking. "This is precisely what I feared."

Caleb maintained her stare, firm and unwavering. “And this is precisely the reason we no longer conceal ourselves.”

She chuckled with bitterness. "You believe that enhances its safety?"

“Not at all,” he replied truthfully. “I believe it makes it sustainable.”

He motioned toward the house. “Let's go. “Let’s head back home.”

The term struck harder than it ought to have.

Within the home, an uneasy tension buzzed heavily and fitfully. Elias snuggled on the sofa, tired, with his thumb in his mouth.

Isla was in the kitchen, gazing into space.

"They will discuss," she stated. “They will arrive.”

“Indeed,” Caleb concurred. "And they will respond to me."

She spun quickly. "That isn't sufficient."

He moved in nearer, tone lowering. "It must be."

The gap between them reduced—too near, too personal. Heat surged deep in Isla’s core, unwanted and painfully recognizable.

"You don't have that kind of authority to choose that," she murmured.

“Nor do they.” Caleb retorted with jaws clenched

Her breath caught as his hand grazed hers—unintentional, yet charged.

The bond soared.

She jerked back suddenly.

“It's not possible,” she replied.

Caleb's gaze grew shadowy. “I am aware.”

Yet neither of them shifted away.

Outside, the Hollow murmured.

Due to the fact that the town had witnessed the child.

And after being observed—

Nothing could be overlooked.

The council acted without delay.

As dusk approached, the Hollow stirred.

Isla sensed it in the air, she felt it on her skin,

She could feel how the forest groaned and exhaled as if disturbed. Even Elias felt it—he became surprisingly silent, seated cross-legged on the rug with his toy wolves arranged in exact rows.

“They're furious,” he murmured quietly.

Isla came to a standstill. “who are they?”

“The silent ones,” he said, avoiding eye contact. "They dislike it when I handle items."

She became sick in the stomach.

Caleb remained posted by the entrance, his phone held to his ear, speaking in a quiet and precise tone. After he finished the call, his look was serious.

“They wish to see him,” he stated.

Isla's heart raced. "Definitely not."

"They refer to it as an assessment."

“They're referring to it as control,” she retorted.

Caleb kept quiet. “I said no to them.”

Her breathing faltered. "Well?"

"And they're dispatching someone regardless."

Panic ignited intensely and promptly. “Who?”

Caleb hesitated. " The One who observes." Nephew of Elder Mara.

"That doesn't improve the situation."

“Not at all,” he concurred. "It turns it into a political issue."

A tap echoed at the door—slow and intentional.

Isla automatically stepped in front of Elias.

“I’ll take care of it.” Caleb assured.

On the porch stood a young man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with light-colored hair and eyes that never settled, observing everything.

"Evan," he spoke effortlessly. “I'm merely here to converse.”

“You may speak from there,” Caleb answered calmly.

Evan offered a faint smile. "The kid caught a descending item in a public place."

“He grabbed a jar,” Isla retorted. "I grabbed a jar from a*****e shelf too when I was a child."

Then Evan’s eyes shifted toward Elias. “ But not in that way.”

Caleb moved ahead, asserting his dominance. "You've witnessed sufficient."

Evan paused for a moment, then nodded slightly. "At this moment."

Isla's hands trembled when he departed.

“They will not cease,” she murmured.

“Caleb replied, ‘No.’” “They're assessing the limits of their capabilities.”

Night descended dense and weighty.

Caleb was adamant about remaining.

“Only for this evening,” he remarked. “The perimeter is breached.”

Isla felt the urge to dispute.

She did not.

They placed Elias in his room, and the boy dozed off nearly immediately.

The home became silent.

Excessively silent.

Caleb sank into the sofa.