The Unforgivable Mate Curse (long story ongoing)

Elaine Garden

P.O.V Brielle

Is another day of mind and energy training as Elder Silvanie calls it. I am now following her to the central garden, the Moon Goddess Garden, the actual, living now, goddess. If I would have to evaluate I think that it is important to be giving access to her garden, and permission for the next days to come here alone, no Elder with me. Silvanie told me that the Elders need to go out for a few days, Elders stuff and that I should continue training.

Once again, I was passing the same Hall, but this time we got to the door of the training and went right on the corridor, like going around it, after a while, Silvanie just stopped and turn her body to her right, I stopped near and saw a rock wall. I looked at Silvanie.

“Come here.” She gestures for me to be in front of her. I go and stand in front of her “See these rocks that have an uneven shape.” Her arm goes from the left to the right and I see some rocks that are more rudimentary than others, almost doing a circle, only interrupted by the ground “This is the door to Elaine garden.” I just continued looking, there was only a wall, the only difference was those rocks. “Put your arm in front of you, and your palm against the wall.” I did that. “Now say after me. With these words, I utter now to unlock this passage to me.”

“With these words, I utter now to unlock this passage to me.” The rocks started to move, and readjust themselves on the rudimentary rocks, when it’s over, there was a passage.

“Let us go.” I got inside, gave a few steps forward, the forest air hit me, the singing of the birds, the rustling of the animals. And then quiet, like they saw us. I look in front of me, is a grass path with a few rocks now and then just to say to us this is the path to follow, in each side of the path tall trees that rose in the sky, in them, flowers bloomed like lovers around their trunk. Silvanie came beside me, and we started walking slowly.

Every time I looked around not only trees but now and then, I could see along the path sculptures of animals and creatures that seemed like the tree was born in the form, with leaves, flowers, and petals coming from the sculptures, like Ellen Jewett sculptures but the size of a  person. At first, it would seem like they were abandoned there and the forest took possession of them. We continued walking until the trees gave space to a leaf clover field and in the middle a ruin that also did a semi-circle, no roof but it had a rock staircase to climb, and on the top, one side a fountain that had a mermaid sitting on a rock, her hands holding a Seashell to her ear, the water came down from the tail scales down to a big oyster shell, that was on the floor,  looking to the water I could not see the bottom, the water was clean, but the bottom was dark. I then continue looking around, on another wall, it was covered with climbing ferns a few fuchsia ballerinas with different colors, in front of the wall was a big and also a somewhat circular wooden bench, and when I say wooden, almost like a tree was cut in half, one for the bottom another for the back, the plain side being the one we sit on, with two tree trunks on each side doing the impression of bench legs, and a few pillows scared around, a round rustic coffee table in front of the bench, and a very fluffy blanket on the end of the bench,  I had to look twice because I was wondering why there was a sheep on the bench. 

On the other side, there was a door on the wall, just a door.  I looked up, no roof, but a lot of branches, flowers, and leaves from a tree that covers most of the top, I could still have sunlight. There were on the branches those old hangings lamps, that sometimes we see on people’s porches, but no candle inside, and no glass also. 

“This will be your place of study, you can meditate on the clover field, and come to the bench to rest and eat.” I got interrupted by Silvanie from my eye seeing. 

“Am I going to be alone?” She responded looking at me. 

“Not alone, alone, nature will be around you and helping you when it’s time to eat someone will come in that door call you, and place food on the table.” She looks and waves her hand to the wooden door. “You still can figure out when you need to eat?” I nod. 

“I know I need to eat, is just that I do not feel hunger until my belly starts to rumble and hurting, so sometimes I get sidetracked doing other stuff.” She looks at my wrist.  

“The watch Natasha gave you helps?” I show it to her. 

“Yes, is connected to my phone  I have it to vibrate when the lunch and dinner alarms go off.” She nods her head approvingly. 

“Is almost time for us to leave. I will leave you in the garden, you can explore today if you want to, there will be always a part of nature to guide you back here, so you will never get lost even if you think you will.” I look at her not understanding what she means by nature guiding me back. 

“Maybe I will do that today, to know the garden more.” Giving a stern look.  

“Don’t forget to train also. We will be back in a couple of days.” I tried to smile to reassure her. I notice that if I do that they seem more relaxed. 

“I do appreciate your concern and the other Elder, and my parents, and my brothers, and my friend, and the pack, but sometimes is too much. The other garden or the greenhouse are the places where I relax more, no crisis, just peace.” Giving me a peck on the forehead. 

“I understand, even if it is different.” She turned around and started to leave. I put the Delmon burned book on the bench on top of the blanket and looked at it. I have been carrying it around near me, I put my hand on the top of the book.

“Sometimes I wish I had a place like this, only mine to escape the rest of the world. I wonder how you all deal with this. Junius seemed to be happy, the curse for him was a better fate than the one he had so far, he had a family again, but that did not help him in the nightmares. I survived the nightmares thinking about my family, but what now?” I pick one of the bench pillows and went to the center of the clover field, sat down legs crossed, in a Burmese position. I started doing it this way because is more comfortable. I close my eyes hands on the top of my knees palms up and point finger and thumb finger connected. 

‘Nature will lend me her power until I become aware of my own.’

Breath in, Breath out, feel your body move the air inside you, relax. There is an energy coming from my tattoo, I continue breathing, but I now focus on that energy, and imagine it going all the way around me, like protecting me. There was a sort of warmth around my body.

“HEY GIRL.”

I woke up to a sudden loud voice booming in my ears opening my eyes just to see the light around my body disappear. I look around and see a guy looking at me from the ruin. He sees me looking at him but not talking.

“ARE YOU BRIELLE?”

Well, he is loud but does not seem very smart, who else will be here in the garden.

“I can hear you fine, no need to shout.” I see him putting his hands around his mouth.

“OH, RIGHT WEREWOLF HEARING.” Maybe his I.Q. is rock bottom. I decide is better to go near him, before my eardrums blow.  I was walking up the stairs. 

“I am Human, you were shouting, no need.” He gets his hand to the back of his head and blushed a little. 

“Yeah right sorry about that. Got you something to eat.”I look at him once I got up the stairs, young face around my age very good looking, bangs that cover his face and long hair in a braid with seashells in it, strange, the body was like those surfer bodies I see in magazines and movies since his outfit is a big t-shirt with a man surfing and some shorts, I can assume he is a surfer. I sit down at the bench and see like a pick-nick basket.

“Hope you like seafood?” Sitting down on the couch, I open the basket and take out, a wood fork, one of those sss disposables take out containers eco-friendly, open and see Halabos, looking around I grab some napkins, I notice that they have the ecofriendly inscription: Save the environment, one napkin at a time. I look at him, surfer look, ecofriendly, this guy screams nature all around him.

“Something wrong? You do not like the food?” He was looking at me like Silvanie did when I am at the table to eat.  

“I think the food is fine, I can eat.” He smiled.  

“Then eat.” I was still looking at him. 

“Are you going to stay there and stare at me?” It was strange to have someone looking at me eating. Well in the packhouse they at least try to disguise, but he was staring at my every move.  

“I must take the basket with me, or my sister will kill me.”  At least he can talk. 

 “You have a sister?” He looms on the wall near the door. 

“Yeah, younger one, pain in the a*s.” He was saying that with a smile. Strange. 

“Next time bring something for you to eat with me if you are going to stay.” He looked at me like I had two heads. Recognized that look because of Chadrick, watching him train gave me a lot of references.

 “Sure. We were not sure you liked the company.” I started preparing to eat since he was staying.  

“We?” Again he smiled.

“My sister and me.” Picking up the container.  

“Right. Do you guys eat meat?”I was making polite conversation, not only because he was there, but because he seems human, not a werewolf, but for him to be here, that means he also is something. 

“No, we have a strict diet.” I swallow and look at him.  

“Because you surf?”  His eyebrow went up. 

“What?” I point at his outfit while I eat. “Oh right, yeah surf is part of our lives, a way to mingle with the humans but still stay in your environment.” Maybe I was wrong about him being with low I.Q., at least he can keep a conversation going.  “You will be seeing us more once you go to school.” I almost choked, he came running and patted my back. 

“To school?” I know I am going to a werewolf school, but he is not a werewolf.  

“Not this year, but maybe in the future. Because we go to human schools to learn.” He means not this school but the human school. 

“Are there any other creatures going to the werewolf school besides werewolves?” 

“Yeah lots of them, but only if they are mated to werewolves. I think they will be older than you since you are a kid still.” I choke again, he hits my back again. “Sorry forgot to bring something for you to drink.” I wave my hand.  

“It’s alright, I can breathe now. How old do you think I am?” Better to see know how other people see me. 

“Around 14?” I stop completely eating and look at him.  

“I am 17 turning 18 next month.” He shrugged like it was normal not to get people’s age right. 

“I see yeah, 18, so it will be your senior year, then you meet them for sure.” I resume eating.  

“How old are you?” His posture changes. 

“I am 19 years and my sister is 17.” When finish he picks up the dish, puts everything in the basket and opens the door. 

“Nice meeting you Brielle.” Looking back at me. 

“Wait what is your name?” Stopping he looks at me, “Hadad” and turns to walk away. I see his ears, it had tattoos in them of fish squama. When the door closes, I look at the fountain with the mermaid…. No… is not possible, was he a merman??? Or a triton??? I never could figure the difference between both, but it made sense, surf, water, squama, do not eat meat, ecofriendly. Next time I will ask.

Maybe now is time I take a walk around the garden. I look at the burden book.

“Maybe later before I go back to dinner.”

I got down the stairs looking left and right, which way to go. Decided to go left. I follow a path where the trees seem to curve to the road path and make a dome along the way I see the wooden statues of deers, rabbits, bears, and other animals, after walking a bit, on the side of the road appears a river, a shallow river, I can see the pebbles on the bottom. I sit down on the side, take my shoes out, and place my feet on the water. I start breathing again, but this time I feel a little shill coming from the place I have my tattoo and I try doing the same I did before I focus on bringing that shill all over my body, it is not freezing but like a soft breeze. I open my eyes and looking at the water I see a dim blue light surrounding me, then I close my eyes again,  and open but the dim blue light was still around me. 

 ‘What if I can’t turn it off?’

I feel something touching my feet when I look, I see two carps passing behind my feet and going around them, when I look at the water again I don’t see the blue light.

‘Something to ask.’ I take a mental note.

I stay a few minutes longer until the carps go away, put my shoes on again, and started walking back, or at least I thought I was walking back.

“I do not remember the sea horse sculpture.” Stopping I look around. I was lost, but I was still on a path so maybe if I turn back. I turned to go back when I spot a deer coming from a tree stop to look at me.

“Deer’s are friendly right. Silvanie told me I will be safe here.” He continues to look at me and I at him. “Maybe I should not be in a staring contest with him, or her…. How do I know if it is a female or male? Right the antlers.” He had small ones on his head, so a male. He then starts to come near me, I stay in place, he stands right in front of me, his nose comes to my face and sniffs, then he licks me, goes around me, and gently pushes me the way he came from.

“I must go with you.” He just goes beside me and starts walking, like finally, she gets it. I follow him until he turns the way I saw him first continuing walking in front of me.  He stops a few minutes later and I see the ruins. I got beside him “Thank you.” He just nods his head and walks away.   “Where deer’s always that tall. He was face to face with me.” I  got up to the stairs and see on the table some cookies and tea.

“Lunchtime.” I sat and eat, while I glance at Delmon’s burned diary. I will have to pick it up sometime, better now, that no one is around. I pick it up while I was eating a cookie. I finish and as I was about to open the book, a letter fell from it. I picked it up.

 “A letter?” It had written on it. “To you, our hope.”