Chapter 13

"Okay, so now I’m getting to the really emotional part of my story. I’m gonna tell you about stuff that totally changed me - what I was into what I am now. "Spring came super fast; the weather got awesome and the skies were clear.

It blew my mind that what used to be a total wasteland was now bursting with the prettiest flowers and greenery. My senses were lit up and refreshed by a million amazing smells and sights.

"It was on one of those days, when my cottagers were taking a break from work - the old man was playing his guitar, and the kids were listening - that I noticed Felix looked really down. He was sighing a lot; once, his dad stopped playing, and I could tell by his vibe that he was asking what was up."

Felix answered in a happy tone, and the old man was starting up his music again when someone knocked on the door. "It was a woman riding a horse, with a local guy as her guide. The woman was wearing a dark suit and had a thick black veil over her."

Agatha asked something, but the stranger just replied, in a sweet voice, the name of Felix. Her voice was musical, but different from my friends’ voices.

When he heard that name, Felix rushed over to the woman, who, when she saw him, pulled back her veil, and I saw a face that was just unreal - like an angel.

"Her hair was shiny, raven black, and braided in a cool way; her eyes were dark, but gentle and lively; her features were perfect, and her skin was unbelievably fair, with a cute pink blush on her cheeks."

Felix was totally beaming when he saw her. All the sadness just disappeared from his face, and he looked so incredibly happy - like, beyond anything I thought he was capable of. His eyes were sparkling, and his cheeks flushed with excitement.

Seriously, at that moment, I thought he was as gorgeous as the stranger herself. She seemed to be feeling something else though. She wiped a few tears from her beautiful eyes and offered Felix her hand. He kissed it with so much enthusiasm and called her, as far as I could tell, his "sweet Arabian."

She didn’t seem to get it, but she smiled. He helped her off her horse, and after telling her guide to go, he led her into the cottage. They chatted for a bit, and then the young stranger knelt at the old man’s feet. She went to kiss his hand, but he lifted her up and hugged her really warmly.

I quickly realized that even though the stranger was talking and seemed to have her own language, the cottagers couldn't understand her, and she couldn't understand them either.

They made a bunch of gestures I didn't get, but I could see her presence made them happy, like sunshine burning away morning fog. Felix looked especially happy, greeting his Arabian with big smiles.

Even gentle Agatha kissed the stranger’s hands, then pointed to Felix, like she was saying he’s been sad until she arrived. Hours passed like that, with everyone showing off their joy, but I still didn’t know why.

Then I noticed she kept repeating certain sounds after them, so I figured she was trying to learn their language. I thought, "I should totally do that too! She picked up about twenty words in the first lesson. A lot of them were words I already knew, but I learned some new ones myself.

As it got dark, Agatha and the Arabian headed to bed early. When they said goodnight, Felix kissed the stranger’s hand and said, "Good night, sweet Safie. He stayed up way later, talking with his dad, and from how often he mentioned her name, I guessed their guest was the topic.

I really wanted to understand what they were saying, so I tried my hardest, but it was impossible. The next morning, Felix went to work.

Once Agatha was done with her chores, the Arabian sat at the old man’s feet, grabbed his guitar, and played songs so beautiful they made me tear up - like, a mix of sadness and pure joy. She started singing, and her voice was amazing, flowing up and down like a nightingale in the woods.

"When she was done, she handed the guitar to Agatha, who at first said no. She played a simple tune, and her voice went with it, sweet but not like the stranger's amazing song."

"The old man looked totally into it and said a bunch of stuff Agatha tried to explain to Safie, like, he seemed to be saying her music made him super happy. "Things were chill now, just like before, except everyone’s faces were full of joy, not sadness.

Safie was always happy and upbeat; she and I got way better at learning the language, so in like, two months, I started understanding most of what my friends said.

"The ground started getting covered in grass, and the green banks were all filled with flowers - seriously pretty, sweet-smelling, and bright, like little stars in the moonlight woods. The sun got warmer, and the nights were clear and breezy."

"My nighttime walks were awesome, even though they were shorter because the sun set late and rose early. I still didn’t go out during the day, scared of getting the same treatment I’d gotten in that first village. "I spent my days focused, trying to learn the language fast.

"I can say I learned way faster than the Arabian, who barely understood anything and talked all choppy, while I could understand and copy almost everything that was said. "As I got better at talking, I also learned about letters, just like the stranger was being taught.

"It opened up a whole world of wonder and excitement for me."

The book Felix was having Safie read was Volney’s Ruins of Empires. I wouldn't have gotten what it was about if Felix hadn’t broken it down for me as he read. He picked it, he said, because the writing style was like the way people wrote in the East.

Through that book, I got a basic idea of history and saw all the empires that exist now. It showed me how different cultures live, what their governments are like, and what they believe.

I heard about how chill people in Asia are, how smart and active the ancient Greeks were, and about the wars and awesome virtue of the early Romans - and how they got worse over time. I learned about the fall of that huge empire, about knights, Christianity, and kings.

I even cried with Safie when I heard about what happened to the original people of the Americas. "These stories were wild," I thought. Was people really so powerful, so good, and amazing, but also so bad and trash?

Sometimes they seemed like they were straight out of a bad movie, and other times they were just... everything. Being a good, awesome person seemed like the ultimate goal, but being a terrible person, like some people in history, seemed like the lowest of the low - worse than a mole or a worm.

For a while, I couldn't wrap my head around why someone would hurt another person, or even why there were laws and governments. But when I heard about all the nasty stuff and violence, I just cringed and wanted to look away.

Everything the cottagers talked about blew my mind. Listening to Felix teaching the Arabian, I started to get this whole explanation of how humans live. I learned about money, how some people are loaded while others are struggling, and about different social classes and fancy family histories.

"These words made me look inward. I realized what people value most is having a good family and being rich. A guy could be respected with just one of those things, but without either, he’s basically seen as a nobody, stuck working for the few who have it all! And what about me?"

I didn’t know anything about where I came from or who made me, but I definitely didn’t have any money, friends, or property. Plus, I looked totally messed up - like, seriously ugly. I was faster than humans and could eat basically anything, and I handled heat and cold way better. I was taller too.

When I looked around, I didn’t see anyone like me. Was I a monster, a stain on the world that everyone ran from and rejected? "I can’t even begin to describe how awful these thoughts made me feel. I tried to shake them off, but the more I learned, the worse I felt."

"Ugh, I wish I’d just stayed in my forest forever, never knowing anything beyond being hungry, thirsty, or hot!"

"It's wild, the way knowledge sticks to you! Like lichen on a rock, you know? I sometimes just wanted to ditch all the thinking and feeling, but I realized there was only one way to deal with pain - death. Which I was totally freaked out by, even though I didn't get it."

I looked up to virtue and good vibes, and I loved my cottagers' chill manners and sweet personalities, but I was cut off from hanging out with them, except when I snuck around, unseen and unknown. And honestly, it just made me want to be one of them even more.

"Agatha’s kind words and the Arabian’s bright smiles weren't for me. Felix’s gentle advice and the lively chats with the guy I loved weren't for me either. Seriously, what a miserable, unhappy life! "Other stuff really sank in, too. I learned about guys and girls, and how babies are born and grow up.

"How their dads are obsessed with their smiles and their kids’ smart comebacks, how their moms are totally wrapped up in taking care of them. How their minds grow and they learn about siblings, and all the ways people connect with each other. "But where were my friends and family?

No dad had watched me when I was a baby, no mom had smiled at me or shown me affection. If they had, my whole life before this was just a blank space, like a total blackout where I couldn't remember anything. From the moment I could remember, I’m pretty much the size and shape I am now.

"I’d never seen anyone like me, or anyone who wanted to hang out with me. What was I? The question came back, and all I could do was groan."

"I’m gonna tell you soon what all this feeling was about, but let me back up to the cottagers. Their story totally messed with my emotions - I was mad, excited, and amazed, all at once. It all ended up making me love and respect my protectors even more."

"I called them that, anyway - in this kind of innocent, bittersweet way, fooling myself a little."