And there I stood, before the most richest and handsome boy of the village, the one I considered almost a god, stammering, mouth dry, probably looking like a fool. He looked annoyed.
�What?�
�I�I like you!� And there I went; just let it out, the beginning of the events that would take place soon after. The thing that changed my life, even though I didn�t know it at that point.
~
But let me start at the beginning.
Facts first, my name is Shaylee, at that time a 17 year old girl. With shoulder length, brown hair and a length of 5�4� with a slim frame, I was in no way different than the other girls in the village. The only distinctive feature that I had, were my violet eyes. It was a mystery how I got them, seeing as my mother had green eyes and my dad had blue eyes. Most of the girls had either green or brown eyes, or sometimes even blue ones, but I had violet ones and I loved them. I usually wore a light blue short-sleeved shirt with loose, brown pants, little brown sandals and my necklace with an amber pendant my dad had given me when I was little. Where I lived at that time doesn�t matter. In fact, I don�t think I could remember the place if it did matter, seeing as it is quite some time ago�too long ago, I have stopped counted the days, months, years, for a long time.
You might ask yourself as to what exactly I was doing there. The reason is simple and can be said in one word only: Nolen. Nolen was the guy that every girl in the village I lived in adored. Nolen was also 10 years older than my friends and me, but none of the girls seemed to mind much. Not only was he particularly handsome, he was also rich. His dad was the mayor and I think every girl wanted to be Nolen�s wife. Nolen didn�t seem too fond of any of the girls in the village but Ashley. For some reason I�ll never know he was smitten with Ashley, but, for another unknown reason, she didn�t like him. Not like that.
But, to continue my story. I always thought I had some kind of special bond with Nolen. When I was 14, I got attacked by a bear when I was searching for berries. I couldn�t escape as the bear was cornering me and if it weren�t for Nolen saving me I surely would have died then. But he did, and I wanted to show him my gratitude in some way. And even though he said that wasn�t necessary, I still wanted to. So I started to follow him around wherever he went, just in case something happened and he needed help. I don�t think he was too pleased with that, as he tried to get rid of me multiple times. He never succeeded.
So that was our special �bond� and while following him around, I discovered he wasn�t just about the looks and the money. He was actually a nice person inside, and that might have been the reason I�d fallen in love with him. And after 3 years of silent admiration, I decided it was time for action. To this day I still do not know what possessed me to do that. But there I went and confessed, just like that.
~
���
And I think the silence was the worst of the whole thing. Not the confession itself, not the laughing after it, not the pat on my head and not him saying to try again in 5 years. Not those. The silence was the worst, because at that moment I thought I�d actually had a chance, a chance for Nolen�s love. But no. He did just what I described just now. And then he walked away and left me alone, stunned, embarrassed, but most of all angry. Angry at myself. Angry at being so silly to think that he would accept me, actually like me, a 17 year old girl.
So I ran. I ran into the woods, just anywhere, just to hide myself. I didn�t want to be seen, couldn�t face the humiliation of being rejected. I think I might have been so upset, that I�d forgotten the warning that the Elders gave every child:
�Don�t go into the woods, little one! Although it may seem like a nice place to play, the contrary is true. When the sun shines, there is the fay folk that doesn�t like her ground being stepped on. Before you know it, they lure you into their caves and kill you with their deadly arrows! And in the night, when the moon is full, there are wolves that were once men. Horrible beasts with sharp claws and teeth, ready to tear your flesh away. Please, child, stay alert and focused, and at all times, don�t go into the woods!�
But I did anyway. And later I would learn that the Elders were not just a bunch of old men thrown together, that they knew things, and you just shouldn�t ignore their warnings like that. But that was later. At that moment, my only thoughts were about how I could ever go back to the village again after being humiliated like that. I could never face Nolen again! He would probably tell Ashley anyway, and she would tell her friends and within the same day I was rejected, the whole village would know. There was no way I would be going back there!
And by then tears had started to blur my vision. Mind you, I didn�t cry much, but I think even the strongest of us would cry when something like that happened to them! So, that was how it happened, my vision was blurry and I tripped. I tripped over something that was on the ground, I still do not know what it was, but I fell with my face forward in the dirty earth.
Then there was the voice.
�Do you like lying there, in the mud? I�ve heard that humans are pigs, but don�t you think you�re exaggerating it a little?�
