Chapter 38
Genevieve
The next day
Yesterday flew by quicker than I thought it would. Before I knew it, the sun was setting and we had to stay somewhere to sleep again. The dark hours passed quickly and it didn’t take long before I woke up, blinded by the light from outside.
With every step we take towards our next destination, more sand starts appearing underneath my pink shoes.
As the big ocean starts coming into view, I quickly understand that we’re almost at Seashell Town, and right when I’m about to ask Illysia, she speaks up before me.
“Look! There’s the sign!” She points her finger toward the huge sand pillars that hold the words Seashell Town.
A lot of women start appearing before us, and I can’t help but to wonder if there’s a fashion walk happening soon. Their hair is beautifully styled and almost all of them hold some type of jewelry in it too. Some look like crowns, others have put it up with pearls and seashells.
Their clothes are so revealing they could almost be naked but not in a sexual way, it’s in a way that a goddess would display her body. The thin fabric claiming every curve as they walk before us, their hips swinging so gracefully from side to side.
On one side of the small town, you can see trees and the green grass where the people have created lanterns out of shells and hung them up in the trees. On the other side there is an endless ocean spreading around us with children building castles and playing in the warm sand.
As we come closer to the water, I decide to take off my shoes and let myself feel the way that the salty water moves around my ankles and legs.
Walking by the shore, I bend down and start collecting shells into my hand. Purple, teal, and white ones are the colors I find most of.
Ever since I was a child, I’ve had this obsession of collecting things. It could be rocks, flowers, and even crystals. It truly depended on what interest I had in that period of time.
As I collect the shells, Illysia suddenly starts splashing water against me, leading drops of water to splatter all over my dress.
Looking at her and the smile that her face holds, it’s impossible to not think of a princess who’s living her biggest dream.
The way her body moves as she dances around, each step deeper into the water as her clothes get drained.
Just as I’m about to join her, totally forgetting about my wings, nature suddenly stops me by sending a turtle. Instead of taking steps closer to the water, the turtle starts taking slow steps towards me.
“Hello, little one.” I say, carefully dragging my hand over its hard shell.
“What are you doing?” Illysia screams before dipping her head into the water, her hair falling around her as she comes back up to the surface.
“It’s a turtle!” I scream back for her to hear.
“A what?”
“A turtle!” I repeat.
She walks towards us, her now wet dress clinging to her body.
“Awww, he’s so adorable.” She says in a sweet voice, bending down to pet his small head.
—
With her hair dripping wet and me still being covered in blood, we decided to look for a clothing boutique. It makes me excited to think that soon I’ll be looking like the beautiful women all around me, in their unique clothing choices that suit them so perfectly.
As we walked past the shop that holds dresses prettier than the ones I’ve seen before, I was done wearing my bloody, destroyed one. One chapter was over and a new one was about to start, ready to feel like myself again. And the only one I could thank for that was Illysia.
She let me know that it was okay to trust again, to believe, and hope. After Ector, the last hope I had abandoned my body like it had never been there, and every drop of joy and love followed.
There was a moment where I felt that I had to be strong, there wasn’t any room for softness. Something Illysia quickly changed.
Looking towards the mesmerizing shop covered in huge shells, I take a few steps toward it and look inside through the window. “Could we get a new dress for me?” I asked my friend.
“Oh, I’m so glad you asked, I’m tired of seeing all that blood on you.” She answered in the nicest way possible.
She takes a steady grip around the doorknob and twists it until the door finally opens. “Hi.” She greets the owner.
The beautiful woman draped in crystals and shining like the sun herself quickly walks towards us. “Hi! Welcome to Fabric and Beauty.” Her soft voice speaks.
This woman looks like she holds higher power.
Her tiara is in the form of a sun spreading its crystal rays around her head.
And her light brown hair makes the light yellow dress shine on its own.
My jaw fell to the ground as I stared at her from top to toe, almost like a goddess who had decided to take me with her to a palace.
“Genevieve, stop staring!” Illysia whispers and pushes my shoulder.
I smile towards the owner and start pacing through the shop to find a new dress. My first instinct was to search for something pink but I quickly changed my mind as a beautiful teal dress stole all of my attention.
I took it from the section and made my way to the dressing room, which felt awfully empty without Ector.
Putting on the light teal dress, it was so long it ended right above my toes.
The sleeves were long and two seashells were holding the thin fabric together by the elbows, only to let it fall free around my lower arms. On each shoulder, there was light fabric, painted in shimmery details of gold that could flow free down my back.
The dress had light pearls that surrounded my hips, a big shell held them to one side so that they could move freely on the other.
“Let me look at you.” The woman who owned the boutique spoke to me. “Could I do something with your beautiful hair?” She asked with her fingers going through it.
“Yes please.”
She took a hold of my hair which had now grown back to its full length. She twisted the hair that was placed on each side of my forehead and clipped them together at the back with a seashell clip that held pearls in the same teal color as the beautiful dress.
“Wow.” I said, looking at myself in the mirror of the dressing room.
“You look like a goddess.” Illysia replied with her jaw falling open.
And she was right, I did look at myself and thought of a goddess. I had never truly found myself beautiful before, but now, I did. I accepted that it was okay to look at yourself in the mirror and think, “I look like a princess.”
“Thank the goddesses that we finally got that bloody dress off you.” Illysia speaks again as a sarcastic laugh leaves her mouth.
But no laugh nor giggle left me. It was the dress that had been plastered on me when Ector’s soul left his body. And now when I looked at it, it felt horrible to truly see what I had been wearing for the past days.
I must’ve looked like a monster when Illysia found me, she must’ve been so scared.
“You should get something too! I saw the way you danced along the shore earlier, Illysia. I would love to see you in something inspired by the ocean.” I insist.
Walking around the shop, me and the owner pick out something for her, something that truly fulfills her being and the personality she holds within.
I picked out a white top, one that will befit her well yet looks easy. Along it, my hand reaches for a long skirt that looks like it has been draped in the secrets of our ocean.
Taking them into her hand, she hides in the fitting room for a few minutes, only to walk out and look like the goddess of water.
The teal skirt with the thin seashell fabric creates a layer that sits tight around her hips and then flows freely around her legs.
And with the easy top, long sleeves and leaving her cleavage on display makes the best parts of her stand out.
All the focus goes to her eyes, her beautiful princess-like face, and then the skirt, truly capturing the magic that she beholds inside.
My jaw drops to the floor, and so do the ladies standing beside me as we look at her.
“You two look absolutely whimsical, ethereal even.” She speaks, making both of us blush, a rosy tone appearing on our cheeks at the same time.
“Thank you.” We say at the same time, looking each other up and down in awe, adoring one another.
Deciding to get the clothes that we are wearing, Illysia makes sure that we get to pay in another way rather than gold coins. She told the owner that she would love to work with her and help her around the shop for a few days instead, if that was okay. And the owner gladly agreed to the deal.
“I can’t let you work there for more days than necessary to pay off my dress!” I whisper-screamed at her as we left the shop.
“Oh, stop it now!” She nudges me in the arm.
“We are truly fighting like long-lost sisters, aren’t we?” I joke and we both start laughing.
“I don’t think you ever told me why you needed to get here, to Seashell Town. And now we’re here.” She says, her tone filled with something that reminds me of feeling scared and sad.
“There’s this old magic well... Some believe it to be only a tale and nothing more. But I truly believe in it.”
“You mean the old magic well?”
“Yes?” Hesitation and confusion washed over me in an instant. “Have you heard about it?”
“If I have? I went there multiple times after my brother died.”
“Why hasn’t he come back then?”
“Oh, it was complicated.” She says, waving with her hand that signals that she doesn’t want to talk about it right at this moment. Understanding her, I don’t pressure her to keep talking.
“Well, now that I know where you’re heading, I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear that I know a shortcut.” She says with a gentle smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
“You do?” I needed the confirmation, my eyes widening.
“Mhm.” She said, tears prickling in her eyes.
I flew into her arms and I couldn’t help myself but to kiss her on the cheek. “Thank you endlessly.” I whispered close to her ear.
—
As we finally make it to the end of Seashell Town, a huge meadow comes into view for as far as my eyes can see. The grass is green and the flowers are blooming, mostly red, orange, and pink ones. The sun is almost setting, turning the sky into a beautiful sunset, yellow, orange, and blush.
As the view mesmerizes me, having my full attention, the unicorn that is now taking soft steps towards us comes as an unexpected blessing. Her fur is pale white and her mane pink as tulips. Her white horn sits steady on her head.
Stopping in front of me, she gently bows down, placing her shining horn to my head.
The greeting puts me in shock as I remember what I once read: If a unicorn ever bows down, placing its horn to your head, it’s a greeting out of respect as they can feel the heaviness that life has put you through. To them, you are a true warrior.
I bow myself, showing the proud standing horse the same respect, thanking her for seeing me.
“Would you like to take me to the magic wishing well?” I whisper close to her ear, her head still tilted down.
She nods, almost like she heard the depth in my prayer. I promised Ector not to use my wings, but I could almost predict his reaction if he saw me on the back of a unicorn.
Swinging myself onto the horse’s back, Illysia pets her soft nose, making her feel calm.
“Thank you for everything. Are you sure that you don’t want to come with me? We could get your brother back.” I thank Illysia, thankful for everything she’s done for me in only a few days.
“I can’t.” She says with tears about to spill down her beautiful soft face.
“Why?” I asked, not quite understanding why she wouldn’t want to come with me.
“Someone needs to take care of Daffodil until you return, right?” She smiles, petting the deer’s head.
Before sitting up on the unicorn, my body launches forward and Illysia captures me in her arms. I never wanted to let go of her and I wanted her to be my best friend, my sister for an eternity. She was a blessing that I never wanted to lose.
“I’ll come back. I promise.”
“I hope so.” Both of our jaws wobbled uncontrollably at the thought of leaving each other's side.
After the loss we had been through, both of us losing our dear sibling, we had now found one another. And that was nothing to take for granted.
Leaving her arms, my body almost refusing to let go, we both forced ourselves. I get up on the unicorn and slowly, we take off, leaving Illysia and Daffodil behind.
Riding on the horse’s back, her white fur scraping against my legs and her pink mane flying in the wind, I realize how close I finally am. Soon, she will be back. And for the first time since I left Fairy Village, that thought didn’t make me feel as happy as it had done before.
Because this time, guilt was taking over me.
What about Ector? Was I about to let him be a forgotten soul?
Was he not as deserving as Esme? Esme got a good life before she passed.
She had a lot of friends and a lot of love surrounding her.
But Ector didn’t get the chance to experience those things.
He never got to feel that type of warmth and caring.
Who am I to steal that from him? He lost his life to protect me. Why do I feel the right to not give it back to him? How could I be so selfish?
With the beautiful white horse galloping through the colorful field, the wind flies by me and makes sure to go through every strand of my hair. And it leaves whispers that don't make this choice easier for me. Because in the end, I had to choose.