Chapter Twelve

"Mom?" I asked, my voice a little high-pitched. The person paused before turning around to look at me. A beautiful woman stood before me, taller than I was. Her pale skin matched mine, and her dress slightly hugged her body. She smiled brightly when she saw me. 

 "Nimre!" She opened her arms and moved to hug me. I stepped away. She seemed unhappy with that. She looked like a Faerie Queen, and not just because of the emerald dress she wore. Her pointy ears held jewels, and she just looked… like royalty. "You must return home with me." My eyes looked from Nymbus to her.

 "So you really are a faerie," I said. Her smile began to fade. "A Faerie Queen."

 "Why… yes. I am." She smiled again.

 "Were you going to hide it from me forever?"

 "No. I was going to tell you when you were old enough."

 "And how old am I?" I crossed my arms.

 "T-twenty, darling. You know-"

 "How… old?" I felt anger prick inside of me.

 "400 years…." Her smile faded and I felt like I got punched in the chest. "I wipe your memory every few years when we have to move." I exhaled a shaky breath.

 "I also suppress your magic abilities."

 "Oh…." I breathed. 

 "If you spent any longer here without my magic to hold your memory, you would have remembered everything." She informed me. My eyes found her again, the anger building. "It was for your safety."

 "It's wrong." I frowned.

 "You would have tried to come here on your own, Nimre."

 "Is Kayla half faerie?" My breathing escalated. 

 "Kayla is adopted."

 "When were you going to tell me this?!" I nearly shrieked. 

 "You didn't need to know!" She raised her voice. "I have kept you safe, Nimre. You need to come with me now so that I can continue to keep you safe." I looked at Maddy and then Nymbus.

 "No."

 "What?"

 "You have proven that you aren't trustworthy. And… and I have a mating bond… with Nymbus." My eyes shifted to him and his eyes briefly widened. When my mother turned to look at him, his expression remained neutral. 

 "A mating bond won't make me leave you here, Nimre." She looked at me again.

 "I'm staying, mom." I dropped my arms to my sides. 

 "No. You're not." She approached me. "Do not force me to wipe your memory here and now, Nimre."

 "I'm an adult and I can make my own choices!"

 "Not if it's going to get you killed!"

 "I don't care about that! Not if I'm here with Nymbus and Madeline!" My voice was nearly a shout. 

 "Do not raise your voice with me, young lady." The glow around her darkened.

 "I don't want to leave. I won't leave."

 "Yes, you will." She raised a hand to me and I knew what was going to happen. I looked at Maddy. 

 "I love you." I said wholeheartedly. Mother spoke several words in an unknown language and I felt my mind altering. "Nymbus, I lo-" My body went limp and everything went black. 

~~~

When I woke up, I was in my room in my bed. My walls were a pale cream with several posters on them. There were two windows, a desk, a closet, and my bed. I blinked several times before sitting up. I wore a t-shirt and jeans and one of my feet was in a cast. What happened? The last thing I remembered was… falling out of a tree. I got up, wobbling for a few moments. My head spun as I made my way to the mirror. My long, red hair was its normal, dull color as well as my green eyes. Why do I feel like something is missing? I left my room to go find someone. Downstairs in the kitchen, I saw Kayla sitting at the island counter. Mom was at the stove. 

 "Nim! You're awake!" Kayla smiled. Mom faced me. Beautiful, but not too beautiful. 

 "Hey, honey. How do you feel?"

 "Off…. Like I'm forgetting something." I exhaled deeply. "How did I get home?"

 "We found you in the woods." Kayla told me. 

 "What?"

 "Yeah. You were gone a whole day so mom sent out a search party." She bit into a granola bar. "We found you on the ground. Unconscious."

 "And the cast?" I motioned to my foot. 

 "You have a minor break in your ankle and foot. Likely from landing on it." Mom explained. I blinked, an image flashing in my mind. It felt like a memory, but it seemed out of place. It was of me with my hand on my ribs, looking at a giant, colorful mushroom. "Nimre?" I blinked. 

 "How did you get me out of the hospital?" I frowned slightly. She tilted her head slightly as if she didn't understand the question. "You had to go to the doctor for them to put a cast on me. They wouldn't have just let you leave with me unconscious."

 "It was Doctor Trudy, Nimre. You know she does house calls." Mom waved a hand as if waving off my questions. I studied her. Something was off. Something wasn't right. "You need your rest. Go lay down until dinner."

 "Mmm." I turned, my eyes finding Kayla's. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she kept her lips in a hard line. I left the kitchen. I would find out eventually. Just not right now.