Chapter 4

Seth was having a hard time falling asleep. It was all just a mess. It had been a month since Tia had arrived and ever since then Seth's life was getting harder and harder. Things had started happening. The first week that Tia had been there someone had tracked large muddy foot prints all the way up stairs into the attic. No matter how much Seth told everyone that it hadn't been him he still received a very stern lecture about the temperament of wood and new houses from both his mother and Grandpa Sorensen. About a week after that Dale was attending to the rose bushes when He discovered that half on the bushes at the back of the house had been burned. Yet again he had been punished with a grounding from driving the four wheeler, and hanging out with Newel and Doren for at least a week.

Seth was quickly getting sick of it. Did he not prove himself trustworthy on multiple occasions. And now he was being blamed for everything. It was Tia, or at least that was the theory. Seth had no evidence to support his accusation but it was coming. He could feel it.

Right now what he had to do was go to sleep. He had now been lying awake for 2 hours and nothing had happened. Seth peered at the clock. 1:35 exactly. Then he heard a creak. Now the creak in particular was normally but the sharp intake of breath following it was not.

Seth got up and walked silently to the bedroom door, careful not to disturb Kendra.

Opening the door a crack Seth peered out and saw a figure on the stairs. It was too small to be anyone else. As fast as he could while still remaining silent Seth grabbed his Camo shirt, sneakers, and brown leather satchel, before returning to the door. Tia had made her way to the last three stairs and was carefully lowering herself on the the floor by leaning heavily on the handrail. Seth then watched her slip around the corner toward the front door, before pursuing her.

Keeping and even distance from her, Seth tailed her outside and into the woods. At first it seemed as if Tia was just wondering, but as they continued Seth began to see the telltale marking of a small path. She had traveled this way before. Coming upon a slight turn Tia broke of the path and started into a deeper part of the woods. Still following behind just enough to keep Tia in sight Set noticed a few particular things. At one point Tia stopped moving and Seth noted that Tia was almost invisible in the shadows that engulfed both of them. She also moved threw that underbrush without making that much noise.

After about half and hour of walking Seth was getting tired. It was not every night that he had to get up at 2:00 o'clock in the morning. Just as he was getting ready to say something to Tia he found that she was nowhere in sight. She was just gone. Seth hurried forward peering around to see if she had gone to the right or left. Seeing no one Seth ran forward and almost fell into a clearing with a small hill in it. Before any of his scenes could recognize what was going on a most wonderful scent assaulted his nose. Is smelled like roasted potatoes and chicken being cooked over a fire. Tia was crouched at the base of the hill staring toward its top. At the top was what appeared to be a well with a stone ring and a bucket pulley system.

Seth knew where he was. He had to get Tia out of their. The last time he had been here was when he was exploring the preserve with Kendra when he was 11. That was the day he had meet Newel and Doren. On the outside it looked like a hill but as Seth new from his adventure 3 years ago it was actually the house of an ugly ogres, and Tia was walking up to her front door. Before Seth could do anything Tia walked out of view around the house. Seth, staying in the tree line,ran as fast as he could around to the other side of the hill. As Tia came back into sight Seth began trying to warn her.

"Pssssst. Tia get away from there. You don't know where you are. Come back here."

Just as she turned to see who was calling an almost invisible door in the side of the hill opened. The ogres peered out, looked around and gave a large sniff.

"Ah, I see you have returned… come and sit with me."

Seth could tell that the ogres had spoken in a foreign language but Seth was to preoccupied to try and figure out what it was. Seth went over what he knew of the ogres in his head.

She could not see very well and relied on her sense of smell.

She made really good soup.

She hated the Satyrs.

That was it. THAT WAS IT? No he had to know more, he had to get Tia out of that house,back to the main house, then tie her up in bubble wrap and never let her go!

Okay calm down. You now that there is an opening to the house at the top of the hill. You can look down that and see if the Ogres has tried to kill Tia yet.

Slowly and silently Seth made his way to the top of the hill and looked down into what little of the room below he could see.

Tia's POV

Ok so this is not the first time I had gone exploring in Fablehaven. I have been visiting Plígma for a while.. I had stumbled across her hill about a week ago and had made friends with her when she found out I spoke á tungumáli avókadó risastór. After learning her name I asked what it meant. Apparently it is the pronunciation for the Greek word Wound. After that we talked and she gave me soup. Really good soup. She has not tried to harm me so far so I think that I am pretty safe. If only Seth was not such a worry wart, then I would feel completely at ease. But his hissed warning to me has set me on edge. If only he hadn't followed me.

Plígma said something to me bringing me back to the present.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Do you hear something odd? Almost like a scraping noise?"

Stopping to listen I heard a soft noise coming from the direction of the fire. That is when I see the small but growing piece of rope coming down the chimney. It was Seth trying to get in, or at least that's what I assumed.

"Um no, no noise at all. Just the fire." I say trying to get Plígma to ignore Seth and focus on me.

"Are you sure it's just the fire?" said Plígma taking big whiffs of the air.

"Yep no noises for sure… But you know I just remembered that I have to be somewhere about now. I was going to meet some friends but I ah… forgot, yes I forgot. So I will see you latter." I said rising and speaking loud enough so that hopefully Seth could here and get his sorry butt back into the trees before Plígma and I came out.

"Tomorrow maybe?" Plígma asked hopefully, standing to.

"I don't know about tomorrow but definitely soon." I said with fake cheeriness.

Plígma walks me to the door and saw me out.

I walk around the hill and am glad to see Seth standing just inside the tree line. I walk up to him smiling. Seth does not look happy.

Walking in silence for about 10 minutes he finally explodes.

"What were you thinking getting up and leaving the house like that?! And then going inside the ogres's house! You could have been killed!" Seth practically screams at me.

"It's okay. For one her name is Plígma and for two I have weapons on my. I could have defended myself!" I snap back

Then something hits my shoulder and I feel pain.