Chapter 4
-Lyle's POV-
Giovanna grabs my hand, and I jump a little, surprised. I decide to let her lead me wherever she wants to go. I need to know more about her, the connections she had with Ophra. Maybe she'll understand the pain of my loss.
"Where are we going?" I ask, confused. I left my ice cream just sitting there on the counter, and a pang of guilt hits me when I realize I didn't even pay! "Maybe we should go back," I start, but Giovanna obviously isn't listening. She treads on, then makes a sharp turn directly into the wood. I hope she isn't going back to me and Ophra's special place, I don't think I could handle that right now.
But we are heading in a different direction, and I'm shocked that Giovanna knows the forest so well. I start to wonder how many other mysterious things she keeps hidden away from the public eye.
Giovanna stops abruptly in front of a massive maple tree. It's the biggest, I'd ever seen, for sure. The branches are gnarled and twisted and I realize this is probably the most magnificent climbing tree in the history of Fairytale.
"We're going to the top," Giovanna says, and climbs so gracefully and effortlessly. I watch in awe as she gets higher and higher off the ground in such a short amount of time. I lumber after her, clumsily making my way up and up. I envy Giovanna's skills.
I'm out of breath when we reach the top, so high you can see almost above the city walls. They're there to protect us from Outsiders. The walls are made of gold bricks, with intricate designs carved into each brick. Fairytale is a square, and there are four gates that have guards posted there, twenty-four/seven. The residents almost never leave, and if you really want to, you must contact the council with a special request, and they may grant you permission to leave (if your reason is liable enough) within four to six weeks. It's a big production, so almost no one ever enters the Outside World. It's dangerous, so unlike Fairytale paradise. But disaster does occur, even in the safest place you can live.
Giovanna perches next to me, gazing over at the horizon. The sun flames high in the sky. I lean back against the trunk of the tree, and can't help but notice how beautiful Giovanna looks in this light. I quickly turn the thought away. She could never replace Ophra, I knew that.
"Have you ever thought about leaving?" Giovanna asks, her voice wistful.
My brow furrows. Would I want to leave? "Of course not," I answer. "I couldn't imagine leaving the city. This our home. And we can't leave until we're eighteen anyway."
"I know," Giovanna replies. "But when you leave for good, you're stripped of all the magic and memories from here. I kind of want that."
"What?" I sputter in disbelief. "Leave all magic and family behind? Giovanna, I know things are bad, but you don't have to leave. You have a life here."
Giovanna looks at me, her ace tired and grief-stricken. "Lyle, I have a secret," she says. "Lyle, I'm not who everyone thinks I am. I'm a beast, literally."
Confused and a little frightened, I ask, "What the heck are talking about?"
"Lyle every night I turn into a monster and wreak havoc through the forest. I can't control myself. I kill things, and eat them. Do you get what I'm saying?"
Panic seizes me as realization washes over me. "You killed Ophra," I choke out.
"Yes."