Chapter 8: Introspection
As we navigated the woods, morning turning to afternoon, I started to really examine the path my life had taken. In the course of mere days, I had been transported to another world, transformed into a young girl, escaped from a castle, slept on the same ground where people had been murdered, and gained two new friends – things I had never had before. Living in New York, it had been all about surviving. Making friends meant becoming vulnerable, and vulnerable was an invitation for a stab in the back. Here, though… I was dependant on Lena and Skae whether I liked it or not. And I definitely didn't like it.
And then there was the matter of my new identity… I was no longer Michael, that was for sure. Although, maybe that wasn't a bad thing… Michael was a poor hobo, living on the street, always thinking that his existence was just an accident. Melody, on the other hand, while unsure and vulnerable, knew that her life had a purpose. Of course, I chafed when referred to as a girl, and I was quite sure that it would lead to trouble later on, but it couldn't be avoided. I was stuck this way, like it or not, and I'd have to make the best of it without sacrificing my integrity.
Lena and Skae… It was in their hands that my well being rested, and although I was sure that Lena believed my story about my lost masculinity, I doubted that she believed the notion of my being from another world. Skae knew nothing, and I wasn't in a rush to tell her. I still didn't feel that she was deserving of my trust. She seemed nice enough, but certainly wasn't telling the whole truth about herself. Lena, on the other hand, I felt I could trust, although she hadn't talked too much about herself.
To compound my problems, there was the matter of the Queen. What did she want with me? I was just a kid from New York! Surely I couldn't be of any use to her. However, there remained the dream I had had. According to my father, if that was indeed the man's identity, I was more involved in this than I could possibly fathom. Maybe the Queen wanted me to prevent me from unlocking some power that could destroy her. Or maybe she saw in me a potential rival, a threat that needed to be cut off at the root, before it had time to bud and flourish. Maybe she knew something of the future that I didn't…
I sighed, rubbing my forehead. All this mystery, speculation, assumption and interpolation… It was giving me a headache. I looked up, where in front of me Skae and Lena were talking in congenial tones, apparently talking about what they knew of the village we were heading to. I remembered what my father had said… Your path begins at the town of the Wishing Well. And he had said something else… that I would find him at the end of my path. I felt my heart ache at the thought of it. I wanted so much to know about my origins now… It was like you had been missing something for so long that you never even knew you had missed it in the first place. And now, to have that feeling reawakened… It was quite a bit to deal with.
And, of course, there was the business of my tailbone. For some reason, ever since I had arrived in this crazy place, it had been aching. I couldn't figure it out. Some times, like at night, it ached more than others. Absentmindedly I rubbed it, trying to ease it for a little while, but even that proved to be a futile remedy. Maybe I would tell Lena about it, she might know what was causing it… Perhaps it was something all girls felt.
I turned my mind away from such matters, instead snapping out of my reverie and hurrying to join my companions. I had finished my bacon sandwich ages ago, and it was at least one o'clock in the afternoon…