Chapter 2

I feel someone standing over me.

Part of me quivers at the thought of opening my eyes, of facing that horrid darkness...of hearing my father's voice again. I can keep my eyes closed, hide away from the things that terrify me...or I can open them, face my fears, and fight until I have nothing left to fight for.

I open my eyes.

A petite woman with olive skin and unruly golden-brown hair is looking down at me. Her large brown eyes, sharp nose, and freckles made me think of a magnificent doe. She is beautiful, and I immediately know she is Aoife.

"Must have been a good nap that you were having." She says as she takes in my expression

I look around, startled by the sound of children laughing in such a terrifying place. The sky is beginning to set, pink and purple clouds appearing over the horizon. I hear voices in the distance, children's laughter growing stronger. The colorful shops and cafes are filled with people, music is beginning to flow through the air. This village is alive and teaming with life...

Everything that happened, it had all been a dream. I can feel the lingering pain from the darkness that had seared into my skin, feel adrenaline slithering through my veins. My father's voice rings clearly in my mind, telling me that I am safe...had it truly all been a dream?

"You are not looking well." The woman takes a step closer. "Do I need to call someone?"

"No, no. I'm okay. Bad dream." I notice that I'm sitting on a bench, completely dry as if I had not been running for my life through thick rain moments before.

"You're Katherine, aren't you?" The woman asks softly.

"You must be Aoife."

"I have been waiting for so long to meet you!" She beams, and before I can resist, she pulls me into her arms and hugs me tightly. She smells like wild berries and wood, reminding me of the forest.

"Let's get you some hot coffee and a shower." She releases me before looking me up and down, smiling. "The sun is about to set, I can fix you up in a room and we can head to yer fathers in the morning."

"Can I ask you a question about him?" I didn't give her a chance to say no. "He's important here, and I guess it makes sense that he left me to come back here, but why is he so respected? Why-"

"Your father loved you and your mother very much." She interrupts me. "My son Finley, he died a long time ago, but I never could have imagined leaving him willingly. It tore your father apart leaving you, I know that's hard to believe. But please, Katherine, let me take you to his home. You will find some answers there." There is nothing but honesty in her eyes.

Part of me wants to argue, to force answers out of this curious woman in this strange place. But I have the sense that Aoife, as deer-like and small as she is, was not someone who would be forced into doing or saying anything she did not want to.

"You're stubborn, just like your father. He made the same face when he didn't get what he wanted."

"I wouldn't know, he left…" I sign, far too exhausted to argue with a stranger. "A cup of coffee and a shower sounds amazing to be honest."

She gives me a wide smile and gestures for me to follow her into the inn.

As promised, Aoife serves me a cup of coffee. Hot steam wafts from my mug, feeling my senses with the aroma of hazelnut and chocolate. She tells me to make myself at home as she makes her way up a wide set of stairs to prepare a room for me.

I can't shake the feeling that I have been in this lobby once before, until I realize that it resembles the café I had visited in my dream. The shelves along the walls hold various plants and small antique trinkets. Emerald curtains encasing the bay window stand out against the black and white checkered floor. Soft hues of light filter through the stained-glass window, engulfing the entire room in golds and reds. A large oak desk sits at the bottom of the stairs Aoife climbed a few moments ago. This place, just like the café in my dream, stood against the test of time. A part of me begins to understand why my father had returned, I just wish he would've brought me along with him.

"Room number seven is ready for you whenever yer ready to head up there." Aoife says cheerfully as she descends the staircase.

I noticed then how unique her accent is, just as the bus drivers had been. It is not Scottish or Irish, or any accent I have ever heard for that matter. "Where are you from Aoife?"

"Skye." She gives me a questionable look.

"Your accent, it's beautiful. I've never heard anything like it before."

"That's a very kind thing to say. Part of me knew you'd be wanting coffee at this time of day." She says, changing the subject swiftly. "Your father used to complain about how much coffee your mother drank, I assume you have the same addiction."

I could never forgive my father for leaving, but a small part inside of me warmed at the idea of him telling Aoife so much about my mother and me.

"It doesn't keep me awake anymore, it's more of a comfort to me now." I look around then, searching for my luggage. "The bus driver said he left my things by the back doors."

"Your things are upstairs, I figured I couldn't get ya to yer dads before sundown."

The golden light that shone through the stained-glass window was beginning to fade, the sun beginning to set.

"This place…it's beautiful."

"Been in the family for almost three hundred years, we've kept its charm nicely don't you think?" Aoife is beaming, her happiness intoxicating.

"I do. Thank you for the coffee, and for the room. I really do appreciate it."

"You are a Baird, you are always welcome here."

"You're not going to tell me why that is, are you?"

Aoife eyebrows knitted together as she contemplated what to say next.

"It's okay," I sigh. "I'm going to head up to my room and then like you said, I will have my answers tomorrow."

Aoife reached for me, placing her warm hand on mine, her pink lips curving into a sad smile.

"You look just like him." She pats my hand gently. "Now go, get some rest."

Room number seven is simple and comfortable, everything I needed at this very moment. A canopy bed sits in the center of the room, atop lays a cream-colored feathered down blanket and two plump pillows. On one side of the room a large nook houses a bay window and sofa, on the other side is the door to the bathroom.

I search through my suitcase until I find my pajamas, a well-worn t-shirt and an old pair of sweatpants. I grab my toiletries, deciding now would be a good time to shower.

I let the hot water run through my long hair for longer than necessary, unwilling to face the cold outside of the steaming tub. Once the hot water begins to run out, I sigh with defeat and turn off the running water.

Outside of the tub, the air is still warm. I brush my teeth and then my hair, staring at myself in the mirror. Aoife is right, I do look like my father. I have my mother's almond shaped eyes, but the rest belongs to him. My full lips, my heart shaped face, my defined jawline…even the color of my pale skin and crimson hair.

I look away, unwilling to face him.

Back in the room I grab one of my unfinished books and curl up on the sofa near the window, preparing to read. I look out towards the small village. Its nearly twilight, the cobblestone roads empty as the streetlights begin to flicker on. The village is charming, even in the dark.

I stare for a long while, until something catches my eye. In the middle of the road stands a man. A man that is staring right at me.

I rush to the window to close the blinds, but the man has vanished. Frustrated, I rip the blinds shut. I can feel that something strange is happening on this island, something I cannot explain. Since I have returned…no, not returned. I have never been to the Isle of Skye, my father made sure of that…yet a part of me felt that I had been here before.

Regardless, I know that something is watching me. With the lights still on, I curl into the massive bed, tossing and turning until I fall into a dreamless sleep.

I wake to the smell of coffee.

I brush my teeth and dress quickly, throwing on my favorite green sweater and a pair of jeans. I throw the rest of my things swiftly into my suitcase and zip it up, eager to get to my father's cottage.

Downstairs Aoife is waiting for me. She offers me fresh baked bread and jam, which I happily devour.

After breakfast I follow Aoife down a rocky trail, a beaten-down truck awaits us near the end. I throw my suitcases in the bed of the truck, the motion reminding me of the bus driver from yesterday.

"Aoife, what is that bus driver's name? I need to remember to thank him the next time I see him."

"His name is Duncan."

Duncan. I had heard that name before, in a small whimsical café in the middle of a thunderstorm.

It was a dream, it had to be a dream. Duncan must've told me his name, my subconscious had known it. I wanted to believe it had all been a dream, but even now, as I climb into the cab of a truck in a place entirely void of magic or shadows, the memory feels real.

"Your dad's place is near the Faerie pools of Skye. Keep an eye out and you might see one." Aoife says excitedly.

"Yeah, maybe years ago when I was a kid." A memory of my father describing the pools in one of his letter's flashes in my mind. "I always wondered why they were called that."

"Because that's where the fairies used to live," Aoife says, as if she believes in the lores of Skye, and that she is truly sad that the fairies had disappeared.

We drive in silence as we make our way through the winding roads. Moss-covered limestone outcrops and lush green pastures stand out against the cloudless blue sky. White-tailed eagles soar above the rolling rocky hills as a bevy of red deer roam through the pastures.

I had expected the island to be cold and wet this time of year; December was an unpleasant month in nearly every region. Yet the sun shone high above, the air cool and pleasant, so unlike the bitterly cold air back home.

"We don't normally get these clear skies in December. Guess Skye is happy that you've finally come home."

I want to remind her that this place is not my home, I bite my tongue instead.

The truck slows as we turn onto a dirt road. We drive for miles, enjoying the dramatic rock formations and the wildlife that thrives in the plush grass fields. Aoife pulls onto the side of the road and turns the key, quitting the roaring engine.

"There's no driveway to your father's house, we will have to walk from here. But don't worry, it's a beautiful walk."

With my backpack and suitcases in tow, I follow Aoife into the grassy fields. We walked for what seemed like an eternity, but Aoife was right. The walk is devastatingly beautiful. We pass over ancient cobblestone bridges built over rushing streams. The green pastures began to fade into fields of ground ivy, turning the grassy planes into a sea of purple.

A cool mist and the smell of earth and salt surround me as the sound of cascading water erupts. I walk to the edge of a rocky precipice and my breath catches in my throat as I take in the raw beauty that stands before me.

Multiple cascading waterfalls plumage into clear turquoise pools. Water flows over moss-covered rocks and damp foliage. The sun shines high overhead, the beams hitting the flowing water, turning from turquoise into azure and silver with hints of emerald.

This place, this magnificent and invigorating place, makes me believe for just a moment. I can see the selkies bathing in the crystal pools beneath the eternal light of the full moon, see fairies dipping their small bodies into the turquoise waters.

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it Katherine?" Aoife ask from beside me. "How does a place like this exist without magic?"

"I don't forgive him, but I understand why-" I pause, unwilling to sympathize with a father who deserted their child.

"This is not why he came back. We're almost there...you will understand soon." Aoife motions for me to follow her.

We pass over a small wooden bridge and leave the Faeries Pools of Skye behind. After what seems to be another hour, Aoife finally stops as we near a cliff's edge. I notice a staircase clinging to the cliff's face.

"You're kidding..." I sigh, exhaustion coating my tone.

"You're a Baird, don't tell me you're afraid of scaling a cliff?"

I take a deep breath before swinging one of my suitcases over my back before pushing the second one towards Aoife. I roll my eyes at her as I begin to descend the traitorous staircase.

Salt and sand-coated wind smash against my skin as I walk, promising to pull me into the roaring waves below the moment I lose my footing. The air is cold yet sweat drips down the nape of my neck. My knuckles begin to ache from how tightly I grip the railing carved into the side of the cliff. Behind me Aoife is laughing, taking in the commanding wind as if they are long-lost friends.

One last step and I am free...one last step...

One moment I am stepping onto the grass-covered earth, the next I am lying face down in the dirt, overwhelmed by the shock of what felt like lightning shooting through my entire body. I can hear Aoife yelling, rushing for me. The ringing in my ears is intense...slowly the piercing sound begins to turn into something different, something beautiful. I can hear a distant hum at first, the humming becomes louder, clearer. Unworldly and eternal. A woman, I can hear her now...the song of a siren.

This could not possibly be real...yet I am awake. I am awake, I am awake, I am…

"Katherine!" Aoife yells, bringing me back to reality.

"Did you...do you hear that?" I'm crying, I can feel the hot tears running down my face. I do not know when I started to cry or how to stop. Aoife is staring at me, her chestnut eyes wide. She smiles softly, and at that moment I know that she is going to lie to me.

"I don't hear anything." Her voice is soft, concerned. "Let's get you into the cottage so you can rest. It's been a long day."

"This place Aoife...there's something strange going on."

All she does is smile, and motions for me to turn around.

Before me stands a small cottage, unlike any cottage I had seen before. The thatched roof is covered in thick moss that shines bright green against beams of sunlight. Climbing roses and ivy grow from a garden filled with vibrant flowers and foliage. The front oak door is massive and enchanting, welcoming me to come inside and never leave.

I can see it. I can see my father tending to the plants. I can see him sitting on the stone steps of the small porch, reading one of the leather-bound books he was so fond of. This was everything that he was, everything that he had promised me...

Magic...it was real, it was here. I could feel it.

"You are right, Katherine. This place is strange, and there is something going on here. But you are here now, you are home." Aoife places her hand on my back, squeezing my shoulder softly. "Your father was a lovely man, a beautiful man. It killed him to leave you, but he had-" There was not a single cloud in the sky, yet thunder clapped so loudly that Aoife whimpered.

"Get inside." She nudges me softly towards the door. "I cannot follow you, not yet. You'll find the answers you're looking for in there."

"I'm…I'm terrified that he left me for no reason at all. I came here to find all of

these answers...and now I don't even know if I want to know them anymore." I feel like a child, lost and terrified.

"You have the right to be terrified, the right to be angry. You also have the right to know the truth, Katherine."

Aoife is right, of course she is. I deserve to know the truth, I deserve the chance to heal. I turn away from her slowly, and begin to make my way to my father's cottage.

I do not know what lays ahead for me, or what I will find.

All I know is that I am going to find the answers I had longed to know for a very long time.