She is Louise
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– I am. I'm just confused.
Well, that's it. Louise has been seen. No one can know who she really is! People don't like magic. People don't like people who are different. True, Galya hadn't said anything about what to do if you were being hunted. The girl looked around and did not see anything like an angry mob with pitchforks and burning torches. It was all right, then. And what little girls there might be in this village…
Louise soon found the box. It was very, very rusty and did not inspire confidence. What if he ate her envelope and didn't even choke on it? And mom wouldn't even remember that she had Louise. But there was no choice, so she put the letter inside. The deed is done and she can go home. Or rather, run as fast as she can. But Niels… Her heart beat faster. Her breathing seemed to freeze. The girl had never felt anything like this before. The day had taken on a very special color. Fantastic.
Roxy and Edol took a step forward. A moment more, and there was only darkness. They stepped onto the ground of the Forest. And in a moment they were gone. Stunned, Evie and Thea were left standing on the bright ground of the Field.
– Where are they? " Evie exclaimed. She was used to always following Roxy and had no idea how to act alone.
– Ugh!" said Thea. – What are we doing now?
– Call someone. Call the cops.
– I can't get a signal.
– So I don't know. You'll have to think of something!
– Ay, ay, girls, girls. You talk like cobblers. How did you get here? " they heard a voice behind them and almost jumped from surprise.
When they turned around, they saw an old woman in a ragged apron. She had some roots in her hands. What is she doing here?
– Who are you? " Evie asked, apparently desperate to take the lead.
– My name is Galina. Nice to meet you.
– Nice to meet you, too," Evie mumbled.
– Help us! Our friends are missing!" Thea said. That was the end of her word limit, and the girl would have to meditate and recover for a while. Communication is not easy for many people.
– What happened? " not without interest asked Galya, putting her stubs (obviously intended for baking for garnish) behind the sinus. Her dress in general was like a huge stash of all sorts of things. – What can I do for you?
– They were up… here," Evie pointed to a dark patch of forest grass. Were any of the worlds their enemy? If that's the case, they'll all be in trouble!
– Don't worry, they were just swallowed by the Forest. You'll have to follow and get your friends out," Galya said cheerfully and left. Louise will be home soon and will probably bring some interesting news. It won't be without it.
– Oh, and one more thing! Be kinder," Galya said to them. In a minute she was gone.
– What did she say to us? " Evie did not understand, nervously shifting from foot to foot.
– Just a few words," said Thea.
– Don't just stand there! Go on, go first.
– Why should I? You go first.
– Are you weak? I'm not! " Evie stepped onto the dark grass. Thea didn't hesitate to follow, because neither of them could do it alone.
Niels ran to his lesson and thought about the wonderful girl he had seen for only a few brief moments. For some reason, at that very moment his pulse increased twice as much, and his cheeks turned as red as the ripe tomatoes that grew in his mother's small garden at home. What if this… no, it couldn't be. Love… what a silly word! Childish and naive. Niels knew long ago that it doesn't exist. That people are just doing their duty. But, on the other hand, what was there to live for? Just to exist and then die? What's the point?
Niels took out his cell phone and turned on the selfie-camera: his red hair was standing on end from running fast, his green eyes were empty, his face was covered with moles and pimples, and there was a strange stamp of longing on his face. No, no one will want him. He will spend his life in a lonely house on the edge of the Earth, unless, of course, before that he died in battle. But what kind of battle? Would he ever be? Niels knew that love at first sight was impossible, but as long as he lived here and studied in the City, he should learn as much as he could about who Louise was.
Chapter Four
– What? I don't know any Louise. You must have been dreaming," Mrs. Mountain told her son Niels three hours later, after he had told her about meeting the girl from the Forests and Steppes.
– She lives there, on the other side of the border. Can I go there?
– No way, you're not making that up! What if your father finds out? What do you think, a girl?
– I'm sixteen now, Mom. That's quite an advanced age," the boy said calmly.
– I realize you're a teenager. But life has its own rules.
– I know, I know.
Niels was somehow calm, although his whole body was still throbbing. Somewhere in the world, there's Louise. Louise in a gray dress and a basket in her hands. With long blonde hair and big glassy eyes. Like something out of a fairy tale. Maybe it was – Niels had just fallen into a fairy tale that had lived nearby all these years? Now he would do the routine things, but he would go to bed early – tomorrow is the first day of duty. He'll have to put on a uniform with a uniform coat. He'll probably even be given a horse. Or just put him in a tank, as is proper in our world. He will be a knight, but a real one – now he has someone to protect. Niels forgot to think about the fact that soon his father would come home and demand an explanation. For everything. For everything in the young man's life, no matter what he did. He had also forgotten about his comrades, whom it was good to remember. His eyes closed on their own.
– Where are we?!" Roxy shouted in confusion, finding herself alone with Edol in the suffocating darkness. He may have been a great guy, but he was useless as a warrior.
– I don't know. It's dark.
– Get me out of here! " the girl began to lose patience. After all, she was a simple high school student, albeit obsessed with fashion and boys, but certainly not with old fairy tales. That's not her thing.
– Easy. Let's take a step back," Edol suggested, giving Roxy a hand so she wouldn't trip.