The Green

Chapter One – Revelation

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. There weren’t always fairies. There definitely weren’t unicorns, even though my mother had always wished for them. And there also were no wizards, even though I had always wished there were. Although, in truth, it wasn’t that they were not, it was that they were not yet perceived, by us, because we did not yet know that we were of The Green.

It was the fault of my mother that we were revealed and made able to see, to see what we had always sensed but never known. It was a thing that grew with me; I knew from the time that I was a small girl that there was something of me, something in me, not quite the same as the others.

My mother had always had a longing to belong but growing up in Eden Valley had left her mostly bereft of companions apart from my “aunt” Cassie, our two long-haired tabby cats, Tristan and Isolde, and me. I, contrarily, liked to proudly and passionately assert that I was much more content not to fit-in with the narrow-minded, short-sighted and more than occasionally bigoted members of the community that made up the coastal town that I’d resided in since birth.

It was this desire to belong that ultimately led to the magical revelations that now formed our reality. My mother, Tessa, or “Mum” as I referred to her, was adopted by a middle-aged couple of the Valley as a tiny baby. Grams and Gramps found her down south through an adoption agency in Massachusetts, the only time, they liked to brag, that they had ever found it necessary or desirable to cross over the holy borders of Maine. So, she had grown here, amongst the flowers, blooming in the love of her adopted parents, but she had never felt truly rooted to this place.

Early last Fall, shortly after the start of my senior year at the local high school, was when I came home to our tiny cottage by the lake to discover my mother hovered over a list of instructions and a small vial on our somewhat cluttered kitchen counter.

“What are you doing home so early?” I asked her. “I thought you were staying after to help someone with research for their project?

“They emailed me this morning and said they forgot they have to watch their little brother after school today, so I’m going to stay with them tomorrow instead.”

“But aren’t you going to the Farmer’s Market with Aunt Cassie tomorrow?” my mother was always double-booking herself.

“Yes, but not until later,” she responded distractedly.

“What are you doing, anyways?” I inquired.

“Hmm?” She looked up at me, her forest green eyes a mirror of my own. I repeated my question- something I was quite used to doing.

“Oh, umm, I’m doing one of those Heredity.com thingies,” She eyed me warily, unsure how I would respond.

“You know the government can track you with the results now? They’ll have all your DNA and know all your secrets,” I attempted to hide my half-smile and maintain a semblance of seriousness but was unsuccessful.

“Ha! What secrets? I’m the most boring person I know!” she added an eyeroll for effect.

She picked up the small tube on the counter, unscrewed its cap, tucked her long-blonde hair behind her ear, gave me a pointed stare for dramatic effect, and effectively spit into it.

“Gross,” I said.

“Maybe I’ll finally discover that I am a princess, long-lost from my family, separated by tragedy—”

“Finally reunited,” we finished together. “This isn’t Tangled, Mum.”

“Oh, stop being so realistic!” she scolded, and then grabbed my chin for a quick kiss before I could squirm away.

It was a few weeks later when life as we knew it suddenly went completely whack. I was sitting in Honors Calculus, staring out longingly at the parking-lot, dreaming of escape and of spending the afternoon painting cardboard on my best friend Vic’s gazebo, when I saw a black Mercedes sedan approach the lot, and two non-descript men in black suits pulled up alongside the curb and exited the car. Even more surprisingly, I saw my mother, who was supposed to be submerged under a stack of novels in the school library, exit the back doors of the school and then head towards the men.

I jumped up from my seat. Dramatic is not usually my style, but this was my mum.

“Louie! Sit down!” my quite usually dramatic math teacher exclaimed.

“Sorry, Mr. Pacatezza, I’ve gotta…I’ll be back,” I muttered incomprehensibly as I stumbled my way toward the door and out into the hall. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and quickly dialed my mum from my favorites list, but she didn’t pick up. I broke into a jog and pushed my way out of the parking lot doors just in time to see my mother climbing into the back of the Mercedes.

“Wait!” I screamed out as the car turned away in the opposite direction. Apparently, they didn’t hear me because the car continued on without any sign of notice. What the actual hell, was going on—

My thought was interrupted by the nasally sounding voice of the student Dean who had followed me out onto the patio.

“Louisa,” she authoritatively intoned.

“Louie,” I automatically responded.

“Louisa,” she repeated emphatically.

“My mother—” I began.

“Did not authorize you to get up and leave in the middle of math class. Mr. Pacatezza is quite upset,” she admonished.

“But, my mother—”

“You can visit in the library at lunch, like you do every day,” she responded snarkily. There was definitely no love lost between my mother and Mrs. Starr; a liberal-hippie librarian has little in common with a rigid, conservative disciplinarian, and the ensuing result of this was that I was not high up on the list of Mrs. Starr’s favorite students.

“Fine,” I muttered, not wishing to prolong the conversation more than was absolutely necessary. I moved past her toward the cafeteria doors, ducked inside, and headed immediately for the girl’s bathroom (in small town Maine, gender neutral wasn’t a thing yet), where I could hole up in a stall and try to reach my mum. A watermelon scented steam cloud hovered in the air, and I attempted not to breathe in too deeply.

There was already a text waiting for me when I checked.

MUM: Hi Lovey- I might not be home for dinner. Cassie needs help with something, and I had to leave early to help her. There are dumplings (with the emoji for a dumpling after the dumpling- my mother LOVES emojis) in the freezer. Kiss face, red heart.

ME: Umm. Bull? WTF, Mum! Why did I just see U leave with those guys?!?

I waited a couple of minutes. No response. What the fu- the thought was interrupted by the ringing of a bell. It was lunch time. Hopefully, the characteristic disorganization of high school lunch would cover my exit- I needed to find out what the hell was going on with my mother.

I scanned the crowded hallways for a sign of Mrs. Starr, or any of her henchmen, and finding the corridor decidedly empty of adults, I made my way to the side door to the parking lot. My Subaru Forrester, my most prized possession and last gift to me from my Grams, awaited, and with her, freedom. The question was, where to first?

Home was the best answer I could come up with. I thought about trying to recruit Vic to aid in my pursuit, but as much as I loved them, they weren’t always the best at handling high-stress events. I needed to head home to see if any clues had been left behind.

I pulled up in front of our pale-yellow bungalow and hopped out. Isolde greeted me at the front door, meowing loudly in protest when I failed to acknowledge her upon entering, and howling piteously when I didn’t stop as was required to give her the obligatory treats she demanded upon entry. I quickly scanned our tiny country kitchen for evidence. An envelope and some folded sheets of paper were on the countertop. I lost no time in scanning the letter:

Dear Ms. Fiora,

As a representative of Verdant, I would like to express my excitement in having made your discovery. We are a small corporation responsible for helping to interpret the results of the more unique cases disclosed by results furnished by Heredity.com.

As the nature of this information is rather delicate, and is best conferred in person, I would like to invite you, at your earliest convenience, to contact me to arrange an opportunity where we may meet to discuss the aforementioned material, which I think you will find most pertinent.

I anticipate your response with excitement; yours most sincerely,

William Wivern

There was a phone number listed under the name, but no address. Who the hell was William Wivern, and what was Verdant? Heredity.com- of course! I hadn’t been far off my mark; I knew nothing good would come from this! I rapidly dialed the number, and the line was almost immediately answered.

“How can I help?” the smooth, somewhat syrupy voice inquired.

Without forethought, I responded, “I think you have my mother.”

“And who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?” asked the obviously interested speaker.

“This is Louie Fiora—I think my mother may have been taken by two of your men in a black Mercedes from our school this morning.”

“Taken is a rather strong word, don’t you think? She came of her own free will, but we were not yet made aware that she has a daughter?” he replied, the question in his voice implicit by his tone.

“Where is my mother?” I demanded.

“Miss Fiora, please remain calm. There is absolutely no need for alarm. Your mother is perfectly fine. In fact, I think the best way for that to be shown is for you to come and see so for yourself,” he soothed.

“Sure, yup, okay, whatever. Who’s this?” I blurted. Not calmed in the least.

“Why this is William Wivern, Miss Fiora. I’m sure you must have discovered the letter that I sent? You are at that same address presently?” he asked.

“Yup, I’m here,” I answered tersely.

“Excellent, one of my drivers will be there expeditiously to gather you. I will be glad to greet you shortly—”

His response was cut off when I suddenly ended the call. I didn’t think that I had long before the “Men in Black” showed up, so I needed every second. Text Vic and Cassie, and tell them where we are, just in case. Make sure that Tristan and Isolde have extra food, just in case. Grab the pepper spray to bring along, just in case.

My palms started sweating, and my chest felt tight. Focus, Louie. You need to focus.

I had just pressed send on my group text to Vic and Cassie:

ME: Sooo..Mum kinda did a thing and sent in her DNA and she went to this company called Verdant to get more information about her results but I haven’t heard from her so I’m going there to find her. Just wanted you guys to know where we’re at! (smiley face emoji, green heart, green heart)

CASSIE (reply dots appear almost instantly): Ummm…what now???

I heard the crunching sound of a car pulling up out front, and I shoved my phone into my right pocket while simultaneously patting my left one to confirm the location of the pepper spray. My reply to Cassie would have to wait. There was a quick and forceful knock on the front door. Isolde looked at me curiously, and I gave her a quick pat on the back before moving towards the door.

“Don’t worry, fur-baby, we’ll be home later,” I said

Two men in black suits stood on my front step. I couldn’t be sure if they were the same two men who had driven off with my mother, but they were pretty much replicas, like exactly.

“Hey,” I said, by way of greeting.

“Louie?” the taller one questioned.

“Yup,” I replied.

Pleasantries weren’t something that they had earned yet, by my estimation.

“This way please,” said the shorter one with the ginger hair as he gestured to the black Mercedes, now idling adjacent to the curb in front of our house.

The taller one with the darker coloring held the rear door open, and as I slid across the leather seat, I stole a last glance at our little yellow cottage wondering to myself when my mother and I would be returning to it, and wondering how when I left it this morning, everything had been so very normal, while now, it was definitely not.

The car made its way quickly in the direction of the coast, and Man One and Man Two said nothing. I stared out the window trying to keep track of where we were heading when the car suddenly turned off down a partially hidden side road, and I could see, through a break in the trees, a glimpse of rocky coastline, and the waves of the Atlantic beating against the shore. The road continued through the dense woods, and the sun coming through the trees lit maples in sparkling fire and gold. Fall in Maine is magical, but here, it felt even more so. The forest surrounding me pulsed with an energy that I could feel in my stomach, and I felt a strange quivering spread through my limbs as if my body was awakening to the energy I could feel around me. I braced myself against the car door, craning my neck to try and peer through the trees, and my eyes caught a small, but rapid flutter amongst the leaves, and I thought it was a hummingbird at first, but no, it looked-

Man One suddenly interrupted my thoughts with an abrupt announcement, “We have arrived.”

I looked through the front window to discover a giant iron gate, swirled with ornate decorations of ivy and flower petals, accented with burnished gold so that as the filtering sunlight touched the bars, it seemed to glow. I moved forward on the seat in anticipation of what lay beyond as Man Two pressed the button of a tiny clicker, and as the massive gates opened, we passed through.

We travelled uphill, on a graveled drive, and when we crested, my breath held for a moment while I took in the view before me. An endless sea of emerald grass flowed around a medieval castle perched upon the cliff. The gardens burst with the bright fuchsia blossoms of beach roses, periwinkle lupine stretched towards an endless sky, while yellow, white and burgundy chrysanthemums nodded their heads in greeting as we drove up to the great, gray stone structure before us.

It reminded me, from pictures we had poured over while dreaming of foreign travel, of the castles I had seen in Scotland. It towered with turrets and crenellated battlements. The lingering drive deposited us is front of an archway, and I fully expected a knight to be awaiting us, tucked within its shadows. Instead, another man in black stepped out, and it was he who opened the rear door of the black Mercedes to perform the task of ushering me inside.

I ignored the hand that he offered in assistance, shook of the mesmerizing magical haze that I had been under the spell of, and promptly and sharply asked,

“Where is my mother?”

He cast me a glance of annoyance before tersely responding, “Mr. Wivern will be happy to answer all of your questions, Miss. Please, follow me this way.”

I let out an exasperated, “Hmm,” as I followed him under the archway into a small courtyard, containing a fountain boasting bronze dolphins, mermaids and even dragons. What was this place?

We passed through a large oak paneled door, into a foyer and my well-worn Chucks made little sound as I kept a quick pace following Man Three, this one more Nordic in coloring, down a marbled corridor. My inner artist couldn’t resist stealing glances at the artwork adorning the walls, and I marveled at tapestries of magical unicorns galloping with maidens grasping their flowing manes, and fantastical paintings depicting dragons and a myriad of other magical creatures. I longed to stop to examine them more closely, but I hurried after my escort, trying to remind myself that my priority was to discover the whereabouts of my mother.

Man Three knocked abruptly on a door tucked into a small alcove, and upon hearing the word, “Enter,” from within, opened it to reveal an office, surprisingly modern in its décor. There were arches giving way to bookshelves tucked within, but I was immediately taken in by the huge windows on the back wall of the room that showcased a dazzling view of the expansive Atlantic beyond. In front of these windows, seated behind a large cherrywood desk, was a man older than I had expected, with thick, wavy white hair, but what struck me most, besides the large, bespeckled forest green eyes was the warmth of the smile that he bestowed in greeting; it appeared genuine. He rose from his chair as I approached, and along with his height, I took in the almost regal bearing of the apparent sexagenarian before me.

He extended a hand while inquiring, “Louie, I presume?”

Attempting to maintain my down-to-business attitude, I immediately asked, “Where is my mother?”

“Ahh, lets relax a moment, shall we? I, my dear, am William Wivern. There’s no need to worry, as your mother is perfectly well, and we will join her in a moment, but we need to catch up a bit before. So, please,” he smiled beseechingly with the request, “won’t you sit a moment?”

Despite my inner urge to be forever accommodating, I tersely replied, “I’ll stand.”

“Okay,” he indulged, “I can sense your anxiety, so I will attempt to assuage your fears as quickly as I can do so,” he smiled his great genuine grin at me once more. I held my ground and raised my eyebrows in reply.

“As I know that you’ve already ascertained from the letter that I sent, the product of your mother’s genetic testing revealed some rather interesting results, or rather interesting to us, here at Verdant.”

“Verdant? What exactly is Verdant? Because this place doesn’t really look the part of science lab or corporation?” I tossed back.

“No, you’re exactly right, it’s not a scientific facility, nor is it affiliated with what you call the government in any way, it’s much different than any place I’m sure you’ve ever experienced, and um, well, you’re very alike your mother, aren’t you?” he inquired, staring pointedly into my similarly colored green eyes.

“I guess, yeah,” I responded blandly.

“Well, she too, preferred to be shown rather than told. In fact, that is where she is right now.”

“So, yeah, show me too, then,” I returned his quizzical stare with what I hope was a determined one.

“Very well then, this way.”

I followed him towards the door, where Man Three waited in the shadows to open it for us. He trailed a few lengths behind as we made our way down the hallway, continuing farther down rather than heading back towards the entryway. At the end of the corridor, he opened an exterior door which revealed a large stone patio with a curving granite stairway that led down to the cliff below. My gaze followed his to the ground, where thankfully, I found my mother, who behind her was standing a man with slightly longish chestnut colored hair, but my sudden relief at seeing my mum alive and apparently well was overcome by overwhelming astonishment because she was reaching up to gently stroke the muzzle of an amazingly gorgeous, brilliantly white, unicorn.

She must have sensed me, because she suddenly turned around, and upon seeing me she smiled the biggest smile I have ever seen her smile, and she called out to me,

“Louie! Isn’t it wonderful?”