Page 452 of Once Upon a Fable

“Hey, it’s all good.” Josh sighed. “I wasn’t saying it to make you self-conscious.”

I shrugged as if it hadn’t bothered me, trying to ignore how my gut panged at being told I was weird. How was I supposed to know what was normal? It wasn’t like I’d had society to guide me. Just how weird did I come across to him? How much would I have to change not to put people on edge or see me as different?

Wrapping my hand around my bottle, I dropped my stare. “I’ll try to do better. To not be so...weird.”

Josh smirked, saluting me with his bottle. “Guess you can’t be expected to be normal right off the bat.”

“Off the bat?” I scowled, not knowing that phrase.

“God, you really were sheltered, huh?”

“Sheltered from everyday stuff, yes. Sheltered from dark, painful shit? No.”

He winced, empathy filling his judging stare. “She’s not making that stuff up, is she?” His gaze shot to his sister. I followed his stare. Locking onto Gemma as she spoke to her mom beneath an evergreen tree at the bottom of the garden. The grass was overgrown, the outdoor table and chairs needed to be sanded and a new coat of varnish applied, and the flower beds were full of weeds, but I liked the wildness.

It reminded me of the valley.

Insects came and went.

Birds visited.

The sounds of society, hidden behind the moss-covered fence, were muted and easily forgotten.

He looked back at me, questions instead of judgment on his face. “You truly were trapped for that long?”

I stiffened but forced myself to nod. “Yes.”

“You literally only had animals to talk to?”

I half-smiled. “I didn’t befriend any of them if that’s what you think.”

“Why not?”

“What do you mean?”

“You would’ve been starved for company. You should’ve raised a wolf pup or something. Had a pet, you know? At least you would’ve had something to talk to instead of sitting in an empty house twitching with thoughts.”

I tried to hide another flinch.

Fuck, just how weird was I?

A heavy weight of melancholy filled me, slipping back to my past. “I...I was lost for a few years after my family left. Animals were food, not friends. I didn’t remember much apart from being hungry and trying to survive. I guess, by the time my memory came back, I was content with solitude.”

“Until my sister came along.”

I nodded with a faint grin. “Until your sister came along.”

“I still haven’t forgiven you for trapping her.” He pointed his bottle at me. “I might never forgive you for making us fear she was dead.”

I caught his narrowed stare. “I understand.”

He held my eyes for a long moment before nodding. “I see that youdo. And that’s the only thing stopping me from telling Gemstone to get her head checked. I can’t believe she said yes to you.”

My heart fisted.

She said yes.

I looked back to where Gem laughed at something her mom said, the sun playing in her golden strands.