(P.O.V Hero)
Year 2011
You could see the wind moving through the grass of the meadows surrounding Leep Castle, it was a wonderful sun that wrapped you like a warm blanket, Mr. Ackerman was setting up a table to eat lunch.
I sat down on a small hill to see what my family was doing.... That idiot Gran was following Mr. Ackerman around, asking him questions about everything.
Gran has been a nuisance since I came into this family, at first I tried to approach him, but every time I tried to talk to him he would stay silent and avoid looking me in the face... it doesn't go any further, he usually ignores me when we are at home.
-Why do I have to have such an annoying "little brother", does he really hate me?
The worst was the accident a few months ago, I decided to approach him again, I started to talk to him, at the beginning I got a positive response from him, but after a while he started crying, that made me... sad.
At least Mr. Ackerman has been good to me, he is very concerned, and he has tried to make me feel part of the home... if only Gran was at least a little more like his father.
-Children it's time for you to study Old Irish, don't think because we are on a field trip you will skip your studies.
-Yes daddy
Gran dutifully ran to sit where Mr. Ackerman had set up the camping table.
-Mr. Ackerman, couldn't we rest for at least one day.
-Alice, of course not, it's important that you learn this for your future, besides you're behind.
-But nobody speaks this language anymore, besides it's boring.
-Alice, let's do this, go on with your studies and I'll buy you the book of Greek myths you want.
When I arrived a year ago to this family, Mr. Ackerman tried to read me stories to cheer me up, but it didn't work, one day Gran brought from his father's bookshelf a book about the story of Hero and Leander.
That book told the story of a priestess of Aphrodite who had fallen in love with a man named Leander, but her family was opposed to her love, so every night Hero lit a fire in the temple to guide Leander into the sea, so they could meet at night, one day because of a storm, the fire went out and Leander died in the ocean.
As you can see it is not a story with a happy ending, but in a way I was moved, not by the story, but by the fact that the boy who ignored me tried to cheer me up, and it worked.
I nodded blushing at the deal.
-One more thing Alice, call me father, or at least Ackerman, you've been calling me that for over a year now.
-Excuse me, sir... I'm sorry.
I noticed a hint of sadness in my adoptive father, for not being able to call him dad. It's not that I didn't want to tell him, but if I did, I would be accepting a reality I didn't want to.
The rest of the day was cozy, we ate, wandered around Leap's castle, wandered into the nearby woods even Gran was having fun, which is a rare thing since I've known this kid.
After that in the afternoon Mr. Ackerman spent the day showing us wild plants that could serve as alternative medicine, or food.
-Alice... Why are you always... angry with me?
Out of nowhere Gran spoke to me.
-What are you talking about, I have never been angry with you.
I was really lying to him, I was mad at him for ignoring me for over a year.
-It's just that...you always look at me as if...I'm a...nuisance.
I didn't know what to answer him, yes I have been angry with this boy, but I'm sure I never looked at him coldly, on the contrary, after losing my family, I always tried to at least have someone close to me.
-I don't know what you're talking about Gran, I've never looked at you that way.
-Liar, you even do it now, you look at me with narrowed eyes, as if you wanted to yell at me.
-Wait a minute, you mean this look?
-Yes
The truth is, I couldn't control myself, I lunged at him, and started punching him hard in the chest with clenched fists.
-You're an idiot Grant, you stupid kid.
Tears kept falling from my eyes.
-Alice, stop it, it hurts.
-I'm not looking at you the wrong way, my eyes are like that, stupid.
-Stop it, you're hurting me.
Gran pushed me off him, he walked away from me with terrified eyes, I fell down sitting down, I couldn't stop crying, I started to scream at Gran.
-I'm part Japanese, our eyes are like this, I inherited my mother's eyes!
-Alice....
Gran began to cry.
-I always thought you hated me... I'm sorry I didn't know your eyes were like that.
I didn't hit Gran because of the misunderstanding, when my parents died in the fire, I didn't cry, I was out of it, I had denied my feelings, I felt like a monster, all of that exploded in a sea of feelings and I took it out on my brother, but deep down... deep down I was happy that boy didn't hate me.
Mr. Ackerman came running up to us.
-What happened children, why are you crying, please tell me you are all right.
-Gran is an idiot.
Alice, don't run, it's already dark.
I started to run as far as I could, the tears wouldn't stop flowing, without realizing I had run to the only place that Mr. Ackerman had forbidden us, it was inside the ruins of the Leap castle.
All my emotions turned upside down, my sadness turned into fear, I was alone inside some ruins where I could hardly see.
-Alice...
A voice I didn't know pronounced my name somewhere in the dark castle.
-Stay away...
I tried to get out of the ruins, but I only managed to lose more inside, I arrived to a large room, I felt that the temperature of the environment dropped drastically, from my mouth came out the mist because of the cold.
I began to feel footsteps approaching me, I could not feel scared anymore, my body was shivering, my heart seemed to be coming out of my mouth.
-...forest...
I heard a woman's voice again, but now it came from the other side of the room where I was, I slowly turned towards her. There, where I thought I would see a person, was a small blue flame flickering.
-HERO...
The flame shuddered suddenly, several sparks jumped making parts of the castle burst into blue flames, the flame began to approach me, and the more it advanced the more it spread the fire.
-...Stay away...STAY AWAY.
The fire began to surround me, in spite of that my body felt as cold as a tempane, among the flame I saw the silhouettes of my parents burning as in the fire in which they died.
-No, no, no, no, not again.
I started screaming non-stop while clutching my head, desperation made me urinate without being able to control myself.
-Stop it, Papa, Mama.
The blue flame approaching me began to take the shape of a woman, but I didn't want to see more, I closed my eyes waiting for the fire to consume me.
-I closed my eyes waiting for the fire to consume me.
I opened my eyes again, between me and the disembodied woman was Gran with her arms outstretched.
-I won't let you do anything to her.
The blue woman gracefully approached Gran, he was shivering, I couldn't see him since I could only see his back, but I was sure he closed his eyes.
-I won't do you any harm.
The woman gave Gran a tender kiss on the cheek, said something I couldn't hear in his ear, then addressed them both.
-Never enter the forest outside Leap.
The castle shook a little, the fire had already covered the whole room, when I realized the woman was gone.
-Aliceee, forgive me... I was afraid you would hate me... I always thought I was bothering you.
Gran's little boy was crying as much as I was, all this time I thought this child hated me and it was all a silly misunderstanding.
Gran gave me a cozy hug, for a few seconds he made all the fear I felt disappear, I impulsively returned the hug, everything felt wet from our tears, I let myself be carried away by his scent of new book leaves that I had fallen in love with, but when I looked at the fire the horror returned, there was no time to treasure that little moment.
Gran, I'm afraid, the fire... I don't want it to consume me like my parents.
Gran grabbed my hand, I knew he was being brave.
-Come follow me, I'll get us out of here, let me keep protecting you.
Without hesitation I grabbed his hand, he began to pull me, he led me through the hall to the next corridor, the blue fire had spread throughout the castle, the smoke made it increasingly difficult for us to breathe.
One of the stone walls collapsed on top of us.
-Watch out
I felt myself being pushed. I fell abruptly to the floor, I heard the roar caused by the fall of the wall, the whole room was filled with dust that together with the smoke made it impossible to see anything.
-Gran, where are you?
No one answered, once the dust was down, I could see a pile of rock where we were before the wall fell.
-Don't leave me alone, please don't leave me like mom and dad.
The fire was getting closer and closer to me, I felt the heat starting to hurt me.
It burns...No... no... Why, the fire wants to consume me, mom don't take Gran.
-Alice...
Hearing Gran's weak voice, I came back to myself.
Some rocks began to move, Gran appeared from the rubble, but hope was short-lived, I could see him full of blood, on his chin he had a pretty nasty open wound.
-It will be all right, just give me a moment, you'll see how he got us out of here.
He could barely walk, he reached me with difficulty and let himself fall into my arms.
I'm stupid, he's doing everything to try to get us out of here and I'm just being a burden, I have to react.
I plucked up my courage, grabbed Gran's arm and put it over my shoulder, to help him walk.
The words were barely out of my mouth.
-Let's get out of here together, little brother.
We advanced a little to the other room, but the fire barely allowed us to move, the worst thing was that the smoke was beginning to suffocate us, neither of us stopped coughing.
-Gran, can you see which way to go?
-The smoke doesn't let me see, I feel dizzy.
Again we felt a tiny tremor that made the castle rumble, luckily this time there was no detachment.
We managed to advance a little more, but I no longer knew where I was walking, the smoke was getting thicker and thicker, it made my eyes burn and my cough got worse.
-I don't know which way to go, I can't see anything anymore.
I started to feel my shoulder getting wet.
-Gran, you're losing a lot of blood, if we don't get out of here fast we're going to die.
-Calm down...cof...cof, we can still trust him.
-Of course, Mr. Ackerman will save us, soon we will be together again.
-Yes, but this time...cof...cof...it will be better, now we will be together like real brothers, Alice.
-Is that a promise?
-Promise.
It was ironic or destiny was cruel, at last we were talking, but it took this misfortune to bring us closer.
-You know I hate that ghost woman, if it wasn't for her... we would finally be brothers.
-Don't be silly, since you came into my life you have always been my sister.
-Great...
The fire was already in front of us, I hugged Gran and closed my eyes waiting for our agonizing end.
-Children, how did all this happen?
Mr. Ackerman grabbed us in his arms, like a hero, quickly pulled us out of the castle, we were safe.
-Where did all this blue fire come from? ... Children, all this blood...
I looked at Mr. Ackerman gratefully, I pounced on him while crying like a newborn baby.
-Dad... Gran tried to save me, but a wall fell on him, that woman caused all this....
-Alice... finally you call me... it's not the time for this, your brother is dead.
I kept talking, but I noticed the stunned look on my father's face.
-Where did all that fire go?
As if by magic, Leap's castle was as if nothing had happened, I was as surprised as my dad, but Gran was unconscious in his arms.
-Father, Gran is not responding.
Father came out of his reverie.
-Come on, daughter, we have to take your brother to the hospital.
We quickly got into the car, and we left as I took Gran's hand, I turned around for one last time, I wanted to see the castle again, and there it was as if nothing had happened, I couldn't have imagined it, Gran's wounds were the proof of it.
-Alice... look into the forest...
Gran had woken up, with his bloody face he indicated me where to look, I turned to the forest, to my surprise in its edge was that blue flame floating.
-The forest...
-Passengers, we inform you that we are about to arrive at our destination....
The sound of the loudspeaker of the plane made me wake up, I had dreamed about what happened 9 years ago, I was a little startled, I noticed that Gran was leaning on my shoulder, still asleep.
I was looking at his face, I wanted to kiss him, but I knew he would not have liked it, I noticed the scar on his chin, I lightly touched it giving him a caress.
-Stay away from the forest....
Those words were engraved in my head.
Gran opened her eyes.
- Is something wrong Hero, why are you caressing me?
He smiles slightly at her.
-I was just remembering how you got that scar and the hero who saved me that day.
-Hero...
-I was wrong Gran, you have a lot of your father in you.