Chapter 25

25

MARIAH

A sprawling skyline of towering skyscrapers looms before me as I inch toward the city where my parents live, stuck in rush-hour traffic on the freeway.

The glass and chrome and congested, car-filled highways are a stark contrast to the quaint, old-fashioned charm of Elderberry Falls. Car horns blare, and someone in a fancy sports car cuts me off in my lane, as if switching from his lane to mine will get him where he's going any faster.

It's jarring every time I come back here, even though this is the world I once called home.

Finally, I turn onto my parents' tree-lined street, the neighborhood both familiar and foreign. The houses here are a patchwork of brick and siding, tidy lawns and chain-link fences. My parents moved here after they left Elderberry Falls, and though it's not the same human neighborhood where I spent my first few years of life, it's similar enough to make me nostalgic.

I pull into my parents' driveway, their old minivan still parked in its usual spot. The front door swings open before I've even cut the engine, and there they are.

Mom and Dad. The love and joy to see me on their faces almost makes me start crying then and there, still sitting behind the wheel.

It's been a little over a month since everything happened with Thorak, and I haven't seen him or heard from him since. That was what I wanted, I know. I told him to get out my life. I told him I couldn't trust him and didn't want to be with him.

And yet…every time the door to the inn opens up, I half-expect to see his huge frame crossing the threshold. Every time I walk through town or by his brewery, I brace myself to hear him say "Mariah" in that low, rumbling growl of his.

And every night when I close my eyes, laying in that bed where he worshiped my body for hours on end, I feel the phantom touch of his mouth on my skin, his tusks pressing into me.

I shake myself out of my memories and focus on my mom rushing down the steps, her arms outstretched. I was overdue for a visit and I've desperately needed this break.

Experiencing some unconditional, simple, impossible-to-doubt love might shake me out of this funk I've been in ever since I told Thorak to go.

I gather my things from the backseat of the car and turn to my mom.

"Mariah, sweetheart," she murmurs, enfolding me in a warm embrace. I breathe in the familiar scent of her perfume. "We've missed you so much."

Dad ambles over, his eyes crinkling behind his glasses. "Hey, kiddo. You holding up okay?"

I force a smile, not quite ready to share all the details of my recent heartbreak. My parents didn't ask a ton of questions when I sprung a last-minute visit on them, but I'm sure they know something is up.

"I'm...I'm hanging in there. Just needed a change of scenery, you know?"

They exchange a knowing glance, and I feel a pang of guilt for not sharing more, being more in touch. But as we head inside, Mom's arm draped around my shoulders, I'm comforted by the support they offer me nonetheless.

As I settle into their guest room, I wonder about the life I might have had if we'd never left this city behind. Would I be a different person entirely? Or would the call of magic have found me just the same?

I flop down on the bed, my thoughts drifting back to Elderberry Falls, to the inn that's become my true home...and to Thorak.

The memory of his gentle touch, his rumbling laughter, sends a bittersweet ache through my chest.

Sighing, I close my eyes and try to banish thoughts of Thorak. That's in the past. I need to move on. Words I've repeated to myself so many times…

Maybe with some distance from Elderberry Falls, I'll finally be able to act on them.

Dinner on my first night with my parents felt a little stilted, the easy rhythms of my family taking some time to return. It'd been more than a year since I'd last come to see them, and my parents don't make it to Elderberry Falls often either, the town a painful reminder to them of a tough time in their lives when they had to rely on Great-Aunt Ida just to put a roof over my head.

I get it, but sometimes it still hurts.

But waking up to the smell of my mom's pancakes cooking—apple and cinnamon, my favorite kind—melts something in me, and I give my mom a grateful smile as I walk into the kitchen.

"What are your plans for the day?" she asks me as she plops way too many pancakes onto my plate.

"Mmmm," I mumble around a huge bite of pancake, then swallow. "No plans. And I don't want you to have to change your schedule for me. Can I just come along and help if you have any errands?"

Which is how I find myself trailing after my mother through the fluorescent-lit aisles of the grocery store. Another part of the human world that is so different from Elderberry Falls.

Our town grocery is small and cozy, with a mishmash of human and magical brands of food, catering to cuisines for monsters and people of all shapes and sizes. The endless rows of canned vegetables and soup here, all so uniform in size and color, make my eyes ache.

As we round the corner into the beverage section, a familiar logo catches my eye, stopping me in my tracks.

My heart stutters as I reach for the bottle, my fingers trembling slightly as they brush against the cool glass.

Orc's Anvil Brewing Co.

He must've gotten the distribution deal after all.

"Mariah?" My mother's gentle voice pulls me from my reverie, and I glance up to find her watching me with a concerned look in her eyes. "Is everything alright?"

I swallow hard, the weight of my emotions rising in my throat.

"This...this is Thorak's beer," I manage, my voice thick. "My…I mean, Thorak is…"

"Oh, honey." My mother's hand finds mine, her touch warm and comforting. "Why don't you tell me about it?"

And just like that, surrounded by rows of bottles of beer and cans of cola and seltzer, the whole story comes pouring out of me—the fake relationship, the pixie dust mite infestation, the unexpected romance that blossomed between us.

I tell her about the misunderstandings and the heartbreak, my voice shaking as I recount the painful confrontation in the town square.

Through it all, my mother listens with a sympathetic ear, her eyes shining with compassion. When I finally fall silent, she squeezes my hand gently.

"It sounds like you and Thorak have something very special," she says softly. "Something worth fighting for."

"I don't know about that," I say, turning to grab our grocery cart, wanting to put the Orc's Anvil logo in my rearview. "You said we needed cereal right?"

"Mariah." Mom puts a gentle but firm hand on the cart handle, slowing me down. "You clearly still have feelings for this orc. And to me, it sounds like you didn't give him a chance to really explain himself."

A flicker of hope sparks deep within me, even as the doubts continue to swirl through my mind. "But what if it's too late?" I whisper. "What if I've ruined everything?"

"Oh, sweetheart." My mother's smile is soft and knowing. "It's never too late for true love. If you really care for Thorak, if you believe in the connection you share, then you owe it to yourself to give it another chance."

I nod slowly, my gaze drifting back to the row of beers. The sign of Thorak's triumph fills me with a bittersweet sense of pride. He's achieved his dream without me after all.

But my mother could be right.

I cast my mind back to that day in the square, as painful as the memory is, and to the conversation we had when he visited me at the inn. Thorak was trying to tell me that it was a misunderstanding. I honestly didn't give him a chance to explain.

Did I jump to conclusions too quickly? Was I too quick to cast him as a villain again in my mind?

I take a grounding breath. "You're right," I say, meeting my mother's gaze. "I think...I think I'm ready to give Thorak another chance, if he's willing to still do that. To really listen to him, and what he has to say."

My mother's smile widens. "That's my girl," she murmurs, pulling me into a warm embrace.

In my mother's arms, a sense of calm wash over me. Maybe not everything is lost.

With a small smile, I tuck the bottle of Orc's Anvil ale into our cart, already imagining the look on Thorak's face when I tell him that I bought his brew in my parents' local grocery store.

But first, I somehow need to get up the courage to tell him how I still feel.

A week later, Ecco and I make our way along a winding, mossy trail in the forest. I just returned last night from my trip to see my parents, and time outdoors with my best friend is exactly what I needed to soothe my nerves about being back in town.

"So then, Mr. Grimsby accidentally used a shrinking potion instead of his usual hair tonic," Ecco giggles, her blue hair shimmering in the dappled light. "You should've seen the look on his face when he realized he was only two feet tall!"

I laugh, some of the tension easing from my shoulders as we continue our trek through the enchanted woods.

As we round a bend in the trail, Ecco's voice takes on a conspiratorial tone. "Oh, did you hear? Our ten-year high school reunion date got confirmed, it's definitely happening later this month. Everyone's buzzing about it, wondering who'll show up and what they've been up to…"

Ecco's voice trails off and I can easily guess that she's thinking about more than a few ex-boyfriends who might be on that list.

My mind immediately jumps to Thorak. It's been weeks since our confrontation in the town square, weeks since I've seen or spoken to him.

After talking it through with my mother, I know it's up to me to reach out. I'd like to figure out how to go about it, but a cowardly side of myself has been hesitating.

"Earth to Mariah," Ecco teases, waving a hand in front of my face. "Where'd you go just now?"

I shake my head, a flush creeping up my neck. "Sorry, I was just...thinking."

Ecco's violet eyes narrow, a knowing look crossing her features. "About a certain orc, perhaps?"

I sigh, my shoulders slumping as we come to a stop beside a gurgling stream, settling ourselves down on a few well-placed boulders to rest our legs. "Is it that obvious?"

"Only to someone who knows you as well as I do," Ecco replies, her voice gentle. "What's on your mind?"

The kindness in her voice gives me all the permission I need, and I open up to her about my uncertainty about how things ended between us. I tell her about my mother's advice, about the growing realization that I'm ready to give Thorak a real chance to explain.

"But how can I face him again, after everything that's happened?" I ask, my voice trembling. "I was so quick to assume the worst, so ready to believe that he'd betrayed me. What if he can't forgive me for that?"

Ecco takes my hands in hers, her touch warm and comforting. "Mariah, listen to me. You are one of the strongest, bravest women I know. If anyone can find a way to make things right with Thorak, it's you."

She smiles then, a mischievous glint in her eye. "And what better opportunity than the high school reunion? Everyone will be reconnecting with old flames. And I'll be right there with you, in case you need backup."

I bite my lip, considering her words. The thought of seeing Thorak again sends a thrill of nervous anticipation through me.

"You really think I should go?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I think you owe it to yourself to try," Ecco replies, her tone firm but kind. "You deserve happiness, Mariah. Don't let fear and things that happened in your past hold you back from claiming it."

I take a deep breath, feeling a sense of resolve settle over me. "Okay, I'll do it. I'll go to the reunion and talk to Thorak."

Ecco lets out a squeal of delight, pulling me into a fierce hug. "That's my girl! Oh, this is going to be so romantic—like something straight out of a fairy tale! We have to go shopping for something new to wear! And we should plan a grand entrance to the event, I bet I can talk to the organizers…"

I laugh, enjoying Ecco's increasingly absurd romantic plans for my happily-ever-after. Ecco herself has dealt with heartbreak after heartbreak, and it's amazing how she's been able to hold on to her love for love, to retain her trust in real romance. Despite all the times she's been hurt, she still opens herself up to the possibility of finding real love.

If she can be that brave, so can I.