Chapter 39

I couldn't tell how much time passed as we rode in that wagon, but I could feel when we made it to the woods and began riding our wagon through it. The air was fresher and smelled of wood, rain, and moss. The temperature had dropped noticeably as well and the road was a lot rougher. Sapphire and Jasper ended up having to sit sideways on the wagon bed, using their feet against the far side to hold them in place to keep from being jostled too badly.

As I bounced on their laps, I couldn't help but look out to all the green particles gathered all around. As we got deeper into the forest I noticed that I was gathering almost all green particles and very few of the yellow. Jasper covered me with a blanket when he realized that I was shivering with cold while sitting on his lap. With the steady drop in temperature I realized that the sun must be going down and it was probably getting dark.

"Is the sun...going down?" I asked. I hadn't realized that everyone had been very quiet while traveling.

"Yes, are you warm enough?" Jasper asked.

I nodded and snuggled closer to him.

A short time after my question, the wagon began to slow down and then came to a stop.

"We're here!" my dad announced.

"Oh, good! I'm not sure if my backside could take anymore of that seat" my mom said sounding tired.

"Sapphire, grab Aline and take her inside. Jasper, help me unload the wagon" my dad ordered.

Sapphire took me out of Jasper's arms and we followed our mom inside what turned out to be a very sturdy cabin. The outside walls were made from logs. I spread my aura out and found that there were 2 bedrooms, a loft, and a main large room that was the kitchen, dining-room, and family room in one.

"Stay here" Sapphire said to me as I was set on a chair much too big for me. I could hear her working, but couldn't tell what she was doing.

"What are you doing?" I asked. I was both curious and excited that I was finally able to say a complete sentence without having to pause in the middle.

"Starting a fire. It's going to be chilly tonight".

At the word fire, Akai all of a sudden popped out. 'Can I light the fire?' he asked with the cutest pleading face.

"I'll ask" I told him. "Sapphire?"

"Yes?"

"Akai wants to know if he can light the fire"

"Akai? Who is Akai?"

"He's right here" I said, pointing to the little red guy standing on the arm of the chair.

"Uhh...alright".

"Can he light it now?"

"Almost...give me just another moment"

"Wait until Sapphire says it's okay" I told Akai who looked like he was going to race over at any second. He nodded his head with a serious face before staring in Sapphire's direction eager for permission.

"Alright, I'm fini..." Akai had the fire lit before Sapphire could even finish her sentence.

"Ugh! Tourmaline! At least wait until I'm no longer next to it!" Sapphire scolded me.

"I'm sorry" I said softly as I commanded Akai to go back to his cave. 'You're grounded' I told him silently not sure whether he heard or not, but he did disappear with a subdued expression.

My dad and brother came into the house a few minutes later with a load of things from the wagon and while they made trips back and forth, my mom and sister put things away in their proper places. I really wanted to help, especially when I could hear the fatigue in my mom's voice, but my small size made it impossible. 'Soon' I promised myself.

"Where is the toilet?" I asked not sensing any other room.

"Outside" my sister said shortly. There was a pause and then a sigh. "Do you need to use it?"

I nodded while trying not to do the potty dance. She picked me up while calling our parents. "I'm taking Aline to the outhouse".

"Sounds good. Thank you" our parents called back.

"Since we are now living in the woods we need to take precautions. There shouldn't be any dangerous animals nearby, but there's no guarantees. To that end, anytime we go outside, we have to let someone in the family know and if possible, take someone with us. No wandering outside alone." Sapphire was telling me as she helped me use the outhouse.

The outhouse was a simple hole dug in the ground with a wooden frame around for privacy. The hole was designed for a normal size person and not a 2 year old, so Sapphire had to hold me while I went. It was super embarrassing, but at the same time, I really appreciated her help and told her as much.

We went back inside to which Sapphire announced our return. I discovered that my parents had retired to one of the bedrooms and noticed that Jasper was laying up in the loft.

"Where am I sleeping?" I asked her

"With me. Just...try not to wet the bed". Sapphire told me as she helped me into my nightgown and placed me on the straw mattress.

"I haven't done that in a long time" I told her feeling insulted.

The mattress was low to the ground, with just a short base holding it off of the ground. It was low enough that I could even get up and down without a stepping stool.

"It's scratchy" I said after I laid down it and got right back up.

"Here." Sapphire said in a patient tone while taking another blanket to lay it on top of the straw mattress. "Try it now".

I laid back down and found this time, it was much better. Sapphire must have seen that I was satisfied with the adjustment and after a couple of minutes, she covered me with a large blanket and crawled underneath it as well; pulling me close to her like she was snuggling with a teddy bear. As I drifted off to sleep it dawned on me that to her I was probably close to the size of a stuffed animal.