Maylin

I searched for feathery remnants on the floor, the windowsills, even in the fan up above. My Sunlark had to be waiting. She always waited for me to come home. I called out, "Maylin!"

She didn't come to the front of the door, "Maylin?" I called again.

This was strange, I thought, but I was hungry. A figure with short, straight hair as golden as the sun sat in the kitchen. She turned around and I studied her brown eyes. A star shaped scar on her hand caught my interest. Maylin had a hand scar too. "Who are you?"

"Syllia, Syllia Farrel."

I studied her further, she was wearing a simple, long, dark green dress and a black cape wrapped around it. "Then why are you in my home?""

The woman had a look on her face that I couldn't read.

"I'm not going to lie to you," Syllia said.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know your big bird. What was her name? Maylin? Well, she's mine now." She got up without another word and left.

I couldn't even respond. Syllia Farrel? I hadn't heard that name since I was a child. Wasn't that girl . . . I stopped myself. Syllia Farrel was supposed to be . . . I stopped myself again. She was supposed to be, well, dead.

I kept looking for Maylin. This woman had to be kidding. I went to my room,"Mayl-," I stopped myself before I said her full name. Was she really gone? I didn't even know how or when or even why.

The sense of quiet and lack of activity left me listless. I cried and cried until I fell asleep.

The sun blazed in my eyes. It must have been late when I finally realized I'd fallen asleep in my chair.

I stood and looked at myself in the mirror. I poked at the bags under my eyes. I yanked my finger back fast to keep the pain from running through my whole skull. I felt a single tear fall down my cheek.

I had to come up with a plan to get Maylin back, but first, I had to figure out the whole Syllia Farrel thing. She was supposed to have died in a car crash while driving with her parents. I'd moved away for university and never really gone back. It was a lot to take. I thought about it for a minute. How did she die? Her parents were fine, they didn't even have to go to the hospital.

I don't know why I didn't think about that until that moment. I decided to pay a visit to Edwardsville to get some answers. Inside, I kind of hoped I might find Maylin there too.

I picked up the phone. "Mom! I am coming home to visit you and dad today."

My parents had big goofy smiles on their faces. It had been too long since I'd come home, but every time I visited they were really happy.

I quickly ate up the lunch dad had made. I needed Maylin home fast, before Syllia did something to her. I couldn't avoid my next question, since my mom was friends with the Farrels.

"Mom," I said. "Syllia Farrel isn't dead. Is she?"