CHAPTER SIX-1345 AVELINA

"Daughters."

"Father?" I exclaim, "you're home early."

"It appears so." He looks unsettled, nervous. 

"Is everything okay Father?" Primeveire asks, she must see the same thing I do.

"Pardon, oh yes I'm fine, your mother and I have just got a few things to discuss. We can't find Nigel anywhere, do any of you have an idea where he could have gone?" My heart sinks, again Nigel's dead body whirling around in my head, I feel tears prick at the corners of my eyes but I quickly rub them away, he's fine, he has to be. He's not dead. But no matter how many times I tell myself that I still can't get the image out of my head.

"Avelina dear, you were the one to see him last, you're also the one that let him get out of your sight. I'm disappointed in you, I'm also not happy that none of you were really helping your mother prepare for supper." I bow my head low staring at my shoes.

"I'm sorry Father." I mumble.

"Don't mumble Avelina, we will discuss this later. Right now we need to find Nigel and bring him inside."

"What do you need us to do Father?" Ida finally speaks. Father scratches his head as though he's in deep concentration.

"Well…" he begins, "I don't want any of you getting lost to, it's also getting dark so it wouldn't be very safe for you out there. But Primeveire and Avelina because you're older, and I cannot ask for help from any men at this time of night I will need you both to help me and your mother look for Nigel. I don't want you two wandering too far into the forest though, make sure you go as far as you can still see the house. As soon as you can't you've gone too far and you are too come back immediately. Do you understand?"

"Yes father." We both say in usion.

"Good, let's get going then. Ida you stay here and take care of your sister."

"Yes father."

Father directs us on where to go, he will cover the darkest parts of the forest. Primeveire will take the left side of the Forest, and I am to take the right. I desperately want to be the one to find Nigel, after all I'm the one that let him get away and I feel incredibly guilty about that.

"Nigel!" I yell. Please, please answer.

"Nigel! Come on out!"

I can hear Primeveire yelling too and mother further in the Forest, usually we wouldn't be the ones looking for him, father and other men would because the Forest is too dangerous for us women and they're the strong ones. But everyone is in bed and father needs all the help he can get, so we're happy to oblige. What father says goes. That's what we're taught, the man is the one in charge and we take orders. I don't mind so much, but sometimes, I don't know it's silly really, but I'd like to be the one in charge. But that's not how it works and I'm ok with that.

"Nigel!" I keep yelling. Still no sign of him anywhere, maybe he really was one of those bodies. Just as I start to head back to the house because I've gone too deep into the woods I hear him. 

"Avelina." My eyes widen.

"Nigel! Nigel! Where are you!"

"In here." The sound of his voices echoes throughout the Forest , I hope everyone hears him because it's coming from deeper within the forest and I'm going in. If I get lost they'll be able to find me, at least that's what I tell myself as I go deeper into the Forest. Every crunch of leaves or stutter from the animals or insects living in the Forest causes me to jump a little bit. I should have gotten father, I think. It was incredibly silly of me to go in here myself, I realise that now. But I'm too far in and I'm not turning round.

"Nigel!"

"Avelina!" I'm getting closer I realise.

"Nigel! I'm here Nigel! Follow my voice!"

"Avelina! Where are you!" I'm here. I'm here Nigel where are you. I look frantically around for any sign of his face. I wish it wasn't so dark so I could see better, the moon is shining some light through the trees but it isn't enough for me to completely see. 

"Nigel! Please come out!"

"Avelina! I'm here!" Is he though, I think. Is my brain playing tricks on me and he's not even here. No, I refuse to believe I'm going crazy. I'm Avelina Franklin. Daughter of Eadmund Franklin and Amity Franklin. Strong, peaceful, confident, capable. I am not crazy not when I have parents like I do. I hold my head up high suddenly feeling a boost of confidence I've never felt before. I feel strong, independent, fearless. Well almost fearless. I'm going to find Nigel and I'm going to take him home.

"Nigel!"

"Avelina In here." I see a foot, a leg, then a small boy crying stuck in a hole. 

"Nigel!" I run over to him.

"Grab my hand."

"I'm st-stuck." He whimpers.

"It's ok Nigel," I speak softly, "I'm going to get you out of here." I study his situation. He's managed to fall down a small hole and trapped his leg under a branch. It's moveable but if I move it wrong I could harm him. But looking at his face, scared, hurt I realise I have to get him out of here, I can do it.

"Ok Nigel. I'm going to lift this branch off of your leg, then I'm going to help you out, okay?" He nods extremely fast and hard. 

"O-okay." He stummers.

"Ready?"

"I a-am." Here goes nothing I think as I carefully lift the branch off of his leg. It's heavy, I realise as I lift it off of him. Come on, come on, lift! Then I do, I lift it off of him and I'm able to quickly put it beside me before I drop it on him. I did it. I did it! I can't celebrate yet though, Nigel is still stuck in the hole. 

"Okay I'm going to lift you out now Nigel."

"A-Avelina?" His little face looks up at me, I feel terrible, he's been out here this whole time all alone in this creepy forest I can barely stand being in for a short time. Yet he's managed to stay fairly calm through this whole thing, he really is becoming a man. He's going to make a good husband one day.

"Yes Nigel?" 

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. Fo-for running off an-and."

"Shh it's okay, Nigel. I've found you now. We just have to get you out of here." 

"Okay. Let's do this." That cute, cheeky small smile I'm so familiar with appears on his face. Causing a smile to appear on my face.

"Give me your hand." He does, and I pull. I pull as hard as I can to get him out. He slowly starts to get unstuck. I keep pulling my face growing red, sweat dripping down my back. I have him, I'm not letting him go this time. One more pull and he's out of the hole on top of me. We both stare at each other then burst out laughing. 

"You're so red!" He screams, laughing to a point that he's almost crying.

"You're all dirty!" I can't stop laughing.

"Avelina! Avelina!" Mother, Father, and Primeveire run up to us faces full of relief as they take Nigel off of me.

"Avelina, what happened, you're all red."

"Well, I found Nigel stuck in the hole so I helped him up." 

"All by yourself?!" Father stares at me in disbelief, finally smiling at me with pride.

"Well you definitely take after me. Brave girl. You should've come and got me but I'm glad you're safe and have Nigel." He pats my hair down and for once in my life I feel proud.

"Come on, children," mother says "let's get you inside and cleaned up."