Chapter 3

Her loneliness became unbearable.She looked up at the tall man and found he held no trace of pity or disgust. Instead, he gazed down at her, his eyes softening as he asked gently,  "… Do you feel lonely?" Elliana was taken aback and didn't respond for a long moment. Eventually, she murmured, "Yes. Yes, I do."  He reached out for her hand, but Elliana quickly pulled away, "Please don't touch me. Forgive me, I did not mean to distress you. I simply…I don't wish to share my grief with anyone. Especially not a stranger." The tall man stepped back, frowning apologetically,  "Of course. Of course. I do apologize for disturbing you." He gave her a weak smile,  "It has been a pleasure meeting you, Elliana." And with those words, he left, the last rays of the setting sun fading over Serendia's forests. "Wait!" she called for the man. He turned around and asked, "Yes?" There was a silence for short seconds before she asked."What is your name?"  His face lit up as he answered, "My name is Rhett. Rhett Knight." Elliana nodded and turned away, wiping away the remaining tears.  "Goodbye, Rhett," she whispered, "And thank you for visiting with me. I...I hope to see you again someday."  Elliana walked home in melancholy that night, deep in thought.  After all this time, she still hadn't decided whether or not she wanted to share her secret. She had always known that she needed to protect her identity, however much she wished otherwise.  But she was afraid of what people would say, how they might treat her should she ever confess to them her secret.

After that encounter, she began to notice that a strange aura surrounded Rhett. Whenever he passed by her, she felt the hair's rising on her skin. She doesn't understand why too. Will he come back? Will he keep her as his secret or will he tell more?  If he told other members, how many others know about her?  Is he just being friendly because he doesn't want others to think he is weird or creepy? Or does she have something to fear? Is it just a feeling from her past that makes her uneasy? Does the unknown frighten her, like Rhett Knight made her afraid?  It doesn't matter, Elliana decides, if I never tell him...at least I won't be completely alone.  That is enough for now.

As she neared her house, she glanced up and noted with surprise that a large black bird perched near one of her windows. A crow, she realized with horror. Elliana gasped, nearly falling as her mind spun frantically trying to figure out what was happening. What could be a crow doing here? The birds were gone from the wilds for months and only came back during harvest season. Had the townspeople forgotten them? No, surely not. She had seen plenty of crows in Serendia, though she rarely saw them here on land or sea. This must be another one of the city's residents - perhaps even the owner. As such, he shouldn't be so near a house of his own. But the bird remained. Why? It stared at her, almost curiously. It opened its mouth as if to say something, only to close it and flap its wings once in dismissal. It flew off without saying a word, leaving her confused and unsettled. Elliana shook off the unsettling feeling off. Maybe it's nothing, she thought hopefully. Maybe the bird is simply hungry. It's probably just looking for food. That's probably it. Right, Elli? Yeah, right. You've lived here for almost 10 years and you've never met a crow. Well, she reasoned, maybe he just hasn't been able to fly yet. She started to make some food for herself. Thinking about the stange man. ''Rhett Knight was his name....right?'' she thought to herself , wondering. ''But what was his story?'' She shrugged her shoulders and put the bowl aside. The question seemed unanswerable. She wasn't sure if Rhett Knight was just kindhearted, lonely , or possibly crazy. And she certainly didn't want to find out the answer to any of them tonight! So she pushed thoughts of him aside, turned on her television and settled down to watch one of her favorite shows, which would occupy her until bedtime. As usual, she slept peacefully.