Chapter 1

“The Christmas lights in the city are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen Carmen. Come on, you can’t deny that you’re at least the tiniest bit curious.” Pamela drawled on, as she lay across her bed, her long black curls hanging down the other side. The sun shone through the open window and lit up her face, illuminating the freckles that dotted her cheeks. Something she despised but I thought were beautiful.

“You know we mustn’t,” I said calmly, my eyes not leaving the creased book that I had resting on my lap.

She sighed. “Not even to pick up some more books? You’ve reread that one like ten times.”

I gave her a soft smile. “This one is my favorite.”

Her eyes followed the title and scrunched up in distaste. “You’re such a hopeless romantic, Carmen. You know you’ll never meet a man who reaches those standards in this tiny city.”

I let out a light laugh. “Not even Marcy?”

She rolled her eyes. “For the love of God Carmen, tell me you haven’t resorted to actually marrying him.”

I shrugged. “It’s been decided for me.”

“Exactly. You don’t want to fall in love for yourself? The slow and beautiful way? You’re merely going to marry someone because you were told to. The elders have everything planned out for us Carmen, we’ll live, marry and die in this little city without seeing the outside world.”

“You’ve already seen it.” I countered and she sighed dramatically.

“Exactly Carmen and it was like the first breath of fresh air. The way that the Christmas lights shone and also, they had little decorated cakes in these things called bakeries along the streets. Oh Carmen if you only saw the clothes that they wore. It’s so much more stylish than these.” She held up the beige dress that fell below her knees.

Pamela always had the sense of spirit that I lacked and two years ago she snuck out of the city of Eden, through the forest into the human town, Something that was strictly forbidden, but thankfully she wasn’t caught. Centuries ago, the city of Eden was created by the elders as the forest nymphs were becoming endangered. Unlike werewolves or vampires, we only possess healing abilities, which means we had no means to protect ourselves when we were attacked. In a time of need, when we saw our brothers and sisters dying, the elders prayed to the god Cybele, god of the wilderness and nature and begged for guidance. In response the city of Eden was created. A hidden city in the trees, only accessible to nymphs. With time, it was believed that all the nymphs were killed and that’s why we are not permitted to leave the city. It was created to keep our species a secret.

“I don’t know Pame.” I said reluctantly, and her eyes lit up with excitement.

“I haven’t agreed yet.” I mumbled but yet she remained ecstatic.

“Okay listen. In a month, you’re to be wed. Then eventually you’ll have children and after that you’ll live a blissful and boring life here without ever seeing the outside world. It’s not at all as they described Carmen, if only you saw the beauty with your own eyes. I even have some human money to spend! You can buy some books and looks around the markets. The Christmas lights are the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen, and we can go late at night. Think about it, live for once Carmen. Live for yourself.

I couldn’t deny that it was enticing, I was slowly falling into her grip. I sighed deeply, pushing past my hesitation. “Very well, when?”

She squealed loudly, throwing her arms around me and her long black locks fell down the back of my light green dress.

“We can go in two days after the Christmas celebration and slip away from the party as if we went to rest.”

“And if my father comes to check on me?”

“Well dear Carmen, I’ll be staying at yours and you’ll be staying at mine. That covers everything. We definitely won’t be caught as everyone will be too busy with the celebration.” Her eyes glimmered with exciting and I couldn’t help but become infected by it.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” I giggled and clutched my book to my chest, as the unfamiliar feeling of adrenaline filled up my chest.

-/-

“Good morning daughter,” my father greeted me merrily the next morning as he flipped blueberry pancakes. I stared out at the meadow that ran for miles outside my window. The city of Eden was definitely a mystery, an entire little piece of land that ran for miles and miles of nature, meadows of lush green grass and flowers of an array of colors. Trees and rivers, birds of all sorts flying across the sky. But yet, it felt so small. I had seen the meadow a thousand times, I longed to see the things I read about just once.

“What are you thinking about?” Father asked, gently setting the plate before me on the old oak table, before he sat across me.

I decided to suss him out, even though I knew exactly what kind of response I would receive.

“I was daydreaming about the outside world.” I said softly and his eyebrow crept up in suspicion.

“Those books will only encourage something you can never see, Carmen.” He said stiffly and I felt hesitation creep into the back of my mind but I kept pushing.

“Yes but why? I understand that the elders made this place to conceal us but the time of wars has passed. Are we supposed to live out our entire lives here?”

“Yes!” He snapped angrily and I flinched back in shock as my father was the gentlest person I knew. He watched my reaction and calmed down, clutched his hands against the table tightly.

“Carmen. Your mother was a curious soul who ventured into the outside world. Even though the time of war between species has passed, the world out there is very different from the one in here. She didn’t come back, that evil world of selfish and little minded people took her from us because she was curious.” He said, trying to convey a message to me with his eyes.

However, the burning curiosity triumphed over the fear his words evoked within me. I looked away, to the wild lilac growing outside the blue rimmed windows.

I just wanted to see it once. Was that so wrong?

I wanted to see the magical world I read about in my books. I wanted to see faces other than the ones engraved into my mind because I see them so often. I wanted to live to life’s fullest extent. Because there’s always two sides to a story; the magical and ethereal outside world I read from the pages of tattered books, the world that Pamela claimed she saw, or this horrible world that will grab you and stop at nothing to keep you trapped between its claws? Could it be both?

Could something be beautiful and evil?