Free Between by Megan Whitmer Page B

I must not be. What am I? I comb through memories, searching for anything that seems out of place, any clue to a different sort of existence, until I become lost in the complete impossibility of it all.
    I need Sam.
    Seth leans back and grabs the chenille throw from the corner of the couch and drapes it over my shoulders. His hands linger there, warming me. The blanket’s softness glides over my arms like a hug. I turn my head slightly to look at Seth, and his eyebrows pull down. I focus on the feel of his fingers sliding down my back. He nods, silently assuring me, and I take a deep breath.
    Okay.
    I exhale and slowly raise my eyes to Alexander.
    “What happened today was no coincidence, Charlotte,” Alexander says, clasping his hands together. He looks down at me, pursing his lips, and continues. “You are an extremely unique being with a specific mix of powers that makes you a valuable asset to the mystical realm. For this reason, there is a unit assigned to protect you from those who would harm you.”
    “I have powers?” I look from Alexander to Seth. How have I lived seventeen years without noticing this? Seth’s already watching me.
    “You are a muralet, a direct descendant of Mother Nature herself.”
    Mother Nature. The faceless, shapeless entity I’d considered back in the Between enters my mind again—a wide vision of nothing, pulling in from all directions to create a more human shape. She was a person. She lived.
    I press my fingertips to my forehead, dragging them down my face and over my eyes. Beside me, Seth shifts, pulling his leg onto the couch and turning his entire body toward me. He rests one warm hand on my back, and I look at him with my fingers pressed to my lips.
    Mother Nature lived, and I come from her.
    I release a quick burst of air and lower my hands. “I come from Mother Nature.”
    “Well, in a way, we all do.” Seth leans forward, resting his elbow on his knee. His eyes are on the blanket as he speaks. “Mother Nature is the reason magic exists. After she created the Between, she built the mystical realm. Each and every one of us comes from her design, because of her abilities.”
    She was real and she’s sort of a god? I picture the beauty of the Between and the enchantment of Ellauria. The architect of all of this is at the top of my family tree?
    “A lot of creatures have the ability to call upon magic for various purposes. I can. Alexander can. But you…” Seth’s voice trails off as he lifts his head to look at me.
    And does he ever. Seth’s gaze travels from my eyes to my hair to my hands, and he shakes his head like he can’t quite believe what he sees. “Essentially, Charlie, you are magic. It’s woven into every fiber of your being.”
    I don’t know if it’s what he said or the way he said it or a combination of the two, but I’m suddenly unable to look at him. Warmth creeps across my cheeks before flooding down the rest of my body. It’s a little ridiculous, really. Having a gorgeous guy say you’re magical is super-dreamy until it means “terrifying creatures show up to attack you at your house after dark.”
    Muralet . I whisper the word to myself. Descended from magic and requiring the protection of a secret organization dedicated to guarding the secrets I’ve learned today.
    “Why would anyone want to harm me?”
    Seth looks to Alexander, and the floor groans as the founder paces from one side of the room to the other. “The story goes that, a long time ago, an ogre killed a muralet. After feeding on her, he noticed a drastic increase in his strength. From that point on, muralets were hunted for their blood. Whatever powers a creature possesses, drinking muralet blood makes them better—stronger, smarter, faster, and in some cases, nearly invincible.”
    My middle feels like one giant knot. Hunted for their blood. My blood. They want to drink the blood from my body. I curl my hands over my knees, squeezing them to keep from trembling. The Mothman