Speaker 1: A forest of earth and mind, an Arcane Heart Studio
production created and written by Eansley Bay. Chapter twelve, The
Girl from Morgantown, Maya, is a burst of meon in
a world of natural color. She arrives in a beat
up Honda Civic that rattles up the driveway like it's
complaining about the altitude. She steps out wearing a bright
yellow sweater in combat boots. Her hair a riot of
curls her smile wide enough to swallow the whole, brooding
slate family whole. Oh my god, she says, staring up
at the manor. This looks like falling water. Whoever designed
this owes a debt to Frank Lloyd Wright. Poy is
standing beside her, hands shoved deep in his pockets. He
looks terrified. He also looks alive. That would be Frank
Lloyd Wright, mumbles, and it's clear he has no clue
how to deal with the force of nature that is
bouncing in front of him. Hah, she laughs, nudging him
with her shoulder. I love your understated humor. Koi Cooi
doesn't correct her that, No, it actually is a Frank
Lloyd Wright house, and it actually predates falling water me.
I'm amazed at Koi's willingness just to give spectator to
the manic energy of this visitor from Morgantown. I watch
from the terraced steps, feeling an immediate desperate surge of affection.
She's so normal, so human, so blissfully unaware of wolf
politics or forest wisps, or the fact that the architectural
marvel she's admiring was a war zone less than a
month ago. Hi, I say, stepping forward, I'm viv. She
turns that megawatt smile on me. The sister in law
Koe talks about you well. He grunts about you, which
I interpret his deep affection. That's usually safe, I agree,
offering my hand. She bypasses the handshake and hugs me.
It's a real hug, warm, fierce, smelling of vanilla and
stale college beer. I stiffened for a second, then melt
into it. I didn't realize how much I needed this,
just contact with someone who doesn't have claws. I'm Maya,
she says, pulling back. I'm sorry for intruding. Coy said
it was okay, but I feel like I should have
brought an offering, maybe a goat. I mean, we are
in West Virginia. Is this a goat kind of family?
Once again, I fall in love with her. On a
bashed humor. Wine is usually preferred, I say, but we
have plenty good because I'm gonna need it. This place
is She spins around, taking in the forest, the waterfall,
the towering stone walls. It's unreal. She has no idea.
Dinner is a production. I don't know who ordered it,
Malcolm or the house itself, but the dining room looks
like a scene from a movie. The table is set
with the good silver. The candles are burning with a golden,
steady light that seems to make everyone look ten years younger.
The music, a soft classical melody, seems to be coming
from the walls themselves. Maya is in heaven. She chatters
happily through the first course, asking questions, telling stories about
the university, teasing Cooy until he actually smiles. It's a
brittle smile, anxious and sharp, but it's there. He's watching
her like she's the only source of gravity in the room.
Possessive hungy, but also and I can't quite believe him
saying this tender across the table Malcolm is watching too,
but his gaze isn't tender using any definition of the word.
He looks like he's watching a bon time or count down.
Every time. Maya laughs a little too loud. Every time
she touches Koy's arm, the Elfha's hand tightens on his
wine glass, so, Maya says. Turning to Malcolm, Coy says,
the family has been here since like the dawn of time.
Is that true? Since the land was settled? Malcolm says, smoothly.
My ancestors helped survey the valley. That's amazing. In Morgantown,
anything older than nineteen fifty is considered historic. You guys
have real history here. She gestures around the room and
the atmosphere. It's so, I don't know, intense, but in
a good way. We value our privacy. Malcolm says. It's
a warning. Maya misses it completely. I bet it's like
its own little world up here. She takes a sip
of wine. This wine is incredible, by the way, what
is it a local vintage? Kere says, speaking up for
the first time. He catches my eye and winks he's
enjoying this. The novelty of it, The human element. I'm
enjoying it too. Mostly it's nice to have another girl around,
someone to roll my eyes with when the men start
posturing some one who thinks pack business just means a
family company. But I'm also terrified because the house is
trying too hard. The candles are too bright, the music
is too perfect, the food is too delicious. It's like
the magic is feeding off Maya's wonder, amplifying itself to
match her expectations. You want a fairy tale, it seems
to say, I'll give you a fairy tale. After dinner,
we move to the terrace. The sun has gone down
and the night is warm, unnaturally warm for late October.
The air smells of jasmine and night blooming flowers that
definitely shouldn't be growing in most Virginia. Maya leans against
the stone balustrade, looking out at the dark tree line.
It's so quiet, she says. In the city there's always
noise here. It's like the world is holding its breath.
It's peaceful, Coy says, standing just behind her, a shadow,
a protector it is, she agrees. Then she gasps, Oh, look, fireflies,
hundreds of them. They drift up from the garden below
a rising tide of golden sparks. They swirl around the terrace,
dancing in those perfect, impossible spirals I saw in the library.
Maya laughs, clapping her hands together. They're dazzling. I've never
seen so many. The fireflies shift, they move together, forming
a shape in the air, a heart, then a star,
then unmistakably an m. Did you see that, Maya points,
delighted they made a meter's for Maya. She turns to me,
her eyes shining with pure, unadulterated joy. Why that is
the cool list thing I have ever seen, she says.
Do they always do that spell things? Her face goes serious,
and she suddenly looks at KOI. Of course fireflies can't spell.
Are those tiny drones? She claps her hands together. Did
you welcome me with firefly drones? I look at the fireflies,
still holding their perfect m against the darkness. I look
at Koi, who is staring at them with a mixture
of awe and horror. I look at kir whose smile
has slipped just a fraction. I want to say, yes, Maya,
those are magical fireflies, and the magic has become omni present.
But it's too soon. It's not place and honestly, at
this point, it's kind of frightening. Yes, Koi finally mumbles,
just little drones. I thought you'd like it. She rushes
over and gives Koi her patented tight hug. I love it,
thank you. But as I watched the lights dance, the
not in my stomach Titans. It's not cute, it's not romantic.
It's intelligent, and it's watching us. This shadow swearther it
one stood so then whispers in the MT. The wind cry.
It calls man a fleeting ancles signals chosen fres