M O R G A N

I ran after Poppy, screaming her name. Behind me, India and Rupert followed, bellowing Poppy's name too. Ahead I could hear her crying.

"Poppy, stop!" I yelled after her.

She threw me a backward glance, and I saw the black river of tears and makeup running down her face.

"I loved him so much, but he'll never love me because I'm a fucking Button!" she cried.

"Oh, honey," I sighed.

I wanted to hug her and tell her there was nothing wrong with her. I wanted to explain to her that this was Eli's loss, and she would move on to much better things and kinder people. But Poppy wouldn't stop for me. Right now, Poppy was having a full meltdown.

She ran through the snow to the edge of the village. She kicked off her shoes and tore off her cloak, so she was standing in nothing but a thin pink mini-dress.

"Poppy, stop this nonsense! You'll freeze to death!" I yell at her.

"If I can't have Eli, then I shall run mad in the forest until wild animals or Satanists kill me," she replies.

"Stop being dramatic," I snap.

"It's easy for you to say. Eli practically got down on one knee in front of the whole village for you! Why didn't you accept his offer? He clearly loves you more than me," she cried.

"I don't love Eli. In fact, I don't even like him," I reply.

"Go back to the village, Morgan. Join the other girls around the Craving Stone. Then, the wisps will have no trouble mating you and Eli together," she said.

"That's not true," I counter softly.

"Of course, it's true. You're not a real Button. You are just some random bitch we picked up in a field," she screams.

I stare at her open-mouthed. My fists tighten into tight balls, and I bite down on my tongue. A small, calm voice in my head reminds me she's just a kid and doesn't know what she is saying. I have to be the adult. I need to keep calm.

"Poppy, put your shoes on and let's go home," I say calmly.

"I'd rather die," she spits and turns on her heel to run into the forest.

I scream after her in a mixture of rage and fear.

I wanted to kill her for being so fucking rude to me, but at the same time, I didn't want her galavanting about the woods in subzero temperatures. I seriously doubted that Satanists or wild animals would kill her, but there was a decent chance that hypothermia would.

I waited for India and Rupert to catch up. They weren't far behind us and probably caught enough of the conversation to understand what had just happened.

"She went into the woods to be killed by wild animals or Satanists," I groaned, pointing at Poppy's neon pink figure disappearing into the treeline.

"She'll be going to the Devil's House," India groaned, "She always goes there when she wants to throw a pity party."

"What happened to her shoes?" Rupert asked, picking up the discarded pink ballet pumps lying in the snow.

"She's taken them off, along with her cloak. She's being completely irrational. We need to find her before she freezes to death, or she bumps into that homeless guy," I explained.

India picks up Poppy's cloak and says, "We should start at the Devil's House. It's just south of the river, at the edge of the woods."

"I know where to go. I grew up in these woods," Rupert said, switching on his phone's flashlight.

We followed Rupert into the old woods.

The woods that hugged the edge of the village were ancient and wild. The woods had been untouched for generations as the dragon ancestors had wanted a buffer between Thorsbury and the farmland that lay east of the village.

A few paths crisscrossed through the woods, but this time of year, they were hidden under frost, mud, and dead leaves.

The woods in spring and summer was a joy. But in the depths of winter, it was the dark unnerving place.

We walked closely together. Rupert lit the way with the torch on his phone. He walked ahead and occasionally paused to check we were still following him.

The woods looked samey in the dark. I couldn't tell which way we were going, but Rupert seemed to recognise small landmarks that led the way.

"Not far now," he said when an old fallen chestnut tree came into view. "We're close."

We turned left and saw a flash of pink running through the trees ahead.

India and Rupert yelled Poppy's name excitedly and charged forward, leaving me behind. I raced after them, but my foot hit a patch of ice. My ankle twisted over, and I fell hard to the ground.

I looked up and saw the light of Rupert's phone fading into the distance.

"Hey, wait! I've fallen!" I called out to them, but they were already gone.

I stared into the darkness and realised I had no phone, no torch, and no sense of direction. Shit.

Panic swept through me, and I clambered to my feet. I couldn't risk being left behind. I took a single step forward and bit back a scream as pain exploded through my injured ankle.

I dropped to the floor and cried, "Guys, I'm really hurt!"

No one replied.

I drew my knees into my chest, realising I had no choice but to wait for someone to rescue me. I rubbed my chin against the top of my shin and wondered how long it would take for India and Rupert to notice that I was gone.

Surely, it won't take that long?

Time moves slowly, and the night grows colder. No one has come for me. I hug my waist tightly, trying to keep my core temperature up. But the cold only worsens, and soon snow starts to fall.

My teeth chatter furiously, and I suddenly find it hard to keep my eyes open. My whole body is so cold and tired. All I want to do is sleep.

I think about closing my eyes for a few minutes when I see a glimmer of light weaving its way through the treeline.

"Rupert?" I call out.

The light draws nearer, and I think Rupert has come back for me for a second, but then I notice something odd about the light. It's not a bright white LED light from a phone. Instead, it's a warm amber light glows softly within its own self-contained orb.

"A wisp?" I mutter to myself.

Behind it, I can see other wisps appearing. First, there are a few, but then suddenly, there are many. They float five feet off the ground, creating a gentle river of fairy light through the woods. They pass a few feet in front of me, and I must resist the urge to reach out and touch the stream of light.

It's so beautiful. I remember the first time I saw the wisps. They had floated through the frost-bitten village to the Craving Stone, where a handful of young people waited to see if they would be mated.

That was the first night that I'd ever seen a dragon pairing. Jonti Greeves, Rupert's elder brother, had been standing next to the Craving Stone with his girlfriend, Maude Lightfall. The wisps had floated into the village, and one had broken away from the village and started to circle Jonti. Finally, the wisp had stopped, reached out its light, and touched Jonti's heart with it. Seconds light, the wisp flew to Maude and touched her heart with its light. The touching of the couple's hearts meant they were meant to be together.

I sit back and watch the wisps pass through. However, one wisp remains.

It floats towards me and stops. I shuffle back to let it pass, but the wisp floats closer. I stared at its sparkling core and wondered what to do. Finally, I smile at it and whisper, "You need to return to your friends. You're in the wrong place."

The wisp brightens briefly as if trying to say something back to me. Then, suddenly, a small finger of light reaches out from its core and touches my chest.

I stare down at the light, realising it's touching my heart.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no," I say, scooching back. "I'm not a dragon, and I'm not standing around the Craving Stone."

The wisp follows me and then withdraws its arm. It then glows for a few seconds and disappears into nothingness. Then comes the unfamiliar voice of a man, who whispers, "No, no, no. Not her."

My head jerks up, and I call out, "Who's there?"

No one replies, but I hear feet shuffling in front of me, seemingly, backing away from me.

Oh god, was that my mate? Had that wisp just mated me to a complete stranger? Was he as horrified as I was?

"Wait," I yell out, "Who are you?"

There is a pause, and finally, he replies, "Your worst enemy."