In a blink, I'm in another body of water. This one is nothing like the previous, teeming with scores of monsters that are writhing above, their teeth poised to devour my flesh. No, the crystal clear water here is perfectly still, except for the slight ripples made when the brown-feathered girl swims gently to the surface. Her head is framed in a halo of pale light, and from here, she truly looks angelic. To my surprise, she beckons me up.

I swim after her, my feet slowly kicking at the water so that I glide up to join her. My lungs begin to burn from being under the water for so long, and my legs grow more frantic, from gentle kicking to thrashing. A weight descends on my chest, my lungs, pressing in, suffocating my senses with an overwhelming need for air. I kick harder, my arms pull at the water harder, though it feels like barely any progress is made. It isn't until the light above becomes infinitely brighter and the forest trees rippling just inches above that I realize that I've almost made it to the surface.

A burst of energy propels my face past the water's surface. I gasp in air, coughing out a stream of water in the process. My legs tread water beneath me while I try to regain my composure.

"Are you okay?" a voice calls from the side.

My gaze drifts to the winged girl sitting on the edge of the lake. I manage to nod, though my lungs are still gulping in the sweet forest air. "Thank you," I finally sputter. "I can't tell you how grateful I am for you saving me." My coughing finally seems to calm enough, so I swim to join her on the shore.

Now in the sunlight, I can better see the girl. Her skin is the same rich color as her wings, and almost shines in the light. She has soft features on her face and sparkling, round brown eyes. There's a kindness to her that conflicts with my previous encounter with one of these winged women. The woman who shoved me into the monstrous realm had an air of superiority, like I was inferior because of my hideous appearance. But this girl seems beautiful both inside and out.

A soft smile spreads on her lips. "We help our own, don't we?"

My brow furrows. "Your own?"

"You're one of us, right?" Now it's the girl's turn to look perplexed.

"I..." I trail off, looking at my wingless back. I don't understand how I could possibly be mistaken for them, so beautiful with their feathers and flawless skin. "I don't think so."

"Then what were you doing in the Shaded Realm?" she asks.

The Shaded Realm?

"Is that what you call that place?" A shudder runs down my spine just thinking about it. The image of jaws snapping at my face flashes through my eyes, and I flinch.

"Where we just were? Yes." The girl seems positively baffled.

I am too. The whole situation is so peculiar that I almost don't want to answer. Not only because I don't understand what's going on, but also because I know the second I tell her, her hospitality will drain. With just that simple question, understanding has dawned on me. She, for whatever reason, mistook me for one of the winged women. I don't know how it's possible, but a fact is a fact. If she discovers who I really am, a criminal sent there to pay for my crimes, she may even force me back into that realm. I would be pounced on the second I return. I can never go back, never.

But I also can't lie to her.

"I... have a curse woven over my heart," I whisper.

Her eyes widen. She scrambles backward a few paces at first, her lips parting. "No."

I swallow and once again say, "I am."

"But... but you're a swan fairy! How... how can that be?" Unspoken, she's wondering, what did you do?

"First of all, I don't know what you mean by 'swan fairy.' Second of all, I, uh..." I deflate. Emotion chokes my throat and tears start to ping into the pond creating tiny ripples in the crystalline water. Everything from the past days bubbles to the surface at once and finally spills over. "I accidentally poisoned my adopted mother and her children. It was an accident, I swear! I would never harm the one person who's ever stood up for me or taken pity on me. But it seems that I accidentally gathered the wrong plants when I was foraging for herbs, and the price of that mistake is that she died."

"Oh." The girl, I suppose a swan fairy, looks down and is silent for a long time. Her hand moves like it wants to reach out and touch my shoulder in comfort, but she doesn't.

Suddenly, her gaze jolts to the water. Below, there's movement in the rocks.

"Oh no. Oh no! I've made a terrible mistake!" She dives back under, focused on reaching the rocks below which continue to move and shift on their own. She tries to adjust them, but they keep moving out of place. Desperation shifts into terror on her face. She turns upright, and her feet kick her back to the surface. "We need a blockade!" she bursts out.

"A blockade?" Confusion muddles my brain. Or am I just light-headed from my illness? All I know is that the light is dulling in my vision, and the scenery around me is blurring together.

"Yes. So the monsters don't open a hole in the barrier and break through." She splashes out of the water and over to the side of the forest, where she somehow manages to lift a large boulder. She drags it to the water, and it drops straight to the bottom, landing among the rocks with a thud. Then, she dives back under and shifts it around.

When she returns to the surface, she buries her face in her palms.

My eyes blink rapidly. Color dulls then crystalizes, dulls and sharpens. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"I-I didn't know. I thought you were one of us."

"Yes, I'm aware." Irritation pricks at me for no good reason. I owe her my life. I just wish she would be more clear about what on earth is going on.

She lifts her gaze slightly. "Only swan fairies can travel between realms. Normally, there's a barrier that keeps the cursed monsters into the Shaded Realm from coming into the human realm. But... I think I ripped a hole in the barrier when I pulled you through."

Because I'm cursed. Dread sinks as a lump into my stomach. My chest feels tight, like it's hard to breathe.

Actually, breathing isn't that much different than before the Shaded Realm. My lungs fill with tiny gulps of oxygen, but it isn't nearly as refreshing as the air in the Shaded Realm.

"Will... will they be able to reach us?" I ask.

"Hopefully the rock will hold them back temporarily," the swan fairy says. "But the barrier's fabric must be repaired to permanently keep them out. I think you're small enough that they can't fit through the current hole, but they can still widen it with enough pressure and clawing at it." Her face crumples. "And tonight, all the other swan fairies will realize what I've done. They might curse me, too!" She buries her face in her palms again.

"Why?" I ask.

"They come here every day, morning and evening." She looks up, eyes scrutinizing me for a second. "You... you really don't know anything about us? I could've sworn..."

"No, I do not," I say firmly. Then, softening my tone, I ask: "Is there a way to fix it before then?" I feel a sense of obligation now to her. She saved me; now I must return the favor.

"I don't know!" She looks absolutely stricken. Then, the smallest ray of hope breaks through on her face. "Maybe Freya would know, or at least have a book that holds the answer. She has a library with tons of old, stuffy volumes talking about the barrier and curses. Maybe one holds the answer."

"Let's go now," I say. A pang runs through my stomach. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, I think my body is reminding me about how much I need to eat. "Though would you by chance know where we can get some food beforehand?"