Forest, because we would lose our sense of right and wrong and become corrupted. Were you ever a normal person, like me?” Theo didn't answer for a while. “Well?” Elsa asked. He looked at her, caressing her cheek.
“I was.”
“Your poor family. Are they still alive? They must miss you so much. You should go to your parents and tell them everything that has happened. Maybe they can help your brother, make him whole again.”
“Nothing will make my brother whole again.” Elsa sat up, frustrated, placing her hand on Theo's face so he would look at her.
“How did you ever end up there?”
Theo didn't seem to want to tell her. His face indicated the memory was too painful.
“It's okay,” Elsa told him. “You can tell me.”
Theo took a breath. “My brother was always the one who did everything first, because he was older. He learned to walk first. He learned to sled in the snow on Christmas morning, as my parents and I watched from the porch, too. I remember wanting to join him so bad, but I couldn't. My parents told me it was too cold and I was not big enough. He was the first to go to school and make friends. I remember he was embarrassed of me when his friends came over, because I was little and tagged along everywhere he went. I was literally his shadow,” he laughed. “That's what they called me, too. Shadow.” Theo grew very sad.
“My brother was always the braver one, the one who was never afraid. Our parents told us about the Forbidden Forest as children. When I heard the stories, I got scared and had nightmares. But my brother, the stories excited him. He used to stand an inch away from the Forest behind our house, get as close as he could without moving. He would make me time him, even though I told him we were doing wrong. But he didn't listen.
“One day, I woke up in the middle of the night and saw that his bed was empty. I got very scared that someone came into our house and took him. I got up out of bed and started to get my parents but I saw a faint light out my window. Someone into a white gown carrying a lamp walked toward our house, from the direction of the woods. As he got closer, I realized it was my brother. He crawled back in the window, and I asked him where he'd been. He told me he'd actually gone into the Forest! I was terrified and started crying, remember I was so young. It embarrassed me that I wasn't as brave as he was or as strong.”
“You are strong, Theo. Your strength is just different, more complicated.” Elsa took his hand.
“He told me he was going back and that I should stay there.”
“What did he see in the woods?”
“He wouldn't tell me. He just said he had to show me. But I was so afraid, because I just knew what we were doing was wrong. And our parents would be so mad.”
“Did you go with him?”
“I told him I wasn't going no matter what, then he got mad and started for the Forest again, by himself. I hated that he was always the first to do things, and as frightened as I was, I just couldn't let him go alone, especially if there was something dangerous. I was just a small boy and wanted to protect him, even though he was so much bigger than me.”
“Did you go then?”
“Yes I went. I had to. I was his shadow, remember?” Theo asked her. Elsa nodded. “I thought the moment I stepped through the tree line, I would feel different or something. But nothing happened, except the woods got really quiet, like the animals knew I was there when I shouldn't be. Dorien just kept running through the woods faster and faster, laughing, and I couldn't get him to slow down. My little legs only went so fast, so eventually he slowed down and took my hand, because I was so afraid. I was shaking really hard. We kept walking for a few minutes and came upon this small cottage, it looked like a witch's cottage. Dorien told me to watch who came out, so we waited, and eventually this old, frail woman came out, to water her garden. She looked up real fast,
“I was.”
“Your poor family. Are they still alive? They must miss you so much. You should go to your parents and tell them everything that has happened. Maybe they can help your brother, make him whole again.”
“Nothing will make my brother whole again.” Elsa sat up, frustrated, placing her hand on Theo's face so he would look at her.
“How did you ever end up there?”
Theo didn't seem to want to tell her. His face indicated the memory was too painful.
“It's okay,” Elsa told him. “You can tell me.”
Theo took a breath. “My brother was always the one who did everything first, because he was older. He learned to walk first. He learned to sled in the snow on Christmas morning, as my parents and I watched from the porch, too. I remember wanting to join him so bad, but I couldn't. My parents told me it was too cold and I was not big enough. He was the first to go to school and make friends. I remember he was embarrassed of me when his friends came over, because I was little and tagged along everywhere he went. I was literally his shadow,” he laughed. “That's what they called me, too. Shadow.” Theo grew very sad.
“My brother was always the braver one, the one who was never afraid. Our parents told us about the Forbidden Forest as children. When I heard the stories, I got scared and had nightmares. But my brother, the stories excited him. He used to stand an inch away from the Forest behind our house, get as close as he could without moving. He would make me time him, even though I told him we were doing wrong. But he didn't listen.
“One day, I woke up in the middle of the night and saw that his bed was empty. I got very scared that someone came into our house and took him. I got up out of bed and started to get my parents but I saw a faint light out my window. Someone into a white gown carrying a lamp walked toward our house, from the direction of the woods. As he got closer, I realized it was my brother. He crawled back in the window, and I asked him where he'd been. He told me he'd actually gone into the Forest! I was terrified and started crying, remember I was so young. It embarrassed me that I wasn't as brave as he was or as strong.”
“You are strong, Theo. Your strength is just different, more complicated.” Elsa took his hand.
“He told me he was going back and that I should stay there.”
“What did he see in the woods?”
“He wouldn't tell me. He just said he had to show me. But I was so afraid, because I just knew what we were doing was wrong. And our parents would be so mad.”
“Did you go with him?”
“I told him I wasn't going no matter what, then he got mad and started for the Forest again, by himself. I hated that he was always the first to do things, and as frightened as I was, I just couldn't let him go alone, especially if there was something dangerous. I was just a small boy and wanted to protect him, even though he was so much bigger than me.”
“Did you go then?”
“Yes I went. I had to. I was his shadow, remember?” Theo asked her. Elsa nodded. “I thought the moment I stepped through the tree line, I would feel different or something. But nothing happened, except the woods got really quiet, like the animals knew I was there when I shouldn't be. Dorien just kept running through the woods faster and faster, laughing, and I couldn't get him to slow down. My little legs only went so fast, so eventually he slowed down and took my hand, because I was so afraid. I was shaking really hard. We kept walking for a few minutes and came upon this small cottage, it looked like a witch's cottage. Dorien told me to watch who came out, so we waited, and eventually this old, frail woman came out, to water her garden. She looked up real fast,
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