Chapter Three: Special

         “Mama, Ethen won’t let me try!” Raelen yelled. “Mama!”

            Marianna came out from the house to see what was going on. She found her two children just behind the barn where Ethen had been practicing with the bow that Greg had made him. “What is it now?” she asked, wiping her hands on her apron.

            “I want to shoot the bow!” Raelen said demandingly. “But Ethen won’t let me.”

            “She’s too little, Mama!” Ethen explained. “She could break it.”

            “I am not!” Raelen retorted.

            Marianna sighed. She loved her two children dearly, but sometimes they got to be a bit of a handful. She put a hand to her head and brushed back a loose strand of hair. “I need to get supper ready, you two. Play nicely and don’t pester your brother, Raelen.”

            They had been in their new home in a remote little section of the forest for only a year and a half. It seemed that the move had not helped either Raelen or Ethen. They had been taken from all they were familiar with and made to start all over. They had to keep a low profile where they were and also meant keeping a close eye on Raelen. This job fell usually to Marianna while Greg worked away in the forge built onto the side of the house. He had a quota to meet at the end of each week and that kept him busy enough. She was incredibly smart for her age and there was no telling what she would think of next. Marianna began to cut up potatoes for the stew she was making and began to hum quietly to herself. It was her way of keeping calm and keeping the fears she faced at bay. Her mother had often hummed while she worked and Marianna had found her self beginning to do it. Maybe it was all those nights of trying to sooth Raelen to sleep when she had first come to them that had gotten her into the habit.

            Back outside, Ethen was still practicing it with his bow. Greg had made it for him for his birthday just a couple days a go and Ethen was very excited to use it. He shot another arrow at the side of the barn. “Ethen, PLEASE,” Raelen said. “Why can’t I have a turn?”

            “I told you, you’re too small,” Ethen told her. “Plus it’s my special birthday bow from Papa.”

            “But you have been shooting it all afternoon,” Raelen said, crossing her arms. “Sharing isn’t going to hurt you, you know.”

            “But it could hurt my bow,” Ethen stated, drawing back another arrow and firing it towards the target.

            Raelen’s eyes locked onto the bow and she took a deep breath.

            Before he could loose the arrow from the string suddenly shattered in his hand, breaking in half. As the wood splintered and went in every direction, Ethen had a look of shock on his face. Raelen took and involuntary step backwards, knowing it was her fault. Ethen looked down at his hands, an uncomfortable look coming across his face. There was a piece of wood lodged in his hand from when the bow shattered. He looked back at Raelen, his face twisted with anger. “Raelen!” he shouted loudly.

            Marianna, hearing the angry yell, came out of the house and stopped short in her tracks. She looked from her children to the broken bow and then back to Ethen and Raelen. “What happened?” she asked.

            Ethen immediately answered, “Raelen broke my bow. She made it shatter.”

            Marianna gave him a hard look. “Ethen, Raelen isn’t strong enough to break a bow with her bare hands.”

            “She didn’t do it with her hands. It just shattered,” Ethen said, giving Raelen a look.

            Marianna didn’t know what to do or say. She and Greg and known this was coming, but not this soon. She seemed too young.

            Raelen looked tearfully at Marianna, not really understanding.

            Ethen cried, “Mama do something! That was my special bow.”

            Marianna picked up the pieces of wood and said, “I’m sorry, Ethen. I know that bow was special to you.”

            Ethen whirled around towards the tearful Raelen. “THIS IS YOUR FAULT. YOU’RE A FREAK,” he said,

            “Ethen, stop!” Marianna said. “Come inside.”

            Ethen followed his mother inside while Raelen stayed outside kicking at the dirt with her foot. A tear trickled down her dirty cheek. She hadn’t meant to break the bow, it just happened. Inside she could hear Ethen talking angrily to their mother and then came Marianna’s voice trying to calm her son down.

            Raelen could take it no more. Her little feet pounded on the ground as she ran for the stream. She was too little to climb the tree, but she sat at the base of it, hugging her knees to her chest. Ethen’s words echoed in her mind: A freak…a freak…a freak. However hard she tried, she couldn’t make any sense out of what had happened. A cool breeze blew, ruffling her hair as the stream trickled along its way. Suddenly something touched her hand.

            “Oh!” she said, pressing against the tree in fright.

            Raelen looked down and saw a little brown rabbit who had a splash of white across his chest. The rabbit looked up at her with gentle brown eyes. “Why hello there,” Raelen said, reaching a hand out to the rabbit, who let her stroke his velvety ears.  “Well, aren’t you a sweet fellow.”

            The rabbit snuggled up next to he and it was almost like he understood her and knew how sad she was. “You don’t think I’m a freak,” she said stroking his soft brown fur coat. “I bet it is nice being a rabbit. No one can make fun of you and you can just be you.”

            The rabbit sat up and looked intently at her. You can too, came a soft little voice in her head. You’re special, Raelen.
            Raelen’s eyes widened. “You can understand me?”

            The rabbit nodded. I can indeed.

            “But how?” Raelen asked.

            The rabbit placed a paw on her knee. I told you that you were special. Not everyone gets to talk to rabbits. My name is Duncan by the way.

            Raelen gave a small smile and wiped away a tear.

Don’t cry, Raelen. Be brave, and be kind, the rabbit told her. You might be confused now, but one day it will all make sense. Trust me.

Quite frankly, none of what was going on was making any sense at all to Raelen at that moment, but she nodded.

            With that the rabbit reached up and touched his pink nose to Raelen’s before turning and bounding back into the bushes.

            Raelen’s tears had stopped and she was sure that she would always remember the rabbit who had told her it would be alright. “Thank you, Duncan,” she whispered.

            “Raelen!” a voice called. “Where are you?”

            It was Greg. Marianna had told him what had happened and when he had gone to look for their daughter, she was gone. “Raelen!” he called again, coming into the clearing by the stream where she was still sitting. “There you are! It’s not safe out here.”

            Raelen stood up slowly. “I’m sorry, Papa!”

            Greg pulled Raelen into his arms, holding her close. “It’s alright,” he said. “Your brother is pretty upset though. I can make him a new bow and told him I would.”

            “Papa?” Raelen asked. “Why am I different?”

            Pity welled up in Greg’s heart for his little girl. If only there was a way to help her understand. “You are special, Raelen,” he said at last. “You have always been our ray of sunshine and nothing will ever make us love you less.”

            He picked her up and carried her back toward home. She looked back to the stream and the tree, looking for her rabbit friend. She thought she saw a dash of brown in the bushes. She smiled and waved in that direction hoping the rabbit saw from his hiding spot.

            Greg sighed. What day it had been for them all. He couldn’t help but feel that sense of foreboding swelling in his chest. They would have to be more cautious then they were before. They were no longer safe and he would do whatever was necessary to protect their sweet ray of sunshine.