Believe Read Online Free Page B

bit, the soles of my boots unused to such a surface.
    Elwyn stops suddenly in front of me, unaffected by the gravel, and I nearly go flying over him. My suitcase thuds to the ground.
    "What the heck?" I gasp.
    The sharp look I get from Elwyn reminds me of the reaction Ebrillwen gives me when I’m rude to my elders. Suddenly I feel a gnawing coldness in the pit of my stomach. I try to break away from Elwyn’s gaze but I can't. He has me locked, frozen, and there is nothing I can do about it. The cold radiates through my body causing me to shiver violently. And then just like that Elwyn looks away, giving me a reprieve.
    "Don't," Elwyn says.
    Chastised, I stomp my feet and rub my arms with mittened hands. Anything to help me warm up. While I wait for the next instruction, I decide to get a good look around. The gravel road stretches away from us in both directions, bordered on one side by trees, sparser than where we just came from, and a field on the other side filled with…cows. Delighted I start to walk toward them when I feel a sharp tug on my coat.
    "Where do you think you are going?"
    I don't look directly at Elwyn again. There is no way I want to feel his wrath, so I look in the vicinity of his head, hoping to appear somewhat polite. I gesture toward the fence. "I just want to see the cows," I say. "I've always wanted one."
    This might sound like an odd thing for a girl to want, even to Elwyn who makes some pretty far out toys for the little snots of the world. But when I was little my mother read me a story called Santa Cows . I laughed over that book for weeks. Then I promptly asked for one for Christmas. Needless to say, I never got that cow. That's when I stopped believing in Santa Claus.
    â€œNo time for nonsense,” Elwyn says and turns away to hurry down the gravel road.
    I give the cow one last wistful glance and grab my suitcase. After walking for an eternity, we come to a farmhouse. I’m charmed by the two-story structure that looks like it came right out of a fairy tale. The second the thought enters my head, I scoff. Fairy tales never have two story white farmhouses. They have castles. Everyone knows that. So what am I thinking?
    "I love this," I say "Is this where Nick lives?"
    Elwyn gives me a contemptuous look. "This is where your grandmother lives."
    My eyes widen and my jaw drop. "My grandmother?" I look back at the house in awe. Did I really hear him right?
    With another sigh, Elwyn says, "Indeed, your grandmother."
    Stepping toward the old wood fence separating us from the yard, my heart races in anticipation. We have never been allowed to discuss my grandmother, at least not with my parents. That hasn’t stopped my sisters and me from speculating in hushed tones about our father's mother. My mother's parents passed away when I was small. They were human and didn’t approve of her choice in a husband. I can't say I blame them.
    But my father's mother has always been a mystery. Now I’m standing outside her house and I am so ready to meet her. I don't even care about the myriad of questions that parade through my mind. Reaching for the gate, I hesitate, looking to Elwyn for permission. The last thing I need right now is to bring the Elf Elder wrath down on me. He gives me a curt nod.
    Rushing through the gate, I barely notice the cobblestone path beneath my feet. I clatter up the old worn wood steps onto a quaint porch with a swing on one side. The farmhouse door has a big brass knocker in the center in the shape of a Santa Claus head. This stops me in my tracks. Granted the knocker is a generic image and not exactly like my father, but something in the glint of the eyes makes me hesitate. Then I lift the knocker and let it drop with a satisfying thud.
    When the door opens, after what feels like an eternity, I’m face to face with a sweet-looking old woman who immediately pulls me into her arms.
    "I never thought I would see this day," she says, and I can hear the