AFK - Away From Keyboard

Chapter 19:

Emica's POV:

   It had been an hour, but I still hadn't left the forest. If I really wanted to I could use the teleportation crystal Kit had given to me.

I still can't believe I slapped Len. To be completely honest, I had been holding it in for a while, but I still shouldn't have done it. He had almost died! And he hadn't wanted me to come in at all. What if I hadn't? Then I wouldn't have been able to save him! I'm still glad I ran. I needed this time to myself; time to think and to be alone.

I pulled my cloak a little tighter around my shoulders and tried to relax. It was extremely late and my whole body was tired.

   A sound like an owl, along with another noise sounding much like a scream or laugh shattered the stillness of the night. Shivers ran down my spine, chilling me to the bone. 

What was it? A child? A cat? No...it was coy wolves.

I couldn't sleep on the ground, it wasn't safe. A tree with large branches caught my eye; so that was wear I decided to stay for the night.

Once I was perched on a branch, something jumped at me. I let out a shriek but it was only Snowy.

"How did you get all the way out here?" I asked her, she simply cuddled up against me with a proud little purr.  "Snowy, why are things so confusing?"

An overwhelming wave of exhaustion crashed over me. The familiar tightness was behind my eyes. It felt so good to let them close and let sleep claim me as I drooped against the tree.

   My dream started in the temple. The scene replayed except this time Len actually died. Time passed; I was traveling with Myra and Kit, who both seemed unfazed by our friends death. How could they be so calm?

Then I came face to face with Len.

"Did you miss me?" He asked, with his old sarcastic smirk that I hadn't seen in a while.

"You're dead." My dream self reminded him.

"That's a lie." He grinned and reached out to me. "It's all a lie."

Everything swirled and turned dark. All I could hear was a somewhat familiar voice saying: "Testing? Hm...oh. Well of course..."

"Hello?" I called. Nothing answered me of course.

"I wish she would wake up." Came a small voice.

"Me too..." Came a man's voice.

"Wake up Emi! Wake up!" A million voices merged together in my head.

I fell to my knees and covered my ears. The walls of murky glass separating me from the voices broke down.

"A new way..." A deep voice commented. "...much better than the old way we were..."

The voices faded. I felt like I was falling.

Then my brain remembered I had been in a tree and allowed me to wake up.

I collided into the earth and sat up dizzily. A cloaked figure was staring down at me in confusion. Immediately I jumped to my feet and whipped out my bow, just in case.

"Chill." The figure pulled back their hood. It was the boy from the inn. "You're the one that just fell from the sky."

I didn't relax. "What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"Watching you fall from heaven." He smirked.

I wrinkled my nose. "Were you following me?"

"Why would I follow you?" The boy asked with a slightly hurt tone. "That's a pretty large accusation."

"I am so done with twisted answers." I groaned. "Yes, or no?"

The boy frowned. "No, I was here hoping to get some rare items. Now why are you here?"

Footsteps came quickly down the path towards us.

"Running away are we?" The boy took out a sword. "I can fight off whoever while you make a break for it."

Len burst through the trees. He was pale and panting. However, when he saw the boy his whole face changed and he lunged forward.

"Stop it!" I cried while Len and the boy rolled around on the ground, trying to get a punch in.

"Quit it Len!" I yelled, but they both ignored me. I am so done being ignored! I hate it!

I drew an arrow and aimed it at them. "If you don't want an arrow through your skull then get up and stop it."

Len and the boy froze and stared at me in shock. They both scrambled to their feet and glared at each other.

"Good." I put my bow and arrow away and turned to the boy. "Sorry about that, can you give us a minute?"

I grabbed Len's arm and dragged him out of the boy's earshot.

"I don't see why you're mad at me." Len muttered. "You're the one that ran off and scared us all to death."

"So I'm not allowed to have time to myself?" I demanded tiredly. "So you can almost die and absolutely terrify me, but I'm not allowed to run off and cool down?"

"I didn't mean to scare you," Len said softly. "Or make you angry."

I burst into weary tears again. "You and Kit are idiots."

"The most idiotic beings ever to roam the earth." Len agreed and pulled me into a tender hug. This time I didn't slap him.

"Although I'm much better looking than Kit, don't you think?" He whispered.

I moaned. "I don't even have words."

The boy made a gagging noise. "You two done yet?"

"Come on Emi, will you come back to the inn with me?" Len asked with an inviting smile.

"Fine." I mumbled and allowed him to drag me back down the path while I smiled apologetically to the boy.

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We arrived at the teleportation site and stepped onto the round tile. Len called out Myra and Kit's names and then smashed the crystal onto the stone. He squeezed my fingers before we both dissolved into light.

Two seconds later I was back at the inn. I hurried through the room before Myra and Kit could see me, and went straight to bed. However sleep had already come to me once that night, and it took it's time claiming my exhausted form now.