Rachel Stanton and The Darkest Night

CHAPTER 20: THE SECRET

20. THE SECRET

I GOT WORRIED AT FIRST.I didn’t know what was happening right now. But I believed Peter in some parts. If I would lose someone in this game, I guessed the choices for that were only Mom, Dad, Charles and Jared.

Jared had helped me save the others before, maybe he could help save my family as well. However, who would help me save Jared when Death finally came to take him? Who would? That was the question that I could not answer right now.

Peter paced around the room while I looked at the floor, thinking about it again and again. I couldn’t think of a very good plan of how I was going to save them all. I guessed it would just depend on my fate if I was going to save them or not.

I looked up at Peter who stopped at the window frame, his eyes were directed on mine. The sad feeling in his expression was more distinct than hope. Then he said, “I really am sorry about your destiny. I told this to you to let you know. I told you this so that you can have a clue. But, you know, Rachel, it always depends on you, not on your fate.”

He paused a second. And I took a deep gulp of breath. He smiled, and I saw the hope building up between his lips.

“I think I’d be going now, Rachel,” he breathed. “I hope I helped you. ‘Bye.”

Before he jumped off the window, I gave him a one last smile.

Then I watched him soared up in the air and vanished behind the clouds in the sky.

There was one thing I was sure right now: I was dreaming.

My eyes were staring blankly into the ocean that stretched widely in front of me. The waves danced gracefully on the shore, and they hit the white sand just as they hit the tip of my toes. Half of my body was wet, half was dry. My arms were rested on my knees, crossing each other so that I could rest my head on them too.

The place was calm. I could only hear the flap of birds’ wings produced in midair. Their silent trills were just making the whole place so perfect.

And one more thing that I figured out: I was alone in this place.

I got to my feet after a moment and wiped out the dirt from my skirt. I sighed deep. The ocean in front of me was absolutely a breathtaking view. I wished I had brought a camera with me here so that I could take a picture of the wonderful place. But thing was, it was only a dream.

I began to walk on my left. The shore seemed to be endless there. I couldn’t see where it was heading but I was sure something was out there. Then I saw a small cottage built between two coconut trees. It was a hundred meters away from me, I thought. And beside the cottage was a guy.

The sun was shining directly upon me. It was too bright I had to cover my eyes from the light. Around me, it looked so hot, but I couldn’t feel the warmness of the place even the temperature of the wind. They smelt like a fish though.

It took me a moment or two before I could reach the cottage. The guy was holding the turnk of the coconut on the left side. He only wore his Hawaiian shorts, no shirts and slippers. His face was hard to recognize, too, because of his shades. He did not even flinch or look at me when I arrived. He was frozen in his place.

“Hello,” I asked in my smuggest tone. “Do you live here?”

The guy did not look at me still. I thought he was just a statue there, but after a moment, his head tilted in my direction now.

“Yes?” he asked, his voice velvet.

“Do you live here?” I repeated, moving closer to him.