Don't Look Down

The girl

It was completely pitch black. I couldn't see anything and having only one eye didn't make things better. Then a flash of light illuminated the whole forest. The source was...the monster. The blue florescent light hurt my eye and I looked away. I took a deep breath then returned my gaze to the light. It was using its claws to carve something into the base of the tree. After it finished the monster stopped glowing and breathed heavily, as if it ran miles. It then collapsed and started whining. The sound pierced my ears. For some reason I was somehow drawn to the beast. It acted as a magnet, pulling me, the defenseless boy, to its fangs ready to chomp on my throat. I started climbing down the tree. Go to the beast. The thought absolutely consumed me until I was near the monster. It stopped whining and I shook my head to clear the intrusive thoughts. Thoughts that were obviously not my own.

Something else behind me glowed brightly. I turned to look. It was the carving that the beast made. There were two simple words. Help me. What? Why would-? A growl shook the floor below me. I saw the monster advance ,prowling, ready to pounce should I make the slightest move. As I backed away against the tree, a twig snagged at my foot and I fell to the ground with a small yelp. The beast stood over me and I started breathing heavily. The monster opened its mouth ready to clamp its saliva coated jaws around my throat. A memory tugged at the back of my mind. I thought you were my hero. Aviana! Oh my god! I completely forgot. Does that make me the worst to-be brother ever?

I closed my eyes. No, I would not go down without a fight. If there was one thing I knew is that Mordred Right never gives up on his family, unborn or not. There had to be a way to save her. But I can't escape the strong jaws of death. Today was my day whether I liked it or not. I put up my hands as if to shield me from the fangs of the beast. I remembered my father's cowardice, my mother's gentleness, Aviana's innocence. My hands started to glow. I unleashed a wave of fury, that until now I had kept bottled up, with a shout of defiance. A red blast propelled me back while sending the beast flying into a tree. The tree went up in flames that licked branches of nearby trees. The wildfire spread, well, like wildfire, jumping from tree to tree and casting an orange glow in the forest.

As I stood watching the large form of the beast started to shrink into a more humanoid figure. I ran to it and dragged it away from the burning trees. Soon we would be engulfed by the oncoming fire. I knew that I had to block the fire from spreading. But first I needed to get this person to safety. It was a girl. Young. About my age. I looked at her face. Her head lolled back and forth as I pulled her to the base of the tree. I bumped into so many things as the fire sent sparks in my only working eye. She seemed so familiar it almost hurt.

I shook my head as the fire licked my foot. I gasped as the skin immediately blistered and popped. I heaved her over my shoulder. I ran as fast as I could, tripping as the branches ripped my hoodie. I laid her down, a safe distance away. She was pretty as she slept serenely. Then she shifted and opened her eyes. They were dark green. Like the ivy that covered the trees. They reminded me of my mother's eyes.

"Who...?" she croaked. I shushed her and told her to go back to sleep. She obeyed without complaint.

I rushed back to the tree that had all my supplies in its branches. The fire was just reaching the base. Oh no, no. My stuff! I took a deep breath and plunged into the raging fire. It burned my legs as it raced up my clothes. I climbed even faster than I did with the beast, who was actually a girl, on my tail. The fire burnt my legs and hands to the point where I knew they would be scarred forever. My clothes were still on fire. I reached my pack and stuffed my hand in, looking for the canteens. I found them, large and full of water. I poured the tiniest bit of water on my clothes, to put it out. Then I stood on the branch and jumped off. I rolled onto the ground as the impact caused me to fall.

I ran to the girl again with the fire right behind me. I poured water in a circle around her to keep her safe from the fire. Then I did something strange. My hands glowed red again and the water floated out of the canteens in bubble-like shapes. They connected to make one very large ball of water, glowing with red energy. I moved my hands. The ball moved with me. Then I willed the ball to go right over the center of the fire, disperse like tiny droplets, and fall to the earth like rain. It did exactly that.

The fire made a sizzling sound as the "Mordred drops" put it out. I stared at my hands in amazement and confusion. What-what just happened? The girl behind me groaned. I turned. Her eyes were cloudy. Then she focused on my face and gasped.

"Mor-Mordred?" she asked hesitantly.

"Um...do I know you?" I squinted, trying to see if I've seen her before. She looked down and shook her head. Then she sighed.

"I'm Solstice." She said sadly.

***

I realized something with Solstice. She never smiles. Never. And she barely talks. She hasn't asked me a question since she woke up and I was starting to worry. We were walking back to the wreckage to see if there was anything other than the things in my pack that we could salvage.

"Hey, can I call you Sol?" I asked on the way there.

"No." she hung her head. "Never call me Sol." I stopped, stung by her sharp words.