THE UNBREAKABLE PIECE (FIRST BOOK OF THE HIDDEN WORLD) English version

CHAPTER NINE: WHITE ROSES

The waves were crashing hard against the beach of Axis and the white sand that entered through my worn-out boots was starting to bother me, my body trembling and the air not reaching my lungs completely. I had fled trying to silence the chaos that was trying to take me prisoner of my own thoughts. Although I had escaped from my guard and the rest of the onpices, their whispers pursued me, like little birds gnawing at my head. The cold air with a hint of salt hit my face hard. The sun no longer had a place, and the night was beginning to make itself present in that sky of purple and orange tones.

In front of me rose a magnificent forest of pines so tall that they kissed the sky. And it waited for me, at the end of the road, to engulf me in an embrace like a mother waiting for her child after a long journey.

Axis was too vast, I could still see the cabins, although they were getting smaller in the corner of my eye. The last blocks of the center, judging by their worn wood, must have been the first ones built and put into operation. However, at the speed I was running, I had not even managed to see what their signs said. I only cared about one thing, to flee and never be found again. I knew it was a bad plan, but it was the only thing my exhausted mind could come up with at that moment. The second part of my poor escape plan was to find a way to get out of Alba from the other side of the forest. The scent of pine had always characterized Ben, so I guessed there must be some way out that would take me back to New York. I wasn't made for this place, even Lexi could be a better ruler than me.

"How the hell are you so fast?"

All the particles around me froze and I dug my heels into the sand. Evan's body collided with mine and we both fell tangled to the ground. When I regained my senses, I noticed how his flexed arms rose next to my head, trying to hold his weight over me. We were in a compromising position, from any angle.

"Stop playing with my head! I have enough with my own thoughts, now I have to deal with yours too."

"I'm sorry."

He hadn't even moved his lips, which made me punch him hard in the stomach with my free arm. He fell down laughing with his whole body. His laughter was contagious.

"Don't make me laugh, I'm trying to run dramatically."

"You're doing a great job, by the way" He replied sarcastically "It took me two minutes to find you, you're the only one running on a deserted beach. And to be honest, no one was following you."

The moonlight rested on his white skin, while a clear blue mantle bathed the beach in its twilight and I anxiously waited for darkness to descend upon us, hiding what Evan caused upon contact with my body.

"I'll follow you wherever you go."

"Stalker."

"You're unpleasant."

I took a handful of sand, tightly squeezed it in my palm before releasing it onto my neighbor's chest.

"Leave me alone."

"You know there's no reality where that happens."

Our bodies rested near the waves on the cold sand, impatient for the touch of water. My muscles still felt the sensation of pain, as if the trace of the fight with the strideo couldn't be erased, just like Evan's scars.

In the distance, the crickets began to sing, and the sound of the other noises in Axis faded away into nature. The water crashed into the sea, swirling, playful, as if it could sense my presence in Alba.

"How can you do that?" It was my voice in my mind, but it was your essence," I turned my face, and the tips of our noses were just a caress away. "Is this your gift?"