Under the Water

Hearts will dream again

A soft breeze rustled the leaves of the old oak as Jimmy sat alone. His reflection stays distorted in the water, staring back at him. As the sun rose, he listened to the haunting songs the canaries sang nearby. He despised the wretched songbirds and their capturing melodies. They acted as a souvenir of his past and a promise for his future, constantly reminding him of the curse he carried.

A branch snapped in the distance, turning his attention away from the birds. His head jolted in the direction of the sound to reveal a familiar face. Tango stood about a couple meters away from Jim with a soft smile on his face. His eyes glistened as he caught Jimmy's and continued towards the lake he was stationed at.

"Shouldn't be this close to the lake, Jim. Y'know what they say about it." The fiery man commented as he sank down beside his friend.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, rolling his eyes. "It brings bad luck and all, I know."

"And we both know you've had enough of that for one lifetime!" He teased.

A silence followed as one of the elegant yellow birds swooped down in front of the two. The pair exchanged a doleful glance, each knowing what the other was thinking.

The canaries weren't local to the server, but the watchers had a volery of them released to watch over the blonde. They liked to torture the players between the games. They never physically harmed anyone; instead, they messed with their heads just the right amount for them to be unstable enough to lose their morals for the duration of the game. For Jimmy, it was the birds; for Scar, it was the freshly baked cookies on his doorstep each morning; and for Scott, the flowers that always grew back in his yard no matter how many times he tried to remove them. That was as simple as it had to be, barely using an ounce of their powers but consuming the players minds all of every waking day.

Turning back to the bird, Tango broke the silence with a loud noise to scare the bird away. It flew back up into the morning sky, dancing in the air as it got further away.

"Let's get you back to the ranch, Jim. I've got food cooking I have to get back to anyway." He sighed, reaching out a hand to Jimmy as he stood up.

"Yeah, breakfast sounds nice right about now." The blonde said with a soft chuckle, only now noticing the pink "kiss the cook" apron his friend was wearing.

The walk back home was short. Luckily, the ranch wasn't far from the lake. As they came to the entrance of the kitchen, a mouthwatering aroma filled their nostrils.

"Man! What are you cooking?" Jimmy asked in a shocked tone.

"Pancakes, eggs, and some maple sausages! Thought we could both benefit from a nice, hearty meal." He replied, sounding very proud of his creations. "Dig in!"

It was hard for Jim to find the good in The Between, knowing that in just a few short weeks he could be holding a sword to his best friend's throat in the next games, but he found it a little bit easier with Tango.