The Destined

Chapter 27: Avani

    Avani    

I watch, horrified, as Lotso makes Melissa sit down against a tree. He takes out a flask of water and makes her drink. She stopped thrashing around, but there's still a wild look in her eyes.

"You're next," the Queen says coldly. I look at Melissa. She is shivering from the cold, completely oblivious to the world around her.

"Is she –"

"She's fine," the Queen interrupts me. "Go in. It is your turn." When I don't move, she walks over to me and pushes me. "Go!"

I stumble inside the canopy of leaves, swallowed by the vast array of hanging leaves, vines, and branches. Inside, the light is blinding, most of it being emitted from tiny flowers hanging from the vines. Tiny creatures push me into the trunk. I crawl in through the small opening and stand in what looks like a small room. My eyes stay on the wall in front of me, where a woman stands. Her skin is green, and she wears clothes made of vines and leaves, like a tree.

"Why, you must be Avani," she says, smiling.

"Yeah, I...I have the water element," I say, feeling stupid and scared at the same time.

"Oh I know..." she says, her voice trailing off until it is nothing more but a murmur in the air.

I feel something inside of me start to warm up. I find myself taking slow steps towards the woman, against my will almost. I'm not trying to move. It's like she's doing the walking for me. I stop walking when I am inches away from her face. I feel really scared now, shaking. Her eyes are nothing but two back empty holes, lifeless. She lifts her hands and puts them on my shoulders. They feel like 50 pound weights pushing down on me, willing me to fall on the ground, but I can barely move. It hurts.

Her eyes make me burn when I look at them, filling me with a feeling I can't describe. I feel as if she can read my mind, make a mark inside my soul, and observe my very thoughts. I bet she can. I bet she is doing it right now.

I start to feel warmer on the inside, and my body starts glowing blue. The woman doesn't move. I feel something enter my body. It's like she is taking over me. What do you want from me, I think, because at this point, I can no longer speak. She speaks to me, inside my head, her lips never moving. She asks me what comes to my mind when she says words like evil, good, power, and water. She judges me by my thoughts and it scares me how vulnerable I am. She tells me how she is everything, how she controls everything, and she is now a part of me, too. This way, I am also a part of the Five Lands.

Suddenly, it is all over. I cool down. She removes her hands from my shoulders and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. All the light surrounding me, all the light that I gave off, is sucked back into my body, and I suddenly feel more alive than ever. Then, everything is covered by pitch black darkness. The only thing that glows is the woman's face. It's a stark contrast in the dark. She opens her mouth to speak, and the words "Avani, you passed," pour out of her mouth and fade out into the air around me.

☾☾☾  

I sit upright in my bed, breathing heavily. Sunlight is streaming in through the windows, illuminating the whole room with light. Anna's bed is already neatly made and I can hear Aunt Cathy, Millie, and Anna moving around in the kitchen, and the clattering of dishes and utensils.

I don't know what it was about the Woman Tree. She somehow brought me to reality. This is who I am now. She really did make a mark inside my soul, but in a good way. Lybrethium is my home now, my real home, since the one in this world has been shattered by the death of my parents. The day I was given my necklace was the day everything started. I know it is not from my dad, but I know it still holds true significance. I have always wondered after the death of my parents, who am I supposed to be? I tried to fit in with everyone, tried to seem popular, tried to seem like a person you would look up to and be scared of at the same time, and that wasn't me. I finally know now. My destiny has been revealed to me.

The three of us, Anna, Melissa, and I, are meant to rule Lybrethium. I do not know who else will be against us, nor do I know what lies ahead. There's something wrong going on and we are meant to fix it. The future is in our hands, and its safety depends on our willingness to go on and fight for whatever we are meant to do. Now that Lybrethium's future is in our control, there is no turning back.

We are the Destined.

END OF BOOK ONE