The Rink of Time

Chapter Ten

Don't let your fear decide your future.

SKAI LADISTON

What on earth just happened?

Where am I?

Why is everywhere so dark?

Why is it so cold?

Why can't I speak?

Eventually, I successfully pry my eyes open after countless tries only to be faced with a worried and drenched River hovering over me.

"Thank the heavens, you're awake." He lets out a breath of relief before informing me "Everyone else is still knocked out"

I look around trying to assess the environment, because I'm still too confused to say anything, I'm not even sure I can speak.

We are by a lake, laying on the grass, all drenched in water, this looks nothing like Forest Lake Camping Ground.

As much as I want to know why we are drenched, I am more concerned with where I am, last thing I remember we were in the forest, were we kidnapped?

If you were kidnapped you wouldn't be out in the open, would you?

Oh yeah that's true, we would have probably been tied in a basement, like in the movies. So, what the monkey brains happened?

"Where are we?" I manage to croak out.

"I have no idea" he pauses "but I know we are definitely nowhere near the camp-site, I studied the surroundings before the trip and this was not on the map"

"We've got to find the campsite" I cough out some water sitting up.

Water? Why is there water coming out of me, did I drown?

"Why are we all drenched?" I ask him

"We fell through the bright light into that lake, you don't remember?" he asks "I think it's a portal of some sort" He explains.

"Then how am I still breathing? I would have drowned" I look at him confused.

"Beats me" he shrugs "I have no idea how to perform CPR so I just hoped and prayed you were all alive."

And then I realize "How can you just say we fell through a portal so calmly?!" I jump to my feet and he gets up at his own pace. "What do you want me to do?" he lifts a brow at me "Cry? Jump? Scream??"

I let out a heavy sigh falling back to the ground and he follows suit, what to do.

I look around again but this time anxiously, portals aren't real, that's not humanly possible, it's all just a dream.

"Pinch me" I tell my brother and he does so without hesitation making me jump back in pain.

"Just end my life while you're at it" I whine rubbing my arm.

He lets out a hearty laugh "Hey, you asked for it, I was just doing as told dear sister." he mocks me. How can he even laugh after what he just told me? "Besides bubblehead, I pinched myself a dozen times already, it's not a dream, I've been waiting for about an hour?" he looks at his watch which he never takes off, I have a similar one—which I am also wearing, it was a gift from dad "maybe two, I've done a lot of thinking and still none of it makes sense"

We sit by our friends in wait and soon enough, they all begin to wake up, one by one.

River explained everything he knew—which was mostly just assumptions he made—to them and now we're currently walking through a forest yet again to God knows where.