The Rink of Time

Chapter Twenty-Five

No risk, No story.

ELIJAH STARLING

"Something is clearly wrong" River spoke up as we all sat on the ground by the lake of life.

We decided not to have this conversation in the Bolvera house because we didn't really trust them so much as ungrateful as that sounds.

"Yeah, and we need to figure it out fast" Dexter adds.

"I have a weird reoccurring dream" Skai mutters. "I wonder if it has anything to do with this."

"What do you mean?" River looks over at his sister confused.

"Okay so, we're in this forest, and a portal sucks us in, and every time right before I wake up I hear the same creepy word 'doomsday' hella weird" she looks at the ground scratching her arm, "That's why I don't get sleep sometimes, it's eerie"

I remember having a similar dream.

Dexter and Emily voice my thoughts "I have that dream too" They Chorus.

"Same" River mumbles

"Me too" I look at them

"So, we've all been having the same dream?" Dexter chuckles emotionlessly "shit gets weirder and weirder I swear"

"Anyone else experiencing anything else that is unusual??" River asks "Let's know what page we're on"

"Well, it feels like I'm missing bits and pieces of my memory" Emily speaks up.

"Anyone else feel that way?" River questions looking at each of us and we all pause to think.

"Well kind of, it feels like I'm supposed to be somewhere else, but I can't remember where" Dexter replies.

Then I realize, I kept thinking we had another objective beside finding our parents but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"I've been feeling like we have another goal besides finding our parents." I tell them. "Kind of like our priorities are misplaced"

We look at River and Skai.

"Hey, I have bad memory, I wouldn't know" she shrugs.

"I've been thinking of the future lately, not the past, I wouldn't know either" River sighs "but now that you mention it, where did we come from?"

"Something is definitely off" then I remember "Guys what about the riddle?" I ask them.

"How could we forget Elijah?" Dexter takes a jab at me, rolling his eyes, he's still mad at me, Dexter is petty like that and to be fair, I haven't apologized.

"Look Dex, I apologize, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been harsh with you alright?" I sigh and he shrugs.

He's accepted my apology, he just wouldn't say it.

"There are no ditches in Thairo, the riddle is pointless" River says dipping his hand in the lake, playing with the water mindlessly.

Just as he put 'Thairo' and 'Ditch' in the same sentence it hit me. "Today in history class, Professor Einar aid something" I pause and notice they were all listening intently. "She said 'this ditch had no hope of being the capital anyways' guys the ditch isn't in Thairo, the ditch is Thairo"

"So, if the ditch is Thairo and the riddle said across the ditch, then does that mean we have to leave Thairo to get the answers we need?" Emily asks.

"No Emily, we stay here and wait for the answer to come to us" River quips and I shoot daggers at him with my eyes.

Emily responds to him in the same tone "Maybe next time, two weeks was long enough"

"Guys focus" surprisingly, that came from Skai. "Land and Sea, it has to be a beach or something"

"Maver Island" Dexter suggests

"It's a hunch but it could be right" River shrugs.

"What do you mean hunch? Okay Ladiston name one other Island or beach across Thairo" Dexter snorts.

"Hahaha, anyways how do we leave?" River asks "the Bolveras are no longer trustworthy, so I don't think we should tell them this."

"We aren't obligated to tell them anything in the first place" Emily shrugs looking up at the sky, it was an orange hue, indicating that the night was fast approaching.

"W-" I was cut off by water being poured on me.

"What the hell!" Skai yelled and just then a gust of wind blew past us.

What the heck is going on.

I look over to River because he was the closest one to the lake.

"Why" I groan, my hair!

"I didn't do that I swear" he looks at me apologetically.

I turn to face Skai who was also hit by water but she is dry, unlike me who is drenched.

"I think you did River" Dexter points at River's finger tips which hand drops of water floating above them.

"Holy shit, that's sick!" River looks at his hand in amusement.

"As 'sick' as that is I'm still wet" I give him a blank stare.

"Ohh sorry Eli" he scratches his neck and the drops of water fall.

"Skai how the hell are you even dry?" I ask looking at her and she shrugs.

"As soon as the water hit me, the wind blew" she smiles "I guess I'm just blessed" she shrugs giggling.

"Good for you" I sigh sarcastically.

"Aww poor Elijah, it's okay I can be your wind" she nods her head and blew air at me playfully.

Everyone burst out laughing.

I'm drenched in cold water and they are laughing

Friends of the year award goes to them.

It was all fun and games until wind actually blew me dry.

That's not possible, wind can't dry someone off like that.

"Did you just" Dexter looked at Skai jaw dropped.