Written in Life

(Chapter 14)

I picked lazily at the dead grass lining the black lake, the cool water sending a chill through me... It was eerily calming. I watched Bernie as she let water run through her fingers, fresh droplets running off her chin. She pushed her hands through her hair and sighed. Her tensed shoulders seemed to relax and she brushed the surface of the water, sending the water shivering across the lake. The moonlight glimmered through her damp curly hair, making it look black as a shadow. Her skin was white in the harsh silver. My eyesight always was sharp as a dagger when it came to night. Not a detail was out of focus... it was beautiful.

There was a nagging feeling in the back of my gut, but it was distant, faint. All I knew is I couldn't stop looking at her. I wouldn't let myself for some reason...

I saw a flash of bronze and crimson in the water and sat up slightly, watching the colors carefully. They flicked to the edge of the water, darting toward Bernie. I opened my mouth to say something but she was pulled into the water by a pair of purple-gray hands with long black talons before I could. There was eerily no splash as she was dragged in. I gasped as I felt a pair of cold hands wrapping around my feet and yanking me in to the freezing black water.

I was held in a dark embrace and I felt something touching my shoulders, sliding over my skin like silk. I turned to see what it was and there was nothing there. My heart raced with panic and adrenaline and my lungs ached for air. Something that felt like hair brushed the back of my neck and I whirled around to see a girl look at me surprised. She looked around as though someone would see us and placed a finger to her lips.

She had on a white puffed blouse and her hair was long and flowing, a silvery-gray color even though she looked really young. My guess was maybe around eleven. She took my hand and led me to the edge of a lake and dived down, a huge tunnel appearing. I began to feel light-headed and I tried to hold in as much breath as I could, small bubbles of air drifting their way to the surface. The girl glanced back worriedly and went faster. I noticed then that she had a long, gleaming tail with mixes of light purples, deep pinks and glowing oranges. It moved through the water with incredible speed and had dangerous spines that gleamed black like onyx.

I convinced myself I was hallucinating and the corners of my vision were slowly fading away. It felt like my head was too heavy upon my shoulders and I slumped forward. The girl pulled harder and I closed my eyes and a new darkness consumed me...

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I awoke in what looked like a chamber with Bernie slumped over next to me, as though someone had thrown her. Her hand was splayed out across my chest and her wet red hair was like a curtain over her face. I sat up slowly and a shot of pain went through me. I slowly lowered myself back to the ground and Bernie stirred above me. She opened her eyes and they glowed a strange orange among her normal hazel. She lifted her head and looked around, her curly hair bouncing on her shoulders. Her eyes rested on me and she knit her brow.

"How long have you been awake?" she asked suspiciously. I looked at her with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, about an hour..." I lied. She shot away from me, easily jumping back ten feet.

"Creep!" she yelled. I laughed.

"Calm down. I just woke up," I assured her. She looked around again.

"Where are we?" she asked. I tried not to move as I turned my head to look around. It looked like a cave but had an unnatural glow to it. There was moss hanging from the walls and ceiling and soft, fertile earth was crumbling away slowly. I looked back to Bernice and she looked at me, annoyed." Are you going to get up?" She walked over and looked at me, her arms crossed over her chest, her wet dress clinging to her arms and legs.

"I've already tried. It hurts to move," I said. She walked over by my head and knelt down.

"Maybe you just pulled something," she said. She lifted my head and I winced. She looked closely at the back of my head and behind my ears, her warm breath lingering against my jaw. She lifted my head higher and I screamed a shot of pain going down my back. She searched my neck and sighed." I'm gonna need you to sit up," she said. I tried as much as I could to will myself upright as she pushed me up gently. I felt her lift my shirt and she gasped and screamed, her hands falling away from me, along with my support. I fell hard and hit my head on the soft earth, but the impact blurred my vision. I blinked rapidly and Bernie had a hand over her mouth.

"What did you see?" I asked, rubbing my head sorely. She stared into space, her face white as a bed sheet. Her hand shook at her side and she looked at me in horror.

"Well," she said," there is definitely something wrong with you..." She took a deep breath and crawled back over to me, looking down at me with glossy orange flecked hazel eyes.

"What did you see?" I asked again, adding an edge to my voice. She shook her head.

"My worst nightmare," she said, her voice shaking. She was still horribly pale, making her hair look as dark as blood." Come on." She held out her hand and I took it. She pulled me up to my feet and I cursed in pain. I lost my balance and fell into her, a rush of air escaping from her as she caught me.

"Are you going..." she said pushing me upright, annoyed," to be able to walk?" I took hold of her shoulder and balanced myself on my own two legs. I nodded.

"It's a little hard when you keep knocking me off my feet," I said, smiling. Bernie looked at me, disgusted and pushed me, sending me falling into a patch of thorns." Ah!" She looked down at me with a mischievous smile, her hands on her hips.

"Well then, we'll just have to keep you on the ground, won't we?" she hissed. She turned her back to me and looked around." There's a tunnel that way," she said, pointing to a dark entrance. She turned around and looked at me again, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot impatiently.

"Are you gonna help me up?" I asked. She smiled and shook her head.

"I already tried that," she said. I sighed and the distant feeling from before tugged at my stomach. I laughed as the feeling tickled my insides and Bernie looked at me like a lunatic." It seems we're all going crazy." I stood up painfully and followed Bernie, who was well on her way down the tunnel she had pointed out earlier. I limped hurriedly until I was by her side and it was pitch black in the wide tunnel. We walked in silence for what seemed like forever until...

"Do you think this is a part of the story?" I looked at her - or her outline, I should say - in confusion and surprise.

"What?" She seemed to look at me.

"Do you think this is still part of the story? Like, all this crazy "not knowing where we are" thing." she said, making quotes with her fingers. I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders, even though she probably couldn't see me.

"I don't know. I mean, you never know what to expect in a story. There's twists and turns, conflicts and surprises..." I let my voice die in my throat. I heard her make a faint, ironic sound in her throat.

"Funny how some of them just go on and on, huh?" she said. It's like she spoke my mind. I sighed and nodded, my sore neck not letting me cover much ground. I saw Bernie playing with something on her finger, letting off a soft gleam of sunlight. I saw a spade flash in front of me and staggered on my feet, Bernie turning to face me." Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," I answered quickly.