Written in Life

(Chapter 19)

Bernie's grasp on my hand was hard and worried and so tight that her knuckles were white. I never would have thought a girl like this would be afraid of something that shows up every day. Renae led us to a large building that looked religious and ancient. She folded open the cloth door and let us go in. By the looks, the building was a sort of temple. There were streams of light through holes in the ceiling, seaweed hanging from paintings and pedestals, sea shells embedded in the soft earth beneath us. A huge fountain in the middle of the room made a silvery mist that spread throughout the room.

"You see that?" Renae asked, pointing to a statue in the front of the room." It's a statue of our goddess, Nari, that was made by her lover, the god of earth, Borris. He made it and gave it to our people as a gift after she died so that she may forever remain in the waters that she was born."

"Okay, are we here for a history lesson, or are we actually here for a good reason?" Bernie asked sarcastically, her voice trembling faintly. Renae sighed.

"Ever since three weeks ago, the statue has been dull and lifeless. It was used to bond couples in marriage but it no longer works," she said.

"The aura..." I said.

"... it's depleting," Bernie said, finishing my sentence. Her hand slipped away from mine and she walked up to the pedestal, looking up at the statue. She climbed up it gracefully and looked into it's eyes.

"Please be careful!" Renae yelled. They could've been twins, Bernie and the statue. They stood the same way, hair fell the same way. But there was one difference. One was a goddess over water and one was afraid of it.

"I think I see the problem!" she called. She punched the face of the statue.

"Bernie, what have you done!?" Renae shrieked. Instead of the statue having a dense center, a hollow shell flaked to the ground. Bernie reached inside and took out a glowing red object, black smoke rising from her hand. She winced and threw it to me. I caught it and almost immediately, black smoke began to rise from my hand. I flinched and tossed it back and forth in my hands to keep it from burning me. It was a sea shell, a bright red color that flowed as though it was filled with blood. Bernie climbed down and brushed herself off casually. Renae stood beside me, frozen with shock.

"Do you know how long that's been here?" she asked."Fifteen million years!!"

"It's still here," Bernie argued," just rearranged." Renae scoffed, looking at the ancient shrine destroyed before her. Bernie held out her hand beneath mine and I gently dropped the shell into her hand. A thin layer of ink covered her callused hand and made a brown pair of leather gloves. I looked at her and she smiled, her cheeks getting red.

"Why didn't I think of that?" I whispered to myself. She let out a faint laugh and held up the shell.

"I think we're done here," she said proudly.

"Well done." We both looked to Renae and she had taken her cloak off, wearing a loose tank top like Bernie's, showing her stomach and a short cloth skirt. She had her hands on her hips and smiled devilishly. Her skin was white as snow." You know, I never would have thought the trainee would find the aura before the teacher." Her bare feet lingered in the sand as she took a few steps around us." What I enjoy so much is knowing your weaknesses." She laughed." They're a lot more obvious than you think."

"Renae, what the hell are you going on about?" I asked. She laughed again.

"What, do you think I wouldn't find you, Cody?" she asked. She smiled creepily and put her palms level to the stone floor.

"Renae?" Bernie asked, concern in her voice. Renae tilted her head in curiosity. I grabbed Bernie's arm and moved back.

"We need to go," I warned," now." Renae shook her head.

"Oh, no," she said." You're not leaving." The curtained door was locked in place by a thick white substance that looked like glue. Renae pouted." I really am sorry for this." The same white substance flowed from her fingertips and sludged thickly to the floor. It spread quickly towards us and I pulled Bernie back, the substance just barely skimming her toes. Her skin hissed and she let out a faint cry.

"What the hell is that?" she asked, panicked.

"Whiteout," I answered. I sent a splay of ink across the floor towards Renae, a wave of whiteout closing it in immediately." Shit!" I moved us to the corner of the room and set Bernie on the pedestal of Nari's statue, her foot hissing and slowly fading away." Stay here," ordered.

"I would've thought that in my story you would've learned I never do what I'm told," I said.

"Just.... please just stay." I ran across the room and half of it was covered in a dense layer of the glue-like material and Renae stood with her arms crossed, looking at Bernie.

"All I need is the aura, Bernie," she said." It's for the best."

"What's for the best?!" she yelled. She laughed.

"You really don't know yet, do you?" She held out her hand." Give me the aura." Bernie looked at me and then to the glimmering seashell in her palm. She looked to me and placed her hand on the statue, gesturing to her hand. Water trickled down the goddesses arm and she looked to Renae. She had a plan." Bernie, you can trust me," Renae cooed." I'm your best friend."

"You said a word wrong in that sentence. It's 'was', bitch, not 'am'," Bernie hissed. Renae's eyes darkened and Bernie threw the shell to me. I caught it and coated it with ink so it wouldn't burn me. Renae's eyes burned a bright red and whiteout erupted from her hands. I took every ounce of ink I had and fired back at her. The slick black ink slid gracefully over the thick whiteout. She grunted with frustration and more whiteout pooled towards me. I climbed up the alters so it wouldn't touch me and all of the sudden I heard a scream. I looked up and Bernie was up to her ankles in white out and couldn't move. Each scream was like an arrow to the heart, ripping at my eardrums. Just as the whiteout almost reached me, there was another scream, full of fear, not agony.

Renae coughed and sputtered, collapsing as her feet abandoned her, a tail replacing it. She gasped for air and the whiteout seeped into the ground, leaving no trace behind. A white ghost-like figure came out of Renae and scowled at Bernie and slipped away into nothing. I climbed down and Bernie collapsed as well, black tears running down her cheeks. I rushed over to her and she shook her head.

"Take care... of the... mermaid... first," she managed between sobs. I looked to Renae spasming on the floor and walked up to her, picking her up and placing her in the fountain, her face gaining it's color back. She took a deep breath and sighed with relief. She looked over the edge at Bernie.

"Oh my god, what happened?" she asked.

"Nothing you could remember," Bernie said, clearly trying to hide the pain in her voice. Renae covered her mouth.

"Did I do this?" she asked.

"No," Bernie said immediately. I knelt beside her and looked at her feet. They were completely raw and burned to the bone. Bernie's chest heaved up and down quickly, bracing herself as ink coated her feet, seeping in. She screamed and Renae watched. I had never healed anything this deep. It was over before I knew it and Bernie sat there with her eyes closed tight.

"It's over," I said. She started to cry out of relief and Renae stared in horror.

"Renae-" Bernie started.

"Stop," Renae interrupted." I'm not going to judge your way of living. You never judged mine. I'm sorry." Bernie nodded.

"Glad that's over," she said, looking to me." All of it." I smiled.

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Sorry it took so long, guys! Hope you like this chapter! I'll update soon! Love you!!!!!!! <3333