Broken Spirit: The Next Avatar

Chapter Fifteen: Serefina

Silence is everywhere, all around me, but it doesn't scare me like it used to. It feels alive almost, and it doesn't feel hostile. I turn to Drake, standing in the half-light. Shadows darken parts of his face, making him look older than he ever has. But the light is there too, illuminating his skin. Splayed across his nose like freckles are tiny gems that sparkle in the glow from the sun.

"Drake," I say, and wince inwardly. What a lame greeting.

He smiles and walks slowly toward me. "Hey, Serefina. I've missed insulting you."

"Well, I have to admit I haven't missed kicking your ass."

He rolls his eyes, still grinning. "You can be really annoying, you know that?"

"One of my finer qualities. And it beats being an idiot like yourself."

He stops right in front of me. "The only stupid thing I've done was let you escape."

"You didn't let me do anything, you—"

He silences me with a kiss. The warmth immediately spreads to every inch of my body, and I melt into it. My hands grab onto his shirt and I shove him back against a tree, kissing him harder.

"You messed up," he whispers in my ear. "You weren't supposed to fall in love with the enemy."

"Serefina!" Terra is shaking my shoulder when I come to my senses.

I brush off the lingering sluggishness from sleep and get to my feet. The first thing I see is Nadia and Levi making out, not ten feet away.

I have to comment on it; I can't help myself. But my heart isn't in it this time.

We all reach the highest branch in the tree, which is somehow still thick enough for us all to walk on comfortably. There, a much older man is waiting. He appears to be meditating. I wonder how long he was sitting like that. He has a lot more patience than I do.

"I'm so glad you're all okay," Nadia says again.

"You too," I reply. I try to put as much warmth behind my smile as I can.

"What happened to you guys?" she asks.

I glance at Terra. "We got separated when we went looking for you. Then . . . I found her again, and we ran into some of the locals who offered to lead us here."

"Wow," Levi says. "The chances of you finding her again are crazy in such a large place." He knows I'm not saying everything, or maybe that's just my paranoia.

Every day the secrets pile up around me. Soon I'll be buried in them.

But I'm not ready to talk about what I went through in the swamp, or anything else. I look at Terra again. What we both went through.

"The swamp seemed to be telling me where to go," I say. I regret it immediately when Levi's eyebrows shoot upward. "We were lucky, that's all."

Thankfully, he lets it drop. The chief introduces himself as Shaa and invites us to sit by him.

Nadia and I position ourselves across from each other on the thick tree branch. The chief is beside us, and Terra and Levi watch from a short distance away.

The older man speaks first. "This tree is connected to every other tree in the swamp, and in turn is connected to every other tree in the world. The vines are not normal plants, just as this swamp is far from ordinary—as I'm sure you've already guessed. The avatar can connect with the spiritual energy from the vines and can see something happening halfway around the world."