Not Quite

Amazon

A/N: Hello, there. In case you haven't noticed, there is no dialogue so far. There will be no dialogue, sorry. Bitches, I'm back... Er... I mean... Hi, you guys, I missed you... Shit, I messed that up... So many ellipses... Yeah, and I know I haven't done a dedication in a while, but whatever. 

Eli leads me to through the forest, to this clearing in the midst of dead wood. It is sad, really, how far we've sunk. I remember reading leaflets from the Archive last week, which said that the forests were going to all die out. It was an over-dramatic prediction, but they didn't know how true they would become. I shed a tear for the lost ecosystem. Last week feels like a year ago. I know, without Eli having to tell me, that there is little chance of me being able to return. I'm surprisingly fine with it all. Eli appreciates me for who I am, and that is all I need to tag along behind him like a little lost dog. A sudden wave of self loathing hits me, and I blink, but ignore the burning sensation in my chest, and try not to choke on the lump lodged firmly in my throat. He takes me to this massive cabin, and I wonder how no-one has discovered it yet.

The stories of ghosts in woods at night have never deterred me, but perhaps they have done differently for others. Eli tells me to clean up quickly, and go to sleep. His tone is harsher than normal, but it's not like I'm not used to that, and so I obediently do what I'm told. At least, I try to. There's a bath in the washroom, and I cannot resist filling it up with warm water and soaking myself in it until it has grown cool, and my toes resemble prunes. Eli still hasn't knocked on the door, so I lean back, letting my long red hair float behind me, billowing out like a cloud of blood. The cushion of water effectively mutes the sounds around me, and I close my eyes, at peace. I think about what Eli said about my powers, and try to picture a rain-forest in my mind. I'm not sure which one it is, but I'm relatively sure that it is the Amazon.

In my head, I am lying on my back in a pond of warm water, listening to nature. To my left, I can hear a waterfall, gushing and spilling. Birds in the thick canopy above call to another, and emerald sun-light filters through the leaves. I can smell the forest, every time I breathe in. The scent of life, green and thriving. I don't think I've smelt it before. Eli bangs on the door, and I shriek, choke on water, and sit up abruptly. My wet hair clings to my back, rivulets of water running down my back. But that is far from being my main concern. Instead, I am fixated on the room around me. It is not the dreary tiled thing of before. It is nothing like before. It is a rain-forest. My rain-forest. Condensed, and stuck inside. I yelp again, tumbling messily out of the bath-tub, and I wrap a towel securely around myself before hastily unlocking the door and wrenching it open.

I do not say anything, and so it must be the look of shock on my face that causes Eli to come closer. He is not as awed as I was, his jaw clenching tightly. He looks at me with fire in his eyes, and I take a step back, blinking furiously. You shouldn't have done that, he says, and I apologise profusely. He still looks upset, and I know of no way to remove the dense foliage. Instead, I hurry out, getting dressed in silence, and I climb into bed. I am asleep in seconds. I dream of the dark and unseen monsters claiming my soul. I awake to Eli shaking me roughly, and my eyes snap open. He moves away from me, and I assume he is still angered about last night. I stretch, slow and careful, until I hear a succession of clicks. Pushing myself up with my elbows, I quietly observe the room. I didn't have a chance to before. It's quite dark, and small. And non-descript. I clamber out of bed, pulling on clean clothes that Eli has left for me. They fit exactly, and I am perturbed. I wonder how long they had to observe me to discover my size.

Eli doesn't say anything to me, and the silence is growing painful, but I dare not break it, for fear of his wrath. Eli frightens me a little. We walk for what feels like hours, and though Eli has not said anything, I can tell he has forgiven me. It is not until I stumble, feet wearied from our long voyage that he looks at me properly. He smiles, and reaches into his expansive back-pack, pulling out a mass of canvas and metal. Faster than I would have thought possible, a tent seemingly assembles itself, and Eli gestures inside. There are two sleeping bags, and I climb into the smallest, curling up tight. It takes me longer to fall asleep, but it happens. I do not remember what I dream about, but when I wake, it is not Eli standing over me, but a stranger. He introduces himself as Mason, and then walks off, as if that is normal behaviour. I am too tired to pursue him, and my head falls against the pillow.

The next morning, Eli wakes me, more gently this time.

There is no trace of Mason.