EMERALD KINGDOM:The Escape

Chapter 8: Carlotta

I tell myself not to. I shouldn't. I wouldn't. But I do.
I'm going to die unless I eat at some point. And the food she left for me...I can't just let it sit there. I tell myself it is poison. I should trust no one. But one way or another I am going to die. So I choose the food.

It's just a simple bowl of blackberries, some nuts, some sort of plant and a kind of food I don't recognise. I take a bite out of it, and spew it out. I shouldn't eat this. It seems wrong. Like I'm connected to it somehow. I leave it, and polish off the rest. I sip the rain water I collected and lean against the rock. I should go now. I should find a way out. But I don't know how.
After five minutes, I still feel fine. Nothing's wrong. Maybe it is normal food. Part of me wants to thank her for it, but the sane part of me tells me otherwise. She's a monster. Just like everyone else.
Get it together, I tell myself , you've already disobeyed one rule of yours, and your becoming vulnerable. Trust no one.
I peer into the bag made out of rags she sewed for me and see what's inside: some rainwater in a hollow piece of wood, like a bottle; some nuts and berries; a  small sharpened branch shaped like a dagger. I take a deep breath. I stand up. I start, trying not to think about the aches in my legs. I soar into the sky, the wind rippling in my ears. I keep on going and going. I don't stop. I find nothing. Am I going the wrong way? Is there a right way?

I reach my arms out and like a bird and I suddenly feel comfortable. Like I'm at home. Almost.
After an hour I get annoyed. Still nothing.
Suddenly, I see a glint of light down below. In a forest, similar to the one I was in before, a familiar glow catches my attention. Is it a portal of some sort? I'm unsure of whether to take my chances or not. But then again, we all have to take risks or we'll get nowhere in life.

Hovering, I pull out my dagger like branch and sip some water. I tell myself that I can face whatever challenge awaits me down there, if it means I can go home, whatever home is. Maybe I'll even get my memory back. I won't let anyone get in the way of that.
I fly towards the light.

I land on the ground with a thud. I should really practice that. Rubbing my sore legs, I take in my surroundings. It's the same creepy forest I was in before. A large hairy spider scuttled past me, and I gasp.
A fire sits before me, maintained by rocks. Behind it sits a recognisable face. Eve.
'You.' I whisper.
She sighs. 'Lotta. I'm so sorry.'
Her voice is soothing, however not enough to calm me down. 'No. No! I flew and I flew and I flew! And I've just gone round in one stupid circle! I'll never find a way out of here! I thought...I thought...' I kick a large stone with all my frustration. Screaming, I thump down onto the black leaves, burying my face in my hands.
I hear a pair of feet come towards me. A hand gently is placed on my shoulder. Once again, I should shoo her off, but I'm just not bothered anymore.
'It's okay. I can show you the way. I-I think I know where to go. I tried, but it wouldn't let me. Like you said before...I'm one of them.'
I look up at her, sniffing my runny nose. Tears brim in my eyes. 'I've lost everything. I woke up in this - this dingy cell with no memory whatsoever. Then I realise I'm in this evil kingdom of some sort and they lie to me and they use me and they lock me up. Finally I manage to escape, but...there just is no escape. And I don't even remember who I am.'
She stares deeply into me, her glassy eyes filled with sympathy.
'I know who you are. Ever since I first saw you I've known; I knew you were a brave leader, prepared to fight for what's right. I knew you were the kind of person who would always persevere, never give up. And deep down...I know you are a kind soul, who means well.'
I study her. Is this a trick? Will I get anywhere otherwise? I don't know. I feel like I should go. My instincts tell me to run. But her words warm me, and somewhere deep inside, I know what she says is true. Suddenly, I feel awful for what I said to her before. Really really awful. 
Smiling weakly, I stand up. 'Thanks.' I say. 'It means a lot. And...if it's okay with you, I would appreciate help.'
'Of course!' She says brightly. 'Now that you trust me,we can help each other. We can bet you out of here! I really believe we can do this, Lotta. I really do!'
I laugh happily, which feels so good after all this time. Not that I can remember laughing, of course.
'Please, follow me.' She leads me over the river and into her small tree house that she crafted out of branches, leaves and ropes. I'm amazed. I would never have done this all on my own.
It's about four meters wide and four meters long, with a cushion of leaves and a blanket of rags, both in the corner. By the front door, a few rocks are in a layout like a table, with that weird food that I didn't eat earlier on it, some sharp stones and bits of flint that she must use for knives, and some similar pieces of wood like my dagger. In the middle of the room are a few logs like chairs and in the left corner, a hollow rock filled with lava. Then, next to the table, a few hollow logs filled with more rags, some sort of sewing kit, a notebook and a few pens and pencils. I stare at the place in awe. 'Wow.'
'Thanks.'
'But...where on earth did you get the rags and rope and lava and pens and sewing kit and -'
'I stole it all.'
I raise my eyebrow at her. 'All of it? That must have been so heavy to carry, especially since you were walking for days.'
Thinking about it, it only took me a few hours to get here by flight, and I gave up. It must've taken her weeks, and she still kept on going.
'Oh, indeed it was.' She replies. 'I had to run for the first day or so, in case they found me. But I didn't stop. Until here. I soon came to the conclusion that well...I was never going to find a way out. In fact, until you came, I believed that the whole planet was like this. And out of all the places in Diablo, well, this is the nicest. Not that it is nice, but I soon settled in. But yes, after three weeks it got terribly heavy.'
'You're a strong character, too.' I note, 'mentally and physically.'
She smiles. 'Possibly...so, sit down!'
And so I do.
We sit and talk about what we'll pack, and what we'll do. She teaches me a few trick with a lovely knife she whittled out of a stick. I learn fast, and she tells me I'm a natural. We walk outside and sit by the warm fire, as the sun lowers in the sky, turning the same shade. It surprises me how beautiful it is, seeing as the surrounding trees are bloody red, the soil and the rivers black. Every animal that passes has fangs, but I'm not bothered anymore.
Eve brings out some blackberries, herbs and nuts for dinner. I'm starving.
'I noticed you don't eat meat.' She says.
'What?' I reply, confused.
'Meat.' She holds up the chewy substance she fed me this morning. I start to stare at it uneasily.
'I left it for you, but you didn't eat it. Are you vegetarian?'
'I - I don't know. I don't know what meat is. But I definitely didn't like it, and, uh, it felt wrong.' I say.
'Interesting.' She says. 'Meat is food that we get from animals.'
Suddenly, I want to shout at her again. You kill animals? How could you? How horrible! But I know that I need her help, and I've already shouted at her once. So instead, I change the subject. 'Oh, I've been meaning to ask...what is that pot of lava doing in your home?'
'Well, this may seem strange to you but I bathe in it.'
I stare at her.
'It's good for me because...well I come from Diablo. Like you said. I'm one of them.' She sighs and looks at her feet. A lump of sadness builds up inside me, like a stone that is sitting in my stomach.
'Look, Eve. I'm really sorry about that. About shouting at you. What I said wasn't true. I was just angry and I didn't understand. I want to apologise.'
'Don't.' She says, 'it's fine really. I know you didn't mean any harm.' She smiles.
'I just feel really bad.' I say.
'Oh, Lotta.' She tucks a stray bit of hair behind my ear. 'We all have a dark side.'

Hey! I hope you liked it...
Please tell me if I write too much because I know that sometimes when people write loads no one is bothered to read it all. (Well, maybe it's just me) I can definitely shorten them for the future if that's what's best.
Oh, and I need someone to be my editor, because I'm always making mistakes! Anyone up for the job?
Thanks! 😋💕🏹⚔