One Way Out

Chapter Three: Chill of Change

Life's POV

I whirled around, which caused me to fall over abruptly. Suddenly, just a mere three inches from where I sat, the Earth broke open, creating a dark hole to the very centre. A man walked slowly out of the deep crag, six feet tall with a grin on his lips. An invisible breeze played with the death-coloured hair that framed his face. He held his hands loosely behind his back, and seeming extremely professional, he was wearing a suit and a dark coloured tie. His face was pale, nearing albino-white. He had a disturbing air about him, likely coming from his large scythe that he gripped in his left hand.

I stood up, fumbling to get good footing. And, to my surprise, I was able to meet him eye-to-eye, matching his height exactly. I was startled to see the reflection of my eyes in his. His were the black colour of the deepest ocean, while mine were the white of the first snow of the season. It wouldn't hit me until later, but we were complete opposites in nearly every way.

He set his right on my shoulder, and I cringed in pain. Eyes wide with shock, he lifted his thin fingers off of me, fearing he had injured me. But then, he smiled.

"It worked," he said, "You really are innocent. You don't remember a single thing about them, do you?"

I frowned.

"Who? And what do you mean, it worked?"

I took note of his lack of accent and my London accent.

"Ms. Belmont and Mr. Kanahin, of course. Your little Chime and Charlie. Your precious destined heroes. Don't you remember?"

He looked completely exasperated.

Then, as the pain of his touch dug into my shoulder once again, I remembered.

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Chime and Charlie's POV

On that fateful day on the first day of Junior Year, as much as it seemed they were going to die, something, or rather someone, didn't want them to.

With a thump, the two teens crashed feet-first into the snow-covered branches of a beautiful poplar tree. They wove together to create a perfect net and hammock a mere five feet from the craggy ground. They bounced lightly as they fell into the tangle of branches, then gasped for breath. They held on to each other, still in shock from the fall, and being saved by the miraculous appearance of a huge tree.

Suddenly, Chime spoke.

"We can't go back. You know that! By now, the school has probably reported our death. If that's true, then, to the government, we don't exist!"

Charlie held her hand in his, sporting a shaky smile.

"So, that's your first thought after plummeting 600 feet off of a plateau and living? The school?"

He laughed, seeming quite insane. Then, she laughed with him, realising they had just escaped death in the most unlikely way possible, and that none of it really did matter. It wasn't like either of them were going to finish high school anyway. For the next three days they sat, cushioned in the soft snow that lay only on their poplar, recovering.