Loneliness in Difference

Chapter 9: A Broken Fall

"Why did we think this was a good idea again?" Jakob asked.

Adelaide and the others were standing outside the forbidden forest. The day was sunny and hot, yet the forest was pitch black. Adelaide shifted from foot to foot. It was in the middle of the day, so Adelaide was able to relate to Jakob's nervousness from the unnatural darkness. Adelaide was certain the darkness was a sign that what they were looking for was inside. However, she wasn't sure she really wanted to figure out if Cecillia and her were right.

"Let's go," Cecillia said. Jakob groaned but followed them inside. "Remember the boggart could be anything so watch out and trust nothing and no one, but ourselves."

They slowly traveled through the woods taking one step at a time. There was nothing. Out of the woods giant spiders and scorpions would randomly show up, they would use a quick spell and then voila, it was taken care of.

A pit formed in Adelaide's stomach. Something was wrong, she should have been able to tell if there was a strong magic nearby by now. She shoved Luke, Jakob, and Cecillia into a pile of leaves and sticks.

"What are you-" Cecillia began.

"Shh!" Adelaide said. She turned to see Nitesh run out of the trees. He growled and kicked a tree. "Hey."

"Adelaide?" Nitesh said exasperatedly. Why was he out of breath? "Great do you know a way out of...wherever we are because I've been running in a circle for the past twenty minutes."

"First tell me, what happened last night?"

"You mean with the snake? Well you know how Dax has been secretly learning how to evaporate from mom? He was able to evaporate a few of us out, only he can't do it all that well yet and I got split up from them."

"Uh-huh," Adelaide wasn't convinced. "What's mom's motto?" Adelaide didn't want him to say what it was, but she figured Nit would know. So it was the best way to tell if it was him.

"Why the bloody hell are you asking all of these questions? Just tell me how to get back to Hogwarts!"

She snickered. Adelaide thought he didn't know where they were? How would he know they were even close to Hogwart? "Avada Kedavra!" Nitesh toppled over and hay flew everywhere. Then he was gone. "See wasn't him."

Cecillia, Jakob, and Luke climbed out of their hiding place. "What on earth gave you the idea that you could use the killing curse?" Luke yelled.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Adelaide asked.

"Everything is wrong with that!" Luke seemed to be on the verge of screaming.

Adelaide took a step away from him. What was his problem? "I don't see the issue in using the curse Luke." She said truthfully. "I really don't get what you're so irritated about. I'm sorry if that was offensive in any way, I didn't know."

Silence. "You are so unaware it's almost cute." Cecillia said, "but at the same time it's also terrifying."

There was a loud crack, and the ground split in half forming a wide valley. Cecillia, Luke, and Adelaide jumped to the side. Jakob stumbled backward. He tripped.

He began to fall into valley and landed on one of the ledges. There was another cracking noise, only a little quieter, as his leg snapped beneath his weight. He cried out in pain.

The ledge Jakob had landed on started to crumble. He scrambled to the side of the valley as fast as he could with a broken leg and grabbed one of the ledges.

"Hang on!" Luke yelled Cecillia and him ran over to the ledge and looked down at him. Jakob's began to slip.

"We have to do something!" Luke yelled, "Adelaide-"

Adelaide jumped down to a large ledge below. She climbed the valley wall over to where she'd be right above him. There was nowhere for her to get down to him.

"Give me your hand!" Adelaide yelled at him as she stretched out her arm to him. There was another loud cracking sound and the entire wall began to shake. Jakob's first hand slipped.

"No way in hell!" Jakob yelled as he risked a look at the valley below. There was nothing but darkness. "How am I supposed to trust you? You could just make my situation worse if you wanted to!"

"Please," Adelaide extended her hand as far as she could. "I know I'm not trustworthy I get it, but I want to help. So please just-just trust me." Jakob looked up into her eyes and back to the valley wall. "I'm sorry! Okay? I made a mistake, but please! I don't want you to die. Yet in this situation, I can't do anything but ask you to trust me, please...just this once!"

Jakob took a deep breath and swung his hand up to her. Their fingers met and she grabbed his hand. The wall shook again.

Jakob's other hand slipped. He was dangling over the abyss and Adelaide began to lose her grip on the wall. She tried desperately to pull him up. He was almost to where he could grab onto something. The wall shook again.

Adelaide's foot caught her own leg as she tried to regain her balance and she tripped. They fell down into the dark abyss below.