27 Days: The First Five Chapters

Chapter One

July 8th, 2013

I run through the cave like a young girl who’s having the time of her live. I constantly look behind my back, laughing when the boy is too slow to catch me. “Come on!”, I laugh, and run even faster. Hearing him catching his breath, I slow down. It won’t be in my advantage if he gets lost.

“Boo!”

I turn around and slip over the traces of water my dress has left behind. Suddenly I’m finding myself in his arms. They’re still wet from our little swim but the warmth they give off is pleasing. He smiles at me, with that obviously teasing look to it. Such a shame.

“I knew I could scare you.” he teases. “You’re too afraid.” I pull myself out of his grasp and look towards the cliff. My body fills itself with excitement and my heart beats even faster. He has no idea. I stand on my toes and lean forward. When he leans forward too, probably expecting a kiss, I stroke my hand against his cheek. “Too afraid?”, I whisper in his ear. Before he has the time to realise what I’m going to do, I turn around and start running. My smile is too big for words as I run towards the cliff at the far end of the cave and plunge into the lake.

The bright blue waves immediately pull me underwater. I let the last pieces of air out of my lungs, close my eyes and inhale again. Being able to breathe underwater definitely has its perks. I shiver when I realise the water has turned cold. Something trusted slices against my ankles. I bite back the pain and look down, only to see teeth coming out the dark abyss. It's time. I pull my feet up and try to swim as fast as I can. I inhale one last time and then break through the surface. I realise I had been underwater for way too long. The cold water brushes my skin with every stroke I make. I force a grin when I pull myself out. I look up at the boy with the delighted expression on his face.

 “Who’s now afraid?” I ask. “Jump!”

He’s not even considering not jumping off the thirty-five feet cliff. “Here I come!” he yells back. I manage to pull myself out of the water before he comes up to the surface. When he finally does he's looking at me, probably expecting that I'll jump back into the water. I shake my head and let out a huge breath. I made it. I settle myself on the most comfortable rock I can find and wait. Not even ten seconds have passed when the spectacle begins.

The still water begins to form beautiful and wild waves. With every second it moves faster. In the middle, a small hole begins to appear. The boy looks around him and notices something is going on. He just has the time to scream before he’s being pulled under water. I see him trying so hard to stay above. Every move of resistance he makes, makes it harder for him not to drown. Right before me, the teeth that scratched my ankles begin to rise above the water. The small hole in the middle has widened, to a big gap with the most impressive teeth you’ll ever see. The water now flows in a harmonic course right to its mouth. The boy makes his last try to scream for help. What can a helpless girl like me do to help him? I lean forward and enjoy the show. It’s not something you get to see every day.

After making time to smooth my dress out, I bend over to see his lifeless body falling into the whirlpool’s mouth. Right after that has happened, it takes a few seconds for the mouth to close and the teeth to disappear. If someone might have entered the cave at this time, it would seem as if nothing happened. It did. I am proud.

“Well done, my daughter”, she says.

I look at my wrist where tiny lines burn into my skin. The burn of a Scar always hurts, even after all these years. I let out a pained moan. It is almost unbearable. Yet I smile when the little whirlpool is completed, still dark red from burning.

“Thou have done well. Remember: Éna sýmvolo aristerà.”

"Yes," I breathe. The fact that it’s almost over gives me chills all over my body. "Finally. One Symbol left."