Deep Roots

Chapter Eleven

Phoenix

The pair stand there, awkwardly, as they wait for Titan's forgiveness. The tension is so thick I could almost slice it clean through the air.

"I forgive you," Titan says. His voice is steely, but soon is overcome with the harsh sound of silence. The silence only broken by a heavy sigh of relief by Slate.

"By the way, your fighting skill is pretty good," he adds, a small smile playing on his lips. Titan leaves my side to go over and shake Slate's hand, whose eyes were still glazed over with worry; like he still hasn't processed that Titan had accepted his apology.

I look away from the two and my eyes fall into Lynn's grey ones. I can't help but shake the feeling she is jealous; the slight twitch of her lips and they way she keeps glancing over at Titan made me feel uncomfortable. But why is she jealous? Is she jealous of me? But why would she be jealous of me? There is literally nothing in my life the be jealous of.

I glance over to Titan and then suddenly it becomes clear. Lynn doesn't like Slate like I thought she did, she likes Titan

But I like him too....

Lynn's eyes narrow as she looks at me. I realise I have been staring at Lynn while I let my mind run wild with my weird thoughts. I beckon her over with a wave of my hand and she begrudgingly walks over and sits down on the root next to me. We sit in silence for a while; watching the two guys exchange conversation as if they had been friends for a long time.

"It's weird how we..." my voice trails off as I look back over to the boys. Despite seeing each other a lot, we are still practically strangers. I glance at her necklace for the first time and note that the pendant is white, she is Air.

"How we keep bumping into each other?" she finishes. I whirl around to look at her, and we exchange a small smile.

"Were you alright? After the whole thing with Willow, I mean." Lynn examines me, checking for bruises or scratches. It takes a while for my brain to remember that the last time we talked, excluding the whole battle between Slate and Titan, was when I thought I was going to be the next victim of Willow and her popular gang. The memory makes me think back to Titan, and how he still belongs in that gang, despite befriending me.

"Yeah..." I say slowly, suddenly feeling embarrassed about the huge drama I made, "she never found out." I decide not to tell her the whole part about Willow looking for her. I'm sure the whole thing has blown over by now and she has found another person to traumatize.

"Lucky, I wasn't as fortunate," Lynn replies, her undertone almost dark. As soon as she says that my social awkwardness kicks in and I forget how to carry on the conversation. Silence descends on us as the sky starts glowing gold from the setting sun.

"I think we should meet up." she declares suddenly, almost making me jump. Her boldness is so unlike me it strikes me as rather odd, and a little bit rude. Socialising has never been my strong point, which has resulted in me often living my life by myself.

"Sure," I say, glad that she wants us to continue seeing each other, "maybe for lunch, like... a picnic or something?"

"Excellent!" she says enthusiastically and as she does my brain begins to register my tiredness. The last couple of days have been quite eventful (up to my standards) and I am longing for a good night sleep.

. . .

Salt spray licks at my face as the boat charges through the choppy water. I lean against the cool railing of the metal boat and feel the wind toss my ginger hair beside me, tugging and pulling.

I turn beside me and see Lynn, tears slipping down her face. A gut wrenching sob erupts from her mouth. She is crying so hard I am surprised  that I hadn't heard her until now.

"What's wrong?" I say, feeling bad that my new friend was crying.

She turns to look at me, and her mouth hardens in a thin line, tear-filled eyes narrowing as she stares at me.

"You!" she snaps with such ferociousness it makes me wince. "It's all your fault! I loved him! I loved him and you just took him away!"

She lets out a howl of grief and then stops abruptly. Feathers tumble to the ground. Feathers from her wings. They leap off the deck and swirl in the sudden violent wind. The massive boat lurches on the rocky waves. Grey clouds loom in the sky, spilling raindrops  that pelt the deck like silver bullets.

The boat jerks and the wingless Lynn tumbles over the railing into the treacherous waters below. A scream erupts from her throat. But I can't save her for I too have flipped over the barrier and am clinging onto the railing, my hand slipping slowly due to the rain. My feet dangle dangerously below me while I clutch hold of the metal pole which is the only reason I am alive.

My grip loosens and fear pumps through my blood as I desperately cling onto my last bit of hope. The fingers of my hand brush the cold pole for a second. In that second my heart skips a beat before plummeting through the freezing air, wind rushing and howling in my ears. Lynn's feathers dance in my vision, mocking and haunting me for the death of my friend.

I brace myself for the icy waters below, mentally preparing for my death. Warm arms swiftly wrap around me. The shock makes me stumble. ... Stumble? I look down and see that my feet, once again, are firmly planted on the metal deck.

My face brushes the soft material of the strangers hoodie as I look up and see Titan staring down at me. The insides that had been filled with butterflies a few moments ago, begin to melt. His skin is ghostly white from the cold, hair wet from the heavy rain.

"L-Lynn..." I stutter; still overcoming the shock of not dying.

"It doesn't matter, you're safe. That matters." He says gently, stroking my hair. I shiver and he holds me closer.

The boat lurches again and ice presses against my skin. I glance at my surroundings and see the ocean water  crashing about around me, it's roar as loud as a lions. My limbs thrash as I battle to stay above the choppy waves.

"Titan!" I scream as salty liquid pours into my mouth. My clothes were dragging me down like chains while my arms and legs work furiously to keep afloat.

"I'm here," he says, so calm despite the fatal situation we were stuck in. I feel the imaginary chains release and the fight against the water begins to become easier. He is helping me-Titan is.

"I'll always protect you." I feel his arms wrap around me in the water. Then his ice cold hands cover my eyes and unease settles inside me.

"Trust me." Titan whisp-

My body jerks violently and my eyes snap open. Reality crawls back to me slowly; like pieces of a puzzle gradually forming the big picture. My head is still foggy, like a fluffy grey cloud is trapped in my head but my surroundings come into focus.

My beige quilt lays crumpled around my waist, tattered and torn. I have always hated the colour, but I guess I am stuck with it. I hate how the colour reflects myself; plain, dull and boring, just blending in with the crowd.

I sigh and flop back onto my bed, mind swirling with thoughts. I close my eyes and hope I don't have anymore weird dreams involving Titan. Black engulfs me as I am tugged back into a dreamless slumber.