Desires

•CHAPTER XVI•

"Exactly." Charlie said promptly and took her foot out of the shallow rippling water. She almost looks like a child. So innocent and all the while playing a game.

It's only now that I realise why me and Charlie are friends. She had no one before.
It's only just been two days and we occupy each other like we have known each other for much longer. I understand why the people in our school wouldn't be friends Charlie. She's tall, with no help of her platform boots, with supermodel legs, prominent bone structure and these brown eyes that look like they know all your secrets. Her long braided hair trails past her waist with silver beads accenting them. From an outsider's point of view, she would be intimidating. Not to mention her trail of sarcastic comments that follow her everywhere she goes. But why didn't I turn the other way and not befriend her?
It's because I could see some childlike plea of desperate loneliness which I understand.

"Quit staring!" She says "You get all creepy with your big blue eyes. Not all of us are so fortunate." I laugh and mumbled an apology. I pick up a rock and throw it into the river. It plummets down and makes a small splash where it lands.
"Watch this." She says in anticipation and picks up a large flat rock. Throwing it to her side with force. I watch as the rock gets flung across the water, bouncing like the water was a flat surface and I could step on it.
"Wow" I say "I'm sure you can definitely get a career out of that." I add sarcastically and she gives me a glance but then laughs.

"What are you gonna do when you get out of here?" I asked as she bends her knees in aid to find another flat rock.
"What do you mean?" She asks.
"Like are you going to be a doctor? Or like travel the world and write a travel guide?" I said giving a random example as I crouch down to help her.
"Probably become a doctor. But I'm never leaving Morgenstel." She says and I look at her with surprise.
"Really? I mean come on Charlie." I ask shocked and realise that was probably rude of me.
"Yes Azra. As much as you think this place is a shithole, it holds a lot of potential for me. My family's roots are set here decades back. Just because you were brought up elsewhere in some city bliss you turn your nose at everything here. I feel offended on behalf of Morgen." She says and stands up to throw a rock that she found. Though it doesn't skim like it did before, it hits the water with force.

I swallow at the tension between us with my mouth parted.
"I didn't mean it in that way." I say in an irritable tone and clench the rock that was in my palm.
"But you though. It wouldn't help to be open minded you know?" She said pressing on the matter.
"I am open minded, I don't hate Morgenstel. It's just-"
"It's just what? Don't forget that you were born here. You may not be Morgen on the outside but you and all the Degrey's have blood here." She says. The whites of her eyes grow paler and I feel almost like she's going to turn on me.

The brown of her eyes turns darker and darker. I can't help but stare. My eyes dart to her left and right pupils checking if it was just my eyes but it wasn't. They started to turn into a warp of purple. My eyes widen and I step back onto the wet rock, hoping that I don't slip. She's emitting this vibration around her. I think it may be heat. Everything surrounding her vibrates and shakes.

"Charlie..." I say calmly. "Are you okay?" I ask cautiously and put my hand in front of myself in aid to calm her. I know that this isn't Charlie. Her eyes turned back to brown in an instant and she blinks, then relaxes like she has been tense. She looks at me in surprise and realises what had happened.

I think I heard a whisper of "Sorry" before she darts off into the woods before I could call after her.

I swallow my dry mouth as I try to comprehend what has just happened. I drop the rock from my cold hand and look behind me.
"Charlie? Charlotte?" I call as I walk into the forest green. "Charlie come back!" I call but I only hear my voice shrilling in my head.
"Please?" I whisper pathetically.

The forest seems scary now that I'm really alone. I realise that I have never come to the river before and I wouldn't know my way back. I turn around and try to make out a distinctive tree or something but I can't. They all look the same.

I turn back around to see the river. It's soft flow turned into a deliberate running. I look at the ground to try and see footprints but there's nothing there apart from soil.

Then I see the stick that Charlotte left behind and it's like a burst of hope lights me. I pick up the stick and and try and find the trail she engraved into the soil. Finding it, I follow it as much as I can. It's a faint line that has been slightly eroded by the wind and the leaves but it's still there. I follow it until it stops.

My stomach plummets as I look down and try and look around but there's no other end. Of course. She didn't have the stick all the way. She must have picked it up here.

I look around me and see no river anymore. I can't even here it. All I hear is this silence that deafens me. My breath becomes quicker as I start to panic. All the trees look the same. They all look like they're laughing at me and my misfortune.
"Shit!" I say and run a hand through my hair. I try and rationalise and think straight but I can't. All I can think about is the warped faces on the trees screaming just like my nightmare. This is just like the dream.
The forest become dimmer and the sun disappears behind the grey clouds. I'm left with nothing but myself.

I fumble to find my phone in my pocket and look at my contacts. I have very few. I cannot call my mother or father. I never have been able to.
My old friends would be useless.
I don't have Charlie's mobile.
But I do have the twins!

I hit the call button like lightning. Unsure of wether it was Levi or Cole.

It doesn't ring. All I hear are three intermittent beeps. There is no signal.

My mouth becomes drier than ever, not because I'm thirsty, but because I'm frozen by fear. This is how it all starts. We have all seen those articles about children missing in woods. We have all seen those films that are based on true stories.
The floating body of Mr Sprucer comes to my mind and I feel more exposed than ever. What if it was more than a Bear that he was running away from? Who was it that dragged him into the river? Who tore his limbs away?

An icy chill runs down my back and my heart races. But not racing because of fear. I feel an almost comfort coming from behind me. I turn around and see no one there. Why do I feel like everything is still?

"Azra?" A soft raspy voice calls in between the trees and I turn back around for my eyes to meet the angelic face of Romeo Montgomery.

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authors note:

i hope that this chapter was more interesting...what do you think happened to Charlie?

thank you for reading! please vote or comment!

-kiim