Cold

Chapter Eighteen

I don't know what happened. I don't know how I got here. I don't know how my life could be so messed up. I don't know how I am supposed to make it up to anyone after what I did.

***

I woke up. That's it. All there is to it. No complicated reason, nobody here with me, no specific room. In fact, I couldn't see anything, so I have no idea where I am. I could be dead, or buried alive. I stood up. For once without the unbearable leg pain that followed. I tried feeling around for a wall, a person, anything. But, it seemed like the darkness was endless, no way out. So I decided to walk. Still nothing. Nothing I could walk into. No one to walk into. Nothing. Just walking aimlessly into the darkness. All of a sudden, I started feeling lonely. Really lonely. I also feel a sort of deepness inside my heart. Almost like an empty deep, but further than that. Like an endless hole, waiting to be filled.

"Summer....?" a voice asked. I can't tell who it is.

"Where are you?" it asked again. I started following the voice.

"Summer? Are you ok?" The voice is getting louder. I started jogging, then running. I wanted this voice in my life, no matter who it belonged to.

"Summer?!?" I stopped running. I finally recognise the voice. It belonged to Seth. Seth was calling me. I saw a figure in the distance. It saw me and started running towards me. Stopping a few feet away from where I was standing, I could just barely see Seth's face in the darkness.

"Thank God you're ok!!!" he said. "The others sent Bullet and I out to find you. They're all worried."

"Where am I?" I asked. That was the only thing I could say to him. I would've run up and hugged anyone else, but Seth? Seriously?

"The Void. A dark place that kills anyone that enters. No one has made it out alive" he said.

"So why'd you come if it's a suicide mission?" I asked.

"Because we want you back. We don't care what you did. Just come back with me" he said.

"You don't care what I did?!? That's real rich Seth" I said. I started walking the other way.

"Summer, what's the last thing you remember?" he asked. I turned back around.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I think I was passed out for a long time.

"What's the last thing you remember doing?" he asked again.

"You poisoned me and I passed out after our argument" I answered cautiously. I don't like where this is going. His face told me I had missed a lot.

"Seth, what's going on?" I asked.

"I knew it couldn't possibly be you. I knew you were different. But nobody would believe me. Nobody would listen" he said.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"You seriously don't remember anything from the past year?" he asked. One year?!? That's how long I was passed out for?!? That isn't possible.

"One year?!?" I asked. Tears started filling my eyes. There's no way this isn't a dream. I have to wake up. You won mountain!!! Get me out of here!!!

"Please tell me this is a dream!!!" I said. Seth looked down, avoiding my eyes. I'm almost scared to ask what I did that made them chase after me into a dark hole that could kill them.

"Oh my god" I started panicking. The last time I panicked was when I was 6. I don't remember it being this hard to breathe.

"I can't believe I was unconscious this whole time for a whole year without knowing what I did did I kill someone did I blow up the world why isn't the mountain answering my pleas to leave this must be a dream -"

"Calm down Summer. The void consumes anyone that shows fear" said Seth. He had put his hands on my shoulders. I shook them off and backed up.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" I shouted. "You don't get to touch me!!! You hated me for the longest time and you just expect me to trust you?!? I don't care how long it's been or what I did!!! I shouldn't be the one who deserves forgiveness!!! You should be that person!!! You poisoned me!!! You fought with me!!! You let me be friends with both the mountain and her just for what?!? To find out that none of that mattered because I apparently did something unforgivable?!? Well guess what!!! You -"

"SHUT IT!!! If you let her take over again, you will damn us all!!! I will explain everything. Just come with me" he said, holding out his hand. What does he mean by 'take over'?!? Reluctantly, I took his hand. We started walking. Just walking. Then running. Faster and further than I have ever gone. In the distance there was a light, a tree. Then when we ran into it, it disappeared. We kept running. Seth didn't seem to care that the light disappeared. He just kept pulling me along. Pulling me further into the darkness.

***

I have a confession to make. Summer your mind is so complex, so unique. Nothing could ever stop you. This past year, I learned to take control of your mind. I convinced you to do things that you wouldn't normally do. With each passing day, the deeds got more dangerous, and more unforgivable. With each passing day, more of you would disappear as I took over. I made you destroy cities. I made you kill innocent children. I did that to prove something to myself. I did it so I could be safe. I realize now that that was selfish, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I know that you might never forgive me, but please at least try. You still have to figure out the whole truth about where you came from, and what has happened. So please, find Seth's sister. Before it's too late.

***

"I did that.....?" I asked slowly. I couldn't believe my ears. Seth and I had finally gotten out of the void, and are waiting for Bullet. Seth told me everything that happened, everything I did.

"I'm so sorry" I said. Seth walked up to me.

"Don't be. It was the mountain's fault" he said.

"Yea but I did it....apparently" I said.

"So anyways. Do you seriously not remember anything from the past year?" he asked. The way he asked that, it made it seem like there was something else I should know.

"Why? Is there something else I should remember?" I asked.

"There is one thing. But it's stupid. And honestly, I would like you better if you didn't know what it was" he said. Ok, now I'm curious.

"Tell me what it is. Is it good? Bad?" I asked.

"It depends" he said, stepping closer.

"On what?" I whispered. He kept getting closer and closer to my face. He put his hands on my cheeks, pulling my face to his.

"On this" he said, resting his lips on mine. It was magical, like no one else in the world mattered. Just us, me and him against the world. Nothing could stop us. In that moment, we were invincible.