Tales of Aridia

Jayden

It felt like I was slipping off the land of the living and into some other realm. I managed to open my eyes and caught a glimpse of the Kadupal flower in full blossom. I was mesmerised.
The long vines of the Kadupal flower seemed to be getting longer, they circled and twisted through the water till they lay by my side. I spread my arms out and vines grabbed me around the waist and started pulling me to the surface. My skin glowed from the rays of the moonlight and I stared directly at the sky.

I resurfaced and gasped for air, my body still unable to keep its own weight. It was a miracle. The vines loosened and formed a raft beneath me to support my frail body. I tilted my head and listened to the silence of the trees, while my mind drifted off into a quiet slumber.

It was dawn and I still lay half conscious on the raft beneath me. My brown hair fell through the gaps between the vines and stretched out to the bottom of the lake. I replayed my memories from the previous night, thinking back over the wolf I had been so sure I had seen. While being kept afloat by a raft of vines I thought I was going crazy. My eyes began to open but my body was motionless and frozen. I reached for my neck but something was missing. The pendant has disappeared.

The sun crept even closer and as it did the Kadupal withered and shrivelled into a ball. The vines began turning a molten brown and loosened. Some snapped. While others recoiled back into their original state.

Still being unable to move my body sank to the depths of the lake once more. My throat tightened and my skin turned cold, my struggles to regain consciousness only pulled me deeper. I felt trapped in my own mind. I could die alone, in a chamber of my own thoughts under a withering flower.

A splash of water overtook me and two hands grabbed my waist. I emerged over water and was being pulled by someone unfathomable. A hand was placed onto my chest once I was dragged to the bank and my limp body spread out on the ground.

Someone started performing CPR. I heard muffled cries and shouts coming from above me. I felt water drip down onto my face from where they had leapt into the lake to pull me out. After 5 minutes it appeared the person started to get weary and I heard a bang as they collapsed beside me.

"Robyn..." they muttered into my ear. Almost immediately a rush of water flowed out of my mouth and I started breathing once more.

.....

My eyes fluttered open. A dull light crept through my eyelids forcing them closed again. I was not where I was before. Someone was stood beside me, I could feel their shadow looming over. I scrambled up and scanned the room around. My vision was obscured and I couldn't make out most objects that were nearby. I vigorously rubbed my eyes, but nothing changed. The only feeling I had was a burning sensation from the grimy lake water.

-BANG-

I jumped out of my skin and somehow my eyesight returned perfectly back to normal. I was positioned on a towel on my bed with an array of flowers neatly displayed next to me. The white flowers reminded me of the Kadupal, and the night before. I became entranced.

The loud noise had came from the door. It was slammed shut and a boy scurried over to me. The face was familiar and suddenly my heart was put to rest, I sighed in relief and jumped over to him. "Jayden, where have you been I haven't seen you in ages!" I said, gripping onto him. He tried to pull his body away from mine but I held tight, keeping him there. He stroked the back of my head and rocked me gently.

"I was dealing with something," he said glumly. Jayden's eyes dropped and diverted from mine, he stared around my room fascinated. He picked himself off the bed and I crawled back under the covers. Jayden strolled around slowly, examining every frame and item I had standing up on my shelves. One particular frame he payed interest to. It was a photo of me, Lucy and Hope. We were sat around a table, happily chatting away. The warmth I felt from that picture made me smile contently.

"Who's that?" Jayden asked. He pointed at the girl sitting furthest to the back. "Well, that's Lucy." I explained to him. He frowned and pulled the photo closer to his eyes. Confusion grew over his face. "What's wrong?" I asked. Jayden didn't say anything for a minute, just stared.

He looked around once more, finding another picture of Lucy. Again, he examined it closely. "She looks familiar," he said quietly. When he saw my confusion he shrugged it off and put the photo back down.

"What happened?" I asked. Jayden sat back down beside me, his worried look becoming more prominent. "You were in the lake Robyn, I pulled you out. You almost died." He said. I needed reassurance, I needed to know what I had seen that night.

"Jayden I was looking for someone in the forest..." I said, stuttering unable to get my words out. Jayden prompted me to keep talking. "There was something following me," I explained.

Jayden's grown grew so fierce that to look at him sent shivers down my spine. "Something told me to get in the lake. When I was in there, I thought I saw...." I stopped speaking. The words couldn't escape my lips. Jayden rested his hand on my shoulder to comfort me, eagerly waiting for my final words.

"I thought I saw...a wolf."

His hand slipped from my shoulder, and rested by his side. "A wolf?" He asked. I grabbed his hand, desperate for someone to hold. "It was a wolf, but it disappeared, like it went inside my body." I said. Amazingly, Jayden didn't seem surprised. Only a darkness cloaked his eyes.

Leaning forward he kissed me on the cheek and pulled away his hand. "I have to go," he said. I panicked, "you're leaving?" I asked. He nodded sorrowfully and I sat in silence, Jayden was leaving me again. I had only known him for a year, but he was the only person who really knew me. Perhaps Max was my way of forgetting Jayden's absence.

"I'll be back soon, I promise." He said. Slicking back his black hair he bounded to the door hurriedly. Taking one last look he waved me goodbye, and like that, he was gone.

The anxiety that I would never see him again forced me out of bed. I pounded down the stairs bare foot and rushed out of the house. Jayden was a little down the lane now. With a burst of adrenaline I raced after him. The stones and gravel sliced into my feet causing unbearable pain. However, I kept running till I was safe in his arms. I called out to him and wrapped my arms around his warm body. "Come back..." I whispered. Jayden nestled his head into my neck, "I promise." He said.

I waved goodbye as he disappeared off into the distance, not noticing the blood that poured from my feet and seeped through the cracks in the ground, not noticing the darkness silently creeping into my life.