Tales of Aridia

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"Elliana come here," I said gently, releasing all my anger as I gasped in and out. Elliana tip toed over to where I stood and placed her hand in mine. "We are going to leave, I want you to stay as close to Max as possible, can you do that?" I asked. She nodded eagerly, and ran over to Max who was unsure of my plan. "Goodbye Lucy." I said, finally letting go of the revenge I wished against her. "But I killed Jayden!" She yelled, trying to steady herself on her own two feet. "Come on? Don't you want revenge?" She asked, tormenting me with the one thing she knew I was vulnerable to. "Robyn!" She yelled in despair as I grabbed Max and Elliana, standing with them in a circle. She pleaded for my attention, but I denied it. I knew that what she wanted was my anger and I was not going to give it to her.  I faced my back against her and prepared to leave, "Hope can you take us somewhere safe?" I asked. She nodded and placed her hands on my shoulder.  All the while Lucy rattled on, "Robyn!" She screamed.  Her voice sent me into shivers, it was so coarse and unfamiliar. Finally the screaming settled down, "Robyn..." She whispered softly, crawling nearer. "Don't leave me here," She pleaded. 

I looked to the corner of my eye, seeing her short black hair flowing in the wind. I winced, filled with guilt. "Robyn I'm sorry," She spoke unconvincingly, sounding like the Lucy I had known before she became corrupted. Max and I shared knowing looks, before staring back at the ground. I looked over at the bodies in the mud, feeling deep pain as we left knowing that this was the very last time I would see his face...even if it had not really been him. Max was looking too, his face visibly torn in anger and sadness. Soon Lucy gave up with her act and suddenly she burst like she had been waiting to explode. "Stop!!" She screamed.  When the screaming  had come to an end the only thing to be heard was her voice as she gasped for air, mixed with the breeze of the wind. 

"Lucy, you are corrupted and you are a..." I searched for the words in my head not knowing what to say. "You are a...Parasite."  I said finally. I smiled to myself, as I finally let her know what she really was. Hope gripped harder, pinching the skin on my shoulders. I took in a gulp of air and felt the air beneath us sweep under our feet. Lucy's distant cries became lost in the gusts as I began to feel like I was being pulled away.

I was greeted with cold stone beneath my feet, slowly phasing into our new location. I looked up at the leaves which cast a shadow over the pavement and leaned to my side on a metal railing which lined somebody's garden. Max was carrying Elliana, who had fallen and grazed her knee as we arrived. The sun shone down and as I stepped out of the shadow the light filled me with warmth. I stood on a pavement that lead into another street. The house on my right sat on the corner unlike the rest and was painted a bright yellow, with deep blue doors. I recognized the house instantly and knelt down the look at the gathering of roses and small notes which had been left at the gate. The gate was kept shut with a padlock that had turned so rusty it appeared to not have been opened for weeks. 

"Where are we?" Max asked. I looked around for Hope but she was not there, I called out to her but still she did not appear. "This is Hope's house," I said, pointing at the remorse cards laid carelessly across the front garden. I pushed the gate which let out a loud screech but did not open. I looked around for any people and when the coast was clear I leaped over the gate, landing softly on the ground. Max picked up Elliana and passed her over to me. We walked through the garden together, staring at the shrubs which had grown wild and a patch of cabbages laid neatly in rows which had been untouched for so long they were roaming with maggots. A small sign hung loosely and was tilted at the side. It read, "Family is happiness," but only some of the lettering was visible. I approached the deep blue door and knocked quietly. Max ran up behind me, "Didn't her dad shoot you?" He asked. I nodded, "Her parents split, this is her mothers house." I replied. Max sighed in relief, knocking once more on the door but this time much harder. 

In the corner of the window I could make out a figure pounding down the stairs towards us. They unlocked the door several times and creaked it open only slightly so that we could a single eye peering across at us.  "Hope's mum?" I asked. The door opened more, so that we could see the face of an older women with dull grey eyes and brown hair which was beginning to turn grey at the roots. "It's me, Robyn." I said, hoping that she would recognize me. Suddenly the door opened all the way, revealing her taunt little body and the hallway behind her. "Robyn?" She asked. I nodded with a smile, waiting for a response. The lady ran forward with her arms outstretched and wrapped her hands around my neck, hugging me tight. Max looked about awkwardly before saying, "I'm Max, and this is Elliana." 

The lady looked at him suspiciously,  before glancing happily at Elliana.  "Robyn I've been worried sick about you, where have you been?" She asked. I stumbled on my words saying, "Well...It's a long story." She gestured us inside, elated with our presence. I stepped inside the house and walked across the floorboards which had been torn upwards in some places. The wallpaper had been ripped down leaving white markings across the walls. "Excuse the mess," She said happily, pulling us into the kitchen. Pushing the piles of cutlery off the side she began to make us some tea while humming happily to herself.

Max stared at me awkwardly, obviously feeling uncomfortable. Elliana pinched me on the arm and pointed down to a shattered glass on the floor. I nodded, not wanting to seem rude by pointing it out to her. "I'm sorry about Hope," I said, silencing the room. She suddenly stopped  stirring the cups and dropped the spoon on the side. "Oh I'm so sorry Miss Hawkins." I said, running over to pick the spoon off the side. Her frail hand took the spoon from mine and she began to stir again, clinking the metal against the sides of the cup.