The Silent War

Chapter Three

As the heavy wooden door slammed shut I stood on the front steps briefly to decide my next move, not wanting to go to the pool for fear Ben would follow. I could hear his footsteps inside and quickly jumped down the stairs and headed right, toward the entrance to Serenis. It didn't really matter where I went as I was restricted, bound by the invisible walls. Regardless, I would make sure I was far enough away so it made it hard for him to read my energy.

I stumbled along the dirt path, past the fields of flowers we passed on our first visit to Serenis. I thought back to that first day, the day Josh introduced me to a world I now wished didn't exist. If only I had gone straight home and not run into the forest towards nothingness. If I had known then that this is how it would all end, I would rather have faced Marius a million times over. As this thought shot through my mind I cringed at the idea, not of facing Marius but of Dad being there and getting caught in the middle of it. As angry as I was at Ben, he did have a point and deep down I knew that there was no other way around it. My Dad would have been in danger if he had of stayed in our house but still, I needed someone to blame - someone other than the allusive Marius.

As my mind wandered I tripped over a tree root and fell onto my elbows, the gravel cutting through my skin. I got up and assessed the graze which was starting to bleed a little. I stared down at the root and let out a huge scream before kicking it with all my might. I didn't even make a mark on its perfect brown glossy appearance; instead I managed to hurt my toes so badly I thought they were broken. Tears of anger and pain still flowed down and that was it - that was all I needed to build up the courage and momentum needed to break free from this hell. I stormed forward, through the row of tall trees with the winding roses until I got to the glistening curtain that stood between me and freedom.

I stepped forward and reached my arm out, putting it through the curtain. As the dust settled on my skin a burst of energy shot through my body, it felt like a cold blast of air making its way up from my toes to my head. Everything seemed so fresh, so peaceful and perfect. All the anger I had been building up seemed to melt away and my scowl was replaced with a huge euphoric smile. I pushed against the curtain which was surprisingly heavy and as it parted I could clearly see the other side where we had entered. I turned back and stared down the path, expecting to see a mob of Super's running towards me but to my surprise there was no one, not even Thimble. It was almost too easy but still, I wasn't going to waste time thinking about it, I had bigger things on my mind.

I pushed the curtain back with as much force as I could and as I stepped my foot through to the other side I felt something hit my arm, stinging it. I looked down and saw one of the Pickery's fly off. I had forgotten about the glowing bugs, the watchmen of Serenis. I looked up to see if they were all watching but to my surprise the canopy of glowing bugs had disappeared and to my horror was now swarming a few feet or so above my head.

I looked up at the glowing blanket; it was hard to define them individually as they floated above me waiting for me to make my move. I quickly glanced back at the outside world and wondered if I could get through in time and if I did would the Pickery's follow. I took a deep breath and lunged forward through the curtain. I was out, out of Serenis and on human ground! I turned and looked back at the curtain but saw nothing at all except for what I had left behind, no Super's, no Ben chasing me. I realised then that the Pickery's were nothing more than a lie, a fable told to residents to keep them in the walls but really all they were giant fireflies who occasionally stung if you got too close.

I turned back to face the long run home and as I did my theory about the Pickery's was put to the ultimate test. A swarm of very angry fireflies danced in front of me, the noise of their wings making them sound like a million bumblebees. I took a step back in fear and could feel the safety of the curtain behind me. The thought of slinking back through into the freedom crushing world tempted me only for a brief second, and in an act of either sheer will or utter stupidity I charged forward like a bull in an attempt to run through. I closed my eyes and forged forward only to be met with a thousand Pickery's dive-bombing me from every angle. As they hit I received a tiny sting which felt like a hot mosquito bite. If I had gone up against one or two I would have been fine but the stings were starting to throw me off track and soon I was crouched on the floor swinging my arms to try and get some relief. I began to yell at them as they relentlessly nipped at my arms, face, hands - any exposed piece of flesh they could get to. I opened my eyes to try and see where I could go to escape this slow form of torture, desperate for a lake or even a stream to jump into to hide if only for a few seconds at a time. I could not see anything except the quick yellow flashes of light coming from their bodies and I began to scream.

'Get away from me! I'll go back just leave me alone you crazy flies! Please just leave me alone!'

I felt helpless as images of being eaten alive by these psychotic bugs danced through my head, the peaceful scene of my lifeless body seeming so much more appealing than what I was currently enduring. My body felt numb and as I fell forward to give up fighting, the Pickery's abruptly stopped. A man's voice blared through the thick air but I couldn't tell who it was as everything seemed to be so muffled.

'Back up! Get out of here!'

A strong arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back so I was facing the sky. My eyes felt swollen and all I could see was a large figure moving in and out of the sunlight. He scooped me up in his arms and held me close to his chest as he carried me; I could feel his heart beating through his shirt as I rested my head against his body. I didn't know who it was but was certain it wasn't Ben as he felt different, smelt different. I closed my eyes, breathing in the sweet smell of musk and didn't wake until I was placed gently on the soft grass of Serenis.