Aaron’s POV
“So, what you’re saying is that you’ve spent two years here, you go hunting everyday, finally made a ten second call to your family to tell them that you’re alive and safe, you’ve changed your identity and who you are. You couldn’t call your boyfriend because you found out by a magic opal that he’s dating someone else and you don’t want to intrude. Oh, and you are basically the ruler here because most of the animals here worship you. All in two years,” Shadow nods at my short summary of her story, “But, you want tell us your name,”
She sighs, “I still don’t trust you enough to tell you my personal life,”
“You kinda did,” Dillon says.
“I mean my very deep and personal life,” she gets up and grabs a spear, “I need to go hunting for dinner. It’s almost nightfall. Don’t try to run away. You’ll die in less than a minute,” and with that, she left the room. I turn to see Haylee lying down, staring at the roof.
“Babe,” I say, “are you alright?” she shakes her head, “Wanna talk about it?” she shakes her head again.
“Dude, I don’t know about you but Shadow looks a lot like Miranda,”
My mind simply clicks. Miranda. That’s why she looks so familiar. “That’s who she looks like,”
“No shit Sherlock!”
“No crap John,”
“My name is Freddie,” I roll my eyes.
“She has the same story as Miranda. With the phone call. And Miranda was going to Hawaii also,” Dillon states.
“But Shadow’s from California, flying to Canberra,” Haylee states.
“She could be lying,”
“I’m not lying,” everyone turns their head to see Shadow at the door, she walks inside and grabs her jacket, “I forgot my jacket, it’s 15 dregees outside,” she walks to the door then turns around, “By the way, don’t jump to conclusions,” she sighs and leaves.
“It’s Miranda,” we all turn to Freddie, “Whenever Miranda lies, her nose flares. Her nose just flared,”
“Miranda has a specific reason why she isn’t telling you guys,” Haylee gets questioning looks from all of us, “She told me before you guys woke up. Well, after Aaron was drugged. Just, lets all pretend that we don’t know it’s Miranda. Agreed?”
Shadow’s POV
I close the door and sigh. They weren’t supposed to find out. Just keep acting like you’re Shadow, you don’t know who Miranda is and you are a soldier. I walk down the steps of the treehouse, followed by Scar. I don’t go to my regular hunting spot by the sea for fishing, and to kill birds. But I walk south towards the volcano.
When I get there, I get some of my water in my canteen, and pour all of it into a small pool of lava. I grab a stick and dip it into the lava. I hold my hand out and paint the lava onto my wrist. I wince at the pain but then ignore it. I paint it with small strokes and admire it when I’m done – a heart with a sword stuck in it. I pour water on it for it to set, then stand up and walk to the ‘Temple of Memories’.
I walk through the enterance of the temple, then stand still. I sigh and say “Vita et mors , queso visionem,” which translates to ‘Life and Death, may I ask for a vision,’. I stay silent for a minute until I hear an answer.
“Quid metuis , si vis intrare responsi,” I remember from many times here that the answer from the Ghost of Life and the Ghost of Death translates to ‘Enter if you wish for the answer you dread’. I walk in, with no fear as I walk deep into the temple, needing to visit the ‘Opal of Past, Present and Future’.
***
“Why would Miranda want to keep it a seceret that it’s her?”
“You’ve asked like a million times already Freddie!” Haylee answers, “She had a rough two years, she wants a fresh start,” she pauses for a moment then adds, “Even if she wants it to seem like she never met us before. When I told her about Matilda, I saw tears. When I told her about you and Lani, she teared up. Even when I told her about us, Aaron. But she knew already from the ‘Opal of Past, Present and Future’, she knew about the plane crash. She called to try and stop us from aboarding the plane,”'
Tears form in my eyes as I watch them talk in front of me. But to them I'm invisable, not even my breath is heard by anyone.
”I wish that she didn’t hide herself from us. I’m sorry Haylee, but –“
“You still have feelings for her don’t you Aaron?” Haylee says, she’s calm. Aaron nods, “It’s okay. To be honest, I only dated you to make you happy,”
Aaron smiles, “Thanks Haylee. You know I love you,” he quickly adds, “as a friend,” she laughs and nods.
“I’m just glad that Miranda didn’t leave us to die, thinking that everyone died in the plane,” Everyone nods at Dillon’s words.
“Wait,” Freddie just asks randomly, “so you and Haylee and through?”
Haylee laughs and nods, “We’re single now,”
“Okay. Lani's dead, but she was kind of a slut anyway so," he pauses for a second, "Haylee,” Freddie tries to not smile as he forces himself into a kneeling position, he winces but says, “Will you go out with me?”
I laugh at seeing the play, they all move their heads in my direction, “Did you hear that?” Aaron asks. I turn to face the window.
Hesitantly, I open my eyes, noticing the vines in the room of the temple. I run out of the room, turning left, then right, right again, then left. I exit the temple and grab my spear which is leaning on the wall, and run towards the treehouse. I kill five birds on the way, quickly stuffing them in my kill bag, and running again.
I run up the stairs of the tree house and open the door to hear the two adult tigers roaring. I open the door to reveal the room where they are sitting. Their faces are terrified, mirroring the same reaction as mine. I turn to the right faces the window with no glass, seeing a jaguar, staring with blood shot eyes. Without thinking, I throw my spear at the leporard, hitting it right in chest, killing it. The dead animal falls through the window onto the ground of the treehouse.
“Damn,” I turn to Swiper and Scar, and I throw them two of the dead birds for them as a reward for protecting them. I turn to the others, they are still petrified, “Well, at least we have more meat for tonight,”
“What did I say about not stealing my position as class clown?”
“Quit it Freddie, I just saved your life!”
“You called me Freddie,” he seems shocked, but I know when he is acting.
“Quit acting, I was watching you guys in the opal. I could still be out hunting and all of you will be dead so don’t make me seem like a stalker!” I take a breath, “Nice way to ask out a girl by the way,” I wink at Freddie. They all laugh.
“So,” Aaron says a little too long, “You know about the… uh…"
“Yes,” I sigh, “But still, Try not to jump to conclusions. Because Miranda was my cousin,” I lied way too easily. I wish I can just tell them the truth, but that can be a large risk because they might turn on me.
"Your name?" Dillon asks, his voice cracks.
"Rachel. Miranda was with me, but died by the plane you were on. There were two of us,"
