Summer's Frost

Chapter 26

Eric seems a little confused and thoughtful, Slick's expression is unreadable, and I'm to shocked to react.

"I was one of those children... I- my...m-my p-parents..." My voice barely rises above a whimper. "My whole life has - has been -"

I touch a finger to my wet cheeks. My eyes overflow so I can't see past the tears except for some blur. But no noise comes from the crying; I can barely blink.

A pair of arms wrap around me, though I don't know whose they are. I don't care. Abraham Lincoln could have come back to life to hug me and I couldn't care less.

My instincts tell me to run, to escape the pain. I know this isn't something I can outrun, but I try anyway. I push away harshly from the person and climb the ladder out into the frigid evening air, scraping my palms on the way up. My feet make contact with the ground and they run. I keep running, turning at random points, bumping into too many things to count. I'd be lying if I say I hope I'm not lost. My thoughts are too jumbled to think straight or form a single coherent thought. I focus on running. I try to think of anything else but what just happened; a weird shaped tree, a pretty flower, the falling snow, anything.

My foot catches an uplifted root and I fall face-first into the snow. I'm knocked out of my thoughts and forced to pay attention to my physical self. I begin to notice the pain of my scraped palms and bruised arms and legs. The cold air and snow bite at my uncovered face. The air in front of me turns to frozen breath with every pant.

I sorely pull my self to my knees and crawl towards a tree. I tuck myself into a gap between its arching roots and hug my knees to my chest while thinking about the biting cold and gently falling snow. It's better to distract myself with thoughts of cold and being lost and physical pain. My sobs start to come quietly.

Then I start to hear distant singing, but with no words, nor instrument. It doesn't even sound like it's real. I hear it in my head. I suppose its closer to a soft ringing, or humming. I wonder if the bitter cold can make one hallucinate. Soon, I hear words.

Nature's child
Cries out in agony
Come to the caves
So you will see

The answers you need
You might just find
Come, find your way,
Or lose your mind

The soul of the worthy
Will feel complete
Those who're not
May forever sleep

Jay/Slick POV

"Jamison, let her go," Edric cautions. "She's unstable."

I stop at the ladder to turn and look at him. "I'm just going to follow her, she doesn't know her way around and she's probably disoriented. Also, she's still a person." He doesn't protest further, so I leave. I can clearly see her footprints. The snow is falling slowly, so they won't get covered up quickly. I can tell she was running. As I go along I try to keep track of where I'm going so I can lead us back. It takes longer than I thought it would to catch up to her, but when I do she's curled up against a tree, crying. I stay a small distance away behind a tree. I want nothing more than to help her, but I know that isn't what she needs, or wants.

Soon, she gets a peculiar look on her face, a mix between confusion and interest. She tilts her head just a little as if listening for something. For a moment I think she's somehow heard me, though I haven't moved. I feel both relieved and curious when she looks the other direction.

Then her eyes start glowing. The green in her eyes is amplified like reflectors. The sight of her eyes disappears from my view as she turns away and starts farther into the forest. Where is she going? Why are her eyes glowing? I follow her from a distance, confused and curious. After only a minute of following, I am hit with the realization of where she's going and why her eyes look the way they do. I'm stuck in a panic of whether or not to stop her. I had planned to possibly take her here anyway, but I've had my doubts. It could be dangerous, and I don't know if she's ready. I've heard the stories from Edric, but I don't know what to believe. It's supposed to help, but there have been those who never return from the caves.