Inkvite - My Collaborations

The One

Note: Originally written on Inkvite by 'Eleanorcute146', 'Elizaa', 'Kelsey Morrison' & 'undormant' in 3 parts, here as a complete story. Kelsey left during part 2 as can happen on collaborations, leaving the remaining 3 to carry on. An example here of the standard 'Fantasy' genre picture cover.

I opened the front door to meet Archie. My bestfriend of exactly 14 years now. He was thin and bald. I remembered him as a stocky boy with curly blonde hair, and it hurt me to see him like this. He had cancer. I acted like nothing was wrong, that's all people in that situation want, to be treated normally, not patronised with smiles and concern, it can drive them nuts. So I moaned about the dick down the street that had sworn at me on my way over.
"He's nuts," I complained. "He says there is a portal behind his house that leads to another world."
Archie laughed.
We made some popcorn & watched Gotham.
"You know something Jack" said Archie, "Greg isn't such a bad kid when you get to know him."
I almost choked on my popcorn, & said "excuse me whilst I vomit."
We laughed. He said "when I'm gone you're gonna need a new best mate"
I stopped laughing. I turned to look at him, but he looked away.
"Well, you're not gone yet," I croaked, a single tear running down my cheek. I threw some popcorn in my mouth.
"You know I don't like you talking about that, just stop okay."
Archie stopped talking and silently turned back to the TV. This instantly made me realise that I'd been a little too harsh on my sensitive bestfriend. "I'll go and see Greg if it makes you feel any better."
The next day I went to knock for Greg to see if he wanted to go bike riding down by the dirt track. I was apprehensive as he could be such a moron, but when your best friend is dying of cancer and tells you to be nice to someone you've gotta make the effort.
I rang the doorbell. A woman answered, "Can I help you, love?" She asked, looking at me strangely.
"Um, yeah," I answered, "Is Greg in?"
Her face lit up. She called his name once or twice and Greg came running down. The lady gave him a quick hug, then ran through to a different room.
"Uh hi Greg." I said whilst awkwardly scratching the back of my neck. "Oh um, hi James?" He replied.
"It's Jack." I retorted back.
"Right sorry, anyway why are you even here?" Greg asked.
"Archie wanted me to come and see you so here I am, I guess"I replied.
Greg appeared to think about this for a second, from his mothers hug I wondered how many friends he had.
Greg asked, "wanna come in?"
"Well I was thinking we go dirt bike racing," I pointed to my bicycle, "well, you know, on our bicycles."
"What about the portal?"
I stared at Greg. I thought for a second, "What portal?"
Greg covered his mouth, "You don't know," he whispered, "Oh my lord, you DONT know..." I stood there, purely confused. As I was about to speak, Greg closed the door. I sighed. Maybe he was as weird as I thought.
As soon as he closed the door, I decided to call Archie. The minute he picked up I started rambling: "Archie, he's weird, I'm telling you, don't make me do it."
"Jack your being stupid, just try again, please, I don't want you alone." He replied sounding desperate.
"I have other friends"
"But he doesn't" Archie said.
I rung again, asked if he didn't fancy bike riding we go inside & play Playstation. When you got over his odd comments he was relatively tolerable. I wondered if he was autistic.
Greg said, "wanna see the portal now?"
Feeling a little bit curious, I nodded and followed him into his garden.
"Don't get freaked out," Greg whispered, showing me an entrance to what seemed to be a maze. I nodded and walked in. There, I noticed a wishing well.
Greg pointed down it and I put my head over. I couldn't see the bottom of it so didn't understand what I was meant to be looking at. However, a few moments later, a shiny glint appeared in the corner and a clear film of shiny, blue dust suddenly lied on top of the well.
"They're looking for 'The One' Jack," said Greg, "they said it wasn't me."
A pang of dread went through me, "who are 'they'?"
"I jumped in a few days ago, it was blue, they want to come to our world."
"What? Another world? Like Narnia?"
"It was blue" he said.
"So, what is 'The One'?" I asked.
Greg looked me up and down, "Well, they believe 'The One' can help them into our world, and when they do, they will grant him or her a wish," He said.
I was astonished, "Like, any wish?"
Greg shrugged his shoulders and nodded. I suddenly realised I needed that wish. Like really needed it. This was my chance to keep Archie alive and healthy, to get rid of his cancer. But what if I wasn't 'The One'? I mean, I probably wasn't, why would I be? I'm nothing special. But I'm willing to try anything.
I took a leap of faith, literally, I wasn't particularly brave or impetuous but the moment caught me, ridiculous as it was, a chance to save my friend.
I jumped into the well and was pulled down under the water.
I could breath, Earth felt miles away, it was indeed blue.
I must have fainted at that point, because when I opened my eyes again, there was a blue figure over me.
"You is The One, yes?" The figure said. I shook my head.
"No, I'm Jack. J-A-C-K," I said, noticing it didn't speak properly.
"Oh, I Shyla," It said, waving.
"Ah right, okay, hi Shyla," I said whilst waving my hand at her.
"Did you see anyone else come down after me?" I asked whilst making some ridiculous hand movements to try and explain myself. She made a small squeak and shook her head. Greg didn't come down after me...
To cut a long story short they offered me the wish also. Greg hadn't the capacity for one of them to hide in his head. I did. We returned. He opened the portal, more came over time jumping into people I brought to the well. I forgot the wish......

Now. We're. Blue.

Blue.

I became selfish. Detached. Didn't seem to care about my friends cancer, not bothered enough to chase up a wish that clearly wasn't forthcoming from symbiotic parasitical creatures from another realm.
I still went through the motions of my everyday life like a tick box of events. But they were boring, and I didn't seem to have much fun in doing anything anymore. My life had suddenly turned full and uninteresting in a matter of weeks.
Although Archie would still come and see me, I would turn him away and say I was busy doing a project or what-not. He would always give a fake smile and say, "That's ok. I'll see you later, yeah?" I would nod and close the door.
I tried to fight it. I could sense what had happened to me. I tried talking about it to the new people I'd tricked to going to the well, but they seemed more detached than me. Maybe it was because I was the first. Was I the first? They couldn't get to Greg for some reason.
I felt sad all the time, not myself, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I figured these creatures where symbionts, one per human, but I didn't understand why I was resisting their mental capacities and everyone else wasn't. They never seemed to get ill, whereas I now had chicken pox.
I went to see Archie and explained the whole thing to him.