The Last Theiro

02

Tessa
•••

"Oh, come on Tess! It's your birthday, don't be so boring!"

I looked up at my best friend and rolled my eyes. Eden's thin lips were pulled up into a grin, that sort of half-smile that sticks up on one side, causing his dimple to pop out. His light brown eyes blazed with mischief and his dirty blonde hair was a mop of waves on his head, pushed back off of his forehead.

I shook my head slowly. "No Eden, Cassia doesn't want me to go in the forest alone," I whispered. After the incident that happened yesterday, I wasn't too keen on going back into the forest.

Eden clenched his jaw.
"Cassia won't know," he argued. He joined me at the table and poked me in my cheek.
"I miss having fun with you, Tess." He complained.

I met his chocolate brown eyes and huffed. "Fine! But where are we going?"

Eden grinned widely and clapped his hands together. "That's a surprise, it is your birthday after all."

I groaned and followed Eden out of the cabin. I hated surprises. I hated birthdays.

"Don't be so capricious, " Eden teased and he slightly nudged me with his elbow.

I gave him a fake smile. "Yay! I'm finally 19," I said sarcastically. "Seriously Eden, where are we going?" I asked as we walked through the tall trees. The low trees hung overhead, allowing only faint shimmering green light to penetrate to the forest floor. In those beams of light, brightly glowing dust and pollen swirled suspended as if in some thick liquid.

The forest was eerily silent and I could only hear the distant sound of water falling and crashing onto rocks. The noise was peaceful and grew louder with every step we took, and soon we were bathed in it.

A few moments later, we entered a clearing and I stared with awe at the
graceful waterfall. The white water cascaded down a series of rocky outcrops, giving the effect of many waterfalls rather than just one. Then it flowed in its way, nonchalant as if nothing had happened. There was power and brilliance in the tranquility, a place of stillness even in the roar of water.

"Happy birthday, Tess," Eden murmured and I looked into his deep brown eyes, the reflection of the waterfall shimmering within their depths.

"It's...it's amazing, " I stuttered in astonishment. I walked over to the water and dipped my hand lightly in it, the cold water tickling my skin.

"We're going to jump."

I spun around and stared at Eden with wide eyes. "Jump? Are you mad?!" I exclaimed.

Peter grinned. "Not from the top of the waterfall, you idiot. " He pointed to a place beside the waterfall. "From the cliff." He stated simply.

"Yeah, because jumping from the top of the waterfall would be mad," I said sarcastically and rolled my eyes. I walked over to him and placed my hand over his forehead.

"What are you doing?" He asked, evidently confused.

"Just checking your temperature. Clearly you're not thinking straight."

Eden swatted my hand away. "Oh come on, Tessa!" He pointed to the cliff. "Just do it for me." Eden pouted.

The cliff rose sheer from the tall trees, towering ramparts of stone that glinted jade-blue and dull crimson in the midday sun and curved away and away to east and west above the waving emerald stream of fronds and leaves. It looked insurmountable, that giant palisade with its sheer curtains of solid rock in which bits of quartz winked dazzlingly in the sunlight.

"How are we going to get there, Eden?" I asked to my fear of heights.

Eden smirked and ran to the bottom of the cliff, climbing his way up on the slippery rocks. I followed him and stood awkwardly at the bottom.
Nervously, I reached for one of the rock with a trembling hand. The rock was slippery with water from the stream's mist. One miss placed hand or foot and my lifeless body would be dragged around in the circular current until it rotted away. I dug my fingers into the crevice and pulled, this was where all those misspent hours climbing trees would pay off. The noise pressed in on me, pounding at my thoughts.

That waterfall that had looked so majestic from a distance now scared me senseless. With all my effort, I lifted myself up, each time grabbing a slippery rock.
Halfway through, I grip a rock which had come loose and, before I could fall, I gripped onto another. The rock fell away beneath my feet and my heart raced faster. Already the adrenaline coursed through my body unchecked, urging me to do what I cannot. Sure my muscles were stronger and I was more awake than I had ever been before, but that wasn't a situation where running hard for a long time was going to help.

I took a deep breath and began climbing my way to the top. When I reached the top, I gripped onto the ledge, pulling myself up and laid flat on the hard earth, my breathing ragged.

"Took you long enough, " Eden remarked and, from the corner of my eye, I saw him walk to the edge, peering over at the water that rippled below.

I got up and glared at Eden. "Thanks for the birthday present, " I muttered sarcastically and joined him at the edge. My body felt weak and my muscles were sore.

Eden backed away slowly and I watched him with curious eyes. His lips were pulled up into a smile and his brown eyes danced with joy and eagerness. Suddenly he began running and he disappeared at the end of the cliff. I gasped and ran to the ledge, peering over in search of Eden.

After a moment, his head emerged from the water and he began screaming, not out of fear but out of excitement and the adrenaline that pulsed in his veins. His dirty blonde hair was matted to his face and he threw his hands up into the air.
"Come on, Tess!" He yelled. "Don't be afraid!"

I whimpered. I didn't want to do that. Every fiber of my being wanted to run, to be anywhere but there. I inched forward until my toes hung over the edge with just my heels clinging to the platform I was on.

My heart thumped and my breath stopped as I fell over the edge. My hands and legs were flailing behind me as I sped through the air. I crashed into the water and stayed under for a while, allowing the cool water to relax my muscles until resurfacing.

I screamed with happiness and exhilaration. I was relieved, expanded, ecstatic - alive.

Eden swam over to me wearing a bright smile, a mirror of my own happiness.
"Wasn't that amazing?" He yelled against the sound of the waterfall crashing nearby.

I nodded my head excitedly and something trickled my forehead.
I touched my finger to my forehead and winced from the searing pain. Looking at my fingers, I gasped. They were covered in blood. I looked at Eden with wide eyes.

He shrugged. "You probably just scraped your head while climbing."

I nodded my head slowly, forcing myself to believe him. But deep down I knew it wasn't there before I jumped. Deep down I knew there was something unusual happening to me.

_______________________________________
A/N

Hey guys!

Please let me know if there are any grammatical errors or anything you think can help make it better. This book will be completely edited once I'm done.

So what do y'all thick about Eden?

I know this chapter is short but I'm hoping to do a double update today.😁

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Love you guys❤