I Am Where You Are | Mystical Flowers#1 (Ongoing)

Chapter Six

I opened my eyes and saw that he was holding me against him. He was now in a long dark cloak that ran past his legs. A little bit of it was draped across my legs. I shifted, taking his hand away from my body. He murmured something but didn't open his eyes. I knelt beside him, and touched his cheeks lightly. "Archer?" He didn't reply. I started to panic and shook him gently. "Archer, wake up!", I said, my voice coming out in short gasps. He stirred and slowly opened his eyes, looking at me groggily. His eyes were back to its normal colour. He tried to get up and winced holding a hand against his head. "Ugh, that was a bad hit. Are you okay?", he asked, concerned. I nodded and helped him up to his feet. We stood there for a moment, not saying anything.

"Are you alright?", I asked, looking at him. He didn't look injured, thank god. Just a little shaken up.
"Yeah, I'm good. Shouldn't have tried that. I wasn't ready." He was talking to himself. I stifled a giggle and he looked over at me, frowning. "What's so funny?", he asked, looking offended.
"Nothing. It's just...how did we get here in a whirlwind? Also, your clothes are different", I pointed out.
"Yeah, I know. It's what I'm supposed to be wearing. I am your guardian, after all. I guess I have to look the part", he said, and without waiting for my reaction, walked off into the woods.  I followed, not sure what else to do. There was no way I could go anywhere else, so I guess I had no choice but to follow him.
The woods were dark and scary. The trees loomed over us, and it seemed like they were glaring at us. The sun was starting to set, and the sky got more and more gloomy until I could see the moon emerge from between the clouds. I blinked. Impossible. We'd spent less than two minutes here and it was already night.

* * *

"You have to take me back. My sisters are alone over there. Please, take me back", I said, running up to him. Archer turned around and shook his head.
"You can't go back now. It's midnight at your house right now. Your sisters are probably asleep. Don't worry about them. They'll be fine."

"What do you mean? How could it possibly be midnight there? The moon just came out." I looked around me trying to find a way out. He caught my searching look and laughed. "There's no way out of here. Your only ticket back home is me. Time works differently around here. A moment here equals a few hours in the human world. You shouldn't be so surprised." He said all this like it was natural. I tailed behind him, still confused.

"Who are you?", I asked.
"You'll see...", he said, his lips lifting up in a playful smile. I tried to look annoyed, but I just couldn't. I was too tired to be annoyed or angry. We walked for a few minutes more till we reached a fountain that was in the middle of the forest. I observed that the further we came into the forest, the more colder and darker it was becoming. The trees swayed violently, their branches knocking against each other, echoing across the forest in loud crackles. The forest floor was filled with leaves that were in different shades. Some green, some red and some black. I walked up to one of the trees and touched its bark, hoping to find some familiarity in its touch. All I got was a whack on the hand from a branch.  "Ouch! Stupid tree!", I said, holding my bruised fingers away from it. Archer looked over at me and said in a serious tone. "Be careful what you say. The forest is alive. You don't want to make it your enemy."

I rolled my eyes, but stayed quiet. I walked ahead, but not before looking back at the tree that had hurt me. It's bark peeled away as if it was grinning at me, it's branches clashing together more violently. I frowned and turned away from the mocking tree.
I walked up to the fountain and peered into it. The water was crystal clear and so inviting that I started to dip my hands into it. Archer stopped me, moving my hands away. "Don't. It'll burn you. The fountain is ancient and is not friendly to newcomers. If you put your hands in, you'll regret it. Watch", he said, taking a rose petal from a pocket in his cloak. He murmured something that I couldn't hear and dropped the petal into the fountain. The fountains water fizzled and popped till it finally remained still. The rose petal rose into the air and burst into tiny shreds at our feet.
Archer looked at me and nodded. I dipped my hands in the fountain and immediately felt an electric rush pass through me. The skin on my hands started to peel away, revealing the new skin underneath. The bruises that I had on my fingers vanished as the water travelled up my fingertips and along my arm, cleansing my body. I gasped and looked at Archer who, I noticed, was watching me.

I looked away, my cheeks burning. It was his job to watch over me. What did that mean? I looked at him again, and to my relief he was just looking into the fountain, looking peaceful and calm. His eyes were so light that they seemed to be glowing. I sat next to him, and looked into the water.
"What do you see?", he asked me suddenly. I looked at him, startled. "You heard me. Who do you see yourself as?", he asked me again. I looked back at the water, thinking.
"I see myself as an ordinary small town girl. A girl who is determined to look after her sisters, the only family she has. I see me", I said, still looking into the water. My reflection stared back at me, and I looked older, wiser. My blue eyes had a glow in them that I'd never noticed before. They stood out in my pale face, big and bright. I ran my hands along the cool marble that the fountain was made from. The fountain seemed to lean toward my touch, and I looked over at Archer to see if he had noticed.
He was watching the fountain and it's sudden playful nature. After a pause, he said, "it likes you. It doesn't always warm up to strangers this fast. I guess there's something about you..."

We looked at each other, and just then thunder and lightning boomed above us. His eyes turned fierce and he took my hand. "Run", he said, and that's what we did.