Lost in Worlds

In The Dark

Avery came to consciousness surrounded by darkness. There was no lighting in what she assumed was the Queen's dungeons.

She held a hand to her head and winced inwardly as she felt the agonising headache seeping through her body. She tried to wrap her mind around what had happened. Gunshots, glass shattering and sleep masks.

The circumstances were too spontaneous and quick and although she didn't know how long she had been asleep or why her head was aching so harshly, Avery still knew that they were in some deep shit right now and there was a high possibility that escape was of low chance.

As her pupils gradually accustomed to the dark, she glanced around her and noticed all her friends were still under. The walls were of the shade of black, reminding her of the dark creature. Her only source of dim light was coming through a crack at the bottom of the bars. Food and water slipped through here so the prisoners and guards wouldn't have to stand each other's presence.

She couldn't help her mind wander back to what Connor had said to her. That Clyde was her "boyfriend" and that she loved ignoring him.

Avery did not enjoy giving him the cold shoulder. In fact, she was oblivious to the fact they hadn't talked since she had guessed his name. Avery had been busy learning about his friends, she had wanted to make an effort but it was no excuse. Avery had upset Connor and she would make it up to him. And Fireball disrupted her from having this mental conversation before and...

Speaking of Fireball, where the hell was she?

"Shit," groaned Avery as she realised their cell was absent of any animatic life. As if the tiger had been listening in, Fireball conversed with Avery via mind-link, 'I'm safe. I'll see you soon.'

What the hell? Thought Avery. He can read minds and tell the future?

'Nope,' Fireball said, popping the p, 'I can't tell the future, but you and your friends have a good knack for escaping the inevitable and I have a good knack for guessing right.'

Avery gaped in awe at no one in particular and chose to trust the strange tiger. She could have sworn she heard a low growl in response for calling Fireball a strange creature, but she disregarded it.

Taking the chance while she could, she felt for Caleb's diary in her jacket and pulled it out. It lay tattered and worn in her hand like it had been in use for several years. She hadn't noticed before but on the front lay Caleb's initials embedded in gold. Surrounding this were swirls of silver paint and nature of all kinds.

Caleb had always been good at understanding his environment and Avery couldn't hold the tremble that came out of her mouth when she reminded herself of a painting he once completed and put on display for the school. He had drawn her in a deep-blue shaded background with golden-brown wavy hair and flowers and shells, bordering her framed face.

When did he have the time for these artistic endeavours? Thought Avery.

"He probably used magic. It's the only plausible explanation," said a groggy voice next to her and Avery spun her head around to come into proximity with Clyde. They were mere inches away and she had to shuffle to the side slightly.

Avery had forgotten they could all read minds and had left her mental shield open. 

She gazed back down at her book and opened to the fourth chapter, let her body relax, if possible, and allowed her eyes to skim the page. She began reading aloud, not caring if anyone was listening. She just missed Caleb too much and couldn't deal with it without reading about him. Especially if it was something he wrote, his thoughts and feelings.