Cerulean Found

Chapter 52 - Fire, Bees, and the Alcari Mountains

"What's wrong? Don't you want to finish reading?" I ask Josh as I reach over and attempt to grab the journal from where he is holding it hostage in his lap. He sees what I am doing and quickly places the leather bound book on the sand next to him and then wraps his arms around

"I don't like reading this," he sighs as he stares out at the ocean.

"Why? It's like a fairy-tale, only better, because it's real," I reply energetically.

"Mila, don't you see? That's just it. This is very real." I let his words linger in the air for a moment before I speak.

"I know, it is," I state, not really sure what he is trying to say.

"Something happened to this girl, I don't know what exactly, but she was completely brainwashed into thinking all of this fantasy stuff was real. Maybe she was suffering from some sort of mental illness? I'm not sure."

"Wait, hold up for a second," I say, as I turn to face him. "You're still not convinced that any of this stuff is real? You still think that Sabra and the Mellerio are responsible for Audrey's disappearance, don't you?" I question.

We sit in silence. The only sound is that of the waves gently crashing on the shore. As I stare at Josh, I wonder what is going through his mind. What is he thinking? His somber expression leads me to believe that he is struggling with something internally.

"Hey," I whisper, as I place my hand on his bent knee. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

His attention is now focused on my hand, which is now resting on his leg. He takes a deep breath and then begins to speak.

"I didn't want to have to tell you this because I knew you would never believe me. You probably still won't but it's something I need to tell you."

I'm a little concerned by his somber tone and quiet disposition, which is so out of character for him.

"Remember Nala, Jordan and Jeremiah's aunt?" Josh asks quietly.

I nod my head as I recall the story he shared with me about how she had gone missing one night. The circumstances of which were very similar to what happened with Audrey.

"Well, I didn't tell you everything."

"Oh," is all I can say, as I wonder why he has brought this up.

"Nala was the only one of the missing girls who was found."

I stare at him completely confused. "You said they never found her."

He turns and stares into my eyes. "I know, I'm sorry. I wanted to protect you from the truth. I don't want to scare you. But now I see how wrong I was. You need to know the truth. You need to see what they are capable of," he pleads.

"And what's that?" I ask, scared of what the answer may be.

"Murder."

I let out a nervous laugh. "You can't be serious?"

His sullen look tells me that he is. "I am."

I stare at him in disbelief as he continues on with his story. "They must have gotten sloppy or she somehow outsmarted them and was able to find a way to escape. Because Mila, they found Nala."

"Isn't that good news?" I ask.

"For closure, yes, but it's not what you think. Jordan and Jeremiah's grandmother, Lucia sensed something was wrong when Nala didn't return home after her shift at the local market. Lucia has keen senses, as do all of the Kahmuni. That is why less than an hour later a large group of Kahmuni had assembled at Lucia's house, to begin searching for Nala. That's when they noticed that the sky had a golden crimson glow to it."