A Parallel Universe

Chapter 4

I was walking in the so-called Ancient Forest. Marking every tree I passed so that I could find my way back. There was a river at the end of the path. Gleaming in the moonlight it seemed to draw me to it. The more I got closer to the bank, the more I noticed a distinct shape of someone or.....something. I wanted to stop....wanted to run away but I couldn't. I was captivated by the lake. I drew closer and closer and closer till I was standing on the lake's bank. However, I stood away from the figure that I could no longer see it. I let out a sigh of relief and kept still. I tried again to move but I was frozen in place. My eyes staring at the sparkly water. I tried to move my mouth to talk...but the only thing that came out was a high-pitched scream instead of the words I formed in my head. I kept looking at the water, expecting the figure to appear behind me. But, lucky me, it didn't. Weird. My scream sure was high and enough to attract every creature's attention. I heard the rustling of bushes and hoped it was Mayla or Aaren. But instead another figure appeared. Their appearances were altered in the water. The only thing I could see was the faint outline of their bodies. The figure setting on the bank however, had a very fading almost invisible outline.

"Look what we have got here," the second figure said in a young voice., "Another intruder."

He snapped his fingers and I could move again. I turned around to find myself staring at....no it wasn't possible.....a boy. He was about my height, with dark skin and eyes that were shades of orange, red, and yellow. The colors were all mixed together that it seemed like a fire was started inside his eyes. His hair was the same fiery colors.

"What are you doing here," he asked.

"I am lost," I tried to lie.

"I see," he said. Suddenly, a flame appeared, hovering in the air above his palm. "And now?"

I gulped. "I...I came here to explore.

"Exploring. That is a new reason."

"I am sorry if I disturbed you. I will go back to where I came from."

"I am not so sure about the second part."

Without any warnings, a wall of flames erupted around me. The boy walked away and I knew that he would leave me there till I burned to ashes. I closed my eyes and tried to forget everything around me. I started thinking about the good memories I had with my family. I could no longer feel the heat against my skin. I was lost in my memories until I felt someone tapping me on the shoulder

I opened my eyes to find myself staring at a boy with eyes that were multiple shades of blue. They seemed to be liquid. His skin was as white as snow and his hair was a deep shade of blue and turned lighter as it neared the tips. The other boy was standing next to him.

"Are you okay," he asked in a soft low voice.

I looked around me and was surprised that the fire was no longer surrounding me.

"Who are you," I asked.

"Who are you," the fire boy asked.

"I am Ora," I lied. I couldn't tell them my real name.

"Well then Silena, you clearly are human. So what brings you to this place," the white boy asked.

He knew my real name!! What surprised me the most was that he didn't threaten me like his friend.

"I came here by mistake," I said. There was something about his voice that made me answer each question truthfully.

The fire boy looked at me skeptically and I could see sparks flying everywhere around him. For a moment, I thought he was going to erupt into flames

"She is saying the truth. Apparently she and her friend followed two folerns into the portal," the white boy said.

"How did you know," I asked.

"That is something for another time. Right now, I want you to tell me why you are here deep in the forest even though the rest of your friends are on the border," the white boy asked.

"I wanted to find The Dark," I said, entranced by his voice.

Suddenly, a vine lashed out of the bushes. It moved so quickly that I could swear it was going to lash the white boy. But at the final moment, he jumped out of the way.

More vines lashed out each one with enough force to penetrate the skin.

Mayla was here to save me!! But where was Aaren? Then right on cue, he appeared directly behind the fire boy. The boy moved swiftly away from him and turned to face him, a ball of fire above his palm. Aaren disappeared again and the boy kept moving the fire ball around. Finally, with a yelp, Aaren appeared. The fire had smoldered him. On the opposite side Mayla was fighting with the white boy. Vines lashed out at him and he deliberately avoided them. The weird thing was, he never attacked.

"Scared from me," Mayla said as she commanded another vine to lash out.

"Quite the opposite, I am afraid for you," he replied, his voice still calm.

"I don't need pity from you," Mayla snapped.

"Careful what you wish for," he said. Five orbs of water appeared around him and he directed all of them toward Mayla. She dogged them perfectly while lashing vines at him. The problem was, he too was defending and attacking at the same time

"Let's end this," Mayla said as she started calling every single vein. They wove together and created a solid spear. SHe directed the spear at him and threw. He stood still and when the spear reached him, he just touched it. The spear immediately turned to water and splashed on the ground.

"You took your chance. Now I should take mine," the boy said. He focused into the spot directly beneath Mayla. I watched in horror as a stream of powerful water shot from under her. Carrying her upward and upward until I thought she would reach the stars, then it suddenly stopped. I heard Aaren scream as Mayla plummeted to her death.