Forbidden Choices

by Jen Weddle

  Chapter 8

  A light whisper surrounds me. Soft voices cloud my mind and my head pounds from the headache that I’m experiencing. I want to open my eyes but I know the brightness will hurt like a hell I’ve never felt so I leave them closed tightly.

  “She couldn’t possibly have developed her ability to that level without someone helping her.” The whisper grows nearer.

  “We had no idea.” A unison murmur answers.

  I want to speak. My mouth feels dry. My body feels heavy, and I try my best to shout at the talking voices. Am I even in the same room?

  “When do you think she’ll wake up?” One of the voices questions the others.

  “Who knows … it could be days.” The other replies instinctively.

  “I want to wake up now. Where am I?”

  “I think that she’s awake now.”

  “How do you know?” They ask.

  “She spoke to me.”

  I open my eyes. I rest my head against the leather headrest but I can’t move it. I just stare ahead at the rolling houses full of bygone, forgotten architecture and people aimlessly walking with no decided direction.

  “Hello.” I whisper delicately.

  “My darling, you’re alive!” My mother croons in the backseat and envelops my head in her arms.

  “I can’t breathe! You’re going to kill me.” I manage to squeak out.

  “I’m sorry.” She says looking down into her lap sheepishly, child-like in appearance.

  “What happened?” I ask.

  “You fainted.” My father answers matter-of-factly.

  “I see.”

  I stare out the window as they drone on about history and rhetoric and politics of things that I do not quite understand. They try to include me, but I’ve never been one to acknowledge such nonsensical things.

  “You know, you’re going to have to rule the Kingdom alone one day.” My father declares pointedly.

  I roll my eyes.

  “It would probably be better if you took this more seriously. Politics and war strategies are what make our Kingdom so powerful.”

  I sigh and rest my chin on my palm, continuing to stare out dreamily. The car tires squeal to a stop in front of a serene lake. A swan floats lazily atop it. I pucker my lips together thoughtfully.

  Theo opens my father’s door and then my mother’s and lastly he opens mine. I grimace at him. He looks down at his feet distraught.

  “What are you our slave?”

  He stares at me with a hurt expression on his face. I don’t speak again.

  “Shall I lead the way?” He asks, as he grabs the remainder of my humanity from the trunk.

  “I don’t want to go.” I start.

  “You’re going.” My mother answers.

  “You are the last person I should have to listen to.” I answer.

  “You’re going.” My father responds. I try to grab the keys from Theo, but he is too quick-witted for such childish games.

  “Tie her up.” My father grunts.

  “You can’t be serious.” I blurt out, but Theo already has ropes in his hands.

  “I’ll come with you crazy people.”

  “I figured that you might change your mind. You don’t belong here anymore, Alison. You never did.” My mother says. “And neither do we.”

  “But I want to belong here. It’s the only thing I’ve known my entire life. You can’t just pull me from this world.” I protest.

  “Listen I don’t mean to interrupt, but we should probably start going before it gets dark here.” Theo interjects.

  We start to walk past the serene looking lake with the ducks and the tall meadow grass growing around it. Why can’t I hide in that tall grass? I’m not ready to go yet. I’m not ready to leave my broken life and this collapsing world behind. I stare straight ahead as butterflies dance and frolic happily in my stomach. I wish I could feel whatever they’re feeling inside of me. I know it’s nervousness that’s getting the best of me. I realize that, but my hands are tingling and my mouth tastes metallic.

  “How far do we have to go?” I ask.

  “Not too much farther. See that clearing just ahead we have to go just past that…” He trails off looking alert. Trees snap in the distance and the forest animals grow steadily hushed.

  “What is it?” I ask. I scan the treetops quickly to no avail. I can’t see whatever the rest of them are seeing.

  “Run!” Theo shouts as he grabs for my hand.

  We’re racing through the thickest part of the forest and we break into a meadow of sunflowers I gasp at the beauty surrounding me. If this were in different circumstances with him holding my hand it would be magical. I fantasize about that, and almost lose my footing to an overturned log in the middle of the path. The sun is so bright, it’s almost too bright. I look behind me and I choke on my own air.

  A hulking, menacing figure is gliding through the air at an inhumanely fast speed. I start to cough and splutter. Oh no, I’m going to die from choking on air or being attacked by this monstrosity. Tears stream down my face as I realize that he’s only a few feet behind me. I look over to my other side and see that the other three have formed a line.

  “It’s only one. Can we take it?” My mother asks from the side of her mouth in a half cupped hand.

  “Of course, on my mark you will shoot it.” My father replies.

  Theo stands soundlessly.

  Are they crazy? They’re going to take on this looming shadow figure in his dark cloak of doom. I want to close my eyes, but I just watch dreadfully. He inches near my face. I can see his eyes; they’re almost cat-like in appearance. A sliver of silver stardust seems to have created them. He’s growing larger, as if he’s feeding off of my fear.

  I can’t breathe! I can’t think. I don’t remember why I was so afraid. He’s almost lovely now, perhaps even angelic.

  He could fly. He had wings? They were big, hulking shades of gold and silver made up of thin strands so splendid that I hadn’t seen them until he was up close. And underneath that dark cloak is his golden shimmery hair. I reach out my hand to touch it. Where is his mouth? I reach my hand out farther.

  “Ali. Don’t do it.” Something in the distance murmurs.

  I want it. I want his hair and his eyes for my own.

  “Please, Ali.” The voice begs now.

  I stare at the beautiful creature again. It fades from dark-black to silver-gold and I gasp for air. His eyes start to change shape and hue as if some colored dye was running into them, slowly evolving until they’re as dark as night. I can hear a lulling music in the background. Is it night now? Should I sleep? His eyes are running down his face and the darkness is taking over. I scream. His body is shadowy again. It was all a ruse. He wasn’t beautiful. I scream and his eyes become alert. This scream is long and loud. It’s loud enough to break glass and from my right side a giant animal rams into the shadow.

  What was that?

  It’s colossal. The largest animal that I have ever seen, it looks as though it was plucked from the night sky and placed here. It produces a dark smoke with gray and black swirling undertones. The colors are swirling and fading, creating the massive shape of a Moose and two of the brightest violet lights—as bright as stars replace his eyes. The eyes are attentive and angry. His antlers are silvery and they look translucent from where I’m standing. It’s the most glorious creature that I have ever seen.

  I fall down and hold my gut laughing as the shadowy figure explodes into the air into a billion silvery fragments. They slowly glide to the ground and I hear the faint sizzle as they melt. The massive Moose stares at me for a moment, bellows out a loud grunt and nods in my direction as he disappears into thin air.

  “Did a Moose just save my life?” I ask astonished.

  Theo, my father and my mother just look at each other wordlessly.

  “I believe so.” My father finally says after what feels like an infinite amount of silence.

  Tears are streami
ng down my face and I’m shaking. Theo sits next to me and rubs my back gently.

  “It’s ok. I’ll never let anything bad happen to you Ali.” He whispers softly.

  My parents are murmuring quickly and in frustrated voices.

  “Did I do something wrong?” I ask sniffling.

  “Not at all, if anything you did everything right.” He says. “We have to go soon before we’re attacked again.”

  I leap up quickly when he says this because if I never have to see another one of those creatures again, I would die happy. He takes my hand and the rest of the world fades. All of my fear, my loneliness and nervousness disappear—I smile at Theo. He smiles back.

  In the distance, I can hear a bubbling waterfall and croaking frogs and with each step it grows louder.

  The air alters drastically, and I inhale the crisp, cool air that the waterfall generates. The water falls at a slow pace as if stopping to hug every rock and formation on its way down. It shimmers and reflects the sunlight from the purple and green gem-like pillars creating a small rainbow across the waterfall’s surface.

  The King and the Queen leap into the waterfall, hand in hand, and they vanish. They leave behind a rippling rainbow of colors. Theo beckons me forth with his own hand and an alluring smile.