by C J Benjamin
Suddenly, his body tensed up and his ears flew to attention. I stopped walking and tried to train my eyes to where he was looking. He was spooked and looking around wildly. His hair bristled with agitation.
“What is it, buddy?” I whispered to him.
I used the hunter powers I’d acquired from Journey to get a better sense of my surroundings. Niv was right. Something was off here, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. It was quiet. Too quiet actually. I looked around and for the first time, took in the oddness of the forest around me. It didn’t look much like the rainforest at all. I’d been walking for a while and the majority of my surroundings were blurred away by the haze the forest fire left behind. But ahead of me, I saw an eerie clearing. It was devoid of trees or vegetation of any kind. It looked like the surface of the moon. Everything was ashy and gray. A light mist of something white was falling around me. I took another step forward to get a better look and Niv went into a frenzy.
“Niv! What is it?”
“It’s me,” came a sheepish voice behind me that just about made me jump out of my skin.
For the split second, before I recognized the voice, I was ready to fight. Blue orbs glowing in my hands at the ready.
I turned around just in time to see Remi materialize in front of me.
“REMI!” I scolded.
“Sorry! I’m sorry, 65, I mean, Geneva? Eva? What am I supposed to call you now?”
I couldn’t be mad at him. We burst into a comfortable laughter as only best friends can.
“Geneva will be fine,” I smiled at him. “You nearly gave us a heart attack you know?”
Niv chattered his disapproval from behind an ashy boulder.
“I know, I’m sorry. I know you want to be alone, but . . .”
“It’s okay. I’m feeling a little better . . . I think. I’m glad you’re here, Remi.”
And I really meant it, I realized, as I gave him a long overdue hug.
“Where are we exactly?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. It’s what I was trying to figure out when you snuck up on us. I thought there was something spooking Niv, but it must’ve been you.”
“I don’t know,” Remi said, “this place is pretty spooky if you ask me.”
“I think it’s kind of pretty,” I said. “It almost looks like it’s snowing.”
“That’s not snow, Geneva. It’s ash.”
“Ash? But we’re so far from where the fire broke out. Could the ash really have traveled this far?”
“I don’t think it’s ash from the fire,” Remi said warily. “I think it’s from the volcano.”
“What? It can’t be. I didn’t run that far! Did I?” I asked with a bit of panic in my voice.
But I knew he was right. We had to be near the base of the volcano. That would explain the different terrain, the lack of vegetation, and the clouds of ash that frequently spewed from our very active volcano. I’d never actually seen the volcano up close before. I’d only read about it, but the reading didn’t do it justice. I craned my neck to look up through the thick clouds, trying to catch a glimpse of the legendary peak. The flurry of ash raining down seemed so surreal. I took a few more steps into the clearing and reached out my hands, letting the ash land weightlessly on my palms. It made me smile and I was lost in thought for a moment before Remi called me back to reality.
I turned to look at him when he said my name. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself.
“What?” I asked.
He had such a peculiar look on his face.
“Nothing,” he said shyly.
“Remi, what were you going to say?”
He looked around for a moment, like he was expecting someone else to be nearby. When he turned back to me he looked more confident. He took three quick strides and closed the gap between us. He reached out his hands and placed them under mine as I continued to catch the silent ashes. We smiled at each other, spellbound by this dreamlike moment.
Remi broke the silence and said, “I was going to say how beautiful you look.”
And then my world caved in.
There was a deafening, splitting sound and the ground beneath our feet moaned and exploded to life! Remi was pitched away from me. I lost my grip on his hands as my footing crumbled away. It happened so fast. One moment I was staring into my best friend’s eyes and the next I was swimming though the air, clawing at clumps of dirt and stone as I desperately fought a losing battle with gravity. I tried to keep my eyes open, but fear clamped them shut and all I could hear were my own screams echoing around me. It felt like a bad dream that wakes you in a cold sweat. The kind where you thought you were falling only to awake to the relief that you’re in your bed. But there was no waking. No bed. No solid ground. I just kept falling until an ice cold pain shocked and strangled me all at once!
I choked and my lungs burned. It felt like my chest was about to explode. I tried to open my eyes but they stung and I only saw a blurry blackness around me. I fought hard against the unknown source that was smothering me, but I couldn’t strike anything, no matter how hard I tried. I kicked and clawed, but each of my furious movements felt heavy and sluggish, yet they took every ounce of strength I had left. I felt my struggling slow as I fought the pounding resistance in my lungs for a few moments more, before letting go. My last breath slowly escaped in a long, hopeless bubble that lazily climbed away from me. As I watched it rise bleakly away, toward a distant light, it finally clicked. I realized I was underwater. The sad reality that I was drowning washed over me as I sunk helplessly away from the light. There was something peaceful about it now that I’d stopped fighting. It was cool and quiet as I let my life drift away from me.
4
“Master! Master! Come quick!”
The tall man with the dark hair was suddenly and soundlessly at Kobel’s side.
“What is it, Kobel?” he asked, unable to hide the hint of distress in his normally calm voice.
“The book . . .” he said, pointing to the Book of Gods that lay open on the marble pulpit before them.
The color drained from both men’s faces as they watched water seeping from the ancient book. The ink that had magically been scrawling out the prophecy of the Eva as it unfolded was now mixing with the cold, clear liquid, as if blotting out her existence.
5
It seems what they say is true; your life does sort of flash before your eyes when you’re dying. At least it did for me. Everything slowed down, as bits of memories flickered into view.
I thought of my friends and how unfair it was that I wouldn’t get to say goodbye. I was saddened by the bittersweet last memories I had of them. I didn’t want to remember them the way I had left them in the forest after unlocking the Book of Secrets. They had all looked so defeated. I frowned as I pictured Journey, resting on a mossy boulder when I’d stormed away from everyone. I hadn’t noticed it then, but in my memory, he looked tired, which struck me as odd. Journey always looked as though he was ready to fight the world at a moment’s notice and he had the physique to make you think he would win. It frightened me to see him look so subdued and wounded. Who would fight to save the island if Journey wasn’t there to lead the charge? I struggled to think of another time when he might have looked this exhausted and hopeless but I came up empty.
Hopeless? Journey? I resisted the thought, not being able to make my brain fit the two words together.
Maybe it was this darn buzzing in my ears. It was getting louder. I tried to shake it from my mind and when I refocused, I was startled to see Sparrow’s image floating in front of me. She was curled up next to Journey. Had she been there a moment ago? She looked so sad and dirty, her usual perkiness was missing and something else too. What was it? She looked small and frail sitting next to Journey’s feet. She had one arm clutched around his earth caked leg, with her head leaning against his knee. Her soft brown hair was dull and matted with twigs and leaves. It was partially covering her face in an unruly way that made
it impossible to see if she was crying, but there seemed to be some sort of noise coming from her. Sparrow’s slender legs were folded under her as delicately as butterfly wings. They appeared to be shimmering too. Is that what made me think of butterfly wings? No it was that noise. That buzzing, it was growing louder and it had a faint flapping beat to it now, like something was fluttering inside my eardrums. I thought the flapping was coming from Sparrow but it was so close, too close. And Sparrow was just a memory. Wasn’t she?
Sparrow? Wings? My mind shuddered; nothing was making sense.
I wanted to comfort her. To thank her for being such a great friend to me. Her image glowed before me and she seemed so close, so real. I tried to reach out to her but her features evaporated as I extended my arms. All that was left, was a glowing shadow that was moving toward me.
As it advanced and enveloped me in light, I suddenly felt cradled and safe. I was surprised I didn’t instinctively jerk away. The pounding in my head escalated to a powerful new decibel the closer the glowing being came. But I floated in place, paralyzed and placid. The shadow slowly approached and I closed my eyes when the light it emitted overpowered me.
Remi and Nova flashed into my mind, as if they were burned into the back of my eyelids. They were so vivid, so bright and so painfully handsome. There was so much left unsaid between us. The final beats of my dying heart ached for them. I think they were trying to say something to me, but I couldn’t make out their words and it frustrated me. I could see their lips moving and hear their different tones vibrating, but everything was drowned out by the buzzing inside my head.
My failing mind agitated me. I was anxious to hear from them. They could be trying to send me a message and this was my last chance to see them. I focused hard, but suddenly something caught hold of my hand and I jerked my eyes open. To my surprise the glowing shadow hovering before me took on the face of Remi. I reached out my other hand to him and when he took it, I felt a strange sensation take hold of me, pulling me forward.
But to where? I wondered.
I felt like I was floating and I smiled as a glowing Remi tugged at my limp hands. The soft lines of Remi’s face seemed deeper, more ridged with maturity or maybe it was worry. His large, chocolate brown eyes were determined and his forehead wrinkled where his dark eyebrows met. He was frowning as he ran his hand through his thick messy hair. He had patches of ash peppered through his locks and it looked like he was going gray. I smiled as I took in my best friend’s appearance. His clothes flowed effortlessly from his pale, strong limbs in the water. His stern expression amused me.
Oh Remi, always worrying. I laughed to myself. Things aren’t always as bad as you think. I know I’m dying, but I’ll never leave you, Remi. You’re a part of me and I’m a part of you.
I grinned ruefully as I closed my eyes and let some of my favorite memories of Remi fill my sleepy mind. When I reopened them, I gasped and felt my lethargic heart skip a beat. The glowing figure guiding my suspended hands now, was Nova!
His intoxicating aura enveloped me and I let out a soft sigh and felt myself slipping into that all too frequent Nova-daze. Lovely Nova. Since I surrendered to the idea of dying, I was glad I was getting to spend my final moments with him. Even if this was just in my mind or some Utopian pre-death state, or maybe it was magic. Whatever it was, I wasn’t wasting any time thinking about how it was happening. I wanted to be greedy with my last seconds with Nova. How was it that he still looked so dreamy even as I was dying? The dirt smudged on his face looked as though it had been expertly shaded by the keen hands of a talented artist, accentuating his ruggedly chiseled features. His green eyes were angled into Emerald slivers as he scrutinized me. His blonde hair was as messy as ever, yet on him it looked good, textured and shiny even; casting a golden glow in the rippling water surrounding him. It almost looked like a halo!
Saint Nova, I sighed.
I pulled back against his hand. I wanted to stop him from taking me wherever I was going. I wanted more time with him. I needed more time. I wanted him to hold me again. To kiss me again. I wanted to know he felt the same way I did. I wanted so much more. Suddenly I wasn’t okay with parting this world anymore. I fought against the pulling sensation and lost hold of his hand. I reached for him again and his image rippled away, dissipating like the reflection of the moon on the ocean waves.
For a flash of an instant, the glowing light took a shape that looked familiar; like a beautiful angel, with long flowing blonde hair like mine. She reached out to me with fear in her wide blue eyes. It was like looking at a frightened reflection of myself. I felt her take hold of me, but then everything seemed to flash forward at warp speed and I was engulfed in panic and pain. I was swallowed up in the bright light that had been shaped into my beautiful memories. It was too bright, blinding me with searing, white agony.
This must be it. The end. So it wouldn’t be peaceful and painless after all. I felt burning in my lungs again and I was cold, shivering and coughing up something that tasted horrible. It stung my nose and throat and the ringing in my ears was so loud it was blinding me. A hard, cold surface pressed against my face and my hammering heart protested as I tried to move.
My heart! It was still beating. And my lungs! They ached as I fought to rake small shallow gulps of air through them. I was still alive!
I was too fatigued to move, but I concentrated on catching my breath and trying to open my eyes. I lay on the sandy shore and stared up at the bright light above me, counting my blessings with each breath I dragged through my aching lungs.
6
The men stood silently by, holding their breath and counting the seconds since the water had stopped leaking from the pages of the Book of Gods. It had gone from a rush of water, to a steady stream, then to a slow drip and now nothing.
Kobel was the first to move. He walked up to the water logged book and touched its soggy pages.
“What do we do now, Kobel?” the tall man asked.
“We wait.”
7
At first, the bright, blurry light just aggravated the ringing in my ears. But I found if I opened my eyes just a tiny sliver at a time I could start to make out shapes.
I was laying on the shore of a black sandy cave lagoon. The ground was wet and cold. It smelled like damp soil and sulfur. With a great deal of effort and pain, I rolled from my belly to my back and looked up at the hole above me, bathing my cavernous surroundings with light. It must have given way under the weight of Remi and I.
Remi!
Where was he? I tried to call to him, but my throat was in no shape to speak. I sputtered and coughed as I tried to say his name. Finally, I heard an answer.
“Geneva.”
It was faint, but real. It echoed slightly off the cavern walls. I slowly raised myself to my elbows and looked around. The cave was dark, but enough light bounced off the endless expanse of black lagoon water to illuminate the world in front of me. I marveled at all the different shades of black. The cave walls glistened like black glass as the water reflected light off of them. It was hard to tell if the walls were actually wet, or if their black, inky shimmer was just an illusion from the water. The black sand was cold and coarse under my waterlogged flesh. It was hard packed and didn’t give my aching body any sympathy. I inspected the flecks of it that clung to my skin and dotted my palms as I pulled myself up into a sitting position. Some of the pieces were actually clear and they reflected the light in a way that made them shine like precious gems. I held a small grain up to the hole above me that was spilling light into the cave and it sparkled so bright that I felt like I was holding a tiny star in my hand. I smiled as the light shined brighter still and I heard my name again.
“Geneva.”
I strained my eyes and looked out over the water, following the strange sound of my new name. I was stunned when my eyes landed on an unexpected image. It made the barely regained air rush from my tired lungs again.
“Mom?” I whispered in a hoarse voice.
&n
bsp; The words felt so fragile and foreign crossing my lips, but there shimmering on the water’s surface, was my mother, Nesia. I crawled quickly to the water’s edge, careful not to touch it for fear that the ripples would carry her away from me. I called out to her more desperately this time.
“Mom?”
“Geneva, my darling. It’s all right, dear one. Please don’t cry.”
I hadn’t even realized I was crying. I uselessly swiped at my eyes and looked at my tear stained reflection in the water. Nesia’s reflection glided closer to mine and gracefully cupped my face in her alabaster hands. I felt her! It felt so real, like she was actually there comforting me, holding me. It was the same familiar comforting pull I felt when I was drowning. Then it dawned on me; she was the one who pulled me from the water. She was the glowing shape I had seen guiding me, luring me toward the light. She had been my guardian angel. I dissolved into a sobbing puddle as I let my mother cradle my reflection with hers.
“Mom. Oh Mom, you saved me, didn’t you? You were the light!”
She nodded. “I wanted to reach out to you, but it’s not safe. I tried to use the love you have for your friends to get you to fight . . . But there wasn’t enough time, darling. I had to pull you out. You were too far gone.”
I didn’t know what she meant, but I didn’t care either. Suddenly I was just a child who wanted her mother more desperately than anything else in the world.
“Please stay with me, Mom. I need you,” I whimpered breathlessly.
“Darling, I’m always with you. You know that, don’t you? You are a part of me and I am a part of you. We will never leave each other. I am always where you need me.”
It was like déjà vu. I spoke some of those same words to Remi when I was drowning. Or had I? Perhaps I was hearing my mother’s words in my mind. I had so many questions for her, but I didn’t know where to start. I wanted to stay here with her forever.
