Chapter 8, Death’s call
Right next to me was Ben, sound asleep. His expression looked soft and calm… something I almost never see in him. I couldn’t help but smile a bit, edging closer towards him. I closed my eyes because I know I’m safe whenever I’m around him. My eyes shot open as Ben wrapped his arms around me. “You’re safe now”, he whispered, bringing me in closer. I nuzled into his chest, returning the hug to him. We stayed like that for a little while but we eventually let go. In all honesty, I didn’t want this to end, but I didn’t want this to last either. What was going on with me lately? I couldn’t figure out what was going on anywhere… even inside of my own head. “You’re awake now, huh”, I heard a voice coming from the doorway. I turned my head just to see Symphony’s smiling face standing above me.
I sat up, rubbing my eyes to try wake myself up a bit more. I giggled a bit when Symphony outstretched her wings, the feathers tickled against my wound up arm. “So how did you end up with a megalomaniac demon like Crat in the first place?” Asked Ben, sitting up beside me. I tried to remember when I first met Crat, but the memories were just… fuzzy. It’s almost as if he didn’t want me to remember… as if he wanted me to forget… everything. “I-I’m not quite sure… the past isn’t a nice place for me so I’d rather forget it”, I quickly made something up to stay away from the subject. We all left the room. I put on my big, comfy hoody and some tights (no I wasn’t sleeping in my underwear you perverts).
Going outside, even if it’s where it all started, calms me down. I love the dark and since the forest roof is covered in branches and leaves barely any light was able to slither it’s way through the maze. The cool breeze blew against my cheeks, tickling me, whispering forgotten secrets in my ears, speaking in a language no one would understand. My mind was taken to places I wish I’d been in a long time ago, as if I was teleported off to a land of wonder. The ground was rough and covered in twigs, cutting through my skin like scissors, but it’s almost as if I couldn’t feel the pain.
We walked a bit further, watching our surroundings as if it were a theater circling around us. I grabbed Ben by the arm, trying not to trip over the surfaced branches. He laughed, holding my hands tightly. We climbed up a tall, slender tree and sat on one of the higher branches. I let my legs dangle from the branch as I lay down on it, luckily though it was quite wide. I closed my eyes, sunlight reached down, stroking my face with it’s warm, comforting hands. I felt… colder almost, as the light disappeared from the sky, but I wasn’t falling. I peeked through my eyelids just to see Ben floating above me, an inquisitive look on his face. “I thought you fell asleep, you can be really calm you know”, he said, smirking.
I closed my eyes again, blushing a bit… it was still dark above me, but I knew a way to prank that ghost. As it got darker and darker, I could tell he was getting closer and closer. I was trying so hard not to show any emotions. Suddenly, I sat up, knocking my head against his. “Back off, pervert!” I squeeled, going back as far as I dared (Which was probably two shuffles backwards). “Pervert, hah! You’ve seen nothing yet”, laughed Ben, throwing a look at me that probably meant ‘You’re in big trouble’. I purposely fell backwards, letting my wings catch me before I landed. I flew back up, giggling at their shocked faces. “You think I can’t use these”, I tittered while flying around a bit. I landed back on the tree branch, just to be rugby tackled off again by Ben.
“Those wings gonna save you now kiddo!” He yelled in a maniacal sort of way. I stretched them out, letting the wind catch us. “Holy shit, that was terrifying”, he whispered, clinging on tighter than a child going to school. We landed on the floor, I ended up collapsing since it’s been a while since I’d used my wings. Although… it felt as if something was wrapping around my ankle, like a cold, slimy tentacle. I felt a small tug then… I was forced down into the ground, my leg breaking from how high it went up. I tried to scream but dirt clogged my mouth and nose. My eyes were filled with dirt aswell, making it impossible to see.
I landed in a small, circular pond, which was shallow enough to land in without drowning. I staggered out, throwing up dirt and blood at the end of it. “Oh my god… are you ok? Did you get hurt? Holy shit, Mike, I think we hurt her!” Yelped a familiar voice. I looked up, my tear-filled eyes barely making out anything. As the dirt cleared, I gasped…