Chapter nine – Terabithia

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Jess and Abele ran through the riverbank, their clothes mud-stained and drenched as the heavy rain poured down. The sky seemed to know it was dreadful day, for as the news was spread, the sky darkened and clouds blocked the sun's light from view. The police were searching the farm and river just a little behind them.

Abele was looking over her shoulder every few seconds, wishing the other girls didn't follow her. They wanted to help, but it was much too dangerous for them. Jess also thought of the state he had left Aunt Ester and his father in. Aunt Ester was sobbing profusely, face buried in her hands, sitting by the kitchen table.

His father, meanwhile, was helping the police search the farm grounds and the river area in front of the farm. In the middle of all this confusion, Jess managed to pull Abele away from the field where she stood with the other girls.

The two ran, splashing puddles, through the trees. 'Jess,' Abele screamed, the whistling of the wind muffling her voice a bit, 'where are we going?'

'To where the queen must have gone,' Jess ran the fastest he had ever run, Abele keeping close behind him. She was surprisingly fast even though wearing a dress. Jess heard shout something, but he couldn't make it out over the thunder that had just resounded through the sky.

They were getting close, he could tell, the remains of the bridge outlined from afar by the rain beating down on it. He sped up, Abele following behind him. He jumped into the raging river, making sure to grab onto a broken part of the bridge the moment his feet touched the water whose current tried to pull him away. He helped Abele in, their hands clasped together tightly as Jess forced his way across the river.

The river had gotten higher again, reaching up to their shoulders. The current's waves splashed harshly against them, and the two found themselves under water most of the time. They fought across the river for what seemed like hours, their eyes stinging.

Flinging themselves onto the bank of Terabithia, the two sat there, catching their breaths. It would have been much easier if the side of the bank where Terabithia lay could be travelled on, but it couldn't. Vines and bushes grew thickly, some with thorns, so no matter how careful the two would be, it would be dangerous to use that side. The other side, however, had barely any vines and bushes.

They'd rather fight a raging river than end up in Terabithia all cut up.

Jess stood up and saw that the once mystical forest of the kingdom was now nothing but a normal, abandoned one. Its magical aura had disappeared. Abele walked on the sodden ground, the dried up grass clinging to her drenched shoes. She let out a sigh, for what, Jess didn't know.

'So, your highness,' she said, looking at him seriously yet still playfully, 'where dost thou royal domain lie?'

'Jus follow me,' he said, getting into character, despite his panicked state, 'it just over that hill, m'lady,'

Abele giggled. It helped them both get over their worry a bit so they could think straight.

Pulling her hand, the two ran through the thick woods, getting stuck at some now dead ends. The vines twisted around most of the areas, blocking off the path that Leslie and Jess used to get to the castle. Now, the two had to find another way to the castle, making their journey longer.

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Steady streams of rain flowed in through the holes in the rooftop, drenching the girl crouched there. She was huddled in a corner, knees hugged to her chest with her face buried in them. She was crying, mumbling incoherent things.

'I'm…sorry….' She said before letting out a sob, 'I let….you down….all of you….I broke my promise….,'

She looked up, watching the rain pour in from the hole in the roof. It would only be a matter of time now. Boards were nailed tightly over all the entrances to the room. She made sure that there was not a crack in between the boards the last time she had been there. The water was filling the room up slowly.

She let go of her knees and lay there, back against the wall. Her once gleaming hair that was akin to gold now lay sprawled dully on her shoulders and some even on the floor. Her eyes were cloudy, wet with tears.

'I betrayed everyone,'

She shut her eyes. Silence enveloped around the place. The only sound that could be heard was the continuous streaming of the rain into the room from the skies above.

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'Martine,'

Jess screamed, hearing his voice echo throughout the forest. Abele pulled him to where she was standing and pointed at something. It was the tree house.

But it was different now. All the doors and windows were boarded up; unlike the times he had been there with Leslie when they were wide open. With Abele following close behind him, Jess scrambled up the tree, slipping. It took a lot of his effort to get onto the ledge that was now falling apart.

Abele quickly grabbed a branch just as she felt her feet slipping off the edge. 'Ack,' she screeched, pulling herself up. Jess was about to tell her something, his mouth open, when they heard something stir from the inside of the boarded up tree house.

'W-who's there?'

Jess immediately recognized the voice even though it was shaky and drowned out by the rain. He put his ear up against the boards, Abele following suit.

'Martine, it's me, Jess,'

He heard Martine make a sound from inside. Later there was a scratching sound coming from the boards.

'I'm here, too,'

At Abele's voice, the scratching stopped. Instead, there was a loud creak and, stepping back from the boards, a huge square hole appeared in front of the place Abele had pressed her ear against earlier. A steady stream of water flowed out the moment the door was opened.

Jess ran to the doorway and hugged Martine. 'What were you thinking?' he asked her, not noticing that Martine was looking at Abele, 'you had us all worried and…you could have been hurt…lost again,'

'Again?'

Martine pushed Jess away and looked him straight in the eye, 'You think I'm Leslie?' She looked at him, stared at most. It took a while for the words to register, but Jess managed to nod in the end.

'Of course you are,'

Martine was silent, her face expressionless. Then she laughed ruefully. She shook her head and told Jess, 'I guess you never noticed, huh?'

Jess was dumbstruck. What did she mean? It was clear that she was Leslie. There was no escaping the truth. But Martine just looked at him sadly, as if disappointed that he never even noticed.

'It's me, Abele,'

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Isa: I love you all, reviewers!! You rock!!!