Chapter 10
Chris's POV
Riding away from the house, the sun rising behind us, we headed for the distant mountains; Which were only blotches of gray on the horizon. Looking back at Amy, I noticed that she looked distant. "Hey, Amy, are you ok? Listen, this is going to be a long trip, even by horseback. Why don't you lean against me and get some sleep, I'll make sure you don't fall." I said, and she blinked, looking at me in confusion for a few seconds.
"What? Oh, no, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something, that's all." She said, and for a few seconds, I thought about asking her what was on her mind, but decided that if she wanted to tell me, she would have. Nodding my head, I instead slowed Spirit down to a trot and reached into my pocket, pulling out my phone and earbuds. "What is that?" She asked, looking at the device in my hand.
"This is a phone. While it can't do everything it could where I come from, it can still play music. Do you want to listen to some?" I asked, and she hesitated for a few seconds, before nodding.
"S-sure, but how does something like that play music? It's not big enough to play records!" She said, and I looked at her in surprise.
"R-records? Wow... Back where I come from, we don't use records anymore. We have digital music." I said, and she looked confused.
"...Right, I have no idea what digital is, but how does this work?" She asked, looking at the phone I had just placed in her hands. Bringing Spirit to a halt, I carefully turned to Amy.
"First, place these in your ears; Make sure they stay in." I said, and she slowly began to put the earbuds in her ears, pushing on them to make sure they were secure, before looking back at me. Grabbing the phone and tapping on the music note icon, I brought up my music playlist. "Next, you see this little icon right here?" I asked, pointing to the little triangle play button, and she nodded. " When you're ready to play the music, tap it." I said, handing her the phone. She looked at the screen for a few seconds, before hesitantly tapping the screen, nearly throwing it when the music blared loudly in her ears. Quickly grabbing the phone and pausing the music, I pressed the volume down button, before looking at Amy.
"OW, my ears!" She said, clutching at her ears. "If that's what music is like where you come from, I don't want to listen to it!" She said, and I gave her an apologetic look.
"Sorry about that. I guess I just got used to playing my music loud, it made it easier to tune some things out." I said, sighing. "Try it now, it should be fine." I said, and she hesitantly put the earbuds back in, before pressing the play button; Relaxing when it quietly began to play. A few seconds later, she looked at me with a frown.
"It sounds so... Sad. Is 'digital' music always like this?" She asked, and I looked at the screen, seeing that she was listening to 'The Sound of Silence' by Disturbed. I shook my head.
"No, but most of the music I have is sad. Remember, I was going through a tough time. This is the type of music I listened to, as it just matched how I felt..." I said, and she slowly nodded, a frown on her face. "Let's get back to riding, days seem to go by quicker in Minecraftia." I said, and she nodded, leaning against me as I made Spirit once again start to trot. We rode for about an hour. Looking back at Amy, I smiled, seeing that she had fallen asleep. Slowing down to make sure she didn't fall, we continued on through the plains. Eventually, the flat land became littered with trees as we began to enter some woods. As we entered, Amy began to stir. Yawning, she slowly opened her eyes. Looking around, she carefully pulled the earbuds out and sat up straight. "Hey, sleepyhead, have a good sleep?" I asked, and she nodded.
"Where are we?" She asked, and I shrugged, continuing to keep my eyes ahead of us, weaving between the trees around us.
"Well, we just entered some woods on the other end of the plains, but other than that, I don't know, except that we are still heading in the direction of the mountains." I said. She nodded, looking around, before a look of recognition flashed in her eyes.
"H-hey, Chris? I know it's still early, but do you think we can set up camp here for now?" She asked, and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow questioningly.
"I was hoping to at least get a little farther today... Why? What's got you so interested in this place?" I asked, and she hesitated, before looking away.
"It has something to do with the other reason I wanted to come along, and it's something I really need to do..." She said, not meeting my eyes, obviously not wanting to explain any farther. Looking at her for a few seconds, I sighed.
"If it's that important to you, I don't see why not." I said, and she looked back at me, a small smile on her face. "However, since this was your idea, you have to help set up the tent! I'm not going to do all the work!" I said, giving her a playful smile.
"Deal! Thank you, Chris, this really is something that means a lot to me." She said, and I nodded. Finding a small clearing close to a small pond, we hopped off of Spirit, and I found a sturdy tree to tie his lead to. Opening up the saddlebags, I pulled out the fold up tent. Opening the box, we began setting it up. When we finished, Amy straightened up, wiping her forehead. "There! All done!" She said, standing back and examining our work. "Now, I'm going to... go for a bit of a walk for a bit." She said, and I nodded, frowning.
"Ok, but please be careful. In fact, take this, it's dangerous to go alone!" I said, mentally chuckling at the reference as I reached into the saddlebags and handed her my stone sword. She shook her head, handing it back.
"Thank you, but I'm fine. If I get in trouble, I can just teleport to safety. You need it more." She said, and I sighed.
"Fine, but promise you'll be careful!" I said, and she smiled, nodding her head and placing her hand on my shoulder.
"I promise. I shouldn't be gone for long, so don't worry." She said, before walking farther into the woods, leaving me to watch as she disappeared from view.
Amy's POV
Walking away from the campsite, I sighed. I could see the worry in Chris's eyes when I didn't tell him about my plans. I just didn't want him to feel he had to come. This was something I had to do on my own. Looking around me, I frowned as I recognized these woods. Right up ahead, where the forest thickened and became a dark forest, was where we were ambushed when I was ten. Taking a deep breath, I continued on, eventually reaching the spot where they were killed. Looking around, you'd never think something so horrible had happened here in the past. It almost seemed... Peaceful, but I knew better. This place would never be a good place to me. I sighed. Maybe Caroline had been right; I don't know what good I expected would come from me being here... This was a bad idea. I thought to myself getting ready to head back to where we were camping, before something caught my attention. Halfway buried in the dirt, something glittered in the faint sunlight. Walking over to it, I bent over and picked it up. Brushing off the dirt, I froze, recognizing my mother's ender eye pendant.
Flashback
My mother and I sat in the little temporary hut my father had made from a giant red mushroom and some bonemeal as we waited for him to return. He had gone out hunting so that we would have more food for when we went traveling again the next day. I never understood why we had to move around so much; Whenever I asked, my parents always seemed to avoid the subject. Now, sitting here next to my mom, I couldn't help my eyes drifting to the shiny pendant she always seemed to wear. "Hey, mom? What's that?" I asked, pointing at it. She looked at me in confusion, before following my eyes.
"O-oh, my pendant? Your grandmother gave this to me when I was about fifteen. I've kept it with me ever since. Why? Do you like it?" She asked, and I nodded.
"Yes... It's very pretty!" I said, and she smiled, holding it in her palm and looking down at it.
"I'll tell you what. How about when you turn fifteen, I'll pass it down to you, just like my mother did!" She said, and I smiled and nodded, before a thought came to mind.
"What ever happened to Grandma? You never seem to talk about her. Can we visit her?" I asked, only to feel confused when her smile began to disappear, being replaced by a small frown.
"No... As much as I miss her, we can't visit her." She said with a sigh. I opened my mouth, but before I could ask her why not, dad hurried in, looking concerned.
"Hey. Come on, we have to go!" He said, giving my mom a weird look. She looked at me, before nodding; Gesturing me towards the door. It looked like we were once again on the move.
End of flashback
I couldn't help but cry a little as I looked at the dirty pendant. She never did get the chance to pass it down to me. Wiping my eyes, I held the pendant to my chest and closed my eyes. Don't worry, mom. I got it, and I'll keep it safe... I thought to myself, before slowly putting it on and tucking it under my shirt. Taking one last sad look around, I began to trek back to camp. By the time I made it back, Chris had set up a small area for a fire for when it got dark, as well as unpacked. Looking up, he smiled. "Hey, welcome back! I unpacked our things, including our fishing rods. Do you want to go fishing?" He asked, and when I didn't answer, he frowned, looking at me closer. "Hey, did something happen? You look like you've been crying!" He said, and I sighed and nodded.
"Y-yeah, I'm ok. It's just... I just visited the area my parents were killed in..." I said, and his eyes widened. "I found my mom's old pendant that she was planning on passing on to me when I turned fifteen." I said, untucking it from my shirt and holding back the tears that threatened to fall again. Chris stood up and walked over to me, before pulling me into a hug. Standing there with his arms around me, I let the tears fall, quickly soaking his shoulder. When he readjusted his shirt, I realized what happened and pulled back. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to soak your shirt like that." I said, and he just shook his head.
"Don't worry about it. You don't have to apologize for something like that." He said, gently wiping my eyes. "I'm here for you, even if you just need a shoulder to cry on." He said, and I sniffled, nodding. After a few seconds of him just holding me, I sighed and began to relax.
"H-hey, Chris? Do you think I can use your 'phone' again?" I asked, and he softly smiled.
"Sure you can, it's right over there." He said, pointing over towards the tent. "I'm going to try to catch some fish. Remember, if you need anything, just ask. Like I said, I'm here for you." He said, and I quickly laid a kiss on his cheek, before stepping into the tent and grabbing the 'phone'. Putting the ear pieces in, I looked at the screen, only to see that it looked different. Hesitating for a few seconds, I randomly tapped the screen, and pictures popped up. Seeing a picture of Chris and two other people, I tapped on it, causing the picture to become larger. Chris was standing next to two older looking people who I assumed were his parents. Standing up with the phone, I stepped out of the tent and walked over to Chris.
"Hey, Chris? Are these your parents?" I asked, and he looked up from his fishing rod in confusion, before his eyes fell on the picture.
"Ah, I see you found my photos. Yes, that's my family. Aden took this for me about a year ago." He said, and I nodded looking at the picture.
"They look nice, and you seem so happy here!" I said, and he shrugged, reaching over and tapping the screen, causing the previous screen to pop up.
"They were nice... When they weren't fighting, that is. This was taken this year on my birthday, when I turned sixteen." He said, before sighing. "For future reference, if you want to listen to music, tap this icon." He said, pointing to a weird symbol, and I smiled guiltily.
"S-sorry..." I said, and he shook his head, patting the ground next to him.
"Don't worry about it. How about you grab your fishing rod and join me?" He asked, and I shrugged, going over to Chris's horse and pulling the fishing rod that I had bought in the village from the saddlebag on it's side. Walking back over to Chris, I sat down next to him and looked at him curiously.
"Ok, now what? How do I do this?" I asked, and he steadily reeled his line back in, before setting the fishing rod down and sitting closer to me.
"It's easy. Here, put this on the hook. I didn't have any real bait, but these seem to work." He said, handing me a small red mushroom. "I found them growing near here, and the fish seem to love them!" He said, pointing at a bucket on his other side that I just noticed had fish in it. "Now, just cast the line into the water as far as you can, and wait for the fish to bite!" He said, demonstrating by sending the line back out. Following his lead, I sent the hook whizzing through the air and into the water. Sitting back, I began to wait, and it wasn't long until I caught my first fish. By the time it began to get dark, we had both caught a significant amount of fish, and Chris stood up, pulling in his fishing rod. "There we go, that should be enough for dinner, can you gather some sticks we can use to cook the fish over the fire pit?" He asked, and I nodded.
"Sure, I'll be right back, I guess." I said, before once again heading into the woods. Gathering sticks, I began to feel as if I were being watched. Feeling the hair on the back of my neck raise, I froze, looking around. Not seeing anyone or anything around, I shrugged, chalking it up to paranoia due to the area I was in. Deciding that I had collected enough sticks, I headed back to camp; The feeling of unseen eyes following my every move.
Chris's POV
Getting my flint and steel, I started a fire in the little pit in the center of the camp as the sun began to set, and the sky started to get darker. Dragging the bucket of fish closer, I sat down in front of the fire. After a few minutes, I frowned, beginning to worry about what was keeping Amy gone for so long. However, a few seconds later, the sounds of footsteps snapped me out of it, and I looked up to see Amy returning with a bunch of sticks. "There you are, I was starting to get worried!" I said, and she looked apologetically at me.
"Sorry. Is this enough? You never told me how many you wanted." She said, and I nodded, getting up and taking them from her.
"Yeah, this is good. In fact, this is more than enough. I'll start preparing the fish now!" I said, and Amy smiled and nodded. Cutting up a fish with my stone sword and removing the bones, I skewered the meat and held it over the fire; slowly turning it to make sure it was thoroughly cooked.
"I felt like I was being watched while I collected those sticks..." Amy said, while she watched me cook. Hearing this, I nearly dropped the fish.
"What? Are you sure? Maybe it was an animal or something." I said, looking into her eyes. She nodded, giving a sigh and a shrug.
"Maybe... I mean, I definitely felt like I was being watched, but it could of just been me being paranoid." She said, though she still looked a little worried. Frowning, I went back to cooking the fish.
"What about... Now? Do you still feel as if you're being watched?" I asked, and she looked around at the quickly darkening woods; Shaking her head.
"No... Not really. You're probably right, it was most likely an animal just being curious." She said, and I nodded, staring into the fire as I finished cooking the first fish, handing it to Amy.
"Maybe. But just in case, let's just stay in camp." I said, and she nodded, taking a small bite and closing her eyes. I smiled, seeing that she enjoyed it. A few minutes later, I joined her, digging into the freshly cooked fish. When we finished with the rest, the moon had begun to rise, and the forest was dark, the only light coming from the moon and fire. "Hey, Amy, let's start getting ready for bed. Tomorrow is going to be a big day, and we need all the energy we can get, ok?" I asked, and she stood and stretched, before nodding.
"Ok, I'll see you in the tent, then." She said, and I smiled, straightening up the camp. As she went into the tent, I looked around. I couldn't help but feel it wasn't just a curious animal watching Amy. Sighing, I shook my head, before putting out the fire and getting inside the tent next to Amy. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to mean any harm. Laying down, I wrapped my arms around her, and she smiled, before closing her eyes. Following her lead, I closed my eyes, quickly falling asleep. After what only felt like a few seconds, I slowly blinked my eyes open as Amy urgently shook my shoulder. "Chris! There's someone outside!" She whispered into my ear, and I grumbled slightly.
"Amy, we are in the middle of the woods and away from people, why would anyone else be-" I began, before the sound of a footstep outside too heavy to be an animal caught my attention, and I sat up straight, my eyes now fully open. Opening the tent and looking outside, I caught a flash of movement behind the trees. Quickly turning and grabbing my sword and flashlight out of my backpack, I stood up and looked at Amy. "Stay here, I'll go see who it is!" I said, and she grabbed my arm.
"Wait! What if it's..." She started, but I had already pulled away and ran out of the tent. Turning on my flashlight, I looked around, my knuckles turning white from gripping the sword so tightly.
"Who's out here?! I have a sword, so don't try anything!" I shouted into the night air. Everything was quiet, but I knew someone was out here watching; I could feel their eyes on me. "Come out and show yourself! Show yourself or leave!" I shouted, but was met with only silence. Sighing, I went to turn back towards the tent, when I bumped face first into someone. Whoever it was, they grabbed a hold of me. In my surprise, I dropped my sword and flashlight and let out a yelp. Realizing that I had dropped my weapon, I closed my eyes and prepared for what was to come next. When nothing happened, I slowly opened my eyes. Not recognising my surroundings, I began to look around, my eyes widening when I saw who was near me. "Y-you! What are you doing here?! If you're here for Amy, you'll have to go through me!" I said, staring down the Enderman with the scars who we had bumped into before. He looked at me for a few seconds, before rolling his eyes.
"That wouldn't be very hard to do, now that you're unarmed..." He said, and I stiffened up, my eyes scanning the ground for anything I could use to defend myself. Seeing a small log, I dived and grabbed it, holding it in front of me. The Enderman didn't even flinch. "Relax, I'm not interested in the girl, or the one she has fallen for." He said, his voice calm. I looked at him in confusion for a few seconds, slowly lowering the log.
"Then what are you doing here? We saw you before, why are you following us?!" I asked, and he slowly turned, pointing to a bush near a tree. Looking at him strangely, I slowly moved towards the bush, keeping an eye on him. Looking in the bush, I was shocked to see a sheathed sword, a stone looking like Amy's necklace attached to the hilt by a chain; Another one embedded into the sheath.
"It's from our leader. She is aware that you are trying to find her, and she sent me to give that sword to you. She thought it could make reaching her easier." He said, and I looked at him in confusion, before realisation came to me.
"Wait... Was your leader the one who brought us to Minecraftia?" I asked, and he nodded.
"Yes. I don't know why she did, but she did. She did tell me to tell you that she will answer any questions you may have when you reach her." He said, and I nodded, before sighing.
"Alright, since you don't seem to mind me and Amy being together, can you answer a question for me? Why would it be so bad for a human to love an Enderman?" I asked, and he sighed.
"Many Endermen think that if a human were to fall for an Enderman, it would dilute the bloodstream. A child born of an Enderman and a human would be more human, and therefore, less of us." He said, and I nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, what about you? What do you think?" I asked, and he looked away.
"Frankly, I somewhat agree, though, who someone loves doesn't matter to me, as long as they are happy." He said, and I nodded.
"What about the... War? What do you think about that?" I asked. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but a rustling in the bushes caused me to look away. When I looked back to the Enderman, he was gone. The rustling continued, growing louder by the second. Just as I was about to unsheathe my new sword, Amy crept out of the bushes, her eyes lighting up when she saw me.
"Chris! There you are!" She said, rushing over and hugging me. "I-I heard you yelp, and when I looked outside, I found your sword and the weird torch you carry around with you. What happened? Are you ok?" She asked, and I nodded, trying to decide whether or not I should tell her what happened, before remembering what happened last time I kept something like this from her.
"Y-yeah, I'm ok. Remember that Enderman we ran into before?" I asked, and she nodded, looking concerned. "Well, I ran into him again..." I said, and her eyes widened.
"What?! Are you sure you're ok? Should we start packing up and leave?" She asked, biting her lip anxiously. I shook my head, looking down at the sword in my hand.
"No, I don't think we need to worry. He said he wasn't after us." I said, and she didn't look very convinced.
"A-are you sure we can trust him? I don't know if we can. I've been on the run from Endermen for years. I don't think I can trust any." She said, and I shook my head.
"Here's the thing... I had no weapons on me, he could have easily killed me, but he didn't. In fact, he brought me this." I said, showing her the sword. "He said it came from his leader; Who was the one that brought me and Aden here in the first place." I said, and she held the sword; A look of wonder on her face.
"This is a really fancy sword... Did he say why this 'leader' of his was giving this to you?" She asked, and I nodded, taking it back when she held it out for me.
"Yes. Apparently, this could help me reach her." I said, and Amy just nodded.
"Ok, but I still don't trust Endermen very much, this could just be a trick." She said, and I shrugged and nodded.
"Hey, I may have a fancy new sword, but I don't really want to use it just yet. Let's head back to the tent before we run into something else." I said, noticing how quiet and still the woods had become. She nodded, leading the way throughputs the trees.
"Hey, Chris? Do you think it was that Enderman who was watching me earlier?" She asked, and I blinked.
"Probably..." I said, and she gulped. Seeing this, I placed a hand on her shoulder., and she looked back at me.
"Relax, the fact that he didn't do anything proves that he wasn't after you. He was probably looking for me and realized that you would lead him to me." I said, as we arrived back at the camp. Entering the tent, we began to get ready for bed. Laying down, we once again closed our eyes, letting sleep overtake us.
Chapter 10 is complete. I'm sorry about the ending, I realize I got a little lazy, I just burned myself out towards the end, and couldn't think of anything else to add to the chapter. Anyways, if you did enjoy the chapter, (even though it was so short) please leave a review. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, (if you celebrate it) and I will see you all in the next chapter.