CHAP 4 – The Golden Friend
My body ached as I turned over. I felt as if I had slept on a bed of nails. Opening my eyes, golden light blinded me. I turned away in the shadow of the tree from the hurt of the light. I rubbed my eyes and looked at Maddy, who was curled up at the base of the tree. Once my eyes had adjusted to the brightness, I tilted my head backwards and looked up. The once silver trees were now glowing in a golden rainbow of colors. The forest seemed alive and almost magical as tiny animals scurried through the leaves and sticks strewn forest floor. Birds could be heard chirping loudly and happily, it seemed as if they were all singing the same song. I stood up and looked to my left. Where I saw a tiny stream of water, running down the side of a small hill. It trickled its way down across the forest. I walked over to the stream, stepping over broken branch's and through various bushes, leaving my friend sleeping in the shade of a great tree. I sat down on a log next to the small stream. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, this is real. I put my hand into the running stream, and to my surprise, it was warm to the touch. I cupped my hands together and let the warm water run into my hands. The serenity of the forest took me over, and I couldn't resist drinking the warm water. As I brought my hands to my mouth, a voice startled me.
"I wouldn't drink that if I were you."
I whipped around to see a short girl with red hair standing lower on the hill below me. Her hair was tightly pulled back into a bun, and she had a stern look on her face. Leather clothing adorned her body, and a bright green amulet was hanging from her neck. She held onto a long staff, which was taller than her. She looked at me with a questioning look.
"Don't you know that water will put you into a dreamless sleep for days?"said the girl as she walked towards me.
"Oh...no I didn't. I don't know anything anymore.." I said, looking towards the ground. "Where am I?" I asked. The questions started erupting in my mind: this person knows where this is. Maybe she could help me...
The girl walked up the hill, and motioned for me to sit down on a nearby tree stump. She sat down next to me.
"Who are you?" she said. Her face looked much less stern, and a lot more helpful.
"Well...I'm me... and my ca-friend, Maddy, is sitting in the shade of that tree." I pointed to Maddy, who was curled up below the tree.
"I see. My name is Sara. When did you cross over?" she said, as if she had asked this question many times before.
"Yesterday...a couple days ago, I can't really tell, it's all been a big blur to me." I said, looking to my left and right, the forest seemed to be getting bigger and bigger as we talked.
"There are a lot of things you have to learn then. This world is not safe, like the old world was. You have to be more careful." Sara said, gripping her staff and glancing around, as if she expected someone was there.
I looked at her closely, and she looked fairly familiar to me. Up until this point, I hadn't have noticed.
"You look familiar, where did you come from?"
The girl looked at me differently. As if she was trying to see someone through me. She leaned over and ran her hands through the water, and then look at me.
"It's been a long time since someone has asked me that question. So long that I don't even remember the answer." She said, looking deeply sad.
"What's your name?" I asked again.
"My name is Sara. And I came from Los Angeles. I don't remember it, just that that's where I came from. Of all the things you remember, never forget your life." Said Sara.
"I lived there too! Maybe we knew each other! Did you go to St.Mark's High School?" I asked, leaning forward in excitement.
Sara closed her eyes and then smiled to herself.
"Yes, yes, I did."
For the first time, Sara laughed. She grinned from ear to ear and yelled at the top of her lungs. I sat there, in shock, and amazed that she was so happy.
"I remember!" Sara exclaimed, looking me right in the eye.
"And I remember you. Your Alexis. I sat next to your in biology Freshman year."
"Ahhhh!" I yelled. Soon I found myself in a deep embrace with Sara. I had begun my journey finding my lost friends.
Diary,
I am so happy, I have found Sara. She has told me she will help me find Scott. She says everyone has a purpose, and the reason we are all here is to fulfill that purpose. She told me a lot about what has been going on in this new "world". Basically, there is no law, everyone just does what they want, and there's no one there to stop them. She also says we have to be careful, because there are mad people out there. I asked her if she thought I had a chance of finding my other friends, and especially Scott. She said that this "world" has been around for a very long time now, and I was really late "crossing over", so there's a chance the people I loved could be dead. I can't loose Scott...I just can't. Tomarrow we are going into the Wasteland, wherever that is. She says it has a lot of people. Can't wait.
Night
-Alexis
Sara and I talked for hours it seemed. I felt as if I were on top of the world. The sun moved from the Far East and was now overhead. The forest was glittering with dust and other fragments as they drifted throughout the trees. The whole forest reminded me of a fairy tale, and during our talk I half expected the seven dwarfs to come walking through the woods, or Bastian from the Never ending Story to go running by. I was in my own living fairy tale. We talked about many things, and she told me about all the adventures she's had and what she's in search of. She told me that she had awakened around two years ago, and now she is in search of her younger brother, Jared. It turns out that most people that crossed over are too looking for lost loved ones, and sadly, not many find them. Soon we decided we must continue on our journey, together. "Maddy!' I yelled at my now human feline friend. She groggily yawned and turned over. "Oh Maddy...dinner time." I whispered sneakily in her ear. Her ears immediately perked up and she lifted up her head sleepily. "What do ya want?" She said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She then looked at Sara with a bit of surprised, and looked to me as if I were going to explain who she was. "This is Sara. When I was walking by the stream we ran into each other. She went to the same High School as me. She's going to come with us." I said. Sara smiled at Maddy, and Maddy looked somewhat relieved. "I'm glad someone knows where were going!" She said laughing at me. I gave her a stern look, and then too laughed. "So, where are we going anyway?" I asked Sara. She looked at me and then looked to the ground. Instantly, she looked to the west and pointed with her index finger. "We're going to the Wasteland." She said triumphantly. She looked to us expecting us to be wowed. We just gave her blank expressions.
My body ached as I turned over. I felt as if I had slept on a bed of nails. Opening my eyes, golden light blinded me. I turned away in the shadow of the tree from the hurt of the light. I rubbed my eyes and looked at Maddy, who was curled up at the base of the tree. Once my eyes had adjusted to the brightness, I tilted my head backwards and looked up. The once silver trees were now glowing in a golden rainbow of colors. The forest seemed alive and almost magical as tiny animals scurried through the leaves and sticks strewn forest floor. Birds could be heard chirping loudly and happily, it seemed as if they were all singing the same song. I stood up and looked to my left. Where I saw a tiny stream of water, running down the side of a small hill. It trickled its way down across the forest. I walked over to the stream, stepping over broken branch's and through various bushes, leaving my friend sleeping in the shade of a great tree. I sat down on a log next to the small stream. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, this is real. I put my hand into the running stream, and to my surprise, it was warm to the touch. I cupped my hands together and let the warm water run into my hands. The serenity of the forest took me over, and I couldn't resist drinking the warm water. As I brought my hands to my mouth, a voice startled me.
"I wouldn't drink that if I were you."
I whipped around to see a short girl with red hair standing lower on the hill below me. Her hair was tightly pulled back into a bun, and she had a stern look on her face. Leather clothing adorned her body, and a bright green amulet was hanging from her neck. She held onto a long staff, which was taller than her. She looked at me with a questioning look.
"Don't you know that water will put you into a dreamless sleep for days?"said the girl as she walked towards me.
"Oh...no I didn't. I don't know anything anymore.." I said, looking towards the ground. "Where am I?" I asked. The questions started erupting in my mind: this person knows where this is. Maybe she could help me...
The girl walked up the hill, and motioned for me to sit down on a nearby tree stump. She sat down next to me.
"Who are you?" she said. Her face looked much less stern, and a lot more helpful.
"Well...I'm me... and my ca-friend, Maddy, is sitting in the shade of that tree." I pointed to Maddy, who was curled up below the tree.
"I see. My name is Sara. When did you cross over?" she said, as if she had asked this question many times before.
"Yesterday...a couple days ago, I can't really tell, it's all been a big blur to me." I said, looking to my left and right, the forest seemed to be getting bigger and bigger as we talked.
"There are a lot of things you have to learn then. This world is not safe, like the old world was. You have to be more careful." Sara said, gripping her staff and glancing around, as if she expected someone was there.
I looked at her closely, and she looked fairly familiar to me. Up until this point, I hadn't have noticed.
"You look familiar, where did you come from?"
The girl looked at me differently. As if she was trying to see someone through me. She leaned over and ran her hands through the water, and then look at me.
"It's been a long time since someone has asked me that question. So long that I don't even remember the answer." She said, looking deeply sad.
"What's your name?" I asked again.
"My name is Sara. And I came from Los Angeles. I don't remember it, just that that's where I came from. Of all the things you remember, never forget your life." Said Sara.
"I lived there too! Maybe we knew each other! Did you go to St.Mark's High School?" I asked, leaning forward in excitement.
Sara closed her eyes and then smiled to herself.
"Yes, yes, I did."
For the first time, Sara laughed. She grinned from ear to ear and yelled at the top of her lungs. I sat there, in shock, and amazed that she was so happy.
"I remember!" Sara exclaimed, looking me right in the eye.
"And I remember you. Your Alexis. I sat next to your in biology Freshman year."
"Ahhhh!" I yelled. Soon I found myself in a deep embrace with Sara. I had begun my journey finding my lost friends.
Diary,
I am so happy, I have found Sara. She has told me she will help me find Scott. She says everyone has a purpose, and the reason we are all here is to fulfill that purpose. She told me a lot about what has been going on in this new "world". Basically, there is no law, everyone just does what they want, and there's no one there to stop them. She also says we have to be careful, because there are mad people out there. I asked her if she thought I had a chance of finding my other friends, and especially Scott. She said that this "world" has been around for a very long time now, and I was really late "crossing over", so there's a chance the people I loved could be dead. I can't loose Scott...I just can't. Tomarrow we are going into the Wasteland, wherever that is. She says it has a lot of people. Can't wait.
Night
-Alexis
Sara and I talked for hours it seemed. I felt as if I were on top of the world. The sun moved from the Far East and was now overhead. The forest was glittering with dust and other fragments as they drifted throughout the trees. The whole forest reminded me of a fairy tale, and during our talk I half expected the seven dwarfs to come walking through the woods, or Bastian from the Never ending Story to go running by. I was in my own living fairy tale. We talked about many things, and she told me about all the adventures she's had and what she's in search of. She told me that she had awakened around two years ago, and now she is in search of her younger brother, Jared. It turns out that most people that crossed over are too looking for lost loved ones, and sadly, not many find them. Soon we decided we must continue on our journey, together. "Maddy!' I yelled at my now human feline friend. She groggily yawned and turned over. "Oh Maddy...dinner time." I whispered sneakily in her ear. Her ears immediately perked up and she lifted up her head sleepily. "What do ya want?" She said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She then looked at Sara with a bit of surprised, and looked to me as if I were going to explain who she was. "This is Sara. When I was walking by the stream we ran into each other. She went to the same High School as me. She's going to come with us." I said. Sara smiled at Maddy, and Maddy looked somewhat relieved. "I'm glad someone knows where were going!" She said laughing at me. I gave her a stern look, and then too laughed. "So, where are we going anyway?" I asked Sara. She looked at me and then looked to the ground. Instantly, she looked to the west and pointed with her index finger. "We're going to the Wasteland." She said triumphantly. She looked to us expecting us to be wowed. We just gave her blank expressions.