Remy's POV:
I woke the next morning with a weird feeling in my stomach. It was nervousness, but I didn't know why I was nervous. Maybe it was because my brilliant plan to look for the sword involved me being alone and vulnerable. But for some reason I didn't think Hook was planning to attack anytime soon.
I got up when Aaya had left because I didn't want her to see that I had slept fully dressed. My plan was simple – write a note of explanation and slip out of camp. The only paper I had on me was Peter's old note. Using the back of that I scribbled a vague few words with an old pencil I had found at the bottom of my bag.
Gone sword hunting. Be back soon. R.
Placing it carefully on my pillow I reached into my pocket and pulling out another piece of important paper. The words. Raybha had given them to me the night before. Maybe they would help me in some sort of disguised way. They were supposed to help me – Raybha had said so. But Raybha said a lot of things, and sometimes she didn't altogether tell me the truth. I couldn't help wondering if there was something else she was hiding from me.
I then wondered if Peter felt the same.
Peter. Suddenly, thinking his name was a bit of a struggle. The little bit of hope I had of helping him was fading more and more with every second we were together. Something had happened – and I couldn't explain it. Well. I could. I just didn't want to. Because that would be admitting to it – admitting to what was happening, and what we were doing. What I was doing.
But maybe, if I truly admitted it to myself, it wouldn't be so hard to bear. So right there and then in the tent, I sat on my bed and listed the things I was torturing myself over.
1. I had originally told Peter that I could never like him again, dampening his mood forevermore.
2. I was still confused over my feelings for Alex.
3. I was even more confused over my feelings for Peter.
4. I had, without a doubt in my mind, leaned on Peter unfairly.
5. I had, without a doubt, let Peter lean on me.
6. I didn't really know if I still liked Peter.
7. But I did, without a doubt, have feelings for Alex.
8. I hadn't spoken to Alex in days, and I missed him.
It felt weird to admit it. Suddenly the nervous ache in my stomach had disappeared, and I felt hollow. Without another thought, I walked towards the entrance of the tent, attempting to break away from myself. A familiar voice sounded and I stopped dead in my tracks.
"Jason, Jamie, Aaron and Peter will go this way," Sean announced loudly. "Eddie, Alex, Curly and me will go this way. Look everywhere, lads. See you soon."
I listened to a few pairs of feet and parting goodbyes as one group departed. My visions of a lone and peaceful morning had dissipated. They were obviously searching again as well. I remembered telling Peter we shouldn't bother until we had found the words, and he had clearly listened. Although it annoyed me that they were leaving without me.
"One second," said Sean. It was Peter's group that had left. "I'll get Remy."
I winced. I certainly didn't want to be in their group. For obvious reasons.
But you miss him.
Shut up.
While I was locked in a mental civil war I forgot that Sean was coming and still hadn't moved from the entrance. He bounded in and a shriek escaped from my mouth, and we were both knocked onto the ground. I lay flat on my back, overcome with embarrassment when I realized the rest of the group had seen it all. Curly and Eddie were doubled up laughing while the other person was smiling at me. And like the fool I was I ended up laughing and smiling back at him. I turned to Sean, who was on my left and laughing harder.
"Are – are you okay?" I laughed.
"I'm good, I'm good," he said, brushing away tears. He got up and lifted me up with him. When we joined the others Sean explained to me what was going on, while I told him that I was just leaving the tent when he came in. Thankfully he didn't notice that I was lying.
A half an hour later we were in deep woods. It was amazing how it looked so like home. Huge and small trees adorned every crevice and place they would fit. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either. The woods were beautiful and this place seemed to be familiar, but I couldn't put a finger on it. Everybody seemed to be on board with finding the sword. My eyes were searching again, but I wasn't sure they were seeing. My mind was too occupied with Alex ahead of me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Curly nudge Sean and nod towards me, restraining laughter.
"Hey Remeo," Sean whispered. "Where art thou lover?"
I was about to give them a piece of my mind when they suddenly stopped. A similar look came over both of their faces, like they were remembering something. I remembered too. That time that felt like forever ago when Peter stormed off after seeing Alex and me together. I was pretty sure Peter had told them something that day that had to do with me. Wasn't it obvious?
I turned away from them and kept walking. Peter still liked me, I knew that. But I was afraid. He would die if this didn't stop, this mess of emotions and unreturned feelings. I needed to leave him alone and stop depending on him.
But I didn't know if I could do that.
Bloody hell, Remy! Do you like the guy or not?
I was just about to get into another war when Alex called from ahead.
"Hey, guys! I think I found something!"
Without a word we all sprinted forward, practically leaping over pieces of wood and boulders and water. I saw a figure ahead, waving at us. When I saw what it was pointing at, I slowed down immediately.
He was in front of a cave mouth, a cave that I hadn't known was so close to me this whole time. It was carved into a wall of rock, and the inside was pitch dark, but I already knew what it would be like. I had been in there before.
The terror was creeping back. The images of a crying Peter carrying my lifeless body were resurfacing. It felt as though I was wearing a white dress and patent shoes again, following him, begging him to listen. My mind was racing, overflowing, exploding. Yet I still found myself walking toward it.
"It could be in here," Alex said, and although he was right beside me it sounded as though he were a million miles away. Sean and Curly's replies were blurred out. A small light appeared behind me and I whipped around to see what it was. Sean had his phone on, shining it into the cave.
"See? Flashlight app," he said, grinning. "I knew it'd come in handy. Remy, do you wanna do the honours?"
He mistook my staring but I nodded anyways and took the phone. I shone it into the cave again, and breathing heavily, I went in.
It was still dark and cold and damp – and depressing. No creature could've survived in there, unless they were willing to die. I heard the familiar dripping noise and shuddered, trying to ignore it. While we were still walking something caused me to stop. I looked down, and shone the phone on the ground. A rock was idly laying there. I looked to my right and shone the phone there – just more ground.
"Remy?" Sean said. "What is it?"
Ignoring him I crouched down onto my knees and crawled towards the spot carefully, as though the ground might open up and swallow me. I crawled until I felt the spot I was familiar with and shone the light on the ground. There it was – my blood. Dried into the ground. Lots of it. I hadn't realised how much I had lost, how much it had taken to kill me. I shone the phone to the left again, towards the rock. The rock I had thrown. I caught Alex looking at me. He understood.
The others did too. Without a word or a sigh, I got up and brushed myself off.
"Let's keep moving," I said, my voice calm.
I was calm. It felt as though I had made peace with myself. I had faced the place of my fears.
The boys didn't say anything so I must've freaked them out. I was about to start a light - hearted conversation when something shone under the light of the phone that I was slowly moving from left to right.
"Did you see that?" Curly whispered.
"Yeah," I whispered back.
Moving the phone carefully, we waited until the light caught the object again. It was tucked away, in a tiny cut in the middle of two boulders that looked like they used to be connected at some point. I handed Sean the phone quietly, and he took it, shining it on the cut for me. In an eerie moment of silence I held my breath and I reached into the cut, scraping my hand but not caring. I grabbed hold of the object and wrenched it out, not able for the suspense any longer.
The object was long and slightly heavy, one end going down and hitting off the ground. The part I was holding onto separated into two parts further down, giving the impression of a handle. I realised the rest was covered by a thin and dirty sort of rag. I ripped it off, and we all saw what it was.
The Sword of Anmil was quite ordinary but spectacular all the same.
"Come on," I said, not quite sure how to sound. "Let's get back."
A/N : Oh my Gadddd. :O Review please, I want to know what you think might happen next!