Faeries of Delusia

Chapter Ten

You know that strange feeling you get in your stomach when you’re on a high rollercoaster? Well that’s what jumping with an elf feels like.

I did close my eyes, I wasn’t fond of heights. Raiden held me tight against his chest, assuring me we were okay and he wasn’t going to drop me. It did help with my conscious, I admit, but if you were, like, one hundred feet in the air with no seatbelts, wouldn’t you be a tad bit worried?

The only thing I could feel was the sudden jolts of when Raiden would land on something and then bound back off into the air. I wanted to ask how much longer it would take but I didn’t want to upset him or make him hurry. He was doing this for me, I should be thankful.

The image of Fumio and Tomo, the two twelve year old twins, kept popping up into my mind. I couldn’t shake them out of my thoughts.Fumio had said Tomo was hurt. Was he dead? Was Fumio killed while trying to save his brother? They were next on my list to find. First I needed to talk to Trista. But if we didn’t find her soon, she would have to wait. I had other things on my mind that needed to be accomplished.

“I’m sorry Jamie, I don’t see any sign of her.” Raiden told me with sympathy.

“Ask someone then.” I suggested.

“Who do you expect me to ask?”

Raiden landed on the forest floor and let me down. That of course was a bad idea because I tumbled over backwards, hitting my head against the ground. My poor head. Raiden knelt down beside me as he helped me sit up. “Sorry, I forgot you would be dizzy. I’m not a human, remember?” he joked.

“It’s okay.” I attempted to jump to my feet. I was a little wobbly and the dizziness hadn’t faded yet, but I was ready, I was on a mission. “How ‘bout you help me out, okay?”

“What is your proposal?”

“You take me to the twins-,” I began but was instantly cut off.

“What is it with you and these twins?” Raiden asked, not quite understanding that they were now important.

“When I meet someone I don’t forget them.” That’s all I had to say about that. “Let me finish.” I demanded. “You come back here and look for Trista.”

“What if I find Trista, what do you want me to do? You’ll be miles away.”

Well, I hadn’t plotted my plan that far yet. I figured Raiden would turn it down once I mentioned he take me to the twins.

“Uh-,”

Raiden sighed. “I will take Trista to you if I find her. I don’t know how pleased she will be to be with me, though . . .”

“She doesn’t like you?”

“Not really. Don’t know why.” he admitted.

“Well, thanks. Now let’s go!” I was about to pounce back into his arms when he held out his hand.

“Wait, do you hear that?” he asked, tilting his head to the side, listening intently. We both stood in silence for a moment or two.

“Yeah, it’s a bird.” I shrugged. “So what?”

“It’s my mom.”

“Your Mom’s a bird?” I asked, confused.

Raiden shook his head at my stupidity. “No. That’s our call. Our emergency call. Something is wrong.” Raiden began to pace around, anxious. He mumbled some things to himself, nothing I could understand, though.

“Do you need to go home?” I was disappointed, because I desperately needed his help. But if it was a family emergency, I couldn’t be greedy and keep him to me. It seems as if he is the hero of this forest, protecting all. It was obvious he disagreed with some of his family’s beliefs, but when theyneeded him, he had to be there. “Go, Raiden.” I urged.

He looked up at me with concerned eyes, his forehead creasing. “Are you sure?” he asked to be positive.

“Yes.” I replied.

Raiden thought for a moment and he was about to take off, but then he stopped himself. “No. I need to take you to where you need to be.”

“I can wait. You travel so fast it will be as if I only waited her for a minute or two.”

“But you shouldn’t be here any longer than you need to be.”

“I’m not worried about it. Go!”

Raiden was about to protest once more, but I waved my hands at him, implying for him to hurry up and get to his family. I wonder what kind of emergency they had?

I waited under a tree for him. He was taking way longer than I assumed. I was patient though. I kept reciting everyone I ever knew so I wouldn’t forget them. My parent’s names were already out of the question, same goes for my little brother. I began to sob softly. Would I ever remember them? Would I ever see them again?

I heard rustling in the trees and I looked up, waiting for Raiden to fall down from the trees. Well, it was almost Raiden.

I saw his face and I recognized it, but not as familiar as Raiden. Though he did have his eyes. It was Toru, Raiden’s older brother. You know, the one that wants me dead.

Obviously I was startled and I jumped to my feet, pressing my body against the tree behind me.

“Hello. What do you want?” I wanted to break the ice instead of staring at each other.

“You know what I want. Why aren’t you back in your own world? Or dead in ours?” he asked in a devilish tone. I tried to back up but couldn’t. I left my spot from the tree and slowly made my way to the left.

“Don’t run, I know you’ve seen Raiden jump through trees, and I can do the exact same.”

I felt my heart was pounding so hard and loud Toru probably could hear it even at the distance he was away from me. I sucked in deep breaths and tried to calm my nerves so I wouldn’t become overwhelmed with fear and keel over.

“I am trying to leave. Give me more time. Raiden is going to help me-,”

“My little brother isn’t going to help a human, how ridiculous.” he sneered, cutting me off.

No matter how much begging I pressed on Toru I figured it wouldn’t make a difference so why waste my breath? He’s right when he said I couldn’t run from him, I knew I couldn’t run from Raiden, and maybe with Toru being older he was faster and more experienced. But I couldn’t just stand here and let Toru kill me, I had to at least try to save my life.

He took out an arrow from his back pack and got it aimed at me. I was about to close my eyes and just get it over with, but maybe I had a chance. Maybe miraculously Raiden would appear out of the trees like he usually did. That’s when I wondered if Tory planned this. Was there even a family emergency? Did he just want Raiden gone so he couldn’t save me?

“I thought there was an emergency.” I suddenly blabbered out to get his attention on something else.

“Why would you say that?” he asked, the arrow still aimed at me. He didn’t seem interested in what I had to say and he began to close one of his eyes as if aiming the arrow right at me, right at the target.

“Raiden scurried away because he said he hear his mother’s bird call or something.” I said quickly, taking a step to the left so his aim was off.

“A bird call?” He lowered the arrow and looked at me with a confused expression.

I nodded.

“Mom only uses that call in case of an emergency. Are you sure?”

I nodded once more.

Toru thought for a second, lowering the arrow slowly as he did. “Wait a second.” He brought the weapon back up to his face and began to aim at me again. “Is this a trap?”

My eyes grew wide. “No! Of course not. Get Raiden back here and he will tell you himself.”

“Aha I don’t think so, you just want him to save you. Well that isn’t going to happen . . .”

I saw him pull the trigger farther back and that’s when I broke into a flat out run. I ran fast and zig-zagged around the trees so if he let the arrow come at me it had a greater chance of missing. I didn’t know where Toru was at the moment and I didn’t want to look back. I didn’t dare to look up either in case he was in the trees already.

“Raiden!” I cried helplessly. “Trista! Anyone!” I screamed. I could hear Toru’s maniac laugh in the distance but I couldn’t decipher which direction it was coming from! Although my calves burned and my feet ached I continued to run at a faster speed, watching the ground frequently to make sure I didn’t stumble over anything. If I did, I figured I would be doomed for sure. I kept imagining Toru right behind me, ready to stab me with an arrow, and every time that image popped in my head I ran faster even though I was running out of breath and running out of time. I forgot my name again.

“Darn it!”I screeched out to no one in particular.

Up ahead I saw the trees ended. I would have no place else to hide! On the brighter side Toru would have no trees to jump through either. But what could I run behind to stop a speeding arrow?

The only place I found a suitable hiding spot would be in the water I saw coming up ahead. It was a lake, not an ocean like the one the Ocean Dragon lived it. Hopefully nothing dangerous would be interrupted by my presence there. But what if Toru saw me jump in the lake and came after me? I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere then. And sooner or later I would have to come up for air. I was running out of ideas!

Trying to distract attention from myself I scooped up rocks from underneath me and threw them back into the trees behind me, maybe Toru would think that I was still in there. Hopefully he couldn’t see me racing to the water. I prayed he was stupid!

I was about to leap into the water but fearing that would be too loud I walked into it, ignoring the coldness of it, and then when I was deep enough ducked my head underneath it taking one last deep breath.

I stayed there for a few seconds and then struggled to open my eyes. The water was ridiculously clear, causing this to be a not so good hiding spot after all. I could see through it and see the land but I saw no figures there. Either Toru was still hiding in the trees waiting for me to come out, or he literally lost me and was still looking. Hopefully he had turned around and looked somewhere else.

My brain began to feel like it was going to explode and my lungs begged for air. I managed to stay under for a few more seconds until my head burst through the top of the water and I gasped in, filling my body with life once more. Once I caught my breath I lowered myself back into the water with only my nose barely above the surface. I scanned the trees many times just in case I could still see Toru, but I saw and heard nothing. Was this a good sign? Yes. Did it mean he couldn’t see me? No. I was hesitant. I would stay here all day if I had to. I was not going to be shot with an arrow! Raiden would find me soon, right?

That’s when I remembered I needed to find Trista. What if she had been captured? Would they kill her? Raiden never explained to me what happens to Solar Faeries when they get caught.

But what about Raiden’s family. What was their emergency?

As these questions rolled through my mind I attempted not to get a head ache but I failed.

I tried to multitask by attempting to answer some of my questions and to also watch for danger, aka Toru. I wasn’t paying attention to how long I was standing in this water. I knew I had to be pruned, with the lake water sucking the water from my skin.I suddenly noticed a light tug on my shirt. Was it a fish? I was so caught up in my mind I ignored it. But then it happened again but harder. I turned around to see a head peeking up from the surface. I screamed and jumped back, splashing through the water and finally falling over. Whoever it was laughed at me then. It was a girl. She lifted her head completely out and exposed her shoulders.

I spit lake water out of my mouth and stood up. “Who are you?!” I demanded, still shocked. “You nearly scared me to death! What are you doing in this lake?”

“No, the question is, what are you doing in this lake.” She giggled. She had dirty blonde hair that stuck to her head due to the water and her eyes were bright blue, very pretty.

“I—I was—uh—hiding.” I admitted, noticing that sounded awfully strange.

“Uh, oh you were?” she mocked my reluctant tone.

“WHO are YOU?” I repeated, more fiercely.

“Sorry I frightened you,”—she giggled again—“but this is my lake and I belong in here, unlike you.” She examined me up and down and gasped. “You’re a human?”

“Yes, yes I’ve gone through this many times before. I can’t believe you don’t know about me yet.” I rolled my eyes. “How is this your lake?” I asked.

“It’s my home.”

“You live in the water?” I was confused.

She smiled and jumped out of the water, doing a back flip, and landing back in it with a splash. She had a tail, she was a mermaid?

She noticed my expression and explained. “Yes I am a mermaid. My name is Heidi. What is your name?”

What an awful question to ask, so I decided to overlook it. “A mermaid? Seriously?” Mermaids were merely folklore in the human world. But now they were reality. I stared at her tail.

“Excuse me.” she noticed my staring but then laughed. “Isn’t it pretty?” She lifted it out of the water and let it dangle in front of me. It was a shiny green and pink color, I could almost make out my figure in her glittery scales.

“Beautiful.” I murmured with no sarcasm equipped. She smiled proudly.

“So who are you hiding from?” she changed the subject suddenly.

A sighed, a little embarrassed. “An elf.”

“Well if you need a hiding place I have a great one! Follow me!” She grabbed a hold of my wrist and tugged me down under the water.