Sequel: The Fifth World 2 ›
The Fifth World
Like A Twig
Bo: A midnight breeze blows outside, sometimes it reaches into the cave and bites my skin. I stir throughout the night, I see dreams, or nightmares, of Cynric, his face, cold and pale. Lifeless. I pray to never actually see him like that.
There is shuffling in the cave, whispers throughout the night, my hint of unconsciousness spares me from reacting, that is until the early hours of the morning, when it is the coldest but somehow... the warmest.
My eyelids flutter, it is almost pitch black in the cave. I feel something behind me, not hard but not soft either. A body? I turn around immediately and am relieved to see Cynric, his blonde curls covering his face, his eyelids shut. I can't help but smile and I wrap my arms around him. He grunts quietly and he moves around me as I hug my body to him.
"You're here," I whisper, excitement filling me, "you're really here." I can just see his face, it is so dark. He smiles at me and his hand touches my cheek. "You should have woken me when you arrived."
He shakes his head, "I didn't want to disturb you."
I smile and take his cheeks with both my hands. I don't think anyone else is awake so I don't resist holding Cynric. "I was so worried about you. Are you okay? Is Janine?"
He nods his head, "we're fine."
I sit up slowly and look around, there are other bodies around us, "where is she?" Through the darkness and with narrow eyes I try and decipher which female is Janine but something makes my skin crawl and my back shiver. "Who is that?" My voice is a little louder as I point towards the unknown figure that is sleeping just a few metres from us.
"It's okay, it's okay," Cynric says and sits up beside me. "You won't believe what happened."
I try to get a better look at the woman or girl. She is small, slim and fast asleep. I then notice the red hair and feel the hairs on my own skin stand.
"Felicity?" I hiss at Cynric, "Felicity is here?!"
He hushes me and subconsciously pulls some hair from my face, "be calm, Bo. She helped us, you have no idea how much Janine and I owe her."
I look over towards Felicity, I still can't see her face but I can definitely imagine that calm and human expression she has when she sleeps. I saw it this morning and if it weren't so dark and if she weren't facing the other way, I'd be seeing it now. I can be grateful, for whatever she did that brought Cynric back to me. I guess.
"Get some sleep," Cynric whispers to me, his eyes flicker towards the outside of the cave, it is a little lighter out there than it is in here but it is freezing cold.
The fire had been put out hours ago. The winds whistles throughout the cave and is usually louder than the breathing. Those are the only sounds we have heard for hours. So, why can Cynric and I hear other sounds?
He shoots a look of curiosity at me and then removes himself from beside me, "stay here," he whispers. I automatically pull the blankets across my shoulders and up towards my neck. I watch Cynric move, very quietly, around Janine, Nancy and Felicity and towards the entrance of the cave. The only entrance and exit. He carefully keeps his body close to the rocks and peers out and down the mountain. I notice his eyes widen slightly. I begin to hear voices, they are far away but they are loud enough.
Cynric swivels back towards me and looks at me with wide eyes, "everyone up! Wake up! We must move!"
I instantly stand and begin to wake up Nancy. She is fast asleep but when she hears Cynric's loud voice she slowly stirs awake. Felicity is up instantly, in quick movements that appear to me as a blur she has already stood up and is staring straight at Cynric. "What is going on?" she asks him.
"There are people moving up the mountain, we have to go."
"I should go take a look," she whispers, Cynric shakes his head but Felicity has already disappeared. I watched her, as quick as a flash, sprint out of the cave and then down towards the mountain.
Janine stands up slowly, "she is bad news, Cynric. It was a mistake bringing her."
"Was it mistake when she saved our lives?" Cynric hisses. He stands towards the edge of the cave, his fists tightened, his stance straight. He is angry and is looking out towards the bottom of the mountain. Janine swallows and doesn't say another word.
"Bo," Nancy whispers to me, I look up towards her, her blond hair is a mess, "come on, help me pack up."
Everyone helps gather all of Nancy's and my stolen goods. We are packed within five minutes. Felicity returns within four. Cynric takes her arm angrily when she arrives.
"Let go of me!" she hisses at Cynric. I notice how her eyes turn a strange dark colour, her body tremble slightly, not from fear but from fury. Her muscles tense.
"Do you want to get yourself killed?" Cynric asks her. "Or us? You could lead whoever it is down there straight to us!"
Somehow she removes her body from his grasp and turns Cynric around, his left arm has been pulled behind his back, his entire body, especially his face is pressed up against the cave's sharp wall. Felicity has clumps of his blond hair between her long fingers. I rush to get over towards them both.
"Do not lay a hand on me again, Angelican," Felicity whispers, her fingers unravel themselves from his hair and move towards the nape of his neck, "because if you do I will snap your skinny neck like a twig."
Her mouth is up by his ear, a hand around his neck and the other with his left arm behind his back as if she is about to break it. I am beside her in a second and am about to slap her face or punch her or something as hard as I possibly can. Her head turns, her eyes land directly on me and then it is as if I run straight into her open hand. I can feel my breathing struggle, I gasp as her hand chokes me slightly. Her other hand is still at the back of Cynric's neck, pressing his face into the wall.
"Let go of her!" he groans.
Felicity smiles at me, it is frightening, she then looks at me up and down, "Don't make me regret saving your Angelicans lives, Bo." I can't even turn to look anywhere else, my eyes are stuck on her face. I can feel Nancy's and Janine's eyes staring at us, they are just as afraid as we are. I jump and disappear from Felicity's grasp, I appear at the end of the cave and have fallen to the ground and am holding my neck and trying to recover my rhythm of breathing.
Nancy is at my side, her hand on my back and the other on my cheek. I cough and breath out heavily. I then look up towards the front of the cave. Felicity lets go of Cynric, he turns around and meets her angry gaze. He then looks towards me, sighs and heads outside into the night. Janine is standing, frozen, staring at Felicity.
"Let's go," Felicity says, "we have a long walk ahead of us."
There is shuffling in the cave, whispers throughout the night, my hint of unconsciousness spares me from reacting, that is until the early hours of the morning, when it is the coldest but somehow... the warmest.
My eyelids flutter, it is almost pitch black in the cave. I feel something behind me, not hard but not soft either. A body? I turn around immediately and am relieved to see Cynric, his blonde curls covering his face, his eyelids shut. I can't help but smile and I wrap my arms around him. He grunts quietly and he moves around me as I hug my body to him.
"You're here," I whisper, excitement filling me, "you're really here." I can just see his face, it is so dark. He smiles at me and his hand touches my cheek. "You should have woken me when you arrived."
He shakes his head, "I didn't want to disturb you."
I smile and take his cheeks with both my hands. I don't think anyone else is awake so I don't resist holding Cynric. "I was so worried about you. Are you okay? Is Janine?"
He nods his head, "we're fine."
I sit up slowly and look around, there are other bodies around us, "where is she?" Through the darkness and with narrow eyes I try and decipher which female is Janine but something makes my skin crawl and my back shiver. "Who is that?" My voice is a little louder as I point towards the unknown figure that is sleeping just a few metres from us.
"It's okay, it's okay," Cynric says and sits up beside me. "You won't believe what happened."
I try to get a better look at the woman or girl. She is small, slim and fast asleep. I then notice the red hair and feel the hairs on my own skin stand.
"Felicity?" I hiss at Cynric, "Felicity is here?!"
He hushes me and subconsciously pulls some hair from my face, "be calm, Bo. She helped us, you have no idea how much Janine and I owe her."
I look over towards Felicity, I still can't see her face but I can definitely imagine that calm and human expression she has when she sleeps. I saw it this morning and if it weren't so dark and if she weren't facing the other way, I'd be seeing it now. I can be grateful, for whatever she did that brought Cynric back to me. I guess.
"Get some sleep," Cynric whispers to me, his eyes flicker towards the outside of the cave, it is a little lighter out there than it is in here but it is freezing cold.
The fire had been put out hours ago. The winds whistles throughout the cave and is usually louder than the breathing. Those are the only sounds we have heard for hours. So, why can Cynric and I hear other sounds?
He shoots a look of curiosity at me and then removes himself from beside me, "stay here," he whispers. I automatically pull the blankets across my shoulders and up towards my neck. I watch Cynric move, very quietly, around Janine, Nancy and Felicity and towards the entrance of the cave. The only entrance and exit. He carefully keeps his body close to the rocks and peers out and down the mountain. I notice his eyes widen slightly. I begin to hear voices, they are far away but they are loud enough.
Cynric swivels back towards me and looks at me with wide eyes, "everyone up! Wake up! We must move!"
I instantly stand and begin to wake up Nancy. She is fast asleep but when she hears Cynric's loud voice she slowly stirs awake. Felicity is up instantly, in quick movements that appear to me as a blur she has already stood up and is staring straight at Cynric. "What is going on?" she asks him.
"There are people moving up the mountain, we have to go."
"I should go take a look," she whispers, Cynric shakes his head but Felicity has already disappeared. I watched her, as quick as a flash, sprint out of the cave and then down towards the mountain.
Janine stands up slowly, "she is bad news, Cynric. It was a mistake bringing her."
"Was it mistake when she saved our lives?" Cynric hisses. He stands towards the edge of the cave, his fists tightened, his stance straight. He is angry and is looking out towards the bottom of the mountain. Janine swallows and doesn't say another word.
"Bo," Nancy whispers to me, I look up towards her, her blond hair is a mess, "come on, help me pack up."
Everyone helps gather all of Nancy's and my stolen goods. We are packed within five minutes. Felicity returns within four. Cynric takes her arm angrily when she arrives.
"Let go of me!" she hisses at Cynric. I notice how her eyes turn a strange dark colour, her body tremble slightly, not from fear but from fury. Her muscles tense.
"Do you want to get yourself killed?" Cynric asks her. "Or us? You could lead whoever it is down there straight to us!"
Somehow she removes her body from his grasp and turns Cynric around, his left arm has been pulled behind his back, his entire body, especially his face is pressed up against the cave's sharp wall. Felicity has clumps of his blond hair between her long fingers. I rush to get over towards them both.
"Do not lay a hand on me again, Angelican," Felicity whispers, her fingers unravel themselves from his hair and move towards the nape of his neck, "because if you do I will snap your skinny neck like a twig."
Her mouth is up by his ear, a hand around his neck and the other with his left arm behind his back as if she is about to break it. I am beside her in a second and am about to slap her face or punch her or something as hard as I possibly can. Her head turns, her eyes land directly on me and then it is as if I run straight into her open hand. I can feel my breathing struggle, I gasp as her hand chokes me slightly. Her other hand is still at the back of Cynric's neck, pressing his face into the wall.
"Let go of her!" he groans.
Felicity smiles at me, it is frightening, she then looks at me up and down, "Don't make me regret saving your Angelicans lives, Bo." I can't even turn to look anywhere else, my eyes are stuck on her face. I can feel Nancy's and Janine's eyes staring at us, they are just as afraid as we are. I jump and disappear from Felicity's grasp, I appear at the end of the cave and have fallen to the ground and am holding my neck and trying to recover my rhythm of breathing.
Nancy is at my side, her hand on my back and the other on my cheek. I cough and breath out heavily. I then look up towards the front of the cave. Felicity lets go of Cynric, he turns around and meets her angry gaze. He then looks towards me, sighs and heads outside into the night. Janine is standing, frozen, staring at Felicity.
"Let's go," Felicity says, "we have a long walk ahead of us."