Sequel: The Fifth World 2

The Fifth World

We Meet, Again.

Bo: I sit on the end of my assigned single bed. It is relieving to know that I, once again, will be sleeping in a bed tonight. I much prefer this than a cave. There are five other beds in this big room. Rugs with great detail of red and yellow colours cover the wooden floors. Paintings hung from the walls display history of the Fifth World - I am guessing. On one Calhoun is centred appearing quite heroic with his Angelican dagger - the same one I saw yesterday. I look down at my suitcase and try to ignore the gold letters of my fathers initials staring back at me.

"Are you happy with this place?" I hear a voice ask me. I almost jump but stop myself when my brain clicks and recognises who is actually speaking to me. Caine. He is standing at the door. I look back and smile at him softly.

"Yeah," I say, "it's great." I am barely believable. I can't help feel that tiny bit of unhappiness. I want to go home. I want to see Mum. Adam. Jonathan. I want my own bed. I want England. I am tired of running and hiding but I have no choice. I can't just pick up and leave. Cynric is here. Felicity and Nancy and Janine too. They are part of this now. Their whole lives are here too. If I leave then their involvement in this would have been pointless. They have sacrificed their entire lives just for me. I have to stay here.

"Is everything okay?" he asks me and folds his arms. I look down at the floor and fiddle with my fingers uncomfortably.

"I'm fine," I lie.

He understands that I'm not telling the truth but without any questions or any words at all he turns around and leaves. I feel something in me churn and then it is as if something runs through me, a kind of thought or feeling of determination. I have to do something. But what the hell is there left to do?
I remember something Calhoun had been saying last night... something about fighting. A war. Cynric said he'd fight. I know that Nancy and Janine definitely will. Same as Felicity. I can't let them go without me. I have to fight. I can protect them. I just need to know how. But then again, will Cynric let me fight? I snort to myself. Of course he wouldn't. He would do anything he could just to prevent me from picking up a sword. I have to learn in secret. He can't know.

I stand up from my bed and chase Caine through the cottage that the Council has given us, "Caine," I call loudly, he doesn't hear. He has already left the cottage and is outside walking along the grass, I call his name again and he finally turns around, "can I ask for a favour?"

He stares at me, an expression of curiosity on his face, and then he shrugs, "I guess?"

"You know how to fight, right? You can use a sword and defend yourself?"

He nods his head slowly and narrows his eyes at me, "I can." Of course I know that Caine can defend himself. What a stupid question to ask.

"Teach me," I say to him, "if I know then I can look after myself. No one will have to worry about me."

I won't be a burden. I watch his face, wonder what he is thinking and then sigh. I can read faces well. His eyebrows furrow, his eyes narrow even more and his lips press together in a tight line. I know that he won't do it and the reason being is that Cynric has probably already spoken to him.

"I don't know how to control time travelling either," I say to Caine, "what if something happens? The Academy taught me nothing. I need to learn to control my powers, I can't leave this place. I have to be here."

The smallest familiar feeling comes over me. I barely notice it because I am trying my hardest to persuade this stranger to help me, to show me how to defend myself... therefore being able to protect other people... like Cynric. I can feel heat in my cheeks, the afternoon breeze on my face. I open my mouth to speak again but I vanish.

I am surrounded by posters of pop stars. They cover the walls of my bedroom along with photos of a younger version of myself and friends. It's dark in here, cold too. It's as if nobody has stepped foot in this room for a while. I sigh unhappily and then retreat to my bed. I close my eyes and breathe in the scent of my room. I can smell strawberries, most likely from the shampoo and conditioner Mum used to buy for me, on my pillow. I can smell a faint fruity fragrance of Mum's perfume... most likely that I sprayed on myself just because I wanted to feel glamorous like her. I pull the blankets up from under me and then pull them over my body. I let my feet slip deep under the covers aching for some warmth. Wait a minute. I'm probably thirteen. It's probably around December time of 2006. I feel myself smile and instantly sit up and open my eyes. My eyes flicker to my calender and I am ecstatic to realise that I am indeed correct. Where is Cynric? Where is he? Where is the young, naive and reckless Cynric that I have been longing to see for so long?!
The room is empty... I sigh and feel my head drop slightly. He'll be here soon. It's night time. He has to be here soon. A few minutes pass and without fail my Angelican arrives dressed in perfect white clothing, looking exactly the same since when I saw him in the present. He climbs through the window, his youthful body then lands easily enough onto the armchair. I clear my throat in the silence and then I notice how his body becomes rigid, his spine straightens, his ears move slightly. He is on alert.

"Cynric," I whisper, throw the blankets from my body and climb out of my bed and move towards him. He stands straight, his back to me. Before I can even lay a hand on him he twists around, his Angelican dagger already in his grasp and pointing directly at my throat. I feel my breathing catch, my heart pound and shock twist in my eyes. "It's me." I say almost automatically.

His eyes narrow and he stares at my face. It's me, Cynric. There is little recognition in his expression.
He should be able to figure this out. Maybe this is the first time he has ever met the older me.... but surely, Cynric should know this. He is intelligent. He is smart... he is Cynric. I notice his fingers lower the dagger the tiniest fraction and I instantly feel pain swirl within me. I'm no threat. I'm me, Cynric. I then feel my fingers twitch and I very slowly, without even thinking of the consequences, raise my hand and let my fingers touch his silky skin even when the point of his dagger is resting on my flesh. He blinks a few times as he watches my life flash before his eyes. I try to imagine what he is seeing, every moment we have had together, every conversation, every laugh. His expression changes and then his dagger falls from his fingers and clatters to the floor. Neither of us move.
I feel the faintest smile on my face. I'm not sure whether I am happy or afraid. My eyes are stuck on his face and I am just waiting for him just to say something. He keeps staring and it feels like forever. I take another step towards him and we are face to face. My same hand grazes his shoulder and moves slowly down his arm. I touch his fingers and they curl around mine. Our eyes both look up from our hands and at each other. I then let my other hand take his and soon I am wrapped in his arms, his chin on top of my head.
This is where I want to be. Maybe it isn't London that I need. Maybe it is just here. Right here.

"It's nice to meet you," I whisper into his chest. I feel his hand touch my head, his fingers combing themselves through my hair once before they touch my chin and tilt my head upwards.

"It really is a pleasure," he says to me.

I watch how his face inches closer to mine, ever so slowly, it feels like a lifetime I am waiting. I breathe in and out several times and it is as if he is trying to decide whether or not he is trying to kiss me all the while he is still moving closer to me. His lips touch mine with very limited intimacy. Our flesh simply grazes each other, creating tingles all across my body. He kisses me again with a bit more pressure. This time something within me gets hot. I feel my hands touch his cheeks, my body push itself into his. I am kissing him with as much force as I can, forcing his lips open until he kisses me back the same way I am kissing him. I feel my world blur, everything around me disappears as he kisses me. His hands are now tightly around me, holding me so close that I can barely breathe but at this moment in time I honestly don't care.
With a scream in my throat I disappear and am thrown right back into the Council cottage in Seabrooke. I didn't even feel the pulling feeling, maybe I had mistaken it for Cynric trying to pull my clothes off. I smile softly and feel the rosiness in my cheeks as I sit in the lounge. The fire is going and has filled the room with warmth but a stench of smoke. I cough uncomfortably and look through the windows outside. It is dark. I cannot see passed the shadows of the trees. Oops, I must have been gone for a few hours... I look around, lights are on in the cottage but there is nobody in sight. With quiet steps I return to the bedroom hoping that my entrance will not wake anyone. The bedroom is empty.
I spot something on my bed and instantly run towards it. It is paper. I pick it up and open the note. Tomorrow at dawn. Meet behind the school. Caine.

Cynric: Days go by and I am beginning to get used to my surroundings... the giant stone wall that blocks whoever wants to get in from the outside... but also keeps us on the inside, the buildings that remind me of Hargon, the overly happy people who are probably criminals outside of these walls. Felicity, Nancy and Janine seem to be settling in okay. I barely see Bo around. She is usually with Caine which sometimes frustrates me but comforts me in a way... maybe she can move on - even if I can't.
Janine spends most of her days in the Council cottage writing in her diary. Nancy likes to take walks. She is usually found wandering the very small forests within Seabrooke's walls, sometimes she is by the lake inspecting the plants and little critters she can find in the rocks. Felicity likes the library here. She enjoys reading about Thornes, I know that she has had several conversations with Thornes too.
I spend my days meeting with the Council, discussing what lies in the future. Calhoun expects a surprise attack of some sort. He knows that somehow word of Seabrooke will get out - not many people in the Fifth World know of Seabrooke's existence... but if there are spies that can pick up the most valuable and top secret information of the Fifth World government then there must be some spies who can discover a secret town of this size full of 'criminals'. It is only a matter of time before we go to war. We must be ready.