The Fifth World 2

Bo: It is a sweet reminder of the challenges this world brings me, the importance of my existence, the abomination of my birth... war is something this world longs for, craves and I know that I am definitely a cause of it all.

Even hundreds of metres away I can still smell the fresh smoke of the fire that has consumed the homes of all of these people. Here we are; on the road again. Again the sanctuary has been breached, again destroyed and again the daily lives of so many good people have been shattered.

"This is war," I hear Felicity say in a very low and angry voice. "This has happened too many times."

"Indeed," Nancy mumbles.

We are walking to no where in particular. All I know is that the Seabrooke guardians are planning on leading us somewhere safe... who knows where that is? This almost reminds me of the night the Seabrooke walls were first breached, when they were demolished by the Thornes and we all had to sleep in Calhoun's home or his paddock. It would be impossible to do that now. There are way too many people to do that again, besides, if Cynric made it to Calhoun's home like he intended I doubt either of them would be there now.

"Did Johnson and Derek get out safely?" I ask Felicity, although I am rather reluctant to speak to her.

I do not even look at her, my question is sort of general, as if I am asking the group of us though the only person that would know the answer is Felicity. Felicity looks over at me and her gaze is different - as if she is uncomfortable.

"Johnson got in a fight with someone and Derek came to help him. Derek got hurt."

"Who is Derek?" Nancy asks me. "And who is Johnson?"

"Is Derek okay?" Adam asks, his voice a little shaky since our encounter with Walter and Katerina and the rest of them.

"They're fine... I think they are up towards the centre of everyone. Derek was worried about you. You should probably check on him, Bo." Felicity mumbles.

I look at Adam and see the worry in his eyes. He is still scared. As much as I want to check up on my friend and see if he is okay... I need to look after my brother. I know what it is like to take a life, I know the regret you feel, the pain, the face you see each time you close your eyes. It haunts you and if you let it, it can consume you. I take Adam's hand and curl my fingers with his. He looks down at our hands and then at me before looking straight ahead at the many people in front of us. He knows there is a long and cold night ahead of us.

Well, at least he doesn't hate me anymore.

Cynric: It is cold in Calhoun's home and it seems untouched. The lights are off and it is a pitch black as I am underground, inside a mountain. Beneath my feet I can feel wood and hear it as my shoes move across it. I feel myself walk into something and from memory I know that it is the sofa in his living room. I let out a heavy breath, I am glad to know that the furniture is still here. I am relieved to know he has not covered it all with a white sheet, or worse, moved it. Its presence lets me know that he is still here. Hopefully. I pull my Angelican dagger from my satchel and speak some words that allow it to light up at the tip casting a glow across the room. Bookshelves are the first things I see. They line almost every wall. Each book is covered in a thick layer of dust. I keep moving. I pass the kitchen and am relieved to see that it is not covered in dust, it is actually used, dirty dishes cover almost every inch of kitchen bench... and I can see that the dishes are very, very old. A stench wreaks through the kitchen. It is so foul that I hurry to leave it and head towards the very long hallway where the bedrooms lie. What the hell has Calhoun been doing here? Dying. Of course. What life does he truly have? He is forbidden from a life beyond these walls. I don't blame him for living like this. I just hope he will leave it. I reach the long hallway and at the very end of it, at the very last door, a light shines from behind it. Calhoun's bedroom.

I breathe out a heavy breath and quicken my pace towards the bedroom. I am nervous. The Calhoun I knew growing up was a hero, he was confident, powerful and loved. The Calhoun I met last year was broken, angry and bitter. Like a bitter old man, just stuck in a youthful, never aging, immortal body. What Calhoun is left from the Calhoun I met last year?

My hand takes the door knob and I take in another very nervous breath. I twist, it clicks and I push the door open.

Bo: It is early morning by the time we stop walking. We have taken rest in a very large clearing. Wendell wanted to be sure that we were safe and as far away from danger as possible before stopping. The children were becoming restless too. Unfortunately, due to the unforeseen circumstances, very few tents are shared amongst everyone. Some go without and decide to sleep outside beneath the stars, others share amongst a group of almost ten.

I am sharing a tent with Nancy, Felicity, Adam, Caine and Derek. It will be very crowded by midday when most of us are too exhausted to even move. Caine decided earlier to leave and join the rest of the Seabrooke guardians to keep watch whilst everyone else sleeps. Adam is restless. For a while I watch him try to sleep but I know he is still bothered by Walter. Felicity and Nancy talk. It is very uncomfortable being in the presence of Felicity. A tension brews between us. It was even worse when Caine was around. I excuse myself from the tent to sit outside with Derek. He sits up beside another tent with his legs crossed. He has built a tiny fire and to escape the boredom he sets alight little sticks collected from the forest during our walk. He watches the flames with tired eyes.

I notice the way he holds his right arm, as if it is broken or something, as if he cannot have weight on it, as if an invisible sling holds it in front of his chest instead of at his side.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, quietly.

"Yeah," he says, "It is a bit overwhelming... I knew what I was getting into, I knew it'd be an adventure here... but it takes a while to adjust from a typical high school boy life to a life... like this."

I smile at him, "I meant the arm."

"Oh," he says, "Yeah, it's alright. It's not that bad."

"You should let someone look at it, you could have broken it."

He shrugs, typically, "I think it's just a fracture. I'll survive."

I stare at him, I stare at the youth in his face. The youth in his face is different from that of an Angelican. An Angelian can display the age in a way I cannot understand... but Derek is young, he is young and he is naive and innocent.

"I'm sorry," I whisper as the fire crackles.

"For what?"

I shake my head, "I wanted to show you this world, I wanted to help you. There are so many things that I want you to see and to learn but now that we are outside of Seabrooke I don't even know if that is possible. I'm afraid that if you stay here all you are going to see is the worst of this world... the battles, the war... and all of it is just over one thing... power. It's disgusting."

He throws a stick into the fire and it glows a bright orange before fading into charcoal, "It's early days now, Bo. I trust you, I know you'll teach me, you're my Angelican, after all."