Il Mondo Perduto

The sun was burning low in the evening sky as Josephina set out of Destro Forest. Her mind kept wandering back to that awkward boy, Arathine. What he had said about Domentrica had irked her for the last two hours. She shook her head of those thoughts and continued east, as was her plan earlier.

Her bag felt heavier than it had been before she dropped it, but she payed no mind to it. Her thoughts only on the path ahead of her and no longer afflicted with that awkward boy. She stooped to avoid getting hit in the face by a tree branch. Her destination rested about ten miles in front of her, but being in the middle of a forest that could take hours. She sighed and sat down on the lowest branch of an oak tree. Domentrica had told her that if she didn't retrieve The Eye, that she would never be able to step foot on Earth again. But what if Domentrica only wanted The Eye because of what she could do? That would make sense, considering she had prompted Josephina with this merely weeks after finally being able to come back to Il Mondo Perduto. But if that were true, could Domentrica be lying to her? Would she?

Twigs snapped behind Josephina and startled her out of her thoughts. She turned around only to see that arrogant boy, Arathine.

'What do you want?" she asked haughtily, standing up and brushing off her pants.

"I came to apologize about earlier. I am extremely sorry for my rudeness, it's just that she's lying to you. I know because she lied to my father and I. She said that if we brought her The Eye she would allow us freedom. But when we went to get her, The Eye had said that Domentrica only wanted her for her powers. And when we failed to bring The Eye back, we were banished from our home." he told her while sitting down on the branch that she had just gotten up from.

"So what am I to do? If I don't bring The Eye to Domentrica I'll never be able to go home again," Josephina asked, looking down at the ground with a look of disappointment.

The remaining sunlight flickered brightly through the branches of the trees and shone on Arathine's face, before diminishing completely.

"I think we should make camp for tonight and start fresh tomorrow," Arathine suggested, taking Josephina's bag from her and unrolling the sleeping bag. "there's no use in trying to make our way out of this forsaken forest at night."

Josephina smiled sheepishly and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before gathering sticks and twigs to build a fire. Arathine helped her with this task by setting them in tepee position and striking a match to light it. Josephina placed her sleeping bag on the ground beside the fire and laid down on it; her eyes staring at the ever moving stars and galaxies.

Arathine sat down by the fire, opposite Josephina. He crossed his legs and looked longingly down at the flames that shot lowly into the night sky. His eyes wandered to Josephina's oval shaped face and he sighed.

"Tell me about your family," she said, her voice weary with sleep.

His lips tugged up slightly and he began. "I only have my father. My mother died just after having me. We lived near The Eye, before we were banished, that is. We lived just outside the Plague Lands. In a little cottage, with bounding hills of green. Where when the sun rises, it's rays shine down on everyone and everything. You'd like it."

Josephina had rolled over onto her elbows and was listening intently to what Arathine had to say.

"Will you take me there some day?" she questioned, her eyes getting bigger with curiosity.

He smiled wearily. "Yes, but first you must sleep."

She smiled back and rolled onto her side. Her eyes drooped lower and lower until she was fast asleep.

"I'm sorry, Josephina." Arathine said to her sleeping figure, just as he snuffed out the fire and crept off into the shadows.