Page 15 of In Between Darkness

“To stupidity!” I laugh and clink my glass against hers, Charlie joining in. If the Gods could see us now.

***

The night draws in, and Nala and I are getting ready for bed. I shower and scrub my body hard, as if my sponge can wash off the stress of the day. I dry myself off and throw on my favourite pyjama set: pink strawberry shorts with a matching cropped top. I walk out towards my bed and wait for Nala to get in the shower. The sound of running water is apparent. I haven’t got long, and I use this time to move the secrets stored under my sheets to the suitcase under my bed. I sit on top of my covers and gaze up at Moon Castle out my window. They will be waking up soon.

“So, what do you think about Charlie then?” Nala asks, anticipation written all over her face.

“Huh?” Her words are not quite registering in my brain yet.

“Charlie, what do you think of him?” she asks.

“I like him. You two definitely make quite the pair.” I pull the sheets over my legs.

“You really think so?” she says, also getting into her bed.

“Yes. Haven’t you heard, those that tame together stay together!” I joke, and she grins.

“That’s good.” She laughs. “I’ll make sure I tell him that.”

“Remember, don’t be a psycho,” I mess.

“You’re right. Don’t wanna scare him off!”

“Somehow, I don’t think he scares that easily,” I smirk as she turns off the lamp by her bed.

“I hope you’re right, cos I really like him,” she whines, squeezing a pillow into her chest.

“How about this? If he hurts you, I’ll break his neck?”

“Promise?” she pleads as I hear her giggling to herself in bed.

“Yeah, and I’ll feed him to the elion’s for first meals,” I reply, turning my bedside lamp off too.

She laughs at this for a minute before saying goodnight.

It’s ten p.m. and my eyes are feeling heavy for once. Must be from the bitch of a day we’ve all had. I am relieved that I don’t have to take my sleeping pills again after the weird dream I had last night. Thoughts try to swim to the surface of my mind, the key chain, the photo, the blindfolded one, but I don’t give them time to breathe as I push them deeper into the back of my mind. I shut my eyes and drift off to sleep. Combat is tomorrow, and I need all the rest I can get.

***

I am awakened by the squawks of birds around me. Is it morning already?

A cold chill ripples at my legs, causing me to shiver and instinctively feel around for my duvet. My hands claw for something to hang on to. The surface feels cold and moist; it loosens around my grip and embeds under my fingernails.

Where am I?

Startled, I sit up and rub the sleep from my eyes. Surely not another bad dream?

My eyes squint in the darkness, and I scratch the back of my neck in confusion. I can just about see the twisted branches of the towering pine trees above me. I’m in some kind of forest. My heart skips a beat as I come to the realisation that I am in Moon territory. I must’ve sleepwalked here. I need to find my way back to the castle. I look around, but I am disoriented. My eyes take a moment to adjust to the dark, but I’m unsure which way I came from. A few dim lanterns are hanging high in the trees above, which settles my nerves a little. At least it’s not total darkness, but the unforgiving air is still biting at my skin. I am not wearing nearly enough clothes for this shit. The snap of a branch in front of me makes my head swing dramatically in its direction. Someone is here.

I cower behind the closest tree. If I am caught out here, I will surely be expelled or worse; if a Moon catches me, I am as good as dead. I press my body close to its trunk and grip my hands tight around it. Peeking around its wooden axis, I encourage my eyes to focus on what may be lurking in the darkness. The second snap of a branch coerces my head in the opposite direction this time. My heart beats to an unfamiliar rhythm. It’s him. The blindfolded one.

“You have got to be kidding me,” I whisper under my breath, not meaning to say it out loud.

His head pivots in my direction, and I conceal myself behind the tree as quickly as I can manage. In this moment, I forget to breathe. He didn’t see me, did he?

I wait a couple of seconds, and his heavy footsteps trail off in the other direction. I exhale in relief. That was a close one.

Unwrapping my hands from the tree, I turn around and tiptoe in the opposite direction from him. This seems like the most logical thing to do in my head to get back to Sun Castle. With every step I take, sharp twigs crunch beneath my bare feet,making me wince. Way to go, Asha. Always finding yourself in the worst situations.