Time is the thief of memory.
The Lake Of Life, By the Koa Forest, Southern Ardeneon.
April 9
"Something is clearly wrong" River speaks up as they all sit on the ground by the lake of life.
They decided not to have the conversation in the Bolvera house because they didn't really trust them so much as ungrateful as that sounds.
"Yeah, and we need to figure it out fast" Dexter adds.
"I have a weird reoccurring dream" Skai mutters. "I wonder if it has anything to do with this."
"What do you mean?" River looks over at his sister confused.
"Okay so, we're in this forest, and a portal sucks us in, and every time right before I wake up I hear the same creepy word 'doomsday' hella weird" she looks at the ground rubbing her nose, "That's why I don't get sleep sometimes, it's creepy"
Elijah's eyebrows furrow remembering he has been having that exact same dream.
Dexter and Emily voice his thoughts "I have that dream too" They Chorus.
"Same" River mumbles distantly.
"Me too" Elijah tells them
"So, we've all been having the same dream?" Dexter chuckles emotionlessly "things get weirder and weirder I swear"
"Anyone else experiencing anything else that is unusual??" River asks "Let's know what page we're on"
"Well, it feels like I'm missing bits and pieces of my memory" Emily says.
"Anyone else feel that way?" Elijah questions looking at each of them and they all pause to think.
"Well kind of, it feels like I'm supposed to be somewhere else, but I can't remember where" Dexter replies.
"I've been feeling like we have another goal besides finding our parents." Elijah says. "Kind of like our priorities are misplaced"
They look at River and Skai waiting for a response.
"Hey, I have bad memory, I wouldn't know" she shrugs.
"I've been thinking of the future lately, not the past, I wouldn't know either" River says, "but now that you mention it, where did we come from?"
"Something is definitely off" Elijah ponders "Guys what about the riddle?" he asks them.
"How could we forget Elijah?" Dexter takes a jab at him, rolling his eyes, he's still mad at him, Dexter is like that and to be fair, Elijah hadn't apologized.
"Look Dex, I apologize, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been harsh with you alright?" Elijah says and Dexter shrugs in response.
Dexter had accepted the apology; he just wouldn't say it.
"There are no ditches in Thairo, the riddle is pointless" River says dipping his hand in the lake, playing with the water mindlessly.
Just as he put 'Thairo' and 'Ditch' in the same sentence realization dawns on Elijah. "Today in history class, Professor Ranil said something" he pauses and notice they were all listening intently. "She said 'this ditch had no hope of being the capital anyways' guys the ditch isn't in Thairo, the ditch is Thairo"
"So, if the ditch is Thairo and the riddle said across the ditch, then does that mean we have to leave Thairo to get the answers we need?" Emily asks.
"No Emily, we stay here and wait for the answer to come to us" River quips and Elijah narrows his violet eyes at him threateningly.
Emily responds to him in the same tone "Maybe next time, two weeks was long enough"
"Guys focus" Surprisingly, that came from Skai. "Land and Sea, it has to be a beach or something"
"Maver Island" Dexter suggests
"It's a hunch but it could be right" River shrugs.
"What do you mean hunch? Okay Ladiston name one other Island or beach across Thairo" Dexter snorts.
"Ha ha ha" River mocks sarcastically "anyways how do we leave?" he asks "the Bolveras are no longer trustworthy, so I don't think we should tell them this."
"We aren't obligated to tell them anything in the first place" Emily shrugs looking up at the sky, it was an orange hue, indicating that the night was fast approaching.
"W-" Elijah was cut off by water being poured on him.
"What the hell!" Skai yelled and just then a gust of wind blew past them leaving the five dumbfounded.
Elijah looks over to River because he was the closest one to the lake.
"Why" he groans.
"I didn't do that I swear" he tells Elijah genuinely.
Elijah turns to face Skai who was also hit by water, but she is dry, unlike him who is drenched.
"I think you did River" Dexter points at River's fingertips which hand drops of water floating above them.
"Holy cow, that's sick!" River looks at his hand in amusement.
"As 'sick' as that is I'm still wet" Elijah stares at him blankly].
"Ohh sorry Eli" he scratches his neck and the drops of water fall.
"Skai how are you even dry?" Elijah asks Skai and she shrugs.
"As soon as the water hit me, the wind blew" she smiles "I guess I'm just blessed" she shrugs giggling.
"Good for you" Elijah sighs sarcastically.
"Aww poor Elijah, it's okay I can be your wind" she mocks blowing air at him playfully.
Everyone bursts out laughing.
"Some would never think you guys were my friends" Elijah tuts. "Friends of the year award goes to you guys."
It was all fun and games until the wind actually blew him dry making them all do a double take.
"Did you just" Dexter looks at Skai jaw dropped.
April 10
They had just gotten back from scire and had gotten over the excitement of River and Skai's skills by now and they are back again at the lake of life, initially they decided to leave tomorrow to plan better, but then River and Emily started giving a speech about how 'The time is now' 'if we don't take the step now who will'. The one time they decide not to bicker, they settle for boring their friends close to death. Now they are seriously talking about their 'escape' plan.
A map of Ardeneon and a map of Thairo city that Elijah casually had in his backpack were laying open in the center of them while they were examining it.
"Talk about being prepared for anything." Skai murmurs.
"First of all, I think it's pretty obvious that we need scroll touches" Dexter speaks up.
A scroll touch is a digital device that opens and closes like a scroll, it is touch screen and can be used to reach people no matter where they are...unless they were on the other side of the world. They knew Dexter was right, they really did need them.
"We should get going, before it gets dark" Elijah says, plucking a flower from the ground and placing it in Emily's hair with a small smile.
"Where exactly are we going?" River questions Elijah "It's not like we can just waltz past the Bolvera cabin mansion and use the halo"
"Well, we obviously can't use the halo, we've got to walk, or we'd run right into the Bolveras" Elijah tells them "But it's a long way into town by foot"
"How is that going to be possible?" Emily asks herself.
"We can do it!" Skai smiles at her "It'll just take several breaks, but we can."
"No, I mean the scroll touches" Emily tells her putting her cloak in her bag. "We don't have funds if you guys haven't noticed"
They all begin to get up from the ground one by one as Skai is talking "She has a point guys" she tells them "And will probably be very necessary for the journey we're about to take"
"Yeah, we'll probably need a scroll touch each, in case of anything" River mutters lost in thought.
"How will we manage to get one talk less of five" Elijah asks no one in particular.
"We're going to steal them" Dexter stands up, finally done packing his stuff back in his bag.
They all look at him as if he has two heads
Skai's eyebrows furrow "Steal?"