24 The Truth About the Pas (1/2)

WHEN WE WERE DONE with our 'conversation' that lasted for a good 30 minutes, she lets the warriors escort us in the dungeons. I was afraid to tell her from whom I got the information so I just told her some sh***y story and I was surprised that she bought it so easily. Maybe she wasn't expecting me to tell her that it was Mica who told me all of that.

Once I was inside my cell, I curl into a ball in the corner with chains around my wrists. I cry not because my plan failed but because I failed everyone once more. But I am partly relieved to find out that Mica isn't dead after all, she's still alive though I know that she's barely hanging there but that gives me hope that I can still save her.

I didn't know how long I stayed crying but soon I felt my eyelids droop with exhaustion and I succumb to sleep.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

I wake up with a snout sniffing me. Or more likely, I woke up in my dream. I giggle when I realized that it was Irish who was sniffing me. ”Stop it, I'm ticklish there.” I laugh as she sniffs my neck. I don't know how but all of my problems disappear every time that I am here. I rub Irish's face as she snuggles into me. ”Mhmm, I miss you too,” I whisper. I stand up and brush some leaves on my body. ”So Irish, what am I doing here?” I step towards her.

”I think you know why, your royalty.” I tilt my head to the side, pondering why. My eyes widen in realization. ”You're finally ready, Your Royalty?”

I close my eyes, silently letting all the past events that have happened invade my system. Mica is fighting for her life because of me. She risked herself by getting the information and unraveling the secrets of the government. Samantha is helping me even though I have cut my ties with them. Lia, Daniella, and Aimee have risked their lives in order to help me too. My friend including Raven is now sitting in the dungeons because of me. Nikki is dead because of me. All of this had happened because of me. Do I deserve to know the truth? Do I deserve to be a royalty after all?

Then an image of Elisa passed across my jumbled thoughts. She was smiling sadly at me while we stared at each other, waiting for the final shot to take. She mouthed the words goodbye to me just before a shot penetrated her back to her chest. I still remember how I held her close to my chest as she took her final breaths. I remember her whispering things to me that never made sense that moment but now I can finally recall what she told me before life was taken out of her. ”Life is beautiful, you just must learn how to restore it.” She had said.

My eyes snap open and I feel my cheeks are damp with tears now. Irish blinks down at me and I smile at her. I nod slowly but surely. ”I am. I am ready.” My voice came out surprisingly firm.

”I am glad,” Irish blew out a heavy breath and I laugh. ”You scared me there. I thought you would be like the former ones.” I just shake my head at her while running a hand through her furs.

”You've made up your mind, I see.” I whirl around to see Leo emerge from one of the trees.

”Leo!” I run from Irish to him and engulf him in a big hug. He gives me a throaty laugh. ”I miss you.”

”We've missed you too, kid.” I reel back.

”I am scared actually. I am terrified of what the truth will do to me.”

”Oh, it will hurt. The truth will always hurt you in every way possible but it is up to how you will be able to cope up with it or how you will use the truth in handling your problems and challenges.” I smiled warmly at him. His words really are something. It comforts me in a way that sends warmth inside me. ”Now, come on, kid. We don't have time to waste.” I laugh softly as he lowers himself to the ground. I climb on him and we speed off deeper into the woods.

Leo slows down as the tree of knowledge of good and evil came into view. I jump off him and head towards the tree. ”Ellie,” I turn around. ”The tree of knowledge of good and evil holds the power of truth. And the truth isn't always what it seems. The darkest secrets lie in the knowledge of knowing what was true and what was not. You must know what you really want to know in order to not lose yourself in the process.” I gulp loudly and I look again at the tree of knowledge of good and evil. D*** Leo and his chosen words. Now I am hesitating. It's all or nothing.

I nod at him and walk towards the tree. The tree didn't change much at all, it is still as mesmerizing as ever but as I approach it, I realize that the colors swirling in its trunk is changing. It's becoming a mix of blue and gold and it's drawing me in. I reach out my hand, unconsciously. I press my palm and forehead on its trunk and I felt it. The connection. It's warm and comfortable and somehow I just want to stay here and not move at all.

A movement to my right startled me. My eyes snap open and widen in surprise as I take in what's in front of me. I am inside a house, a home if I might say. The wooden floor is shining and there are pictures hanging on the wall. A wonderful smell hits my nose. I inhale deeply and follow the amazing scent.

I heard giggles and laughing as I approach the kitchen. A family of three sits around the dining table, laughing and talking about somethings I couldn't quite understand. I stood there while watching them. They look beautiful. The child is sitting on a high chair and is splatting food everywhere. She releases a high-pitch giggle when one of her food smacks her father's face. How do I know that it's her father? Well, you could see from his blonde hair and ocean colored eyes and the matched dimples they both have.

”Mama,” the kid says before she laughs adorably. I look at her mother who's now looking at her with adoration and love. She is beautiful. Her jet-black hair, large brown-green eyes, fair skin, freckled cheeks, and beautiful perfect shape lips. While her father is handsome with his blonde hair, ocean eyes, fair skin, broad muscles, and all, her mother is the simple example of an angel. There's no wonder that this kid will be beautiful like her parents are.

My eyes went wide and suddenly the wind was knocked out of me. I cough a few times before regaining my composure. I see that my surroundings had shifted into something more peaceful. I am at a beach with beautiful scenery of the sun setting down across the horizon. I lift my gaze from the sun to the toddler running towards the shore. She's picking up seashells and she's now closer to the water. I watch in the distance as a large wave picks up far from the girl. She watches it too and her large eyes turn even larger as she watches it as if it's the most amazing thing she's ever seen. She turns around to walk away but she sees another seashell being carried away by the current. She runs to it and it dawns on me what she was about to do. She's trying to pick up the shell but the current is carrying it deeper and deeper into the water and as she struggles to keep up with its pace she doesn't realize that she submerging into the ocean. I try to run but my feet are stuck in the sand. ”What the fudge?” I curse under my breath.

Large waves are starting to form and the little girl is now far from the shore. I need to get to her or the water will swallow her whole. ”You can't intervene with the past, kid. That will cause great damage to the present.” Leo's voice sounded in my head. But...

The girl's eyes turn large as she watches the wave before her, standing calm and ready to cause havoc. She lets out a loud scream and the wave consumes her, leaving no trail behind. A scream resonates around the shore and I recognize it as my own. The wind was knocked out of me again and I gasp when I feel myself floating.

Heavy. I am heavy. My eyes did a quick scan before something catches my attention. Fishes swim around. Wait, what? I feel my eyes turn large as I realize where I am. I am in the ocean. Without oxygen.

I start to panic but it immediately dissipates when I breathe in through my nose without drowning. It's dark in here and it feels so cold but it's also oddly beautiful. I can see the corals, the fishes, the variety of sea creatures swimming freely.

I can see a large shadow moving towards me but I can't see it clearly since it's dark in here. I squint to get a better view but lightning strikes up above causing me to have a good look at it. And my answer is holy sh**. An enormous thing that I haven't seen before is swimming towards me. Though it doesn't look scary, it sure looks intimidating. Lightning strikes again and I can see that it's making progress in advancing. Every moment the lightning strikes, the closer it gets to me. Then a bolt of lightning followed by a thunder causes me to reel back. I know I should swim away but I can't, it's like I am frozen into place and all I can do is watch as it approaches me.

The sea creature is now in front of me. It is actually magnificent. Its body looks silky and dry at the same time and its horizontal tail resembles the one of a mermaid's. It moves even closer to me and I nearly thought that it will eat me but I am surprised when it presses its head to my body as if it wants to snuggle. I smile in relief and press my hands on either side of its head. It nudges me with its head and swims around me. I immediately follow behind it, silently wondering how he can see me. ”Whales,” I almost had a heart attack when I heard Leo's voice in my head. ”They are the heart and the leaders of the seas. They are known as the guardians of the wild. They guard, save, and protect lost souls from being dragged into the multiverse. Now, swim along.”

”Wait for a second,” I said. ”They know that I am here?”

”The whales do, as well as the eagles and the butterflies, deers/stags and lions. Because we are the chosen guardians of the wild. They can see you and they will guide you. They know what you are there for.” I gave him a quick nod then back up when I realize that he can't probably see me.

”Okay,” I reply and swim hurriedly to catch up with the whale. I didn't know where we were headed until I saw a glimmer of a shadow moving south in the distance. It's the medium size shadow and it doesn't look like it is swimming downwards. I look at the whale beside me and it gives me a strange sound before moving towards the shadow.

As I get a closer look, it is not a sea creature but a kid and not just any kid but the kid picking up seashells. I move to swim to her but I am stuck in place just like what happened back on the beach when I tried to save her. I turn to see the whale shaking its head at me or that's what it seems to say when it's wiggling from side to side. It's no use to put up a fight so I just stay floating, and watching what the whale will do.

I can tell that the girl's no longer breathing from the way her limp body float deeper into the water. The whale swims to her but instead of urging the body to go upwards, the whale seems to drag the body deeper and deeper. My brows furrow in confusion. Then all of a sudden, I can finally move so I waste no time in following them.

As we get deeper the temperature starts to get colder too but I didn't stop, they did. Then another sea animal swims into view. It's gray and it's large but not as large as the whale. They seem to be conversing silently, although I know it is something odd to watch because they seem like just staring at each other. Seconds after, a large bubble pops from the mouth of the other sea creature. I had to blink rapidly to make sure that I wasn't hallucinating. Gods, is what I'm seeing is real?

I am getting used to winding getting knocked out of me every time I time travel so it didn't leave me on much of a shock when it happened this time.

I am on the beach once again but this time the sun is coming up. The sea bubbles from a distance then a large bubble comes out from the water. Like, literally come out. It came out! And inside it is the girl, sleeping peacefully. I watch as the big bubble float in the air and to the shore. Once the bubble is hovering a few inches away from the sand, it releases the girl with a loud pop, the bubble popping in the process.

The girl spits water and she's taking gulps of air. ”Claire!” I heard a woman shout from afar. I turn around to see the couple running towards their daughter. Her mother is holding a blanket and their faces are filled with worry as their daughter launches herself in their arms.

The girl is sobbing and her mother wraps the blanket around her while her father is running a hand across her back. ”Where were you, baby?” Her mother asks.

”I-I-I-I w-was...j-just...collecting s-seashells...a-and then...the w-wave c-comed, mommy...I w-was s-soooo scareeeed.” She wraps her little arms around her mother's neck.

”Oh, sweetie. I am so sorry.” They carried her into their house and I traveled again. Yeah, I guess that's the term I am going to use now.

I traveled again and again, watching the changes of the girl from being an adorable little child to a beautiful young lady. She said she wanted to be just like her mother and father--they are scientists--because she wanted to save the animals. I saw in her calendar that I am now in the year 2018 and the animals are experiencing a mass extinction. No wonder why in our time, there's so little amount of live animals to get fresh flesh from. I also watch her became friends with whales and other animals. I can see that they love her and that she is being broken-hearted from what's happening to them.

I am now standing in their house-her childhood home--and she is arguing fiercely with her parents. ”ARGH! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!”

”Honey, listen to us first---” Her dad tries to calm her down but she didn't instead she whips all the things on the table causing them to shatter and clatter on the floor.

”Don't you honey me, dad. For years, you were my role model, my hero, my frickin' idol! And now, now...you two were behind these things,” she threw her hands in the air in exasperation. ”You were to blame for all the terrible things happening today! Why the animals are slowly dying. Why the balance in the ecosystem is tilting! You were to blame for it all! Because of your stupid f*ckin' research or experiments! You were killing them!” Her chest is heaving heavily while her eyes flash daggers to her parents. Her eyes are teary too and she is as red as a tomato, from anger, I suppose.

”We are not killers.” Her mother said firmly though I can hear that she's struggling to fight her own sobs. ”We did that because we were trying to save them.”

”Save?” She gives a humorless laugh. ”Is injecting that...that...that f*ckn' poison in their system what you call saving? Is it? Cause I am pretty that serum is stopping their blood from running, it's making a d*mn clog in their veins making all the oxygenated blood they need to stop running. It's killing them, mom.” She spits the word mom as if it is something venomous and her mother visibly flinches and shrinks back to her dad.

”Don't you dare talk to us like that!” Her dad shouts at her but she didn't bat an eye. She stares at him with so much hatred, you can practically see flames in her eyes. ”We did all of this for you!” Her mom gasps and Claire staggers backward.

”What?” Confusion is written all over her face as her brows furrows and she stares at her dad. ”What do you mean?”