fragile time

~chapter 7~

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?" Taylor asked, truth in her eyes.

I looked away, ashamed to admit there was yet another thing I was hiding. "I wrote one."

Blade gasped dramatically. "Whaat? You wrote your own death note!?"

I snickered every so slightly before returning to my sullen expression. "No, of course not. I..." I licked my lips before looking straight into Blade's scarlet eyes. "I was afraid and angry. And.. I wanted to do something. I wanted to do something, and I didn't want to wait until today. I let rage and fear fuel my actions. I wrote a letter to whoever wanted to kill me, full of bizarre threats, and left it in the Cave of Confusion. Out in the open. I know, I'm so dumb– I was rambling and I was scared. I need to get it out. As soon as possible."

"Holy–!" Blade glanced at Taylor. "Doodoo."

"We gotta go!" Taylor practically yelled as she began running deeper into the trees, no questions asked.

I quickly took off after her, wind against my face. I heard Blade calling after us, but I was too focused on my sister to care. I barely even noticed Forrest running next to me, excited to keep moving. I was a bit caught by surprise that neither Taylor nor Blade reprimanded me immediately for my decisions. They just wanted to help. Thoughts swirled around in my head, but I wouldn't dare speak one aloud.

Soon enough, we got to the Cave of Confusion. Blade's expression had vomit written all over it once he caught up with my sister and I. Part of me was genuinely concerned, but the other part of me wanted to join in on Taylor's laughter.

"Not.." Blade leaned against the edge of the cave, chest moving with each breath. "Funny!"

"It's pretty funny." Taylor smiled towards him as she took a step inside the cave, a blue stone illuminating beneath her. "Now, come on. We gotta find that letter." I frowned. Shouldn't she have been angry at me?

"Maybe.. I could just.." Blade sank down, sitting with his back against the wall. "Wait here?"

I exhaled a laugh. "Yes, okay, Blade. You stay there." I nodded towards Taylor as we both stepped into the cave. The Cave of Confusion was exactly how I left it last. The cave never changed. The stream always in the same place, each gem reliably engraved into the stone every time I entered. Taylor and I continued speed walking down the hall of gems until a note presented itself, the white stationary standing out amongst the dark rocks. The sunlight from the entryway bounced off the paper and practically blinded me, but I was too relieved to care. The note was here. Nothing bad happened. Logically, nobody should have even gotten close enough to find it. It was only out for one night, and nobody besides me entered the Cave of Confusion anyway, no matter how beautiful it might be. Sometimes, I felt selfish for keeping the cave's beauty for myself.

"This is it, right?" Taylor said, quickly snatching up the note from the rock on the ground. I nodded. "Nice! I knew it wouldn't have gone anywhere." She smiled at me, her grin so bright the sun must've only shone with envy. "It was only here for a day, anyway. See? All problems can be solved. You were worrying for nothing."

"Right. Yes.." I released the breath I didn't realize I was holding. "You're right. For once." I held out my hand for her to give the clean paper to me. My fingers tingled for the sensation of that paper in my hands. The one I released all my anger and fear on; my rant.

Without hesitation, Taylor placed the paper in my hands. The thick sheet felt comforting on my hands. It was safe. Without another word, I opened the paper. My eyes widened as I recognized the handwriting, but it wasn't my own. The familiar threading wind of shapes brought the feeling of uneasiness. "Tay..." I was able to choke out.

"What? What is it?" Taylor walked over behind me and stood on her tiptoes to peek over my shoulder at the paper.

"That's not.." She mumbled as her round brown eyes scanned the paper as well as mine, both pairs terrified. "That's not.." She repeated, barely whispering.

The writing wasn't mine. The words weren't mine, but a response to mine. A short response, but, nevertheless, a response. I couldn't believe my eyes. I mean, what were the chances? It was out there for one night. "Nobody even goes in this cave besides me." I thought to myself, "The only way someone would know it was in here is if..." I shook my head.

"'Mister Summers,'' I read aloud to Taylor as well as myself, "'Someone is a little afraid. I breezed through your letter with little consideration. Despite your impulsive, quickly-written rant against me, you don't scare me. However, I can tell you are using your resources, placing this letter in the Cave of Confusion. Lillith's powers, correct?'" I inhaled very sharply at the mention of her name. Her real name. The author calling me by my own name didn't bother me because I was used to unknown faces recognizing mine as the eldest prince of The Barrier. However, my friends... it confirmed someone was watching me– or, at least, knew my friends were.

"Keep reading." Taylor breathed, clearly just as tense as me.

"I will. 'Anyhow, straight to the point, I would refer back to my first letter to get a clue of where I am. If I were you, I would lay my own eyes on it and examine it thoroughly. You jumped straight to 'I gotta write this response letter now because I'm mad!' It was hilarious to watch. For a mere child, you aren't doing a bad job. Good luck, my prince.' Signed with 'Anonymous.'"

I frowned and slowly folded the paper. There was a rational answer, I'd decided quickly. Perhaps I should've followed their advice and looked at the first note. "But then I would just be playing the game they want me to."

"What are the chances.." Taylor mumbled to herself. I turned to her and raised an eyebrow. My sister's voice grew louder with every word, "What are the chances that someone would've seen you put this note in here?! It's only been one night! What are the chances they would walk in here and check to see if..." Her sentence faded.

I licked my lips. "It's almost as if..." My legs shook ever so slightly, but I was almost immune to the emotion by now. It didn't stop the fear appearing– my blood running cold, heart beating quick, and cold sweat. All the usual side effects, but my mind was.. Away.

"As if what?" Taylor demanded, almost more frustrated than scared.

I cleared my throat, my voice barely above a whisper. "As if someone was watching."