Author Games: The City of Gold

Task Four Entries: Overseas

Christopher Barros

(USED 16)

Christopher was forced to have mandatory fun unlike Emma, who was forced to take finals #crieverytime

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alejandra Verle

"I can't do this, I can't do this," I repeated over and over with my voice wavering, "I. Cannot. Do. This,"

The ground below me was swaying before my eyes as I trembled on my broomstick. I could just imagine it coming closer and closer as I fell until my body crashed onto the hard Earth. My knuckles were white as my skin dug into the splintered wood of my broomstick. The captain, a French girl, had nominated that myself and a girl called Vendetta be the Keepers of the team. I didn't want to disappoint her and say no, so I went along with her choice without saying anything but I had a feeling that the whole team would hate me when I messed up.

"You seem to be a bit shaky there," Vendetta smirked as she spun on her broomstick with ease, "It's a lot easier if you just go with the broom, you know,"

It's also a lot easier to do it without thinking you're going to fall ten metres, I replied in my mind but there was another reason why I couldn't quite focus.

"Mmmhhhmmm," I replied distractedly as I wobbled. My heart lurched into my throat and I squeezed my eyes shut quickly but it made me feeling as though I was spiralling towards the ground. I opened them I stared down into the jungle below me feeling as though I could still hear Ahri's screams.

Last night, Ahri and Ailenia had saved me from the trickster spirit and then I let Ahri down by letting her go. We were running after Cerise when it happened. She disappeared between some bushes and when Ailenia and I followed her, she was gone. It wasn't long before we heard her screams. I'd never heard something so loud. It pierced my ears like a wail of a mermaid out of water or like a screeching cry of fear – blocking my ears didn't drown out her screams, it only made it louder. Her voice was everywhere but nowhere at the same time and it made it so frustrating to try and find her in the shadows of the jungle.

I could still feel the goose bumps on my arm from her shrieks and now I could only hope that they found her. I wasn't sure whether I'd rather her leave wordlessly like Chenzira or whether I'd live with her screams haunting me in my sleep. Both made me feel equally as guilty. Ailenia and I hadn't talked since. It was as though the creepy encounter had separated us. They had saved me and then I had failed to save one of them.

I hadn't slept at all last night and now I was balancing precariously on my broomstick in a game that I hadn't played in three years. I felt utterly alone when the leaders announced we would be playing Quidditch. I used to be quite good at it but then I became focused on forming relationships to keep my reputation alive. I was the social butterfly of Castelobruxo and it felt odd that I struggled to form friendships when I wasn't pretending to be so shallow – I had to let all my walls down on purpose to make everything work. When I needed her most, Ailenia has blocked me off as soon as we ran out of the jungle without Ahri.

I thought I felt terrible when Chenzira left but there was a worse feeling. I couldn't name it; sadness, regret or guilt. They all consumed me so much so that my body felt sluggish and weary. As if riding a broomstick was heard enough, I had to do it with the weight of Ahri on my shoulders.

"Tsk! Excuses, excuses," Gracie's arrogant voice tutted in my mind.

I shook her from my mind causing the whole broomstick to shake under my body. The leaders would find Ahri, just like Faraji had announced this morning. I set my shoulders straight and took a deep breath feeling the broom stabilise.