Riley & Spots ll book 1 - COMPLETED

What If...

        "Riley..are you okay." Fai spoke sternly but not spitefully. "N-no." I ton of questions and conclusions ran through my head. What if he was actually gone? What if I would never see him again? But there was one I already knew was true, What If.....It was my fault.

           Because I left he went away. He was the sacrifice that I used. Just then, I felt the grip of my claws loosen and my paws carried me away. "Riley!!" Fai yelled. I, of course didn't listen, and kept running. I saw the track where I saw Fai walk to the pond and then I knew where I should go.

            I couldn't leave my family, but I couldn't stay so I would go in the middle. The pond. I  broke through the thick branches of the ferns that crowded the pool as the sun was starting to set. I almost tripped over them but caught my balance just in time. 

            I sagged toward the pool gradually in pity. I remembered the happy girl who would do anything to help a friend and then looked down to the pool water. It showed a insecure she-cat with a bunch of stupid ideas and the loss of hope including...a friend.

           Spots was surely dead because of me. All because...of me. A tear came slowly came flowing down, dipping itself in the ice cold water. More slowly came after it until I could almost not see at all. "I-I'm sorry."

           I grasped trying to hold back enough tears to try to talk. "I'm so sorry." I toke a deep breath before I sprung into the pond and watched as the water swallowed me whole.

        The underwater life was beautiful. The sunset made the rocks under gleam and seaweed flowed in a graceful movement as if it were trying to say something. As I swam tiny creatures floated among me, trying to get snug in their tiny homes. A mother seahorse swam past me with its kins by its side which made me remind of Mom, Fai, and me. 

         The perfect pair that just needed two more to be complete. My father and...Spots. Although I knew it would never be true. My dad was far away who knows where and Spots, is gone..

           How all the creatures worked together in harmony was an amazing sight. If only the world above could be like that. The sight soothed me although I still felt a wave a guilt inside of me. I started to feel loss of breath so I pushed my way to the world above. I grasped for the air above and made my way to the shore. My breath heaved under me and it was hard to move for a second or to from the ice that bit at my shoulders when I was underwater, although after a few minutes I managed to move normally again.

         I understood now why Fai liked the pond so much, although there was one question I had for him . Who was he talking to those days before? Maybe just to the frogs? I know we all have our habits, but what Fai was doing felt...different. Like maybe an imaginary friend...that, wasn't so imaginary. When I was young I used to have an imaginary friend called Tundra. She didn't feel like any other imaginary friend, well, I mean how should I know since I never asked anyone, but, something inside me felt that she truly lived.

        When I saw Fai talking to himself, or possibly someone else, the feeling came back almost instantly. A brush from the leaves popped me back to reality in shock. "Riley?" a voice came from the distance. "Riley, are you here?"

             CLIFFHANGER!!! DUN, DUN, DUNNNNNN!!!!!