My Mistake (Sequel to My Life) #WATTYS2019

Chapter 10

After I was well rested, I had woken up. My body was aching, but my mind was running a million miles per hour. I was hyper vigilant of my surroundings. Nico was still asleep, and I noticed that Aileen was gone. I heard her though- at least what I thought was her- rustling around in the bushes. "Aileen?" I called out.

Right as I called her name out, I heard a low groan coming from my side. I saw Nico, leaned up against the tree. He looked at me and then looked around. "Oh so that wasn't a dream..." (What dream guys? Comment down below what you guys think it is. ;D) I stared at him in confusion before I shook my head.

"Do we have any food?" I asked, tilting my head as I looked at Nico. He looked in his bag. "I don't have any. Unless you have some, we're out of food," Nico said, his voice husky and his eyes still sleepy. I smiled, finding him absolutely adorable while being insanely attractive. How do boys manage to do that?

I searched through my bag and sighed. "Nothing in here. Do you know how to hunt?" I asked him, looking for Aileen now. He shook his head. "I never had to. Kind of always stayed near civilization," he replied, a hint of sarcasm lacing his voice. I rolled my eyes. "Whatever... I'll go find something," I said.

Immediately, Nico stood up. "I'm going with you." He looked at me with such a serious face I flinched. "Okay... Might as well move the camp anyway. You find Aileen and I'll clean up here, alright? If she's not close by, just tell me and we'll find her together," I instructed.

I looked at Nico and was surprised to see a look of admiration. "You've been here for barely any time, and yet, you're more of a leader than I could ever be," he said softly, his eyes shining with awe. I blushed and looked at my hands. "What? How?" I said.

Nico chuckled and ruffled my hair. Damn his height. Damn my height. Damn height in general. "You're a natural leader. It's in your blood. I can feel it," he said, smiling brightly down at me. It looked odd on his face, a bright smile on his otherwise pale, gaunt face.

I didn't notice that I was staring, but he did. The smile was immediately wiped off of his face. "Anyway, we should actually get going. I'll be back soon," he said softly, hiding his face.

~~~

After an hour of packing things up and singing to my heart's content, I noticed that no one was coming back. Not Nico, not Aileen. I should have realized that no one was here sooner because I can't sing to save my life.

Let's hope that Calypso doesn't figure that out.

"Nico!" I cried out, heaving the bag full of our camping materials onto my back. "Aileen!?" I shouted, hoping someone will answer. No one replied though. I groaned. Now I have to go find them, and I'll probably do something stupid.

Suddenly, I heard rustling. "Guys?" I asked, reaching for my daggers slowly. I heard the rustling again, and this time, I believe it's to my right. I turn to it and was surprised to see a fox. Which was odd because all I saw around this island were rabbits and birds.

It walked towards me, its head bowed a bit. Its ears weren't tilted down, so it didn't seem threatening. It was a dark orange and its fur was clean, not dirty with dirt from the forest. Which was, once again, very odd. The fox has lived in this forest presumably, and I haven't seen water other than the ocean surrounding the island.

It rubbed its nose against my leg and I flinched. It yapped and I smiled slightly. It grabbed onto my pants and pulled me towards where it came from. I reached down and touched its nose, smiling as it made a happy noise.

I tilted my head as it brought be to the edge of a waterfall. How come I didn't hear it? It didn't seem far, and it wasn't small at all. It was beautiful in fact. The water was so clear, and the way the light reflected upon it made it look almost sea green. Not the dirty color, but the beautiful, calm color. The flora around it was beautiful and blooming. There were flowers of every color. Pink, purple, blue, hell, even a neon green with red tear streak-like lines. The sun shined down up me and the wolf and I grinned.

This place was like a slice of paradise itself. I can get used to this.

"Vanessa! Vanessa! Come here! Turn around, we're here!" said a happy voice. I turned and saw Aileen with Nico. Her face was with a happy shine. "She saw a wolf and couldn't help herself. I suppose in her world she doesn't see much of the creatures on Earth." Nico said next to her, chuckling a bit as Aileen glided over to the water. "It's so clean and beautiful. Nothing like the water back at home!" Aileen cried out.

"You guys saw a wolf?" "Well, she did." "Whatever. I saw a fox. Isn't it weird that-" "Hey guys, where did the wolf go?" Aileen asked, her voice laced with adorable confusion. I looked around. Now that she brought this up, she was right. The wolf and the fox are gone. I heard a growl and my head snapped towards the waterfall itself. Something gleamed behind it.

"Hey guys... do you see that? It's like... Like a gem is behind the waterfall." I said, my voice soft and it came out as if it were slurred. ".... I see it actually. Should we go towards it?" Nico asked softly. "I think so... It seems important..." the banshee said softly.

I nodded and walked towards it, squinting my eyes slightly. The gleam was getting bigger and bigger. I didn't even notice when I was doused in the cold water of the waterfall. I gasped and saw a huge cave.

And it wasn't a gem. It was the shackles of prisoners.

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WHOAAAA THE PLOT IS MOVING FORWARD?! damn after 10 chappies too...

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!