The Queen's Red Lake

VI

"What is that about?" I question Javier.

"I'm not sure." Javier answer and he looked as confused as me. "Eliza never have a reason or the time to just stroll into Queen Palace." He explains. "It has to be something important."

I squint my eyes in confusion. "What could it be? Eliza is only a student."

Javier shakes his head. "Eliza is more than just any student—"

I open my mouth to question more but Sasha approaches us and say, "Phoenixes business that does not concern a dragon."

I clench my jaw tightly.

Sasha seems even taller when she is standing just a few inches away from me but it could be my mind playing tricks on me. However, I look up at her in a challenge. My mother would say that my snappy mouth and anger always somehow got me into trouble.

"Yet, here is a Phoenix concerning herself with Dragon business." I snap.

Sasha smirk, "How is your shoulder?"

"Ugly." I snap. "The same as your face."

Sasha eyebrow arch. She cocks her head to the side curiously, "With the blood that is running through your veins I expected more."

I roll my eyes ignoring her. "Do you want to fight?" I ask. We could honestly get this over with now. I was tired of the rude comments. I pull my bag off my shoulders and Atlas cackles behind Sasha in amusement.

"Soon, dragon girl." Sasha smirk. "We will battle properly."

Eliza exit the office and the cafe become silent. Atlas and Sasha face become passive as if they weren't just having a conversation with us. They turn and walk away behind Eliza and the cafe boom into noise again as if they didn't exist.

I huff in anger and bend down to pick up my bag. I place it on my shoulder and hiss at the pain. I storm out of the cafe and grab my bike that is leaning against the brick wall. "You're seriously gonna leave?" Javier ask. "I know you want to beat them as much as me."

"Dude." I say. "Let it go."

I pedal in the direction of the boy with white hair ignoring Javier protest. The sun is setting by the time I get a good track on the mysterious boy. He is leaving the flower shop. I hide myself and the green bike in the alley and watch closely.

Ford, the old ugly man. I remember him. For some reason, he didn't like Javier and thought I was a dropout. He is screaming at the boy with white hair but I cannot make out what the two of them is saying. The boy backs away in fear and trips over his feet before falling to the ground. Ford walk forward with a limp and then wave his hand. "Go away!" He screams. The boy hurries to his feet and rushes off.

I continue to trail him until we are disappearing into the trees. I notice how frustrated he looks. He is mumbling incoherent words underneath his breath and the closer I get to him the more I noticed he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. "Leave me alone!" He shouts to the night air. "Please—"

His body suddenly freezes. I step forward to help but someone grabs my shoulder pulling me back. "What the—?"

"Shush." I hear a deep tone. "It's me."

I turn around and push Javier away. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" He questions instead.

I frown and the others come into the light. "Are you guys seriously following me? Fucking stalkers." I say.

"Look in the mirror weirdo." Sakiya says. "You've been trailing insanity over there since nightfall."

I fold my arms over my chest. "My business."

Sakiya rolls her eyes. She then steps closer into my space and she whispers lowly, "Why are you following him anyway? Hmm?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you." I hiss. "Any of you."

"We're a team." Iris voice. "If something happens to you we are all doomed."

"What could possibly happen to me in this boring and pathetic town?" I scowl.

A crack of thunder catches our attention. I look up into the charcoal sky and it happens again, like a negative reflection of church bells pealing in the distant forest, the thunder roll across the malevolent sky. The untamed power reverberated and echo across the green landscape.

"We should leave." Zaria voices.

The others immediately nod their head. Zaria didn't speak much but standing here in her yellow sun-dress and dangling jewelry. She looked terrified. I turn around and notice the boy is gone. "I'll catch you guys later." I say walking away.

Unfortunately, the thunder clapping above us wasn't enough to turn the others away. They continue to follow me as I trail the boy with white hair. Every few minutes they try to convince me to turn back but I wanted answers. We soon come to a cemetery.

"No way." Javier protest. "This end now. We're heading back."

"Go." I tell him. "I don't understand why you guys are still following me."

The gate is locked with chains but it is wide enough for me to squeeze through. I bend down and angle my body and slide through the gate. I can hear Javier protesting behind me with the others but I ignore them and continue deep into the cemetery.

"Wait up." I hear behind me.

I turn and look at Sakiya in confusion. "I hate you." She says. "But, I can't let you die in the dead zone alone."

I give her a nod of respect and the others soon catch up. "If we die." Javier says. "It's all your fault."

I roll my eyes at the dramatics.

The cemetery whispers under the sallow moon, a frigid wind rustling newly browned leaves, each of them becoming more crisp as we walk deeper. The cemetery is a jumble of stones as if the burial places were chosen by throwing the shovel in the air and digging where it landed. They sit at jaunty angles to one another, no two of them the same shape or size. The only thing that ties them together is their age, all of them over a century.

Finally, we make eye contact with the boy with white hair. There was nowhere to go. "Hey!" I shout trying to get his attention. The wind begins to pick up and Javier grab my shoulder stopping me.

"Something's not right." Zaria voices. "We should leave. We are not welcome here—"

Before I can say anything more the boy body is floating mid-air off the ground. The leaves begin to rustle violently and he begins to chant words that I cannot comprehend. The ground below his feet begin to glow in a hollow blue and suddenly my body is compelled to move forward.

The ground begins to rumble like an earthquake and the others fall off their feet and onto the ground. "Hal." Javier screams. But, I cannot control myself. I continue to walk toward the force that is pulling my body. The boy with white hair body turn and his eyes glow and he continues to mumble underneath his breath. I reach out to touch him ignoring the protest behind me.

Suddenly, my body jerks backward and I fall to the ground and is knocked out of my trance. The thunderclap loudly above us again and the tree near us split into two and burn into the fire. The boy with white hair body falls to the ground unconscious.