Universal Life

Chapter 16

     Hey there, again. Yeah, I haven't moved. They haven't found the shooter yet, either. The voice has checked up on me a couple times now.

     I kinda wish that we could talk to each other. Like, I want to be able to see my friends and come up with a plan to find each other! I guess that defeats the point of this curse. If we could talk to each other, we probably would've gotten out of here the first few tries.

     Deline's personality is starting to slip off of me. Don't get me wrong, part of the way she acted was still me, but her past and needs change the way I act, too. She was very reserved and quiet while I'm still not the loudest one of me and my friends, I'm definitely not the quietest, like Deline.

     She also had her anxiety. I do not have an anxiety disorder. That probably contributed to the way she acted. My carefree nature is coming back, now that I think of it!

     That's why we're in this mess. I wanted an adventure and dragged them along. I should've listened to them, too, when they said we should head back. Instead, I kept going on, even when the sun was long gone.

     "Stupid, stupid, stupid." I groan, flopping onto my back.

     How will we ever break this curse? What if...

     "Hey! Voice!" I call, having a plan.

     "Yes, child? What do you want?"

     "Do you think I could talk to one of the others? I don't have to see them, but I just need to speak with one of them! Please." I beg, looking up, hopefully.

     I hear a long sigh before they reply. "Anybody in mind?"

     I pump a fist in the air and smile. "Nobody, anyone you think would help me plan a way to break this curse."

     There's a long pause until I hear a familiar, calm voice. Athena. "Lola, can you hear me?"

     "Y-yeah! It's so nice to hear your real voice! This is-"

     "I know, but we should really use this time to plan." She reasons, cutting me off. "Who knows how much time they'll give us."

     "Right. So I was thinking, we should come up with a way to know it's each other."

     "It should be a sentence of sorts. Something uncommon that would still fit in, just in case it's not one of us." Athena suggests.

     We sit in thought, trying to figure out what we want to use. We fire suggestions back and forth, before she gets an idea. "What if we ask, 'have you ever heard of Amberpeak?' Then we'd even know if it was one of the others. Chances are they'll ask how we know that place."

     "It's perfect! Do we want to stick with that exact sentence or just any mention of Amberpeak?"

     "I think any variation of it would work. As long as we mention it, we'll notice."

     "Athena, I'm sorry for getting us stuck in here. I promise I'll-"

     "Lola, it's not your fault."

     "Yes it is! You all warned me against it but I didn't listen and now we're stuck here." I reason, looking at my hands.

     "We could've left you or forced you to come back with us, but we didn't. We're all just as guilty as the next. It's not your fault."

     "Athena, you're getting quieter!"

    "Same to you! I think our time is up!" I can hear the panic slipping into her voice. "Remember, Amberpeak! We'll get through this!"

    "I know! I miss you!"

    And I'm left in silence. Alone, again.