The World: As you know it

01- Beyond the Gate

Part 1: The Forest

Bangui-Sango.

A pleasant village situated on the outskirts of a foreboding rain forest, as if it constantly lay in fear of it. The sun graced the citizens of this village with a remarkable attendance, seeming to believe that missing a single day would bring great misfortune. Observing anything but the clear blue skies was nothing extraordinary. The rain was a shy being that refused to appear, or perhaps the sun was simply too radiant. It had become a common joke for villagers to talk about the arrival of rain, the sweat running down their noses being the only taste of the weather they so thirsted for.

I contemplated all of this while perching myself on one of the many mango trees in the village. The sickly sweet smell of heated mangos nauseated me however, I stubbornly stayed seated in my spot. This particular tree branch, unlike the others, possessed sturdy limbs which made it possible for the tree to handle a person's weight. On the sun's list of daily chores, granting my skin with a solar beating was always checked off the list. This act of violence constantly ended in me having to cool off in the shade as my skin stung and my vision blurred.

From this height, I would be able to see the forest clearly, were it not for the mudstone wall obstructing my view. Sparing a quick glance at the sun, which I quickly regretted, I gently stuck out my pointer finger and traced a circle in the air.

"Lâ."

That was how you called the sun.

Ending my childish activity, I grimaced at the familiar yet distasteful sight of the mudwall. The base was thick, an imporportionate part to its entirety. It was obvious that as the years had passed, the mud wore down and in response, new layers were added to the wall. Closest to the base were mud bricks, a new creation of the village people. But even the cubed chunks of earth stacked in neat rows could not hide the fragility the original wall had already succumbed to. The villagers attempted to keep up ideals long gone. Sealing our community served no purpose and yet the modern folk refused to give up this nonsensical notion of preservation.

I had always wanted to see how it looked like beyond the gate. We had heard numerous stories from the village people. Stories of man-eating demons lurking in the forest, waiting to feast on an unknowing traveler.

But all of those were children's tales.

They did not allow us to leave because they feared we would get lost. I was grown enough, I knew my way back. I wouldn't get lost! I grit my teeth in frustration at the thought. In my annoyance, I failed to remember that I was perched on a tree and thus I lost my balance. I waved my arms in a circular motion in an attempt to reclaim stability. I would have resembled a bird attempting to take flight were it not for the fact I could not fly.

My weight and gravity pulled me to the ground and I fell with a slight scream into Noah's lap. He was conveniently sitting under the tree and lightened my fall. He let out a grunt and his body jerked from my sudden presence. I quickly scrambled off of him and got on the ground.

"I'm so sorry Noah! I didn't mean to you on fal- I mean to fall on you!" I rushed out, my words getting slightly jumbled in my fright.

"It's ok." He said reassuringly but I could see the pain in his eyes when he tried sitting back up. My face heated up from shame at my lack of skill and I was grateful that my dark complexion hid the burning shame that appeared on my cheeks.

"You're such a klutz." Valentine scoffed after having observed the entire scene. His black hair looked darker in the shade and if it were not for the silver streaks in his hair, I would not believe he was a half-breed. I cast my gaze away from his, not ready to be mocked by those entitled ebony eyes sparkled with gold as if to insult me. Near the pupil, the two colors appeared to mix into a soft color that reminded me of honey. Trying to change the subject, I crawled to Noah and started playing with his hair.