Jayden could feel something was off.
He sat on the dock and let his feet dangle, almost touching the water. It took a lot to convince his father to let him come tonight. Champions don't need to go to school events. The school events miss the champion. Jayden made a face as he remembered the conversation word for word. Had it not been for his mother, he probably wouldn't have been able to come tonight.
It was rare that Jayden got nights to unwind. He watched as the water darkened while the sunset and smiled. It truly was beautiful. Say what you want about Saffron, but you couldn't get views like this in the big city.
He stood up on the dock and walked back down the splintering wooden boards. When his feet hit the sand he slid off his sandals and walked barefoot through the rough grainy shoreline. The sand was cool at this point. There were times in Saffron when the sand could scorch your feet right off, especially in the summertime.
He trudged along the beach, waiting for the inevitable text message from his father telling him to come home. It wouldn't be long. After all, he did have to wake up at 5 AM tomorrow for his daily workout. Jayden reached the point in the beach where the sand met a gathering of trees. When he came into the clearing he was startled to see two teenagers in a promiscuous position.
"Oh," said Jayden as he turned away instantly. "I'm sorry."
He began to walk out of the clearing when he heard the male clear his voice. "No, wait, basketball star. Come here."
Jayden turned and recognized the male student as Asher Kidd. He had a beautiful girl sitting next to him, their limbs tangled together. They sat close together, almost like allowing any space between them would cause them physical pain. Jayden was instantly jealous that they could have that so freely.
Jayden walked awkwardly over to the couple and sat down where Asher was motioning him to. As he sat, Asher straightened out his body and allowed the girl to slide off his leg. He laid back down in the sand and looked up at the starlit night sky.
"My name is Chantel," said the girl shaking her head. "It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry my date is so rude and not introducing us."
"My name is Jayden. It's nice to meet you," said Jayden.
"Date?" Asher joked as he looked at Jayden and winked. "Is that what this is?"
Chantel playfully punched Asher in the shoulder and he quickly placed a kiss on her forehead. Jayden instantly felt like a third wheel.
"So how was yesterday, superstar?"
Chantel looked at Asher and scrunched her nose in confusion. "What was yesterday?"
"My birthday," said Jayden.
"Oh my gosh! Him too!" cried Chantel slapping Asher's arm excitedly. "This is cool. Are y'all friends?"
Jayden looked at Asher and wanted to chuckle. Asher Kidd was far from the person he would consider a friend. His father would sooner have a heart attack then find out Jayden got into any of the shenanigans that Asher probably gets into on a daily basis. He imagined the lecture he'd get if he ever was caught in the sand with a girl on top of him like that.
What if someone recorded you and scouts found it on the internet? Do you think you'll get into a good college with a sex scandal son?
Jayden opened his mouth to respond when a sudden burst of pressure erupted in his head. He winced and scrunched his eyes hoping the pressure would relieve itself, but with each passing second he could feel the pressure growing worse.
"Boys?" said Chantel. "What's going on? Is this a joke?"
Jayden managed to crack his eyes and see that Asher was also holding onto his head. What could be going on that both of them are hurting like this? "Guys?!" cried Chantel, getting more scared. "Y'all this isn't funny!"
Jayden? Asher? It's time. It's time to meet your destiny.
Jayden thought Chantel was continuing to talk to him before he realized the voice was in his head. It was a sweet voice. The kind of voice a mother uses when she tries to calm her child at night. If it wasn't for this pressure, Jayden thinks he would have been relaxed.
"What the hell is happening?!" cried Asher. He threw himself back in the sand and let out a groan. A soft scream escaped Jayden's mouth as the pressure built and the world started spinning around him.
Suddenly, the water started disappearing. The trees around him were gone. Even Chantel was gone. It was just Asher and Jayden surrounded by darkness. The darker it got around them the more pressure relieved from his head. It wasn't until it was pitch black around him that his pressure was completely gone.
"Asher?" called Jayden.
"I'm here," said Asher.
As if a light was flicked on only on Asher, he was suddenly visible to Jayden. He stood stunned at what was happening. "CHANTEL?!" he called out into the void, but nothing was heard back. "CHANTEL!"
"Who's there?"
Jayden screamed when he heard the voices. It was embarrassing, but he was terrified. If only his father could see him now. He could only imagine the lecture that he would be getting. You're going to scream like a little bitch when you're scared, son?! Get it together!
Just like with Asher, two lights flicked on. The new girl from his homeroom, and Judah DiMarco stood before him. They looked just as scared, but also relieved that they weren't the only ones there. The girl clung to Judah and he put his arm around her. Jayden was jealous that they had someone to keep them comfortable.
"How long have you guys been here?" asked Judah when he saw Jayden and Asher. "We've been here for what feels like forever."
"We just got here," mumbled Asher.
You've found each other. Said the female voice that Jayden heard right before they appeared in this dark place. We just need the last one.
"Wait," screamed Jayden into the darkness. "Who are you?!"
In time, Jayden.