Sand was rough under my feet as I walked my way along the beach. Memories of a white sandy beach and crystal clear water flooded my mind. I tried to remember the warmth of the summer sun, how the rays danced on my skin and burned my nose. Closing my eyes I could almost reach out to the feeling of the breeze hitting my face and fanning the loose strands of my hair in the air playfully. In my head I could barely make out the faint sounds of laughter and screams of joy that were produced on these very shores.
How many times did I giggle in my brother's arms when he tossed me in the air? How many times did I chase a beach ball in the shallow water? How many times did I sit under a pile of towels shivering while eating ice cream despite it making my teeth jitter? Those memories seemed so far away, but standing on the same sand I got a glimpse of my past and I wanted to stay there even if it was just for a moment. I heard my brother shouting behind me as I picked up a rock and touched the wet sand that was left in the wake of the trashing waves. "Beatrice! Stay close."
"I know." Smiling, I tossed my long black hair over my shoulder and threw the rock as far as I could. Watching it bounce on the surface, I counted the ripples I had created, counted seconds, minutes, hours, till they finally stopped and the lake was once again undisturbed and only affected by its own force. There was an eerie humm that made its presence clear and the wind picked up. Waves became more ominous and the once white foam was tainted and murky. I followed the waterline to the far end of the beach. Shadows of my memories played by ghostly figures skipped and jumped, never missing their footing as they effortlessly followed the treacherous trail of the rocks. Their silhouettes formed in shapes familiar to me. I gasped as I saw a slender man with light hair identical to Leo's stand on the rocks. "Luca!"
The man turned but it wasn't Luca's face I was staring at as this figure had no face. Terror spread through me that had me crying out and my hands flew to cover my mouth. As I let out the wretched yelp for the horror that this figure had caused me, I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder. I snapped my neck turning to see if more of those faceless creatures were behind me but I felt a sigh of relief though only for a second as Leo was equally as shocked as I was. He let out a soul crushing roar and fell on his knees making a crater in the sand. The need to console his anguish almost stopped my heart and I felt the air being sucked right out of me. He banged his fists to the ground and dragged his nails along the sand. A puff of dust flew up from where he had disturbed the sand making me realise that the sand was actually ash.
Shaking off my first wave of fear I kicked my feet revealing more ash where I stood. I looked around frantically noticing that the once picturesque beach of our memories was nothing but dust, I grimaced. This was no dream but a nightmare and it was tainted by that thing that looked like my brother. I frowned trying to ignore the pain I was feeling knowing this thing had burned everything that was precious, every detail was scorched, warped, twisted, like this was the house of our memories and we stood in the ruins after a fire. The shadows stood still menacingly, long gone were the echoes of laughter and playfulness. No longer could I imagine myself being back at the white beach when all I saw was black.
I pulled Leo up back on his feet and shook him till he snapped out of whatever frightened spell he was under. Focus. Pointing at our feet I made him look at the dust and dirt that was covering the ground. His hands were black and I ached seeing the redness in his eyes. Leo had always been strong and I admired him dearly. Closing his hands in mine I searched for the first memory I had with him. It wasn't here, but it existed in my head and I could feel it. I was in his arms, he had taken one look in my eyes and we bonded instantly. An unshakable bond that could only prevail between siblings and that bond was our lifeline here. He seemed to understand what I had just discovered. The memory of the lake we had all spent countless hours and days together was forever burned in the back of our heads grounding us and this is where Luca had gone. And this was where we would find him.
His wolf had marked this land as theirs and would always long for to come back to it. Wolves are territorial, even in this memory, this dream, this place of limbo belonged to his wolf. These shores like concrete had its paw prints planted on them, Even an eternity of storms could not erase what once stood here as it had built its foundation to the earth. These woods had heard the numerous times the wolf had howled and echoed it back. Every yip and snap of the wolf's snout, every reverberated growl and every thunderous bark was but a choir singing a response to the wolf. These waters mirrored the beauty that was its brown mane shining in both sun and moonlight. Twin forces of night and day forever in motion, circling one another, like the man and the wolf coming together as one.
The reflection rippled and I felt the force of the wind push me away from the water. Each wave crashing to the shore was bigger than the last booming in deafening volumes. My heart was hammering its own rhythm in my chest mimicking that of the waves. In and out. I calmed my emotions and steadied my breath to be one with the rushing water. Push and pull. Leo took my hand as we took our first step over the shoreline and into the lake. With each step, I felt resistance and without my brother's hold on my hand, I would have fallen and been taken under by the waves. The water darkened and was thick like tar making our march harder the further we got. The faceless figure watched as our feet carried us deeper into the depths.
I held my breath as the cold water engulfed my entire body, consuming me with its crushing embrace. Letting my body relax, I opened my eyes and viewed the endless abyss that was the dark depths of the lake. The waves stormed above me showing their immense power. Though the water once was crystal clear now all I could see was the bottomless pit of darkness. My ears were humming with the sounds of the water being pushed around next to me. Leo swam beside me and pulled me with him deeper and deeper.
The compressing feeling grew tighter in my lungs the deeper we got. The lake kept drumming shock waves at us pushing us away, hindering our progress every time. We stroked and plunged away from the surface only to be pushed back to float with the currant. The weightlessness that made my hair sway freely, almost felt hypnotic. A was starting to feel the fatigue but determination burned in Leo's eyes. As he clawed the water, he squeezed my hand tighter and I pushed through the cold with him. I channelled that flame and energy, feeling my chest warm up lighting up the darkness. Another light flickered in Leo's chest illuminating our surroundings even more banishing the murky thickness. Another boom had me shiver but as I looked down to the bottom, a third light flickered in sync with ours.
With renewed hope we both pushed towards the light, paddling, scooping and kicking to get deeper to reach Luca. His hunched body laid pale almost ghost-like and completely naked on the bottom, holding his chest with his eyes closed. The tiniest flicker of the light was in tune with his heartbeat. He laid there completely emotionless and I feared we might have arrived too late to save him. We reached out with our hands as we made a final push through the hardest wave that hit us when we were within arms length away from Luca's lifeless body. As soon as our fingers touched his skin he flinched and jerked awake. His eyes glistened, looking at us both. Leo lunged at his body, closing him in a tight embrace. The light in their chest grew and they both reached out to me, pulling me in between them. The cold finally subsided and I melted in the heat that was being emitted from both of my brothers' chests like a furnace.
We pushed off from the bottom and started to ascend to the surface. With each kick I would feel the light burn and tingle on my skin. With each heartbeat the waves pushed the darkness away making the water clear once again. Leo leaned his head against Luca's temple while my ear was firmly pressed over his heart. The light in our chests grew blindingly till we could not help but to close our eyes. I could feel the waves pulsate around us. This time the thundering shock waves were on our side as they pushed us to climb to the top. As we broke the surface we drew in a sharp breath still holding on to one another.
The light spread away from us bouncing off the ripples of the water and crashed on each shore all at once creating electrifying sparks on the shoreline. Glittering strands dug into the ground like roots and spread from the shore and into the forest painting the trees iridescent rainbow. Nature shimmered as the glow kept rising and overtook the grey sky. As the illuminating light hit its peak and everything came together in a pinnacle, the sky exploded in a golden flare and the brightest sun smiled down on us.
I looked at Luca and my heart purred to see the colour return on his beautiful tanned face. Smiles spread wide as the three of us stroked back to the shore. The sand was rough as I walked on it but it didn't matter for I had the smoothness of my brother's touch. We only had a moment to hug each other once again when Luca stilled and looked into the distance. The faceless figure stood by the forest only this time it took the form of a brown wolf. The beast crossed the beach and stood in front of Luca. They both bowed their heads low exposing their necks to one another in submission. I held my breath till the wolf leaped into his chest where it belonged.
Once again I found myself in Luca's arms. I pressed my ear to his chest and listened to his wolf howl in peace. I felt Leo behind me holding his hand on my shoulder and the other holding to Luca's neck. They both kissed the crown of my hair and smiled down on me. Feeling breathless I closed my eyes and let the tears in my eyes flow like rivers.