It was breathtaking. The grass looked so healthy, with flowers blooming out of it; the trees seemed so lively, standing up straight. A breeze of the wind softly kissed the side of our faces, the leaves on the trees waving at us as if welcoming us to the world. We could hear the sound of the birds; one even flew by us as we walked down the path. The sound of a lake sounded so far away, yet so close, and I was sure the lake was as beautiful as the forest. I could imagine how clear the lake would be with a couple of rocks within, maybe even some fish jumping out.
"This is Andromeda? How is this bad?" I asked quietly, stretching my arms out to the side. "Everything is so beautiful and so warm." I stopped walking, tilting my head back so that the sun beamed onto my face. Rylan stepped in front of me, watching.
"It's an illusion." A small voice replied, startling us. I opened my eyes, glancing around for the source of the voice. There were no movements other than the swaying of the tree's leaves and the sound of the lake, but as Rylan and I started walking again, we saw a quick movement of white and red.
"What do you mean it's just an illusion?" I asked, following the sound of footsteps. As we neared another field, I grabbed Rylan's arm, stopping him from moving any closer. I kneeled, pulling him along with me as I watched the girl.
This girl wanders through the fields of the soul, expressing the green (flower) as she sways her arms toward the meadow. Finally, she stopped and turned toward where we were kneeling. Her eyes were what caught my attention first. Her eyes were the color of chocolate with a deep forest-green that swirled together, creating the perfect color of hazel. The light freckles dotted on her cheeks revealed the color in her eyes.
"This is not how the forest looks. Not anymore." The girl answered before she reached her hand out toward us and then swiftly moved it to the side. A barrier that we had not seen broke, causing the beautiful forest to crumple, and something much worse took place.
The once lively forest was now desolated and gloomy. The trees were hunched over and stripped of their leaves. The grass was no longer there; instead, the ground was bare, with a few dead leaves that crunched underneath our feet. The birds that once chirped with happiness and flew above our heads with glee were now crows, watching us closely from the branches.
"What happened to this place? Why is it like this?" I asked, slowly walking over to the girl as I looked around. Everything was dead. The girl tucked a strand of velvet hair behind her ear as she looked down at the ground sadly.
"When twins are born, their childhood is unlike other children's. Yes, they may get to play, but they also train. Once they reach a certain age, it is determined who is the evil twin and who is not." The girl started explaining. "Despite the differences between the twins, they brought life to this place. If the good twin dies or suddenly disappears, the bad twin destroys everything. Their powers go out of control, creating this. We've had twins... I don't know what happened to the good one, but the bad one is now running loose."
"We? Twins? How... I'm still confused."
"We took care of the twins when their parents weren't around. They were so adorable, running around playing, but they did not know what their life ahead of them would be like. We trained them every chance we got.." She explained. I stopped walking, my eyes widening. Rylan turned around, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. His mouth was moving, but I could not hear him.
...
"How much longer do we have to do this?" A younger Arianna complained, opening one of her eyes. Another girl stood beside her with her eyes closed as well, but from her fidgeting, she, too, did not want to do this.
"You promised we could play. We've been standing here for hours, Meadow." The girl groaned, opening one of her eyes as well. Meadow frowned, her hazel eyes narrowed at the two girls.
"Close your eyes. It won't work if you guys keep talking and closing your eyes; that is why it is taking much longer." Meadow spoke, her voice soft. Arianna and the other girl sighed, glancing at each other before again closing her eyes.
"What's the point of this?" The girl spoke up after a couple of more minutes. Meadow pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing before kneeling in front of the girls.
"Open your eyes," She instructed. They opened their eyes, letting go of one another's hands. "Listen. I can not explain everything; you know this, but I will at least tell you this. What you two are doing right now is for a good cause in this world. This life you are in. You girls are special. Without you two, this world will not exist." Meadow touched each of the girl's cheeks, stroking it lightly.
...
"Ari? Ari!" Rylan's voice cut through once again. I blinked rapidly, stepping backward as everything came back into view. The dying forest, Rylan, and the girl standing in front of me with concern shown on their faces.
"What's your name?' I asked, focusing on the girl.
"Meadow. I control nature..." The girl looked around the forest. "Well...I used to."
"What are the twins' names?"
"Arianna and Fay...." Meadow drifted off as her eyes widened at the realization. She examined me closely, taking in my black hair and dark blue eyes until her eyes landed on the necklace around my neck. "I made that necklace for the twins... so that when they separated, they could always be close to one another." Her voice came out as a whisper now.
I slowly grabbed a hold of the necklace, rubbing my fingers against the design. I was not normal. This life I have is not real. This is not the real me. These memories are not the memories that I should have. I am not even human. And Fay... Fay is my twin. She's the evil twin.
"I've been living in a lie," I whispered, stepping back. Rylan slowly started stepping toward me, but I only shook my head. My whole body is shaking.
"Arianna... what we had to do..," Meadow whispered, holding her hand out to me. I stared at it but did not move closer. "It was for your own good."
"Yeah. For my own good, huh? Always for my good. Was I ever going to find out?" I let go of the necklace, now pacing back and forth. "Or was I going to continue a life that probably isn't even mine?"
"This life is yours." Meadow started, stepping forward, but I growled, clenching my hands into fists. I lifted my hands, swinging them downwards without realizing that fire was coming from my hands. From my body. Meadow shrieked, grabbing Rylan as she moved them away from the vast fireball coming their way. Instead, the fireball hit a couple of dead trees. Meadow and Rylan watched as the trees melted into ash.
"Stop! Stop!" Meadow shouted.
I gasped as the fire that surrounded me and surged through my body disappeared. I could still feel the heat burning in my hands and body. Rylan put his hand on his chest as if someone jumped out and scared him before walking over to me, but I stepped away from him, holding my hands out. Rylan immediately stopped, holding his hands up.
"Ari, it's okay now. You did not mean to do that." Rylan's voice was soft and quiet, talking to me like a frightened child. Maybe I was. I shook my head, gripping my head a little as my eyes stared past him and at the burning tree. Actually, it was not burning anymore. The tree was now ash scattered on the ground before the wind picked it up and pushed it away. I watched its every move, not even noticing Rylan and Meadow creeping up toward me.
"I-I..." Words could not explain what happened. If I could burn down a tree, what else could I burn when I get angry?
Rylan grabbed my face, directing it away from the empty place where the tree was to him—his worried eyes.
"Are you okay?" His voice was still soft and quiet. I gritted my teeth, turning away.
"Am I okay? What kind of question is that!? I'm not okay. I have powers, and I just burned a tree! I could have hurt you guys!" I threw my hands up, facing them again. "And you're asking if I'm okay? Are you okay?"
Meadow stepped forward. "We're okay. I understand how you are feeling right now." She held her hand up to stop me from cutting her off. "I can help you. I'm here to help you. I can train you just like I did when you were little."
"How long is that going to take? The training?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Meadow did not answer right away. She pondered, glancing around the forest.
"It's going to take a long time, huh? I don't have the patience. I need to save my parents now before it's too late."
"I can train you while we go." Meadow encountered. Rylan nodded his head before starting to walk.
"What are we waiting for then? Let's go." He motioned.