You're here for a reason but you don't know why
Maver Island, Northern Ardeneon.
April 11
"I'm fine" River tells them as Dexter and Elijah placed him by a tree bark.
"We didn't say you're not" Emily points out squatting in front of him to maintain eye level before standing up to take a quick look around.
"You are all giving me weird looks" He says "I don't like it"
"Don't get ahead of yourself Riv." Skai rolls her eyes despite being terribly worried. "You're starting to create silly scenarios in your head"
"Whatever" he shrugs "I just need about 10 minutes to regain my energy, it's not as tasking as swimming, I guess dad was right Skai, it does build stamina" he gives her a small smile.
"If he's even our dad" She looks away from him.
"No matter what, he's family." he tells her not sure if he believed it himself, but he was desperate for some form of stability.
"You guys got your memories back too?" Dexter asks.
"They must be coming in" Emily answers "I suddenly don't want to go back to earth" she laughs it off.
Skai frowns a little, not sure she could imagine how it must have been for her losing Callum, because if she lost River, she didn't know what she would have done.
"That was what I was going to say on the ship, my memories were coming in" Dexter scratches the back of his neck "I'm sorry for getting us caught and causing us to endure that" he frowns.
Skai looks over at River and Emily, because she and Elijah didn't even blame him, he didn't even yell. It was Skai that caused conversations to generate, and she knew it.
"I guess it's fine" Emily shrugs.
"We got here and that's all that matters" River gives him a curt smile.
"Was it even worth it?" Skai asks slumping down besides River.
"What do you mean?" River turns to look at her.
"We don't know where to look, we don't know what exactly these 'answers' are, we don't know if this is real, hell we don't know anything, we're just moving on a hunch we got from a random paper in a world we didn't know existed until a month ago" The tears prick her eyes. "What if it's all a lie?"
She stares at them all with glassy eyes hoping for an answer but not one of them said a word.
"Well, how are we ever gonna know if we never even try?" Dexter locks eyes with her, his own eyes, swimming in vulnerability, more vulnerable than they've ever been since she met him.
"And if we fail?" She asks.
"Then at least we failed trying." He gives her a weak smile, a tear drop trickling down his face as did Skai's.
Her frown deepened, she'd never seen Dexter cry, even after his ex; Amber broke his heart, not one tear escaped his eye, at least not that she knew of. Dexter wipes the tear off in a quick swipe like it was never there in the first place.
"We should get going" River stands up, putting his hand out for her to take but she ignores it getting up by herself wanting him to save his strength.
"Where exactly?" Skai asks, "Do we search the island?"
"I wish I could take a shower" Emily groans.
"I know right, I feel absolutely disgusting" Skai agrees with her.
And just as if the universe was making an attempt at mocking them, they come face to face with a river.
"Ironic" Elijah laughs.
"Can I wash my hair?" Skai asks randomly. "I'll feel a lot better if my hair is clean...ish plus it's probably a mess"
"You don't have shampoo or conditioner" Dexter reminds her.
"Doesn't change the fact that it's a mess."
"Skai be real for a second, we all look a mess washing it won't change much" River tells her
"Maybe not but a little water would make it easier to detangle, If I leave it for too long, I'm digging my own grave" she looks at them with puppy dog eyes.
"Alright, come on I'll help you" Dexter gives in, offering to do it for her.
Skai doesn't usually trust anyone with her hair, but Dexter has done it before and he did a great job, he even knows how to braid.
"Thank you" she lets out a sigh of relief, not being able to imagine dealing with it in two to three days.
Elijah, River and Emily all sit on the floor in defeat by the river as Skai kneels in front of it, taking water from the river and applying it to her hair like it was good product.
Dexter places his hands on hers moving her hand away from her hair.
"Let me" he offers, and she shrugs turning to face the others while Dexter detangles her hair with the water.
He never pulled her curls; he went at it gently which made her glad because she's very tender headed. It felt like a massage.
"What's that?" River points behind Skai, curious, she turns to look at what caught his attention, but before her eyes could catch it, Dexter turns her head back to face forward.
"They'll handle it" he whispers into her ear; she could feel every single wet hair on her neck stand at his warmth.
River runs behind her taking something out of the water. "it's wet" he curses.
"What is it?" curiosity was killing Skai.
Can you dry it, Skai?" River walks in front of her holding a blank wet piece of paper quenching her need to know.
"I can try" she says blowing air through her lips at the paper.
"There you go" she smiles looking at the dry piece of paper as words begin to appear.
Still in search? You never rest
Unlawful ways, surrounding the chase
Worth it or lost it, count it destructive
The answer you seek, Tis not what it seems,
Could it be the air we breathe? The ground we stalk, the water we drink, or might it be the sun and moon amidst? You are bound to miss as I do not come in peace.
But if you truly hope to see, why for tussle in disbelief,
the bustling grimes, along the path Morene.
"The hell is path morene?" Dexter mutters from behind Skai.
"I think someone is watching us" Emily observes as she and Elijah move closer to them. Skai turns around in search of what she was referring to when Dexter, again moves her head back forward.
"When someone may be watching you, you don't move around like that" he whispers yet again, this time warning her.
"My bad" She whispers back ignoring the flares that his breath left tracing her neck.
"Bardo" A voice trembles and Dexter freezes behind Skai.