Time tells us if it's love
Alistair's secret cave, The Kingdom of Aelius,Northern Ardeneon.
April 14
The night had come and gone, yet there was no sign of Callum or Alistair as Emily had revealed to the others last night, hunger was slowly eating them away. Just then, an old man walks into the cave, morphing into the 17 years old Callum/ Alistair that they know.
"They are gone, I spread false news around the village that you guys left to the waters right before they came so they are off at sails now." He informs them.
"Don't those people have actual work to be done in their jobs?" Elijah mutters
"Right, they have way too much time on their hands at their grown age." Dexter tuts agreeing with him.
"Also, I brought fruits, figured you guys might be hungry" he places a backpack on the floor filled with fruits.
After eating, they start planning their way out.
"I think we should all move with food, I mean, we really don't know how long it will take to get to Hesperia" Elijah suggests.
Hesperia is the kingdom of darkness, rackedit forest is the shortest path you can take to Hesperia, and it's the path the people of the Kingdom often take but others prefer the valley of Jann.
If they don't see Kaito in either pathways or Hesperia then they'd have to go into Nieves, they all hoped they didn't have to go so far. Nieves, which is also known as the Ice Kingdom is unnaturally cold unless you're from there then you'd probably be used to it.
"Guys" Emily speaks up "I don't think I'm ready to leave"
Elijah could understand that, so much is happening so soon, it's hard for her, he walks over to her taking her hand in his in comfort.
"Why?" Skai asks.
"I want to meet my mother" she scratches the back of her head and Elijah rubs her shoulder comfortingly.
"Should we stay back another day?" He asks, although he knew the others wouldn't be on board with it, but what was another day added to uncertainty?
"No no, that would be selfish" she sighs "Don't worry about it, I shouldn't have brought it up"
"No, what you want is important, what you think is important Em, if you want to stay another day, I'll stay back with you" he assures her.
"It won't work" she looks behind him at their friends shaking her head.
"Look Em, if you want to stay a little River could stay with you or he could even switch places with Elijah so he can stay back with you and we'll go first" Skai tells her. "If we see anything, we'll call"
"I will?" River asks to which he gets nudged by both Dexter and his sister "Oh yeah I will"
"Really?" hope lights up in Emily's eyes.
"Yeah I could stay back with you" River shrugs "I really don't want to go down rackedit forest." He shivers, his statement resulting in him getting nudged again.
"Rackedit forest it is" a sigh escapes his lips.
...
Since Skai could comprehend and communicate properly, she had always been an impulsive person, she was drawn to doing anything she wanted as soon as she wanted to. So, imagine how hard it is for her not to act on her feelings for Dexter.
She realized it while they were entering the cave, it kinda just hit her, she couldn't stop thinking about how gentle and attentive he was with her during the little episode she had on the boat.
For the first time in her almost 17 years of breathing, she is not going to chase what she wants.
Why?
Because to her, the friendship she has with Dexter is one of those once in a lifetime occurrence, to her throwing it away would be beyond foolish.
Additionally, it would cause a very hard time for Dexter, being real with herself, she knew River wouldn't approve, well he never approves but she does what she wants anyways.
He hated all her ex-boyfriends.
So as much as she wanted her lips to be doing the tango with Dexter's lips right now, it's just not plausible.
Her eyes glance over his frame, yet again as they were making their way out of Aelius and into Rackedit forest.
Looking at him she couldn't help but wonder how someone's jawline could be so perfect, more importantly how she never noticed that, he's hot. The kind of hot you would get on your knees for. In that moment she was positive that she wanted her children to have his eyes.
She looks away quickly shaking the thoughts away, that's when the huge rusty overhead sign catches her eye.
"Welcome to Rackedit forest" River reads out loud.
"Yes Riv, we can read" she shakes her head at him, and he grabs her hand.
If you ask him, he'd probably say it's for her safety, but they both knew that's a lie and he's just scared.
"I don't believe there's actually ghosts here" Dexter laughs
"Shh don't disrespect them" River whispers hitting Dexter. "They're souls, not ghosts"
Skai turns to look at Dexter again, imagining them together.
"No Skai, stop thinking like that" she hits her head.
"Are you okay?" Dexter looks at her concerned.
"Shit, did I say that out loud?"
"I know you were born crazy, but this is on another level sis" River shakes his head.
"Oh shut up!" She hits him with the hand he wasn't holding, 'I'm giving this scaredy cat moral support, and this is how he treats me. Brothers.' She shakes her head
"Guys there are ghosts here, right?" Skai starts but then River interrupts her.
"No! No. Just stop talking" he practically pleads, clearly knowing where she was going with this.
"Yeah, what's your point?" Dexter asks her completely ignoring River.
"They're not brainless, we should ask them if they've seen dad" she suggests.
"You're right" River gives her the fakest smile to ever exist then proceeds to blink at her like he was talking to a child "They're not brainless, but you are." He rolls his eyes, and she hits him in response.
"Well, you're both wrong, realistically they are in fact brainless" Dexter corrects them but just gets ignored.
"You know I'm right" Skai rolls her eyes at her brother
"You know" Dexter pauses deep in thought "She's not wrong!" he gasps in realization, finally understanding what she's getting at.
"No no no no no!" River looks at both of them as if he was right about ready to end their lives. "Let's just quietly search the forest for dad, get him and get out of here" he demonstrates with his hands. "Then he explains everything to us, hopefully it makes sense, then we decide the next step from there and live happily ever after, the end."
"You need to loosen up bro" Dexter walks over to River throwing a hand over his shoulder.
"Yeah, loosen up" Skai wiggles.
"You two are crazy" he shrugs Dexters hand off.
"How do we even talk to them?" Skai asks Dexter.
"Uh... we don't?" River answers as if it was so obvious.
They pay him no mind.
"Maybe we call out to them?" Dexter suggests and immediately River's hands cover Dexter and Skai's mouth.
"There's someone here" he whispers.
"Yes, little one, we live here" A shrill voice speaks from behind Dexter.
They turn seeing no one there.
"Have you seen a man who goes by the name Kaito Ladiston?" Skai yells out, hoping they are listening.
"Yeah, black hair, blue eyes, about ye high?" Dexter describes lifting his hand up to his forehead to measure the height.
"Why should we offer you younglins our assistance?" another voice surfaces.
"I mean, why not?" Dexter shrugs.
"That's not very convincing now, is it?" A third voice enters the conversation.
"It's our dad, we need to find him" Skai explains.
"Well, great fortune is seemingly far from your side because we keep not records of the sprites that go through this forest" The first voice answers.
"But" the second voice pauses and shivers run down Skai's spine as she could feel the ghost right next to her.
"But what?" She turns around, still not seeing the ghost.
"You can trade something for information" The ghost giggles.
"No, we're not trading anything" River says firmly, making Skai roll her eyes
That's when they hear a beep and River jumps.
It was coming from his bag, his scroll touch.
"It's your scroll touch genius" Skai laughs at him mockingly.
The ghosts stop conversing with them, they seem to have disappeared, well technically they were never there, it was just their voices.
"Well answer it!" she urges her brother.
"Yeah... it's probably Emily or Elijah" Dexter says.
Dexter and Skai huddle around River as he unrolls the scroll touch answering the call.
Elijah's face pops up on the screen and Emily's face soon joins, they seem to be in an open field.
"I just saw something" Elijah informs them "Kaito took a path that is littered with bones, I'm not sure where but we haven't seen anything here, whatever you do, don't take it, he regretted it right after"
"K, but I thought you guys were staying back a day?" Dexter asks them.
"It's been a day what do you mean?" Elijah asks "Shouldn't you guys be out by now? I thought that route was a two-hour journey"
"What do you mean it's been a day?" River lifts a brow. "We've been in here for I'd say about a little over an hour"
"Uh guys?" Elijah paused fear clouding his eyes" Who is that behind you?"
"Behind us?" Skai mumbles to herself looking back. She sees nobody there.
"What do you mean there's no one there" River looks back at Elijah. "We will call you when we are out" he tells them, then proceeds to scan the surroundings while muttering "The path that is littered with bones huh?"
"I think we're missing something guys" Skai mutters thinking about what Elijah said about it being a day since they left that would mean they'd been in there for about 17 hours plus or minus.
Not the hour and a half that they are assuming.
"I found it!" Dexter calls to them motioning towards a pathway looking straight out of a horror movie.
"Why would dad take this route?" River asks.
"Well, I guess we're about to find out" Skai sucks in a breath taking a step onto the bone filled path. "He did say to make sure we take it."
"I think he said we shouldn't take it Skai" Dexter says his brows furrowed.
"No, he said we should take it Bardo" River tells him "We have to follow the path our dad took"
"Huh, maybe it's my ear" Dexter scratches his neck.
River found zero sense in any of it, but he said nothing, he was too creeped out by the path littered with bones to even say anything
"Okay this place is starting to get a little creepy" Skai says under her breath.
"You were looking for adventures, weren't you?" River scoffs "well here you have it, Adventures!" he rolls his eyes unenthusiastically, every word rolling off his tongue laced with sarcasm.
Dexter walks closer to Skai "We should be out of here soon anyways, hopefully we find your dad."
"Yeah hopefully" Skai leans onto Dexter sighing.
"yeah I can't do this" River runs out of the path, bones crunching beneath his face, Skai and Dexter look at him worriedly before chasing after him.
"River!" Skai calls out losing sight of him.
"River!" Dexter yells beginning to see illusions of River floating around. "It's a trap" he mutters stumbling back.
"Go straight down the path, don't look at anything else" he tells Skai, but she was already walking through the trees, he grabs her quickly pulling her with him running down the path.
They arrive back where the path started seeing River stuck in some sort of trance. Dexter doesn't let go of Skai; he rushes to River with her shaking him. River blinks looking at Dexter, but he seemed distant, his eyes were distant. Dexter grabs River's hand this time sure it was really River, leading them all out of the forest.
...
Coming out of the forest Dexter is faced with River, he looks beside him at the River he was holding onto his forehead beginning to crease, River and Skai beside him seemed to be coming back to their senses.
"What the" the River beside Dexter curses his eyes seeing his duplicate right in front of him, Dexter lets go of him stumbling back.
"Who's my brother?" Skai asks freaking out beside Dexter.
"I am" they both exclaim.
"Just ask them something only River would know" Dexter suggests looking at both warily.
"Um, okay" Skai breathes out shakily "On our 13th birthday, I ditched the celebrations, why and how did you feel about it?"
The two Rivers stare off before the one beside Dexter responds "because you thought that Dave Jenks would find them lame, so you snuck out to see a movie with him instead, when I found out I was disappointed and hurt, I still am you ditched me for that hopeless thing"
"He was my first love, okay? And I apologized a million times already" Skai groans.
"It was our birthday Skai, that means it was my birthday too, when you ditched, dad ditched too I had to spend it crying wishing for mom because of how alone I felt" he yells out at her.
The other River had dissipated into thin air, only Dexter saw when it happened.
"What?" Skai holds eye contact with her brother torn. "But, you said you were just disappointed in me? That's what you told me when I got back."
"Well, I'm sorry I have feelings, I'm not as strong as you think, Skai" at that Skai moves over to him hugging him. "I'm sorry, I know it won't change anything, but I really am"
River sighs smiling down at her "Fine, let's just get out of here first."
They look around their current location, no one, nothing, just a rickety old bridge in the distance and the Kingdom of Hesperia.
Skai slumps down beside a rock "No sign of dad" she looks around one more time.
River sighs sliding down beside her "No sign of dad" he repeats in a tone of finality.
"Doesn't mean we should give up guys" Dexter tries to be motivating. "We didn't see him, so what? It just means we're on the right path!"
The twins respond to what he meant to be inspiring with incoherent mumbles.
He sighs and plops down next to Skai.
Skai takes her scroll touch out of her bag and opens it "I'm gonna call Emily" She informs them.
Emily's face shows up on the electronic scroll "Hey guys what's up" The wind was blowing in her hair.
"We didn't find him" Skai informs Emily "Are you in the sky???"
"Well, we're on a dragon" she giggles "we'll be there soon!" A little boy pops onto the scroll, and he seems to be blabbering about something. Emily ends the call, and they all look at each other.
"A dragon?!" Skai exclaims.
"I guess the valley of Jann isn't as boring as I thought" Dexter lets out a disappointed chuckle.
"You guys are talking about a dragon? What about the kid that was with them?" River asks.
"River... they were on a dragon, that's crazier than having a child" Skai's eyes glimmer in amazement.
"Maybe it was a glitch, why would they bring a kid?" Dexter shrugs.
"Yeah" River agrees seeing no reason why they would bring some random child, they didn't know anybody in Aelius.
"I guess we wait then" Dexter concludes growing flowers from the ground.
"Waiting is boring" Skai turns to face him "Let's play a game" she looks over at her brother.
"No" the answer came out from River's mouth before she could even think of a game "playing games hasn't done us any good in the past couple of weeks".
"Party pooper" she punches him in the arm then turns to Dexter "Let's play a game!"
Of course she wouldn't listen to her brother, Skai doesn't take no as an answer. "What should we play?" Dexter smiles at her with a glint in his eye, but it wasn't the usual mischief that was often evident in his emerald eyes, it was different this time, something River couldn't quite fathom.
"I don't know" she frowns "Tag?"
"What are you?" her brother scoffs "five?"
"Every game is worth playing River Ladiston" Dexter tells him. "It just depends on who you play it with" he shrugs jumping to his feet "Tag you're it!" he taps Skai and runs away, she quickly stands to her feet, running after him.
"Don't go far!" River yells out to them taking his scroll touch out of his bag.
I wonder what else this thing can do, opening it, he scrolls through the writings, he had thought people only made use of scroll touches with the intention of contacting other people, you know... for the sake of communication, but there was more to it than that.
The first thing written on the device was 'Contact', his eyes lower, curiosity getting the best of him as he reads through the electronic page.
Contact
Pathfinder
Lacoep
Illusura
Marowe
Incise
Galleria
Those were the only applications on the scroll touch, he clicks on 'Lacoep'
Bright light comes out from one end of each wooden rod, 'you're telling me we had a flashlight all this time???' He thinks
He clicks the writing again and it turns off. Then he taps 'Pathfinder'.
A hologram appears above the device, and he sees a very detailed 3D map of where they are, he finds different dots on the map, touching the one closest to him, a small picture of Skai pops up.
"We had a map this entire time, we could have used this back in the sea." He mumbles to himself. "How do I turn this off?" he touches the ends of the wooden rods hoping to find something that would turn it off. Thankfully, he finds a button that closes the map and takes him back to the main page.
Clicking on Illusura, he sees his reflection, "a mirror?" His eyes spot a button on the screen, and he taps it, it flashes.
A camera.
"If 'Illusura' is a camera then 'Galleria' is probably gallery, that makes sense, I wonder what 'incise' is, great Skai is finally rubbing off on me now, I'm talking to myself" he says as he taps on the writing and the scroll locks shut. "That's weird."
He tries opening it and no luck, turning it around looking for a button of some sort he notices the ends on the wooden rods had glass in it. Those weren't there before.
Bringing it up to his eyes, he looks into it, wondering if it was some sort of puzzle.
"Woah, binoculars" He sees something in his line of vision, there was smoke coming from Nieves, "why would anything burn in Nieves? it's the coldest kingdom. Again, weird."
He moves it over to Dexter and Skai who were running around the field briefly.
Dexter and Skai on the other hand were embracing their childhood, at that moment Dexter could only think of one thing, one person, Skai. For him, she was mesmerizing to watch. Her playfulness exuded some sort of tranquil bliss. Staring at her felt like he was staring at happiness itself.
Upon catching her, his feet slips and they both crash to the ground. "Tag, you're it." He breathes out his face now inches away from hers.
"I can see it in your eyes" she whispers, her eyes glistening with something he could only decipher as longing.
"See what?" he holds contact with her eyes, refusing to look away, it was like their souls were holding a meeting through the orbs they use to see the world, it was like if he looked away the beats moving through his veins would disappear without a trace, like her soul could fully encompass that of his and he wouldn't be moved because they held a kind connection only the two of them could understand.
Dexter had always hated literature but being with her then and there so close that she could probably hear his heartbeat, so close that he could see all the perfect 'imperfections' on her face, just being in that little moment made him want to be Shakespeare himself, because he believed that was the only way he could perfectly and properly put how he feels about her to words, he was sure that then he could find a way to capture her beauty in a way he believed was deserving of its impeccability.
"Forget it" she shakes her head pushing him off, but he loses his balance and his lips crash onto hers. They had kissed before...it wasn't something new to them, both of them being the wildcards in their little group they are had engaged in multiple spin the bottles that ended with their lips being against each other—something River had no knowledge about and they never planned to tell him, those times they were drunk but this...there was something about this momentary touch of their lips that felt so magical, so illegally magical.
Dexter pulls away quickly after getting over the shock "I'm sor-" she pulls him back onto her smashing her lips on his.
It was passionate yet intense, just like her. He comes to his senses, pulling away. "We shouldn't be doing this sober"
"With love, please shut up" she runs her hand through his hair. Pulling him back to her but he pulls away. "Are you sure about this Skai?"
She brings her lips to him, and he takes that as his answer. This goes on for about two minutes then they pull away breathing heavily, Dexter moves off her lying next to her. "Woah" they both breathe out.
"We should uh, we should get back to River" she scratches her head standing up
"Yeah" he nods, and they walk back to the rock River is sitting by awkwardly.
"Emily and Elijah should be here any minute" he informs them as they sit down next to him.
There is clearly tension in the air, no surprise there, Dexter just made out with River's sister. Neither of them responds to him but thankfully River's scroll touch beeps.
"Hey, you guys here?" River asks them.
"Yeah, we just landed where exactly are you?" Elijah questions.
"We're close to the bridge before Hesperia, a little ahead of the path into rackedit" River informs them, Dexter looks over at Skai who is playing with her fingers wondering if she was thinking about it too, because he's thinking about it, He wanted it to be something, he hoped it would be something. Hoped she wouldn't say it was nothing, she wouldn't say it was in the moment.
He gets lost in his thoughts 'I should have thought this through, Skai's kissed a lot of guys before, she was possibly just adding me to the list. But Skai wouldn't do that to me would she? She wouldn't treat me like I am nothing right? It had to mean something, Skai and I have kissed before but it was dares and at parties—which River doesn't and shouldn't know about, besides it wasn't ever serious just a little peck, it was never anything meaningful, this was meaningful, this has meaning to me-'
"Dexter!" River shakes shakes him out of his thoughts and Dexter blinks at him unfazed "You were so out of it there; I said the scroll touch does a number of other things"
"Hmm?" Dexter hums indicating his interest "Like what?"
He begins to show them the different functions and the only thing that clicked in Dexter's brain was that they had a flashlight and digital map the entire time, 'how easier our life could have been if we found this two weeks ago.' He thinks
"What about that?" Skai points at 'Marowe' and River pauses.
"I actually haven't opened that yet, let's check it out" he touches it, and a holograph appears above the device.
"Fruit ninja? It's literally fruit ninja, sweet!" Skai stands to her feet and starts dicing the flying fruits with her hand "This is so cool, it looks so realistic."