by Ivy Rose
I continued to walk deeper into the forest, before I stopped and stood with my eyes closed. It was so tranquil. I had been standing there a few moments, when the strangest thing happened. It was like I suddenly connected with every tree surrounding me, or more specifically, every living organism around me. I could feel the energy within me, flowing and pulsating through every part of my body, as my soul seemed to expand outside my body. There was a warm sensation moving peacefully, all the way out to my fingertips. It was like an out-of-body experience and, terrified of losing control, I quickly opened my eyes.
That was such an unfamiliar and powerful feeling. I stared down at my hands, and gasped when I realised what had happened to them. The tips of all my fingers were glowing with a beautiful light. Mesmerised, and terrified that my mind was playing some serious tricks on me, I blinked rapidly, matching my pounding heart. This can’t be real…
I lifted both hands closer to my face and examined them carefully. They were still glowing with an almost angelic light. I closed and opened my eyes one more time. Still there. I scanned my surroundings, just to make sure I was alone. I could still feel everything around me, like there was a life force of energy flowing through my body, lingering on my fingertips.
Instinctively, I went down on my knees in the soft moss, touching the forest floor with my bare fingers. I was in awe of everything around me and was flooded by an overwhelming instinct to protect it. I reached out to a sleeping plant next to me, letting my fingers touch the stem. Somehow, I knew it was a Calypso orchid, but how I knew this I had no idea. The name seemed to call to me in a cool breeze, whispering softly from the forest.
I ran my fingers over the moss. Just like with the flower, I knew its name too. I reached for the unusual orchid plant again, picking it up in my hand. The plant sprang to life, and I witnessed a beautiful pink orchid, smelling like vanilla blossom in the palm of my hand. This should have terrified me, but it didn’t. Instead, I closed my eyes, still in awe of everything that was happening. Images from my past slowly started to resurface, showing me pieces that I’d somehow forgotten. I saw an image of me and my grandmother in her garden, but now there were far more details than I’d ever recalled before.
My grandmother was telling me one of her wonderful stories, but this time another memory was attached to it. I couldn’t have been more than five years old. She lifted me up, put me on a chair and brought out a plant in front of me. When she knew that she had my attention, she closed her eyes and moved her fingers over it. An angelic light appeared from her fingers, and a beautiful flower blossomed to life beneath her hands. I clapped my hands excitedly, in awe of what she had shown me. My grandmother smiled at me and then put her finger to her mouth. It was our secret. A secret I had forgotten about, until now…
She’d been able to awaken nature, and here I was, doing the same thing. As the memory faded into the distance, I opened my eyes again. I was still on my knees on the cold forest floor, but the connection I’d felt only minutes ago was fading fast. I stared down at my hands in my lap. There was no glow and no heavy pulse running through them anymore and I felt an instant void in my chest.
It was like I’d lost a piece of something, a piece of myself. I didn’t realise before I tasted the saltiness on my lips, that I was crying. I stumbled up to my feet and wiped the tears off my face. I had no idea what had just happened to me, but I needed to go back to the house. I started running back the same way I’d come.
What had happened out there? What had happened to me? Had it actually happened, or was I dreaming the whole thing? There were so many questions going through my head, so I did the only thing I could think of. I pinched myself in the arm in pure desperation. Boy did that hurt.
Nope, I definitely wasn’t dreaming. I was definitely awake, now with a sore arm. My mind was racing, trying to make sense of something that the logical part of my brain couldn’t comprehend at all. But as confronting and strange as this experience had been, I wasn’t scared. I sensed a calmness flowing over me, and an extraordinary connection to this whole experience formed peacefully like a loving memory inside my heart.
Something was stirring restlessly in my soul, like I’d awakened a big secret, which was longing to break free. What was stressing me out was the fact that I was about to walk back to my friends. Was I supposed to tell them about this? Somehow, I just knew that I had to keep this to myself for now. I couldn’t exactly tell my friends that I’d been out awakening sleeping plants in the forest on my morning walk. It sounded way too crazy, even to me. I stepped onto the porch and was about to walk over to the door when I noticed a flower on the doormat in front of me. When I came closer, I saw that it was the same orchid from the forest – the one I’d touched only moments ago. How could that be?
I picked up the flower as my eyes searched the area around me. Someone else had seen me this morning and what I had done out there in the forest. I felt the panic grow. My eyes wandered around my surroundings one more time, just to make sure that whoever put the orchid on the front porch was gone. My first thought had been of bad intentions, but it really didn’t have to be. Maybe this person could help me understand what was going on. All that was confirmed right now, was that this was real. This had actually just happened to me.
The door opened, and Jasmine peeked out. “There you are. Come on, we’re having breakfast,” she said and pulled me inside. I followed her into the kitchen where Lexi and Mia were making bacon and eggs.
“We were almost on our way to call the ranger.” Lexi laughed.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe you found one,” said Jasmine and looked at the little flower I was holding in my hand.
I swallowed. “Yeah, I…”
“Honestly, they shouldn’t even be around now. They’re hard to find. They are sacred you know. Where did you find it?”
“I-I came across it on my morning walk,” I said as I attempted another lie. God, I really sucked at it.
“That’s awesome. It’s beautiful.” Jasmine smiled. “My parents taught me everything about the plants and trees around here. We used to come here a lot when I was younger. Seriously though, this one is unique.”
“Tell me about it,” I murmured.
“You’re not supposed to pick them, just so you know.” Jasmine winked.
“Oh, okay…I feel bad now.”
“Don’t. Here.” Mia handed me a glass of water. “For the flower.”
“Thanks.” With a shaky hand I put the beautiful orchid in the water.
“Aurora, are you okay?” Lexi asked.
“Yeah, I think I just need a shower to wake up, unless you guys need a hand with anything?”
“No, you go. We thought we could go to the markets in town when we’re finished here.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be right back.”
I quickly went upstairs and closed the bedroom door behind me. My senses were still on high alert, replaying every moment of what had just happened to me. I wanted answers right away, but I had no idea where to start. If someone had been watching me this morning, it was highly likely that this person lived around here somewhere. All of a sudden, the idea of going into the markets sounded like the perfect plan. I jumped in the shower and welcomed the warm water over my frozen body.
As much as this whole morning should have made me question my mental wellbeing, I still felt that strange calmness, almost like a surrendering. Because I knew my grandmother must have had the same gift. Well, I wasn’t sure if I could call it a gift yet, because I knew nothing about it. But if my grandmother possessed it, it definitely wasn’t evil in any way. She had been the kindest woman I’d ever known. No, this definitely wasn’t something bad that was happening to me, because I had never felt as at peace with myself as I did this morning in the forest. I’d felt so complete and so in tune with everything around me. It was the most amazing feeling I’d ever had. Would I be able to do that again? I knew I wanted to. It was calling to me…
“Aurora, come on, breakfast is r
eady!” Lexi yelled as she knocked on the bathroom door. Apparently, someone else was calling to me as well. I giggled at my own humour and turned the shower off.
“I’ll be right down,” I shouted back.
After breakfast we drove back into Lovika Creek. It was a cute little town, surrounded by Mother Nature, just like Angel Falls. The market we were visiting was in the middle of the town square. We bought ourselves some hot chocolates and roasted almonds and started to explore the market stalls. It didn’t take long before we all got separated, but I didn’t mind walking around by myself. I had too much to think about to be able to socialise anyway.
I was strolling around the stalls, when I noticed an old woman further down the street waving towards me. I didn’t recognise her, so I turned around to see if she was waving to someone behind me, but no one seemed to be paying any attention to her. I turned towards her again, and she continued to wave for me to come over. I pointed at myself, and she nodded enthusiastically. Did she know my mum or something? Or she might have known my grandparents? Curious, I strolled over to where she was standing.
“You’re here,” the old woman said and reached for my hand.
“’Sorry, do I know you?” I asked politely and smiled at her.
“The light bearers will be happy to know you’re finally home,” she said, and squeezed my hand gently.
“The light bearers? Sorry, but I think you must have me confused with somebody else.” This woman was clearly old and in a fragile state of mind. The woman shook her head and smiled.
“No, dear, I know what you are,” she whispered and held on to my hand gently.
I looked for any sign that she was messing with me, but she seemed genuinely happy to know me, so I decided to take a chance. Maybe she knew something about what had happened to me. Maybe she could help me.
“And what am I exactly?” I whispered back.
The woman’s brow furrowed as she studied my face. “You don’t know?”
“No, I don’t know. But if you know something, please tell me,” I implored. Did she know what I could do? She seemed to detect the urgency in my voice and patted my hand.
“The autumn equinox will be here very soon and that is the only day when light is vulnerable and can be defeated by the darkness. You need to be prepared,” she whispered.
“I don’t understand.”
“Then seek your answers. I can see that you are already connected to the light within.” She gave me a reassuring smile as she let go of my hand, then turned around and started to walk away. I hurried after her.
“Wait! Please, just tell me where to look.”
“Aurora, there you are. Have you seen the other girls?”
I spun around, somewhat startled to see Mia standing there.
“No, hold on one second. I just need to ask this lady something.” I turned back to the old woman, but she was nowhere to be seen.
“Where did she go?” I mumbled and looked around.
“Who are you looking for?” Mia asked.
I turned to Mia. “This old lady. I was just talking to her. Did you see her by any chance?”
Mia shook her head. “No. I just saw you. I didn’t realise you were talking to someone.”
We stayed in the little town for a few more hours, but I never saw the old woman again. It was like she vanished into thin air.
I couldn’t help but feel like I’d missed something significant as we drove back to the house later that afternoon. I hadn’t even had a chance to ask for her name, and it bothered me. I should have asked her name…
I volunteered to cook dinner with some help from Mia. It was only fair since everyone else had cooked breakfast this morning, plus I needed something to occupy my mind. This was our last evening, and I wanted to make the most of it.
“Okay, I have a surprise for you all,” Jasmine said with a mischievous smile as we all sat down to eat. “I’m just going to get it; I’ll be right back.” We all looked at each other confused until Jasmine came back a minute later, still smiling. “I borrowed a bottle from my parents.” She winked and put a bottle of vodka on the table.
“Well, this day just got even better.” Mia laughed and stood up. “We need some glasses and something to mix it with.”
I wasn’t as keen as the others, but Lexi managed to convince me to have at least one drink. Two hours later we had the music going and were all dancing around in the living room. I was feeling absolutely fantastic. Always in control, it felt nice to be out of control for once. I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t let go like this before. I was dancing around with a big smile on my face, completely forgetting about what happened earlier in the day. I was in my own little world, dancing away to the music.
Long after midnight, we all decided to call it a night. We turned the music off and said goodnight to each other as we reached the top of the stairs. I was still affected by the alcohol and by the time I had made it to my bed, all I could think about was Adrian. I grabbed my phone on the bedside table and went straight into my contacts. Although I had told Adrian, not that long ago, that I would never call him, I felt an urge to break my promise. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I needed to hear his voice. I pushed the dial button on my phone, without thinking.
“Hello?”
Even though I was a bit drunk, I could feel my stomach do a somersault at the sound of his sleepy voice.
“It’s me, Aurora,” I spluttered.
“Aurora? Well, this is a nice surprise.” And his tone changed, making my whole body react to its wickedness. “Tell me, what can I do for you this Saturday night?”
“I-I…” What was I supposed to say? I had no idea why I was even calling him. I scrambled for something to say, but I couldn’t find anything in my vocabulary. Damn Jasmine for bringing that vodka.
I could hear him chuckle softly. “Have you been drinking?”
“No! I mean yes. Well, maybe…it doesn’t matter.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m with the girls at Jasmine’s parents’ holiday house. Far away from Angel Falls,” I added quickly.
“And you decided to call me? I’m flattered and beyond curious. Were you thinking about me?”
I shook my head, even though I knew he couldn’t see me. “No.”
“Aurora?”
I held my breath. “Yes?”
“You are a terrible liar.”
“I wasn’t thinking about you. How’s your girlfriend by the way?” I blurted out.
“Girlfriend? Who’s my girlfriend, angel?” he asked softly.
“Stop playing with me, Adrian. Who do you think I’m talking about? Evangeline, of course. And stop calling me angel.” The alcohol was definitely making me braver. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, though.
“I’ve already told you several times, I don’t have a girlfriend. I do have someone I think about a lot, but her name is not Evangeline.”
I swallowed and tried to ignore what he’d told me. He was just playing one of his twisted games with me, again. “I saw you, remember?” I said quietly.
“I know you did, and do you remember me telling you that things aren’t always what they seem?”
“It doesn’t make any sense, Adrian. So, you just kiss random girls whenever you feel like it, then? That’s good to know.”
He laughed. “No, I don’t kiss random girls. The only one I want to kiss right now is you. Is that so hard to believe?”
“Why do you say things like that to me?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
“You are such a liar.”
“I think we’ve already established who’s the bigger liar between you and I.” He chuckled.
I knew I was losing the battle here, and fast. “It still doesn’t take away that I saw you with her. You kissed her in front of me.”
“I did, but if you really knew the reason why I did that, you wouldn’t judge me so hard.”
I sighed. “And as always, nothing that
comes out of your mouth makes any sense to me.”
There was a moment of silence.
“I don’t have a girlfriend, angel. I admit, I kissed her, but she’s not my girlfriend. That’s all you need to know, for now anyway.”
“Do you know what? Forget that I even called you, it was a mistake.” Of course this whole idea would backfire. How could I be so stupid? I cursed Jasmine for bringing the vodka again and this time I added Lexi to the list, for convincing me to have a drink. Adrian laughed again, which made my heart race even faster. It was deep and wicked.
“I’m not sure I see this as a mistake. I’m happy that you called. And do you want to know something else, angel?”
I swallowed. I really hated this new nickname. “What?”
“I’m looking forward to your return.”
“Why?”
“I want to finish what we started last time,” he said in a low voice, making my body respond with a deep ache.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. What do we need to finish?” But of course I knew what he was talking about. It had been on my mind ever since we parted. His sinful lips against my skin, his hands touching me. It was a lethal combination, toxic to my senses. This was exactly the reason I had called him. I knew it, and he knew it too.
“You do know what I’m talking about. I want you, Aurora, only you.”
His voice was so seductive. I could feel him, like he was sitting right next to me, touching me. He was seducing me with his words, and I was melting right there. I squirmed and my heart pounded harder and faster against my ribcage. This conversation needed to end, right now. So, I did the only thing I could think of. I hung up. Mature? Probably not. But Adrian Hunter was so much more than I could handle.
Chapter 15
I woke up the next morning with what felt like the word regret written on my forehead. The awful feeling followed me around all morning, constantly reminding me of the not-so-planned phone call that I’d made the night before. It was consuming me to the point where I pushed other unexplainable but important events from my thoughts. I really should have been more worried about what had happened to me out in the forest. Like the fact that I had awakened a sleeping orchid from its slumber, and that an unknown woman had seen a light within me. That was important and should have worried me more, but I was so damn consumed by Adrian that I almost convinced myself what happened in the forest hadn’t happened at all.