Chapter 15 In Light of Everything

Iris woke up to the frightening sound of thunder rolling across the sky. She gasped for breath. Her hair was stuck to the back of her neck with sweat. More sweat trickled down the side of her face. She quickly wiped it with her hand.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered to herself, tapping a hand on her heart to calm it down.

She made her way out through the dimly lit hallway. She could hear people talking in the kitchen. They stopped to look at her the minute she entered. Embarrassing enough as that was, her stomach growled in the utter silence. Iris felt her cheeks heat up in a rush. She was about to turn to leave when a voice called out to her.

"Iris, sweetie, come have breakfast." It was Ricky's mom. She placed a plate full of scrambled eggs and toast on the round table. There was a glass of orange juice waiting for her there as well. Drool filled up in Iris's mouth as she ran over to take a seat. Without looking up, she began to stuff her face full with food as quickly as she could.

She realized that people were staring but this was the first proper meal she'd had in ages. She wasn't going to stop for anything.

All of a sudden, Dixon walked in, dragging his feet along. A gloomy aura surrounded him as he made his way towards the table. He slumped down on the seat opposite to Iris. She looked up at him, face full of scrambled eggs. His dark hair was disheveled with a distant look in his eyes. He almost looked lifeless.

.

Was it really her? Maybe I was finally going crazy. Every time the thunder roared, I felt something sink inside. My chest felt heavy and it was hard to breathe all of a sudden, but I had to keep myself composed. I could feel Iris's concerned gaze on me.

Very slowly, she pushed the plate of scrambled eggs towards me, gulping down the food in her mouth. Without looking, I pushed the plate back with one finger.

"I'm fine," I said, finally meeting her eyes. I then looked down at her arm where the shards had punctured her skin. Tiny dots of golden glinted under the light.

"Is your arm alright?" I asked.

"I'm guessing you've recovered?"

Ricky said as he came to sit down beside me, with a packet of bread and a bottle of peanut butter. I nodded at him and he handed me a plate. Taking a slice of bread, I began to spread some peanut butter on it. I noticed Iris hadn't responded to my question yet. She wasn't eating either.

"About that…" she began, "I need your help."

I put down the bread, listening intently.

"There was a piece of golden shard…"

My brows went up. I quickly fiddled with my pockets, just realizing it still existed. Past events had made me completely lose my mind and forget it was there.

"It's not there," she answered.

My pockets came out empty. I raised my hands to hold the side of my head, looking down at the table.

"Why do you know about it?" I asked, stressfully scratching my unkempt hair.

"It's a part of me that was taken away by a shadow. My light."

I flinched. She held up her arm with the little glowing dots of light.

"When I found it, it tried to absorb back into me but couldn't without the last shard."

"What happens if you don't find the shard?" I asked, feeling a lump growing inside my chest.

"I…" she choked on her words. "I might die."

Thunder shot across the sky. All the kitchen lights began to flicker. I looked to my right, out the glass door that led into the back yard. The sky went white with purple streaks steaming out of it. There was a hint of yellow in them that didn't belong there.

I clutched my sleeve with one hand, gritting my teeth. Something pinched inside my chest, pulling back as if I were drowning. For a second, a spark buzzed in my ear. I shook my head, quickly shrugging it away.

I turned back to Iris. She looked at me innocently with searching eyes, waiting desperately for an answer. She had no one else to turn to. I could sense that she was scared.

"No one is going to die." The words came out easier than I had imagined. The heaviness faded. She watched me silently, reading my face, possibly even my thoughts.

"You would really do that, huh…" she murmured to herself, sounding oddly upset for a moment. Was that not what she wanted to hear?

After that, her worried face suddenly transformed into a bright little smile. She quickly resumed her eating without looking up again. It was odd behavior overall but I chose to ignore it. I got up from my seat and headed out of the kitchen, holding onto the side of my arm still.

Somewhere along the hallway, I faded out into the shadows.

.

The first time when I had arrived here, I hadn't noticed the windows along the red hallway. I studied them as I passed by. Catters slithered past me in haste. They moved to one side as they gave me room to walk.

"I always wondered what's out there…" I stopped to stare out one of the glass windows. There was nothing but emptiness outside. It was as if nothing existed beyond these walls.

Damon appeared beside me.

"Your power has gotten stronger than before," he said.

"It just means I'm that much closer to death," I muttered carelessly, peering deep into the darkness outside. There was a tiny flash for a second before it disappeared, followed by a stinging up my arm and back. I squeezed it tightly.

"It seems I was unable to heal you completely." Damon frowned at me.

I sighed, shaking my head.

"No… I need this. This way I know where she is," I told him.

"How could you possibly know that?" he said, not believing me.

I stopped to look at him.

"Ever since I survived… I just know. It's like bits of her power are still inside me."

"I don't understand," Damon was saying, shaking his head. "She almost killed you. Then why…"

Help me. I recalled the words in my head, not bothering to explain anything.

"You really wouldn't understand."

I pulled down the latch to push open the window. Suddenly, a heavy force of wind shoved me back. I held onto the window sill, squinting ahead into a black organism.

It breathed in, sucking the air from the hallway. Many catters floated into the air, squealing as their tiny bodies were thrown into the darkness. Another small flash of light caught my eye. With my hands on the windowsill, I lifted myself up with ease. I could feel Damon's hand clinging onto the back of my collar. My jacket hit him in the face consistently.

"You could die if you jump from here," He was saying, having to raise his voice to be heard over the roaring wind. "This is the abyss. You don't know where you'll end up."

"Stay," I told him, having to raise my voice as well. Although reluctant, he let go of my collar, as ordered. I threw myself into the air, feeling a massive pressure on the underside of my body. The wind blew upward, making me levitate as I descended into the darkness. The cold crept through my clothes, sending goosebumps up my skin. My ears felt like they had turned to ice, along with my fingertips.

I focused on steadying my breathing as I aimed for the spot where the light flashed every few seconds. I craned my head back towards the window, only to be taken aback by how tiny it looked from where I was. I hadn't realized how much distance I'd traveled. Everything around me was just pitch black, making it impossible to detect where I was.

The only landmark around was the outer structure of the cave itself. The windows aligned themselves along a rocky, tube like exterior, attached to a spiraling mass of jagged rocks. It curved up towards the top where it slightly opened up like a flower bud. I could see a gradient of gray skies above it. The skies stretched out towards the abyss where they faded into the darkness.

I was starting to feel my body freeze up from the cold. I would eventually die from frostbite if I strayed any further. I looked down at the approaching thundercloud. A faint sensation of current traveled through my body as I drew closer. With my legs angled downwards, I cut through the cloud of yellow smoke. My body tingled all over.

.

Cheryl peeked from behind the wall of an old school building, surrounded by dark, ominous clouds that drifted through, a few feet above ground. It was an abandoned old structure that could date back decades with its withered paint and overgrown moss sticking out of the cracks. It was situated in the middle of an empty ground, guarded by a thick wired fence all around.

The clouds masked her vision. She could make out a tall, thin figure in the distance. He had his arms up in the air. A swarm of gray clouds appeared out of his hands, followed by an electrical surge that zapped through his fingers. As it streamed into the thick, dense air, it let out a loud bang all across the sky. Cheryl's fingers twitched, as she watched closely. Following the same pattern, she released her own electrical surge. Streaks of lightning turned from white to yellow.

"How long do you plan on doing that?" The person spoke. Cheryl's heart hammered inside her chest. His silhouette merged into the clouds, making him disappear from sight. She blinked, glancing around nervously. Taking a few steps back, she hastily broke into a run, only to slam herself straight into someone's chest. Her face made contact with his ribs and her nose took most of the impact.

She gasped in pain, falling backwards onto the hard ground. Her hand went up to touch her nose. It stung from the inside. He laughed at her mockingly as he bent down closer to her.

"Did you think I was so stupid that I wouldn't notice you interfering with my clouds."

"I didn't do anything…" she managed to say in a partial whisper. Her hands trembled as she pushed herself back up. He took a step forward.

"You do think I'm stupid."

She quickly backed away, shaking her head no. His devilish grin widened at the fear in her eyes. She looked down at her feet, unable to make out any words. Suddenly, someone stepped in between them, appearing like the wind. The boy had ash blonde hair and a pale face.

"Gale, stop it," he said anxiously. "Just because she's being watched doesn't mean she can't get angry."

"You stay out of this, Eron," Gale retorted in an irritated voice.

"I warned you. You have your fun now and you're going to regret later," Eron said, disappearing just as quickly as he came, turning into a transparent wind.

"You're nothing," Gale said spitefully, turning towards her, covering the distance between them. He stretched out his hand to grab her face. Cheryl jerked back, only to hit the wall behind her. She held her breath, as his hand came close enough to touch. In that instant, something smacked it away with force.

.

Thunderclouds expanded until they were completely above the house, throwing shadows all around. Iris watched as the landscape darkened outside her window. She sat on her bed, all curled up in her blanket, letting in as much warmth as possible. The temperature had dropped outside, all of a sudden. A bit of frosty air escaped in through the tiny opening in the window, making her shudder.

As she breathed, her breath began to fog up into the air. She wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders. There was an ominous presence closeby. Iris jumped off the bed, dragging the blankets along with her.

"I have to tell Ricky," she spoke in a concerned voice.

Just as her feet touched the cold floor, her body flinched on its own. The floor was ice. She looked down at the slightly shiny yet reflective surface that had settled onto the wooden panels as a separate layer. It sent chills up her bare feet. She let out a gasp followed by a slight tremble.

"Ricky!" she cried out, feeling a pressure rising inside her chest. She tried lifting her feet. It didn't budge. "Ricky!" She yelled in a more panicky voice all the while attempting to wiggle her feet free from its grasp. The ice frosted up all the way to her knees, coating it with a thin, yet unbreakable layer.

She opened her mouth to yell out for the third time with tearfilled eyes. The cold air choked on her words, her legs already numb from the frost. To her relief, she heard footsteps approach her room with haste.

"Iris!" Ricky's voice echoed from outside.