Chapter 16: Taken (3)

Ahri was still thinking about Jeffric while she was walking through the forest to breathe fresh air.

'He never had a proper birthday . . .' Ahri thought, looking up at the sky through the tree branches.

Of course, she never had a birthday because she didn't know when it was. She wanted to do something for him, but she didn't know what to do. She felt as if something was stuck in her mind and she couldn't get it out.

She walked until she'd reached a small lake.

She sat down at the edge of the lake and looked down at the clear water. Her reflection stared back, and it'd a thoughtful expression on its face.

"What am I going to do . . . ?" Ahri asked her reflection.

Just then, she felt something behind her.

She whirled around but saw only trees. But her instinct told her that there was something . . .

She stood up slowly and started walking toward the trees, looking around for any signs of danger.

But after several minutes of looking around, she saw nothing.

'I think I should go back . . .'

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I was drawing a painting of a tree while whistling happily.

At the village, the woman, who gave me the painting materials, let me trade my paintings at her stall. And I'd brought new things to the cave, like a copper mirror, a small table that was carved in an elegant manner, a mechanical bird—which I heard came from a faraway land of gears and gems—that could move by turning around a clockwork, and other small objects like polished stones, marbles, and etc.

Now, I was drawing the small branches of a tree when I heard something outside the cave.

"Help me!"

I froze completely.

It was a man's voice.

'Somebody's in danger!'

Suddenly, a memory of myself screaming for help while being chased by other kids in my village hit me hard. My younger self was crying miserably because I'd known that nobody would help me while the kids were catching up.

I shook my head violently to get the memory out of my mind.

'Whoever he is, he needs my help!'

I stood up quickly and dropped the brush that I was holding.

"I'm coming!" I yelled and started running toward the entrance while desperation filled my heart.

Was the man ok? Was the man in grave danger?

When I ran out of the cave entrance, I saw a man who was sitting on his knees, looking down at the ground.

"What's wrong?" I asked, quickly approaching him.

When he looked up, I froze because I'd recognized him.

"W-Wait a—"

Suddenly I felt someone approaching from my side, and before I could do anything, something struck me really hard. As I crumpled onto the ground, darkness swallowed me whole.

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Ahri walked toward the cave while still trying to get the uneasy feeling off her.

'It was nothing,' Ahri told herself mentally, still looking around tensely. 'It was just your mind playing tricks on you.'

Ahri walked until she'd reached the entrance of the cave.

"Jeffric, how's your painting going?" Ahri called out cheefuly, trying to get the tension out of her body.

There was no answer.

"Jeffric?"

No answer.

Panic suddenly filled Ahri, and she ran into the cave.

Jeffric wasn't in there.

'Where is he?'

Then, she saw the painting that Jeffric was working on lying on the cave ground. And, she realized that the leaves on the ground were scattered as if someone had run out of the cave . . .

She ran out of the place quickly and stopped just in front of the entrance. She looked down on the dirt ground and saw that there was a long mark, which looked as if someone or something was dragged across it . . .

And, she saw a piece of paper next to the drag mark.

She slowly picked it up from the ground. There was nothing on the paper, but when she turned it around, she froze.

[If you want to see the boy again, come back to the lake.]

Her legs suddenly gave out beneath her. She dropped the piece of paper onto the ground as she fell onto her knees, her body starting to tremble in panic.

"N-No . . ." Ahri cried out, fear ringing in her voice, "th-this can't be happening . . ."