Chapter 6

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, waiting for someone to walk in through the opened door. I had sunk too deep into my thoughts as Jess had to sharply elbow me in the ribs for me to wake up from my trance.

“What?” I hissed.

She pointed towards the door, eyes in awe. Two tall masculine boys were making their way to our table. Both could have the chance of being our age, eighteen or nineteen perhaps. The two boys were contrasted to each other, one seeming bubbly and the other serious and disinterested in being here. Jess’ didn’t stop ogling at the bubbly boy but I would be lying if I said he wasn’t handsome. Taking a seat in front of her, she smiled smugly at him and he wasn’t late to return it. However, his disinterested friend that contained an attractive exterior of a sharp jawline and messy brown hair, portrayed the aura of a nonchalant individual. But it wasn’t any of that which had caught my eye. A particular gold necklace that had triangular lockets, dangled from his sturdy neck. It was entrancing.

It wasn’t too late before the wise leader had cleared his throat and began to speak. "Jenn and Jess, this is Darren, my son," he said while pointing to the guy Jess had been happily analysing for the past two minutes.

All I wanted to know was the other guy’s name. The dude who looked kind of scary with his sharp stare which was aimed at me. Attractive or not, he was the guy that no-one would sit with, in the cafeteria at lunchtime. Or would they?

"And, this is Mason, Darren's friend."

In other situations, I would have smiled or even shook my hands with him, but the cold stare he was giving me made me sink back in my chair and reply with a slight nod.

"Well, let's start eating, I'm definitely hungry!" said a cheery-looking Gregory.

That was the best thing he had said yet. With nothing more to think about, I started to dig in.

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With minimal conversations and unnecessary amounts of awkwardness, dinner had finally finished. We were promised a mini-tour by Bubbles and let’s just say that the thought of talking to Gregory about what needed to be asked, totally went over my head. I was constantly thinking about the boys, especially one of them in particular. Mason. But when I heard a knock on the door, I was none other than pleased, to see Bubbles waiting, grumpily. It wasn’t that I was excited to see Bubbles, but the tour that was waiting in store for us.

“If both of you are ready, it’s time for us to begin heading off.” I nodded and called Jess. Dragging a cardigan around my shoulders, I closed the door behind me and felt the cold travel along my arms, through the light sweater. The weather wasn’t doing any justice to my exposed legs either, as I would have been thankful for a pair of sweats and hoodie at the moment.

“We will be travelling to a lookout; from there you will be able to see Ziara and watch the sunset. That’s the plan for tonight. Any questions?”

Before either of us had the time to speak, Bubbles had already begun to set off, indicating that we had to follow him, quietly. The sun was beginning to set. We still had some time remaining, which meant that we would arrive at the spot before the sun had fully gone down. Jess and I were looking forward to wherever we were going, lookout or not. But we decided not to show too much excitement, in case the alicorn got angry and randomly decided to cancel the tour.

Walking to our destination, there were many things to look at in awe. It was amazing to see the different representations of new creatures and plants, very different from what I was used to seeing. The friendly animals, fairies and fantasy creatures made an environment of love and care which twisted itself into the beauty of what Ziara actually was. And it was more than interesting to be immersed in all of it. Yet, I still had that feeling once again and I think it was of missing home. I never thought that I would be getting that feeling, but here I was, wanting to never leave Ziara yet return back home to the non-existing comfort. I knew I would have to choose eventually.

I hadn’t realised time ticking away or the fact that Bubbles was a fast mover. We had reached the lookout very quickly. To my amazement, I could see torches lit with a blazing fire, lined up evenly on the sides of wooden posts. Mountains stood tall in the distance and far below, houses were everywhere. A river flowed in between the lookout and the village which only made it look better. The sun was slowly starting to go down and shades of yellow and pink were now lining the sky.

From behind, I could hear Bubbles sighing. “I am able to show you something if you please.”

The alicorn for sure had the urge to have some fun but was evidently keeping it inside him, to keep his mature and stern act up.

“Yeah, sure.”

Bubbles pridefully soared through the chilly winds, as he gracefully glided his wings and cut the air with a sharp strike. Dipping down and giving us a closer look at his actions, I felt astonished. Who knew that Bubbles had the ability to have fun? It felt good to do something exciting and new for once. A big change, it was. He finally landed on the tiled pathway and the grin that had once been on his face, changed to a neutral expression, once and for all. He was back to normal.

“I’m allowing you some time to explore any places that you wish to see. But you only have a limited amount of time and then you must return to your allocated rooms,” he instructed us.

Gleefully nodding, I pulled Jess as we travelled along the lit paths on an unknown adventure. In a big, wide world.

“Jenn, wait.”

I stopped abruptly and let go of her hand. “Is something wrong?”

“Yes. You promised that you would speak to the leader about what we want. We need to get out of here, right? Um, this is what we want, yeah?”

I bit my lip. “It went over my head in the chaos of those guys turning up, I’m sorry.”

She sighed, disappointingly. “Okay.”

“You’re not mad?”

“What’s the point? I can’t force you to make a decision you’re reluctant on. I don’t really think you’re eager to get home.”

“I-

“I’m more than capable of asking and getting information myself,” she smiled.

“I just-

“You don’t have to explain yourself, let’s get going.”

Jess’ words filled inside my mind while we were on our walk. She was desperate to get out of here, yet I had seen the excitement evident on her face when seeing that boy. It had been a long time since I had seen her like that – happy from the bottom of her heart. And apart from the awkward dinner, that was the same for me as well. I wanted to tell her so that she would know, how I felt different here. I felt free. Some time away from home was all I wanted, to destress and to not think at all. And the best time to explain was right now.

Rivers, gardens, and spontaneous sceneries filled up the Zity of Ziara. Bubbles had informed us about a river that was supposedly colourful and quite an attraction. And hopefully, it would be something new that I could fall in love with.

We travelled down to the river and gazed at the leafless trees that were bent over which created a reflection. Most trees there were green, others orange. The water came in a mix of multiple colours; purple, pink and blue giving it a breathtaking appearance. It was tempting to swim in it, but luckily, I was able to restrain myself from doing so.

She took a deep breath. “Wow.”

“Right?” I beamed. It was gorgeous, the setting.

“So, I think-

“Can we go somewhere else now?” suggested Jess, all the whilst interrupting me.

“But I thought you liked this place?”

“Yeah, but I’m sure there are other better places to look at.”

We moved on from the river and it wasn’t long before we were standing in front of a forest. Little sunlight entered through the tall trees which made it difficult to see what was going inside. From what I could see, the forest floor was filled with shrubs, mud, dead leaves and other various plants with insects on them as well as flowers that bloomed in the finite amount of natural light. Moving away from the gigantic leaves which were in our way, we looked for any magical creatures. A deer-like animal that had purple wisps of colour coming from its antlers was striding through. Desperation filled me as I moved closer to the animal to pat it. The deer being frightened galloped away into the depths of the forest and disappointment soon filled me.

“What do you like better? This forest or the river?” I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno.”

I raised an eyebrow while ignoring her dullness. It was best that we returned to the lookout anyways, so Bubbles could take us back to our rooms. Though today had brought an adventure with little regrets, I hoped tomorrow would shed light on our arrival into this land. For Jess’ sake and mine.

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It really was a struggle to keep my eyes open due to the daylight that came in through the open windows and non-existent curtains. It was morning, and this was the second day we had been trapped or should I say, accidentally whisked into Ziara. There had been no accurate reason for our arrival in this land. It was nice to be here, but Jess knew she didn’t belong. I was convinced, I didn’t belong. The thought of home was all that was in my mind so the sleep I got was quite sparse.

Jess was sprawled out next to me, snoring away but she too had been tossing and turning through for most of the night. A slight knock on the dainty door, caused me to stretch and awaken myself. Attending the door, Bubbles had come to inform us that breakfast would be served with Ziara’s citizens, all of them for that matter, in the dining hall.

“What? Wait, like everyone?”

“Yes, everyone in this land. You must join us.”

Bubbles left with no retort and I was left to wake Jess up and have a shower.

“So, we’re going to be having breakfast with the people of Ziara. Um, I think we should get ready. It would be a good time to address the situation.”

Jess narrowed her eyes. “What situation?”

“You know… how we’ve been wanting to get out of here? How there’s been no explanation as to why we’re here and everything?”

“Right… so you’ve made a clear decision that it is in our best interest to get back home? And I won’t have to speak myself, since you’re going to do it way nicer than I would have?”

“Yeah, of course.”

She nodded. “Good to hear.”

Dressed up already, we were out with Bubbles as he carefully led us to the dining hall. We walked through the cobblestone pathway while I focused on my sweaty hands. Entering the hall, I gulped and felt a hundred pairs of eyes, focused intently on each of us. Mason and Darren were also there including the wise leader, Gregory who was seated at the very end. Opposite the two boys, a pair of seats were left unoccupied, indicating that it would be our seating for tonight. Sitting down, I eyed the aisles of food that would be soon in our stomachs. And this was just breakfast. I couldn’t dare to think of what would be served for dinner. Seated along the many chairs were a variety of unique and wonderful creatures. Fairies, old women that were dressed in bedazzling jewellery and overflowing gowns, beasts that flexed their gigantic muscles, species of never-seen animals, all stared at us. To them, we were aliens.

Our timing was not on point as people’s plates were stacked with food, and they had started their feast. While we were gathering what we wanted to eat, Darren responded with a polite smile, Jess returning it. Mason didn’t pick up his cutlery, his eyes stern on me. But my eyes were solely focused on the necklace that wasn’t around his neck anymore. I found it concerning.

Feeling overwhelmed with a grumbling stomach, I ignored the boy’s gaze and began to stuff food into my mouth as Gregory cleared his throat, waiting for everyone's attention.

"As everyone should know, we have two expected guests with us this morning. Everyone, please welcome Jess and Jenn into The Zity of Ziara." He continued to explain, "As you all know, I am not your leader, in fact, I am just filling in for the wondrous leader. The wondrous leader is the one that ruled this kingdom and took care of everyone, for those of you who have been living under a rock and do not know.”

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

“It has come to our attention, that he has been missing for the past month. We have received a significant map from those who are keeping the great man in captivity and know that we must receive five secret objects. This will help us find him, or so we hope. It has been decoded that the last object being the most powerful, will show where our leader is. Once we find all the objects, I am dearly hoping that we will get closer to our leader and be able to retrieve him.”

I was very unclear about our role in this disturbing play.

"Jess and Jenn have graciously volunteered to look for the wondrous leader!”

My mouth stood agape at what we had been told.

Jess rose from her seat in fury, “No way! Jenn and I wanna get outta here! We don’t have time for missions or whatnot?!

"But... we don't know anything about Ziara and plus, we need to get home," I pointed out, more politely.

"Look, Mason and Darren will be coming along with you and I will also send some of my fairy helpers and Bubbles. I'm sure that finding the objects will be more important to you than going home once you find out who our leader is. Be prepared as you will be leaving tomorrow morning, the first thing that is."

Jess’ anger increased by each second with the words she heard. An adventure was the last thing she wanted right now and the same could be said about me. I too was getting rather concerned on why we were. Although an explanation had been given to us, it made me wonder why we had been chosen, specifically.

I tugged on Jess’ arms. "May I and Jess be excused, Gregory? I'm not very hungry at the moment and Jess is feeling a bit sick."

Gregory hesitated before finally nodding his head. I knew Mason was glaring at me, his scrutinizing, stupid stare aimed clearly and directly at me. But I ignored it. For now.

When we were back in our rooms, I started whispering a plan into Jess' ears, "Alright, before tomorrow, we leave this place, got it?"

"How?" she asked back.

"I don't know but I definitely know that both of us don’t want to go on a hunt for some missing leader!”

“I didn’t know you weren’t interested either…”

“Well, I’m not!” I snapped.

“Okay, there’s no need to get angry, I just thought you would be eager to go on the mission or whatever.”

I closed my eyes. “I’m going out for some air,” quietly I said, after my sudden, unexpected outburst.

“But we need to-

I was out the door before she could complete her sentence.

I didn’t mind the busy commuters that bustled through the streets, trying to make their way somewhere, perhaps to work. Some familiar faces that I had seen at breakfast were visible and from that, I received a few smiles my way.

Trying not to get in anyone’s way, I hopped over thick roots from gigantic trees and jogged my way past the lookout and down to the river. Sitting down next to a bent, leafless tree, I brought my legs up to my chest and closed my eyes in thought.

I wondered what dad would think of all this if he was alive. Was mum thinking of me right now? Have my friends noticed our absence? God knows.

I opened my eyes, disregarding all thoughts and watched my body mirror itself in the reflection of the colourless water. It wasn’t supposed to look like that, I was quite sure of it. The water should have been beautiful with the many colours swirled together to create an illusion that erased away all negative thoughts from a person’s mind, making them happy. Smile even. Confused, I looked close, desperate to figure out what was happening. Yet, it wasn’t my face shown in the clear water anymore. Someone’s body was evident inside the water. A figure was slowly forming, features becoming clearer by the second. A muscular body, a manly face and short hair were identifiable. So, it was a man. But I couldn’t still make a sharp guess to who it was.

"Ah, Jenn, I see you have made contact with the wondrous leader of the Land of Ziara."

“Huh?” Startled, I turned around to see Gregory making his way towards me.

"Our wondrous leader?"

“You mean, your wondrous leader?”

"Yes, I suppose."

“I… I think I’ve seen him somewhere? He seems a bit familiar.”

“Oh really?” Gregory smirked.

The man turned around to show himself, the water rippling and churning to reveal a known identity to those of this land.

It was only after I could see him, did I realise that he was a known identity, not to just the people of Ziara, but to me as well. His facial features hadn't changed one bit since I had last seen him, and tears of joy were making their way to the brim of my eyes. A grin came onto my face as the next word, I spoke with love and admiration.

"Dad?"