Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. There is no relation to any real persons, groups, events etc. They are all fictional.

Chapter 6   

School Life - The Portrait 

“Ady!” 

Someone shouted my name, It was Mom. She looked worried and was sweating through her cheek. She ran towards us after being spotted. 

“Where have you been?” 

“Don't worry mom, we just went over the hill nearby,” 

“Please tell me before you go somewhere this late, alright?” 

My fault, thinking she was busy with the sudden disappearance of dad due to the call. We said good night to Yumi and went our own way. 

I hope Yumi’s parents don’t yell at her. 

It was very late and going outside was dangerous. Me and mom entered the house in silence, even the door closed with quietness.   

“Mom, What was the call about?”

The air suddenly felt still, Mom stood in the middle facing her back to me and turned to a photo of our family. Which was placed on a small table in the hallway to the living room. 

A portrait which carries the most emotional period of our life, mine and Reid Mom in a summer dress sitting under the big umbrella for cover from the sun, while me,Reid and Dad were playing in the sand as pirates and monsters. 

_________________________________________________________________________

Flashback to childhood

“Everyone” mom yelled from under the umbrella where our stuff was placed. “Come inside and eat” 

“Wait mom, I will come after defeating this Levithan” 

They, My mom and Reid’s mom were laughing under the umbrella after setting up to eat. 

While Me and Reid as a pirate were trying to defeat a sea monster that was disturbing the peace in the water which was Dad. 

“The leviathan started to swim around the huge ship of Captain Ady and his all mighty right hand Reid!”

Dad swung his hands like the gills of the leviathan and started running around us who were standing on top of a bucket with sand sculpture like a ship we made around it.  

“Captain Ady with the help of his thunder abilities strikes the leviathan…But it can't even scratch it because of its skin being covered with hard scales!” 

I pointed my cardboard sword to the leviathan… I mean dad as a mage casting his magic. 

“Haha” Dad laughed out of his lungs, he placed his hands on his stomach as if he was hit by imagination thunder or how stupid my mind was. 

“Ady, Let's eat. The food is getting fried by the sun” 

Reid yelled as he placed his homemade armour with cardboard box for the arms in the ground. . 

End of flashback

_________________________________________________________________________

Years later thinking this back makes me feel nostalgic and how stupid I was with my imagination But I was scared of the past that happened before.

“He is busy with the forest fire case, it seems like they found the cause of it.” she answered back. 

My whole body shook. 

Did he find out about Jake and his Gang?

Then my mind went to a bright room I was familiar with, The police station. I was seated on the same bench from that day. Yumi was looking scared and Jake still had his head down, His gang was shaking and fear almost spread among.  

What will happen to them?

I closed my eyes then opened it to see mom faced towards me. 

“And you should be busy with sleep, you have school tomorrow" she ordered. 

“Ok mom” Sigh.

I gave up and rushed up to my room after saying good night to mom.

It sure was a crazy day.

The day went the way that I never imagined. The things that I thought that will not happen but it ended in a good way. 

It was a good time with Yumi on the hill… 

I jumped on the bed and covered myself with woolen sheets for warmth after changing to woolen clothes. The cold night made my eyes shiver with tiredness. Then I found myself deep within a dream.

_________________________________________________________________________

The dream

“Ady! Come here Ayra found something!” 

I heard a voice calling out to me. It sounded familiar like Reid but it was younger one

But when I opened my eyes I was surrounded by tall trees which gave us shelter from the burning sun.

My hands were small, the ground looked closer to me than before. I searched all around with my eyes. 

We were in our base, The hill. I hurried to the place where the voice came from. 

“Hurry up Aden!” Ayra shouted. 

After running through the bushes and fallen tree bark which was home to many insects. 

I saw Reid and Ayra near a normal tree. 

“What is it,?” I asked. 

“Look what I found, it's a box,” 

Exclaimed Ayra as she showed me the box that was made with dark wood with sharp edges which was softened with red cloth. 

“But Ady, Why are you crying?” 

That’s when I noticed that tear drops were flowing in my cheek. 

“Its.. nothing, just the dust caught my eyes” 

I replied to Ayra after weeping out the tears. 

“Why did you start to dig under the tree?” 

Reid shouted as he was confused, well he had a point though why could Arya start digging random places.

“It's a secret, hehe” Ayra responded as she gave a smirk.

“First of all, let's look at what is inside the box.”

I hurried to unbox it but Ayra stopped me from bringing the box near a rock that has a mask-shaped unusual design on top of the “face”. 

“Let me look at it first,” she cried. 

As she removed the dust from the box, it revealed a symbol of a cross entangled with vines with spikes.

“Looks like it's from a church or something,” commented Ayra.

We tried to open the box, but no matter how many times we hurt our hands, we couldn't open the box like it was sealed with cement or something. 

“Why is this box hard to open! It's not even locked or tied up by rope, there is no key hole!” Ayra complained with anger. 

“Well even if we can’t open, it's still good for collection,” Reid suggested. 

“Do whatever you want, if I can’t open it then I don’t want it!” Ayra sulked as she was disappointed by it.

“Well, I will keep it and try to open it at home if I can.” 

Happily, Reid left us as he carried the box home. 

“Also how did you find the box?” I asked.

“Well I found this Map while I was walking with mom in the front of the hospital”

She handed over the map to me. 

“It looks like a child's drawings,” I joked. 

The map only covered the mountain part. The roads and trees were drawn with crayons, but at the western side of the map, had a tree and a giant rock with a human face over it. It also had a christian cross instead of a stereotypical X mark. 

“So that's how you found this box?” I asked.

“Yes, though I was excited for gold or so but all I got was a box which can’t even be opened" said Ayra. 

“Well lets go home, it's getting late," I ordered. 

As soon as I turned to walk, I heard a loud cry.

AHH!

I looked at the spot Ayra was at, but she vanished as if she had never been there.

“AYRA!” I shouted but I couldn’t find her anywhere. 

I searched everywhere, I ran across the fallen branches and twisted vines, even so, I couldn’t find her. The dark sky engulfed me and the forest, my lungs became dry. I stopped for a breath, I could feel my blood pulsating through my body to supply enough oxygen, but my determination for finding Ayra got the better of me. I started to run and run, but then I accidentally ran over a pit and fell into complete darkness.  

_________________________________________________________________________

“AYRA!” I jumped out of the bed, cold sweat trickling down my body.

I slid the curtain in the window that was blocking the sunlight. My sweat streamed through my body from top to bottom. Hands and legs shivering and I found myself on the floor. 

“Ady what happened? Did you fall or something?” Mom screamed from downstairs.

“Nothing Mom!” I answered back. 

It took me a while to stand up but the dream… No, the nightmare was something that still hunts me down.

“I am sorry Ayra,” I whispered. 

Author = Ryujin (@gol_d_ryujin) 

Editor/Proofreader= Tricky (@tiky_tricky)  

Art = Sara

Instagram = ryujin._.200