Seventeen

A short story I wrote for English, it had a 2000 word limit (which I kinda went over a little) so it is kinda all mushed together. Enjoy! I might write a part two because there's a lot unresolved in m

Demetria had told Orinda to meet up in the usual corner at the coffee place, but Orinda was running late. Not something she was used to with her friend, but something must have happened. Ten minutes later her friend came rushing in, looking a bit shaken up. 'I'm sorry!' She exclaimed. Demetria, noticing how her friend was not okay, told her it didn't matter. 'What happened? You look a bit shaken up, I'd even go as far as saying you are extremely shaken up.' She eyed Orinda worriedly. 'Nothing terrible.' Orinda quickly stated, eyes widening at the comment. Demetria furrowed her brows, not convinced. 'Are you sure?' She then tried, already knowing the answer but trying nonetheless. 'Yes, I'm sure. I'm totally fine, just got caught up.' She said absentmindedly. Demetria shook her head, but decided to let it go. If it was something important she'd let her know eventually.

'Do you want coffee?' Demetria asked Orinda. 'Of course,' Her friend said, back to her normal state of being. 'I always want coffee.' Demetria stood up grinning, getting herself another cup and also getting one for Orinda.

Walking towards the counter the felt a shiver down her spine, as if she was forgetting something, or if something was going to happen. Shrugging it off for a moment, Demetria ordered two cups of coffee. 'Do you want yours with milk and sugar?' She looked back at Orinda, seemingly innocent, but then another rush came through her. Demetria got wide eyed and let her eyes dart around the coffee place in a nervous way, freezing in the moment. 'Only sugar.' Orinda had called back, but Demetria didn't catch that, as she was not thinking about the coffee anymore.

'I- I have to go.' She stated. Orinda furrowed her brow and worried at her lip. 'Everything alright Demetria?' When she didn't get an answer from her friend it answered her question indirectly. Demetria was completely focussed on getting out of the coffee place and didn't notice when Orinda came to walk next to her. 'Demetria? Demmi? Hello? Can you hear me?' She fired questions at Demetria at an alarming rate, panicking. She thought for a moment, what could get Demetria out of this trans. Her breath hitched in her throat. 'Miss Austin?' It was odd, addressing her friend like this, she hadn't addressed anyone this way since... Well since she went away.

Demetria stopped dead in her tracks, eyes still wide and darting all around the place, her breathing was heavy. She was in a state of panic. Orinda tugged at her hat, pulling it a little lower, and put her hand on the side of her friends face. 'Follow my breathing Demetria.' After three minutes of Orinda just standing there, telling Demetria to breathe every few seconds, the latter had calmed down far enough. Demetria pushed her pink hair out of her face absentmindedly. 'We have to get Jasper.' Demetria said, already starting to walk towards her home. Orinda was worried but followed nonetheless. Demetria's home felt empty, she seemed to notice too. 'Do you know where mom is?' Demetria asked her best friend in a small voice. 'She is out grocery shopping.' Too fast. 'I think she is out grocery shopping.' Orinda corrected. Demetria eyed her suspiciously. She turned to her room to grab the cat, looking once more at the bricks that had to resemble a window.

She moved quickly, swiftly going around Orinda she headed for the door. Orinda had to re-adjust her eyes, not expecting the sudden movement. When she turned around Demetria had already left the room and was standing at the front door. She turned around so fast Orinda worried she might have gotten a whiplash. 'Don't stop me.' Was the only thing she said, as she burst through the door with determination surging through the air, prickling Orinda's senses. She ran to catch up with her friend, who was speeding to the abandoned airport.

'It all makes sense now.' Orinda spoke, under her breath. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Demetria didn't hear it and kept on walking and walking. She stopped at the border. 'Where am I going Orinda?' She turned her body a little and craned her neck to look her friend in the face. Orinda saw everything, Demetria was broken. Her eyes were puffy and red, dark circles underneath. Tears were pooling in the corners of her eyes and rolled over her face when they became too much. Her lip was quivering and her shoulder shaking. 'I don't know what I'm doing.'

Orinda couldn't bear the sight and cursed in Greek. 'Whatever you do, do not cross the border.' Orinda's voice was trembling. 'What? Do not cross this border?' Demetria exclaimed angrily. 'Do you not want me to do this? You know what, I didn't want you to lie to me, I didn't want you to show up late.' She rambled now. Orinda started sobbing. 'But see, that's exactly what you did, so I don't have to listen to you.' Demetria's voice hoarse at the end. She hadn't noticed she had been screaming until then. She turned back around, looking at the airport in front of her, wondering why exactly it was that she wasn't allowed to go there. She went, because that's what her gut told her to. And her gut was always right. Most of the time at least.

Demetria screamed, everything became very bright around her, she felt as if she was being lifted up. The screaming was painful in Orinda's ears. 'No!' She had screamed the moment her friend stepped forward. 'Miss Austin.' She whispered, shieling her eyes from the blinding light. She closed her eyes and took one deep breath. 'I'm sorry sir.' And she ran onto the asphalt, used for the landing ground. Orinda didn't scream, it was a welcoming warmth. It felt like coming home after spending the day at someone else's house. Everything would be dark and cold, but it was home.

With a sharp breath Demetria sat up in a new place. She looked around, all her senses working at one hundred percent. Jasper. She looked at her empty hands. 'Jasper?' Relief flooded through her when she heard the hoarse meow she knew to associate with her cat. 'Where are you little one?' She steadied herself on her hands and got up. When she looked around she suddenly forgot about her cat. 'What is this place?' She wondered out loud. 'Silkshallow.' Orinda's familiar voice boomed through the foggy atmosphere. Demetria turned to the sound of the voice, startled. The voice came from Orinda, but it didn't look like Orinda. The basic features were the same, but silver markings covered her face and she had similar coloured horns sticking out of her head. 'Don't wonder, it will give you a headache.' Orinda said with a small smile. 'What happened?' Demetria asked, not really expecting an answer, more so wondering out loud. 'You went through the barrier between realms.' Orinda said. When Demetria furrowed her brows Orinda explained further. 'Every seventeen years there is this thing called Miresa. The lines between the different realms become blurry and you can travel between them. Which is what your mother did, exactly seventeen years ago today. We have to hurry. The king will send his guards out quickly to find out about the disturbance.' Demetria looked at her friend as if she grew horns, oh wait. She shook the wonder off, Orinda was right, it does give you a headache. 'Where to?' She asked, too many questions in her head, too little time. 'I think it's best we go for the forest.' Orinda told her. They started walking, away from Silkshallow. 'Why does a village have a king?' Demetria asked her friend. 'I don't know.' Was her answer. 'Is this grass lilac?' Was her next question. 'It once was vibrant.' Orinda told her. For a few minutes the conversation went on like that. They had reached the forest. Orinda had been talking about how she followed Demetria's mother seventeen years ago, when they got shocked. They stopped dead in their tracks and scurried back a bit. Suddenly sirens were heard. Orinda cursed. 'A force field.' She muttered. 'We have to go.' Orinda said. But Demetria was gone again.

'Miss Austin!' It didn't work. 'Miss Austin!' She tried again. No luck.

'You are surrounded. Turn around and show your faces please.' The king's guard. The girls turned around. One of the guards gasped. 'Look it is the pr...' He couldn't finish his sentence because he got electrocuted. The guard fell and the one standing behind him lowered some sort of disguise. 'Leave this to me.' Their heavy voice boomed. It seemed to break a path through the thick mist. Demetria's head snapped up. Green eyes wide. 'That voice.' She said. 'You look so much like your mother.' The man said. 'Who are you, and what do you know about my mother!' Demetria practically yelled. 'My temper.' He muttered. 'What are you talking about?' Demetria asked him in a less harsh tone now. Orinda been bowing the entire conversation.

He shook his head. 'Stand child.' He ordered. Orinda stood up. 'I'm sorry sir.' She said. Demetria had never before heard her friend speak like this, intimidated.

'I asked you who you are and I want an answer.' Demetria said stepping forward, looking the man in the eyes. There was a familiarity on his face she only knew with family. 'I am Adoran. Adoran Austin. Ruler of Silkshallow and your father.'

Demetria shook her head. 'My father ran away because he was scared. You don't look like someone who would do that.' She averted her gaze, not wanting to look the man in the eyes anymore. 'I ran away, scared of what they would do to you.' He explained. 'When I got back, your mother had left with you, Jasper and her.' He pointed at Orinda. Air felt loaded, a lot of information had been thrown out and Demetria felt uneasy, a panic started to build up in her chest. 'This place had become a mess. I used the force field to contain it. All the energy left.' He continued the story. 'Your mom, she took the energy.' He took a few steps until he was in front of Demetria. He lifted up her chin. Demetria wondered again, the headache returning. 'What do you mean by that?' She asked him.

'There was a stone, the stone of this realm. It was located under the centre of the palace. It had an extreme impact on everyone around it when it was taken. This grass, it was once luscious and fresh. Those thorns were once colourful flowers.' He stopped talking to study Demetria. As if to see into her head and find out her thought process. 'What did the stone look like?' Was the only thing she asked. 'It is purple, it glows, it seems like some sort of mineral. No one knows what it consists of. No one has been able to hold it even.' He told her. Demetria got dizzy, flashbacks filled her brain. Her mom giving her a necklace. 'Keep it safe.' Going through her head. 'It was supposed to go to a lab the same day Orinda would.' Adoran said. Demetria looked at him quizzically. 'When I too Orinda back from Vixia...' He was stopped midsentence. 'I'm sorry but what is Vixia?' It was all too much for Demetria. 'A planet.' He told her. 'I bet you've had enough of all this now don't you?' He asked. 'Yes I do. There's one last thing I want to do.' Demetria said. 'Could you bring me to the holding place of the stone?' She asked. 'Of course.' The king, her father, said.

Demetria looked at the hole in the wall. 'So this is it?' She asked no one in particular. When the king started speaking again she stopped him. 'Not another story, not today.' She put her hand over her chest. Feeling the necklace through her shirt. It had been a present from her mom. Slowly she took it off. Orinda and Adoran looked at her quizzically. When the princess dropped it, both gasped. Demetria bent down to pick up the broken amulet. 'What...' Orinda started. Demetria shushed her and broke it open. A purple glow filled the room. 'Oh my...' The king was at a loss of words. Demetria reached for the stone. 'Don't!' Orinda exclaimed. But Demetria picked it up and put it in the wall. A surge of happiness, success, and other positive emotions seemed to burst through the mist. Her two accompanies looked at her in awe. Demetria smiled.

Reviews

[A.G.]

awesome read. loved each sentence and your style. cant wait to read more of your writing (:
-Angelina

[.]

It was a great read... keep writing!
Good Luck