Chapter 5: Arch
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Payton’s white dress fell lost in the smog that separated us. I gripped tightly onto Cameron’s hoodie sleeve, scared I might get lost. Surprisingly enough, the maze didn’t last long and we found ourselves appearing on the other side facing a river. I walked towards this new attraction and looked down to see rocks and fish streaming underneath the clear water.
“Be careful,” Cameron remarked. Careful of what? I thought. It’s just a river. I would learn later that I was very wrong. I stepped closer to the streaming brook and knelt down to look at my reflection. I didn’t recognize myself anymore. I had terribly sleepy eyes and dry lips. My clothes were filthy and I’d looked like I’d been crying for hours. Maybe I had been and I hadn’t noticed. I stood up and walked back over to the others. I could only think about what I was going to tell my father when I came home. He will be so angry with me.
The group went forward, walking alongside the stream, heading towards the bridge not far ahead. It was a golden arch, set apart from the wilderness around it. I imagined my mother walking across this bridge.
I felt calm enough to ask a question. “Am I a prince?” I ask hesitantly.
“Not a prince yet. You were not born in the kingdom; therefore, you were never crowned. That’s why we are going to the castle. You must be crowned so you can take the throne and protect Larcanthmead,” Reese announced very nonchalantly, “Your mom lived here before she went to the real world. She was our Queen. Or at least she was supposed to be.”
“The real world? So this place isn’t real?” I questioned everything. For all I knew, I was asleep in my bed and not with three lunatics.
“No this place is real,” Cameron spoke up, “But you must believe in it to enter.”
Believe in it? Who says I believe this place is real? I was losing my mind. None of this made sense.
Half-way along the bridge, I looked over the edge to see a small man gliding along the river in a tiny, narrow boat. I looked to see if the others were paying any attention to the man, but they all seemed preoccupied in their conversation. I decided to listen in.
“We will meet with Master Wiltern before entering the castle grounds,” Payton said.
“How far is he from here?” Reese questioned.
“Just past Oak Cemetery” Payton answered.
“We should get there soon. Isaak doesn’t look so good.” Cameron commented, and at that moment they all turned to look at me. God, I do feel like a zoo animal. I nodded and the four of us kept moving onward in our journey.