Chapter 6
My turn!
Nope, my turn.
Kids, come on, we all know whose turn it is.
Ugh!

Yay! Celine's first chapter!!! Who's excited??? Only me? Okay... :(

-Choco <3

*Celine*

I woke up not even remembering what year it was, but I guess that's the problem with naps.

It has been hard coping with everything that happened the past year. None of us stayed the same. It has been hard for all of us.

I got out of the tent, without a clue of what would happen the following months. Had I known what was going to happen... maybe I would have even tried to avoid meeting Oliver and Echo.

Who am I kidding? I love these two cinnamon rolls.

Anyway, back to the point, which I keep avoiding because I am a bit of a drama-queen...

I am not the kind of person I was at that time period. I was quite sweeter before my parents died. I'd tell you to ask them, but they're... you know, dead.

I might be joking, but I am not over it. I don't think I'll ever be. Even after the person that did this died, I don't think I will find peace on the matter. Not after what happened.

Dammit, I got out of topic again...

So, I got out of the tent, and I am fairly certain that my short hair were messier than usual. I had that grumpy sleepy-face on and nearly scared Felix (who had, apparently, just woken up too) to death. I don't think I was that ugly, but anyway.

«Where are the twins?» I asked him yawning and tried to make my hair a bit less messy.

«I have no idea, I just woke up... Echo had just gotten up and Oliver let me go to sleep.» he replied and I nodded. «Oh, no... You've got your thinking face on... I am not physically ready for this yet. I am still sleeping...» he babbled.

«Shut up, Felix.» I muttered and he stuck his tongue out at me. «Don't be such a five year-old.»

«Unlike the twins, we know who is the oldest one here.» he mocked me.

«Shut up...»I muttered trying to think.

«And you are younger than all of us.»

«I am trying to think where they might have gone, dammit! They might be in trouble, so shut up for a minute!» he mumbled something incoherently and didn't make another sound.

«Did you miss us?» I suddenly heard Echo behind me.

«Where the hell have you been?»

«I suppose you didn't look around, because we were just a few feet away.» she explained.

«You could have gotten in trouble! It's as if you two have a trouble magnet or something!» I yelled at her and she rolled her eyes.

«Well, we didn't, so I can't see what the fuss is about.» she said, obviously trying not to snap.

«Catfight! Catfight!» Felix started.

«Shut up. I am trying to have a civilised discussion here.» I told him. Oliver was ridiculously quiet.

«Trying.» Echo repeated. No pun intended.

«You could have at least left a note!» I returned to the topic sighing exasperately.

«Well, sorry I didn't write with my inexistent pen on my inexistent paper to leave you a note on the also inexistent table.» she replied.

«And whose fault is that again?» I asked accusingly.

«Enough, the both of you! I am tired of your arguments! Just become besties already! The only thing keeping you from that is your bloody stubbornness!» Oliver snapped. I cringed and Echo was about to talk back, but her brother interrupted her. «Nope, you re going to shut up and do as I say. I've had enough of your complaints.» he told her.

«When did I complain?» she questioned with surprise evident on her voice. «I feel so betrayed right now...» she faked trying to cover her surprise up. Maybe there was more to Echo than she showed. The one moment she showed true emotion she tried to hide it. That made me curious.

«Just shut up and become friends. And while you're at it, I will go take a nap.» Oliver yawned.

«Go to hell, Oliver.» Echo groaned.

«Ladies first.» he retorted and went in the tent. Echo rolled her eyes once more and turned to me.

«What?» I asked.

«You know that he won't stop whining, right?»

«I thought that after living your whole life with him you would have gotten used to it.»

«Have you actually heard my brother whine? That was just the least he can do. He whines so professionally, he makes horses jealous.» she replied and I laughed at her remark. «I don't even like horses...» she muttered.

«Okay, let me stop you right there; let's be serious, are you really going to hang out with me just because you are afraid of your brother whining?» I asked her suspiciously.

She hesitated.

«Well... Yeah. Why not? It looks like we are stuck together for the time being, so we might as well make the best out of it.» she cringed. She probably realised that her lie was way too unbelievable. I went with it anyway.

«Okay..?» I replied in disbelief.

«Look, I know you don't trust me or like me, but it is obvious you trust my brother. If he says we should stop fighting, he might have a reason. He hates being in the middle of fights. Me and my mom- It's complicated...» she was finally opening up a bit and she was obviously feeling uncomfortable already. I don't get it, why is she bottling up everything so much? Oliver has told me she had always been this was, but she is so closed in herself she hasn't even explained why. Maybe I could get something out of the whole situation, after all.

«You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but you should know it won't hurt if you open up a little once in a while.»

«Thanks, but I think I'll pass.» she sighed and rubbed the back of her neck with her hand.

«It's fine, I get it. All we have done since we met has been fighting over nearly everything and it's not I have shown any signs of trust either.» I replied and chuckled awkwardly.

«Look, I don't know why we got off to such a rough start, but I do know it can be fixed. I am not the type of person that gives second chances, hell, I don't even give first ones, but for now we are all stuck together, whether we like it or not. If we are to get through this, we need to trust each other.» she said. «Did I get it all right, Oliver?» she yelled.

«Shut up, Echo.» he yelled in reply from the tent. She smiled cheekily and sat on a log.

One is for sure. Echo Waters is not just a trouble magnet, she is trouble herself.
And I definitely don't mean this in a bad way.

Not everyone chooses to be trouble, and I doubt Echo was one of the people who do.

We kept talking and after a few hours, when Oliver woke up, he looked terrified at the sight of me laughing along with his sister.

«Okay, I am either dreaming and having a nightmare or my plan worked way  too good.» he wondered.

«I can assure you it is the second.» Echo laughed.

«Is there anything I can eat?» he yawned.

«We were just about to go get some berries.» I replied.

«You ate them all, didn't you?» he accused Echo laughing.

«Maybe...» she looked away.

«Alright, let's go. We'll get extra ones for you, Oliver, don't worry.»

«Just be quick, or I might eat my foot. Or Felix's hand, we'll see.»

«Don't you dare touch my cousin, Waters.» I glared at him and took off with Echo to get some berries.

As we were walking, she suggested we split up so we could cover more ground or something.

Time went by and I was walking around collecting berries and other edible fruit I found. Imyrth was mostly woods, the villages were far from each other and most of the roads were small paths through the forest. The only clear roads were the ones that led to the centre of the country.

Yeah, Imyrth is a country, not a world. I guess those twins forgot to mention that because they were too busy arguing about who's older.

As I was putting the fruit in a small basket Felix had weaved (it's his hobby and he is kind of ashamed for it), I heard a loud "bang" and voices.

«Echo? Is everything okay?» I shouted. Nothing. «Echo!» I was getting worried. I started looking around the woods to find her but she was nowhere to be found. «Where the hell are you, dammit. Your brother's going to kill me...» I muttered. Just as I did that, I saw a soldier (all alone by the looks of it) that had pushed Echo against a tree and had a cane on her neck. She was holding it and...

Well, the cane was catching fire.

«What the hell?!» I ran towards them and took out my daggers.

The soldier seemed surprised both from the fire and me charging at him, so he ran away. I didn't see his face.

Echo's face, on the other side, had a terrified look plastered all over it.

«I- I can explain, just please  don't tell the others!» she stuttered.

«What the bloody hell, Echo! I was looking for you and you didn't make a sound! Not to mention what you did with the fire! Am I really  not supposed to think that you burnt my home to the ground?» I yelled at her.

«I didn't! I swear! I- that guy was the one that took the necklace! I was only trying to see what he did with it! Do you think I would light a house on fire when my brother could die? I can't lose another family member like th-» she stopped abruptly and sighed. «I didn't light your house on fire. Ask Felix, he was with me. Or don't- I don't want people to think I am more of a freak. But I swear to God, I would never--»  she was panicking, but the scary thing was that I believed it.

«How?»

«What?» she asked surprised.

«How were you born with powers? It only happens if a family member has powers too, and, as far as I know, you can only get them if you are from here, not Earth.»

«What?! I have no idea. It just happened. And then it got out of hand and- nevermind.»

«Okay. Relax, I won't tell anyone.»

«Really?!» she looked so shocked I was surprised to see she had lost her mask, even for a little bit. That girl bottles a lot of feelings up.

«Yeah, really. And I will help you control it if you want, just tell the others about the soldier. At least that. I will fill in and say we scared him away when we attacked. Alright?» she nodded. She had her shaking hands in the pockets of her jeans. And we returned to the camp.

Now, I can't say I was shocked or surprised , because I was way more than that. Echo and Oliver were from Earth, so they couldn't possibly have powers. As far as I knew, it was number one in the long list of absolute impossibilities. And we are talking about a list longer than you can imagine.

What the hell is wrong with that family?