7th December 2019

RENEE

The next two days ran in the blink of an eye, where all of us prepped for the journey to the Arbor Vitae.

Phyllis chose to grow extra-paranoid, from triple-checking every crystal she'd given me, to drinking tea a million times a day. As time progressed, every sentence of hers turned to vague advice or a random philosophy that only Fergus, her boyfriend, could understand.

Phyllis's famous incense had finally made an appearance, now wafting around the house like a poltergeist and inducing asthma in all of us. Surprisingly, Sam was fond of it, making him permanently stay over at Clover's house, since he considered it to be 'free weed'.

"This isn't weed," Clover could be heard correcting him vehemently. She was still bitter over the fact that he'd decided to be buddies with Chantelle.

"Chan would love this," Sam remarked, dazed and absent-minded, only realising later that he'd been talking to Cloves, who marched away, annoyed.

Noah stood in the corner, trying to hide his laughter at the situation. He hadn't noticed me creeping up to him until I'd punched him hard in the elbow.

"Ow, Ren, what's that for?" He complained, rubbing his arm.

"Did you forget that I'm naturally violent?" I gave him my sweetest smile.

"Maybe, I did," He smirked. "But I'll never forget how cute you look when you punch me."

I was about to punch him again, but his words flattered me, and I stood there, blushing at his statement like a lovesick girl. Noah, being the opportunist he was, used my inaction to corner me against the wall, my fist in his left hand, while his right hand rested on my waist. I peered up at him, entranced by his stare, now gentle yet intense, steady yet soft, a blend of contradictions that made me tongue-tied.

"We're not alone," I whispered, as he neared me.

"Sam is stuck in his Realm," Noah joked, pinning my wrist against the wall.

"Cloves can enter any minute," I reminded.

"I've caught her in worse situations with Mike," He answered swiftly, his breath falling upon my face.

Woah, someone was determined today.

"Like what?" I asked curiously, wrapping my free hand around his neck.

"Like this," He muttered, before placing a searing kiss against my collarbone. I gasped at the suddenness and felt his smile on my skin, the slow kisses inducing me into a weird coma. On and on he continued, almost making me collapse on the pleasure of something so simple.

"Noah," I breathed out, struggling to think straight. I heard him let out a chuckle, before he moved up my neck, to kiss my jaw.

I don't think he's ever kissed me like this, this slow persistent way that could melt snow into scorching sand. The way it felt like a story with no words, a song with no music, the gap that filled me more than the Arbor Vitae ever could.

And we were just kissing.

I turned my face so that my lips found his, soft and warm from all the kissing he'd been doing. My fingers dug into his hair, pulling him closer and kissing him with the remaining strength that was left.

Which was surprisingly more than I'd estimated.

"Philly, relax! It's all going to be over in a few hours, thanks to your preparations!" Came Fergus Smith's haunting voice from the doorway.

I pulled back, almost horrified to be found making out with this intensity. Noah caught onto my drift, pulling me into a bear hug like we'd been doing the most innocent thing in the world.

The hug melted me too, but in a way completely different from before.

Thankfully, Fergus and Phyllis hadn't entered, and Sam was now singing to the walls, lost in oblivion. I wondered why the incense affected him more than the others. Did it have anything to do with his non-existent spirit states?

"What are you thinking?" Noah asked, leaning his forehead against mine.

"Why is Sam high?" I asked him.

"Why do you think he's high?" He asked, his smile widening at the question.

"I think it's because he doesn't have ties to the Spirit Realm," I pondered.

"Very good, Ren," He commended. "Yeah, I think so too, Phyllis's incense works effectively when paired with meditation. In normal cases, however," He glanced at Sam, "It just makes you slightly high, I guess."

In response, Sam snored loudly from the other side of the room, indicating that he'd passed out.

As the clock chimed twelve, Phyllis had transformed Clover's living room into a place of breathtaking beauty. Hundreds of candles and crystals were placed in every nook and corner, all glowing gently in the dimly lit room. At the centre, was a circle lined with tealights at the periphery, indicating the place where Noah and I would transcend.

As usual, Fergus/ Johannes lost no time in telling Phyllis how talented she was to set up the place. While Sam continued to doze upon his armchair, Clover hurried around, adding last-minute touches to the place with her collection of crystals.

"Good luck, Ren," She came over, swiftly slipping a thin metal chain around my neck. "Do you remember what this is?"

I studied the chain. It had a star-shaped pendant hanging from it.

"It's a Spirit Anchorer," Clover told me. "It was yours, and I'd been safekeeping it for you this entire time since you'd lost your memories. I really hope that you return whole, Ren. Just like you did the last time."

Before I could ask Cloves what she meant, Noah had taken his place in the circle, his back against mine. Clover wished him luck, and skipped out of the circle, standing next to her grandma and Fergus.

I swallowed. This was it.

We would be transcending to the Arbor Vitae.

"Focus on the world above, children," Phyllis chanted, her voice low and wispy. "May the Arbor Vitae embrace you with welcome arms..."

I closed my eyes, sinking into the humid fumes of the room. The incense only irritated my nostrils, but also had a strangely calming effect on my head, allowing me to ignore the material world.

Soon, the darkness was intense, and I could no longer feel the warmth of the candle flame against my eyelids. I found myself taking slow, deep breaths, my heart rates a gentle rhythm as I peered into my surroundings.

The place was pitch black, the floor solid underneath my stance. Somewhere I could hear the faint trickle of water, like a mountain stream flowing through the rocks.  My eyes swam around, trying to study my surroundings, but they remained a monotonous black as always.

Then I heard Noah. 

"Ren? Renee! Are you here!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "Please tell me that you're here."

"Noah, I'm right here," I called out and heard him let out a sigh of relief. "I can't see you, it's so dark."

"Likewise," He answered grumpily. "Why in the world would Johannes think that this place is the perfect spot for a date? I can't even see my girlfriend-"

He stopped talking as the gurgling of the stream grew louder, almost as though it was flowing right past us.

"You hear that?" I asked.

"Yeah," He answered. "I think we're supposed to follow it to wherever it is flowing to."

Noah and I stumbled through, clutching each other's hands tightly as we tried to head towards the stream. The ground felt soft like we were walking on the grass until a smooth stone slab was felt under our feet.

"It's rectangular," Noah said, now crouching on the ground and feeling the slab. "Like a pedestal of some sort-"

"Or a stair," I told him, feeling another stone slab higher up than the first one.

"Yup, you're right, Ren. It is a flight of stairs," Noah said, his voice sounding a few feet in front of me. "Come on, let's climb it. I think this is how the Arbor Vitae will 'embrace us with welcome arms'..." He sniggered at Phyllis's choice of words.

"More like darkness, flowing water and stone slabs, but sure," I chuckled, clasping onto his arm.

Together, we raced up the stairs, surprisingly agile for people in darkness. I figured out that I was in some sort of Spirit form now, and that physical exertion didn't tire me as usual. Another thing that I adored about the Spirit Realm.

"Isn't there a faster way?" Noah huffed after fifteen minutes of climbing. "I'm so used to being driven around in a car, I've forgotten to travel like a Spirit."

"Don't Spirits travel faster?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but you have to put the effort. I think I've grown into a lazy teenager," Noah said, and I imagined him pouting.

"Not so much," I remarked. "You were surprisingly quick at running away from Chantelle."

"Well, I've had practice running away from the ISA, it's no big a deal," He replied, earning a laugh from me.

The stairs curved their way up, and I imagined us scaling a particularly large hillside carpeted with grass. It made it easier to navigate, and I sent a tiny 'thank you' to whoever had put it up there.

"How did Johannes find out about the Arbor Vitae?" I asked Noah, remembering that his fake dad had dedicated three whole chapters to this place.

"He said that he'd found the place when he was searching for inner peace," Noah answered.

"Inner peace?"

"Yeah. Johannes never misses a chance to tell me that he had a troubled life," He said wearily. "And this happened when he'd been separated from his lover."

"You mean Phyllis?" I questioned.

"He didn't specify," I imagined Noah frowning. "And at the moment, he'd sat and meditated, when the Tree had shown itself to him."

"That's pretty cool if you ask me," I told him, impressed.

"Later, Johannes researched the ancient texts, to learn that the Tree revealed itself to those who truly require some assistance from it. He'd documented everything in his books, which are the most detailed source of information to date." Noah finished, reminding me of the way he would spew out facts like an AI.

I still didn't know why I found it so endearing.

"I wonder what troubled Johannes so much that he sought inner peace," I pondered.

"Me too," Noah answered. "But, I do remember him looking furious about Augustus separating him from his lover... I've never seen him like that. Guess it deeply affected him forever."

I stopped in my tracks, ruminating over his words.

I'd always seen Johannes as an eccentric person, speaking in Shakespeare and yelling at teenagers. Desperate to be the victim while rushing at any chance to blame others. Though he did have a tinge of sweetness in him, like the sugar sprinkles over a moulded cupcake.

Not once had I actually believed that Johannes was a regular Spirit, with worries and needs and lives, with things that made him who he was today. I'd never imagined him in love, and seeing the way he treated Phyllis was a jarring contrast to me. The fact that he'd been hurt once, the fact that Augustus might have done him wrong, the fact that he was very much the victim he claimed to be...

"He could be saying the truth, you know," Noah started slowly.

I didn't say anything. I didn't want to be the one saying it, whatever Noah was trying to imply here.

"I mean, he's a huge liar, but I don't think he's lying about some stuff," He continued, and I imagined him looking at me for reassurance.

Except, that I couldn't reassure him.

"He's the criminal mastermind, Noah," I said quietly.

Noah remained silent. I heard the squeak of his rubber soles against the stairs, as he began to walk up, too steady for someone scrambling through the dark. And just when I decided to call his name, he spoke, his voice echoing through our unseen surroundings.

"And he deserves a chance to explain himself, just like everyone else," Noah Stark concluded.

I swallowed. Why did suddenly feel like an argument?

Determined to dodge the curveball aimed at me, I took a shaky breath and replied.

"You're right, Noah. He does deserve another chance."

*****

We'd been walking for hours when Noah suddenly tripped against a large root. While he proceeded to swear loudly, I crouched below, trying to feel for the vine.

"You think this belongs to the Arbor Vitae?" I asked Noah. "Phyllis did mention roots-"

"It definitely does," He affirmed. "Let's follow it."

I grabbed onto the vine, using it as a rope to navigate up the stone slabs. They'd grown sparse now and were spaced distantly, making it harder for us to follow. I could feel Noah's hands upon my shoulders, making it clear that I had to lead the way.

I swallowed. Now that we were fast approaching the Arbor Vitae, a fresh bout of nervousness had made a reappearance. Beads of sweat raced down my forehead, and I wiped them away, wondering how much longer we had to survive in darkness.

"This does make me appreciate blind people," Noah remarked, his breath on my neck as he clung to me. "Not seeing your surroundings and having to live that way... It sure is a lot."

I nodded, feeling the thick root widen in girth, almost as if it were transitioning into a branch. I could only feel the grass beneath my feet like the stone slabs had finally disappeared.

Maybe we were closer to the tree than we'd realised.

On and on we trudged for another half an hour, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over me. I didn't know how Spirits could get exhausted, but I did feel very human in this place, right down to all my senses.

"Ren," Noah's voice rang through, sharp in the silence. "I think we're here."

"I don't think so... Oh..." I paused, feeling the root merge into the Tree. I noticed the other roots emerging from the surface, a rough bark-like texture, which could only indicate that we'd reached.

"We're supposed to place the palm of our hand on the tree and meditate," Noah instructed, remembering what Johannes had said.

"Okay," I said, placing my hand on the aged trunk of the tree.

I remembered the day so clearly. The way Madame Irene had walked towards me, wielding the blue liquid that had been responsible for wiping my memories. It took barely a few seconds, but at the end of it, I remembered barely anything, except for my name.

Then he'd come, Lord Augustus, swooping down to where I was, transforming into a blinding beam of light. I'd shut my eyes from the intensity of his brightness, feeling the powerful aura radiate from his very being, almost smothering me.

That's when it hit me, a sharp, burning beam of pure energy, incinerating my spirit on spot and sending my Spirit straight out of the Spirit Realm. Severing every inch of me from the world I'd discovered, sending me back to the only place I could call home.

I let out a breath, feeling my cheeks wet from the tears. Ever since I'd regained my memories, this incident had frequented my nightmares, reminding me of how I was never whole.

"You are whole," Sang a faint voice. "You are restored."

I opened my eyes in confusion, stunned to see that I was floating in a pool of light, light that seeped through me like water, travelling through my veins, right to my heart.

"You are pure," Sang the voice. "You are true. You are you!"

As I gaped at the process, the light had travelled further, making my skin glow golden, like someone had injected the sun into my veins. My vision sharpened, and my breathing accelerated as I floated off the ground, only my toes reaching the grass.

"Renee Durvont, it is my pleasure to be of service to you," said the beautiful voice, finally done with the singing. "For I, the Arbor Vitae will always embrace you with open arms!"

I exhaled, finally understanding what had elapsed. Why it had been that memory, all the liquid light and the singing far beyond.

The Arbor Vitae had reversed my state of being severed.

I was whole again.

*****

(A/N : Hey guys! I hope you're all doing okay!
I'm really excited to publish the next few chapters, since the story is going to be picking up pace... Hope you like it!!!)