Chapter Eleven: Runaway

The day started to pass by extremely slow. Each step we took, the air started to get stuffier and stuffier. The guys didn't seem as bothered, both making sure I was keeping up with them. Garroth and I were on one side of the bank while Laurance walked on the other. He was scanning anything that would have started to bob underneath the surface of the water and on his side of the bank while Garroth and I watched our side of the river and the ground nearby. We had stopped a few times at glistening objects but most of them were frogs and rocks.

"I feel like we aren't going to find anything..." I said as we reached a fork. One side was wider than the other and the water started to look a darker blue.

"We might. Are you seeing anything familiar?" Laurance asked, him pointing down the wider river bend as the way to go.

"I see water, does that count?" I asked, jumping over a thin part of the stream.

Garroth jumped over, his sheath clattering against his leg. "Everything also could have been swiped by any passers too." He said, "It's not any certainty that we'll find anything of value..."

"You're not wrong..." Laurance said, "But anything, even footprints or hoofprints would be helpful right now."

I shrugged as I started to scan the bank again. Some things looked familiar, especially the water starting to clear up a bit. I could see the bottom in some places, the fish that were trapped in it swimming the same direction we walked.

"No!"

My head started ringing as I stopped walking, my eyes shutting for a moment. I grimaced as I walked to the side, getting the river out of my sight.

"What's wrong?" Garroth asked, his steps coming to me.

Laurance paused at the other side of the river, him looking over before he looked down at horse hoofprints scattered around the dirt and sand.

"I think I know why..." Laurance said, him walking towards the little cut of ground and jumping towards the sandy bank.

I heard his shoes squish and looked over at him.

"Raine, what are you doing!?" My voice echoed in my head as I started walking over to the river. I looked down, hearing the distant grunting of a horse. I winced as the ring got stronger for a moment.

"Alaina, hey... breathe..." Garroth's voice echoed on my left, him coming over to me.

"N-No..." I whispered, my head looking up at the river and starting to stare down the river.

"Raine, don't! Not-!" My scream echoed as the boys disappeared.

I gasped, involuntarily spinning in circles as I saw a brown and white painted mare underneath me. Her ears started to twitch as her head turned around. She looked across the river.

"Raine, what's wrong, girl?" My voice asked as my lips didn't move. I felt stuck as I saw my hands moving without me controlling them.

The horse nickered again before she started to paw, moving around and she started to face the river.

"No... it's too deep, Raine. We won't make it."

Her nickers sounded panicked as she hurriedly looked over her shoulder before she started moving, her front hooves digging into the ground as her body weight shifted.

"Raine, don't! Not-!" I gasped as she jumped, the saddle coming loose as the reins ripped from my hands. My body tilted back as my feet slipped out of the stirrups, my body tumbling behind her and into the river as she landed on the other side.

Her neighs suddenly rang out in horror as I screamed, falling under the water. My head hit the side of the bank as my eyes rolled back.

"No!" I screamed, jumping when I felt someone grab my side. I yelped, my foot slipping in the sand as I fell into the water.

I swallowed a breath as my head went under, my body rolling with me as I tried to reach up.

"ALAINA!" Garroth and Laurance shouted, the sound of sand shuffling was muted by the water current.

The water was starting to cloud up as sand and other particles began to pool in. I was paralyzed with fear, unable to move to try to get out. I couldn't see other than black from the last time. I could hear their shouting before I heard a loud splash.

I regained feeling for a moment, kicking my legs as soon as I could.

"Garroth!" I screamed, every syllable blurred by the water entering my mouth. I moved upward a little from my kicking but not enough to break the surface.

"No!" I cried, trying to push myself upward. I could feel the bottom of the riverbed but my foot sank into the sand. I couldn't pull it out and I couldn't grab anything to pull myself up. My foot came up before something grabbed at it to pull it down again.

I looked around desperately for something to grab as fish just swam by as if they never saw me. I looked down, seeing a black, grainy hand around my ankle.

An arm grabbed my waist, pulling me upward before the hand roughly let go of my ankle as my head snapped forward, seeing who it was.

Garroth's hair floomed up as he looked upward, pulling my body up before shoving my feet to push me up.

My head cracked against the surface, gasping in as much air as I could as Laurance was on the edge.

"Grab my hand!" He said, him almost able to touch my shoulder.

I grabbed what I thought was his arm, my vision blurry from the water layered over it. I was pulled to the side, my body getting slid against the sand for a moment before I was lifted onto the grass on the top of the cliff.

I sputtered, frantically looking at the river. "Wh-What about Garroth!?" I shouted, unable to hear myself.

Almost in response his head appeared at the edge of the water, his body propelling him to the riverbank. He looked up at me before pulling himself out, instantly coming up to Laurance and me.

"What was that!?" Laurance said, almost angry, "Why did you jump into the water!?" He looked at me, holding out his arms to his side to expand his reaction.

I looked at him, speechless. I didn't know why I did. All I had felt was the impulse to jump.

Garroth looked at him before at me, "Alaina?" He softly asked.

I looked at Garroth, his voice hitting my ears so quiet that it felt like a whisper.

"Are you okay?" He asked first. I tilted my head, unable to hear completely what he said. I blinked hard, trying to get the water out of my eyes to see clearly.

I felt a pair of hands wipe my water-soaked hair back, my ears open to what they were saying.

"Can you hear a little better?" He asked, looking at me.

I hesitantly nodded, seeing their faces before my eyes started watering.

"I-I-" I whispered, looking at Garroth.

I could hear Laurance sigh, him getting up and walking towards the river.

"This is where she fell. You can see the prints and the horse prints." He said to himself.

All I could feel from his words were guilt. I looked down, my breathing getting heavier as I tried holding back crying.

"I-I'm so sorry... It-It just came over m-" I felt Garroth's hand gently touch my hand.

I looked up at him, my eyes clouded from the warm tears forming.

"Hey... it's okay. Your body acted on its own... I get it..." He said softly.

"H-How do you thin-" I stumbled over my words, trying to wipe at my eyes.

"It's why you heard or saw someone over at the wreck right...?" He asked.

I looked at him before my head started to nod. I bit my lip, opening my mouth to explain.

"Raine was the h-horse! She-She got spooked and jumped- and-and I fell off and went i-into the river..." I started breathing heavier. "The saddle came loose an-and-" My breathing was heavy and pushed hard against my lungs.

"Stop, stop," Garroth said, his hands touching my shoulders. I tried looking around him but he moved his head with mine.

"Look at me, Alaina. Okay?" He said, his eyes trying to find my gaze. "Let's calm down first."

I stopped for a second and saw him. He moved to sit crisscrossed in front of me.

"Sit like this," He said softly, "And hold onto my hands or my wrists, whichever is more comfortable."

I moved into the same sitting position, my fingers wrapping around his wrists and lower forearms. His hands did the same to mine. He moved our arms to between our laps.

"Now look up at me," He softly said as I looked up at his face, "And take a breath with me, okay?"

My throat tightened as I nodded. He nodded softly in return before taking in a breath through his nose and holding it. I followed suit, him breathing out and I breathed out. He continued to do the same thing for a few minutes, following his lead as much as I could.

It felt like through his hands and eyes calm started to go through me. My shoulders started to relax as my body posture started to match with his. He gently smiled as he looked at me.

I felt a smile start to come up as he started to talk.

"Have your breath now?" He asked lightly, making sure to not start another freak out.

I nodded softly, "yes," I responded.

"Good." He responded as his fingers let go of my wrists. I didn't let go at first until I realized he had let go. I pulled my hands away, seeing Laurance come walking up.

Laurance had calmed down a little, the anger I had heard not present in his face. "Are you okay...?" He asked.

I nodded softly, "now I am, yeah." I said quietly as he nodded.

"Okay..." He said before looking back at the river. "There's nothing around here... you only travelled about a half a mile downriver so I think you had fallen maybe the night before I found you."

"So... on the 30th." I said, "The day right after the last journal entry-shoot!" I grabbed my bag on my side, opening it up and grabbing the book.

I instantly dropped it, the book not soaked at all. I looked at the rest of the stuff in the bag and it was all intact.

Garroth gently chuckled, "I guess your bag is waterproof," He said.

I stopped taking things out when I saw the pendant, quietly nodding before I put the book and map back in, not taking out the bracelet or necklace. I looked over at the two before noticing the orange glow start to creep to the bottom of the leaves of the trees.

Laurance noticed and looked at us when we both had stood up.

"The sun is setting. It'll be dark in an hour or so..." He said before looking at Garroth, "We should head back?" He suggested.

Garroth nodded softly. "We should. Alaina?" He asked, my head turning to look at him.

"Are you good to walk?" He asked.

I shrugged lightly, "I think so?" I said, "I'll be okay..."

He nodded softly, "Alright... if you start getting tired, we can give you a lift." He looked at Laurance.

Laurance nodded. "You've been through more than either of us have today... if you are tired just let us know." He said softly. I nodded quietly before looking at the river.

"We don't need to cross it, we're on the Phoenix Drop side," Garroth said, seeing my look.

I gently nodded, letting out a breath before we started walking.

The sun set a little quicker than we all thought, and my legs started getting sore once we reached the clearing from the day before.

Garroth glanced at me before he sympathetically smiled at me, "Hop on my back," He said softly.

"Excuse me?" I asked, looking at him. "Why?"

"You're dragging your feet," He said before he chuckled, "It's another ten minutes. I can carry you the rest of the way."

I looked at him before I bit my lip.

"That's gross, Alaina."

My laugh echoed in my ears before I looked down, seeing the light blonde shaggy hair of the man. His arms held onto my legs as I held onto his shoulders.

I looked at Garroth before I nodded, walking up to him. He knelt, letting me get up before he firmly grabbed the creases of my knees. My arms wrapped around his shoulders and held on, not tightening around his neck. My head leaned against his as he started walking, catching up with Laurance. My eyes started closing when I could see the glow of the lanterns at the gates, my nerves calming down as I knew we were in a safe position.

"How was today?" I looked up, seeing the vision version of Garroth beside me, him leaning against one hand, the other holding onto the journal from my bag.

I gently smiled, sitting up and hugging him tightly. His hands came around me with a soft chuckle.

"I remember you a little more now..."