He woke up on the ground. In a cave. It had to have been some kind of warped dream, to be one place at one moment, and a different one the next.
But as he sat up, he saw no sign of his sister, except for her little jacket.
“Tavia!” he shouted. There was no reply, the only sounds were that of water splashing against rocks, and the birds chirping in the trees. The light that entered the cave nearly blinded him. But he pushed through it and got to his feet, grabbing the little jacket and walking to the entrance of the cave. “Tavia!”
He pinched himself to see if it was a dream. But it didn’t end, and he didn’t wake up.
Before he was in the cave, it was July. Unless some cosmic event caused winter, there was no way he was still at home. But instead of granting him some excitement at the revelation of a new place, it created new concern. Concern for his sister, who could be anywhere, in any kind of trouble.
“Octavia!” he yelled. Her name echoed off the forest. But, yet again, she did not answer, leaving him in fear of her death, or worse. He started walking, of course, he was panicked. This was his sister, after all. All he could think of was little Octavia, devoured by some horrid creature. Or her little body at the bottom of a ravine. It terrified him, the thought truly scared him.
He didn’t stop rushing through the forest, careful to not trip, fall and break a leg. He had to find her. He shouted her name now and again, just to see if she would answer him.
“Octavia!” he shouted, it felt like he’d been doing it for hours, just the mere searching. “Octavia!” He heard a twig snap. He turned his head, and Octavia stood there, still in her school uniform. She was smiling, meanwhile, all he could do was let out a breath of relief. She ran toward him.
“Alex!” she smiled her bubbly little smile. “What were you shouting for?”
He got down to her level and hugged her so tightly that she could pop like a balloon. “I was looking for you. I thought you were dead, or maybe someone stole you.”
She laughed. “That’s silly. I was just chasing a bird, it was so pretty, you wouldn’t believe it.”
Alex helped her put on her jacket. “Just don’t run off anymore, okay?”
“Alright,” she agreed. He looked around. Their school jackets weren’t going to do much to keep them warm, but it was better than nothing.
“It’s July, right?” he asked her. “I could’ve sworn it was July.”
“Maybe we’re in Antarctica, or maybe Switzerland. Remember? Mom always wanted to go to Switzerland.” Octavia spoke. She was still smiling, she was still happy. She didn’t know the truth, that their mom wouldn’t have left them in a cave, if anything, she would’ve left them in front of the fire station.
“Maybe,” Alex pretended. He held his hand out for her to grab. “Come on.”
“It’s pretty here, isn’t it?” the little girl inquired. “I like it, I think it’s magical.”
“Oh yeah, it’s lovely,” he spoke. He looked around. As far as he could see, there was only snow. There was no sign of civilization. Only trees, and snow, and in the distance, the mountains. “We gotta get home though.”
“Why?” Octavia questioned. “It’s not like Mom’s going to miss us anyway. She barely likes us, she’d never notice we’re gone.”
Alex let out a sigh and got down to her level, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. “Mom loves us, in her own way. And she’s probably worried sick about us.”
“How do you know that?” Octavia asked. “She never says it. She only really talks to Fred. And she doesn’t tell us stories like Dad used to.”
“Because,” he told her. “She’s our mom.” He wasn’t one for lying. Octavia was the only person he was willing to lie to, or for. And when their mother came into question, he always lied. It was like telling a kid about Santa Claus, he’s real until he’s not anymore. He stood up again, still holding her hand like he did every day when he walked her to school. “Now, let’s go... find a way to get home.”
They started walking again. Unaware of those who watched them. Unaware of the path they were going down.
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