The Wings Of A Caged Bird | First Draft

chapter 12 : july's haiku

A/N: Needless to say, I suck at poetry. Therefore, the haiku July made SUCKS. however, since July's whole existence is driven by cringe, I hope it is justified.

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1st August; Saturday

When I open my eyes, it was dark all around.

And July isn't here.

In a skipped heartbeat, I sit up. "J-July?" I call, finding no response.

The fire has distinguished, the woods now sleeping in the dark. I can hear the silence stretching amidst the leaves and branches of the trees surrounding me. But no, the world isn't silent. Every once in a while, mysterious sounds reach my ears. Sounds I've never heard before. Sounds I can't recognize. Sounds that don't exist in my auditory dictionary. I feel cold sweat gathering on the back of my neck. My heart is pounding and drumming restlessly inside. I look around, but there was no living soul but me, or a dead soul that I can see. More sounds come, each one having a different tone from the previous. Voices. Voices of the nocturnal creatures. And the forest. The forest that never quietens down. Each and every sound is terrifying.

"July?!" I scream in a raspy voice. Oh no. Why has he left me all alone here? My hands have started to shake. I can't move my body. It sits frozen beside the distinguished fire. I feel so terribly cold. I try to call him once again, this time the sound coming out more weak. "July, where are you?"

I hug my knees and bury my head inside. I hate it. I hate how I get so scared. I am not a little child anymore. I should be more brave. But I can't stop shaking. How could he leave me alone like this?

"Cedar?" His voice suddenly calls, making me skip another heart beat. "Cedar!"

I slowly raise my head. There he is, in front of me. But I don't believe it. It's someone else. It is definitely someone else. Here to hurt me.

"No, no. I'm July." His cold hands touch my arms. "It's me. Cedar, I didn't think you would wake up so soon."

I shake my head. I want to squirm away from him, but my body is completely frozen. "W-Where is July?"

"I'm July!" he pleads. But I can't see his face. What if he is just another hallucination? What if this whole time he has been a hallucination? Will he leave too? Disappear within moments the next time I blink?

"I'm not a hallucination!" he exclaims, making me flinch. I want to get away from him. But I can't. Why can't I move my body? What should I do? Dawn, help me. Dawn?

"D-Dawn. Where's Dawn?" I ask.

He touches my forehead, my neck. Then he mutters, "I can't even tell if he has a fever . . . Cedar, listen. You need to sleep." He rubs his palms against my arms. "You've only been asleep for an hour. Please, lie down."

"Where's Dawn?!" I scream. What is wrong with me? Why am I so scared? Is it the fire? Darkness, serenity, chaos, silence, nature. My body feels so cold.  Am I all alone here? Where am I? How will I find a way out? What should I do?

"Cedar, Cedar. What happened to you?" he whispers.

I don't know. I don't know anything. I feel so restless. I need to go to Dawn. Ugh, my head. It's hurting. I can't think. Everything is hurting. So I only shake my head. "I don't know. Where's Dawn?"

"Come on, Cedar. Please, sleep. Dawn wants you to sleep, okay? Just lie down." He gently pushes me sideways, until my side is back on the cold ground.

His face is blank as it hovers beside me. He has no eyes, no nose, no lips. Nothing. It's just blank. Featureless. Like an empty mask. Who is he? Who is this person?