The Crest

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Janyia, open up!" I pound on the window of my best friend's room. I can tell from outside the house that the lights are off. But I need to know that she's okay, I have a feeling I won't be seeing her for a while. "JANYIA!" I screech.

The light flickers on and I hear soft footsteps. The window slides up and Janyia is facing me, her eyes look weary. She wears blue Frozen pajamas with images of Olaf everywhere, and a black sleeping cap on her head. "Shay? What are you doing here?"

"You're okay!" I nearly jump through the window to hug her. "I...I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." I say with relief.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But...why were you worried?"

"It's a long story."

She steps away from the window, giving me enough space to climb into her room.

I explain every single detail to Janyia. Starting from when Melani died in front of me to me killing that girl with green eyes. Janyia doesn't say anything when I finish.

"I wanted to make sure that nothing actually happened to you, the real Janyia."

"Well, that explains the purple cloak. Where's the dagger?"

I tucked the dagger away in my sweater. "Somewhere safe."

She pauses for a while. "So, what are you going to do now?"

I take off my cloak to reveal the crescent moon necklace secured around my neck. "Melani told me follow the path, and on my way here, the necklace started glowing with a green tint."

She examines the necklace carefully, then nods.

"I want to see where it leads me. What's behind all of this. It might even be...magic."

She nods. She probably feels this whole situation is awkward. "I don't understand anything that's happening, but I'm here for you if you need me Shay."

I give her a hug. "Thanks. I think I should go." I walk toward the window and hop out. Before I close it again, I say one last thing. "I don't know what will happen to me, but I'm going to figure this out."

"I know you can, you're Shay, the girl who has a big imagination. And sometimes...that's actually not a bad thing."

I smile, then drape the hood of my deep purple cloak over my head. Then I run into the night. There is a grassy field by Janyia's house and I decide to go there first, I don't know why, but I feel something there. There's nothing around me, so I just head straight at a normal pace. Completely aware of the beautiful night sky that's illuminated with bright stars. It's almost as if they're telling me where to go.

But I don't see stars as breathtaking objects to look up to, I see them as burning gases that can kill us. They happen to fill the sky when it's lonely, but they only look beautiful from a distance. I sigh, knowing I have a long way to go.

People (mostly my therapist) always ask me why I don't believe in fairytales, as if not believing in them means I have no happiness in my life, but they couldn't be more wrong. I have my family, my friends, and my journal. But fairytales are unrealistic and give people false hopes, I just see things for what they are. I'm a dreamer, a realistic one. I chuckle. A realistic dreamer.

Eventually, I find myself lurking closer to an area scattered with trees. I'm heading dead straight for it. How long have I been entangled in my thoughts. Maybe 30, 45 minutes. The first two trees I walk between are large and have this strange welcoming and unnerving feeling about them. They are bent over to make the shape of a perfect entrance way. As soon as my foot hits the land beyond the trees, I'm standing on grass. Not dry grass from the previous field, but long strokes of luscious green. The trees change appearance, all becoming thick and welcoming like the trees I just walked past.