The Counterfeit

thirteen

She was still alive.

Jasmine crashed into the water as naturally as it is to ride a bike after a hundred times of doing so. She was expectant of the water to be below freezing, but much to her surprise it was warm.

And pleasant.

She didn't feel the need to swim to the surface straight away. She didn't feel the need to breathe. Or to feel for that matter. She didn't even feel the need to think. She just floated peacefully beneath the waves. And drowned her thoughts. Deeper. And deeper.

Until she felt something, or rather someone, grip her forearm and pull her up. Her body was so numb it was like pulling a limp, dead corpse. She reached the surface.

Jasmine gasped the second her head appeared above the water and coughed, choked and spluttered as she came back to her senses and began treading water.

"Are you alright!? I thought I'd lost you! We'd lost you," It was Adam. His golden hair fell flat across his forehead, soaked, and water dripped from his surprisingly still not broken glasses. His expression was nothing short of relieved, but his eyes told Jasmine he knew something wasn't right.

"I'm fine, where are we?"

He nodded towards what appeared to be a beach. Jasmine understood and swam over, deciding that bobbing around was useless to everyone.

Eventually they washed up on the shore, their clothes sticky and everything out of place.
"Jasmine! What happened?" Izzabeth sounded relieved, her clothing drenched too.
"I-" She thought about it. "I don't know. It doesn't matter, is everyo--"

Jasmine stopped mid sentence when she spotted Trixie and Cavan darting off the beach and into what looked like a rainforest. Probably to hatch another plan to kill Jasmine off.

Then her attention immediately turned to Blue, who was lying floppily in the sand. Her skin was much cleaner, but her wounds were still sore and swollen. She couldn't go anywhere, she was too weak.

Jasmine turned to Hannah, who was doing her best not to shiver.
"Should we camp out?"
"Overnight?"
"We can't go off now. We don't have anything except this," Jasmine held up the only backpack she'd managed to hold onto. She'd dropped the rest running from the snekcrat.

Hannah pondered for a minute but it didn't take long for her to give Jasmine the heads up.

They had nothing.

-

The night sky glistened with innumerable stars. The sea reflected almost the exact image minus the peaceful waves and a little less sparkling. Either way, Jasmine was beginning to feel particularly at ease with the night's wonders.

She was sat away from her friends, who were huddled around a fire munching on the rations and chatting lowly, on a long, eroding rock. She'd tucked her dirtied legs into her chest and was resting her chin on her knees, admiring the vista. Since they'd been on the run, Jasmine never really had time to stop and admire the scenery.

It wasn't all peace and wonder though. Her head was still a raging battle of questions and an incomplete puzzle.

Jasmine sighed to herself, her breath warm against the cooler air.
"Why am I here?" She murmured again to herself.

"I don't know, is the ocean a more pleasant sight rather than our faces?" Or so she thought. "Can I join you?" Adam asked, already using his long legs to climb up the rock.
"Did you need to ask?"
"It's polite to isn't it?"

Jasmine shrugged and shuffled over, giving Adam room to perch himself on the rock. "Wow, it is pretty up here." He said, dangling his legs over the edge and leaning back onto his palms.

"I guess." A pause.
"Are you okay Jasmine?" Adam spoke so sincerely he didn't need to say anything else. Jasmine dropped her legs and crossed them instead.
"I'm just tired--"
"You're not."

Jasmine turned her gaze towards Adam. His expression was knowing but softly concerned. Jasmine sighed again.

"Nothing adds up. I can change realms, I create chaos and people want to kill me because I'm an outsider. Because I'm different. But I don't understand what makes me different or why I'm a target on everyone's hit list. I'm just trying to figure out what's going on. And it seems impossible to do when everyone wants to kill me."

Jasmine turned her head to look out at the ocean again. Adam however didn't move an inch. "Maybe I should just give up. Then you'd be safe and you could build your lives. Again."

"Are you hearing yourself?" Jasmine blinked at Adam. "As cliche as it sounds, the Jasmine I know would never give up."
"But you heard Trixie. You all did."
"Weak and pathetic? Please. If you were either of those things, Izz and I would still be wasting away in that blinkin' jungle."

Jasmine picked at the cuffs of her trousers. "What you did was reckless but you were so brave to do it."
"Do what? Mess up the perfect system you had?"
"Exactly."

Adam sat up straight and pointed upwards. "Look up Jaz. What do you see?" Jasmine tilted her head to look directly up at the night sky.
"I see the stars."
"And why do you see the stars?"
"Because you told me to look up." Adam laughed softly.
"No you kook. You see the stars because you're alive."

Jasmine gave Adam an odd look. "Stars are the metaphor of life. They're not perfect. They're different sizes, scattered around. Some fly across the sky quickly, others take their time. But as long as you're looking up at them, they still burn bright. Astonishing, don't you think?"

Jasmine just blinked. She did think it was astonishing. She just couldn't seem to find a way to word it better. A comfortable silence followed as they both watched the stars glisten and dance.

"Life hurts at times, it really sucks. But it will add up. I promise." Adam's warm smile held a sense of empathy. Jasmine returned his smile gratefully. Maybe it wouldn't be so tough after all.

"And I'm gonna go and sleep because it has been an awfully long day." Adam yawned, helping himself up. He offered his hand out to Jasmine and carefully, they hopped off the rocks, one after the other before returning to the camp.

"Everything okay?" Hannah asked as Jasmine plopped down onto a blanket next to her.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?"
"I'm good." Jasmine smiled and nodded.

She looked around at her friends, minus Blue who was already fast asleep wrapped like a piggy in blankets, and smiled a little wider. She'd managed to keep them safe. And knowing she had made her feel at peace because she'd kept her first priority in check.

Nothing was more important to her right now than keeping her friends safe.

Without another word, Jasmine tugged at the blanket she was sat on and threw it across her body. Then, resting on her arm, she gazed at the dancing flames of the fire and let herself zone out of the voices in her surroundings. It all became a soft blur before she finally closed her eyes and fell into slumber.