If We Could Make it There

Out of the Path, Into the Tree.

Ashlyn POV

I spin around and wink at Cheryl. She knows what's been coming.

We run at Jack with our arms stretched out, ready to push him over, but we don't need to. He collapses when we're just feet from him, and starts clenching his jaw. His eyes shut tightly as he groans. What the-

And then he snaps out of it. He looks up at us to see what the heck we're doing, and we pin him to the ground. His eyes widen mockingly.

"Really? You're trying to keep me from the end of the path when I've just had... whatever that was?" he says. By the tone of his voice, I don't think he's noticed that we're at the end of the path.

I nudge Cheryl and I stand up. The snow (which has now completely stopped) has made my knees damp. I brush the snow off of me.

"Fine," I say. Cheryl looks at me inquisitively for a split second before she winks back at me and stands.

"What-what was that... whatever you just did?" Cheryl asks. Jack shrugs.

"That's been happening on and off all day," he answers, "And I supposed that I can let your violence slip, seeing as your intentions were probably good and you let go of me. Whatever's happening- I dunno, it's like I can hear and feel everything. It's weird..." he trails off.

Cheryl grins at him. "Ability maybe? Mr. Super Sense," she says.

Well, good for Jack. Join the club. Happy day.

He gingerly smiles back. "I supposed so... but it feels different than I thought it would. I can't.. I can manage this. It just happens randomly. And it..." he hesitates.

"It kind of hurts," he admits. I shrug. There's finally a downside to an ability.

Jack tries to walk forward, but I rush to say, "Ouch! My- yeah ow- my arm hurts all of the sudden. Ahh... Argh. Uh, I think we should call it a night. You know so we- ow- can all rest up."

I rub my shoulder, pretending to flinch. He looks concerned for a minute.

"I really don't want to stop Ashlyn," he says, "But I guess we can take a ten minute break." He sighs and sits down on a relatively dry patch of path.

I sit next to him, and Cheryl next to me. Then Jack pushes me over and sends me and Cheryl tumbling down like domino's.

"I know bad acting when I see it, Ashlyn," Jack says, "And I'm going to see what's over that hill."

I stumble up and run after him, but I'm too late. He's at the top of the hill.

He gasps and his eyes widen.

"We're here," he manages to say, "We're here." And it's now that I truly realize that he doesn't want to go. I have to set my plan in action now. I run wildly in front of him, towards the Vale. He lets out a strangled noise and tries to run towards me. Tries. Probably picking up on my plan, Cheryl has jumped onto him. As he tries to pull her off, I take one last look at him. His flaming red hair, his big brown eyes. Just like Alex's. I look at Cheryl, who has glassy eyes as she cries, "Hurry!"

She doesn't want me to go. I don't want to go either. But I must, if that's what it takes to keep a family together. My last wishes are to keep Marissa alive, and their family together.

And Alexnadra, Caylie and the others probably won't be able to forgive me. Caylie. She's all alone back with the others, the only one who knows somethings up, But when Cheryl and Jack go back, she and Cheryl will be able to catch Grace in the bad things that she's been doing.

But that one problem, the unsolved mystery of who could have stabbed Caylie with whatever hurt her arm, still remains. I guess I'll never know.

Tearing my eyes away from Cheryl and Jack, I sprint to an opening in the tree where a little door stands. I pull it open, step in, and just as I pull it shut behind me, I hear a big BOOM.

I shouldn't have shut it. The room's pitch black.

Caylie POV
We've been walking for hours. Alexandra's getting better, and the swellings going down on her foot. It's mahogany right now.

We hear a rumble and a crash, and then I look up. Cheryl, walks towards me, holding a needle.

"It'll only take a second," she says wearily. I look around for the others, but no one's behind me. I'm alone with the person whom I suspect is fake-Cheryl.

"Where are the others?" I ask. She smiles.

"Here, there, nowhere in particular," she shrugs with her eyebrows raised, "Somewhere, I guess. Not here." She slowly walks towards me.

"You know who I am, Caylie," she says. Yeah, I probably do. Somewhere, deep down. But I can't think right now.

Cheryl twists into Seth and stands in front of me, needle still in hand.

"Testing, testing, one two three," he says into the tip of the needle, "This is it! This is what did it, made your arm all... funny." This word echos around the forest, and I see the wounded Jack sprawled out in front of me. I gasp in horror as I try to rush to his side, my my feet seem to be moving in slow motion.

The second I reach Jack, he turns into Alexandra and raises the needle. She grins wickedly at me.

"It's okay Caylie. You know you can trust me, right?" she laughs hysterically for a moment before trudging to me slowly. I run backwards... well, not really. When I try to run, I fall backwards, my feet glued to the path.

As Alex leans down over me I squeal and Alexandra turns into Ashlyn. She looks at me shocked, and helps me to my feet.

"Are you okay?" she asks. I nod. I think I'm okay. At least, I think.

We walk a few yards before she turns to me and speaks to me in a voice that I know deosn't belong to Ashlyn. It's deeper, and scratchy, as if the user is hundreds of years old.

"Time is ticking, make your way!" she says gleefully, "The end is near, now don't you stray!"

She reaches into her pocket, grabs my shoulder, pulls out the needle and stabs my arm.

"Caylie? Caylie! Snap out of it!" I hear. I look around wildly. Everyone's here except for Ashlyn, Cheryl, and Jack. I thrash in the arms that are holding me steadily down. After a moment of struggle, the arms let me go and I'm sitting up looking wildly around. Seth, who was the unlucky one to let whacked in the face by my squirming arms, says, "Are you okay? You kind of... Went out of it for a second." I nod, and become aware that this is reality. Alexandra's foot is mahogany still. Seth and Grace are standing at an icy distance. I stand up.

"Yeah, yeah I'm..." I trail off when I hear another rumbling and crashing sound. I fall to the ground, in the pile of the others that seem to have also fell. I feel icy, fast air beat against my cheek, and then everything stops. And I mean everything. For a few seconds I can't move, I can't speak, and I can't breath. When the oxygen comes back, the others and I gasp for air, and only stop when we see Alexandra looking forward in shock.

I understand her gaze. In front of us is a giant tree, dark and withered and creepy. A door at the front of the tree is shutting, and in front of us, just feet away, is Jack, whom is being restrained my Cheryl.

I need to words to explain the story. Cheryl restraining Jack. Ashlyn's absence.

She's gone. She gone in. I can't believe it.