Chapter 13
⤴︎ ♍️ 24° 59' 🏠 1
"And we are here!" Isaiah said with glee.
Nighttime has just befallen, and Serenity and Isaiah are finally at the fire sector.
Problem is, no one is there. Not even a living thing is roaming outside.
Isaiah rubs the back of his head. Looks around for anyone.
"Huh. No one is here. They must have a plan already."
They get off the sea-goat. Isaiah pets its head.
Closes its eyes. Gently nudges his furry scalp against the callouses of Isaiah's palm.
"That's a good sea goat! Ooooh, who's a good boy!"
Isaiah's voice changes pitches, going high and low as he plays with Capricorn.
Serenity watches Isaiah play with Capricorn. Studying their behavior.
Raises her left eyebrow.
"Now who's the goat buddy!"
"Baaa!" Capricorn responded.
"That's right, Cap. You're the best."
"Cute, but we got things to do…" Serenity murmured in her mind.
Small purplish bruises make themselves visible inside his elbows. In the middle of his palms.
"We're about to leave, relax Serenity. It's nighttime. We'll be fine like this for 2 more minutes, guaranteed."
"Huh?? How did you know?" said a baffled Serenity.
"I can sense it. My sign knows all too well about time and legacy. That's in my house ruler," stated Isaiah.
"Yeah, the 10th house, which governs that, but—"
Cuts her off.
"When someone is impatient, I feel it in my bones. This causes them to rumble in me like a game controller, causing small microscopic fractures in them that appear as quarter-sized bruises in those spots," Isaiah explained.
Is the Capricorn capping, or is he telling the truth? Now Serenity is looking really lost right now, but at least she looks like she cares about what he's saying.
Could that be said about a lot of people in Drokeo Bay? It depends on who you're talking to.
Earth signs are consistent people in general, but in a good way? Subjective.
Isaiah turns around. Holds out his forearm.
Purple bruise in the bend of his elbow. Two more in each of his palms, almost touching his callouses.
"The hell?! Put them things away, sir!" Serenity joked.
"Hahaha."
Isaiah turns back to Cap, grabs both of his horns.
They coil and wrap onto his arms all the way to his shoulders.
Like a chameleon, the horns change to his skin tone. They seep into his skin. His bruises go away.
The rest of Cap turns into the Capricorn constellation. Rises in the air like a hot air balloon.
"Why did your bruises appear on the inside of your elbow and palms?" asked Serenity.
"Because those are the concentration points of your impatience. Inside the elbow means you are itching to fight, and on the palms means you're still grappling with your destiny or yourself," Isaiah said.
He broke it down really good. Zodiac power manual for dummies, pretty much.
Bruises, though? That's gotta hurt a little bit, but he's a man's man. Life be lifing, though. Am I right?
"Isaiah, let's try and find the fire signs."
"That can be arranged. Where do we start?"
"Let's walk around," Serenity commanded.
Isaiah brings his hands to his cheeks. Mouth open.
"Oh, soooory Mrs. Serenity, let me step back and follow The Maiden," Isaiah jokes.
"Just come on," she said.
Serenity sees 8 houses in the distance, but all of the lights are on.
Wooh! Wooh!
Wolves howl around them.
"We need to get moving. Hurry up, Isaiah!" Serenity exclaimed.
Isaiah jogs to get where she is.
Now walking beside her, they plan to enter the fire sector.
However, Isaiah stops her by holding out his arm so she can't walk without running into it.
Serenity cannot hold her frustration and knocks his arm away.
Isaiah shrugs it off. Chuckling, he rubs the top of her head and messes up her hair that she took 1 hour to do before she left.
Just because you have to fight evil doesn't mean you can't look your best, but that's just a thought.
Serenity snarls at him.
"You're acting like a child. Just move and get out of my way," she said as disdain permeates through every word she speaks.
The tongue has the power to kill and destroy. Bless and harm. Motivate and tear you down. What is Serenity thinking?
What's wrong with her? This is not really like her. Whatever happened to the shy girl who didn't want to accept her destiny?
Her boldness is jarring. It's so sudden. Something must be brewing underneath the surface of our heroine.
"Serenity, I need you to calm down. Stop being so rude."
Isaiah's voice is loving. His tone soft.
"No, because you're moving way too slow. I like you and all, but respectfully you're holding me back."
"Serenity, I think we should split up. I don't mean for Maine to target you. You should be hidden, little one."
"Don't you DARE call me that. I am not your child. Not your lady. It's not cute, Isaiah."
The hairs on Serenity's arms raise. Goosebumps cover her whole body like eczema.
Serenity huffs and puffs through pursed lips and clenched teeth. Eyes like daggers. Nothing but intensity and focus from her.
"Serenity, you're missing the point. You should be hidden. Please don't misjudge or miscategorize my words. You know what I'm trying to say," Isaiah replied.
Isaiah places his right hand over his heart. Followed by his stomach.
"This crap again," he said seriously.
Takes his shirt off, revealing a big bruise over his chest where his heart is and his stomach. The stomach is what really captures my eye. Virgo rules the digestive system and stomach, so for that to be bruised…
Serenity maintains the same expression. He rubs his chest and stomach where the bruises are.
"Extremely anxious and impatient. Hard to digest what's going on without being fully in control or knowing what comes next explicitly," Isaiah murmured as he moves both of his hands in the bruised areas.
Serenity's face softens. A radiant glow makes her skin look golden brown like fresh hash browns.
"I'm sorry, Isaiah," said a sincere Serenity.
Shrugs his shoulders.
"It's nothing to worry about, really… you're the chosen one. I understand the stress, but I think we would be better separate. For our safety and for you personally. I sense something awaiting to see you," Isaiah stated.
"Really?" she questioned curiously.
"Yeah, but I don't know what it is. I'm going to go to the water sector to pair up with one of them," he said.
"Your best bet is Rosco. Katrina and Daiyu are really close, but Rosco is more of a loner and is in his own dreamworld. According to Daiyu," Serenity explained.
Serenity finally looks at ease now. A speck of sand gets into her eye. Rubs it out.
"Being in the Drokeo desert sucks. Isaiah, if you want to find Rosco, I can help you," offered Serenity.
Isaiah smiles. He motions for her to continue.
"Ok. Ok. Rosco lives by Mariana Rd and Pineal Avenue. Right by Deep Sea Grill. Can't miss it," Serenity explained.
Shoots a thumbs up.
"Got it. I'll look for those streets. If it's anything like the Earth Sector, the streets should be easy to identify," he said.
"Mhmmmm. Daiyu says if you say the street name once you're inside the sector, that you can say the names of the streets and a stream of water will be near your feet. You just follow it, and it leads you straight there," Serenity explained.
Isaiah's mouth drops. Eyes bulging out.
"What?? Who came up with that system? That's smart as I don't know what! Thank you, Serenity!" said an elated Isaiah.
"Of course, sweetheart," Serenity said sweetly.
She embraces him. Hugging him tightly. He reciprocates but doesn't squeeze the life out of her like she's doing to him right now.
"Sweetheart… She feeling me on the low? Huh…" he thought as what she just said bounces around inside his head.
Isaiah makes a concentrated face to understand everything that Serenity meant by that.
"Hehe," Serenity chuckled with excitement.
"What's so funny?!" asked a curious Isaiah.
Serenity flips her hair with her hand to the left side of her hair. Plays with it by running her hands through the strands of them.
Blushes. Cheeks red.
"You know, Isaiah, with all the wisdom you have about emotions, I see you still don't understand girls, huh?" Serenity asked.
"Um… Umm…" he stutters.
She places her right index finger over his lips. His locs gently brush against her hand.
"We'll talk later, ok?" she said.
"O-ok… we'll talk later then," he says with chattering teeth.
They embrace again. Isaiah makes his way to the fire sector all alone. Solo.
Stops in his tracks.
"Serenity. Promise me you'll always be you and never change. You promise?"
She grins.
"I promise, Isaiah," she said.
"Perfect. May the spirits above keep you safe. Farewell until we meet again."
He walks off into the distance.
Serenity smells hay, grass, and her blueberry-strawberry perfume on him as he gets further out of her sight.
Inhales deeply.
"I miss you already, bro…" whispering quietly.
Serenity heads the opposite way.
Crunch. Crunch.
Stepping on sand spurs while shuffling her feet for anything that may be lurking on the ground so she won't get bit.
Looking up in the sky, she sees the moon changing color, going from dark gray to blood red.
Craziest part is that not only has it changed color, but it's further expanding in size.
"Blood moon? What's the meaning of this? So random," she said.
A pair of eyes manifest on the surface of it. However, they're the color of a regular moon.
"What the?? Look at those eyes! Since when do moons have eyes! Is everything watching me?!" Serenity exclaimed.
They slowly shift, moving the middle of the moon. The desert rumbles and shakes.
Both merge into one giant eye. It shoots moonlight to Drokeo Bay's surface.
Sniffs. Contorts her face. Tries to wave the smell from entering her nose.
"Smells like burnt rubber. Makes no sense whatsoever."
The girl is a mere 10 feet from the moonlight that illuminates the icy desert sand.
Smoke rises up. The moonlight forms a large circle.
Inside it turns pitch black. It seems like it has a mind of its own.
In the middle, puddles as if someone threw stones in it begin to ripple outward. Moving like water.
The outer trim of the circle turns an earthy green. Roots form. Shortly after, roses, daisies, daffodils, and zinnias sprout.
Rising easily 5 feet in the air. Their fresh scent visibly calms Serenity down. However, she still seems baffled at the phenomenon.
A sunflower sprouts in the center of the circle. Serenity backs up from the hole. Shakes with fear.
"I'm out of here," she said.
The black circle expands rapidly, covering the area where she is standing. She falls inside.
Everything. Pitch. Black. She's inside the earth.
Darkness is her surroundings now.
"No!!" screaming as she descends into it.
Extends her arms. Grips the stalk of the sunflower.
Exhaling and inhaling deeply, she begins to sweat. Skin feels sticky.
Her hands are being cut by the thorns on it.
"Ouch!! Dang it!" Serenity struggles to keep her cool and composure.
Dangling from the vine, she looks down.
Nothing but a dark abyss. And it's humid as heck in there.
"Serenity… Please come to me. I need you." An unknown voice echoes.
"Damn, I want to get out of here!" Her mind races.
Blood drips from the inside of her hands.
Hmph. Hmph. Hmph.
Grunting as she tries to climb the stalk, but she loses grip.
Free falls.
"Arghhhh!!!" screaming in terror.
Serenity falls on something soft and plushy.
Lo and behold, it's a… bed? King-sized. No blankets, pillow, comforter. None of that jazz. Just a king-sized mattress.
Serenity yelps. Hair gets into her mouth.
Spits it out. Pinches her index finger and thumb to get her hair out of her mouth. Luckily, she's ok.
Rolls out of the bed and dusts the tree branches, leaves, and plant seeds off of her shirt and jeans.
Blood is dried up in her palms. Not a lot, though. Just a couple of small streaks, but nothing catastrophic.
A stream of water soaks her shoes.
"Ughhh," she groaned.
Angrily removes her shoes and tosses them on the bed.
She can't see a thing.
"Where am I? What type of place is this?" she questioned.
Her voice echoes as if she's in a chamber.
A harsh gust of wind hits her in the face. Pushing her back. She's trying to plant her feet and make an X with her forearms to shield herself, but it's not doing much of anything.
Whatever this is, it's different and kind of freaky. Just saying, but don't mind me.
The same moon shows up AGAIN. This time, it is not high up in the air but floating just above the ground. Still blood red. No eyes this time, though.
"What do you want, huh? Just what are you anyway? Moons aren't sentient!" Serenity exclaimed.
"Ha. Ha. Haaa." It chortles.
Deep, resounding voice. Not manly sounding either.
"Demonic," she thought.
"Not quite. That's just the moon changing your intuition. Here's my true form," it stated.
It begins to warp and move unnaturally. Parts of it protrude out as if someone is trying to break out of it.
"The heck… Is someone trying to escape from the inside of it? Why does the surface look like it's being punched from the inside, but nothing is giving out. Just what type of power is this…"
The moon changes back to its original hue.
A gorgeous garden begins to grow on the moon.
Daffodils, dandelions, petunias. Palm trees sprout up.
On top of the moon, Serenity notices a crown of leaves and wheat wrap around the top part of the moon.
"Goodness, as if this couldn't get any more surreal…"
Vines, moss, and tree bark appear out of thin air.
What's interesting is that they are arranged in a fashion that looks like a woman.
They change form and turn into human skin, bodily and facial features.
A woman standing 25 feet tall is behind the moon now.
Younger-looking with an ethereal vibe. Long flowing auburn hair in curls.
Hazel eyes. Dark green blouse. Smiling.
She hugs the moon. Her arms elongate. Stretch like rubber.
The moon turns into Earth. As for the crown of leaves, it expands. Floats off of the moon, now turned Earth.
The mysterious gigantic woman grabs the crown and wears it on her head. Continues to hug the Earth.
Serenity backs up slowly. Face full of horror. Gets into her fighting stance. Legs wide, torso low to ground, and hands near the face.
She's ready for anything.
"Put your fists down, Serenity. I'm not here to fight you but only to enlighten. Calm your nerves. Your nervous system is working in overdrive for no reason," she stated.
Her voice is deep but gentle. Commanding, but her words smooth and sweet like honey. Like an auntie's loving words and maternal wisdom.
"Who are you? What are you? Tell me now!" Serenity demanded.
She hums. Rubs her face against the Earth.
Harp strings appear on the globe.
Strums them, producing a calming sound followed by the chiming of bells.
She starts playing a lullaby called "Sleep Tight Under The Moonlight," a sweet, relaxing tune.
Serenity gets out of her fighting stance. Closes her eyes to listen to the music.
"Ahhhhh, so pretty," she sighs in relief.
"My name is Ceres. The Earth Goddess. I hold all of the Earth's wisdom. I am the Earth. I just decided to show you my human form so we can talk normally," Ceres said.
"Yeah… 'normally.'"
Making air quotes with her fingers. Rolls her eyes.
"You have your work cut out for you. For so long, I have been in pain because of the sins and lusts of the people that live in Drokeo Bay. But someone who is not supposed to be living has just come back to life. I'm afraid of what might happen," Ceres said.
"Who could it possibly be? I'm already dealing with a crazy long-lost sibling," Serenity said.
"Your past life. Her name is Selene. She is you from a different life as an Aries," Ceres said coldly.
She does not sound happy. Sounds depressed.
"Me in a past life???" replied an even more perplexed Serenity.
#
The Drokeo Swamp. Top of the morning. Birds chirping. Rattlesnakes shaking their rattles. Niloh and Danny Boy are perched on a shrub.
Danny is eating raccoon… that's cooked. Niloh is munching on frogs and salamanders in a plastic bag.
Crunch. Crunch.
Niloh's eyes are closed. In total bliss as he eats his snack.
Shakes his head as if he can't believe what he's eating.
"Mhm. Mhmm. These are off the chain. Maine got us the hookup. This is good eatin' right here," Niloh said delightfully.
They're floating, sitting on top of the swamp water.
Niloh is sitting inside his shell, criss-cross applesauce. Plenty of leg room.
Danny's tail calmly resides in the water as well. Not moving an inch. Both of them are floating further down lake in the swamp.
Danny shifts his eyes to Niloh. Watches him enjoy his wild snack.
"Never seen you this happy before, Niloh. Those salamanders must be extra crispy," Danny chimed.
"Can't beat free food. Who's turning that down? Not me," Niloh responded.
"As nice as that sounds, time is pertinent. We have a mission," Danny hissed.
His voice a cross between the growling of an alligator and a man.
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
Niloh takes the bag and dumps the rest in his mouth. Head pops out, eating them in mid-air with lightning speed.
"That's why humans don't put their fingers near a snapping turtle's mouth," Danny said with a grin.
"Your mouth bigger than mine, and y'all eat humans," Niloh teased.
"That's why I'm the most feared and respected animal in the swamp. Don't play with me."
Danny takes out the scroll. Opens it up.
"Niloh, grab this end for me."
Gripping the other end of the scroll with his claws.
It unravels on its own after Niloh grabs it. Now it's in their laps.
Moves, flaps in the windy weather.
Rosco's portrait is hidden in mist. Makyla, Jasiah, and K.C.'s pictures have a ring of blue fire around them.
Samuel, Syimphany, and Nicki's pictures look as if they're being blown by hurricane winds. Nearly coming off the page.
Serenity, Isaiah, and Adonis's portraits rumble.
This time, no Daiyu or Katrina available.
Danny rubs his chin.
"I want this one."
Pointing at Rosco's picture.
"Pisces. Battle of the aquatic life. I see you want to see who's more dominant in water, don't you, Danny," Niloh said.
"Don't try to do a character assessment on me. Just pick who you want to fight so we can dispose of these low-class vermin known as the zodiacs," Danny said in a triggered voice.
That is one impatient gator!
"Let's see who I desire. I want…"
His pointer finger gliding over to Isaiah.
"Capricorn. Sea-goat vs. turtle."
"I like him. He intrigues me," Niloh stated, sounding like a hungry predator.
Rosco's portrait turns into a small puddle, spilling off the scroll into the river. Isaiah's picture turns into stone, then crumbling.
Danny wipes it off. The scroll ravels back up and into Niloh's lap. Places it into his pocket.
"Swamp Style: River Travel!" Danny said.
A 30-foot alligator is beneath them. It can easily be seen underwater, even from a distance. That's how large this gator is.
Rises to the surface so they can sit on it.
"Fancy. Is he your relative?" asked Niloh.
"No. Gator, take us to our destination."
It sinks back down underneath with them.
Now they're underwater.
"Niloh, toss your shell. We don't need that right now."
Niloh grabs his shell from underneath him and flings it downwards until it travels to the bottom of the river.
"Let's ride. WE are the kings of the swamp," said Danny.
"The most feared but also the most revered and sacred to humans. I think it's time we show them who's boss. I'm the real goat," Niloh conceded.