Old ways won't open new doors
The Bolvera home ,The Koa Forest,Southern Ardeneon
March 16
The others had accepted their fates and been very grateful to Yesani Bolvera for helping them out, but River remained skeptical. He just couldn't understand why a complete stranger was taking them in. 'Let's be real, no one is that kind without wanting something in return' He thought.
The words kept playing in his head. 'Assuming you are from Ardeneon, that would make you sprites.'
He shakes his head for the hundredth time in the hour. He had seen sprites in movies and fairytales, they were tiny, weird looking and most importantly he was a hundred percent sure they could all fly.
It's 3AM and he had been questioning everything he knew, everything he believed in. His friends are also sleeping in the rooms Mrs. Bolvera had provided for them, but River couldn't sleep... not with all the thoughts he couldn't escape.
Why could he breathe under water? Why didn't he go unconscious like the rest of them, is it because he's an exceptional swimmer? But Dexter is a great swimmer too, he fell unconscious. He couldn't think straight.
'It's a definitely a lucid dream—it has to be—I made that happen, it's all in my head.' He thinks 'It's all in your head River, you're not going crazy, you'll wake up any moment now.'
River had never been this scared of anything in his life before. He sits at the edge of his bed in his designated room admiring it. The soft bed, the details in decoration, the interior designs and the painting. It all comes together so well.
The room is quite big too, with a Queen-sized bed but the comfort of the room didn't ease his mind. He could never admit it to anyone, but he was really scared, so scared that he feels like he is drowning in a pool of unshakable fear.
Being brought up as the older brother and the only son to River meant being able to fight your fears yourself so you can fight the family's fears, it meant being able to take care of yourself so you could take care of the family. So, he believes it's what he has to do, it's what he has been trained to do, if he displayed his fear then how could his sister be strong, he needed to be strong so she could be too, although he knew she would never let him carry the weight alone, she was always there when their dad would drown him in responsibilities—mostly talking him through it, but there nonetheless.
He can't help but begin to think about what must be happening on earth right now. Their teachers must've called their parents after noticing their absence. Their dad is probably worried sick and must have rushed home to look for them after not being able to reach them, but he can't do anything about it, he can't reach out to anyone.
"Hey Riv!" Skai giggles walking into the room bringing him out of his thoughts. She jumps onto the bed, stretching out on it.
"Hey bubblehead" He smiles back at her "What's got you so happy?"
She shrugs with a sad smile on her face "Remember when we were little?" she asks, and he nods in response turning to look at her.
"Well, me too" She smiles at him, and he shakes his head in response smiling at her antics proceeding to lay on the bed next to her.
"What's wrong?" she turns on her belly looking him in the eyes.
"Nothing Skai" he tries to give her a relaxed answer in an attempt to rid the worry that was now etched on his sister's face.
"If after everything that just happened today, nothing is on your mind, that would be really questionable" She becomes serious now. "River, talk to me" she urges him.
"Skai, don't worry about it, go to sleep" he sighs.
"Fine, but I'm not leaving" she huffs and wraps her hands around him laying her head on his chest.
"I wasn't chasing you anyways" he mutters, wrapping his arms around her breathing out.
"I'm asleep, you can say anything, and I won't remember in the morning" she whispers as he wraps the curls in her hair around his fingers slowly repeatedly.
"You're asleep, not drunk" he jokes patting her head.
She looks up at him with her index finger on her lips, proceeding to aggressively hush him "Shhh"
When the twins were growing up, this was a tactic Skai would use, she knew her brother would never speak up when anyone was listening, he took it as a stab at his ego.
"Skai" he mumbles, and she responds with a 'hmm'. "I thought you were sleeping" he whispers poking at her sides, knowing she's ticklish.
"Sleep talking duh" she giggles
"I'm scared Skai, everything is happening so fast, I don't even know who I am anymore" he sighs, and she hums again.
"I don't know how to function, we're starting at a new school in another world, it's all sorts of insane you know?" he adds
"Firstly, you're River and the way things are going shouldn't make us scared, it should make us resilient, if anything it should make us want to give till we've got nothing left to give, it should push us to yearn for the truth more than we ever have, I'm scared too Riv, but I want to know the truth, I want to know how everything came to be, how and why our lives turned upside down" she stresses before adding "I want to know, for the first time in my life River, I crave knowledge."
"I guess you're right" he says as he continues to play with her curls. "Skai, when the lady told us about skills I remembered something"
"What is it?"
"I think I can breathe under water" he tells her, and she turns to face him in a swift motion, her eyes practically bulging out of its sockets "What? How?" she asks.
"Back at the lake, I could inhale the water, it was like air to me" he tries to explain.
"Riv! That's so cool" she gapes "Well, I guess we've got a lot of questions to ask at this scire place" she says, relaxing back onto his chest.
"Thank you, Skai" he smiles even though she can't see it.
"Yeah yeah, remember I'm asleep" she lets out a little chuckle.
"I wonder what our powers are, or if we even have any" she mumbles. 'Skills not powers' he wanted to correct her, but she was already fast asleep.