Lost and Found Silent Nothingness "Ohhkaayyy..." Alyson spun around, trying to discern how she came to be standing in the middle of a circular patch of grass. The grassy patch was only a few metres in diameter, no more then ten at the very least, and was encompassed by a cobblestone traffic circle that branched off in several directions. Across the road lines upon lines of small sidewalk cafes could be seen, tables set out on the stone walkway awaiting costumers, each with its own unique Victorian flare. The smell of a bakery making bread for the afternoon rush hour filled the air and everything seemed perfect, except for one tiny detail, there wasn't a soul in sight aside from herself. She could see plates of food set upon tables, waiting to be savoured by some invisible patron. If they were invisible, maybe Alyson could have handled the situation a little better, however the sight of cups of steaming tea simply sitting around empty tables, only left an unsettling feeling in the girls stomach. The whole situation has a surreal quality to it and Alyson found it hard not to suddenly yell just to break the unnerving silence. She wandered around the shops in search of someone who could give her some kind of hint as to where she was, and which direction would be the best to travel, when her tummy began to grumble at the sight of all the treats. During all the chaos of the day she had completely forgotten about lunch and now her stomach was reminding her that she was well overdue for a snack. She entered one of the cafes that had a savourable smell drifting from its open windows. Inside the lights were all on and she found several tables with many forms of food upon them. A large plate of pasta caught her eyes and Alyson swallowed hard at the scene. Making sure there was no one in the store and that the food was not spoiled, the girl sat down and bid a silent prayer before hungrily digging into the meal. **** Kris lay upon the grass with her eyes closed. A gentle breeze brushed against her cheeks and ruffled her hair ever so slightly; memories of a day long gone flickering in her mind. A sense of warmth, love and pain. A tear filled her eye as the memories arose and a grey feeling washed over her heart and mind. "Kris, are you alright?" A voice called out through the fog of Kris's mind. She reached out towards the voice with her mind and slowly opened her eyes, before her knelt Jessica, an intense amount of worry drawn upon her usually bright face. "Jessica?" Kris tried to sit up only to feel an insane amount of pain rush through her heart. A sound emitted from the depths of Kris's being that could only be described as someone tearing out a part of her soul. Kris curled up into a tight ball, clenching her chest tightly as a scream ripped from her throat. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she kicked at the ground as if trying to hide under the earthen floor itself. "What's wrong?" Jessica asked in a panicked state, she reached out to touch the girl on the shoulder when another wave of sobs overtook Kris's body and she began to cough and sputter, then laugh. "Gwen..." Kris giggled hysterically, "You... little…" She punched at the ground and forced herself into a seated position, her head raised to stare up at the blue sky, "I should have known..." She cried and laughed. "Kris?" Jessica finally found the courage to set her hand upon the girl's shoulder, "What happened?" Kris tried to regain her sanity as giggles turned to gasps for breath, "It feels..." Kris swallowed hard, "Like someone just ripped out a part of my heart." She said with a chuckle and smiled in a way that scared Jessica a little. "Are you going to be alright?" Jessica nervously asked once again. Kris rubbed her temple and shook her head, "I don't know..." She slowly gazed around herself. All around them the eerie black forest had been replace with a large, open park with deep green grass lightly covered with a sprinkling of colourful leaves, paths intertwining their way about them and a bench could be seen here and there, "Where are we?" She asked stunned by the change in setting. "That is what I was going to ask you." Jessica said while looking around. "How... perfect..." Kris flopped back down on the grass and covered her eyes with her arm, "Just Perfect!" **** Kima ran across a playground and jumped onto a swing, standing up she pumped the swing hard and smiled as the wind rushed though her hair. "Not again." Kim wept and dropped to a swing next to her double, "Why does this keep happening?" She mumbled. "Will you stop crying?" Kima demanded pumping the swing again, "Why can't you face a problem without breaking into tears?” "Leave me alone." Kim sniffled, rubbing her eyes with the back of her sleeve. Ever since they entered the forest she could feel a well of sadness seep into her heart. She wanted to stop crying but she couldn't seem to find the strength to over come the tears, "You always act like you are so perfect. Now everyone hates me." She said between sniffles. "I act myself." Kima retorted, "People would like you more if you would stop pretending like you are some kind of princess and stop blaming me about everything. We are the same person after all." "I am-" Kim started to say only to have Kima interrupt her. "-not like me." Kima continued, "I know, I know. I'm the, all so, evil half of you. The part you hate the most. I know the story." She said dismally, "For once could you stop forcing me away." She wrapped her arms around the chain, linked her hands together and gazed sadly into the distance, "I feel sorry for Jenn." She said, watching the setting sun. "Leave Jenn out of this!" Kim stood to her feet, "She has nothing to do with this." Her tears were replace by anger. "She has everything to do with this and you know it." Kima remarked coldly, "You just refuse to admit it wasn't entirely me that wanted to touch that girl." "I wouldn't..." Kim mumbled uneasily, twisting her dress between her fingers. "You would and you have...." Kima stated bluntly, "We were one, once before. Or don't you remember?" Kim lowered her head in shame, "I just..." Kim's voice cracked on her words, "I don't want to hurt anyone anymore." She wailed as she burst into another wave of tears. Kima let out a sigh and jumped off the swing, "I know..." She approached Kim and wrapped her arms around the girl, giving her a tight hug, "I don't want to either." She said, rocking the girl slowly in her arms, "Neither do I..." ****** Cherilyn walked the halls of the school. At first she was relieved to find herself no longer within those vile woods, however she soon discovered that her new situation wasn't much better. She searched one classroom after another to find each and every one to be empty. Not only void of the presence of other life, but of any sign that anyone had ever been in the school in years. There were no desks or any furniture anywhere that she went. Then she ran out onto the schools rooftop to find that neither of the dorms existed and the west wing was completely missing. What used to be a sprawling landscape of trees and fields had been replace with buildings and houses. She collapsed to the ground, staring out at her new surroundings, stunned silent. Tears started to fill her eyes as she wished to be back with her friends and away from this new nightmare of nothingness. ***** To be Continued...
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