The thin part of the vines is obviously put there on purpose, because Cora turn's to me and gives me an almost charming smile. Maybe her smile is not so bad because she's so close to what she wants. Jaxon looks horrified, "Wow, you came again? Not only that but with your friend. After last time, I thought you'd never even return," she said. "You know, after you killed him," she says.
I can't let this happen to me or him I promised it wouldn't, I to keep my promise. Yet, I can't move. I'm too stunned. I can't even move my mouth. It's not some magical thing from Cora, I just can't do anything, my friend might die and I'm completely powerless.
"No, I didn't-"
"I thought I raised you better than this, I mean this," Cora signaled around and to me. "This is not the boy I raised, the boy I raised, was smart, and loved his mother,"
Jaxon's fear melted away, "You are not my mother,"
"Oh please, I raised you, now be a good boy and come home," Cora smiled politely. I look around, I can't just watch I have to move, get out. Help. There are walls all around me and it curves around at the top like a sphere, but it's not closed on the top.
There's no way I can climb out. I pull out my knife and try to chip away at the vines but they only come back over and over. Cora tries to walk towards Jaxon but he backs away. Jaxon honey, "Don't make me use force, Mommy hates to hurt you."
Jaxon's eyes dart around, searching for an escape when, I see what seems like a hundred minions appear behind him. Some of the minions aren't even remotely human, they look like wood and trees twisted into a human shape. The wooden things' have featureless bodies except for the eyes which look like endless pits. I feel completely helpless. I can't be like this again I think I can't.
I touch the vines there's no way I can climb up this. Outside, Jaxon is now struggling to fight off the minions. The wooden minions don't react to anything, he hits them with arrows, throwing knives, and his dagger, but they don't even bother to pull them out. They walk right towards him, stopping at nothing to serve their master.
I see one of the arrows get pushed out of the tree-like minion's body without it doing a thing. All Jaxon could do is dodge them. "Jaxon," I scream, my voice returning. "Go! Run!" I yell, but I know there's no way he will. He won't leave me here and I know it.
A minion grabs Jaxon pulling into the crowd of the minions. They hold Jaxon gripping his arms and legs showing their master. This position is familiar, it's the position I was in every time I was beat half to death. "No! Stop," I yell completely helpless as memories fly through my mind. She did this on purpose, she had to have.
I fall and back away from the scene. I try to breathe but I feel like I'm right back there. My breathing quickens and my heart drums against my chest. I try to calm myself, I need to help him! But my mind refuses to listen.
I hear a sharp scream from Jaxon and I snap back to my senses. I get up and have an idea. I drop my bag to the ground and grab a plant. I pull my knife out and rub the plant on the blade.
I jump to my feet and begin chopping at the vines. It works! The pieces don't regrow. I chop at the vines over and over. Cutting it is surprisingly easy, probably because cora is so weak to this stuff.
I finally cut a big enough hole and squeeze through. Jaxon is being marched somewhere and there's a line of the tree minions standing in front of me. Cora is behind them the minions. "He's mine!" she says like some kind of obsessed girlfriend.
The minions walk towards me, there's not a single human minion in sight around me. Judging by Jaxson's fight, I can't do anything about these things. My best bet would be to run.
I try to run around them but one of them grabs my wrist with superhuman speed and an iron grip. The others begin to come towards us but I grab my knife, which has some hardened pink sap-like stuff on it. I plunge the knife into the tree's arm as far as I can and, to my surprise, it's hand opens and it's arm completely freezes, and soon, so did the rest of it.
The other trees like things go faster seeing it's defeat. I run as fast as possible down the path to reach Jaxon, but these things are faster than I could ever be.
I see the trees get close and closer. I turn off the path and the trees immediately swerve with me. I stare at the ones behind with frustration, but keep running. I turn and see a tree minion hold Jaxon's arm and pull him as he tries to struggle away. Cora is leading with a few minions behind her, but most of them are with me.
I run in a zigzag pattern to try to shake them, and at this rate, I'll make it to Jaxon but they'll catch up with us soon after, I'll think of something when I'm there.
I pull out my knife and stab at the tree's arm, just like before, the hand opens and freezes. Jaxon is free. Cora turns, "You weak petty humans won't get away again!" all the trees surround the three of us in a circle formation.
Suddenly, I feel a pain in my head like a headache with a high ringing tone. I can hardly hear Jaxon scream "Stop!" as I fall to my knees clutching my ears and Cora has a determined face, no smile in sight. My head feels like someone is banging on it over and over with a hammer from the outside, and on the inside, like someone is pushing through.
◈◈◈
Finally, the beating is over. I know there's no way I can walk on my own. I see Jordan slip his bloody bat under the bush. His two men dropped me and I fall on to my knees before falling forwards and passing out.
The next thing I know, Graham is by my side. "Hey," he said, a concerned look in his eyes. The sun's out now and I realize Jordan must've left me to rot out here last night. "H- hi," I get out. "Oberon, what happened?" he asks.
"It doesn't matter, help me walk home," I say trying to sit up. I groaned as pain shot up my whole body, but I still try, and eventually, I do it, I sit up.
"Obviously, it does matter, you can hardly sit up and just look at you!"
"Please, I just don't wanna mess things up between us."
He sighs. "I can't bring you through the village looking like this," Graham pulled his navy blue sweat shirt off. "Here, I'll help you put this on,"
Graham and I pull the sweat shirt over my head, then he pulls the hood over my hair and tried to hide my bruised face as much as possible. Graham helps me to my feet and wraps my arm around him.
"Alright, just walk the best you can,"
We stumbled to my mom's house with only a couple concerned looks but mostly, we were okay. Not many people noticed that he was nearly carrying me.
"Are you ready?" he asked as we reach her door. "Will I ever be?"
And I wasn't. I open the door slowly and look at my mom. She rushed towards me me, dropping the spunge and plate in her hand. I'll never forget the look of horror in her eyes. "Oberon?" she said, she went to touch my bruised face but let her hand hover for a moment. "Bring her over her," my mom signaled to a couch we have because of my new job.
Graham sets me down on the couch as I struggle to stay sitting up. Mom pulled a chair in front of the couch.
"What happened?" Mom asked. Graham sat there, watching me carefully, as if something could reach through the wall and grab me right now.
"I- well- it-" I try to tell them something less horrible than being beaten with a bat and possibly being caught by an officer. They look at me expectantly. "I got into a fight," I try to say, but Mom sees right through me. "What happened," her voice got low and warned me not to lie again.
"I was beat and- and I might've gotten caught,"
My mom looked like she may faint, but Graham looked confused and a little disappointed. "Were you doing something illegal?" he asked, with a hint of fear in his voice. I don't answer. After a moment my mom speaks, breaking the perfect silence. "You're not going back!" my mom said. "Mom!" she began to walk to the kitchen to find things for my wounds.
"Mom!" I say, grabbing her arm, and leaning forwards. "Mom! Mom, I'll die!"
My mother finally looked at me. "Mom, they'll make sure I do! At least this way there's a chance."