The sweltering heat made them sluggish, and it did not help that the sun's rays felt like the sting of being slapped on the skin. Their water bottle was currently full, but they did not account for the temperature to affect the liquid inside. Lily took a gulp and nearly spat the water out, it was boiling hot.
" Are you okay.. Lily?". Collins rushed to her.
"The water ..is hot like a boiling water". She said with a weak tone.You could see from her face that, she was tried and closed to dead.
" Rest on me". Collins said and bowed then carried her on his back.
Collins capped the bottle and proceeded east, trudging over the sandy dune when he spotted another traveler. He hoped that he was not seeing things, and rushed towards the unsuspecting person.
"Hey!" he yelled, waving his hand.
"Hello!" Lily said as she crawl down from Collins back.
" why did you get down?". Collins asked.
" I can walk now..I'm okay". She lied, as she wasn't feeling all well.
The person stopped to turn around and responded by waving back at them. As they came closer they soon realize that the traveler was a woman and a beautiful one indeed.
"Hi, thanks for stopping," Collins said.
"No problem," she said.
"We were getting worried that we were the only one out here."
"I'm Collins and she is Lily". he said and pointed at Lily who looked at the girl strongly.
"hi". She said finally
"Lisa Hayes,.. that is my name" she said with a smile.
"So how did you end up out here?" Collins asked.
"I was going to ask you the same question," she said.
"You guys look thirsty, want some cold water?"
"why not". Collins said.
She handed him one of her flasks. Collins first gave it to Lily, she drank to her heart's desire, and the coldness was felt throughout her body as it went down her throat. She then returned it back to Collins.
" Thanks" Lily said and Collins only nobbed his head. He drank the rest of the water.
"Wow, how did you manage to keep the water cold in this heat?" asked Collins after he was done drinking the water.
"It's a special flask," said Lisa.
"It's designed to keep whatever is in it hot or cold for twenty-four hours."
"Wait, so you've only been out here for less than a day?" said Lily.
"I believe so, but I can't remember really," said Lisa.
"How about you?"
"I can't remember a thing other than my name," said Collins and Lily nodded her head as well. She could barely remember how she end up there.
"I've been trying to jog my memory." Collins said.
"Same," said Lisa.
"So far my instinct tells me to go that way." Lisa said.
"I've been going east myself". said Collins. "We might as well go together." Lily said.
"Well.. good travelers let beat the distance together" said Lisa and giggled.
" we will like to." Collins said.
"Me too," said Lisa
she smiled with relief.
They continued to trek through the barren wasteland, and hoped to find whatever it was that they were looking for. It seemed, that the only thing each of them knew was to go towards the direction that beckoned them to. There were no other life creature except a few dry shrubs that may have flourished at the time when the land did not lack the provision of water and soil nutrients.
Unfortunately, nature has irrevocable reasons of abandoning its disposition.
Collins, Lily and Lisa perspired profusely from the exertion of the travel, and their rations were running low. They began to take smaller sips of water in an attempt to manage it throughout their course. But, eventually, they ran out and thirst began to torment them.
"My mouth is so dry," said Lisa
"Try not to talk," said Lily.
"Save your energy." Collins added.
"I'm feeling lightheaded," complained Lisa again.
"Don't talk..will you " said Lily, she was getting irritated about her behavior.
"I see something up ahead," Lisa said and looked ahead.
"I don't see anything," Collins required.
"Don't talk unless you have to." Lily said with a frowned face
"But I'm telling you there's something up ahead," said Lisa
"I think you're seeing things," Lily still insisted on her to shut up.
"Maybe a mirage."
Lisa paid no heed to what Lily said, and she was invigorated by the vision.
Enthusiastically, she ran towards it. Collins together with Lily yelled something, but Lisa had already distanced herself far enough that their words were muffled by the whistling of the desert wind. However, as pressed onward, it seemed as though something had prevented her from ever reaching her destination. she couldn't get any closer. The physical exhaustion forced Lisa to reconsider going any further and stopped running. They caught up with her, Lisa looked at them then she fainted, Lily was about to help her up when she fell down and fainted as well.
" okay..now what to do with this ladys!'. He screamed and also fell down.
When Collins awoke his vision was blurred at first, but he began to see clearly after a few minutes. He was in a room lying on a bed. There were various medical instruments attached to him while another equipment monitored his vitals. He was disoriented, and had no recollection as to why he is there, but he does remember the desert.
"Lily, Lisa," he said, underneath his breath.
The sound of footsteps alerted him. His eyes gazed at the gap between the door and the floor as the motion of shadow drew closer. When the door slid open he immediately recognized one of his guests.
"Hello Collins," she said.
"How are you feeling?"
"Lily?"
"I'm afraid not," she replied.
"You must have me confused for someone else. But I am your assigned doctor, and my name is doctor Lina".
" So.. where is she?" Collins asked.
" Oh Lily..she is sitting outside with another giry". The doctor replied.
" Can you get her for me.. please ". Collins said and held his head in pain.
" Don't stress yourself, put your head down I will get them for you". She said and want out.
A minute later, she returned with Lily and Lisa who quickly rushed to Collins as if she had known him for years.
" How are you doing?". She asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.
" I'm okay". Collins responded.
" Get your hands off him". Lily warned on a jealousy tone.
" Is everything alright?". Collins asked.
" Yes". Lily said.
" How did I got here?". He asked and Lisa gave the doctor an eye to excuse them.
They doctor nodded and went out leaving the three of them there.
" I teleported with you here". Lisa said, both Collins and Lily panicked while Collins was going back on the bed.
" You did what..who are you.!!..". Suddenly something gushed through his mind causing him to fall from the bed. He landed right on his butt. While Lily's closed her eyes instantly.
" I said who are you!". He shouted and Lisa transformed into her water spirit..
" I'm Princess Lisa..the first and last daughter of king Henerdez and Queen Nerdez in the submerged kingdom of river Nile".
" What..a supernatural being?". Collins looked at her with confused face. Lily's eyes was still shut closed.
" Yeah.. a supernatural being..you guess right". Lisa simled sheepishly, thinking that Collins will be okay but got it wrong.
" I think I'm done with all those supernatural things..why did I happened to be in the wrong place again ".
He said and stormed out, carrying Lily on his arms.
" Collins!'. Lisa yelled but he was already out of her earshot.
***
Collins same to be lost in what it seems like a valley full of green plants.
" Where on earth am I now?". He questioned himself.
" We are in valley Alabama..the most beautiful and peaceful valley ever made". Lisa said and smiled.
" And why did you brought us here?..and wait weren't you the one who fainted first?". He questioned her with his eye twisted upwards.
" Just to find peace and have freedom of my own life..and also I did that to get you guys out of there". She said and giggled which made Lily to wake up from her day dreaming. Her eyes color changed but no one noticed it before she hid it back again. It was a sign that, she had remembered what brought them there.
The sun delicate light had just turned the world a-flame with silver. She had a comely figure which was stem-thin. Her curvilinear waist didn't surprise him as much as the saffron tint to her complexion. She must be a native, he thought to himself. Her crescent shaped eyebrows inclined slightly as she saw him staring at her. He yelped at being caught.
Her languid eyelashes of velvet-black blinked once slowly, as if to invite him over.
When he came closer to her, he noticed her scrolled ears and her elegant nose. She nuzzled him with her nose and he couldn't believe it. Will it be a custom for her people?, Collins said as he looked at Lily closely. he reckoned. It was love at first sight.
Seriously, he hadn't really taken his time to look at Lily when they were in school.
But he didn't know how to admit. Her luminous, heavenly-white teeth flashed as she pawed at him with her film star nails. Her hair was a glorious tumble of star beam-gold and her virility-brown eyes set his heart a-thump. Her oxbow lips positively drooled with goodness. Oh! those sugar candy-sweet lips, her elegant personality, all mesmerized him. She was once the allured vampire princess.
Collins cleared his throat and looked away when he saw Lisa getting closer to them. He turned his head towards her direction.
" hey you are here". Collins said and Lily looked up at her.
" Yeah". she said and sat down beside them.
The silent between them was so intensive that Collins decided to broke the loud noise silent that had envelope them.
"Anyway, why did you leave your kingdom to this place which looks like a valley of no return?". He asked and took a long look around him .
" Well..I got tried of how pampering my parents were pampering me..and how they don't want me to get close to anyone, especially the men's". She said and stood up then went and sat on a bench which was close to a stream near where they were sitting earlier on. Collins looked at her for a while before joining her. While Lily only winked at Collins and looked away.
" Did you just run from home to have fun?". Collins asked.
" Yeah..it been two hundred years since I came out.. which looks like 20 years here on earth right?". She asked Collins and he nodded his head.
" So tell me..how is the world like..I mean how are things over there?". She asked and her mood jumped that instant.
Lily had observed her for a quite while, he noticed that she wasn't of a bad intentions. He began to tell her about the world.
"Hmmm..the world is a nice place..but those bad supernatural beings had made the world hard since they won't leave the humans to live their life peaceful ". Collins said.
" What have they been doing there?".