The Road Least Traveled (Camila/Invite)

[Hayden Knight]

The wind brushed along the rugged terrain lightly, gently caressing the occasional patch of grass or dusting the rocky path with a light coat of sand. At first the path itself had started as a soft, white sand slowly becoming a twisted rocky path to the edge of the disaster that had occurred only a few months ago. To some, the beautiful blend of earthen tones mixed with the faint dust of white sand was a beautiful sight. But to others, the earth itself held the lightest touch of crimson. A crimson that they'd say came from the blood of their fallen friends.

Looking to the sky, one could only see the earth echoed in the fiery blend of the horizon. Everything, even the clouds themselves appeared to have been painted a stark red orange in contrast to the sky's lighter yellow orange mixture. Even the ocean that stretched to meet the horizon, reflected the sky in its no longer blue hues. Of course the scene itself was beautiful but in its beauty there lied a sadness that very few would ever be able to place.

Leaving light footprints in the sand before letting the breeze take them away, a certain unnaturally dark haired teen made her way to the rocky part of the beach. The closer she got, the less her footprints were noticed among the mixture of the faded steps of others. With every step she took, memories flooded the girl. It had been only a few months ago when she'd raced up this very slope to stop her sister's best friend from making a terrible mistake. It was that same moment in time that had nearly taken her life.

Hayden paused when she reached the cliff, letting her gaze wash over her surroundings. It was a mystery to her how such a beautiful place could harbor so much pain. As she considered what had happened here, a chill ran up her spine and she glanced around. Though she had the feeling she wasn't alone, there was no proof otherwise at the moment and she let her gaze fall back to the ocean as it crashed against the rocks below, sending a refreshing mist into the breeze.

She closed her pale azure eyes and let the mist kiss her skin before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Things change. At least that's what they say. But they say people never change no matter how hard they try. Was it true? Sure you could change what was on the outside but changing what was on the inside was next to impossible. Just look at her. Before her hospitalization, Hayden had finally stopped trying to hide and had accepted who she was. She was the scarlet haired teen that was Bridget Shine's younger sister and a former prefect commander. Even now, she was still that same person, but she hated it.

She'd gone through lengths to try and change the person she was, almost completely changing her appearance in the process. But it wasn't enough. She could still feel that flicker of failure in her heart. A sigh escaped her lips and she shrugged her black jacket off, holding it loosely in hand. It wasn't the season for tank tops but after being cooped up in a hospital, feeling the wind was a good thing. Even as she tried to let what had happened go, a single thought came to mind each and every time.

"Things will never be the same"

[Camila Reyes]

The breeze of the day was stronger around the beach, thanks to the coolness that seemed to emanate from the large body of water, otherwise known as the ocean. Small blades of grass on the path up to the cliffs danced in the breeze, not at all aware of the bad blood that seemed to be present on the island. The patches of grass lined a rocky trail that lead from the soft sands of the beach up to a rocky cliff that looked out over the ocean in one direction and, in the other direction, the rest of the island. To someone who enjoyed wide, open spaces, the cliff seemed to be an oasis. However, to someone who was terrified of heights, it would be an absolute nightmare.

Under the red and orange sky, which was reflected in the ocean, a young woman ran. Her chocolate brown fluttered behind her as she ran, her pale eyelids covering her sapphire irises and midnight black pupils. Blades of grass tickled her bare ankles as she darted up the path, the white wire bouncing against her chest as she ran. She looked focused, as if she was running some kind of race, or trying to escape an enemy. Of course, there was no one in pursuit of the young woman, so it could have been assumed that she was just running to run. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she breathed in and out to replenish her body with oxygen as her muscles used it to run. She stumbled a little as trail started to go up at a sharper angle, but she persisted, breathing in and out faster. She could feel the thundering of her heart against her ribcage and the blood rushing through her veins. The thought of blood made her shake her head and attempt to run faster, trying to clear her head of the dark images she saw behind her eyelids.

The crunching of rocks under her sneakers made the young woman’s eyes snap open. She looked out ahead of her, barely able to ignore her racing heart and warm skin, both evidence of her run up the cliff. The clouds had acquired the sky’s red-orange color, though the darkness of the coming night was starting to the make the sky more akin to the color of flames. A small grimace crossed the young woman’s thin, pink lips as she looked out at the sky and clouds. The sun was starting to fade, just like it always did, without fail. This time, though, it felt different to watch. She felt connected to the glowing star full of fusing hydrogen atoms, as if they shared something in common. I’m certainly not a large of ball of gases fusing together to give eight planets light, she thought to herself, letting her sapphire eyes slip closed so she could feel the salty, ocean breeze caress her pale skin. She took a few steps forward, feeling small rocks shift under her feet as she did so. When her eyes opened again, she was looking down at the beach below her.

Immediately, terror gripped her entire being. Her muscles locked, the black circles surrounded by a light hue of sapphire widened a little, and her chest began to move faster again, despite the fact that it had slowed down when the breeze carried the ocean spray to the skin of her face. Her heart was racing again, and her breaths were shallow and uneven, as if trying to give her the oxygen she needed because she was using most of it to support the tetanus of her muscles. She wanted to turn on her heel and run all the way back down the cliff to feel safe again, but her muscles were rigid and her body stiff, as if it were determined to keep her there. She wondered what on earth possessed her to run up to a high cliff of all places to get out some energy and lingering emotions that were tying her brain and emotional heart in knots. She blinked once, seeing a brief flash of blood red water before letting out a noise of surprise and taking a few steps away from the edge of the cliff. As she did so, though, a slight feeling of curiosity overwhelmed here. She closed her eyes and tip-toed forward once more, spreading her arms out, as if to embrace someone or something. The breeze wrapped around her like a blanket and, for once, she felt an incredible weight lifted off her shoulders. After a few minutes, she backed up again, casting her gaze to the rocks beneath her feet. It was actually auburn, but it seemed more red than it actually was. She gasped softly before stumbling backward a little, an image flashing before her eyes.

She heard a soft voice mutter something and turned her head to see another young woman with long, raven hair standing not to far from her. She looked at her sneakers as she mumbled to herself, though she did not realize that the other young woman could have probably heard it, since the only noise was the crashing of the waves against the shore, which was not too loud, due to the low tide.

“No, they won’t be. All I see lately is blood…”