REDEMPTION

11.GOING BACK.

“Huh?” 

Audrey’s ears heard heard wrong. Right? He tears stopped pouring. Her body froze and she was sure her heart did as well. She turned slowly and looked into his glowing golden eyes. Ralph looked into her eyes as well. They rained that way for what seemed like an eternity. Luckily, even though her body functions had stopped, Audrey still remembered to breath. 

“Do I look too different that you can’t recognize me?” she asked her voice cracking. She was not sure whether she was ready to hear the answer to her question. She shook her head. Her cheek were wet from the tears while her body shook from fear. What was she to do now? 

“Am sorry, I… I… don’t know h-how I got here. I was alone. And… afraid. When I was about to give up, this glowed. I don’t know where, but I am sure I have seen it before.” He explained lifting the necklace. “So I – I held onto it tight. And- and then you came. You called my name…” 

Audrey had not registered what was happening. She could only tell one thing, he was not lying. Whenever Ralph felt overwhelmed with emotions, he would stammer. His words sometimes never made sense yet other times, they did. He would gesture things with his hands or show them while explaining to others. 

“I was so happy. Someone knew me. I was missed. I was so happy.” He began crying. “It is dark here. I didn’t know who I was but you knew. You knew. Someone knew who I was. You could tell me if I had a family or not. Your my guardian angel right?” 

It hit her. He did not ask her who she was because he could not recognize her but because he did not remember. Audrey held his hands and smiled. The bitterness in her heart grew ten fold. She patted his hair gently, calmed herself and then spoke. 

“My name is Audrey. Am your little sister. That necklace was a gift from you to me when I was little.” 

Audrey was little, her magic had not manifested yet. To her family, she was the most delicate figure in the whole house. On one fateful night, Audrey made a jump to a different dimension without her knowledge. She was in her room one moment and the next, she was in a dark scary forest. 

The trees in this forest looked alive. The way their branches swayed made her shiver in fear. As she screamed for someone to get her home, the leaves on the ground were crashed by something. It was fast and was coming toward her. Before she turned and ran, she remembered seeing claws and a hand stretching out to grab her face. 

LipAudrey did not remember how long she had been there. The sun never rose nor did it ever appear. The land she was in seemed like one covered in eternal darkness. Day did not exist there. She had been scared but she still hoped her brothers would come get her. After a while, she noticed an read that the things there never went close to. A tree so huge, even her little figure could fit in.

When she woke up, she was in someone’s arms causing her to scream. Whoever it was, held her tightly and told her she was safe. He apologized he had not come earlier and that she was scared. Audrey looked up again and saw that it was Ralph. She was so relived that she could no longer hide the dread she had been feeling. 

As she cried, the forest clouds thundered and it rained. It had never rained in the dead land before. That is the main reason it was considered a death realm. No sun shone and night sky did not receive the full light of the moon. Only a portion of it appeared constantly. The waters there smelled like blood and the trees were thought to be alive. 

When Audrey called down, the rain stopped. Ralph set her down and dug into his pockets. Holding her hands in his, he placed a necklace and told her to always keep it on her at all times. Whenever she was in trouble, she could always call him and to make it fair, he had a necklace that resembled hers. There they promised to always help each other. 

Ralph took Audrey home that day. Everyone had been worried sick but they were all relieved to see she was back home unharmed. Who knew the necklace that had broken her would save her. Ralph listened and looked like her was in conflict with himself for a while. 

She held out her necklace and Ralph saw that they were indeed identical. While his glowed golden, hers glowed red and blue intertwining. He smiled and squeezed her hands tighter. Audrey inquired if he could walk and check over his body for any bruises or injuries. When she did not find any, she was relieved. 

Audrey held his hands and focused her energy on making a jump. Ralph wanted to withdraw his hands but he assured him that he had nothing be scared of. She knew she would have a lot to explain but she did not care. Ralph was back. That was what was important. And she knew Shawn would be too. They were both enveloped in a fog as they disappeared from the death realm. 

It had been three days since Shawn had arrived back home. Clary had accompanied them back to the other realm safe and sound. Their parents were happy to have their children back home. But just as they were about to get to the details of their return, Audrey was enveloped in a golden fog and she disappeared. 

Shawn was in his study, thinking of what might have happened. This scenario reminded him of that one time Audrey got lost and Ralph was the only one that found her. Every time they had asked him where they were, he would laugh and scratch his head saying it was a coincidence. And when they asked Audrey, she said she did not remember. His thoughts were interrupted by a yell. 

The whole household was in chaos. He stood up and walked to the window. Outside, he spotted a strange fog that had appeared in the middle of their compound. Shawn immediately teleported himself to the scene ready to intercept whatever it was. When he arrived, the fog had began dissipating. In the middle, stood two figures. Shawn could not make out who they were. 

“So cool. Do that again.” 

Shawn froze. Maybe he had heard it wrong. 

“Ralph?”