REAWAKENED 2: SHE IS LILA

Oh for crying out loud

“Why don’t you drink some tulip syrup?” William asked as they walked on down the long and straight road. “It will fix you right up.”

“If the marshes are as dangerous as you say they are, then we best save it for when we really need it,” Lila answered, continuing to hold the napkin to her nose.

“Fair enough.”

Walking on, they came across a wooden gate whose best years were long behind it. Not only were the wooden planks rotten and moldy from the rain, but some of them had even broken off and were on the ground, with grass growing out of them.

“Is this it?” Lila asked as they came to a stop.

“Yes it is,” William answered. “The gate to the Marshes of Gaillenheim. People used to use this shortcut a lot but after the wolf attacks went on the rise, they deemed it dangerous and closed it down.”

“Right.”

“It’s a very dark and unpleasant place Lila. I’ve heard nothing but terrible things about it.”

“We’ll be fine, come on.”

Lila walked up to the gate and swung it open as William ditheringly followed behind her. It had been bound by a lock and chain but because of the rain and the moisture of the forest, the chain had gotten rusty and had broken off.

Inside, they walked for just a few minutes when they made it to the thick black muddy waters of the marshes. There were different types of grasses and plants growing everywhere and there were also narrow but stable wooden plank walkways that had been built over the marshy water; a network of walkways that were straight but cornered around trees and lead to different areas within and outside the marshes.

The light was dim, the air was damp and the atmosphere was quiet; the only sounds that could be heard were the screeching of crickets, the buzzing of insects, the chirping of birds and the croaking of frogs.

Getting onto the walkway, they began to make their way across the marsh, with Lila keeping a sharp eye out for the wolves whilst William who was in front of her quaked in his boots, trembling more with every step forward he took. The marshes were not just dark and dingy but they had a heavy presence about them and it was that heavy presence that had his heart beating slow and dragging like a snail.

Suddenly, the sound of howling was heard in the distance and like he had just seen a ghost, William almost jumped out of his skin.

“Oh dear I know that howling, not good,” he said frantic as they immediately came to a stop and began looking around. They couldn’t see the wolves just yet but they knew they were out there. “Equip your bow Lila and use the batch of silver arrows. Take the wolves out before they have a chance to reach us.”

A new objective popped up; KILL ALL THE WOLVES.

The howling continued and got louder, and not before long, the wolves showed up and began to charge at them one by one. They were dark grey in colour and were the size of tigers, and when they both laid their eyes upon them, they gasped as their insides froze with fear, William especially who looked like he was going to pass out. Not only did he yelp in helplessness but his legs went so weak he dropped to the knees.

“Oh dear, here they come,” he cried. “And there’s nowhere to hide. The trees are covered with so much slime they’re impossible to climb.”

“Goodness William! You said wolves you didn’t say anything about them being that size,” Lila said, quite thrown off by how big they were.

“I didn’t know they were that size, if I did, I’m a 1000% certain that I wouldn’t be in here with you right now.”

“Ugh!”

Quickly she equipped her bow and began to shoot the wolves. It would have taken up to five ordinary arrows to kill one wolf but because she had the silver arrows, all it took was one, and so with how deadly her aim was, they dropped to the ground like flies.

The wolves popped up from every direction and charged at them with tremendous speed, and as they came at them one right after the other, Lila pulled back arrow after arrow and shot them. There were thirty wolves in total and she shot them all, right in between their eyes, and when the last one went down, she relaxed her shoulders and sighed in relief as William who was still on his knees, lifted his head and quickly looked around to make sure the wolves really were dead.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Of course I’m not alright,” William answered. “I have never been more scared in my entire life.”

His heart was beating so fast he was hyperventilating; still very much shaken from how scared he was, but more relieved that it was over. But it wasn’t over. That was just phase one of the attack and when phase two kicked in, with the sound of more howls coming from the distance, like a loose thread being pulled, William could feel himself unravelling; losing his cool more with every second that went by.

“More wolves, kill them!” he said and Lila reached her hand back to grab a silver arrow so that she could do just that, but grabbing an ordinary arrow instead, her eyes immediately darkened with worry.

“Oh no, I’m out of silver arrows,” she said and William screamed; death missed them before, but with no arrows to kill the wolves before they came into lethal striking distance, it was surely going to get them this time.

A new objective popped up; PROTECT WILLIAM.

Ten wolves came out from the darkness and charged at them, and when they reached them and surrounded them, they began to circulate them, slowly, growling and even frothing at the mouth as they looked at them with gazes so sharp and fierce it was clear they only had one thing on their minds; turning them inside out.

Quickly William stood up and went to stand back to back with Lila as she un-equipped her bow and put the arrow back, and equipped the silver battle axe; holding it nice and firm in her hand, ready to swing.

“Stand fast William, I know you’re scared but I’m going to need your help if we’re going to make it out of this alive o.k.? I need you to keep your eyes peeled and tell me when a wolf charges at us alright? Tell me and I’ll kill it,” Lila said.

“O.k.,” he said; keeping his eyes tight on the five wolves that were on his side, whilst Lila kept her eyes on the other five that were on hers.

“Good. Don’t worry, we’re going to be o.k.”

“Are we? Because this looks a lot like the last day of our lives.”

“Just tell me when they charge William, I’ll handle the rest,” she boldly said.

“Ah! Left!”

Lila grabbed his shirt with her free hand and pulled him behind her so that she could kill the charging wolf but when she turned and looked to the left, the wolf that was there was standing still.

“Ah!! The other left!” he screamed and she quickly turned around and pulled him behind her, and sliced the wolf across its face as it leaped off the ground at them.

One after the other they leaped out of the water at them, and working as a team, William spotted the ones that charged at them whilst Lila killed them, with none of them laying not even a single whisker on him. Not only was she swift in pulling him behind her, but she was swift in hitting the wolves too, and when she had hit the last one, slicing it across the face also, they looked around to make sure she had gotten them all and when they saw that she had, they quickly gathered themselves and moved on.

Taking only a few steps, more howling was heard, but at least this time it was a single howl. Not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing because though it was a single howl, it was way deeper than the others, a clear indication that the animal was bigger.

“Oh for crying out loud,” she said bothered; how many wolves was she going to have to kill for them to finally be free to move on. She had killed forty already for goodness sake, wasn’t that enough? Apparently not, because there was one more remaining, and it was massive. Not only was it twice the size of the others but it was black like the night and had emerald green eyes. It was the alpha, and when it came out from behind one of the trees and they saw it, they froze like statues as inside, their blood ran cold like winter.

“Oh my dear goodness.” He screamed and quickly went and hid behind Lila. “It’s the alpha,” he tremblingly said.

“Wow . . . That is the biggest wolf I have ever seen.”

The wolf majestically walked up to the walkway and when it reached it and leaped onto it, it stared them down with a gaze so vicious it pierced their chests and struck their hearts with terror.

William whimpered and went on cowering behind her like a helpless little boy and as he closed his eyes and wished he could just vanish into thin air, she tightened her grip on the axe and stood strong. It would have been nice to sit the fight out because it really was the biggest wolf she had ever seen and she didn’t want to fight it because she didn’t think she was going to win, but she didn’t have that luxury. There was no one else out there who could fight it, it was only her, and so after she gently pushed William back, she walked up to the wolf as it growled and brushed its paw against the wood like a horse about to charge, and got into her fighting pose.

LILA VS. ALPHA WOLF.

The wolf charged at her and reached to bite her leg but running at it too, Lila flipped over it and landed behind it, and sliced half of its tail off. Shrieking in pain, it then kicked her with its hind legs and back she flew, sliding across the walkaway where she would have fallen into the poisonous water had she not dug her axe into the wood and stopped herself.

“Look out Lila!” William shouted as the wolf moved in to bite her.

The axe was dug quite firm into the wood and not having enough time to pull it out and swing it because the wolf was already too close, Lila thought fast and used her legs to hold it back, but it was too powerful to restrain and so it easily moved its head to the side and bit into her leg.

She screamed.

“Lila!” William cried as the alpha wolf bit harder into her leg and tossed her to the other side of the walkway.

Turning around, it then growled and charged at her, and seeing it coming, Lila quickly got back up onto her feet and ran and slid underneath it, and as she came out the other end, she sliced it across its inner thigh.

The wolf groaned and kicked her again with its hind leg, and as she landed hard and slid across the walkway about to slide off again, it rushed at her wanting to bite her head off but looking over her shoulder and seeing it coming, she quickly rolled away and sliced it across its leg.

Crying out, it then hit her in the face with its massive paw and when she fell back, it went and bit into her side, puncturing her internal organs, and tossed her to the other side of the walkway.

“Come on Lila! Come on!” William encouraged. She was injured and bleeding but he still believed that she could do it. She just had to or else they were doomed.

The wolf charged at her and moved in to bite her face, and not having enough time to turn around and swing the axe at it, Lila put her arm across her face to shield it and as the wolf reached and bit into her arm instead, with her crying out loud from the excruciating pain, she dug the axe deep into the side of its neck repeatedly until it let her go; and when it did, she sliced it across its face.

Groaningly backing away from her, it then stood for a moment to gather itself, continuing to give her its deathly gaze as blood began to spew out of its neck wound. Ten hits were what was needed to defeat the wolf and she was on nine, and so there was only one hit left, but that one hit was the hardest one yet because she was greatly injured and had lost so much blood she was literally on her last leg.

Still, she got back up and held her axe strong, ready to keep fighting, and as the wolf growled and ran at her, she ran at it too. It reached to bite her but sliding underneath it again, she slit its throat, and as she came out the other end, the wolf howled in anguish, drowning in its own blood, and dropped dead; and seeing that she had won, William cheered and ran to her side as she sighed exhausted and plunked down to her knees.

“Lila!” he shouted and ran faster. “Ha! Oh my goodness, blood. So much blood,” he then said, kneeling down beside her.

“I’ll be fine,” she said as she wiped away the blood that was trickling out of her mouth.

“How are you going to be fine? You’re bleeding everywhere.”

“William calm down, I have tulip syrup.”

“Oh thank goodness,” he said hugely relieved; tulip syrup was a lifesaver. “I thought you were going to die on me.”

“Don’t worry William, I’m not going anywhere,” Lila said and he tearfully hugged her; much warmer than he did when she showed up to rescue him from the burning building as he had grown to care for her a lot more. “Ugh, maybe we should do this after I drink the tulip syrup when I’m not about to die.”

“Oh goodness yes, of course.” He immediately pulled away from her. “Sorry.”

She cutely chuckled. “It’s o.k.,” she said and dug into the inside of her coat and pulled out a bottle of tulip syrup. Twisting the cap open with her mouth as her other hand was mangled, she then downed all of the contents of the bottle and by the time she was on the last drop, she was completely healed. All the wounds closed up and even her broken nose was fixed; she was brand new. “Ha, that’s better,” she then said and William smiled and hugged her again.

“Goodness William I’m fine.”

“I know, I’m just really glad you’re alright.”

She smiled and hugged him back. “Me too.”

Getting up, she then removed her knife and skinned the alpha wolf, and when she was done and a new item was added to her inventory; rare black wolf pelt, they continued making their way through the marsh as the quietness prevailed.

“So what exactly are we looking for out here?” he asked walking beside her.

“I have no idea,” she answered. “The scrolls just said to come here and that was it.”

“Are you sure there was nothing else on there?”

“I’m sure. It just said the Marshes of Gaillenham, that’s it.”

“Maybe you should take another look at it,” William suggested.

“Wouldn’t hurt.”

Lila pulled out the piece of the ancient golden scrolls from inside her coat and unrolled it, and when they stopped to take another look at it, like before she could see what was written on it and he couldn’t.

“Anything else?” he asked as she checked both sides again.

“No nothing,” she answered. “The front says Marshes of Gaillenham and the back is empty.”

William sighed dispiritedly. “So what do we do now?”

“I don’t know.”

Lila put the piece back into her coat and when she looked forward, she threw her head slightly back as a dubious look came over her face. It was like there was something there that wasn’t there before. William noticed and followed her eyes to see what she was looking at but when he looked there, he saw nothing but what was there before which was a wooden walkway heading northwards with trees and marsh all around.

“What?” he wondered. “What on earth are you looking at?”

“That,” she said pointing to the walkway.

“What that? I don’t see anything.”

“The trail.”

“Trail?” William looked to where she was pointing yet again and looked back at her. “You mean the walkway?” he asked wondering on.

“No the trail.”

“What trail?”

“The trail of golden dust,” Lila answered.

“Trail of golden what?”

“Dust. And it’s leading that way,” she said pointing ahead.

“I don’t see anything.”

“You don’t but I do. There’s a trail of golden dust floating right above the walkway and it’s going that way.”

"Well, it must be another one of the special skills you have as the golden soul because I don’t see anything. All I see is a wooden walkway,” William said.

“You think maybe it's showing us where to go?"

"I think so."

“Alright then, let’s follow the golden dust and see where it takes us,” Lila said and they started following the floating trail of golden dust along the walkway; turning this way and that way as inside they both hoped that it was going to lead them to what they were out there for which was the second piece of the ancient golden scrolls, so that they could take that huge second step towards unlocking Lila’s power and discovering her destiny.

The chapter done, Blake exited the game and took her gear off, and when she put it back on the display in the cushioned box it stayed in, she threw herself onto her bed and gave out a heartening sigh, grinning from ear to ear as the satisfaction of having scratched the itch that she couldn’t reach before refreshed her soul like an ice-cold drink on a blazing hot day.

She felt so fulfilled that all the things Arthur told her about the game being demonic evaporated out of her mind and into oblivion. It was like they went into one ear and came out the other because not even a single word he spoke came to her mind. The only thing she was thinking about was coming back from school the following day so that she could play some more and continue unlocking Lila’s awesome journey.

A new day came and waking up, Blake gasped and threw the blankets off of her, and quickly flew into the bathroom to go and check herself in the mirror. She wanted to see if she was finally back to her normal self and she was. Kinda sorta. Her eyes were back to being brown but when she removed the bandana and the wig cap, her hair was not just still gold, but it was glowing and waving again.

“Oh come on!” she bitterly complained and then groaned like a seven year old throwing a tantrum. She was supposed to be getting back to her normal self and her hair was back to glowing and waving like it was on day one, how much longer was this going to go on for?

Thirty minutes later, Blake arrived at school, and as she sat in her car waiting for Arthur, she watched the students walking about, not just thinking about the bizarre thing that was happening to her, but about her chill with Alexander at The Lake House; a chill that sounded so much like a date she got the jitters every time she thought about it.

What if somebody saw them and started to spread rumours that they were a couple? What if her mother saw her? Not only would she feel betrayed that she was dating someone behind her back, but she would be disappointed that she didn’t love and respect her enough to obey the rules she set; rules she had set for her own good, to keep her from dating the wrong kind of boy. It would break her heart and Blake didn’t want to do that. The relationship between them was going so well and she didn’t want anything to ruin it.